Year: 2021

Radios for Emergency and SHTF Use – Part 4, by Rufus King

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) A friend of mine suggested that I include some discussion of less costly MURS radios for those prepping on a modest budget. There are not nearly as many options for MURS radios as there are for GMRS. A bit of research reveals that a Hong Kong-based firm called Retevis offers Chinese-made radios that it markets for MURS use. Their model RT21V is available in a two-pack for $44.99. They are CTCSS capable, but they do not come with any tones already set up. The Retevis units have the five MURS channels ordered …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the boom in British classic car prices. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: CPM Group: Silver Shines. o  o  o The latest from Arkadiusz Sieroń: Bond Conundrum – Boom or Bust for Gold? A pericope: “But now we can observe rising inflation and declining bond yields at the same …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 9, 2021

On September 9, 1492, the fleet of Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo / Cristóbal Colón) set sail west. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for …


Radios for Emergency and SHTF Use – Part 3, by Rufus King

(Continued form Part 2.) General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) GMRS is a personal radio service that uses the same frequencies and channels as FRS, but more power is allowed, and there are greater equipment options. The FCC defines GMRS as “A mobile two-way voice communication service, with limited data applications, for facilitating activities of individual licensees and their family members, including, but not limited to, voluntary provision of assistance to the public during emergencies and natural disasters.” 47 CFR 95.1703. Note that unlike FRS or CB, GMRS requires a license. 47 CFR 95.1705. There is no test, and the license …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we further examine the failed Covid-19 mRNA gene modification “Vaccine”. Israel: Highest Infection Rate in the World Andre mentioned this article: Israel: Highest infection rate in the world. JWR’s Comments: Ponder this… Israel …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 8, 2021

On September 8, 1565, the first permanent settlement in what would become the United States of America was formed. (St. Augustine, Florida) — A reminder about a northeastern listing on SurvivalRealty: It is a secluded 53.4-acre property in North Central Pennsylvania’s Tioga area. It has a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with a basement. The nearest town is Mansfield. It has great hunting and an established garden, fruit trees, nut trees, and berries. SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic …


Radios for Emergency and SHTF Use – Part 2, by Rufus King

(Continued from Part 1.) Back to the matter of radio spectrum: It is regulated by the government, and it pretty much has to be. No matter how libertarian you lean and no matter how dim your view of government power, somebody has to regulate the spectrum, or it would be completely useless, with would-be users interfering with each other left and right. Every developed nation has a government agency that allocates radio spectrum to different uses, and in turn countries cooperate internationally via various treaties and agreements. In the United States, this responsibility has been delegated by Congress to the …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. First, and foremost, from Patriot Nurse: There’s No One Coming: It’s Up to Us to Check the Feds. I now concur that the benefits of a Constitutional Convention now outweigh the risks. o  o  o Tim. J. sent these three solar project links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AQFUYMgZe8 https://4patriots.com/products/sun-kettle-solar-cooker  [16.9 Fluid Ounces] https://4patriots.com/products/sun-kettle-xl  [33.8 ounces] o  o  o Pfizer To ‘Require’ Twice-Per-Day COVID Pill …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 7, 2021

Today is the birthday of novelist Taylor Caldwell (born 1900 – August 30, 1985). Today is also the birthday of Dr. Ludwig Vorgrimler (born 1912 in Freiburg, Germany; died 1983). Vorgrimler was the designer of the Spanish CETME rifle, from which sprang a plethora of roller-lock descendants from HK, including the G3, HK21, and MP5. His bolt design was also copied by the Swiss for their excellent PE57 and SIG 510 rifles. (Although the Swiss felt obliged to mount a “beer keg” charging handle on the right side of the receiver, for the sake of familiarity to Schmidt-Rubin shooters.) — …


Radios for Emergency and SHTF Use – Part 1, by Rufus King

I have been interested in radios since I was about 12 years old. Long before cell phones were ubiquitous, the adult leaders in my Boy Scout Troop all had CB radios installed in their vehicles on road trips, and I witnessed them being used to good effect for communication between vehicles. I know now that the 11 meter band and the AM operating mode of those radios is a suboptimal choice for that kind of short-range voice communication, but it was the practical choice when CB was about the only unlicensed radio service available. A couple of the scout leaders …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we highlight the death of former Colfax, Washington fire chief Jim Krouse. (See the Central & Eastern Washington section.) Region-Wide Forecasters see “above average fire danger for the Northern Rockies through September. o  o  o B.K. mentioned this essay, over at Surakblog: Please respect my borders. o  …