Category: Communications & Receivers

Two Letters Re: Questions About FRS Radio Capabilities

Sir: I’ll establish my bona fides by stating that I am a General class Amateur Radio licensee with extensive experience in the VHF and UHF radio bands. While I applaud your promotion of the MURS radio for general use, it is not the best choice for the gentleman residing in the concrete condos in Florida. Penetration of concrete and steel structures is significantly better (by approximately 30%) at UHF frequencies (as used by FRS/GMRS radios) than at the VHF frequencies as used by MURS. Though free air range favors VHF, UHF penetrates obstacles better, assuming the effective radiated power (ERP) …


Letter Re: Questions About FRS Radio Capabilities

Dear SurvivalBlog: At my condo complex in Florida, we’ve been wondering if we could use consumer two-way radios–such as Motorola Talkabout two-way radios–to communicate successfully between (from inside) condo units. We would do this during scenarios such as a severe hurricane. The question is whether those radios (which, of course, come in several models with different specs) use the right frequency band and and have adequate power to penetrate the multiple concrete walls that would be line-of-sight between the communicating radios. We assume–in planning for worst possible case–that both line telephone and cell phone service would be down, and are …


Letter Re: Portable Two-Way Radio Recommendations

Sir, Could you or your readers recommend any good two-way re-chargeable hand-held radios that are sold at outdoor places such as Cabela’s? I’m particularly looking for a model that I could use while at University classes while my wife is one mile away at our apartment. Thanks,.- Chad JWR Replies: Reliable communication with a one mile range in a cluttered environment–as I assume yours is, if the city is large enough to host a university–is “iffy” for the typical FRS and GMRS hand-held transceivers on the consumer market. My preference is for the MURS band hand-helds. Not only will you …


A Practical Guide to the Recon Patrol, by TMC

Okay, the stuff has hit the fan, you have made it to your retreat, and you are geared up, stocked up and ready to survive. Inner security has been established, with LP/OPs located at likely avenues of approach. You at some point will start to wonder what else is out there, how far away it is, and what it means for your group. You might want to start implementing the recon patrol. While I could write what may very well be a small manual on the subject, I will just put out the basics that will point you in the …


Preparing for a Dam Breach, by A.B.S.

Many of my fellow Tennesseans awoke to headlines the other day that two of the Corp of Engineers dams in our area that are supposed to protect the people from floods and provide water and electricity are in danger of failure. Built more than 50 years ago, the Wolf Creek Dam and the Center Hill Dam overlook several hundred thousand people in central Tennessee, and are leaking significantly. The Wolf Creek Dam has been classified as being at high risk of collapse. The Wolf Creek Dam is located on the Cumberland River 190 miles up stream from Nashville. The dam …


Two Letters Re: Disseminating Local News and Information in a Grid-Down Societal Collapse

Jim, I think Brian raises a good question and your suggestion about using manual typewriters and mimeograph machines is a great idea. Here’s another one. While watching the the first season of Jericho DVDs, I noticed that in an episode titled “Black Jack” some of the characters went to a barter fair called Black Jack. They had to travel 200 miles to get to this town. The town’s fairgrounds were used as a barter fair location and in the middle (I assume the middle) was a tall board with a platform and a big roll of newspaper on the top. …


Letter Re: Disseminating Local News and Information in a Grid-Down Societal Collapse

James: I haven’t seen much information about this, so I ask you: How do you plan on “Getting the word out”? Once the ink/toner runs out of your printer, what will a survivalist group do? We’ve nearly lost the ability, and knowledge, to operate hand-presses. Moveable type suppliers are long gone, and there’s precious little available on eBay. Certainly not an entire printing press. You might find some blocks of moveable type, but not enough to actually make an entire flyer, book, or other piece of information, such as a book or even a Bible. And we can’t rely on …


Letter Re: Novel Recommendation–“Solar Flare” by Larry Burkett

Mr. Rawles, I have read your novel Patriots and passed it along to several people that I know. Most of them now own their own copy as well and it has been a big boost in helping them see the need for making preparations for the times ahead. It is with great interest that I have read the recent discussions about solar flares on the blog. The novel that first piqued my interest in survival and preparedness was the book Solar Flare by Strategic Air Command veteran and former NASA employee Larry Burkett. The premise of the novel is an …


