If you’re familiar with SOS, you already know a smidgen of Morse code.

Cell systems are down. Land lines are ancient history. You need to contact your mutual aid community… but how?

Invented in 1800’s, telegraphs enabled users to communicate wirelessly over long distances using a series of long and short beeps that represented letters of the alphabets… basically, binary code.

“The book of wireless telegraph and telephone : being a clear description of wireless telegraph and telephone sets and how to make and operate them, together with a simple explanation of how wireless works
by Collins, A. Frederick (Archie Frederick), 1869-“

https://archive.org/details/cu31924031228012/mode/2up

When I saw this book, I thought “What a cool idea!” I pictured liberty-minded individuals sharing essential information right under the noses of treacherous NPCs… and given that the technology is pretty old, it must be simple, right?

Maybe not. The book contains approximately 250 pages of text and generous quantities of diagrams.

But… it was printed in 1922. And it’s possible that aspects of it can be simplified. Kits can be purchased online. And there are a surprising number of YouTube tutorials on the subject, which is particularly nice if you don’t feel like going all steampunk and creating this beauty.

Here’s a nice intro on how to make a very basic telegraph that can be heard over a radio.

Somewhere, between these two options, there must be a sweet spot.

So, maybe not as simple as I’d thought, but still with potential. And if you’re the sort of nerdy person who’s always dreamed of being the Professor on Gilligan’s Island, this project may just be up your alley.

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(Just sayin’.)