Re: what to do when they cut off communication?

[elnav]

I am not a ham operator nor have I ever been one. However I have had several years experience at the engineereing level with various systems. I was also production manager for a company manufacturing equipment used in radio control systems.

You said: “after a EMP or CME there is going to be a lot more operatable CB,s around than ham units simply because there are more to begin with”

That’s an assumption without any logical or technical supportive evidence. Furthermore in the kind of emergency we are talking about having a range of 5, 50 or 100 miles is not likely to make a real difference. Do you have any idea what it takes to harden an electronic product against EMP or CME effects?

Not to mention which such an event is going to affect the atmospherics so badly as to render AM transmissions on CB equipment useless assuming the equipment was still functional. An EMP can destroy electronics whether or not it is turned on.

Unless the disaster is highly localized your best plan is to be totally self reliant. Just look at the lightning effects associated with a volcano eruption. Consider how badly that affects normal AM transmissions.