Communications: Why You Should Get Your Ham Radio License, by M.G.

I admit it. I’m woefully unprepared.  Recent events have caused me to “wake up”, much like Neo in The Matrix who takes the “red pill” and awakens to the painful reality.  When you first awaken it’s overwhelming.  You feel that there is so much to do and so little time. My resources are limited and I expect they will become more so over time.  Rather than succumbing to the paralysis of analysis, and constant study without action, I feel it’s better to begin chipping away at getting prepared.  I suggest you start today and get a toe hold on being prepared.  Starting small is better than not starting at all. There are many small things you can do that will get you going in the right direction, and will give you an advantage should you find yourself in an emergency situation.  You could build your first 72 hour kit bag. You could attend a free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Academy. Or, like this article suggests, you could spend one day of your life in a “Ham Cram” class for $5 -$15 dollars and walk away with a skill that you can use the rest of your life. Getting your first Amateur Radio License allows you to use some pretty powerful equipment with capabilities beyond what you can legally use as a non licensed citizen.    Ham radio is infrastructure independent, is used by those interested in emergency preparedness and has gotten a lot less expensive in the last few years.
 
The Back Story
Recent events got me interested in prepping for the next emergency situation.  The first event was the San Diego Blackout of 2011.  Unlike others I stayed at work for three hours after the power outage started.  Everyone else left work immediately and jumped on the freeway right into a park lot.  For some people that just lived a few miles way away from work it took hours to get home.  I spent those three hours at work on a project I had put off for far too long and left work when it got dark.  I had waited out the traffic, but I didn’t know what was going on until I heard the mayor give a speech on the FM radio in my car.  After the event I talked to a buddy of mine who had a handheld ham radio at work and he said he knew within about 2 minutes what had happened and the extent of the blackout. He used a handheld transceiver (HT) commonly called a handi-talkie. While the cell phones had gone offline, the ham repeaters were up and working fine on backup power.  After talking with him I was impressed with the amount of ‘intel’ he was able to gather over his ham radio in such a short amount of time.  I would have done just about anything at the time to know what was going on and talk with my wife.  If I had already owned a ham radio, I could have.

The second event was camping in Joshua Tree National Park with my kids.  They were climbing on 2 and 3 story rocks like mountain goats.  Our campground was 10 minutes away from cell phone coverage.  I kept thinking if anything horrible happened there would be no way to contact emergency services in a reasonable amount of time.  I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself if one of the kids got hurt and I wasn’t able to contact emergency assistance immediately and provide my GPS coordinates. It’s my responsibility as a parent to be prepared and protect my children, and for that trip I feel I came up short.
So with those two events fresh in my mind I signed up for a course to get my amateur radio Technician license.
 
Getting Your Amateur Radio License Is Easier Than You Think
Getting your amateur radio license is easier than you might think. One of the best things about ham radio is that the classes and tests are almost free.  In my case, the all day class was free and the fee for taking the test was $5.  In our area they have a 90% pass rate for people that take the class.  Many don’t even study before taking the course and do well. My wife failed the exam on her first attempt, but was able to retake the test a second time in the same sitting and passed.  I think she would agree there’s no reason not to spend one day and $5 to get your license.   If you do a little up front study there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to earn your first ham license for a modest investment of your time.
At the class I attended almost half of the participants were from one CERT program or another.  That ham class is how I found out about CERT.  Going to a ham class is a good way to network with others that are interested in emergency preparedness (regardless of their motivation). It’s also a great place to find out about local civilian and government organizations that will be active in your area during times of emergency.  If you are hooked into ham radio you’ll be in the know.  The information you learn using a ham radio during a crisis situation could be invaluable.
 
Get Field Tested and Emergency Appropriate Equipment
Local emergency groups are also good sources of information regarding what equipment is actually used and reliable in the field.  The most active CERT group in my county uses the Yaesu FT-60R.  After doing quite a bit of research including reading the Yaesu FT-60R spec sheet on the product I discovered why they like that radio so much. This is the radio I purchased for my wife and myself.  The radio has a very low current draw during transmit and receive, and it can transmit at a full 5 watts using AA batteries.  Many modern Handi-Talkies (HTs) have become very small and use proprietary batteries that can only be used in a few models and are very expensive.  You can get factory AA battery adapters for most ham handhelds, but since the battery adapters are the same size as the original battery and are limited to the number of AA cells that can fit inside the adapter. This forces manufacturers to use AA battery adapters with a limited number of AA batteries, so they have to reduce the transmit power to half a watt when running on AAs. Using the Yaesu AA battery adapter (part #: FBA-25) with the FT-60R adds quite a bit of flexibility in emergency situations as you can use six AA Alkaline batteries or the latest rechargeable battery technology and still transmit at a full 5 watts.  Regardless of which radio you choose, make sure that the AA battery adapter will allow the radio to transmit at maximum power and uses a large number of AA batteries.  Also, check the receive (RX) and transmit (TX) current draw on the spec sheet and compare it against other handheld radios you are considering.  Make sure you are using a radio that uses power efficiently since it’s in short supply during emergency situations.
 
Ham Radios Give You Options
Although the FT-60R is only dual band (2M/440MHz) for transmit, it has wideband reception from 108-520 MHz and 700-999.990 MHz.  This allows it to be used as a poor man’s scanner in emergency situations.  While a dedicated scanner is recommended, “one is none” as they say.  It’s good to have back up and some redundant functionality should your dedicated scanner get lost, run out of batteries or fail.

The FT-60R can monitor the FRS (Family Radio Service), GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) and MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) radio frequencies.  MURS is adjacent to the 2M band while, FRS and GMRS are adjacent to the 440Mhz band.  Many ham handhelds transmit at 5 watts, while FRS is limited to 0.5 watts and MURS is limited to 2 watts.

