Year: 2026

An Update on the Elenco AM/FM Radio Kit, by Mike in Alaska

Recently I wrote about the Elenco AM/FM radio kit and was pulled away from the build before I could do a full alignment of the radio. The kit was finished but my work took me out of town, and I wasn’t able to do a full and complete alignment of the kit per the builders manual. I should add that I am employed full-time as an electronics engineer and have been involved in electronics repair, design, and building for over 50 years. And as an amateur radio hobbiest, my experience goes further back than that timeline. My “shop” is equipped …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — This new video shows that the Gear Rack guys still have DRMO surplus stacked to the rafters, and more truckloads arriving regularly: We Bought 20,000 LBS of Military Surplus From the U.S. Military.  If you place an order with Gear Rack, then be sure to mention that you saw them linked at …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“I have so fixed the habit in my own mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without a moment’s asking of God’s blessing. I never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal. I never take a letter from the post without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward. I never change classes in the section room without a minute’s petition on the cadets who go out and those who come in.” – Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 24, 2026

On February 24, 1786, General Charles Cornwallis was appointed governor-general of India. — February 24, 1807 at least 17 people died and 15 were injured in a crowd crush, witnessing the triple hanging execution of Holloway, Heggerty, and Godfrey, at Newgate Prison, England.  The crowd, in narrow streets, was reportedly destabilized after being disturbed by a collapsing wooden cart. This triggered a chain of events leading to the fatal crowd crush. Many fatalities and severe injuries resulted, with newspapers reporting that at least 27 perished in the accident and one observer counting at least 34 dead. — And on February …


The 21st Century Rural Migration, by Single Farmer

The idea that our country is thought of in terms of conservative versus liberal areas caused me to think about how so many people today and in the recent past have either moved, will be moving, or even thinking about moving for better opportunities. I wanted to write more about how this has occurred historically and more about how my conservative region is part of this trend including how it is impacting farms. Technological change and government interventions are often two factors that cause the settlement and population redistribution throughout the country.  Urbanization following the Second World War was just …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media 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. Video: They Say 170,000 Elk in Montana: The Wolves and Grizzly Bear Lie And a tokenization threat is described in this video: Foreign Countries are Using Wolves to Buy the American West A new video from a world-traveling North Idaho couple: The Race Against Winter… We Bought a 1980s House with Everything Included — Episode 12. Stolen Ambulance Doused in Gasoline Rammed into Idaho ICE Facility, Suspect Flees. …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 23, 2026

On February 23, 1903, the United States and Cuba signed an agreement by which Cuba released Guantanamo and Bahia Hondo to the US for naval stations. Pictured is a US Coast Guard patrol boat, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2003. — February 23,1958: San Francisco’s last municipal arc light at the corner of Mission and 25th Street was removed. It had been installed in 1913. — Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson. — We need more entries for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we …


Woodhaven Fire Starters, by Thomas Christianson

The Bottom Line, Up Front The Woodhaven Fire Starters provide excellent material for igniting a useful blaze. Each disk is four inches in diameter, one inch thick, and weighs 4.2 ounces. They are composed of cedar sawdust bonded together with refined paraffin. One full disk burns for 20 to 30 minutes. It can also be broken into smaller pieces to start multiple fires. The fire starters are safe to use in fireplaces, firepits, wood stoves, and similar applications. The disks come in packages of 12, 50, or 100. At the time of this writing, those packages cost respectively $19.99, $65.00, …


Recipe of the Week:  

The following recipe for Pre-Spring Brussels Sprouts is from SurvivalBlog reader C.A.H.. Ingredients Brussels Sprouts – About 2 lbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 3 tbsp Fish Sauce – 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar – 1 tbsp Black Pepper – to taste Thyme – 2 sprigs Honey – 1 tbsp Directions Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Wash the Brussels Sprouts, and cut them in half. Toss them with olive oil, fish sauce, and vinegar. Season with black pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet so that the cut sides are facing down. Roast for 20 minutes and then check that …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Firewood Supply Versus Demand. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit. Map by Casey Peterson, based on 2021 PRISM  OSU climate data.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable.         — From the Reddit site: Heating demand is approximated using a Heating Degree Day proxy derived from PRISM 30-year mean annual temperature. The formula max(0, (18.3 – Tmean) * 365) estimates how much heating a location needs annually – 18.3°C (65°F) is the standard base temperature below which buildings require heating. Higher values mean colder climates with greater heating needs. This is a simplified annual approximation; true HDD uses daily …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 22, 2026

On February 22, 1889 US President Grover Cleveland (pictured) signed the bill to admit Dakotas, Montana, and Washington as states of the union. — February 22, 1857 was the birthday of  Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist who was the first to broadcast and receive radio waves and helped to invent radar technology.  He died in 1894. — On this day in 1943,  Sophie Scholl was executed by beheading for organizing the White Rose group–a student resistance to the Hitler regime.  She had been convicted of high treason, after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich (LMU) …


Mobile Device Battery Management – Part 4, by J.M.

(continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) Battery Safety If you’ve ever watched the news you’ve probably heard stories about exploding Lithium batteries in cell phones, electronic cigarettes, USB battery packs, etc. They’re all true – lithium is an extremely hazardous chemical; it’s poisonous, it’s unstable, it burns extremely fast and hot (>3500F) and it produces hazardous gas when it burns. So why is it used in all of the most common forms of battery electrolytes? Because it has the best cost/size to energy density ratio currently available and manufacturers decided it’s worth the risks, and consumers agree with …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: AOC Arrived So Proudly But She Left in Shame When She Brought Her Prized Collection of Bugs To The Etymology Conference Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.