The Importance of Learning Primitive Communication Methods

evolution2 | 71 points

The importance of this is almost nil, because you'll never find someone else who understands any of these at a time when it would actually be useful.

In a catastrophic situation, you have two options: hunker down, or walk out (never drive). Staying put means that you can stockpile a few weeks worth of food and water.

Walking out means that you might eventually get to a place not affected, but it requires a lot more preparation. Have cash, food + water for a few days, two flashlights, first aid kit, compass, paper maps in ziploc bags, a knife, axe, portable stove, pot, fork, spoon, nylon cord, poncho, polar fleece, spare leather shoes, socks, warm hat, multiple redundant sources of fire, and possibly some luxuries like a tarp if you can handle the weight (but better not to). And know something about survival in the woods.

You take your chances either way.

kstenerud | 5 years ago

You learn Morse Code by hearing it... not by seeing it. So ignore that chart on the website. You have to hear the rhythm to learn it. "Di dah dit dit" is what L sounds like, etc. Don't count dits and dahs (you won't be able to keep up). Learn the sounds. It's easy if you learn the sounds.

And visual code (ship signalling by light) is totally different from code sent over radio. Also, no one uses Morse Code anymore for anything meaningful. Ham radio hobbyist use it for radio contest, and occasional rag chewing, but the most meaningful code you'll hear today are repeaters or vessels identifying... this is callsign... but that's about it.

Great hobby and very simple way to communicate but not worth it for survival IMO. And I know Morse Code (and can use it when I have to) upto about 15 to 20 WPM. I am rusty though as I seldom have a need or desire to use it.

w8rbt | 5 years ago

The article provides the entire Morse Code alphabet table, but neglects to mention 'SOS' the simplest and most important bit of Morse anyone should know.

I was surprised last night to learn my wife doesn't know how to signal SOS in Morse. Granted I was a boy scout for a few years, but I thought this was something everyone was taught. It's a sham that is apparently not the case.

NickBusey | 5 years ago

I wish more people knew these yet I doubt anybody is going to understand I need medical assistance if I draw an X on the ground :-(

qwerty456127 | 5 years ago

This brings back good memories of survival "events" when I was on my King's Scout journey during my high school years. Until one plays an agent in a constrained environment where tech resources are scarce that they truly appreciate having some experience on primitive methods like these. And they work surprisingly well too.

tzhenghao | 5 years ago

> We hear it all the time. “Don’t worry about the Internet if the grid goes down. The Internet was designed to survive thermonuclear war.” Unfortunately, the original design of the Internet was based on conventional, hard-wire phone lines that were surprisingly resilient to catastrophic failures. Today’s Internet is different. It’s a swamp of wireless modems, ethernet cables and numerous other devices dependent on a stable infrastructure that is both complex and fragile.

Is there any truth to this? There's a bunch of obvious technical errors (surviving nuclear war was never a design goal of the Internet, backbones have been fiber-optic since 1987, not clear why ethernet cables are supposed to be less reliable than telephone cables). Wireless is of course easier to interrupt than wired, but in most places last-mile links are still hardlines.

The real issue is that you need power and a functioning service provider, but that's always been true.

PhasmaFelis | 5 years ago