#64 - Should You Use APRS After SHTF?
We have talked a little about communication after a disaster, and especially the use of amateur radio, or HAM radio, but there is a newer aspect to amateur radio that a lot of people are getting into that concerns me regarding a SHTF situation.
Automatic Packet Reporting System or APRS is a system where your handheld radio shows its exact position on the internet, including your heading, elevation, and speed using GPS.
Now why would that be a bad thing, let's think about that for a moment. If it were a true SHTF situation, letting everyone know exactly, precisely, right where you are at may not be such a bright idea.
If you are smart, you have already stockpiled your supplies to ride out a major situation in relative comfort. But remember, you are one of the very few who have done that.
Most people in Hawaii do not even have a weeks worth of food in their homes at any given time. On the mainland people tend to have a week or two weeks worth of food in their homes so that they do not have to go to the grocery store as often. Apparently in Hawaii we must like going to the grocery store because everyone seems to go multiple times a week.
What do you think all of those people are going to do once they start running out of food? Do you think they are just going to give up and starve to death? Of course not, they are going to go looking for food, wherever they can find it. And they re going to get it, one way or another.
Did you spend all that time stockpiling all of that food, water and supplies just so that someone else can come and steal it from your family? No, you stockpiled it so that your family would be well fed and safe.
One thing that people do not think about when it comes to APRS is that while being tracked sometimes is a good thing and has its positive points, it can also be used against you. This is one of the reasons that I have chosen not to set up an APRS system.
A lot of people believe that once SHTF happens FEMA is going to start rounding people up and putting them into detention facilities. I am not saying that I am one of those who believes that, but if it were true, would you want to be broadcasting your exact position to them for them to come and find you?
I just wanted to give you some food for thought on this topic. As I said APRS can be a great thing, but use it responsibly and remember that if anything were to happen, IMMEDIATELY TURN IT OFF and become the proverbial "gray man".
The safety and future of you and your family may just depend on it.
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Coming Episodes:
In upcoming episodes we will also take a look at "Water Purification & Sanitization" as well as "Vacuum Sealed vs. Mylar Bagged Food Storage". We will also take a look at the shelf-life of "Home Canned Foods" and the viability of using them in our emergency supplies. We will also have future episodes on Emergency Communications or EmComms.
Also we will have an episode on the need for a Wilderness First Aid training even if you live in a city. We will also take a look at the need for "Sanitation After A Disaster".
