The Crespo's Doomsday PlanNo power · Still family
Florida HQ · Blackout ready

When the lights quit, the Crespos don’t.

Household supplies, shared family gear, and the FL↔NY radio check-in plan — for the fun kind of doomsday where you still text jokes… until you can’t, then you use the radio.

Florida checklist Radio / off-grid NY page →

1 · Food & water (Florida)

Two weeks minimum per person. Tap each item once it's stocked — it saves on this device.

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2 · Supplies (Florida)

Light, power, first aid, documents. Tap to check off — progress saves.

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Doomsday extras are joke gear. Real safety first — no illegal explosives, ever.

3 · Radio Off-Grid (Florida end)

When phones and internet die, this is how the Crespos talk Florida ↔ New York. Follow the steps in order.

Buy · ~$93TR-uSDX radio (assembled)newdiytech.com →
Search · ~$39QRP EFHW antennaSearch “QRP EFHW 40 20” — buy two
UsedUsed uSDX radiosQTH swap → ReadTR-uSDX manualdl2man.de → Optional · $50–150QRP Labs kitqrp-labs.com → Optional meshRNodeunsigned.io →

How to set it up

  1. Get your ham license — about $15 exam fee. You need this before transmitting on ham bands.
  2. Order one assembled TR-uSDX pocket radio (~$93) for this end. Florida gets one, New York gets one (buy two total so both houses match). Search eBay for “tr uSDX assembled” or use newdiytech.com TR-uSDX. Manual: dl2man.de. Used: QTH swap.
  3. Order one matching QRP end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna for 40/20/15/10 meters (~$39) — search “QRP EFHW 40 20”. Buy two identical so both ends match.
  4. Optional build path: QRP Labs kit (~$50–$150) if you want to solder and learn the gear — qrp-labs.com.
  5. Optional mesh path: RNode. SMA connector = antenna. USB-C or micro-USB = power/data. Bluetooth = pairs with your phone. You need at least two nodes for a mesh. Get them at unsigned.io/rnode.
  6. Hook up: antenna first, then power. NEVER power or transmit with nothing on the antenna jack.
  7. Agree a check-in with the New York end: Eastern Time + frequency. Example: 40 m after dark, 20 m by day; e.g. 7.040 MHz Morse (CW) around 9 PM ET. Try Morse/digital first — voice is harder at ~5 W over ~1,000 miles.
Backup: a hand-crank or battery AM/FM/NOAA radio for weather/news (no license needed to listen), plus Starlink / inReach-class messenger charged ahead of storms.

Radio checklist (Florida end)

Tap items as you finish them. Progress saves on this device.

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