Comments on: TIPS FOR PHONE USE IN A ZOMBIE OUTBREAK

By: Liadan

Liadan — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:08:36 +0000

Most fuel pumps require electricity to pump the gas. If electricity is out, you won’t get the gas. You could siphon from the storage tank if you have a garden hose and can break into the storage tank.

I think watching the movie “The Stand” is a pretty good indication of problems that can happen on Z-day. Except, they had it lots better than we will.

There will be no electricity, no cell phones, possibly no land line use either. After our earthquake, we couldn’t get land line usage.

What about ham radios? I know nothing about those. Would those work?

By: Edena

Edena — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:37:59 +0000

and during the initial panic a gas station will be more risky than what its worth its better to keep some feul in your vehicle in a jerry can or your garage that way when it starts you can get that much farther before you need to stop

best of luck

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:02:46 +0000

Same thing with pay phones, if you can find one.

By: mat

mat — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:34:54 +0000

use a radio for communication. sure you may only get a couple miles unless you have a super powerful one like radio stations do but you may be able to get some one on the line.

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 08 May 2010 05:26:09 +0000

That actually makes perfect sense. Remember, corded phones don’t plug into the wall, wo where else is teh power coming from?

By: GeekusZombieus

GeekusZombieus — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:21:51 +0000

In some parts of the US (and possibly other nations with modern telecommunications networks), phone and internet communications over land lines are done with fiber optic technology. This means the both the sending location and receiving location must have working power for the local phone lines to work, since the data is transmitted by, essentially, blinking lights, and then processed by computers on the receiving end. So if the power goes out, the sending and receiving stations may not be functioning, though this probably depends on municipality.

I’m pretty sure that some places still use the older copper wire system (which transmits power along with a signal), especially places where there isn’t a large volume of data traffic – rural and remote areas (farmland and wilderness areas) are likely using older systems. Places that have high volumes of data traffic – namely, many if not all urban and suburban areas – likely have modern fiber optic lines.

Note that this also applies to cell phones, since your phone’s signal is actually fairly weak – it relies on a network of relay towers (which require power), that transmit data along land lines to other cell towers or the local phone switch station. If you want to truly remain wireless and mobile, and still retain your communications level, you’d probably need a satellite phone.

By: Fragpuss

Fragpuss — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:21:50 +0000

One slight thing though, petrol will be free everywhere, but your chances of finding any left in the pumps are gonna be pretty slim

By: dartigen

dartigen — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:33:20 +0000

I don’t plan on bothering with phones. While the lines here down under are buried a few feet in the ground and thus well-protected, and our phone towers could take a bomb blast and still work, the main issue is having power for my mobile. It holds battery well, but not forever.
IMO, best communication tool? A Sharpie marker and a paint marker. The paint marker can draw on everything the Sharpie can’t, and there’s not much a Sharpie can’t draw on.

By: Bloggender Zombie

Bloggender Zombie — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:29:46 +0000

I don’t think text messages will work when the cell phone network is clogged, at least not over here in Germany. In my experience, it’s next to impossible to send a text message on midnight, New Year’s Eve, when all people are phoning and messaging each other. Last time it took me hours and countless sending attempts to get a message through, all phone lines were busy. Surprisingly, it was easier to get a phone call through than to send a text message. In addition, text messages took hours before reaching their recipients, some arrived late next morning. Under normal circumstances, they reach their destination within seconds.

By: Matt Mogk

Matt Mogk — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:02:30 +0000

If the UK phone companies work like the US companies (which I bet they do) the for a dial phone can be supplied through the copper wires coming straight from the main phone line, because the phone company has a internal back-up power specifically set up so that if the entire power grid goes down people can still call each other. It’s a safeguard.