FRS vs GMRS: do you need the license?
FRS radios need no license. GMRS needs one FCC license per family, with no exam. Here is what each allows, what the license costs, who it covers, how repeaters fit in, and why GMRS bars coded messages.
Getting your ham license in Washington and joining ARES or ACS
How to earn an amateur (ham) Technician license, what the FCC charges, and how licensed volunteers join ARES or a county or city Auxiliary Communications Service. Includes what ham radio does not do, and why you shouldn't self-deploy.
Join your local mesh: Meshtastic or MeshCore depends on your county
LoRa mesh radios only work if you match what your neighbors run. This guide covers how to pick the protocol and settings for your county, why a new node often hears nothing, what the FCC Part 15 500 kHz rule says, and what a mesh cannot do.
NOAA Weather Radio and emergency alerts in Washington
Three alert layers to set up today. Turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts on every phone, sign up for your county's opt-in alerts, and program a NOAA Weather Radio with your county's SAME code. What each one does, and what it misses.
Satellite texting on your phone
Some phones can now text through satellites when there is no cell signal. As of November 2026, this covers which phones and services offer it, what it costs, what it can do, and what it can't.
Written for: Families, Neighborhood organizers, Radio hobbyists.