Communication if mobile service down

[Newtoprep]

is there anything cost effective to use. Currently speak to Dp 200 miles away by WhatsApp

Carrier pigeon

Beat me to it!

Depends what scale Apocalypse is being envisaged.

If the mobile network is down but somehow you still have landline/broadband/fibre/domestic wifi working then switch to using WhatsApp via that.

If you don't have or have lost all the above then you are probably going to be out of comms, short of the pigeon option.

Sat phone.

I worry about this. Elderly parents not nearby and I would worry about them. They don’t have a landline any more so if there is a power cut and mobiles are out of power/no cellular service…what do we do?

I don't think the price of it is going to be the issue

I think SMS still works without internet or mobile data.

Interesting...they didn't used to come cheap but that idea brings thoughts of using WhatsApp > a domestic Starlink setup for those that have it...(you'd need it at both ends)....

Not sure if we're still cost effective territory though.

If it gets to that stage we are all going to join together in one house - probably theirs as they have an open fire and I’d be happier with them staying in their own home. We’d chuck all our prepped stuff in the car and decamp - it’s only ten minutes away. I can’t bear the thought of not knowing if they’re okay as they both have health problems which could turn serious quickly especially under stress. They have even better stocks than us, too!

Had this for 4 days last week. Power cut and no mobile reception. Landline is now digital so didn’t work either. Was very tricky and had to drive 20 mins away to contact my parents to let them know so they didn’t worry.

That’s exactly what I would do if mine were closer, but it’s 2.5-3hr drive. I would be so anxious about them but equally if I get there, they may have gone to my sisters who is closer to them but in the other direction. We need to make a plan as a family so we aren’t wasting fuel hunting for each other!

Yep, if the route cause of the problem is a wide spread power outatage rather than the problem just being the mobile network being down options for comms will get very limited.

I’m glad you found a way

Royal Mail if it's still working.

Three of us are in walking distance.

Another family is cycle ride for a fit perso away.

Kiddo at uni so a bit stuck.

It will be wonderful. A few days without spam calls, texts and emails, I could go and see anybody I really wanted to talk.

Yup, during storm Desmond our town lost power so no broadband, but also knocked out the local telephone exchange so no landline either, and mobile signal was either lost due to no power or sheer volume of users. Our communication with outside world was listening to local radio on an old battery radio.

Yes it does sound great!

For the far-away parents worry, the most useful thing is agreeing a plan now while phones work: who checks on whom, and what everyone does if they can't get through (stay put, or go to a named relative's house by a set time), so nobody wastes fuel hunting for each other. Write key numbers on paper too. A charged power bank and a battery FM radio help, and a text will often get through when a call won't. If parents are elderly or have health needs, sign them up to the free Priority Services Register with their energy supplier, so they get extra support in a power cut.

Agree but in the event of widespread problems you might well need a radio that covers more than just FM (VHF).

Is CB radio an option? Admittedly, I don’t know the infrastructure for that, but it could possibly be a solution???

Thanks for all your ideas. It seems there isn’t a simple solution. My parents are elderly and live remotely. One very deaf. No particularly helpful neighbours nearby ( not a criticism just a comment). Neither very mobile.
i am just trying to plan ahead for contingencies. Did go down rabbit hole of looking at Satalite phones! Not feasible to just drop everything and drive 200 miles every time I can’t get hold of them

No good for longer distances, pretty close/short range only without boosters/large aerials and even then still pretty local. And without a big battery, would be useless in a power cut. Although maybe if in your car, you could drive closer to who you want to talk to, but then you could drive all the way. Hand held battery ones are even shorter range. You’d need proper amateur radio which is a lot more costly but much greater distance with a large aerials, but still need battery to run it.

Good point. A radio that also picks up AM (medium wave) is worth having, as those signals travel further than FM, especially after dark, and plenty of budget wind-up models do both. Newtoprep, with your parents being remote and one very deaf, it's worth mentioning that when they join the Priority Services Register. You can record communication needs and nominate yourself as a contact, so you're more likely to hear about an outage affecting them.

Good point. A radio that also picks up AM (medium wave) is worth having, as those signals travel further than FM, especially after dark, and plenty of budget wind-up models do both. Newtoprep, with your parents being remote and one very deaf, it's worth mentioning that when they join the Priority Services Register. You can record communication needs and nominate yourself as a contact, so you're more likely to hear about an outage affecting them.