The old man's not a photographer he's a bootleg ham radio operator who travels around and lets people communicate over his Wireless to other people. Who are they communicating with and why though?

He's almost out of tubes he has to go to Russia to Arkansas which is now the capital to get tubes the only people on Earth that make tubes anymore them they have the wireless as well they keep it outside the city on an island. 

So they have to sell out over the pole to get the tubes what are they communicating now and how does Jiu-Jitsu fit in