I'm having a chat with a few other preppers by e mail about taking precautions when doing stuff like visiting London for expos, gaming conventions, sports events, shopping trips etc and we have got round to using handhelds for local comms if the cell system goes down for what ever reason. Someone has asked WHICH frequencies work best in URBAN areas CB 27m PMR 440m Ham 2 or 7 m or what ever?
I dont know which works best any ideas??
It amazes me that any preppers would actually choose to visit London for expos, gaming conventions, sports events, shopping trips etc. It's one thing if you have to go in for work or for family reasons.
Sorry off topic I know, personally I think I would prefer to go down the route of arranging predetermined RV's in the event that anything should kick off.
After all if you are in the terraces of Wembly stadium, the first floor of Harrods or in the middle of Soho/Oxford St talking on your UV5, you are not adopting the Grey Man stance and I'm sure you will be pretty quickly singled out by the security services as a person of interest.....
I think in the present climate given what has happened in Paris and is still happening in Brussels, any visits to big cities should be tempered with extreme caution and unless absolutely essentlal should be avoided until a safer time.
I have no choice to visit London through work (except change job maybe) and I just try to spend as little time as possible there. No sight seeing, no going to the big shops etc.. Just there, work, home.
But as Dev said, maybe RV points would be better than handhelds for keeping away from unwanted attention. Especially with the sas style police having shoot to kill guidelines (they shoot with the intention of taking you out before you can take numerous people out & ask questions later - remember the Brazilian electrician at Stockwell tube station in 2005).
Shit, I ask a bloody simple technical question and get all sorts of replies nothing to do with the question.
The joys of a public forum
Sorry, can't help with radios as I dont use them.
CQ CQ CQ Where is LS when you need him
Nor do I normally Rob, but when other preppers ask me I gotta try and find out
CQ CQ CQ Where is LS when you need him
Mulching sheep, post coding his apples or trying to keep half of Asia minor from moving into his homestead
UHF such as PMR446 or 70cm ham band work best in and around steel reinforced concrete and glass high rise buildings. A 500mw UHF portable like PMR446 will communicate vertically in an office building about 5 floors, or 5 city blocks horizontally at street level. If you are on an upper floor close to an unshielded window you may communicate up to 10 blocks or so if you have clear line of sight. But be aware that most windows have metallic film or mesh shielding to eliminate UV and to hinder eavesdropping.
In the US some office buildings have cell phone boosters to improve signal strength with portable phones and public safety radios. I don't know if these are common in UK.
that is EXACTLY the info I need, thanks Charles your a gem.