Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – September 27, 2014

Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,100+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hardcase to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel which can be assembled in less then 1 minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouseis providing 30 DMPS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448.95) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  11. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  12. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  13. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  10. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  11. RepackBoxis providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gearis donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 54 ends on September 30st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Beekeeping for Long-term Self Sufficiency, by T.D.

Several years ago I was introduced to a book called Passport to Survival written by Esther Dickey. This book elaborates on how you can provide for all the essential nutritional needs for you and your family with just four basic ingredients– wheat, powdered milk, honey, and salt. As I thought about these four items, I realized that I had it within my power to provide for one of these four items without much change in my lifestyle and without an excess of effort. I live in the city, so growing more than just a few handfuls of wheat in my garden isn’t practical. Powdered milk was out as well. I do know of a few natural sources of salt that I could feasibly collect from; however, based on the cost of salt, I figure it is much easier and more economical, in terms of time and effort, to just purchase plenty of salt and store it properly for my possible emergency needs. This left honey, which meant learning to keep bees.

The idea of beekeeping appealed to me so much that I went out and purchased several books on how to keep bees. After getting comfortable with the idea of beekeeping and getting support from my wife, I decided to go all in. Within a month I had purchased the basic equipment and ordered a starter package of bees. In the first year, with one hive in an area that would not be considered optimal for keeping bees, I was able to harvest 73 pounds of honey. My total time investment the first year was under 30 hours. My total financial investment was $473.

The exciting thing was that I never had to invest another penny into the venture, as long as I was careful about caring for my bees and prudent about caring for my equipment. According to the LDS Food Storage Calculator, a one-year food supply of sugar would include about 60 pounds of sugar. Without going into a long comparison between honey versus granulated sugar, any cook will tell you that when baking and cooking, you need less honey than granulated sugar to provide the same amount of “sweetness” in any particular recipe. Although 60 pounds of sugar is the suggested amount, if the majority of your sugar was in the form of honey, it is possible that you need a bit less than the suggested 60 pounds.

Be this as it may, after my first year of beekeeping, I quickly calculated that to create a steady source of sugar for my family would require more than one hive. The additional investment for each hive, for me, runs about $150. The original investment included the beekeeping clothing and tools as well as the parts for one hive. The second year, I only needed to buy the parts for another hive, since I already had all the other gear. So, I invested in another hive. Then, the second year I harvested 53 pounds from the first hive and 47 pounds from the second hive. My investment the second year was $150 and about 25 hours of work.

Being observant, I am quite certain you saw the minor discrepancy between the two years. The first year I had one hive and worked 30 hours. The second year I had two and only worked 25 hours. What gives? Well, the first year I had no idea what I was doing and spent many unnecessary hours fiddling with my hive and checking on my bees; this seems to be a normal reaction to an exciting new hobby. The second year, with one year of experience under my belt, I was much more efficient in my beekeeping efforts. I also realized there are two approaches to beekeeping. One demands that you spend many hours checking and assisting the little furry things. The other approach assumes that nature knows what it is doing. Since bees have been doing well on their own for several millennia, the beekeepers only real chore is to give them regular health checks and harvest the liquid gold. The second year, I chose the less invasive and less demanding approach for my beekeeping efforts.

If you are a math type, let’s calculate the value of my produce. Assuming that purchasing wildflower honey costs you about $5 a pound, this means that with a small investment of $623 over a two-year period I was able to produce 173 pounds or about $865 worth of honey. This doesn’t even take into account that my honey is far superior to whatever you may purchase in a store, because it has not been pasteurized and it contains the local pollen; this pollen imparts some proven anti-allergen health benefits to those who consume the honey produced in the area where they live. There are several other benefits from keeping bees.

Aside from the honey harvest, you also harvest a small amount of beeswax as a natural byproduct of the honey harvest. If you choose to, you can also set your hives up to harvest pollen and propolis. These four items are the main harvest gathered from a beehive.

Benefits of Honey

Let me elaborate for a moment on the harvest and the benefits of each part of the harvest. First up is honey. As a sweetener, it doesn’t have much competition. Honey is an all-natural sweetener, and when stored correctly can keep indefinitely. As a matter of fact, edible honey has been found in the tombs of the Egyptian Pharaohs.

Over time, all honey will crystallize. This doesn’t affect the taste or the quality of the honey. Simply put the honey jar in a hot bath of water, and shortly your honey will be back to its liquid state. Honey has the advantage over sugar, because it also imparts several health benefits.

The ancient Sumerians referred to honey as a beneficial drug and ointment. The great Aristotle wrote that honey was “good as a salve for sore eyes and wounds”. In the King James Bible, King Solomon is quoted in Proverbs 24:13, “My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste”. The ancients knew that honey was good for us, and modern medicine is coming to the same realization.

Honey contains flavonoids, which are antioxidants. Antioxidants can help reduce the risk of some cancers as well as heart disease. Honey is also anti-bacterial. This is because the bees add the same enzyme to honey that is used to make hydrogen peroxide. Because of these anti-bacterial properties, honey has been shown to help some ulcers as well as bacterial gastroenteritis.

Honey works wonders on coughs and throat irritations. A couple of studies have shown a single dose of honey to be just as effective as a dose of dextromethorphan in relieving nighttime coughs. So the next time you are coughing yourself out of a good night of sleep, take a tablespoon of honey and sleep well.

Honey is also used in healing wounds and burns. Because it is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from its surroundings, honey actually pulls moisture out of wounds and burns. The combination of the drying effect of honey with the anti-bacterial nature of honey makes for a great wound and burn treatment. In some studies, it has been shown to be just as effective as silver sulfadiazine.

Honey is also a probiotic.

Warning: On the flip side, natural unpasteurized honey can possibly contain the spores that can cause infant botulism, so if you decide to keep bees and harvest honey, do not under any circumstances feed the honey to infants under the age of one.

Beeswax

Wax can also be harvested from your beehives. The energy expended by the bees to produce a pound of beeswax is equivalent to about eight pounds of honey. So unless you are keeping bees specifically to harvest beeswax, it most likely will be a small byproduct for you. When you are harvesting your honey, you naturally end up with about one to two pounds of beeswax for each 100 pounds of honey you harvest. This takes the form of cappings. When the bees have their honey to just the perfect level of “ripeness”, they seal the honey in the honeycomb with a small wax cap. To harvest the honey, you slice off these caps and spin the honeycomb. This gets you the honey and the cappings of wax.

What can you do with the beeswax? Well, it makes a great base for producing healing salves, lip balms, as well as candles. With four hives, you will probably walk away with nearly six pounds of wax every year. That’s plenty for producing hundreds of lip balms, several dozen hand salves, or even 20 or so poured beeswax candles.

