Note from JWR:

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve just signed another contract with Plume Books (part of the Penguin Books Group.) They are the publisher of my international best-seller “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. The new book will be titled: Rawles On Tools For Survival: A Guide to Firearms and Other Tools for Family Preparedness. This book will be released in early 2014, Deo Volente. Now all I have to do is write it. The targeted page count is 384 pages.

Pat’s Product Review: A Retraction on MGI Hydra Modular Rifles

In a previous review, posted in April, 2001, I had posted favorable comments on the MGI “Hydra” modular rifle system. I am withdrawing that positive review, and alerting SurvivalBlog readers to NOT purchase this product. While the sample I wrote up in SurvivalBlog worked flawlessly, I have recently been informed of some serious quality control problems with current-production Hydra rifles. Several SurvivalBlog readers that placed orders have received defective guns. One SurvivalBlog reader, after many months, finally did get a working Hydra. But another SurvivalBlog reader is still waiting. He returned his Hydra before he even took it out of the gun shop – it fell apart. And now, despite numerous attempted contacts, he can’t get any response from MGI nor have they offered a refund.
 
It would appear that we were all disappointed to one degree or another. So, be advised that I recommend that you DO NOT purchase MGI’s Hydra rifles or receivers until they have corrected their quality control problems and have established a good reputation for customer service in rectifying their past mistakes. – Pat Cascio, SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor

[JWR Adds: I greatly appreciate Pat Cascio’s honesty and integrity. His reviews are always frank, and he doesn’t hesitate to mention when the quality of a product changes–for better or for worse. I have updated the review that he mentioned, so that any readers searching the archives will be fully informed.]

Pat’s Product Review: Black Hills Ammunition

Twenty years ago, when I first started writing about guns, I also edited and published a rag called “Police Hot Sheet.” It was a pull-no-punches magazine reviewing firearms, ammo and gear. The very first companies to supply me with their products were Black Hills Ammunition and Taurus Firearms and to this day, both companies keep samples of their products coming my way.

Over the past 20 years, I have easily fired hundreds of thousands of rounds of Black Hills Ammunition, and not once did I have a problem with any of their ammo – reloads, factory seconds or their brand-new ammo. I wish I could say the same for some of the big-boy ammo companies out there, like Remington and some of the others. A little over a year ago, I had my youngest daughter out for a shooting session with a Beretta M9 – for some reason, the US Army didn’t seem fit to give my daughter any handgun training – even though she’s a Combat Medic. I had one of the bulk boxes of 9mm FMJ from Remington on-hand for her shooting session. We were a bit disappointed in the quality of the Remington UMC ammo – we had about 5 or 6 problems with that 250 rounds of ammunition. Most of the problems we had were either dead primers, or primers that were put into the shell sideways – yes, you read that right – the primers were placed sideways! Obviously, there wasn’t any close final inspection of the ammo before shipment.

As I said, I never encountered a single problem with Jeff Hoffman’s Black Hills Ammunition in more than 20 years of shooting it. I’ve watched Black Hills Ammunition grow from a very small operation, to where they are now – located in a huge plant with dozens and dozens and dozens of employees. For those of you who aren’t aware, Black Hills provides a special 5.56mm round to our Special Forces guys – no other ammo company is producing this ammo that I’m aware of – only Black Hills is producing it. Our Special Forces guys demand the very best for their missions, and Black Hills is helping out with special ammo for them. I’m also told, and I believe it’s true, that Black Hills is now producing some of the “standard” 5.56mm ammo that our other troops are using ’cause the other ammo makers can’t keep up. To be sure, ammo for our military is produced differently than commercial ammo is. For one thing, the bullet is sealed around the neck to waterproof it, as is the primer.

I shoot more Black Hills than any other ammo! Yes, Jeff Hoffman, keeps me well-supplied for my test and evaluation in the many firearms I’ve tested over the past 20 years, and he always tells me to never let my ammo locker get too low. And, as soon as I place an order for some more ammo, it usually goes out in the next day or two – that’s service! I’ve probably fired more of the Black Hills factory-new ammo, than their reloads or factory seconds, too. As good as their reloaded ammo is, I’d have no problems carrying it for self-defense, using their JHP ammo, of course. That says a lot in my book. Factory seconds – I’ve had some of this – and it has been dirty or dented .223 Remington ammo – I’m not sure if this stuff is available to the general public. Jeff would rather see us worthless gun writers burn this ammo up, instead of destroying it – thanks Jeff!