You’ll notice that FRS/MURS radios have short little stubby antennas called ‘rubber duckies’. Legally FRS radios cannot have their antennas modified, so they don’t make it convenient to do so.  MURS radios can have external antennas, but they are limited to 2 watts of total power output (TPO). Unlike FRS and MURS radios, ham handheld transceivers have a wide array of options for antennas.   This allows you to attach antennas that are longer, get better reception, and have more gain which can allow you to reduce power output needed to transmit. You can also attach a ham handheld to a wide variety of external antennas like those small magnetic ones you can put on the roof of your car.  The fact that you can easily and legally modify your radios prior to an emergency situation is a quite an advantage.  If you can’t get the range you want it’s easy to add a new antenna. You can even add an antenna as a way to increase the gain and increase battery life. If you need even better battery life, you can use a AA adapter and the leverage the latest battery technology without having to buy a new radio.  This also allows you to standardize on a particular battery form factor.  When camping I do my best to stick with equipment that uses AA batteries whenever possible.  This allows me to move my usable power to the device where I need it the most if I’m low on power. 

You can even modify your FT-60R to allow it to transmit (TX) on 137-177MHz and 420-470MHz. Make sure you only transmit on frequencies for which you are licensed or are prepared to face the consequences if you need to use those frequencies during a life threatening emergency.

Over the last few years competition from inexpensive Chinese radios sold under the Wouxun (pronounced Oh-Sheng, like “ocean”) and Baofeng brands have caused name brand handhelds to come down in price.  It used to cost $200+ to get a decent handheld.  Current competition is pushing the prices down toward $120. The Yaesu FT-60R used to be a $200 radio.  You can now get them retail for $160.  On eBay you can get the FT-60R in ‘like-new’ used condition with no tax for around $120.  The point is that you can get a great radio and the bottom tier price levels.  Personally I’d rather have for $120 radios, than two radios that cost twice as much. “One is none” and backups are critical, especially in an emergency situation where buying a replacement at short notice is impossible or impractical.  Ham radio equipment holds its value reasonably well compared to other electronic devices, so if you change your mind in the future and need to sell some of your equipment to get something else or upgrade you  should be able to recoup a  good deal of your investment.  In a grid down situation I would expect ham radio equipment to be worth its weight in gold.

It’s important to note that brand name accessories are expensive compared to the price of the radio.  Each accessory for a band name radio costs an average of $30.  If you do buy your radio used or on eBay it’s possible to get the radio/accessory bundle for almost half the retail price.

Ham handheld radios are often purpose build for emergency communications, so they are durable, are often waterproof or water resistant and have factory accessories for 12v support.  Yaesu even sells and accessory (Part #: E-DC-6) for the FT-60R that has a DC plug for the radio on one and bare wires on the other for connecting the radio to a DC power source.
 
Repeaters
If you’re new to ham radios you may not be familiar with the concept of a repeater, and I keep throwing that word around so I’ll cover it briefly.  A repeater is a radio station that receives a transmission on one frequency and outputs it on another.  The purpose of a repeater is to boost the signal of the incoming transmission to increase the range and help radio signals get around terrain obstructions.  Repeaters often reside on the tallest mountain tops in your area that provide good ‘line of sight’ coverage to the surrounding areas on both sides of the mountain.  This way, a person on one side of the mountain can communicate with someone on the other side.  It also extends the range of the radios greatly.  Using a repeater you can communicate with people 20, 30, 50 sometimes even 100 miles away!  Also, repeaters can be linked to create ‘networks’ that cover an entire city, county or state.  A detailed discussion of repeaters is beyond the scope of this article, but it’s important to know that repeaters are one of the biggest advantages of going with a ham radio.  It’s amazing to be able to talk with people over such great distances with a little 5 watt handheld.  And when the cell phone system is down the ham repeaters are usually still working on backup generators or battery power.
 
Turn your 5 watt handheld into a 50 watt handheld
If you do get a ham handheld radio make sure it’s dual band and supports cross band repeat. Cross band repeat will allow you to use a mobile ham radio in your car or home to boost the signal of your handheld.  Basically with cross band repeat you use two frequencies on two different bands to bounce communications through another mobile ham radio.  This will allow you to stay mobile with the handheld but leverage the power output and larger antenna installed on the house or vehicle.  A typical mobile ham radio in a car is 50 watts and can have a full size antenna.  If you position your car at the top of a hill you can use it to communicate with radios where your handheld doesn’t have ‘line of sight’.   Used with a radio in your house “sky’s the limit”!
 
Final Words
While all the ‘hams’ I’ve met in local clubs so far have been kind and helpful, they really didn’t seem too concerned with battery life. For me [as a prepper on a budget] battery life and affordability were the toptwo issues.  Long term I want to have many back up radios, and $120 a pop they add up.  I’m really glad I took the time to get involved in ham radio because it introduced me to CERT and others involved in practical emergency preparedness.  I hope this article lands you in a ham class sometime in the near future and gets you involved with your local CERT group.  Knowing what is going on around you will allow you to prepare quickly and make good decisions as information during a crisis as it unfolds.  The next step is to get my General license so I can access the High Frequency (HF) bands and take my ‘intel’ gathering to the national and/or global level.
 
Summary

1. Getting into ham radio can be inexpensive and easy.
a. Ham classes are often free, and run by volunteers.
b. Ham exams cost $5 or $15, and can be taken the same day as a class.
c. Great ‘like-new’ brand name radios can be had for as little as $120.
2. Getting involved in ham radio will provide a network of people interested in emergency preparedness (i.e. CERT).
3. Ham radios are much more powerful and configurable than retail FRS or MURS radios.
4. Ham radios can be dual band (2m/440Mhz), while MURS is just above the 2 meter band and FRS/GMRS is in the 440Mhz band.
5. Dual band ham radios can monitor FRS/GMRS and MURS bands.
6. Ham radios are 5 watts while FRS and MURS radios are half a watt to 2 watts.
7. Ham handhelds have great power options and some can provide full capability with AA batteries.
8. Battery life can be increased by getting a better antenna.
9. Repeaters can extend the range of ham handhelds to the county or even state level.
10. Cross band functionality using a mobile ham radio in your vehicle or house as a repeater can increase your operational capability.
 