Expansion

After having such wonderful success keeping bees my first two years, I decided that I wanted to grow my apiary to a size that would provide enough honey for all my sweetener needs.

So what did I do? You guessed it; I went out and purchased the hive boxes so I could keep two more hives. This incurred an additional investment of $300. Every year since then, I have had between two and four bee colonies producing honey for me. One of the benefits of having multiple hives is that if one hive dies or disappears, you can easily split one of your hives into two. This means with a bit of effort and planning, you don’t even need to purchase starter packages of bees for your new hives anymore. Often, a hive will swarm, which is nature’s way of reproducing at a colony level. This is another easy way to replace a lost or dead colony. Catch a bee swarm and place it in the empty hive boxes.

Each year my hives produce between 100 and 300 pounds of honey for me and my family. Some is used during the year for our cooking and baking needs; the excess is stored away against a future need. With my experience keeping bees, I am confident that if the need arose, I could quickly build and fill several more hives within a short period of time, even with no access to any other resources other than what I have in my home and yard.

The honey and wax produced from this expanded apiary could easily be used as a barter item in a post crash economy.

Resources

If you are interested in keeping bees, let me suggest a few books that will get you up and running in no time at all.

  1. Keeping Bees by John Vivian
  2. Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston
  3. The Beekeeper’s Guide by Trevor Darby

Any one of these books will give you all the basics you need to fully understand and begin beekeeping. From there, your learning will grow exponentially from the actual experience.

The benefits of beekeeping in summary are a ready, reliable, and renewable source of sugar and wax, a reasonable expense up front that is easily recouped in the first year or two, and minimal time demands that can be adjusted to your schedule.

Letter Re: Monitored Frequencies

Hugh,

Mr. TV asked if government agencies monitored some frequencies 24/7. I am an Army Aviator and can tell you that 121.5 VHF is monitored by every aircraft in the U.S. (not just military). The VHF radios in aircraft are designed to automatically receive 121.5, and it will broadcast into the ears of the pilot regardless of currently tuned frequency. Example: I have a tower freq tuned (119.325) and if someone broadcasts over 121.5, I will hear it, but in order to respond, I would have to tune my own radio to 121.5. The same is true for aircraft with UHF radios installed (243.0). Most civilian aircraft don’t have a UHF, but all military aircraft do, and it works in the same way as the VHF.

Additionally, all Air Traffic Control (ATC) services (centers, approach/departure controls, towers, and flight service stations) are constantly monitoring 121.5, just like the aircraft are. Most ATCs also have UHF capability, so they hear 243.0 also. A flight service station (FSS) can be reached from almost anywhere in the country because of remote communications outlets (RCO’s), but in the event of SHTF with a power down event those will be gone when the battery runs out, because they are nothing more than a repeater. A FSS can usually be reached on 122.2, but these freqs can vary depending on location. Look at a VFR sectional (aviation map) for the specific freq in your area. VFR sectionals can be viewed at airnav.com or skyvector.com. There are others, but those are the two I use. Hopefully it helps. – DH

Odds ‘n Sods:

One cost of war: U.S. blowing up its own Humvees. – RBS

o o o

How Gun Control Made England The ‘Most Violent Country In Europe’. – JBG

o o o

The Number One Threat to the US Above Terrorism. – T.P.

o o o

Illegal children brought into the country apparently brought this virus in: Virus probed in paralysis cases in 9 Colorado kids – P.M.

o o o

Woman beheaded at Oklahoma workplace. – T.P.

The first reports about this violent act avoided the issue that it was related to Islam, even though it was readily apparent. I suspect this is not the first within the borders of the U.S., rather that it’s just the first to be reported with no way to suppress the truth of the link.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – September 26, 2014

The 26th of September is the birthday of the late Jack LaLanne, who was born in 1914 and who died January 23, 2011.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,100+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hardcase to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel which can be assembled in less then 1 minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouseis providing 30 DMPS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448.95) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  11. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  12. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  13. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  10. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  11. RepackBoxis providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gearis donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 54 ends on September 30st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Ten Ways that Purchasing an Older Home is Helping Us to Prepare, by C.F.

When we first purchased our home less than three years ago, it was a charming four bedroom, two bathroom, Dutch colonial bungalow, built in 1920. It was a complete flip, featuring laminate flooring, faux granite countertops, and some, shall we say, interesting additions and subtractions. What I mean by this is that we had a few new walls where there used to not be any and a few original walls that were taken down or partially removed. The home advertised new carpeting, flooring, windows, and siding. Most importantly for us, though, it came with new plumbing, electricity, and mechanicals. The property included a garage and a shed. It was built on a nice, over-sized lot, located in a town of approximately 1,000 people that is over an hour away from any major cities. As a bonus, it has a fairly good-sized Amish community in the outlying areas. This gives us access to a wide variety of hand tools, instructions on getting things done without electricity, and bulk products. While we would have preferred more land further out in the country, we felt that we made the best decision, based on our budget. Since purchasing the home, we have made several discoveries that we believe are greatly assisting us in our preparations.

