Signs Of The Times – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.) Ukraine corruption — When it comes to the Russia sanctions the only conclusion I can come to is that things, as always, are not as they appear and we’re all being played by the PTB who run the world. The one certainty is that the sanctions have nothing to do with world leaders feeling sorry for Ukraine, but rather, they’re not letting a good crisis go to waste or an opportunity to punish Russia. Only six months ago they were calling Ukraine’s government corrupt and evil, ranking in the bottom third of the corruption scale compiled …


Signs Of The Times – Part 1, by St. Funogas

Since we’re as close as we’ve been in the past 50 years to the possibility of not only WW III, but the nuclear war we’ve all feared since Hiroshima and the Cuban Missile Crisis, the time seems urgent for all Americans to get out of our normalcy bias and start prepping, and for current preppers to kick it up a notch or two. Or three. This article has been edited many times and has been in and out of my “Do Not Submit” folder at least seven times. While many SurvivalBlog articles are preaching to the choir of us like-minded …


Lathe-Cutting Screw Threads – Part 2, by Steve A.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Screw design must be considered. If the screw shank will go into a hole drilled to accept the nominal size of the threaded fastener then this diameter must be cut all the way to the screw head. If this is a fully custom application you can, of course, leave the shank any size you desire. In this case, the hole in the fixture was made to accept the existing blank screw shank diameter. The trick in all of this work is holding a relatively long, small diameter, and fragile part for threading …


Lathe-Cutting Screw Threads – Part 1, by Steve A.

Making, modifying, and using threaded fasteners seems to me to be a pretty basic part of repairs needed in keeping things running. I realize that the following information is not likely to be directly used by many of the readers due to the use of a metal lathe and the terminology. An amateur machinist should be able to make threaded fasteners as described. In any event there are absolutely a number of good ways to accomplish making a threaded fastener. Understanding that this just scratches the surface of the topic, I hope that it will reach a few folks and …


Building a EWB/UHF Yagi – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Rugged Construction Given the materials at hand. and the other design goals, it was easier for me to produce a yagi antenna for UHF frequencies than a comparable moxon antenna. The build had to be durable, and not likely damaged by abuse or neglect in a chaotic environment. And it can be easily repaired in the field. Not ‘mil-spec’, but close enough. And consider that UHF is easier to contain in a valley that has a pine forest, so it is therefore less of a COMSEC problem when low power is used. …


Building a EWB/UHF Yagi – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

Introduction The focus in my recent SurvivalBlog articles has been to promote communication methods, means, and technical solutions, that are easy to implement at the community level. The grassroots is where this counts most, and where it is needed most, as we will likely be on our own, and forced to be as self-sufficient as possible. In a worst-case catastrophe that we might anticipate, there will be no disaster relief agencies to assist us. Without communications of some sort, we’ve got nothing. Communications, even if limited, enable those who can to provide assistance, a local barter economy, and can be …


Another Get Home Bag Approach – Part 2, by G.P.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Medical concerns Note: This is not actual medical advice, simply a description of military methods. I am not a medical professional and if I were, I’d still have no idea of your needs, conditions, capabilities, and allergies. I have a trauma kit, aka blowout kit, in my bag. The kind of situation that might leave you stranded far from home might also expose you to trauma, immediately or in the aftermath. Trauma is something unexpected. If you saw it coming, you’d most likely avoid it. This is a whole topic of its …


Another Get Home Bag Approach – Part 1, by G.P.

Three fine articles have gave been posted in SurvivalBlog lately on the subject of Get Home Bags. First, J.M. addressed the question of getting back home if stranded at a distance by using exact planning. Second, St. Funogas described a more general plan that focused on the basics of minimal equipment and keeping up calorie intake. Last, J. Smith advocated for good-quality clothing and equipment and aligning priorities with resources. J.M. approached the problem as an ultralight (UL) or super-ultralight (SUL) hiker. The problem set was narrowly defined: maximum distance, various possible routes and start points, range of weather conditions, …


Bugging Out Between Civilizations – Part 2, by N.C.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) While trawling through the SurvivalBlog archives I came across a 2015 two-part article: Six Prepping Principles Derived from One Year as an Expat- Part 1, by G.L. Six Prepping Principles Derived from One Year as an Expat- Part 2, by G.L. I really liked his approach to layering. To that, I added researching “carry-on only travelling”, backpacking, and general bug out bag/survival kit principles. I put this reading and learning together to make a “civilization-centric” approach to bugging out. Fair warning: This is simply my thought experiment. Thankfully I haven’t been in …


Bugging Out Between Civilizations – Part 1, by N.C.

I was talking with an old friend and the subject of the ongoing war in Ukraine came up. He asserted that he would have acted to leave Ukraine sooner, if he had been there. Frankly, I don’t think he would have, and I told him that. I based that on the fact that during the recent Antifa rioting, he point-blank denied that there were riots within an hour of him. When he could no longer deny that riots were occurring, he opined that it was “basically a different world” and again, made no preparation. If he could deny all that, …


MURS Dakota Alert IR Sensors and Antennas – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) a Radio Survey Performing a radio survey of the area first is a necessary step before purchasing or fabricating the appropriate antennas. You might find that no directional antennas will be necessary, the cost reduced, and the remaining budget used to purchase additional sensors.  The range of any transmitter is in the end limited by or enhanced by the surrounding terrain. Given that very low power transmitters are being used, the 1 watt transmitted by these sensors, versus the 5 watts of a handheld transceiver, the challenge is greater. Having favorable terrain …


The Solar Clothes Dryer, by St. Funogas

I know, you were expecting some sort of a solar box that held heat in for drying your clothes, perhaps even with a squirrel-powered tumbler to make the clothes come out fluffier, so my apologies. I had planned on making one of those to go along with my solar panels, solar food dryer, solar beeswax melter, and solar water heater among others. While waiting to build my solar dryer I used the old-fashioned kind my mother, grandmothers, and everyone has used since rope was invented. By the time I was ready to build a box-type solar dryer, I discovered the …


Garden Architecture, by R.B.

It’s always surprising how much “stuff” gardeners need and can use in order to grow the simplest crops. My son always shakes his head at the number of T-posts, sticks, concrete blocks, strings, wires, fences, plastic sheets, bedsheets, etc. that appear in and around my gardens from time to time. Here are some of the “architectural ideas” that help me produce a widely varied harvest. Plastic Jugs Ya ha ha! You an’ me, Little Plastic Jug, How I Love Thee! Farmers and gardeners have always had to rely on their own ingenuity when confronted by surprise conditions that threatened their …


Communications: Bringing People Together – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

As I mentioned in a previous article, I am making many kinds of antennas for fun and profit, but mostly for setting up neighborhood networks or small community networks that I will not be involved in. I have made many antennas, and over the last decade, I have programmed countless radios in my area, as a free service to my neighbors and friends. I have many extra radios and antennas that can be put into the right hands if it serves the community. I would rather invest in these, than fancy and expensive transceivers. I have a pile of such …


Got $5,200? Cut Costs Now!, by K.B.

Bloomberg News has announced that the average US family of four will need an extra $5,200 per year to cover rising expenses due to inflation. Hmmm. How is that going to work out for most folks considering that 64% of Americans, as of early March 2022, are already living paycheck to paycheck? Where are they going to come up with a minimum of an extra $433 each month? I’m already seeing signs of stress in our part of the country despite living in one of the “better off” regions. People are super cranky at the gas pumps and each day …