To be sure, Black Hills is what I call “Premium” ammo – I think their brand-new ammo is a step above what you get from many of the big-boy ammo companies. Each round of ammo is personally hand-inspected before it leaves the factory. And, Hoffman only uses the finest components to produce his factory-new ammo. I have tried, many times over the years, to roll my own ammo, to see if I could equal or exceed the accuracy of Black Hills ammo. I only came away equaling the Black Hills .300 Winchester Magnum load – remember, I said I equalled the accuracy of the Black Hills .300 Winchester Magnum load – I didn’t exceed it. That says a lot! I don’t do as much handloading these days as I used to, just not enough hours in the day. I’ve always found reloading to be very relaxing – but maybe that’s just me! In any event, with all my years of experimenting with different loads, I’ve never once exceeded the accuracy I get from Black Hills.

The Barnes, all-copper JHP bullets – they have the deepest JHP cavity I’ve even seen on any JHP bullet. To be sure, make sure you keep small children and pets away – they might fall into that deep bullet cavity, never to be heard from again. Ok, I’m joking about that – but these bullets do have the deepest JHP cavity I’ve ever seen.

Black Hills has you covered with most calibers, especially self-defense loads. They also have you covered with FMJ handgun rounds for target practice, using either their reloads or factory-new ammo. When I carry a 9mm handgun for self-defense, I like to load my magazines with +P or +P+ JHP ammo, and I believe the 9mm can use all the help it can get to penetrate deep enough, and the bullet needs to expand enough to get the job done. Black Hills has you covered with several different loading in 9mm. They have a new 9mm load. that has the all-copper JHP from Barnes Bullets called the TAC-XP and it’s a +P load. I only just received this one, and I haven’t had a chance to do much testing, but the results look very promising.

I have shot the Black Hills .40 S&W 140 grain Barnes TAC-XP load, this is another JHP load, produced using all-copper – no lead at all. These bullets won’t come apart when they expand – that’s a good thing – as a lot of JHP bullets come completely apart when they start to expand and/or hit bone. The Barnes TAC-XP bullet won’t come apart. This round is coming out of my Glock 23 at around 1,100 FPS – that’s moving along and the recoil isn’t too bad, either. In my limited and unscientific testing – shooting into water-filled milk jugs and various other liquid and semi-liquid targets [such as pumpkins], I’d estimate that these bullets are penetrating at least 25% deeper than conventional JHP do – and once again, the bullet stays together.

I’ve also used the .45ACP 185 grain TAC-XP +P from Black Hills, and this baby is coming out of a full-sized 1911 at right around 1,000 FPS – you know you’ve touched-off some power in this round. Again, this bullet appears to penetrate about 25% deeper than conventional JHP bullets do, and I haven’t had one bullet come apart – they all expand nicely and stay together – what’s not to like here?

The Barnes-loaded rounds are only available right now from Black Hills in 9mm, .40 and .45 ACP. However, I expect they’ll expand this to include other self-defense calibers as demand increases. I’d like to see this bullet offered in .380 ACP – that would really give that little round some extra “oomph” that it needs. I believe a .380 ACP is best reserved as a back-up to whatever my main gun is. Now, you don’t have to fire-off a lot of e-mails to me about this – it’s my personal opinion on the .380 ACP round. I know, I know, lots of bad guys have fallen to this round, but I just prefer something a little bit bigger these days. Yes, in the past, I’ve carried a Walther PPK/S in .380 ACP as my one and only carry gun – but that was many decades ago.

The Black Hills Barnes TAC-XP ammo is spendy, to be sure. I’m not gonna quote prices here, as each dealer sets their own selling price. If you order directly from Black Hills, they can give you a price. Again, this is “Premium” handgun ammo, and expect to pay more for it. Then again, I don’t expect you to go out “target shooting” with this round. You’ll want to make sure it functions in whatever guns you want to stoke with this great ammo, before you trust your life to it. And it’s always a good idea to fire at least 100-200 rounds of a particular brand and type of ammo through your self-defense carry gun, to make sure your gun will function with it. I used to tell my firearms students to fire at least 200 rounds through their guns before trusting them to function with whatever ammo they wanted to carry in their guns. However, with the price of (good) ammo today, I think 100 rounds is a fair test. And, I have tried this new ammo with the Barnes bullets in several different handguns, and had zero problems with feeding and extraction.

