# Flarecast



## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

I never really used the texting capability on my phone before 911. Perhaps I'm a square but I never understood why you would text rather than call someone and leave an old fashioned voice message. However on 911 the real value of texting was apparent. Living in WDC when the planes hit the Trade Center and Pentagon... while another was inbound toward the place I was working, I found out first hand that in the panick of a terrorist attack or SHTF the phone lines were unreliable. Txt messages, however, with their low bandwidth requirement and queuing possibility worked when voice did not. Of course texting requires the nerwork be up and running, but aside from Government intervention everything I have read suggests that cell towers should be up and running for 3 days to a week even after (non-EMP) grid failure.

Texting should be one of many tools for communication post SHTF, particularly in the early hours of a SHTF when you might reasonably depend on the network and you may want to get a few long distance, targeted, and fairly confidential communications out.

There are lots of great apps for texting, including Signal, a simple encrypted SMS app. However one I REALLY like is flarecast. Not a SMS app per se, flarecast is an group sms distribution app for emergencies. The free version allows one pre-arranged message be sent automatically to a prearranged list of recipients simply by making a phone call to a trip number. For instance you call 911 (you can customize the trip number) and your list gets a message like this:

LK17:26 #name suggests you pack up family, food and supplies ASAP and meet at #location in 3hrs. 

Of course you can specify your own message, this is my message from my flarecast sanitized a bit as an example.

Make a phone call and your entire group gets the text. The purchased version allows multiple messages, groups, and trip codes. Great for duress codes or regularly reoccurring events, the potential uses are manifold. Cool app!


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

An easy work-around to a call-in app is to write a text to how ever many individuals you want with whatever message you want, and, don't send it...just leave it stored at the ready to hit the "fire" button. Pre-write as many messages as you like, with different recipients, etc. Send the message(s) on demand with the stroke of a key.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Interesting idea. I have a couple experiences that maybe others have had.

1. I have talked before about living in Kansas City in 1977 when they had the big flood that killed 26 people. I tried for hours to call my family to let them know I was okay. There are only so many phone lines and only so many people can use them at a time. When I picked up the phone, it was dead. No sound, no dial tone. I just tried periodically until I got a dial tone. I would think those are the same kinds of lines that text messages will go through. I wonder, if we do not have a dial tone on our cell phones, could we send a text message?

2. Someone I knew was a few states away. He sent me some text messages, but I didn't know, because I didn't get them. He called me to make sure I was going to pick him up from the airport. I picked him up from the airport, drove him 25 miles home. As we were driving down his street, he asked if I got the text messages he sent, and as if on cue, you could hear them arrive to my cell phone. That was just weird! 
I think it is important to think that a message does not arrive as soon as it is sent. It can take days. In a real SHTF situation, I wonder how long they could float around in cyberspace? Or they may never arrive!


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Your cellular phone provider has to pay to terminate phone calls (voice) when the call is routed through a traditional Telephone Company. "All circuits busy" message could be coming from the cell site, somewhere in the middles or then called end.

Texting (data) is routed through the Internet, a less expensive route. This explains why one method (voice or data) may work and the other side isn't. 

Unfortunately majority of telephone communications have converted or are in the process of converting the transport of all calls over to the Internet to save transport costs. All the eggs in one basket, voice don't work neither will data.

Delay in receiving messages/email/data? I have a work email account that I use for notification of equipment alarms. Within seconds after an alarm, I will receive an email on my work desktop computer. I also have a second "free" email on my smart phone for after hours alarm notification. The "free" account takes 5 to 10 minutes before I receive the alarm email?! Evidently there is some type of priority routing?


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