Emergency Communications

In the event of an environmental emergency/disaster or serious civil unrest activity, cell phones, telephone land lines and even satellite communications may not be available. What are your options to summon help or stay in touch? What are your options if you do not want to attract attention but need to communicate within your own group? It is recommended that each vehicle and Go-Bag has at least one functional Portable 2-Way Radio and AM/FM/Weather Band Radio (either wind-up or with functional batteries).

• Restraint: At 1GB of data used per one hour of on-line movie streaming, I can't just leave the TV playing internet movies all day without severe consequences to my available data. I have become more selective of what I watch and when and have learned to find other ways to better use my time than to spend it on the couch in front of the television (boob tube). Fortunately, my service provider does allow me to increase my data at additional cost but my goal, for now, is to keep my cell plan cost at, or below, what I was paying for separate cell and internet services. I have revived a renewed interest in my accumulated DVD collection and digital over-the-air television broadcasting channels are still available with a good HDTV Antenna so that supplements some of my TV time at the house and cabin.
  
• Patience: Even at 4G, my hotspot use can't compare in speed to a cable or satellite internet connection. I can't give specifics on speed but delays, when buffering, occurs frequently with my hotspot. The signal strength (number of bars), number of people using the hotspot and provider bandwidth throttling will affect the speed of the connection. Also, if I exceed my data GB limit, the provider throttles the bandwidth even more (in the neighborhood of 128 kbps [2g]) until the end of my billing cycle. The conclusion is that my "instant gratification" tendency is being tested.

It is well known that the National Security Agency (NSA), headquartered at Fort Meade, Maryland, monitors ALL electronic communications (phones, email, texts, internet activity, airwaves and more) in the U.S. and all around the world, private and public. All of YOUR communications are monitored and stored. All of this data is saved for follow-up research if needed. We can't fathom how much computer data storage this must consume. Additionally, their search decryption algorithms include tons of things we wouldn't even imagine like, Klingon (Star Trek) speech, words spelled backward, frequently repeating words or phrases in or out of context. While there were attempts to stop NSA from spying on U.S. citizens, the fact is that it has continued to increase it activities and capabilities. So, when you are trying to communicate "privately", you may want to keep this in mind with the understanding that the NSA has, most likely, already designed their software to interpret your code. So, the best you may be able to do is keep Joe Citizen from understanding. But anything you need to keep REALLY secret is best kept in quiet, face-to-face personal conversations in the middle of nowhere and, even then, keep an eye out for drones and be aware of the abilities of parabolic microphones.
Ciphers and Codes for Kids to Communicate Secretly

Internationally-Recognized Forms of Non-Verbal Languages

Sign Language

Flag Semaphore:
Semaphores were adopted and widely used (with hand-held flags) in the maritime world in the 19th century. It is an alphabet signalling system based on the waving of a pair of hand-held flags in a particular pattern. It is still used at sea and is acceptable for emergency communication in daylight or using lighted wands instead of flags, at night.

Morse Code:
International Morse Code is still in use today used with audible or visual devices.