Now, many shooters get carried away with numbers, and folks like big numbers when it comes to velocity and Foot Pounds of Energy (FPE). Don’t be fooled by a lot of the gun writer hype when it comes to numbers. Faster doesn’t always mean better. There are a lot of factors at work when a bullet hits a body. In the case of the Black Hills 9mm round, they are showing 368 FPE from the Barnes bullets, in the .40 S&W 416 FPE and the .45 ACP is at 411 FPE. There are many factors going to work when a bullet hits a body – it depends on the clothing and/or winter coat someone might be wearing, as to how deep a bullet will penetrate and expand. It depends if a bullet hits bone, or if the attacker is high on drugs. There’s no magic bullet that will guarantee that with one shot, it will stop an attacker in his tracks. I always tell my firearms students to keep shooting until the threat has stopped being a threat. It is simple as that!

If you’re in the market for more conventional JHP rounds for your carry gun, Black Hills has you covered with any number of rounds to pick from. And, keep in mind what I just said in the above paragraph, there are no magic bullets – you still have to place your rounds on-target and hit vital organs and/or blood vessels to stop an attack. And, for a lot of years, conventional JHP have been doing the job nicely. I’ve taken a lot of small to medium game with Black Hills handgun ammo using JHP rounds. But I think Black Hills is really onto something with their new line-up using the Barnes all-copper JHP bullets. Time will tell if I’m right, and I think I am – this time around.

Jeff Hoffman, over at Black Hills Ammunition deserves your business, he honestly is one of the “Good Guys” in this business. He and his wife Kristi, have worked hard over the years, to give the shooter the best ammo they can produce, at a good price. And, if it matters to you, Jeff Hoffman is also a part-time law enforcement officer in South Dakota – he gives to the community – so that’s another reason he deserves your business. Give Black Hills a call, or check out their web site. I’m betting good money, you’ll find a lot of different types of ammo you’ll be able to use. And, as an aside, they are producing one of the widest assortments of .223 Remington ammo that you’ll find. They have FMJ, JHP, Hollow Points and Soft Point rounds that will take care of you and your AR-15.  They have light bullets and heavy bullets – if you can’t find what you’re looking for at Black Hills, then you won’t find anyone else who is making a .223 Remington round that you’re looking for.

I can’t speak highly enough about Black Hills Ammunition. In 20 years of using it, I’ve never once been disappointed in the performance and the high-quality of their ammo. They are good people to do business with – and anyone who says other wise is looking for trouble from me! – Pat Cascio, SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor

Letter Re: Farmer’s Markets in the American Redoubt?

Sir:
I’ve been a follower of SurvivalBlog for some time. We’ve seen this mentioned before: building communities of moral, responsible,  and like-minded citizens (in the Robert Heinlein sense of the word) has strategic advantages. I would go a step further and say this process is, in fact, crucial.

I number among the many souls who wish to relocate and become self-sustaining but all to often find ourselves in a serious minority among our immediate circle of relationships, as well as beset by other challenges to overcome. Our particular circumstance may vary: Maybe we’re small business owners in a depressed area, or single (at whatever age), or students, or in-debt, maybe serving as soldiers, or first responders, or missionaries, or employed overseas, perhaps single-parents juggling work and child-rearing, or youngsters not quite of legal age (but old enough to know something is terribly wrong), perhaps orphaned children who are now adults and have no immediate circle of support, or recently naturalized persons who must also overcome the language, prejudice, and cultural barriers, etc… the list goes on. Regardless of our particular circumstance I believe we struggle with very similar feelings of self-doubt, fear, and isolation. Nothing is quite so disheartening as experiencing, not just our colleagues and peers but, also, those nearest and dearest disbelieve our heartfelt concern to the point of scorn.

Friends, I write to tell you: there is hope!

I’ve been to the American Redoubt. It was a few years back, before JWR formally proposed the idea. I had the opportunity to meet fellow SurvivalBlog readers at a community event somewhere in The Redoubt. Getting there turned into a near sleepless 48-hour, 500-mile hitchhiking epic miracle (and I do mean miracle in the full sense of the word). The experience was incredible and well worth the blood, sweat, tears, frustration and long-suffering it took to get from point A to point B and back again.

