# Emergency radios and family comms plans · Dark Grid Prep > Source: https://darkgridprep.cc/communications ## Communications Radios, licenses and a written plan for reaching each other when cell towers and the internet go quiet. ### Latest in Communications [ ](/communications/frs-vs-gmrs-vs-ham-radio) #### [FRS vs GMRS vs ham radio for your family ](/communications/frs-vs-gmrs-vs-ham-radio) FRS needs no license and reaches a mile or two. GMRS needs one inexpensive license with no exam and covers your relatives. Ham takes an exam and reaches farthest. 9 Nov 2026 Other sections * [ Threats and scenarios](/threats) * [ Grid-down living](/grid-down) * [ Stockpiling](/stockpiling) * [ Home defense and security](/home-defense) * [ Bug-out and evacuation](/bug-out) * [ Medical when help is delayed](/medical) * [ Family emergency plans](/family-plan) [See all eight on one page](/topics) ### Information is a supply too Cell towers carry battery backup measured in hours, and many fall silent soon after the grid does. When that happens, a family loses two things at once: the ability to reach each other and the ability to know what is going on beyond its own street. Ready.gov puts a battery or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert in its basic kit for this reason ([build a kit](https://www.ready.gov/kit)). Listening is the floor. This section covers how a household also talks. ### What this section covers #### Listening Weather alert receivers, AM and FM broadcast, shortwave for news from farther away, and scanners for local emergency traffic where that is legal. #### Talking inside the household FRS radios need no license and work for short range. GMRS radios reach farther and need an FCC license that covers your immediate family. Our guide to [FRS vs GMRS vs ham radio](/communications/frs-vs-gmrs-vs-ham-radio) helps you pick the right service for your household and explains what each license requires. It also gives realistic ranges, which are far shorter than the box claims. #### Ham radio Amateur radio takes an exam and some study, and in return reaches across the county or across the country. We cover how to get licensed and what a home station needs. #### The comms plan Who calls whom, an out-of-area contact, check-in times, channels written down, and what happens if nobody answers. #### Protecting electronics Faraday containers for spare radios and what an EMP is and is not expected to do to small devices, with the evidence labeled. ### Where to start Buy one alert radio and a pair of FRS handhelds, pick a channel, and write it on a card in every bag. Then add the comms page to your [written plan](/family-plan). ### Common questions about Communications Do I need a license for walkie-talkies? FRS handhelds need none. GMRS requires an FCC license covering your immediate family. Amateur bands require passing an exam. What radio should every household have? A NOAA receiver with tone alarm and a battery or crank AM/FM set. Both are on the federal basic kit list. How far do handheld two-way radios really reach? Usually a mile or two in a neighborhood, less through buildings and hills. Box claims assume open terrain and height. --- [ ](/) Dark Grid Prep is a survival magazine for American families who want to be ready when the grid, the economy or the supply chain fails: the threats (EMP, long blackouts, collapse, civil unrest), and how a household plans, stockpiles, communicates and secures its home through them. [newsroom@darkgridprep.cc](mailto:newsroom@darkgridprep.cc) ### Prepare * [Threats and scenarios](/threats) * [Grid-down living](/grid-down) * [Stockpiling](/stockpiling) * [Home defense](/home-defense) ### Plan * [Bug-out and evacuation](/bug-out) * [Communications](/communications) * [Medical](/medical) * [Family emergency plans](/family-plan) * [All articles](/articles) * [All topics](/topics) ### About us * [About](/about) * [Authors](/authors) * [Editorial policy](/editorial-policy) * [How we make money](/how-we-make-money) * [Contact](/contact) * [Terms](/terms) * [Privacy](/privacy) © Dark Grid Prep. Written for American families getting ready for grid-down emergencies. Some links may earn us a commission. It never decides what we write. [How we make money](/how-we-make-money)