Stupid Question about Communication

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Parascuba

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That's great many you use sat phone, ham, etc etc etc. But, What about the deaf? How do I reach out to whatever events of emergency? Deaf use video phone for phone and it requires high-speed internet. I can think of Starlink that SpaceX has been sending Sat all over around Earth as the internet. I prefer to not only have one opinion. I prefer to have two or three opinion ways to reach out.
 
That's a good question. I did find this for cell usage Use real-time text (RTT) with calls - Android Accessibility Help

It replaces YTT with an RTT function. It looks like you can communicate with other phones (probably a smart phone is needed) just like you would texting, except it's real time.

As far as other ways like Amateur Radio etc, I have no idea.
 
That's a good question. I did find this for cell usage Use real-time text (RTT) with calls - Android Accessibility Help

It replaces YTT with an RTT function. It looks like you can communicate with other phones (probably a smart phone is needed) just like you would texting, except it's real time.

As far as other ways like Amateur Radio etc, I have no idea.
YTT? you mean TTY that technology no longer exists. Actually, it does but nobody uses it anymore I still can use text phone. Better than nothing
 
I did hear that there was a digital form of HAM radio but I can't say much more.

Ben

There is, I'm not up on it as I have only had my ticket a short time. Not sure how or if that would work.
 
There are several digital modes used in HAM radio that let you communicate in written text, keyboard-to-keyboard. JS8call is one I've been using for several months and it has worked great for me, but there are several other modes. There's a lot of information out there on the various modes and how they work. Basically, if you get your radio and computer set up for one mode, you should be good for at least several other modes.

Digital modes let you communicate all over the world, but not point-to-point. That is, you can't call your Aunt Lulubelle in Sydney from New York using HAM radio reliably any time of the day or night. But you can communicate - ask questions and get answers. The benefit to digital modes is they require a lot less bandwidth than voice and can be heard in the noise from very far away even on fairly low power.
 
If you are talking about communication that does not rely on supporting infrastructure, as in a SHTF situation, then the deaf are probably not much worse off than those with hearing. As has already been mentioned, there are several non-voice communication modes over ham radio. Other than radio, I'm trying to think of a communication mode that does not rely on infrastructure, but relys on voice. I can't think of any - all the one's I'm coming up with are visual. Which would not be a problem for hearing impaired folks.

If supporting infrastructure is still intact, then there are tons of ways to communicate that do not require hearing. Email, text messages, TV with closed captioning, and probably a whole lot more that I am not familiar with.
 
I think smoke signals will work...
 
I think smoke signals will work...
I do not know anyone who knows how to read or teach blowing smoke.
I like homing pigeons.
This would work, if & when a network was set up.
One could use a mail drop in conjunction with the moving of birds from place to place.
If we have ham radio, then other electric devices should not be far behind.
 
Morse code used to be required for HAM operators many years ago.

I suspect deaf operators could feel the vibration of dots and dashes.

Ben
 
Starlink is internet based.
Ham radio digital is also good for morse code
Umm...maybe I missed something, but amateur radio digital modes really don't have anything to do with Morse code. CW (Morse) is a commonly-used mode, but it's analog.

Digital modes use a computer to turn digital data into sounds (modulate), transmit the sounds over the air, then the receiving station decodes (demodulated) the sounds back into data which can be read.
 
The biggest problems with any radio transmissions are that too many people receive them and they can be traced.
 
The biggest problems with any radio transmissions are that too many people receive them and they can be traced.
Fox hunts are fun and I encourage folks to participate in them because they're very educational.

That said, radio is still the most effective way to reach out. If you are worried about being pinpointed, stay mobile, keep your transmissions brief, and use a directional antenna (if possible).

I'm certainly open to better suggestions.
 
If you need to reach you can only hope that the respondents will be good guys.
The best use of a radio is to listen.
 
Well, if they're on the hunt for radio operators, my call sign and address are public record, so I guess amateur radio operators are universally screwed.

That said, I appreciate that an RTL-SDR-type dongle with scanner software is great for listening. Every tool has its place. I also appreciate two-way communication and will plan for a SHTF event as best I can. It would be great if all the folks I cared about lived in a compound in the middle of nowhere and we didn't need to worry about comms, but that's not my situation.

In a SHTF situation, VHF/UHF would be either low-power or on a Yagi directional (or both) to a few very local folks. Use of a repeater in a SHTF scenario might be ill-advised or it might be fine; we'll have to wait and see what the circumstances are. But for HF, I can easily alter my antenna profile to transmit within a few hundred mile radius or much, much further out. I'm not terribly worried about goons coming after me if I transmit.
 

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