I met some amazing folks! It was surreal to be at a gathering of some 50+ folks from, not only several of the local towns and from across the state, but from several other states west of the Continental Divide as well. At this gathering, it was normal to hear complete strangers reference SurvivalBlog, Patriots, or to be asked: “Are you familiar with a gentleman by the name of Rawles?” Open-carry was prevalent at the event and none of the women, children, or elderly seemed the least taken aback by the presence of firearms on so many other men and women! Also, although, everyone was clearly exercising great care and discretion in conversation, no one was acting über secret-squirrel and no one seemed surprised or offended if answers about work, home, occupation, education, training, etc. were generalized or a little vague. The county we were in also claimed the interesting distinction of having no additional statutory law (after state law) except for the United States Constitution and the town itself also had no building codes of its own. The community was a mixed bunch of all ages, both natives and recent voters (of the “voted with their feet” variety).

In those few hours, shared with strangers I had never seen before that day, I have never felt more at home. In their company, I could actually breathe easy and feel my heart at rest. The folks were generous, sincere, and frank. With all the sidearms attached to trained citizens, I am sure no one would mistake their kindness for weakness very long!

Since that time, I’ve continued forward one slow step at a time. As a single, landless, deployed soldier, I’ve decided to remain debt-free and mobile, to travel light, to maintain a diverse portfolio of useful, compact tangibles, and maintain contact with the handful of families I’ve been blessed to meet around the country whom I’d be willing to team up with if necessary. While mobile I also intend to invest in some useful training and combine those events with creating opportunities to revisit The Redoubt and forge new relationships as time permits. Incidentally, I find there is really no meaningful substitute for meeting folks face-to-face. Leaving what is familiar and comfortable is probably among the biggest challenges of most preppers who have yet to relocate or find others of like-mind. I know it is one of mine. I’m familiar with my city and state, have adapted and survived a turbulent couple of years in this area, and know some people, however, this is not where I want to build a home, establish a family or raise children.

One couple at The Redoubt gathering had this to say, after I shared some of my doubts and concerns with them about being little more than a young novice from an urban upbringing, and I pass it on to the rest of you by way of inspiration and hope:

“If you’re honest and willing to work hard, you’ll do just fine out here.” – Swiftner

Letter Re: Training Opportunities With The Civil Air Patrol

Hello,
I recently read the insightful article about a Senior Citizen’s take on prepping. She mentioned that she had her grandson join the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). I am a cadet member of the Civil Air Patrol, and have been for three years. The Civil Air Patrol is the auxiliary of the United States Air Force, and performs Emergency Services, as well as Cadet Programs and Aerospace Education. There are quite a lot of opportunities in CAP; everything from learning to fly, roughing it in the wilderness, and looking for downed aircraft. I strongly recommend the program for anyone interested in Aviation and Preparedness, and you can meet quite a lot of like-minded people there as well. Not to mention the positive influence it gives to young people. Thanks again for all the work you do with SurvivalBlog.  Semper Vigilans!  – Andrew A.

Economics and Investing:

Some Words of Advice From Kyle Bass (paraphrased): “Buy guns. Buy gold. Buy nickels.”

Inevitability of a Crash Goes Mainstream. Reader S.B. in Japan me sent a link to this: A Greater Depression is coming. S.B.’s comment: “Until fairly recently, much of the talk of truly serious economic problems has been in far from mainstream sources. The mainstream media has talked a bit about further recession, but I haven’t seen a single article that clearly stated that it’s coming and there’s nothing we can do about it. That is until I saw this today, linked from The Wall Street Journal‘s web site.
 
A.T.B. sent this: Drowning in debt, EU hits moment of truth

Michael W. and George S. both flagged this: South Carolina mine sparks mini-gold rush to the Southeast

Items from The Economatrix:

Return To Gold Standard?  Why Price Would Hit $10,000

Joblessness:  An American Epidemic

Banks closed in Georgia, North Carolina, NJ; 79 failures in 2011.

Odds ‘n Sods:

F.J. sent us a lesson in caching commonsense (or lack thereof), over at Commander Zero’s excellent blog: Article – Gun, weapons parts found buried in Arlington.

   o o o

I was asked by a consulting client what would happen if the “Occupy America” protests transition from “acute” to “chronic”. I told him that I think that the outcome might be a lot like the fate of the World War I veterans’ Bonus Army, in the 1930s. (That is, depending on the JBT proclivities of the particular States where the protests are held.) There is an old Japanese proverb: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.”

   o o o

F.G. suggested a web page illustrating some standard U.S. hand and arm signals.

   o o o

2011 is the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. I consider it a great translation, without the political biases of some of the recent translations. (The NIV has some particularly wretched political correctness.) The KJV is available online, free at the Blue Letter Bible web site. Their search engine works great, and they make lots of other translations available for comparison, including Greek and Hebrew.

   o o o

F.J. suggested: Make and Use Ranger Beads to Measure Your Walking Distance

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Simple Electronic Devices and Hacks for Every Day Preparations, by Pat in Oregon

Technology is a significant force multiplier in emergency situations.  There are several options I’ve found in my preparations to incorporate electronics into our everyday use and emergency preparations.  Hopefully these ideas will be of use and get others thinking about possibilities.  My goal in utilizing these ‘gadgets’ is to increase availability of resource while decreasing maintenance and effort – all at low cost if possible.  I’d like to share a few of the low-cost options that are simplest to try that we’ve adopted in our preps.