  1. Outhouse. We discovered the original, brick-lined outhouse pit and the sidewalk leading from the house to it. We confess that we initially thought that we were digging up the original well. We dug it all the way to the bottom of the brick lining– approximately eight feet deep, six feet long, and four feet wide. Once cleaned out, we refilled it with sand to create a sandbox for our kids to play in. On our to-do list is to build a little “playhouse with a bench” cover for the “sandbox”. If we had to, we could remove the sand with a long hard day of shoveling, cut out the holes in the bench, and reassemble a fully-functioning outhouse with no visual change to our yard and landscaping.
  2. Bartering Supplies. As a bonus of digging up the outhouse, we also found over 200 glass bottles of myriad shapes and sizes. Based on our research, most of these bottles date from the early 1900’s to the 1940’s. We have over half of the bottles cleaned and categorized. While we do not have any corks or tops for them, we have plenty of plastic and small rubber bands. We believe that they might come in handy for dispensing a variety of goods in a bartering economy, such as: alcohol, medicine, liquid soap, cooking oil, and so forth. All of the bottles appear to be made of a stronger, thicker glass that is fairly durable. After all, it survived being thrown into an outhouse pit, sitting for approximately 75 years, and being dug out with a garden shovel.
  3. Water Access. As I mentioned, we thought we were digging up the original well when we discovered our outhouse. Since then, we have found the well. It is a sandpoint well with a three foot by three foot square brick-lined area that is about seven feet deep. Unfortunately, we are running into some government red tape in getting it approved to be used “to water the garden”. We have measured and determined the type of pump that we would require to access the water without electricity, but unless we can get the sandpoint unplugged, we will have to continue to work with our local bureaucracy to get it legalized. Of course, should society disintegrate, a bullet and the hand pump will get us water pretty quick.
  4. Inconspicuous Storage. While technically not a part of the house, one of the advantages to purchasing our property was the two-story garage. Smaller than the typical garage, it has in interior ladder leading to the very short second floor. This has given us a lot of storage space for things that are not impacted by extreme temperature fluctuations, such as toilet paper, paper towels, clothing, diapers, and metal spare parts. So, unless someone recognizes the ladder for a ladder, opposed to a tool rack, the space falls into the out of sight, out of mind category.
  5. Fruit Cellar. The house included a storage area in the basement that was built separately with NATCO hollow tile bricks and included a door. The interior space measures about 8 feet long and 6 feet wide. It originally had a few scrap wood shelves, but not much else. After speaking with a relative of the original builder, we learned that this particular room was the fruit cellar. Using a bunch of wood that we pulled from our interior demolition projects, we rebuilt shelving for all four walls of the room, customized to fit various sized home canning jars, storage containers on wheels, and antique, wooden food crates. Each shelf was built with recycled wood but strong enough to hold our weight while jumping on the shelves. We wanted to ensure that each shelf would be able to hold 50 to 75 glass jars full of food. Our total cost for this project, not counting the food, was the price of three boxes of wood screws. So far we have over 2,000 items in the pantry, with room for more. When we work to refinish the basement, we plan on discretely disguising this space and showing stored food in a much smaller quantity on shelves.
  6. Cold Cellar. While speaking with the extended family of the home’s builder, we also learned that the first owner never owned a refrigerator, and neither did the second, because “he didn’t trust all those new appliances”. Following their instructions on how to get to the cold cellar, we removed the carpeting in the basement and noticed a portion of the basement’s cement floor was not a consistent color. A few bangs with a heavy sledge hammer and we busted through a thin layer of concrete. We had to remove three Rubbermaid totes of rock, gravel, and cement chunks, but we eventually dug it out. It measures approximately three feet wide, two feet long, and three feet deep with a sand bottom. We need to finish some minor repairs to the edge of the cold cellar to make it smooth again. We also found some drawings for building a dumb waiter using a pulley system to raise and lower certain foods into the cellar. In the meantime, we are tracking the temperatures to ensure what the average temperature is during the four main seasons. Thus far, it has been comparable to a typical refrigerator.
  7. Rainwater Cistern. Our home was originally built with a rainwater cistern in the basement, beneath what is now the first floor bathroom and kitchen. Three of the walls are in as good a condition as when the house was built. The fourth is missing. We have measured the spacing of the fourth wall so we know how many cinder blocks and masonry materials we need to acquire in order to replace the missing wall. The original pipes that connected to the gutters are still accessible, simply packed with a tin can and newspaper. We also have a gutter legally installed but strategically placed, so that it could very easily be re-routed and connected when necessary. Rainwater cisterns are illegal where we live, so we obviously cannot rebuild the missing wall until things get really bad. For us, this is our second option that we would implement only if we could not get the original well to work.
  8. Chimney. Our house was built with a wood-burning furnace for heat. That has since been replaced with a new, fuel-efficient, gas forced-air furnace. We believe that it also used a wood-burning stove in the kitchen, since we discovered the original stovepipe still in the chimney during our demolition and remodeling phase. The bad news is that the hot water heater vents through this same chimney, and someone ran some electrical conduit through it too. We are currently researching how to make the chimney safe and legal to use again. In the meantime, we used a china plate to cover the original stove pipe. Worst case scenario, we can easily break the china plate and connect a wood stove to the chimney. Who cares about conduit and water heaters if the power is out indefinitely. At least we will be warm and able to cook hot meals. Using our connections in the Amish community, we have spread the word that we are looking for a wood cook stove with at least two burners that is also big enough to heat a home with our square footage.
  9. Natural Temperature Control. We noticed that our house felt stuffy and overly warm year-round. It was almost as if we were suffocating. We noticed that we had some exposed brick around the front porch. After climbing around a bit, we came across the name of NATCO. After more research, we discovered that our entire house was built with NATCO hollow tile brick, most likely shipped in by train from Chicago. The most common finishing treatment of this brick was a stucco overlay. A peek behind some of the vinyl led us to discover that our house was wrapped, top to bottom, with styrofoam and vinyl siding. It took a while, but we eventually uncovered the entire house, restoring it to its original stucco finish. We were also able to improve the overall air flow throughout the house by carefully reviewing the floor plan and removing walls that were added to the house over the years. This opened up the house considerably, enabling air to flow from room to room, taking advantage of any good breezes. Now, the house stays relatively warm and comfortable in the winter, and it is also cool throughout the summer, even without an air conditioner. The materials used originally work much better, since the house was built before any of the modern conveniences related to air conditioning were invented. Plus, the brick walls retain the heat from our furnace very well. We assume the same would be true for a wood stove.
  10. Wood Floors. Many people do not take into consideration how hard or easy it would be to maintain a fairly clean environment within a home without electricity. When we purchased our home, it came complete with new carpeting and laminate flooring. One of the first things we did was start ripping out all of the carpet, exposing the original two and half inch maple floors. Next to go was the laminate flooring with the same results– more wood flooring. While the flooring was not in the best condition cosmetically, and the most likely reason for why it was hidden, we found that with a little elbow grease, a heat gun, dawn dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and olive oil, we could make the floors clean enough to be livable until we can properly refinish them. While I currently prefer to use a vacuum to keep them clean, I also use just a broom from time to time. Should the electricity ever go out, sweeping and cleaning the floors is a breeze with a simple vinegar and water solution.

We recognize that determining what type of home you will buy includes a wide variety of factors to consider. We also understand the appeal of a newer versus an older home. At the same time, we have found so many hidden benefits to our home. To determine if you home is a likely candidate to have hidden opportunities, like ours did, we recommend that you research three things before making your purchase. Look at:

  • the year the house was originally built, prior to any major modifications;
  • the year that municipalities, such as water and sewer, became mandatory; and,
  • if possible, the access to and ability to communicate with any of the original owner’s relatives, if they are still alive.

As I said, our house was built in 1920. Water and sewer connections became mandatory for our block around 1935. This meant that there was a 15 year window in which alternative plumbing options had to be available. This house was functioning during a prime time for outhouses, wells, and rainwater cisterns. Finally, we were introduced to the nephew and former resident of the original master mason who built and owned the house. He was able to provide us with literal step-by-step instructions to things like the well, cold cellar, and more.

