Annual Communication Drill

Any1 day$0–$2005 min read

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Regulatory references (licensing, frequencies, equipment certification) reflect US rules (FCC) unless otherwise noted. Requirements differ outside the US — verify with your national radio authority before operating. Full disclaimer →

A drill that reveals three equipment failures and two operator training gaps is more valuable than a drill where everything works perfectly. The goal is not to pass — it's to discover what will fail in an emergency, on your own terms, when the stakes are low.

Before the Drill

Define the scenario

Choose a realistic scenario for your area: power outage, severe weather, earthquake, extended grid failure. Define what infrastructure is "unavailable" for the drill (cellular, internet, grid power). Define the objectives: what should the network accomplish during the drill?

Notify participants

Give 2–4 weeks notice. Specify:

Date, start time, and expected duration (2–4 hours for most neighborhood-scale drills)
The scenario
What equipment to bring
Assigned roles (, sector coordinators, observers/evaluators)

Prepare evaluation criteria

Before the drill, write down what success looks like. Suggested metrics:

What percentage of core team members checked in?
How long from activation call to first net check-in?
Were all communication paths tested (radio + + backup)?
Were any equipment failures discovered?
Did all operators know their roles without being prompted?

Pre-drill checklist

Pre-drill

During the Drill

Activate as if it's real

Use actual equipment — not simulated. Follow your actual communication plans. If safe to do so, disconnect from grid power to test . Test all communication paths, not just your primary.

Inject problems

The most valuable drills introduce complications:

Have an observer "fail" a or node mid-drill (simply turn it off)
Simulate a key operator being unavailable (ask them to arrive 30 minutes late)
Simulate a resource request that requires coordination between multiple locations
Introduce a time-sensitive message that requires priority handling

Document everything

Assign at least one person as an observer/evaluator who is not participating in the net. They should log:

All transmissions (approximate time, station, content summary)
Equipment failures and workarounds
Operator confusion or errors
Anything that required improvisation

During-drill checklist

During drill

After the Drill

Debrief immediately

Gather all participants within 30 minutes of drill end, while impressions are fresh. Go around the room:

What worked?
What didn't work?
What surprised you?
What would you do differently?

Do not skip the debrief. It is the most important part of the drill.

Written after-action report

Within one week, produce a brief written report:

Summary of drill objectives and outcomes against evaluation criteria
Equipment issues discovered (with owner and fix deadline)
Operator training gaps identified (with plan to address)
Recommended changes to communication plan (with decision deadline)

Update and improve

Fix equipment issues — set deadlines and follow up
Update communication plans based on what the drill revealed
Schedule training for identified skill gaps
Set the date for the next drill before the current one's after-action report is distributed

Post-drill checklist

After drill

Common Drill Findings

These problems surface in almost every first drill. If you find them, you're doing it right:

Finding	What it means	Fix
Radios not programmed consistently	Members programmed their own radios	Designate one person to program all radios from a master list
Net control doesn't know who to call	No current roster with callsigns	Maintain a current roster; print copies for net control
Batteries dead or degraded	Equipment stored without maintenance	Annual battery check; rotate batteries; test under load
Meshtastic nodes not reaching each other	Poor node placement	Elevate nodes; identify and fill coverage gaps
Operators don't know the frequencies	Frequency cards not distributed or not current	Print and laminate frequency cards; update after every repeater change
Nobody knows the out-of-area contact	Never practiced the escalation path	Include out-of-area contact check in every drill

Finding: Radios not programmed consistently
What it means: Members programmed their own radios
Fix: Designate one person to program all radios from a master list

Finding: Net control doesn't know who to call
What it means: No current roster with callsigns
Fix: Maintain a current roster; print copies for net control

Finding: Batteries dead or degraded
What it means: Equipment stored without maintenance
Fix: Annual battery check; rotate batteries; test under load

Finding: Meshtastic nodes not reaching each other
What it means: Poor node placement
Fix: Elevate nodes; identify and fill coverage gaps

Finding: Operators don't know the frequencies
What it means: Frequency cards not distributed or not current
Fix: Print and laminate frequency cards; update after every repeater change

Finding: Nobody knows the out-of-area contact
What it means: Never practiced the escalation path
Fix: Include out-of-area contact check in every drill

Not yet set up? Start with the Neighborhood Network playbook →

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