Living without electricity

[ericmark]

I am old enough to remember packet radio, I was able to communicate with a guy in Austria, however between sending a message and getting a reply I could make a cup of coffee. VHF baud rate not too bad at 1200, but HF down to 300 so very very slow, in real terms Morse was faster. But radio hams no longer need to learn Morse code, and my TNC well I actually used a BayCom modem with not work with a modern computer, I used an Amiga with AmiCom.

I expect most the bulletin boards have gone, and although I am sure one could digipeat messages, even if some hams have still got the equipment it would likely take a week or so to set up, if they could find a way to power it.

I suppose it could be like the film Soylent Green with Charlton Heston on his bike? I remember when we had 3 day week on petrol station had a moped connected up to drive the petrol pumps. However not sure if the new pumps could work that way.

There are those who still don't have a grid supplied electric so they would likely survive. However in the UK likely the failure of waste disposal systems would cause some thing like the Black Death.

 

[JohnW2]

I am old enough to remember packet radio, I was able to communicate with a guy in Austria, however between sending a message and getting a reply I could make a cup of coffee.

You should have tried meteor scatter - you then could probably have had a 3-course meal, not just a cup of coffee

There are those who still don't have a grid supplied electric so they would likely survive.

There are a very few people in the UK who are truly self-sufficient, but that requires a lot more than just living without grid electricity. I imagine that the absence of water, external sources of food and fuel of any sort (other than trees, if one had the means to fell them) would be amongst the greatest hurdles for many.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you have potable water, and land to grow food, the hurdles are hard work, but not insurmountable.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I am old enough to remember packet radio, I was able to communicate with a guy in Austria, however between sending a message and getting a reply I could make a cup of coffee. VHF baud rate not too bad at 1200, but HF down to 300 so very very slow, in real terms Morse was faster.

Ha - I am old enough to remember 300 baud too, dial-up-modems. And 110 baud acoustic coupler ones, although even then they were ancient technology

But radio hams no longer need to learn Morse code

OOI, do any choose to?

However in the UK likely the failure of waste disposal systems would cause some thing like the Black Death.

Cholera and typhoid.

 

[EddieM]

If you have potable water, and land to grow food, the hurdles are hard work, but not insurmountable.

And plenty of defence from folk who would seek to remove that.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Indeed.