Letter Re: Protecting Your Home, BOL, and Supplies from Pests

Hugh,

Regarding Protecting Your Home, BOL, and Supplies from Pests, A cheap mousetrap can be made from a 5-gallon bucket, some sweet feed (molasses and grain), and a board. Take your 5-gallon bucket, add some sweet feed, and use the board as a ramp for the mice. The mice will climb up the board and jump into the bucket. Once in, they can’t get out. There can only be one mouse in the bucket, otherwise they kill and eat each other. The wonderful smell of the molasses will draw the mice in quickly. I’ve seen eight mice in the bucket within an hour of setting, and most were bones within 24 hours. Mice like chewing holes in the corners of grain bags. Set unbaited traps around the hole so the mouse has to cross the trap to get to the hole. Peanut butter works extremely well, but make sure that you force it into the curl of the trigger, so the mouse has to work on it to get the bait. And as he’s busy, he doesn’t flinch when the trap activates, and you get the whole head caught by the bail. To the Victor go the spoilers! – Capt Nemo

o o o

One other possible non-toxic pest control item to stock is diatomaceous earth. It can be consumed by humans safely. In fact, some people swear by it as internal pest control for humans and livestock. However, it can be used externally to kill bed bugs, ant, fleas, etc. Just make sure you get food grade DE, not pool grade. – Renee

Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric Holder To Step Down As Attorney General. JWR’s Comments: Only National Pravda Radio (NPR) could couch Holder’s departure in such glowing terms and avoid any specific mention of the many impeachable scandals that the man got himself into, including the Fast and Furious gunrunning plot. Holder should be serving a long stretch in a federal pen, rather than collecting a federal retirement check.

o o o

Miss a Payment? Good Luck Moving That Car – T.P.

o o o

11-Year-Old Girl Saves Mother’s Life By Shooting Violent Intruder Multiple Times. – J.W.

o o o

For Gun Shop Owners, It’s No Longer Hip to Be ‘Square’. – G.G.

HJL Comments: I’d be interested to hear from any who have experience in this matter. I have used PayPal’s “Here”, which is a similar competitor to the “Square”. While PayPal has Ebay’s online hoplophobic bent, I was unable to find anything in their terms of service against using it in a brick and mortar store or at a gun show.

o o o

Self-Defense Tip: Don’t Keep Your Gun in the Glove Box. – J.W.

o o o

Last, but not least, SurvivalBlog reader RBS sent in this link to a video that proves that the U.S. does not have a monopoly on redneck sports. While not strictly survival related, it was too good to pass up. Three-Car-Train-of-Death Racing

Hughs Quote of the Day:

“Five-hundred channels and there ain’t much on tonight
Except reality shows about some folk’s so-called lives
A pretty girl cries ’cause she don’t get a rose
But she’ll find love next year on her own show

And they call that real

Real is a hand you hold fifty-seven years
Real is a band of gold tremblin’ with fear
It’s the first long tear down an old man’s face, watchin’ his angel slippin’ away
His heart’s so broke, it’s never gonna heal

I call that real

Where I live, housewives don’t act like that
And the survivors are farmers in John Deere hats
Our amazin’ race is beatin’ the check
Prayin’ that the bank ain’t ran it through yet

Real, like too much rain fallin’ from the sky
Real, like the drought that came around here last July
It’s the damn boll weevils and the market and the weeds, the prayer they’re sayin’ when they plant the seeds
And the chance they take to bring us our next meal

I call that real

Real, like a job you lose ’cause it moves to Mexico
Like a mama and a baby with no safe place to go
Like a little dream-house with a big old foreclosed sign
Like a flag-draped coffin and a twenty-one gun goodbye

I call that real
Man, I call that real
Oh, I call that real.”

– Lyrics to the song Real, written by Neal Coty and Jimmy Melton and sung by James Wesley (Prosser)

Notes for Thursday – September 25, 2014

Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,100+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hardcase to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel which can be assembled in less then 1 minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouseis providing 30 DMPS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448.95) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  11. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  12. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  13. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  10. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  11. RepackBoxis providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gearis donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 54 ends on September 30st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Communications for When SHTF, by N.M.

Communications is a key element in our everyday lives. If you don’t believe me, try going a whole day with no cell phone, Internet, television, or any other means of communications (COMMS). So it stands to reason that having COMMS, when SHTF, is essential to gaining intelligence (COMINT), the safety and security of your family, keeping informed, and keeping at least one step ahead of anybody with bad intentions. Like any skill, it is essential to practice; that means practicing before SHTF, so that you have the necessary skills. While most of the communications methods discussed in this article are in plain language, rather than in code or encrypted, because the day-today rules do not allow the use of codes, there are some methods for disguising the meaning that can be practiced. This article will provide information on various means, methods, and devices for COMMS, as well as communications security (COMSEC), for SHTF scenarios. This article cites the various rules that apply to the different radio services. The application of the rules in normal times is strongly encouraged so that you do not draw attention to yourself from the authorities. Application of the rules when SHTF, well …

Some Basic Terms

Frequencies

First, let’s understand a little about frequencies, their uses, and their availability to the average person. The use of frequencies in the U.S. is governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Some frequencies require a license, and some are licensed by rule, meaning that the rules provide the allowable use without an individual license, such as Citizens Band (CB) and Family Radio Service (FRS). Other services, such as Amateur Radio (HAM) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), require an individual to have a license. Each licensed service has specific rules for use, and radios designed for use within a specific service have to be type accepted for use in that service. A channel is a “common” name for a frequency, or pair of frequencies, pre-assigned, such as CB channel 19, which is a single frequency. Where a single frequency is used, it is called simplex. When a pair of frequencies is used, one is used for transmitting and one for receiving; this is called duplex.

Bands

Radio frequencies cover a whole spectrum. They are broken down into bands, with each band having different characteristics. Low bands, (high frequency “HF”) are also known as short wave. They tend to bounce off the atmosphere and, therefore, are good for long transmissions around the world. Because they bounce, places between the transmission point and reception point cannot hear the transmissions very well, if at all. This has obvious advantages to COMSEC, but it can be a disadvantage when attempting to communicate locally. The time of day and even time of year change the characteristics of HF bands. The low bands, 160 meters (1.8-2khz) are good at night but are almost unusable during the day. This band is similar to the long distance AM stations and is better during the winter, with transmissions possible over thousands of miles. Whereas 10 meters (28Mhz-30Mhz) is best during the day. Some bands between these (such as 17, 20, and 40 meters) are good during the day and into the evenings. Transmissions in the VHF and UHF bands are considered “line-of-sight”, as they travel in almost straight lines and, therefore, do not follow the curve of the earth. We usually refer to these as tactical COMMS. Terrain, like hills, can block transmissions in the UHF and VHF range. Tactical COMMS equipment tends to be smaller and lower in power. “Line of sight” transmissions can be easily intercepted with direction finding equipment. (“DF’d” or “DF’ing” is the art of direction finding.) For a good description of band characteristics, go to http://www.hamuniverse.com or http://www.w5yi.org/downloads/FreqChart.pdf, which shows the Amateur Radio band plan as well as which HF band is best during different times of the day.

