Swedish preparedness pamphlet

[slowworm]

Because, with VOIP there is no power down the line. We live in the middle of nowhere, with no reliable mobile signal, if our power goes down and the optical router is off, we have no phone.

I was going to post up a thread about the digital switch over as I'm currently looking into it for my elderly Mum.

So yes, VOIP will need power to work but also if there's an outage at your ISP that can also mean your phone is down. Not that uncommon.

My Mum has a fall alarm that uses the land line to call for help. There's no mobile phone reception in her house on any network, so she needs the landline to call for help occasionally. It's not unusual to have power cuts and some last for several hours, probably the most likely time she needs the landline to work and I gather the current backup options will only last for an hour.

Not good.

As an aside, our last long power cut was over 24 hours and both our local phone masts on two different networks failed. Funnily enough our analogue landline stayed working.

 

[Woody girl]

This is a problem for me too. Whenever we have a power cut the mobile mast cuts out too, so mobiles are useless. I have an analogue line at the moment, which still works in a power cut, as its a plug into the wall type. I used to have a cordless phone, but that won't work in a power cut either, so I went back to a simple plug in to the wall phone..no more problems, so it's a big worry, as we are out in the sticks here on the moor. 20 or more miles away from hospitals or police stations. We wouldn't even be able to call our local fire station, which also has a first responder team, as it can be a while for help to arrive.
I'm on the vunerable list, and they always call to check if the power goes out, as they do many others. My question is, how are they going to do that in future?
All our oap bungalows are electric for cooking and heating, fitted with landline emergency call alarms. Many like me, don't have Internet. It's a worry. I don't think this is a good idea to go completely digital with everything. My phone is only 30 yrs old, so hardly outworn, it's also an underground cable, so not affected by fallen trees or other things like that, it works perfectly. If it's not broken , it doesn't need fixing just for the sake of it.
I'm also being pressured into getting fitted with a smart meter, which is situated on an outside wall, 4 feet away from my bed. It's a small room, and I can only fit the bed in one way. I realy don't want to be sleeping 4 feet away from something banging out 5g waves so close to my bed. It's crazy!

 

[Broch]

I was going to post up a thread about the digital switch over as I'm currently looking into it for my elderly Mum.

So yes, VOIP will need power to work but also if there's an outage at your ISP that can also mean your phone is down. Not that uncommon.

My Mum has a fall alarm that uses the land line to call for help. There's no mobile phone reception in her house on any network, so she needs the landline to call for help occasionally. It's not unusual to have power cuts and some last for several hours, probably the most likely time she needs the landline to work and I gather the current backup options will only last for an hour.

Not good.

As an aside, our last long power cut was over 24 hours and both our local phone masts on two different networks failed. Funnily enough our analogue landline stayed working.

Yep, from a resilience point of view they've not fully thought out this switch to digital
Our last power cut lasted several days and the way it's blowing out there now we could well be in for another tonight

 

[Nice65]

I dont know how you do that but a good point. xx

 

[demented dale]

View attachment 84946

thank you. I did that and pressed the face icon and nothing happens. tried it a few time s x

 

[Suffolkrafter]

Our last power cut lasted several days and the way it's blowing out there now we could well be in for another tonight

Ah yes I hear it's breezy in Wales. Over in East Anglia my weather station is registering mild drifts of air.

 

[Woody girl]

Hmm, things are beginning to fly around outside! Just had to go and rescue my bin, and tie down the bike cover which despite being weighted down with huge slabs of concrete, earlier this afternoon, has taken off aswell, even moving the bike several inches to the side! I can hear stuff outside going bump every few minutes, and the wind roaring , which I don't normaly hear, as I'm in a very sheltered position. I thought I'd prepped for this....but I obviously haven't done enough.
Think I'll just hunker down and sort it out in the morning. We are not even at the peak of the wind warning yet. Ooh what fun!
Power cut kit, and a flask of hot water at the ready. This is gonna be a narly night.!

 

[Chris]

New shed’s in for a trial by fire. Hopefully I don’t wake up to a convertible.

 

[Suffolkrafter]

East Anglia is the epicentre of uneventfulness, but perhaps tonight will be different...

 

[Paul_B]

I think you'll find that the mobile providers typically have quite good power back up to the cell masts. However in times of emergency, the government responders can control the cell masts and prioritise their own calls, so capacity for the public is likely to be an issue.

For resilience, Starlink with power backup is probably up there, although good old fashioned amateur radio is another option for those with the licenses and kit.

GC

Lancaster area had a flooded substation one year. The wider area lost power for easily over a week. Wired phones were the only option. We couldn't find a single wired phone to buy in the area only the ones without wires so we were without landline until the weekend and we picked one up out of the area.