Useful Links

Two Letters Re: Cap and Ball Revolver Options

Hello James,
Thanks for a great site.

Here in New York City you can own an antique or reproduction black powder revolver, but if you have caps, bullets and/or powder then you are considered to possessing an unregistered pistol. (A felony.)

As you always say: “check your state and local laws .”

Thanks, – Richie from New York City

 

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I read with interest the letter about Cap and Ball Revolvers as a workaround for restrictive gun laws.   I have long advocated this to some of my friends and acquaintances,  who, for one reason or another, are not allowed to own a modern handgun.   I would, however, like to add the following:

The Colt model Cap and Balls, like the 1851 Navy, 1860 Army, and 1861 Navy, and their copies, were fine weapons in their times, but are now obsolete, and in my opinion, as survival weapons, and almost useless.   They are of a design known as an ‘Open Top’ , and are structurally weaker than more modern weapons like the 1873 Peacemaker, and other more modern revolvers that have a ‘top strap ‘ on the frame, so that the cylinder is totally enclosed and supported by the revolver frame.  After a relatively few rounds they can begin to ‘shoot apart’, and become mechanically loose and their timing fails.   This is not what you want or need in a survival weapon.

That being said, is there a better alternative?  Yes. there are two.   The first is the Italian made copies of the Remington Army Model 1858, in 44 caliber, with a steel frame, and second, the Ruger ‘Old Army’ in .451 caliber, in either blue steel or stainless steel.  I am going to confine my comments to the Ruger, but they apply equally to the 1858s.   It must be noted that, at present, Old Army’s are not in production by Ruger, but they are available at Gun Shows, Gun Shops, and online at GunBroker and AuctionArms web sites.  At the present time, prices for the Ruger’s  range from $ 350 to $ 600, depending on the model, and the condition.    If you want them, get them while you can.   The prices will only rise.    They have the advantage that they can be shipped interstate with no restrictions,  with no FFL requirements.    For those who do not like records, that is a plus.

The Ruger Old Army is basically a update of the 1958 Remington made with Ruger’s coil spring design and investment casting technology.   They have integral loading levers, and are made very strong.   Both the Blue and the Stainless models will last a lifetime, though my bias is to the stainless models, for resistance to the corrosion of black powder, and the ability to ‘bury’ them in an emergency,  and come back later to retrieve them.   The Old Army is a six shot, and can be carried with all six, with the hammer resting on one of the six notches located on the back of the cylinder between the percussion nipples.  
           
Ruger made the Old Armies in two formats, the Blackhawk style, with a flat top strap and adjustable target sights, and the Vaquero style, which has a rounded top strap and fixed sights like an Colt Peacemaker.   They also come in Long Barrel ( 7 1/2″ ) or Short Barrel ( 5 1./2″ ).   A competent gunsmith could even shorten then barrel, remove the loading lever,  and make a hide-out or belly gun out of a  Vaquero style Old Army that would make it a good, if somewhat large, backup gun.

They can be fired with both round ball or conicals, ( my preference ) and the ignition is reliable if they do not get too wet.   Loading is as for the Colts, and please see Mr. J.M.’s letter as it is very accurate.  

And there is one final advantage to the Old Armies and the 1858s, especially the Stainless ones.   R&D Conversion Cylinders are available for about $ 250 each in both Blue and Stainless for both the Ruger Old Army and the  Remington 1858s, and will allow you to shoot 45 Long Colt cartridges, providing you follow the procedures and loading instructions.  Remember, these are not modern weapons, and cannot take “hot” loads.    That said, a person who is lawfully barred from owning a cartridge revolver might purchase one of these older style revolvers, and keep one or two cylinders in reserve for emergencies.  (Again, consult your state and local laws.) While these are not the equal of a modern 1911 or a Glock, with extra black powder or conversion cylinders, they would be much better than nothing in a survival situation.   And, if only black powder and percussion caps are available,  they may be much more useful than a higher tech gun for which no ammunition is available.
Respectfully, – P.R.W.

Letter Re: Your Earthquake Audit

Mr. Rawles:
The recent article about conducting a home earthquake audit reminds me of a preparedness step that I took: A little over a year ago I saw an automatic gas shutoff valve displayed at a professional plumbing store. After looking in the cutaway demonstration  valve , I inquired about the cost of the valve, which was around $100. I have kept a wrench next to the gas meter for years, but last year I had to commute 60  miles  away for school. Now with a new prepper mentality  , I wondered what would happen if a big quake did happen while I was gone. If it took me a week to get home,  only to find a home burned to the ground because of a broken gas pipe, I would be mad, and feel stupid for not protecting everything for  a paltry $100 valve.

I installed the valve and forgot about it, but  then it had an unexpected test just one week later. I was also having a very large tree removed (one that could crush half of the house). My mother and I were eating lunch when we heard and felt a large thud, as the tree trimmers felled the last portion of the tree trunk, which was about 12 feet tall. Not until the next day, when the hot water became very cool, did I realize the valve had in fact worked and automatically shut off the gas to the house. I would rather spend $100  now, than to lose everything and be covered by the world’s best insurance policy. For those people that don’t think they are in earthquake territory, I only need to remind you of the magnitude 5.8 quake  that hit Virginia last year, and the fact that 75% of quake related fires are caused by  unsecured and top heavy gas water heaters falling over and breaking the gas pipe.