Selecting the most appropriate band for the type of COMMS is essential. Selecting the lowest possible power to get the message through and making transmissions very short helps prevent “DF’ing”.

To convert frequency (in Mhz) to band (in meters) divide 300 by frequency (in Mhz) i.e., 300/440Mhz = 0.68meters, usually called the 70cm band in Amateur Radio. To convert the band (in meters) to frequency (in Mhz) divide 300 by the frequency i.e., 300/2 meters = 150Mhz

Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System (CTCSS)

CTCSS is a sub-audible tone that can be added to a frequency to help reduce interference from other users of the frequency. In most cases, it is used to eliminate interference getting into a repeater system. CTCSS is also know by vendor names such as Private Line or PL tone by Motorola, Channel Guard by both Bendix King and GE, Quiet Talk by Kenwood, and Tone Guard (TG) or CallGuard (CG) by EF Johnson. Generally, in “radio speak”, the generic term “tone” is used.

There is an industry standard list of tones. In most cases the actual number of the frequency is listed, i.e., 127.3, or a two-character code utilized by Motorola, such as 3Z (for 127.3). The use of tones does not provide any security on a channel. In “bubble-pack” radios– typically FRS radios– the vendors assign a number (not the actual frequency) to a tone; these are not consistent between different manufacturers.

Digital Coded Squelch (DCS)

DCS is a digital version of CTCSS that puts a continuous stream of digital data on the transmitted signal. As with CTSCC the different vendors have their own names. Motorola calls it Digital Private Line (DPL); GE uses Digital Channel Guard (DCG); and Icom uses Digital Tone Squelch (DCS).

Repeater

A repeater is basically two radios– one on a receiving frequency and one on a transmitting frequency. The user radio transmits on the repeater’s receive, or input, frequency, and the repeater re-transmits on the output frequency. Typically a repeater is located on a hill top or a high building. A low-power radio is then “repeated” on the higher power, or at least higher antenna, of the repeater and can be heard over a considerable distance. Depending on the location and frequency, this can be as much as 50 miles.

Spread Spectrum

This is a technique where the signal is spread over a wider bandwidth. This reduces interference from jamming, which is the ability to be intercepted or the transmitter to be DF’d.

Frequency Hopping

This is where the radio signal “hops” between different frequencies in a pseudo-random pattern, known only to the radios. Again this makes the signal difficult to intercept (or DF) and is, therefore, good COMSEC. Some equipment incorporates spread spectrum frequency hopping techniques. Unfortunately, this equipment can be expensive.

Automatic Link Establishment (ALE)

ALE is a feature of some radios that enables them to automatically find the best frequency for the transmission. The radio can be programmed to scan a number of different frequencies in different HF bands. When one user wishes to communicate with another, the user selects the ID for the other radio; the radio then determines the best frequencies and “calls” the other radio. Many Federal agencies share the Customs Over the Horizon Enforcement Network (COTHEN), using radios with ALE built-in to the radio. Meanwhile, the Amateur Radio service operates ALE with both voice and data channels, using computer software interfaced with HF radios. (See hflink.com for more information.)

Licensed By Rule Services

Licensed by rule services do not require the individual user to have a FCC-issued license.

Family Radio Service (FRS)

The Family Radio Service is a “licensed by rule” service, under Title 47 Code of Federal Regulations (CRF) Part 95 subsection B. The FRS is 14 frequencies in the UHF range with a power limit of 500mW and 11.25khz spacing of the frequencies. This limits their range to about ¼ mile or possibly up to one mile, depending on terrain. A more unobstructed terrain permits greater distance. FRS radios list the channels by channel number, and all vendors follow the standard labeling of the channels. Different manufactures make their radios available in differing CTCSS capabilities, usually listing them by a number that does not correspond to the actual tone. Unfortunately, the vendors do not all use the same tones or numbering system, which can make communicating between different vendors’ radios a little difficult. FRS radios are sometimes referred to as “bubble-pack” radios, due to their packaging in stores. One of the rules for type acceptance of FRS radios is that they cannot have detachable antennas, thus they cannot be connected to an external antenna, such as one mounted up high, to increase the range. Most FRS radios run on AA or AAA batteries. The FRS channels and frequencies are:

FRS 1 462.5625
FRS 2 462.5875
FRS 3 462.6125
FRS 4 462.6375
FRS 5 462.6625
FRS 6 462.6875
FRS 7 462.7125
FRS 8 467.5625
FRS 9 467.5875
FRS 10 467.6125
FRS 11 467.6375
FRS 12 467.6625
FRS 13 467.6875
FRS 14 467.7125

Channels 1-7 are the same as GMRS channels 9-15. GMRS radios are permitted to use higher power, but an operator can only use the higher power GMRS channels if they hold a GMRS license. (See GMRS below.) In Europe, a similar service to the FRS service is called PMR 446. It should be noted that these frequencies are in the U.S. Amateur Radio service band.

Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS)

MURS is another “licensed by rule” service, which does not require an operator to have a license. The FCC rules for MURS are contained in 47 CFR Part 95 Subpart J. MURS is five VHF channels with 11.25khz spacing or 20khz spacing and 2 watts of power. Range can be up to 10 miles, in ideal conditions. Businesses may use the MURS frequencies, and these are commonly seen as a colored dot on the radio to delineate the frequency. All of the MURS frequencies are simplex only, so a repeater is not permitted. MURS channels are not assigned a channel numbering system, so generally the frequency is used to identify the MURS channel. Most commercial MURS radios use rechargeable battery packs. The MURS frequencies are:

MURS 151.8200
MURS 151.8800
MURS 151.9400
MURS 154.5700
MURS 154.6000 

154.470 is also referred to as Blue Dot and 154.600 is Green Dot. These frequencies are also part of a business frequency pool.