I’m an engineer and realize most of the tools I use won’t be appreciated by everyone, but I do recommend that everyone invest in a simple Digital Multi-meter.  They are quite inexpensive (as little as $15) and useful for troubleshooting automotive and equipment electrical problems.  They are easy to use and with all the information and tutorials on the internet anyone can begin taking advantage of their use.  Besides this tool, the rest of my recommendations are targeted to anyone of any background.  There are several helpful electrical gadgets we’ve found and use that have many broader options.  The best part is that these ideas will hopefully start generating interest or ideas of your own.  Realistically most adults won’t start collecting schematics or advanced electrical tools, but they can start learning new things, or may have friends or better yet, children, who are interested in pursuing these areas more.

Some simple things, first.  In a big family we have need for a lot of flashlights.  The kids use them often and so we often find batteries are dead when we need the light most.  On eBay we have found many Chinese suppliers of low cost, solar powered LED lights that have dramatically decreased our monthly expenditures for batteries.  Sure, these lights are cheaply made (you get what you pay for) but work great for everyday use.  Do a search for “Solar LED keychain” on eBay and you can easily find them for less than $1 each ($0.73 on average).  Over the course of a month we accumulated 10-15 of these lights and they all work great.  They are cheaply made and break easily, so think of them as disposable and to keep the kids from wearing out your more dependable gear.

Another good source of solar LED lighting is the inexpensive outdoor lamps available at all hardware stores.  Wal-Mart sells them for ~$2.  We keep these lights all around our chicken coop, outdoor buildings, and garden to help keep deer and predators away.  They also contribute to security and our own convenience when out-n-about at night doing chores.  They are inexpensive enough to proliferate anywhere needed and require no maintenance.  Another option is to use electrical tape to blacken the side of the light facing our home to improve visibility, or to help minimize visibility of our place from roadways.  Keeping these lights about the chicken coop also has improved egg production and extended the laying season longer into the dark days of winter.

EBay is also a great source for inexpensive wireless door chimes and passive infrared (IR) motion detectors.  For $3 each we picked up a number of different devices to test out as deer and predator alarms.  Some devices work great, others are less effective.  All are effective at detecting our dog at 6 feet, and many will see the dog as far away as 30 feet. For less than $10 we have a wireless perimeter around the chickens that detects any small animal movement and provides loud alarm to deter intrusion and warn us of detection.  Another $20 watches over our half-acre garden from deer or elk intrusions.   The alarms seem to deter the deer better than when we left a radio on out in the dark, and do well to give us and the dog a heads-up that marauders are probing the defenses.  The dog is learning well to respond to the cheerful doorbell chimes when they go off.

We purchased a more expensive IR detector that turns on a sprinkler when deer approach the garden and it has worked well, however it requires us to leave the hose on all night, and is too expensive to deploy in adequate numbers to cover all the fruit, garden, and other vulnerable locations on our place.  These low cost wireless chimes have worked very well for us to provide numbers and coverage.

All of these devices use the smaller, “pen-light” batteries and require replacement every few weeks.  Being an engineer, I’m always looking to ‘improve’ original designs or modify them to my unique needs (or wants).  I hate stocking and replacing batteries, so the logical next step was to combine the solar panel from the LED lights to power these wireless motion detectors.  Simply disassembling the LED lights and wiring the power (red) and ground(black) wires into the motion detectors has eliminated the battery need.  Some motion detectors require more power than others, but all the ones we’ve tested are adequately powered by the solar cells.  If more power is needed, simply use two or more solar cells daisy-chained together to boost the voltage to the detector.  Dropping a clean plastic container over the top is adequate weatherproofing that will not hamper the detector too badly, though I recommend spending time to make a more robust enclosure for your device to ensure longer life and use.