Mobiles were out too. Not one mast in the area had back up power. The whole town ended up going to certain locations around the town where they could connect to a mast outside of area affected. We had to walk along the canal to a single spot where we got connection, a bit patchy at that, where we could connect to the mast across Morecambe Bay!

So unless they've put backup power onto the masts since then I wouldn't count on mobile network in a large-scale power outage.

That was a strange time, we ended up with time off work because of it. Took a couple of days to get power back to work but home took week or two.

 

[Laurentius]

Lancaster area had a flooded substation one year. The wider area lost power for easily over a week. Wired phones were the only option. We couldn't find a single wired phone to buy in the area only the ones without wires so we were without landline until the weekend and we picked one up out of the area.

Mobiles were out too. Not one mast in the area had back up power. The whole town ended up going to certain locations around the town where they could connect to a mast outside of area affected. We had to walk along the canal to a single spot where we got connection, a bit patchy at that, where we could connect to the mast across Morecambe Bay!

So unless they've put backup power onto the masts since then I wouldn't count on mobile network in a large-scale power outage.

That was a strange time, we ended up with time off work because of it. Took a couple of days to get power back to work but home took week or two.

Guess it is time to go back to the old CB as a stand by. The question is, does anyone still monitor the emergency channels and you would still need to get out to someone with a working landline or cell phone to relay the call. I guess it will take some major event before this country ever takes emergency planning seriously again.

 

[lou1661]

I guess it will take some major event before this country ever takes emergency planning seriously again.

Well, it does. I guess the actual question is how seriously are you taking your emergency planning?

 

[Paul_B]

Our village has coastguard in it as well as fire&rescue. Any issue we could walk to them in 5 or 10 minutes. Then there's bay rescue organisation, like an MRT that operates land, sea, river and lakes. Tracked vehicles good for estuary use or mountain in snow among other 4x4 type vehicles.

 

[TeeDee]

Our village has coastguard in it as well as fire&rescue. Any issue we could walk to them in 5 or 10 minutes. Then there's bay rescue organisation, like an MRT that operates land, sea, river and lakes. Tracked vehicles good for estuary use or mountain in snow among other 4x4 type vehicles.

Lucky for you.
Did you move to the village for those reasons? if not its more serendipity than specific planning I guess as its reliant upon structures provided by others.

 

[slowworm]

Well, it does. I guess the actual question is how seriously are you taking your emergency planning?

I wouldn't say I've planned at all for an emergency but we could easily survive for 3 months without going out and much longer if necessary. I just find life is easier if we stock up when we can.

I wonder if it's genetic to some degree?

 

[TeeDee]

I wouldn't say I've planned at all for an emergency but we could easily survive for 3 months without going out and much longer if necessary. I just find life is easier if we stock up when we can.

I wonder if it's genetic to some degree?

Genuinely interested in your thoughts on this? can you expand on that please?

 

[slowworm]

Genuinely interested in your thoughts on this? can you expand on that please?

Just semi-idle musing. I was going to say I'm a hoarder but that has just as many dodgy connotations as prepper.

I could claim I'm a child of the 70s and 80s whose parents did a large shop once a month and coped easily with power cuts and all sorts. But then I know people from similar back grounds don't have much more than a over ripe avocado and half a sliced loaf in store. So I wondered if it could be genetic in some way as everything seems to be blamed on that these days.

 

[TeeDee]

Just semi-idle musing. I was going to say I'm a hoarder but that has just as many dodgy connotations as prepper.

I could claim I'm a child of the 70s and 80s whose parents did a large shop once a month and coped easily with power cuts and all sorts. But then I know people from similar back grounds don't have much more than a over ripe avocado and half a sliced loaf in store. So I wondered if it could be genetic in some way as everything seems to be blamed on that these days.

I'm not a hoarder - by that I mean the type of people that become housebound under their own detritus and fear of letting anything 'go' , but maybe both people of a prep mentality and hoarders suffer with anxiety issues. Anxiety is said to be a situation where one is concerned or trapped in a possible future yet to exist , so incapable of living in ( and enjoying fully ) the moment.

Anyhooo - musings.

 

[demented dale]

Hmm, things are beginning to fly around outside! Just had to go and rescue my bin, and tie down the bike cover which despite being weighted down with huge slabs of concrete, earlier this afternoon, has taken off aswell, even moving the bike several inches to the side! I can hear stuff outside going bump every few minutes, and the wind roaring , which I don't normaly hear, as I'm in a very sheltered position. I thought I'd prepped for this....but I obviously haven't done enough.
Think I'll just hunker down and sort it out in the morning. We are not even at the peak of the wind warning yet. Ooh what fun!
Power cut kit, and a flask of hot water at the ready. This is gonna be a narly night.!

3 huge poly tunnels destroyed on the farm here. I;m in a tent. I love it.

 

[demented dale]

East Anglia is the epicentre of uneventfulness, but perhaps tonight will be different...

I doubt that very much.