Citizens Band (CB)

I would assume that almost everyone has heard of CB radio. If not, go watch Smokey and the Bandit or Convoy. CB radio has 40 channels in the 27Mhz range (11 meter band). Power is 4-watts AM and 12-watts for single side band (SSB). Not all CB radios are capable of SSB transmissions. SSB transmissions cannot be picked up by a scanner. Being in the 11-meter band and close to short wave, radio signals can travel considerable distances, especially overnight. Of all the radio services available to the public, CB is probably the most common, with truckers providing traffic information along the nation’s highways. It is also probably the most abused radio service, with people running illegal amplifiers, jamming, and using profanity. There are a large amount of slang terms used on CB. CB mobile radios require 12v DC, and antennas tend to be long– around 9 feet. Portable CB radios are available, but their range is limited due to the practical length of the antenna needed for good communications. The CB frequencies are:

CB Ch 01 26.96500
CB Ch 02 26.97500
CB Ch 03 26.98500
CB Ch 04 27.00500
CB Ch 05 27.01500
CB Ch 06 27.02500
CB Ch 07 27.03500
CB Ch 08 27.05500
CB Ch 09 27.06500
CB Ch 10 27.07500
CB Ch 11 27.08500
CB Ch 12 27.10500
CB Ch 13 27.11500
CB Ch 14 27.12500
CB Ch 15 27.13500
CB Ch 16 27.15500
CB Ch 17 27.16500
CB Ch 18 27.17500
CB Ch 19 27.18500
CB Ch 20 27.20500
CB Ch 21 27.21500
CB Ch 22 27.22500
CB Ch 23 27.25500
CB Ch 24 27.23500
CB Ch 25 27.24500
CB Ch 26 27.26500
CB Ch 27 27.27500
CB Ch 28 27.28500
CB Ch 29 27.29500
CB Ch 30 27.30500
CB Ch 31 27.31500
CB Ch 32 27.32500
CB Ch 33 27.33500
CB Ch 34 27.34500
CB Ch 35 27.35500
CB Ch 36 27.36500
CB Ch 37 27.37500
CB Ch 38 27.38500
CB Ch 39 27.39500
CB Ch 40 27.40500 

Licensed Radio Services

In order to use frequencies in the services below, the user must have a licensed issued by the FCC within that service. A license in one service does not permit use in another service. In some cases, a license applies to all family members, while others apply to the individual only.

General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)

GMRS is regulated by 47 CFR Part Part 95 Subpart A. GMRS is assigned 15 channels in the UHF band with 8 being assigned in pairs, for repeater use. The other seven are shared with channels 1-7 in the FRS service. A user is required to have a FCC license, usually issued upon completion of an application, and a fee is currently set at $85. The license is valid for five years, and a single license entitles the license holder and immediate family members to use GMRS frequencies. Power on the non-shared frequencies is 50-watts and limited to 5 watts on the frequencies shared with FRS. Repeaters are authorized on the GMRS paired frequencies and can increase the effective range to 20 or more miles, depending on the location of the repeater and antenna. Type approved mobile and portable radios are available for use in the GMRS service. A search of www.radioreference.com or www.mygmrs.com will usually reveal local GMRS repeaters. It is customary to contact the owner and get permission, prior to using a GMRS repeater. When programming a radio, low power should be used on any simplex channel you plan on using for tactical comms.

When accessing a repeater, it will usually be necessary to program a CTCSS tone with the transmit frequency. Sometimes a tone is transmitted by the repeater and can be used to reduce interference on the signal coming into the radio. Most modern radios have the ability to scan the frequency to detect the tone, however, it requires a transmission in order to detect the tone. Some “bubble-pack” radios are now available with both FRS and GMRS frequencies. These use AA or AAA batteries. Unfortunately, the use of FRS and GMRS channels in a single radio, tends to result in the use of the GMRS frequencies by people without a license.

When programming radios with the ability to label the memory channel, a customary naming convention uses “R” for the programming of a repeater pair of frequencies, and “S” is used to indicate simplex. Standard nomenclature is to list the programming for the user radio; therefore, the repeater inputs are the user radios transmit (TX) frequencies. GMRS frequencies are listed below showing the repeater and simplex labeling:

LABEL     Rx     Tx
GMRS 1 S 462.5500 462.5500
GMRS 1 R 462.5500 467.5500
GMRS 2 S 462.5750 462.5750
GMRS 2 R 462.5750 467.5750
GMRS 3 S 462.6000 462.6000
GMRS 3 R 462.6000 467.6000
GMRS 4 S 462.6250 462.6250
GMRS 4 R 462.6250 467.6250
GMRS 5 S 462.6500 462.6500
GMRS 5 R 462.6500 467.6500
GMRS 6 S 462.6750 462.6750
GMRS 6 R 462.6750 467.6750
GMRS 7 S 462.7000 462.7000
GMRS 7 R 462.7000 467.7000
GMRS 8 S 462.7250 462.7250
GMRS 8 R 462.7250 467.7250
GMRS 9 462.5625 462.5625
GMRS 10 462.5875 462.5875
GMRS 11 462.6125 462.6125
GMRS 12 462.6375 462.6375
GMRS 13 462.6625 462.6625
GMRS 14 462.6875 462.6875
GMRS 15 462.7125 462.7125

Amateur Radio Service

The Amateur Radio Service (aka “Ham” radio) is regulated by 47 CFR Part 97 rules. Individuals must possess a license issued by the FCC. The Amateur Radio Service has more frequencies, in more bands, than any other service available to the general public. There are three “levels” of Ham license, with each one giving progressively more operating privileges in more of the radio spectrum assigned to the Amateur Radio Service. The “entry” level is called Technician; the next is General, and the highest is Amateur Extra, which is commonly referred to as “Extra”. The most common frequencies used by those with a Technician license are in the UHF and VHF bands. Dual band (UHF & VHF) radios type (Part 97) approved are readily available, with some including a third band, such as 6 meters or 1.2 meters (“220” band). Note: Many people are purchasing the Baofeng UV5 series, or similar, radios, which cost as low as $35. While these radios are capable of being programmed to transmit in the VHF & UHF Amateur bands, as well as FRS, GMRS, MURS, and Marine, the radios are only labeled as Part 90 (Public Service) approved. However, having tested one of these radios, they seem to work well on the Amateur bands.