Another option to consider with these low-cost LED devices is to make an emergency charging circuit for your cell phone or handheld gadget.  The landscaping lights are recommended for this option.  Again, simply connecting multiple lights in a daisy chain and wiring a surplus USB cable to the mix works well for charging a FRS radio.  If you disassemble the light, you will discover one or more rechargeable battery inside – usually an “AA” size.  This can be removed and used as needed, and then replaced to recharge in the sun.  Some lights we’ve looked at have the battery soldered or “fixed” in the light, and others use a non-standard size battery, so do some snooping before purchasing in quantity.  Many of these solar devices have a single 3.6V battery.  The cheap keychain lights, for example, are sufficient to power a small “spy” camera that is the size of a car’s FOB, and can power the small camera to record video for up to 3 hours, continuously.

I wanted a more ‘discreet’ warning system around the chicken coop than the loud siren of the motion detectors provided, and found that by simply cutting the wires to the small piezo speaker inside the detector and connecting a separate LED to those wires, the detector gave a visual instead of a verbal warning to me.  Individual LEDs in various colors are available from Radio Shack or online for pennies.  The longer wire on the LED connects to power, the shorter one to ground, though on the speaker’s wires it doesn’t matter which wires the LED connects to.   I inserted the LED into a small tube cut from a pen, and now the LED indicator became very discreet and directional – only seen in the direction the LED was pointed.

There is another alarm available for very low cost to detect movement.  Small magnetic alarms that commonly are attached to a door or window are available at our local “Dollar” stores, and have a piercing alarm when the smaller bar is taken away from the main unit.  Besides their obvious use for detecting unwanted entry into your home or shop, these alarms work great to ensure the kids don’t forget to cover up the chicken feed bin, or leave the coop door open, or any other ‘reminder’ you want to keep a door closed.  I like to turn one on and throw it into the boy’s bedrooms on those mornings they haven’t gotten out of bed by the 3rd call!

As a science project with the kids, we created a GPS-based device that we wanted to launch with weather balloons of helium to track wind patterns, and to set adrift in the ocean to watch water currents.  First, we designed a custom circuit and software to record the GPS track, but in the end we found a much better, low cost solution that has many other applications worth considering.  Instead of a custom circuit, we found that on eBay we could purchase an older cell phone (I recommend a Motorola i415) with GPS capabilities for less than $10.  For another $6 we got a pre-paid phone SIM for the phone.  Using an on-line service for real-time cell phone tracking, we could watch the cell phone travel in real-time, and get our GPS data even if we never got the cell phone back from the ocean.  These phones make great, low-cost equipment tracking similar to Lo-Jack for much less cost.  A possible option for farm equipment, shipping container, or other large item you want to keep tabs on.  Gluing a strong magnet to the phone and modifying the charging cable would allow you to place the phone under the hood, wired to the vehicle’s battery for constant power. 

Rather than running 120AC power out to some of our remote locations, we’ve chosen to use car batteries for lighting and power needs instead.  It is great having a spare battery or two on hand, and with inexpensive solar arrays it is easy to keep them charged and available.  I’ve wired our garden house to use low-cost LED lighting strips, which run off the battery.  The solar panel easily keeps the battery topped off and ready for the infrequent use and the 12V is a standard supply for most battery powered devices and gadgets to run off, too.

With 12V readily available, there are a couple other electrical devices worth mentioning.  Various Internet sellers and eBay have remote controlled relay devices for under $15 (search for “12V remote relay”) that are great for remote control of any motor, light, or device.  They are simple to wire up and use, with little electrical experience needed.  It is nice when the lights are left on out in the garden house to have a remote control by the window in our house to simply click, and turn them off.  This gives all kinds of options to our OPSEC considerations.

For locking or mechanical actuation, I love using inexpensive, 12V automotive door lock solenoids.  Again, for less than $5 these can be had and applied to any number of uses.  We lock our chicken coop door at night with a door lock solenoid (remotely controlled, of course).  These solenoids are very strong (more than 7 lbs of pull in some cases) and work well to flip a wall switch, too. 
Two options we are using for power generation include solar panels and hydro power.  Neither option is able to generate more than 150W of power, but that is adequate to charge a single or bank of 12V car batteries.  Car batteries are the power supply of our choice because they are readily available, stable, and carry significant electrical power.  They are robust for charging and 12V is a common input power for many handheld devices.

