Frequently asked questions
Find answers to common questions about Shielded Signals, our VHF radios, and Meshtastic technology.
VHF Radios
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You can download the Shielded Signals TYT MD-UV390+ User Guide by clicking here.
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Unfortunately, no, we do not provide that service. Part of the value in purchasing from shielded signals is knowing that you will get equipment that we know and understand, and that provides interoperability with other shielded signal subscribers if needed or desired. our equipment provides robust encryption, and even if we sell radios from more than one manufacturer, you can be assured that all of our radios will be compatible with each other.
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All radios come with 3 zones: common, county, and family.
The Common Zone provides all users of all radios a way to communicate with each other.
The County Zone provides all users of the same county a way to communicate with each other.
The Family Zone is closed to only the members of the family (or organization) that is part of a particular subscription and is not shared with anyone else.
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We are starting small on purpose. We had an idea and we wanted to see how much interest we could generate before expanding further.
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Our 6 “standard” channels are assigned to shielded signals for our exclusive use. there are no other entities in the state of iowa authorized to use those 6 channels. the statewide channels are considered “itinerant” channels. They are available for use by multiple companies on an ad-hoc basis. chances are that you will never hear anyone else on the statewide channels who is not a shielded signal subscriber. however, if you do, they are very likely assigned that same channel for their company, and we cannot claim interference. Everyone plays together on those channels.
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The more members in your region, the stronger the local network becomes. Each additional subscriber means another household you can reach directly, and another set of ears listening during an outage.
Remember that they cannot hear what’s happening on your private family channel. But you CAN communicate with them on your local county channel.
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absolutely! when you purchase your radios from us, they are yours to keep. we provide the programming to use our frequencies and encryption, but they are still your radios. However - if you no longer subscribe to shielded signals, you lose your authorization to legally use our assigned frequencies. you will also not be able to change the programming in your radios on your own, as access to programming features are locked out. but if you return the radio to us, we will remove the programming and ship it back to you, with all of our programming removed.
if your equipment is in good shape, we may be interested in purchasing it from you. we reserve the right to accept or deny any offer to buy back equipment you purchased.
GENERAL
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Not at all. Shielded Signals is about resilience, not paranoia. Think fire extinguishers or generators; you don’t use them every day, but when you need them, you’re glad they’re there. Plus, our products can be used every day in your day-to-day activities if you want! There’s no need to wait until an emergency to use them. In fact, we strongly encourage you to use them at least occasionally to make sure they still work properly.
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Because “usually” isn’t always. Cell towers and networks fail. We’ve seen it on 9/11, during the Iowa derecho, in hurricanes, and even from cyberattacks. Shielded Signals exists to cover the gap when the big networks can’t. None of our products depend on the cellular network or the internet to work.
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Satellite SOS is excellent for emergencies! But it’s one-way, one-to-one, and limited. Shielded Signals lets families, neighbors, or teams talk directly, securely, and continuously. We build that into every radio and every Meshtastic node: the ability to confidentially communicate with just your family; with your local area/county; or with anyone in the state on the Shielded Signals network.
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Absolutely! Shielded Signals is designed for lawful personal, family, and business use. Whether you’re coordinating field crews, managing an event, or simply maintaining contact across your team, your radios remain authorized under our license and encryption framework. We don’t restrict how you use your radios. We only require that our radios are used in compliance with FCC regulations and Shielded Signals’ service agreements.
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We’re just getting started! Shielded Signals is actively growing our Private Radio as a Service (PRaaS™) network right here in Iowa. Today, our system provides encrypted VHF simplex coverage for local subscribers: the foundation of a resilient, off-grid communications platform.
Our next step is the deployment of our first micro-repeater, designed to extend handheld range and provide the framework for a wider regional network. From there, we’ll continue expanding site-by-site across the state, building toward a connected system that supports both personal and small-business users with seamless, secure coverage.
It’s a steady, deliberate path. We want to establish local reliability first, then expand into a broader, scalable network as more communities come online.
MESHTASTIC
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The Meshtastic network is designed to survive it. Most relay nodes are solar-powered, and home nodes sip so little power they can run for days on a USB power bank or portable solar panel.
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Unlike cell towers, a mesh is not a single point of failure. If one node goes offline, the others reroute traffic automatically. The more nodes in an area, the stronger the mesh becomes. Even home nodes participate in building the resilient mesh!
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No. Simplicity is a feature. These nodes are small, efficient, and resilient. A $100 solar node on a roof can do what billion-dollar infrastructure can’t: keep running off-grid during extended outages.
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Every new node makes the mesh stronger. If one node goes down, others automatically carry the load. That’s why even a few extra subscribers in your county dramatically increase coverage and resilience.
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Not at all! Meshtastic is used every day across the state, country, and world! We encourage you to get on the Meshtastic network to see how it works and chat with your family, friends, and neighbors.
Remember: the time to fix the roof is not when it’s raining, but when the sun is shining. Learn the ins and outs of Meshtastic before you need it in an emergency.
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You own the node, so yes, you can. However, if you change the programming without our assistance, you would be in breach of your service agreement. We would need to remove it from the Shielded Signals network to keep the overall network secure.
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It depends on terrain, antennas, and the number of available nodes. In open areas, single links can reach miles. In towns, you may only get a fraction of that, which is why multiple nodes build strength. One at your house, one mobile, and you’re connected even if cell towers fail.
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All nodes come shipped with the generic, unencrypted channel LongFast. This lets everyone on Meshtastic chat with each other.
Past that, we will ship your node with up to 2 family channels. We will also include a county channel and a statewide channel.
Each channel has its own encryption key. Your family channels are only available to you, and that key will not be provided to anyone else by Shielded Signals.
The county keys will be placed on all nodes provided to subscribers in that county. This lets you easily and securely communicate with other Shielded Signals subscribers in your county. These channels are called “SSigxx”, where xx is replaced by the Iowa “numeric identifier” for your county. (Dallas County would be SSig25. Boone County would be SSig08, etc.)
The statewide channel allows all Shielded Signal subscribers to securely and easily communicate with each other. This channel is called SSigIA. Remember that “statewide” does not necessarily mean that you can send a Meshtastic packet from Council Bluffs to Dubuque. That depends on many different factors. But, it DOES mean that a user in Dubuque and a user in Council Bluffs, if they are in Meshtastic range of each other, CAN have a place to communicate securely with each other.
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absolutely! when you purchase your nodes from us, they are yours to keep. we provide the programming to use our encryption keys, but they are still your nodes. However - if you no longer subscribe to shielded signals, you will lose access to our encryption keys (we will rotate them occasionally) and our support.
if your equipment is in good shape, we may be interested in purchasing it from you. we reserve the right to accept or deny any offer to buy back equipment you purchased.