Dear Black Bag Confidential Reader,
Modern cellphones are incredible communication tools. But sometimes, there are situations where a more low-tech device will serve you better.
The trusty walkie-talkie is a perfect example.
No, not the cheap kind kids play with that you find at RadioShack. I’m referring to a unique walkie-talkie that regularly saves lives in the intelligence business.
Below, I’m going to divulge one of the tricks of the spy trade to show you how powerful this simple device can be. Pay attention, because in a crisis situation, you can use this technique in a similar way to keep you safe.
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It…
Imagine you’re a government operative who was just handed a top-secret mission in Belarus.
Your job is to locate a scientist who has a flash drive with some critical information about nuclear weapons. Since this scientist is so well-known, it’s not easy to get into his office, but you just found out he’s giving a presentation at a conference.
The conference takes place in a week, so you hop on a plane to exploit this small window of opportunity. When you land in Belarus, you know that you have to be extremely careful, because the Belarusian government knows people want access to this scientist.
In other words, they know the conference is coming up, so the Belarus intelligence services are on high alert for anyone in the area who looks suspicious.
Your legend (cover) for this mission is that you work for a think tank that studies nuclear and biological weapons. As soon as you get off the plane, you head to your hotel and check in under your alias.
Because this is such a dangerous mission, as soon as you get to your room, you pull out your special radio.
The radio is fully charged, so you turn it on and tape down the “talk” button so that the radio is constantly transmitting. You then take out a second radio, turn it on and tune it to the same frequency, making sure that you can clearly hear what’s coming from the first radio.
Once you’ve determined the radio with the button taped down is working properly, you then put it close to the door under a small pile of clothes.
Next, you use the room phone to call the front desk, telling them that you’ve got a friend checking in and that they prefer a room on a lower level.
You’re on the sixth floor, so you ask them if they have anything available on the third floor, which they do. You head down to the front desk to get the room key for your “friend” — and then you check into the new room on the third floor.
You keep the second radio in your possession on all the time so you can hear if someone raids your original room. If that happens, you know you’ve been exposed and it’s time to escape to safety.
The Versatility of a Good-Quality Radio
The key to making this spy trick work is having good-quality radios. The ones I prefer are Baofeng radios.
Baofeng radios have a multiband FM transceiver with an extensive frequency coverage, which means you won’t have a problem finding a channel and getting them to work. They’re also fairly inexpensive — anywhere from $20–50 each, depending on the model — and are great for bug-out bags and home invasion protection purposes.
I have a friend who lives in a rural area of Alabama and doesn’t get any cell service. He leaves his radio on all the time, and a neighbor does the same. If there’s ever an emergency, he can just key up his radio to let his neighbor know what’s going on.
You can also use Baofeng radios in place of a “nanny cam.” Simply tape down the talk button on one of the radios and leave it in the room of someone you wish to record and you’ll hear everything they say.
I’ve even heard of instances where these radios were taped underneath a restaurant table to hear the conversations of guests under investigation.
My point is during a crisis situation, cellphone towers will likely be down, just as they were during the Sept. 11 attacks, when nobody could get calls through. Since none of us knows when the next natural disaster or terrorist attack is going to take place, I recommend buying a set of these emergency radios for your family today.
Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