I do not believe 120V AC is a viable option for TEOTWAWKI.  It requires extensive resources to generate and is neither safe nor versatile.  We do have several generators for running our freezers and power tools, but in a dramatic or long-term scenario, our plan is to rely on gas-based power tools (i.e. chainsaws, generators, rototillers, etc), propane powered stoves and refrigeration, and DC power based communications equipment.

Solar panels are readily available and easy to use.  We have several that are 40 to 50W, and with an inline diode to protect from back current, they work well to maintain car batteries.  Several springs and creeks in our area provide us and our neighbors with hydro power sources, too.  One design we built for a neighbor is based on a GMC truck alternator.  GMC alternators have a built in voltage regulator and are robust for many alternative power generation options – do a search on Google for “bicycle alternator” and you will see many clever designs for bike-power, for example.  This is one reason we keep several older model GMC trucks and a Suburban around – useful, common parts.  The alternator can be used for a 12V generator supplying up to 100 Amps of current to run AC inverters, charge batteries, or run pumps.  The neighbor’s spring is captured in a 2,000 gallon tank, and channeled off the side to ABS piping into the alternator’s turbine.  The alternator was ~$80; turbine blades are homemade and piping all from scrap on hand.

A lower cost option we used on another neighbor’s stream is my favorite.  Instead of an Alternator we used a 1200 gallon-per-hour bilge pump as a generator.  More regulation circuitry was required, but because the output was under 10 Amps, a simple solar regulator from eBay for $12 was adequate.  The smaller stream’s flow was diverted into a garden hose, fitted easily to the bilge pump’s output to run the motor as a generator.  Total setup costs (besides labor) were under $50.  These have been simple, fun, and safe ways to engage with neighbors in exploring options for remote power generation.  This setup is charging two car batteries and running 12V lighting, shortwave radio, dual-band ham radio station, and a fan in his remote shed.

Finally, one last electrical option that has worked out well for us is a water pump for our drip irrigation system.  Some of our plants require more regular watering than others, so we put in a simple drip system of tubing.  To automate it as much as possible, I used a small barrel suspended from 30 feet high to provide the water source for the tubing.  To keep the barrel full, especially in the summer months when rain is less frequent I used a small bulge-pump (12V) I had on hand to pump small amounts of water out of the livestock trough into the bucket.  I did rig up a simple microcontroller to only turn the pump on for 20 minutes each day which required more than basic electrical skills.  The pump is inexpensive and keeps the water barrel charged without any attention required.

All of these ideas are inexpensive and as simple as possible.  Just imagine what is possible with a small, microcontroller (mini computer chip) that costs less than $1.23 and very advanced sensory and computing power!  While not generally of use most people, there are options out there for your consideration.  As an engineer my emergency preparations include keeping extra microcontrollers on-hand for any number of needs.  The powerful capabilities of these modern devices are a big force multiplier for automating farm and garden tasks as well as the obvious security/OPSEC roles.  If you don’t have a working knowledge in these areas, your children may.  Many different options are available to encourage your kids, friends, etc to pursue learning if they are interested in these things, which will pay off not only in your emergency preparations, but enable them for potential engineering careers in life.

Since all of the devices mentioned are less expensive, it should encourage people to experiment with them.  Hack them, open them up, and try using them in new ways.  Kids love exploring and tearing apart things, and many of these projects have been fun for us to explore with and for the children to learn new concepts, science, and practicing putting stuff back together.  There are several photographs of these and other projects on our family blog, (Northwest Podcast).  Since these ideas are based on 12V DC they are much safer, though higher current levels must be respected.

The last note I would make regarding using electronics or technology in your preparations is to echo the warnings of the scriptures.  No gadget can replace faith and trust in the Lord.  There are significant risks and dependencies in using electronics but many of these (such as an EMP event) can be prepared for.   The scriptures warn us of trusting in the arm of flesh (Jeremiah 17:5) and of worshiping the works of man’s hands (Micah 5:13).  I believe that our culture is at great risk to this form of idolatry because of the technological blessings the Lord has given us.  Let’s use these gifts to bless the lives of our families and those around us, and put all of our trust in the Lord.

Two Letters Re: Uses For Discarded Political Campaign Signs and Wickets

James:
To make the neighborhood corners more attractive my hubby and I collect out-of-date political signs and yard sale signs – especially the ones posted on those H-style wire posts.
We reuse the wire posts to support plants by either just sticking them in the ground around the plants or by making ‘fences’ to keep them inbounds where they line walkways. We have
also made trellises by using them sideways, attaching them by string or wire and hanging them and then securing them at the base by using one or more in the normal way stuck in the
ground.

