Cheap and Easy Ham for the Communications Novice by TSR

[Editors Note: FCC rules stipulate that Amateur Radio operators may convert and operate transceivers designed for other services on Amateur Radio frequencies, but the reverse is not true. Unless a radio has been type accepted by the FCC for use on other frequencies, those transceivers may not be used for such purposes. They may, however, be used to listen to other frequencies (except for cellular frequencies.)] Purpose You’ll find the line item “ham radio” on a variety of prepper, collapse, and bug out bag lists, and for good reason. However, for the communications novice, this item can be difficult to …


Constructing a Multi-Use Hoop House on a Budget, by O.M.

Many people are hard pressed to pay full price for a prefabricated building. These often cost several thousand dollars. A small chicken coop can cost several hundred, just to provide very minimal housing for a few birds. A good green house is also quite expensive. Instead of shelling out a bunch of money or, worse, going into debt, my solution is to do it yourself! This set of instructions requires no particular wood working, plumbing, or construction experience. A little common sense, simple tools, and materials allows for all of these structures on a shoe string budget. It is even …


What Does Your Survival Portfolio Look Like?, by J.H.

Every single skill, tool, ability, or prep for survival that you acquire should be viewed as an asset. With that state of mind, you can look at your chances of survival in various situations, evaluating where your strong and weak spots are. Just as you would diversify your financial portfolio through multiple investments in different areas, you must do the same with your survival portfolio. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! If you don’t have a survival portfolio, it’s time to build one. Having an organized approach to survival helps keep your mind from screaming and the fear …


How To Obtain Protein From Alternative Sources Without A Firearm, by Rockvault

We, Americans, like our protein, and in a prolonged hunker-in-place situation one of the many inconveniences we will be faced with will be the difficulty in enjoying our nightly beef, pork, chicken, or fish, let alone finding enough protein to maintain the health of ourselves and families. Sure, vegetarian-based diets can keep you alive, but even in a TEOTWAWKI situation why go without meat when it might not be all that hard to source and may be local to your home, camp, or hide-out, too. First, let’s go over some assumptions. Let’s recognize here that we’re at least six months …


Light Tactical Trailer– The M1102, by D.A., DVM

Bugging out? Got a pickup or big SUV but not enough room to carry everything you want to take with you? Consider the military’s solution to the limited cargo space in their HMMWV (Humvee), the M1102 Light Tactical Trailer. Our government (i.e. using our tax money) purchased a LOT of these all-aluminum trailers for our military, and they are built to last and take a beating. A local man had two of these for sale, tied down on a bigger trailer and parked on a busy corner with a sign on them. I called him, and he was asking $2,500.00 …


Guerrillas In The Midst, by J.S.H. – Part 2

Some of the principles of guerrilla tactics are continued: Abstract Attack This is the art of attacking under conditions that seem unfavorable in the enemy’s eyes. Poor weather and/or terrain can be an advantage for the guerrilla warrior. Also, attacking when the opposing force is sleeping, worn down, or resupplying is advantageous. Sabotaging enemy soldiers’ resources is a very effective way to stun and demoralize troops. Another “abstract attack” is to convince weaker enemy soldiers that they are safer or better off fighting along side you rather than against you. This allows you to grow your numbers while diminishing the …


Guerrillas In The Midst, by J.S.H. – Part 1

In All Matters Of Survival, Go Guerrilla A time existed when the methods the Guerrilla warrior uses were looked down upon. Accusations of dishonorable and cowardice behavior would be spat upon those who employed what might be called shadow tactics. Here’s the truth (as has become more and more apparent among the military). All is fair in war. The only dishonor is to yourself and/or your family or group, and it only exists when you have failed to do everything in your power to effect survival. The real cowards lay dead for all to see, because their pride wouldn’t let …


A Strategy For Profitable Investing, by JEH, CPA

I am writing this letter in response to the question posed in “Letter Re: Surviving Financial SHTF and Becoming Debt Free, by K.D”. I am a CPA who thought about investing the day I got my first job. I am not a licensed investment representative, so as a result I will not tell you what to specifically invest in. However, I want to teach you how to look at the market. The first tax season I worked, I noticed that people poured money into what was “hot” at the time, and they took a loss when the market went south. …


The Accidental Prepper, by J.C.

This isn’t as much of a “how to” as it is a “how I have done it” in the spirit of sharing my “experience, strength, and hope” instead of giving advice or instruction. I am a little over two years into my own serious preparations as well as recovery from my own personal TEOTWAWKI. Prior to August 12, 2012, I had been sort of a hobbyist or dabbler but mostly a self-absorbed guy. I was working 55 miles from home in my chosen career, which I will acknowledge will never be worth more than about 45K a year. My wife …


The Value of Human Relationships in a Grid-Down or Survival Event, by J.C.

There is an often-overlooked type of disaster preparation, which everyone can make a regular part of their lives, that has the following characteristics: It costs nothing, except time. It can reap benefits every week, year in and year out. It comes in really handy in a grid-down or other scarce-resource event, and it helps the prepper out in unexpected ways and pays dividends when you least expect it. I am talking about human capital– the network of relationships we form in our community with those public servants and elected officials that may, in the future, have interactions with us during …


Four Exercises To Stay In Shape While Holed Up, by Zac T.

As a brief introduction about me, aside from being an MPH student, I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. When I am not correcting peoples’ form and working in cardiac rehab, I spend my spare time backpacking, lifting weights, and reading economics books. Let’s say that you were a prepper. I say “were” because, for the point of this article, The Big Event has already happened, and now you’re not so much prepping as you are surviving. You stockpiled food, medicine, water, and ammunition. You read all the books. You built a secret retreat. Now there’s not much for …


I’ve Discovered I’m A Prepper, by H.H.

How did I get here? About a year ago, I was covered up with apples from my one, lonely apple tree in my back yard. (I have since planted another.) I ate some, gave some away, canned a lot of apple butter, but I still had about a bushel basket of apples left. Not wanting to waste them, I did an Internet search for ways to can the remaining apples and found some great information. I ended up canning applesauce and apple pie filling, too. This Internet search for ways to can apples led me to many prepper and survivalist …


The Costs of Survival, by F.R.

For many, the costs involved in preparing for any kind of emergency, whether man made or natural, is too high for most people to afford. It can be expensive to accumulate the things that would be necessary to give us some options in an emergency situation. I have always been cost conscious and have striven to get the most for my money, so this struggle is not new to me. Even if we had lots of money, it is still wise to try and get the most bang for our buck. When I first started preparing, I made some purchases …


Preparing Game Meat For The Table, by Kestrel

As a hunter I’ve often heard the question, “Doesn’t ____ meat taste gamey?” I get this question from people who have never eaten game meat or from those who have eaten improperly-prepared game. The word “gamey”, to me, speaks of meat with a rotten flavor. I’ve had spoiled meat before, and it does indeed taste “gamey”. My usual response to the above question is that wild game just has a different, often stronger, flavor than the beef that we are used to in this country, but there is no reason it shouldn’t be delicious. In this article I will give …


Surviving Financial SHTF and Becoming Debt Free, by K.D. – Part 2

Meanwhile, I made another spreadsheet. This spreadsheet listed everything we owned, and I do mean everything. Well, it included everything except our house. We were underwater and basically renting anyway. Since we were at war with the banks, everything was in the fight, including all of our preps, everything. After all, this was our SHTF situation to deal with. We prioritized our “stuff ” from 1-5. An item identified with a one was among the most useful to our survival, and those things that were least useful were given a five. We then began selling the items listed as fives …