Thanks again for getting the word out,  – Solar Guy

Economics and Investing:

Long-time SurvivalBlog reader and contributor R.B.S. sent this: Risky Places To Swipe Your Debit Card

Pierre M. sent this from ABC News: Green Firms Get Fed Cash, Give Execs Bonuses, Fail

Over at ETF Daily News: The Rising Price of Commodities: The Most Investable Trend Over The Next 20 Years

Items from The Economatrix:

Gold Price Will Plunge Below $1,000 Bears Claim

Gasoline Pump Price In US Climbs For 24 Straight Days

Oil Up On Iran Fears; Growth Worry Limits Gain

Gold Recovers From Lows As Dollar Retreats

Odds ‘n Sods:

Joseph R. sent this: CONEX Temporary Housing in Japan. (This was the next step, after paper partitions.)

   o o o

And speaking of Japan: One year after Fukushima – Defining and classifying a disaster. (Now a five part series.)

   o o o

David T. sent this NPR news story: The Ultimate In Heirloom Wheat Arrives At Seed Vault

   o o os

Human nature dictates that a lot of preparedness only comes belatedly: Sale of storm shelters on rise after string of deadly tornadoes. (Thanks to Tim J. for the link.)

   o o o

Seed for Security has announced a bonus promotion for gardeners. They are adding a free Spring Collection with every order over $45. This consists of five generous seed packets for early Spring planting: Lincoln Peas (approx. 300 seeds), Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage (approx. 400 seeds), Bloomsdale Spinach (approx. 800 seeds), Detroit Dark Red Beets (approx. 400 seeds), and Bouquet Dill (approx. 200 seeds). This is a limited time offer.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"An unconstitutional act is not law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties; it affords no protection; it creates no office; it is in legal contemplation, as inoperative as though it had never been passed." – Norton v. Shelby County, US Supreme Court Decision 118 US 425, 442 (in 1886)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) 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, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 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 39 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Life of the Wife of a Prepper, by Erica S.

I wake up in the morning, get out of bed, and head to the kitchen. There is a jar of seeds on the counter that have sprouted. They have little, white, hair like sprouts, with some sort of fuzzy little hairs covering them. I think to myself, “I agreed to eat this?”

As I go about my day, I encounter various oddities from my husbands prepping. The above mentioned sprouted seeds are wheat sprouts, as many of you may have already guessed. I hear, from my husband, that they are packed with nutrients. He has quite a few mylar bags full of wheat seeds stowed away. You of course can not stock pile bread, so you stock up on wheat.

There is a box in the back of the kitchen, full of empty two liter bottles. They will eventually get washed and rinsed, filled with water, and be stocked in my husbands “man cave”, as I call it. While he does have a couple five gallon jugs and a handful of one gallon jugs that he has bought, he has a hard time paying for water. So filling up the two liter bottles is his way to supplement the water supply. Dumping out what gets too old, always rotating the stock. Of course, what safe water we do have, we will eventually use up. In that event, he has iodine tablets, as well as other methods for making water safe to consume.

The man cave. This is the place where my husband keeps the majority of his prepping supplies. His “beans, bullets and Band-Aids”, if you will. He has his stockpiles, books, tools, weapons, medical supplies, and more in this room. Let me take you through the man cave.

I suppose the first thing that I think of is the food. He has cabinets full of canned goods and other nonperishable food items. Off of the top of my head, he has various canned vegetables, baked beans, tuna, soups and evaporated milk. I believe there are also ramen noodles, peanut butter, rice, beans, and oatmeal. He has plenty of salt. The salt is good for preserving food, as well as using it to attract wild game, for easy hunting. Not exactly a very sportsmanlike way of hunting, but when the SHTF, and you are trying to feed your family, I do not think that matters much anymore. In addition to those items, he has a wide variety of freeze dried meals and MREs to choose from as well.

The next thing that come to mind is hygiene. In the man cave, you will find bags of soaps. Hand soap for people, dish soap for things. There are a few bottles of hand sanitizer, and tubs of baby wipes, for when water is not available to wash with soap. He has bleach, which can be used for cleaning, and also as a way to make your water safe for drinking. You will find piles of toilet paper, and to go along with that, he has purchased a “Luggable Loo”. For those of you not familiar with this, it is a toilet seat that fits onto a five gallon bucket. You put liners in the bucket (a garbage bag will work just fine), and sawdust in the liner (to help with the smells), and viola, you are now the proud owner of a porta potty. This is pretty nice to have around even if you‘re not a prepper. If something goes wrong with your plumbing, like happened to us just last night, you don’t need to run to the nearest gas station to use the toilet.

Now we move on to lighting. My husband has an entire cabinet devoted to lights. There are all sorts of flashlights, big and small. He has the largest array of batteries I have ever seen not in a store. There are various sizes of oil lamps, and plenty of jugs of oil. There is an array of lighters, waterproof matches and strike anywhere matches. In addition to all of those, he has a couple of propane lanterns, and so many propane cylinders I didn’t bother counting. He also has these magnesium flint sticks. You shave off some of the magnesium, and strike the flint, making sparks. The magnesium catches fire, and when the magnesium is on a pile of tinder, you can start yourself a fire. It really works, I have watched him firsthand light a fire this way while camping. It is not nearly as easy as they make it look on television, but in a bind, it is better than nothing. The magnesium flint sticks would fall under both lighting and heating.

Which brings us to heat. You need heat for warmth, as well as for cooking purposes. I have already mentioned all of his lighters and matches. I believe there are a few cans of lighter fluid tucked away. He has a dozen or so hand warmers. For Christmas he got an indoor safe propane heater. It shuts off if the oxygen level gets too low, or if it gets tipped over. It is also nice because you can either use two small, one pound propane cylinders, or a larger twenty pound one. To go along with the heater and lanterns, he has a propane stove as well.