Two Letters Re: Some Transceiver Antenna Questions

Jim, A few pieces of additional information about antennas: Quarter wave antennas are traditionally used for portable radios as they match the radio’s output impedance of 50 Ohms. By matching this impedance with an antenna of 50 Ohms you get maximum energy transfer. A 1/2 wavelength long antenna (twice as long as a 1/4 wave) has an impedance of several thousand Ohms and is not a suitable radiator unless you add some sort of impedance matching between the radio or the antenna. This can be in the form of a coil and capacitor or an antenna tuner. One advantage a …


Letter Re: Solar Flare Spike in 2012?

Jim:Regarding your recent interview on Fox Business about the significance of 2012: When I was a teenager, it was the Mayan 2012 [calendar] event that got me interested in preparedness. I ran with a bit of an impromptu Boy Scout like crowd (we weren’t Boy Scouts but our parents encouraged us to hunt, fish and camp). It was fun imaginary scenario when we were kids. I grew out of my Mayan 2012 phase. As an adult, I am preparing for a solar 2012 event. Essentially, a couple of years ago, I came across some research by a guy who was …


Letter Re: Some Transceiver Antenna Questions

Jim; By purchasing a 60-inch collapsible antenna, I was able to get a lot more range out of my hand-held transceivers, but that’s all I know. Can you give a short tutorial on antennas? What is a ground plane, when is it necessary? Would full wavelength be better than 1/4 wavelength? For a base system, would you recommend Yagi or something else? Thanks, – SF in Hawaii JWR Replies (Updated): To begin, one-half wave antennas are theoretically the most efficient. Shorter fractional wavelength antennas (quarter-wave, 1/8th-wave, et cetera) are used primarily for compactness and lower cost. I was told by …


Letter Re: Advice on Communications Scanners

Dear James, I was talking to my neighbor today and he showed me his Uniden Bear Tracker 800 scanner, a now discontinued model. That got me to thinking that I probably should get one for emergencies. But the thing is I don’t know what you should look for in a police scanner. Also I’m on a budget and I’m not willing to spend more than $100 on a scanner, but most cost quite a bit. That’s why I’m looking for a reasonably priced scanner, though I’m having problems finding one. Any recommendations or help would be gladly accepted. Regards, – …


Victory in the DC v. Heller US Supreme Court Decision–With Some Reservations

I was pleased to hear of the recent DC v. Heller US supreme court decision that affirmed that the “right to keep and bear arms” is indeed an individual right of all citizens. However, I was disappointed to see that the court used circular logic in their assumptions on what constituted firearms “in common use” Just as I warned back in March, (immediately following the oral arguments), the court relied on arguments made by Mr. Gura (the plaintiff’s attorney). In my opinion, Gura’s arguments were a disservice to American gun owners and “the militia at large”. (Which consists of all …


Letter Re: A Recent Fire Evacuation Experience

James: Last weekend my town was threatened by a pretty big fire. Dozens of homes burned, thousands of citizens were evacuated. My neighborhood was among those ordered to flee the advancing flames. (Drama!) My family was prepared to leave ahead of time and evacuated safely in large part because of the advice and encouragement I have found at SurvivalBlog. Thank you. I did learn a few things. Theory flies out the window when panic is in the air. What is organized and prepared ahead of time actually works, what is thrown together at the last minute tends to fall apart. …


After 10 Years–Some Observations and Lessons Learned by a Y2K-Era Prepper

It was June, 1998. Y2K was a salient topic of conversation. It got my attention. When the electricity went off and there would be no water to drink, and no fuel to move food to the JIT grocery stores, I could see things getting very ugly. I had been willing to fight for this nation as a member of the US Army. Now it was time to fight for my household. I bought a Springfield Armory M1A. I bought a safe to store it in. I bought another M1A (for the spousal unit of course!) I bought ammo. Lots of …