Radios type approved for use in the Amateur Radio Service allow the user to directly enter the frequencies on which the user wishes to operate. Hams can utilize many modes of voice transmission, including AM, FM, SSB, and a digital voice mode called D-STAR (Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio). D-STAR, which utilize UHF & VHF frequencies, as well as the 23 centimeter (1.2GHz), cannot be received by any commercial scanners at this time. (See http://www.dstarinfo.com for more information.) In addition to voice modes, Amateur Radio utilizes many different forms of data transmissions, from morse code to fax and video. There are agreed band plans, designating what frequencies are used for certain transmissions within each band, i.e., only morse code can be operated in some parts of the HF bands, while some frequencies are reserved for digital communications and some for satellite. Hams continue to experiment and utilize a huge variety of communication modes, in addition to “basic” voice communications. Most of these other modes cannot be picked up on a scanner or other conventional equipment, unless you have the same equipment. While voice is best for tactical comms, these other modes provide the users lots of different ways to communicate, including spread spectrum, frequency hopping, and ALE, without being easily intercepted; although you should never assume communications are secure, and the use of encryption or other codes designed to disguise the message are prohibited by the FCC rules. Most portable Ham radios are equipped with NiCad or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. Some manufacturers make “clam shell” packs available that are the same size as the NiMH packs but take AA or AAA batteries. It is strongly suggested that you determine if a clam-shell is available for any portable radio you intend to purchase, as rechargeable AA or AAA batteries are going to be easier to use and recharge with a solar panel when SHTF. Mobile radios, including those capable of HF transmissions, operate on 12v DC.

Other Radio Services

Marine Radio

Marine radio operates under 47 CFR Part 80. Recent changes no longer require boats to have a FCC license. Marine radio operates in the VHF band and with an internationally agreed plan of about 80 channels most of which are simplex. FCC rules explicitly prohibit use of a Marine radio while on land. In the U.S., the Coast Guard monitors channel 16 and other channels, and they have considerable direction-finding capabilities to locate ships in distress.

Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)

Signals intelligence is the gathering of intelligence from communications. It includes interception of the communications between individuals or groups (Communications Intelligence) or from analysis of the signal, such as direction finding, to determine who is communicating with whom, the volume (especially changes) of traffic, and the type of traffic. This can be valuable intelligence, even if the actual message is encrypted or coded. It is important to have a basic understanding of SIGINT, so that you can minimize the amount of SIGINT you may give an adversary, as well as enabling you to gather intelligence.

Communications Intelligence (COMINT)

COMINT is the interception and interpretation of the communications message, whether voice or some form of digital message, such as morse code, packet (a Ham radio method), or other digital modes. During World War 2, “code talkers” were used to pass messages in Native American languages that the Japanese could not understand. In addition to their native language, they also used code words to represent something; “tiger” might mean a specific type of boat or weapon. COMINT can also be used to monitor friendly transmission to make sure that information is not accidentally given out that might compromise operations, locations, codes, etc. Some countries, including the U.S., United Kingdom, and Australia used the code word BEADWINDOW followed by a number to indicate the type of inappropriate transmission, if bringing attention to the transmission would not cause further compromise. (Google “BEADWINDOW” for the list of the procedure codes.)

Direction Finding (DF)

Direction finding (“DF’ing”) is the ability to determine the direction that a radio signal is coming from. With a direction from two different locations, triangulation can be used to pin point the location of the transmitter. For this reason, the lowest possible power should be used when communicating, especially on VHF and UHF, or “line-of-sight” frequencies. Using HF signals that bounce off the atmosphere makes DF’ing almost impossible. Other signal methods, such as spread spectrum and frequency hopping make DF’ing impossible; however, the cost of equipment can make availability of equipment difficult. See below for techniques to provide a low probability of detection (LPI).

Low Probability of Intercept (LPI)

LPI is the utilization of techniques to reduce the chance that communications can be intercepted and the use of direction finding to locate the transmitter. These techniques can include:

  • Regularly changing frequencies,
  • Using split frequencies (This is transmitting on one and receiving on the other, sometimes on different bands; while this doesn’t eliminate DF’ing, it makes intercept of both sides of the communication very difficult, especially when combined with some of the other methods.),
  • Making “scheduled” transmissions at irregularly-scheduled intervals,
  • Assigning code words for locations, call signs, and specific actions that might be taken and changing regularly (See “code words” below),
  • Regularly changing call signs (daily or for each mission),
  • Using lowest power possible to pass message,
  • Not transmitting from fixed-bases/camps,
  • Using directional antennas (which makes it difficult to intercept, unless you are in direct line of the antenna), and
  • Keeping transmissions as short as possible.

As noted, use as many of these techniques as possible to reduce the possibility of transmissions being intercepted, understood, or locations being compromised.

Communications Security (COMSEC)

COMSEC is the art of keeping communications from being intercepted in a usable form. This includes physical security of equipment, code books, and encryption keys. Only those with a strict need to know should have access to communications items. This is especially the case with techniques used to code messages, authentication methods, code words, et cetera.

Message Authentication

Message authentication is a process whereby you validate that the sender of the message is who you think they are, or they claim to be. Obviously, this is easier if you recognize the voice of the operator; however, you need a method that could be used by the sender to indicate they are sending under duress. One method is to use a challenge, with a corresponding response. It can be a word that is added at the beginning or end of a transmission. Alternatively, it can be a challenge/response, where the receiver issues a challenge from a list, and the other person has to respond with the corresponding response. No matter what the method, the code word should only be used once. A more subtle authentication uses a phrase that could possibly be part of a normal conversation or message that both parties know is an authentication. There should always be a word or phrase that is used to indicate that the sender is sending under duress but would appear to be an approved authentication.

Encryption

Modern voice encryption uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), approved in 2001 and now mandated for use by all Federal agencies. It replaced the Data Encryption Standard (DES) standards that had been used prior to that. Even though AES in the accepted standard, there are many local law enforcement agencies who either don’t use any encryption, or still use the DES standard, due to the costs associated with upgrading. A device called a key loader is needed to generate the encryption keys and to put them into the radios. Radio equipment with DES encryption can be found on a popular bidding site for around $400, with a corresponding key loader for about $400. AES standard radios can be found for between $800 and $1,000, with compatible key loaders around $1,000 to $2,000. Obviously, these costs are outside the budget of most of us. Without knowing the encryption key, it is almost impossible to decrypt the transmission, if AES encryption is being used. If DES encryption is used, it is possible to break it with modern computers. As with other basic COMSEC procedures, regular changing the encryption key reduces the chance that communications can be compromised. However, because of the logistics required to coordinate changing encryption keys in a fleet of radios, poor COMSEC procedures often compromise the encryption.

Code Words

As previously mentioned, code words are used to identify people, units, locations, actions, and a number of other uses. Code words should be changed regularly, such as for each mission, or daily. A master list of words should be created and then the word crossed off when used, so there is no risk that it is used again. A good way to generate words is to search lists for names, planets, ships, et cetera used in TV shows, especially science fiction shows or movies. Using lists like this reduce the possibility of using a word that might be needed in a normal message. Obviously, COMSEC needs to be strictly followed, so ensure that the list of words being used for the specific mission is not compromised.

