Letter Re: Practical Information on EMP Protection for Home Electronics

Sir: Thank you for your hard work. I am not sure if this was covered here before and, in the case it has not, I wanted to supply the following information to help suppress fear regarding electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and specifically, its effects on communications equipment. I am tired of reading “seal the radio in a metal ammo can, place the ammo can in an old microwave and place the old microwave in an old refrigerator, which is then buried under 8 feet of earth,” et cetera. Here is the reference for a four-part article in Amateur Radio Relay League …


SHTF Shopping, by SF in Hawaii

There are two types of survivalist [“Schumer Hits the Fan”] (SHTF) shopping. Pre-SHTF, and Imminent-SHTF. Let’s look at both of them . Pre-SHTF These are things you buy now while there is no immediate threat and no mobs of desperate people trying to get the same thing. People who know you think you are eccentric but mostly harmless. The readers of this site already know what kinds of items to store in advance (food, guns, ammunition, etc.) and so it will not be repeated here. Conceptually, these items should have long term storability, and in terms of food be used …


Odds ‘n Sods:

I was doing some web wandering on the topic of night vision gear, and I came across this video tutorial on How to Transform Your Webcam Into An Infrared Cam, (This has possibilities for retreat security.) Because the price of infrared LEDs has plummeted, it is now affordable to use arrays of IR LEDs as the light source. Think of the possibilities. And for those of you are aren’t electronics do-it-yourselfers, battery-powered IR motion detector camera systems are available from Ready Made Resources   o o o A reader mentioned that because of a scheduling conflict, he had to cancel …




Letter Re: A Source for Pre-1965 U.S. Silver Coinage

Jim, I love your blog, it’s the only one I read, really. I’m writing to recommend APMEX.com as a source of precious metals, and pre-1965 [U.S.] silver coinage. I took your advice, and the advice of others, and decided to begin a precious metals investing program, starting with pre-’65 coins, and a few 1 oz American Silver Eagles. I searched all over the net looking for a place that would take a small order from a beginner, and found few, They sold large amounts, and there was always a call from a sales rep involved to complete the order process. …


Two Letters Re: Lee Handloading Tools and Surplus Ammo Quality

Jim, I took note in Jason’s recent message regarding Lee reloading tools, and I must say I agree wholeheartedly. I have a Lee challenger press, and strongly recommend it. In fact, I recommend the Lee Anniversary Reloading Kit with “Modern Reloading” Manual (available from MidwayUSA: for $89.99 plus shipping). It comes with everything except dies, primers, powder, brass, and bullets. Oh, a set of calipers is a handy thing to have too. The case is the most expensive part of the cartridge to make, requiring multiple steps in shaping the brass into the final cartridge case. Reloading can significantly cut …


Letter Re: Results of the MURS Radio Barter Experiment

Hi Jim, Regarding the MURS Radio Barter Experiment, I had a very good response from your readers. This experiment was thought up after reading many barter articles on your blog. While this experiment might not be typical of a face-to-face bartering experience, the results were interesting nonetheless. A few offers were under valued, the majority were close enough in value to be considered, and a few were “very well valued”. Here is a sampling of what I was offered: 90% silver coins – all ranges of values were offered including “junk” coins and Silver Dollars Printing material – business cards, …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader “6xddx6” e-mailed us to say that he created a simple solar charging system for his Kenwood TK2100 MURS radios that he got from $49 MURS Radios (one of our advertisers.) For this project, he used an inexpensive photovoltaic (PV) panel from Northern Tool & Equipment. (One of our Affiliate Advertisers.) At Northern Tool’s web site, search on Item # 339973.   o o o Chester M. sent this news story: New Orleans Residents Arming Themselves Chester’s comment: “Better late than never, I guess.”    o o o Any SurvivalBlog readers that homeschool their kids–or that plan too–should visit the …



Note from JWR:

I was up on the roof yesterday, doing the semi-annual de-gunking of the wood stove chimney spark arrestor, and the annual cleaning of the chimney itself. A messy job, but one that is crucial for fire safety. (Creosote-fueled chimney fires are commonplace, and are almost always the result of lax chimney-cleaning discipline.) Every survival retreat owner should have a set of chimney-cleaning rods and brushes, and the discipline to use them regularly!


Letter Re: Measuring Volume for Silica Gel Desiccant in Food Storage Buckets

Hello Mr. Rawles, I have a question concerning silica gel desiccant measurements. I have found that buying the desiccant in bulk from flower shops more economical for me, but need assistance with putting together an accurate measurement for 5 or 6 gallon food buckets. On the Alan T. Hagan [Food Storage FAQ] site, he say’s to use coffee filters to make the packets which is a good source and on other vendor sites it say’s that 1500 to 2000 cc’s is to be used for the 5 or 6 gallon bucket’s, my problem is how to measure those amount’s and …


Two Letters Re: .223 For Long Range Sniping?

James, Again you are “on target” with your assessment of the Blackwater / Najaf / 800 Meter video. Nice informative letter too from Griff, we appreciate that detail and background! More than just sound bites and snapshots, SurvivalBlog is about quality information. I think what Griff stated is very informative as to the actual mission. In my mind the Blackwater guys were laying down high quality suppressive fire, but when this becomes “sniping” might largely be a matter of semantics. I guess it would be in the rate of quality hits, something we’ll never know. I am sure they were …