The next thing that I think of are his first aid kits. You’ve got your general, drug store items. Band aids, triple antibiotic ointments, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide. He has a variety of gauze rolls, tapes and ace wraps. There are boxes of rubber gloves and N95 masks. You have your over the counter drugs as well. Things like multi vitamins, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, etc. He has standard implements, like tweezers, scissors, and nail clippers. Then he has higher level tools, such as sterile scalpels and suture kits, for when things really get hairy.

You might ask, “Why would you need a scalpel and sutures?” Suppose there is a civil unrest, riots, looting, and angry mobs. There are no doctors or hospitals that you could get to, even if they were open for business. You have to have your bases covered. On the same note, you need to be prepared to defend yourself, your family and your home in the same situation. Which brings us to one of my husbands favorite topics, guns and ammo. This is the topic that I know the least about, not that I know all that much about the rest of them. I know he has a few pistols, a few rifles, and loads of ammunition to go along. He has taken me out to teach me about the different guns and how to shoot them. I have recently gotten my FOID card, so I am sure I will be expected to learn more now. I would venture to say that a gun is a very important tool that you will have a great use for in the event of TEOTWAWKI. From protection to hunting, as long as you have ammo, it will do you a world of good. Of course, you will need more tools than just a gun. My husband never leaves home without his Swiss army pocket knife. I would imagine the tools you have around the house, for example, hammers, saws, hatchets, things of that nature, would be of great use to you. Although, I wouldn’t rely too heavily on anything that requires electricity.

The last thing that I can think of in regards to the man cave would be my husbands bug out bag. Basically, if you need to leave in a hurry, you have this bag packed with things to sustain you for a few days. In the bug out bag you will find things like clothes, food and water. You will want flashlights and batteries, probably some matches. My husband also has a battery powered AM/FM radio, along with a travel alarm clock in his. In the van, he keeps his get home bag. Similar to the bug out bag, only used to get home in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster which makes traveling by car unfeasible.

If you take a look outside my home, you will find a garden. This is not such an unusual thing for most people, but for us, it started with the prepping. He grows a wide variety of different fruits and vegetables. The more self sustainable you are, the better. Recently he has acquired a large barrel. Currently he is in the process of furbishing it with a spigot. Once finished, it will sit out by the garden to collect rain water. During normal times this water will be used for watering the garden. In a survival situation it will be another way of supplementing our water supply. Not too far from the garden are three very long, I would say over twelve feet, four by fours. I am not one hundred percent sure if he has a specific purpose for these, or if they are for “just in case”.

Around the rest of the house, you will notice other aspects of his prepping. Flashlights and candles, batteries and matches, strategically placed in every room. Our television is programmed to switch to the National Geographic Channel when a new episode of Doomsday Preppers airs. All of the “favorite” pages on our computer are about survival and prepping. He also has an array of books on the topic, and I believe at least a couple were written by the editor of this web site. He is always reading, always researching. Whether it be books, web sites, television shows or blogs, he is always looking for new ideas.

I am sure when my husband reads this, he will be pleasantly surprised at how much I pay attention when he talks about these different things. I know that he would like for me to be more involved with the prepping than I am, but it is just not my forte, it’s his. While I may not have a whole lot to say about it, and even though I poke fun at him now and then about different things, I do listen while he talks. I am very privileged to have a husband who will be ready to take care of our family, no matter the situation. Hopefully this has helped some of you. Maybe by mentioning something so simple that it had not yet crossed your mind. Maybe you too have a significant other, who you think couldn’t give two hoots about your prepping. You might be wrong, they just might surprise you.

Buying Silver and Gold as Part of Our Preps, by Jeff in Upstate New York

Let me start by saying that I am not a professional financial advisor.  Nor am I someone who wants to sell you anything, or give “investment” advice.  I am a science teacher.  I had some experience working on Wall Street in my previous carrier.  I have had personal experience trading stocks.  I also have had experience saving money in precious metals.  Many of the questions that I had when I started buying silver and gold are the same ones that you may be asking as well.  You may ask questions like: how and from who, or what kind, or what is the spot price?  I am writing this to give a little direction and share some of our experiences in this matter.

The first time I wanted to buy gold
In 2000, I went to a bank and asked the teller if they had gold.  Boy did I feel stupid.  Guess what? Most banks don’t sell gold. [JWR Adds: A few banks sell American Eagles.] The good news is the teller thought I was joking.  So, I went about my business.  Then I mentioned to my boss that I was interested in buying gold and, as it turned out, he was a big coin collector. He showed me a couple of his gold coins. I was surprised at how small they were and how much he said they were worth. I did not buy any gold that year.  The reason I did not buy gold that year was that I did not know what I was doing.  Since then, I have started my own stack and done some homework that I felt I could share with readers on the blog.

The spot price
The spot price is the price you see when you look at the price of a commodity. It is used by commodities traders who buy and sell commodity contracts.  As I write this, the spot price for silver is $34.78 per Troy Ounce.  The last time that I checked, the spot price for gold was $1712.20.  In the same vein,  the spot price for 100 bushel of corn is $650.60.  You should know what the spot price is before you go out and buy any gold or silver.  However, you should not assume that you can go out and buy at the spot price.  Nearly all gold and silver bullion, coins or jewelry is sold at a premium to the spot price.  The following is an analysis of various types of precious metals that you can buy.  This table was compiled by me using various sources of products that I could fine on-line.  The prices are the retail price sans any shipping, handling or taxes.  The melt value is simply the mass of the item times the spot price.  The last column shows the percent of premium that you may pay if you invested in gold or silver using that particular item, on that day, at that price. Keep in mind that these numbers are for comparison only and you may find different prices.  The spot price for gold and silver is on the left and it changes daily.  I have sorted the “% Premium per ounce” column so you can easily see that jewelry is the most expensive way to buy gold, and bullion bars are the least expensive way.  