One-Time Pad Cipher

There are a number of techniques to encode a message without the use of modern equipment, such as a computer or sophisticated encryption programs. A number of these techniques were used during World War 2 with great success. Probably one of the most widely known is a book code; however, these can be broken fairly easily with modern computers. Still, a one-time pad cypher is impossible to break IF IT IS USED CORRECTLY. One-time pad uses a plaintext of random letters or numbers. This is then paired with the text to be sent. The resulting encrypted message, with apparently random letters or numbers, is then sent. The receiver reverses the process to decrypt the message. “Pad” comes from the original use where a small note pad contained the random letters. The page of the pad is used once and then destroyed. So if the top line is the pad of random letters and the line below is the desired message:

AUIQWKDHGUWPKMBVJCUQYTROTNXNDJTHQKOQ

Convey leaves 0600 with commander on board

The sent message is (usually sent in 4 or 5 letter groups):

AUIQW KDHGU WPKMB VJCUQ YTROT NXNDJ THQK OQ

The receiver then reverses to decipher. Both parties then destroy the page with the used cypher.

One potential problem can occur if you have different parties trying to communicate. You have to make sure everyone on the net uses the same page at the same time. One way to prevent this is to have one pad for ”sent” or “outbound” messages and one for “inbound” messages. An additional technique is that the first letter group is the pad page number.

Other versions of a one-time pad cypher use numbers. With a table of characters, numbers, letters, and characters such as space and period, converted to numbers. A similar table of common words is converted to a group of three- or five-digit numbers, with a prefix of 0 added at the beginning to indicate it is a word from the table. In all cases, true randomness is required to generate the pad. Computer programs should be used with caution, as they usually use some pseudo-random calculation. Using numbers has an advantage in that code or commonly used words can be further encrypted by assigning them a number group, i.e., rendezvous can be 2345. Zero can be used as an indicator that the numbers after are a word assignment, i.e., 02345. This give a possible 9999 possible commonly used words and code words. Alpha characters are assigned digits: 1-6 are used for the most common characters, then double digits starting with 7 or 8 and characters, such as . , – + and space are assigned a two-digit character starting with 9. i.e., 99 is a space.

So, if we assigned the following code words a number group as below:

Convoy – 0548

Commander – 0590

Leaves – 0691

0600 – 0858

And the following letter/number assignments (from “The Complete Guide to Secure Communications with the One Time Pad Cypher,” by Dirk Rumenants)

CODE-0 B-70 P-80 FIG-90

A-1 C-71 Q-81 (.)-91

E-2 D-72 R-82 (:)-92

I-3 F-73 S-83 (‘)-93

N-4 G-74 U-84 ( )-94

O-5 H-75 V-85 (+)-95

T-6 J-76 W-86 (-)-96

K-77 X-87 (=)-97

L-78 Y-88 REQ-98

M-79 Z-89 SPC-99

(You should make your own letter-number table, or tables, up for your code. If you make several and assign each a number, you can make the first two digits of your one-time pad # the letter-number conversion table, then the next three digits are the one-time pad number. You have now exponentially increased your encryption complexity. To add additional OPSEC, you should transmit the letter-number table and the one-time pads by different means.)

Then our message:

“Convey leaves 0600 with commander on board” becomes:

69154 (one time pad #) 0(code)0548(convoy) 0(code)0691(leaves) 0(code)0858(0600) 0(code)0590(commander) 5(O) 4(N) 99(space) 70(B) 5(O) 1(A) 82(R) 72(D) 91(.)

So written out in blocks of 5 numbers this becomes:

69154 00548 00691 00858 00590 54997 05182 7291

Note in this example we have assigned a code number for times. If we had not done this, then each digit is sent as: 90(figure) 0000 (the digit is sent 3 times) 90666 90000 90000. This adds 3×5 characters to the message being sent.

If our one time pad #69154 is:

54789 15765 12354 35748 45879 37617 63579 59746 26346 16873 16845

Our encrypted message becomes:

Original Message: 69154 00548 00691 00858 00590 54997 05182 7291

Message Out: 69154 54789 15765 12354 35748 45879 37617 6357

Note the pad number is not encrypted. Otherwise the receiver would not know which pad to use to decrypt the message. For a more detailed explanation of one-time pad cypher, search the Internet for an article “The Complete Guide to Secure Communications with the One Time Pad Cypher,” by Dirk Rumenants.

As with all coded messages, code words, and one time pad cypher’s the “code book” has to be shared with all parties to start with. Ideally, this should be done face to face, because any transmission method to send it presents a COMSEC risk that it could be compromised. You should have a “send” pad and a “receive” pad, so there is no chance of sending using a pad that has already been used. This works especially well when you have multiple groups you need to send messages to.

Transmitting numbers by voice is one way to transmit over the air. However, using digital methods can add another layer of security. Morse code is a very good way to transmit messages, as the equipment is fairly simple. In addition, the number of people who can “read” morse code is relatively small. However, in morse code, numbers are five characters. Another technique is to assign shorter morse characters to each digit, i.e., 0 in morse is —– (5 dashes, or ‘dah’s’); by assigning a . (dit) we have shortened the time to send but also added another level of encryption as in “normal” morse code a ‘dit’ is E. So our morse code for numbers could look something like (brackets indicate normal morse character):

0 -? (T)
1 . (E)
2 . – (A)
3 – . (N)
4 . . (I)
5 – – (M)
6 . – – (W)
7 . . – (U)
8 . – . (R)
9 – -? . (G)

So if we take our message from earlier:

69154 54789 15765 12354 35748 45879 37617 6357

when sent in morse code becomes:

WGEMI MIURG EMUWM EANMI NMUIR IMRUG NUWEU WNMU

Without knowing the one-time pad code, the word code table and the morse code conversation this message would be impossible to understand.

Regardless of the methods used to pass coded messages, the radio operators must follow good COMSEC procedures. The only way a one-time pad cypher can be broken is if the pad is not destroyed after a single use or the original pad is compromised, such as not stored securely or passed to the other operators by a secure method.

As with all skills, you should practice communications skills regularly. Regular participation in scheduled traffic nets done by Amateur Radio operators gives you the skills to copy a message as it is passed and how to pass a message so that others can copy it.

Additional sources of information:

Amateur Redoubt Radio Operators Network

The American Preparedness Radio Network

The Amateur Radio Relay League