We’ve also used the signs themselves as shelf liners on wire shelves and back to back to make yard sale or for sale signs. Just hate to see anything go to waste. – Bellen

Dear Mr. Rawles:
Congratulations on the success of your latest novel!  I just finished reading my copy.

I’ve been re-using the wires on those political signs for years – I don’t know what I’d do without the malleable, heavy wire.  Where I live, politicos often don’t bother to collect the signs after the elections so I look forward to getting several  on my usual travels.  Even in rural areas those signs abound.

Some of the uses I’ve found:

  • ‘U’ wires for keeping soaker hose in the ground, cut off a length and bend, push wire into ground.  Make them big enough to find again to reuse and not get into the tiller.  They’ll last about three years.
  • U-shaped portions of the wire can be hammered in for other applications, too, like tent pegs, such as to keep a fence attached to the ground.  Works well for something you think you might have to move, or to keep wire down when you bend it outward at the bottom of a fence to foil digging predators so you don’t trip on it.
  • Frame for any wire doorway, especially chain link.  Chain link has to be framed if you’re going to cut it.  We use moveable runs for our fowls and needed to make ‘bird doors’.  Found this wire just right to slip through the chain links, cut, and bend the ends of the link wire around the political sign wire as you go along.  Works great.  Think ahead when cutting chain link and plan each cut – otherwise things can unravel on you.
  • Simple gate closure.  The wire is heavy enough for a small gate, such as on a chicken run.  A long piece with one end bent fits through standard heavy galvanized staples and then slides into a hole cut into the frame of the door.  Very simple and it works.  Push the bent part down when in the ‘closed’ position and if you’ve put a staple in the right places it will stay put.   Not for applications that lock, obviously.
  • Hooks for hanging light objects, like baskets from a beam, etc.

Best Regards, – Benedict

Letter Re: Sorting Canadian Pennies

Hi Jim:
I just finished the article titled “Sorting Canadian Pennies” and had one more thought regarding the comments on nickels.  What everyone is predicting will happen to the US nickel has already taken place here in Canada.  The current US nickel is 25% nickel and 75% Copper making the 5 cent coin already worth around 6 cents. That is a great investment if you ask me!  The Canadian nickel on the other hand, has already been badly debased, valued at around 4 Cents. This happened in 1982.  However, Canadian nickels that are pre-1982 [but post-1954] are 99% nickel! This makes them worth around 9 cents today and as little as a month ago, they were worth 12 cents in melt value!  A note to Canadian Prepper “Ni”: although it is a little work (My kids love to help with this) sorting out pre-1982 nickels is still possible.  I find on average of 8 pre-1982 nickels per [50-coin] roll and there seems no end in sight to supply.  But don’t wait too long, as I know I am not the only one who has figured this out.

Any thoughts on why there are still so many in circulation today? I thought that in 1982 [or soon after] all the nickels with real value would have been snapped up just like all the silver coinage we used to have.  I wish I had been around when there was still silver in circulation but I will settle for this.  Happy hunting. I have $200 more to sort through today and thanks to you Jim, my collection is growing–and not just my collection of nickels!  – Mike in Calgary, Canada

Economics and Investing:

K.A.F. flagged this: UBS, RBS Ratings Lowered as Fitch Says More Than a Dozen Banks May Follow

Greg F. sent this: Reconsidering the Housing Crisis

George Maniere: Precious Metals Investing: Will Gold And Silver Continue Their Run Up?

Items from The Economatrix:

Business Inventories And Sales Rose In August

Oil Prices Rise Near $87As Recession Fears Ease

Foreigners Dump $74B In Treasurys In 6 Consecutive Weeks; Biggest Sequential Outflow In History

Big Trouble Brewing

Odds ‘n Sods:

Some interesting observations from a fellow blogger: Oh Dark Thirty

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P.N.G. liked this article over at Electronic Design News: A super-het radio runs 5 years on a C-cell, plus a pentode radio

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Kyle L. mentioned a gooddeal on Federal brand .22 LR hollow point ammo from Cabela’s. I predict that .22 hollowpoints will be an ideal item for barter in the event of a socioecononmic collapse, so stock up. (BTW, they are also offering free shipping fee on any order over $150, with promo code “WOCTOBER”)

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FBI begins recording talk tadio and podcast call-ins. (Please show me where this is mentioned in the FBI’s charter.)

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Obama Spoke About “Fast & Furious” Before Holder Claimed He Knew

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (KJV)