Example Premiums on Silver and Gold
When Purchased in Different Forms
Item Weight
(Troy
Ounce)		 Melt
Value		 Price $
Premium
Per Item		 $
Premium
Per Oz.		 %
Premium
Per Oz
Gold (@ $1,725 Per Troy Ounce)
14K Necklace
20″		 0.1972 $340 $749 $409 $2,073 120%
Pre-1933 $2-1/2 0.125 $216 $300 $84 $675 39%
Pre-1933 $5 0.242 $417 $490 $73 $300 17%
Gold Eagle
1/10 Oz.		 0.1 $173 $198 $26 $255 15%

Pre-1933
$10 Indian

 0.484 $835 $919 $84 $174 10%
Gold Eagle
1/2 Oz.		 0.5 $863 $943 $81 $161 9%
Gold Eagle
1/4 Oz.		 0.25 $431 $471 $40 $159 9%
Pre-1933 $20 0.9675 $1,669 $1,782 $113 $117 7%
Am. Eagle 1 Oz. 1 $1,725 $1,816 $91 $91 5%
1Oz. Bar 1 $1,725 $1,767 $42 $42 2%
Silver (@ $33 Per Troy Ounce)
$1 Morgan Dollar 0.788 $26 $33 $7 $9 28%

1 Oz. Silver Eagle

 1 $33 $36 $3 $3 9%
Pre-1964 Quarter 0.18 $6 $6 Nil Nil 1%



Bullion Bars and Coins
There are may people out  there saying “just buy bullion”.  As you can see from the chart above, bullion carries the lowest premium.  Bars especially, have no numismatic or collector value.  You are paying for the gold only and maybe a small amount for the fact that it is in a form that is easily recognized and .999 fine gold.  There are also bullion coins that are sold for there content of gold or silver. The American Eagle comes in silver and gold.  These carry a premium over the bars because they are easily recognizable and they have known purity.  This is also true of other coins such as Maple Leafs, which are produced by governments, but are not intended for circulation as currency.  Just so you know, if you sell to a dealer, large bullion transactions will trigger an IRS 1099b report. American Eagles and pre-1933 gold coins [normally] do not.

Numismatic Coins
These are the pre-1933 gold coins that my boss showed me back in 2000.  I wish I had bought some then.  He had a coin he said was worth $500,  but it only had $350 worth of gold in it. Today that same coin is worth over $1,800.  Most of our silver and gold is in the form of numismatic coins.  I do not buy  “Key Date” or Mint State numismatic coins. Key date coins are coins that are particularly rare and carry high numismatic premium.  The historic value placed on a 1862 New Orleans gold coin is extraordinary.  However, the gold value of that coin is the same as any other $20 gold coin of that period.  Buying high value numismatic coins is like buying fine art.  And, I am afraid that when the SHTF the numismatic value may go out the window.  If you avoid key dates, these coins can be a good way to collect gold and silver.  They are a known quantity.  The $5 Indian head coin always has around ¼ oz of 22k gold.  It has been said that if gold is [again] confiscated that the government won’t take away these old numismatic coins, only bullion.  That may be the way it happened in the past. However, I make no predictions about what the government will do in the future.  I must point out, I find it unlikely that they would confiscate gold today because they simply don’t need it to back the paper currency.

Junk Silver
This is the old coinage minted in or before 1964.  Its not junk.  Its 90% silver and 10% copper.  Coin collectors call it junk because it is common date and there is a lot of it out there. It often sells for near its melt value. Junk silver is the easiest way to collect silver.  Most coin dealers have a bag of old coins in the back. The best time to buy this stuff is a few years ago.  The second best time to get some is as soon as possible.  If there is an issue with paper currency in the US,  junk silver is likely to become a medium of exchange.  Many people have it and it is easily recognized.  Junk silver is easily the closest to melt value that I have found in a convenient recognizable form.

Jewelry
Jewelry is what people bought when owning gold was illegal.  Jewelry also carries the highest premium of all.  I would not recommend buying jewelry for its gold value in today’s market.  Having said that, there are may people who love jewelry and they have been buying the stuff for years.  Jewelry is very durable and does not spoil.  If you bought a gold chain back in the day, it may be worth more than you paid for it.  Throughout history people have used jewelry as an asset in troubled times.  In fact one of my students said that when her mother was fleeing Sarajevo, she first converted all of her assets to fine jewelry which was finally traded for US Dollars when she arrived in New York.  I doubt if she got a good deal, but she got her family out of a war zone.

Where to buy Silver and Gold
Most towns and cities have a store somewhere call something like “Bob’s Coin and Stamp.”  These are usually independent guys who buy and sell old stuff. You may check the yellow pages under “coin dealers”.  Some of these guys also sell antiques, stamps or other collectibles. They usually have junk silver.  They often have gold coins. They generally don’t ask questions and they accept cash.  The coins that they do have tend to be of the numismatic varieties and they have a constantly changing inventory.  They may not have bullion coins and bars because they sell quickly.  When I finally found one of these guys near where I live, I started to go there every payday a pick up a small amount of silver coins.  You don’t have to be rich to start buying junk silver, but when the SHTF, you may be glad you have these.

If you are looking for bullion bars and rounds you may want to check some of the on-line dealers.  Northwest Territorial Mint is a sponsor of SurvivalBlog.  I have heard good things about them, and they have a good web site.   There is also APMEX who I used to get some of the prices in my analysis.  Buying gold from these organizations are is not much different than buying books on Amazon.  You click on your product, give them your credit card number or your  bank routing number, and they send you your gold in the mail. 
Jewelry is a no-brainer. You go to any jewelry store and buy it.  Make sure its on sale.  There is a very high markup on jewelry, so they still make a profit when its 50% off.  Try to find items that speak for themselves.  For instance, a necklace that is 8 grams of 18k gold may be more useful than earrings with rare stones or artistic merit.  Also, of course make sure it’s real.

What do you do with your precious metals?
Many of the companies that sell gold will store your gold for you.  They may also open a gold IRA for you.  There may be financial and tax advantages to having your gold in a custody account.  There may also be some risk to using a custody account. When MF Global went bankrupt, they had only 75% of the gold that they were supposed to have. Many of their customers  took a 25% haircut on their own gold.  Most of these trading houses keep all of their  customer assets in “the street name”.  This is jargon used on Wall Street.  It means that the assets are in the name of the investment company instead of the customer.  During a bankruptcy, those assets become subject to the proceeding of the bankruptcy.  You may have an account that says you have a claim to those assets, but, there is no box with your name on it.  Personally, I feel more comfortable storing my own.  Gold does not take up that much space, its easy to hide and you may want to get a hidden safe.

In conclusion
Depending on the scenarios that you are preparing for, precious metals can become an important part of your preparations.   If you are thinking about precious metals as an investment, be advised that the price may fluctuate.  If the spot price drops, all of the above mentioned items will lose value.  If you are preparing for a short term emergency then cash is king.  If you need to evacuate from a hurricane or flood, cash is more useful than gold or silver.  But, if we are preparing for an economic collapse or hyperinflation, cash is trash. You need to start stacking.  Start small, with cash (in small bills), and junk silver (dimes, quarters and halves).  However, if you want to protect larger assets from economic collapse then gold and silver bullion may be best.

JWR Adds: As I’ve often written, consider hedging into precious metals only after you have your beans, bullets and Band-Aids squared away. Precious metals can be bartered under some circumstances, but don’t consider them a substitute for the much more important aspects of your family’s preparedness.

Two Letters Re: Your Kidneys in TEOTWAWKI

Dear Mr. Rawles,
 
Dr. Bob is 100% accurate in telling people subject to kidney stones to give up coffee, tea and cokes (a.k.a. calcium oxalate).  As a man who has given birth to 14 stones in 10 years, 2 by litho., I am glad to say I am stone free for two years and show no signs of having more stones.  Part of my Southern heritage is enjoying sweet-tea.  But it had to go, along with my morning coffee and afternoon Coke.  I had a headache for 6 days before the caffeine left my body.  Still, I can look at a Coke and just about die craving the sweet caffeine laced beverage.
 
I tried a low sodium diet, but I do not recommend it to anyone unless your physician says it is necessary.  The reason is that some of us on low sodium diets will suffer from depression.  Being on a low sodium diet just about caused a premature end-of-life situation for me.  I do not want stones, but I have got to have salt to keep the other chemicals in my body in-check.
 
By the way, I drink about 32 ounces of acidic juice or lemonade a day.  This is supposedly places acidic compounds in my body that helps to dissolve stones.  One doctor told me I could drink 6 ounces of red wine a day to get similar effects.  I prefer non-alcoholic beverages.  But, water all day long is boring, it is nice to drink something with flavor. – Jon H.

 

Good Morning,
I would like to thank Dr. Bob for all of the valuable information that he shares.  His articles are informative and easy to understand; each one has been printed out and is in my medical binder. 
 
As many women can attest to, drinking cranberry juice at the first sign of a urinary tract infection can flush the system of any bacterial infection.  For long term storage, there are dried cranberries and cranberry tablets made from cranberry extract.  Taking the tablets daily in a TEOTWAWKI situation will provide an extra layer of protection and provide an excellent source of vitamin C.
 
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.  Julie H.

Economics and Investing:

Poor and Elderly: The Five Worst States to Grow Old In. (It should come as no surprise that most of The American Redoubt states are at the opposite end of the list–those with the smallest income gap.)

Greek default looms as voluntary debt deal looks set to fail.

Central banks’ $9 trillion is global economic lifeline

How Much Gold Do You Need to Pay Yale’s Tuition? The Same as in 1900

Items from The Economatrix:

“Plan For An Economic 9-1-1”:  Analysts Warn Americans to Buy Guns and Gold, Predicting Market Crash and Street Riots Within A Year

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jeff R. was the first of several readers to send us this: Blast it or paint it: Asteroid to threaten Earth in 2013?

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Fellow ham radio DXers might find this of interest: International DX Convention, Visalia California, April 20-22. (Thanks to Mrs. R.L.B. for the link.)

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A reminder that the free “SurvivalBlog Reader” App is available for those that use Android phones.

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I recently had a talk with one of my teenage sons about how he will eventually find a good wife. I of course stressed the importance of marrying a fellow Christian who is grounded in sound doctrine. Then I mentioned the sniff test: If an eligible Christian woman has the faint scent of Hoppes #9 instead of Chanel #5, then you’ve found a keeper.

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You may recall the family that produces the excellent “Homesteading for Beginners ” DVD series. They have recently branched out into making their own folding laundry drying racks and some nifty glass washboards. Most of their products are hand made in Wisconsin.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented.” – Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, as quoted by Madison Ruppert in Activist Post

Notes from JWR:

Please keep the residents of Tellico Plains, Tennessee in your prayers. That is the small town nearest Ready Made Resources. (SurvivalBlog’s very first advertiser.) The tornado missed the Ready Made Resources buildings, but I heard that about one third of the town was flattened. For any readers that have orders pending in the current Ready Made Resources’ sale on Mountain House canned freeze dried foods, be advised that there may be some brief shipping delays, but rest assured that you will get your products. Once again, please pray for those that were in the path of the tornado.

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I just noticed that we are rapidly approaching the milestone of 40 Million unique visits for SurvivalBlog. Many thanks for the publicity, folks. I have no doubt that the links in your web pages and in your e-mail footers are helping to drive traffic to SurvivalBlog. Thank you for spreading the word!

How You Can Help Defend South Sudan

An event happened last summer that was hardly noticed by the global media. Following a lengthy civil war and free elections, the new nation of South Sudan was born. This fledgling nation has some tough challenges ahead of it. Marauding Islamist guerillas (the Janjaweed) from the north have had an ongoing campaign of burning villages, wholesale murder, and rape. The raiders even still take some slaves. The Janjaweed has been supported by the Sudanese government in Khartoum. After terrorizing Darfur and creating millions of refugees, according to intelligence analysts they are expected to next turn their attention to South Sudan. The latest twist in regional politics is that the new government in Libya is islamist–replacing Gaddafi’s largely secular government. This will likely put further pressure on Chad, the Darfur region of Sudan, and South Sudan. The people of South Sudan need both your prayers and your tangible support.

I highly recommend watching the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback, about the Sudanese genocide in Darfur. It is now available as a “Watch Instantly” streaming video on Netflix. You won’t appreciate the true gravity of the situation in Darfur and South Sudan until you have watched this film.

Looking at this situation strategically, what South Sudan needs is to establish well-trained and equipped village militias, to stop the marauders. The Janjaweed has been successful in their campaign of terror simply because in most villages, there was nobody shooting back at them. Once the villagers do start shooting back–accurately–then the Islamist raiders will stop. It is just that simple. But this will takes arms and training. This is where the American missionaries can help.

What is Needed:

  1. Prayer. Lots of it.
  2. Rallies and speeches aren’t enough. South Sudan needs boots on the ground. If our government doesn’t have the conviction to provide this, then our citizenry will.
  3. Organization and support infrastructure. The American volunteers need to have a support team–mostly in the U.S. These can all be volunteer retirees. Of immediate need are: a trustworthy banker, a travel coordinator, a logistics coordinator (preferably with some warehouse space near a major airport), a publicity coordinator, a South Sudan embassy liaison (someone that lives inside the D.C. beltway), and a congressional lobbyist (also someone that lives inside the D.C. beltway.)
  4. Logistics and fundraising volunteers in other friendly countries (particularly South Africa, Israel, Australia, Canada and England.)
  5. Copious funds need to be raised to arm the villagers. (Weapons, ammunition, web gear, cleaning equipment, HESCO bastions, et cetera.) Some of this could come from government grants. Some of the equipment could come from the south Sudan government, by way of the US government’s FMS program.
  6. Funds need to be raised for volunteer American Mobile Training Teams (MTT)s and a small support team in the nation’s capitol, Juba. This will include travel expenses, vehicles, weapons, field gear, fuel, meal stipends, and training expenses.)
  7. The MTTs need to be equipped and first get some brief “train the trainer” experience in the U.S. to master “The Way of the AK.” (AK armorer skills, marksmanship, and effective employment.)

Issues and Challenges

  • Unity of purpose. The volunteers will undoubtedly have a variety of faiths. The president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, is a Catholic. The nation itself is a conglomeration of animists, Christians of various denominations and a few muslims. There are a variety of tribal factions and more than 60 indigenous languages spoken in the country. Please pray that everyone involved finds unity in the common purpose of defending South Sudan.
  • Full cooperation of the new South Sudan government is needed, to provide visas, carnets, end use certificates, et cetera.
  • Help is needed from American companies, and companies abroad. Donated gear, or gear that is made available “at cost” would be greatly appreciated.
  • War on a shoestring budget. This volunteer program will have to accomplish a lot with minimal support. Please pray for a lot of “loaves and fishes” miracle moments.
  • There is presently great difficulty in identifying friend-from-foe, in the region. I recommend that all weapons and magazines used by the villagers and the MTTs be painted in flat Multicam colors. The MTTs should all wear Multicam uniforms. (Note: The South Sudanese are mostly blacks, while the Janjaweed raiders are mostly lighter-skinned arabs. The villagers, the JEM, the SLM, and the Janjaweed all wear a civilian tribal clothing and a mish-mash of camouflage uniforms. They are armed with an odd assortment of weapons, mostly AK-47s and and AKM variants. The Janjaweed, as proxies of the Sudanese government have also been given some M14s and G3s. The south Sudanese also have a mix of small arms including AKs and G3s. There is a similar motley assortment of vehicles. The risk of having volunteers shot by mistake must be avoided.)
  • The Janjaweed’s modus operandi is to shut down cell phone transmissions just before raiding a village. So reliable HF radios need to be provided as a backup to the existing cellular networks.
  • The new government is poorly funded and not yet fully organized. They are focused on securing foreign aid and quelling internal disputes among various ethnic and tribal groups.
  • The Janjaweed is mainly mounted on horseback, giving them superior mobility. (Essentially it is a war between mounted arab nomads and peasant farmers and herdsmen. It is sort of a modern-day Magnificent Seven situation. But in this case the trainers will receive no pay.)

Key Goals:

  1. Share the gospel of Christ.
  2. Make every penny count. Create an all-volunteer organization with virtually no office overhead. (I recommend that it be modeled on The Gideons, where the volunteers actually pay annual dues.)
  3. Every man in a village with reasonable acumen will be trained as a minuteman style soldier. They will be trained to the best of their ability, preferably to the level of expert marksman.
  4. Develop resilient, redundant communications.
  5. Foster respect for the sovereignty of the South Sudan government.
  6. Security, peace and prosperity for the villagers.

My Hopes For Your Personal Mission:

  1. Volunteer your time.
  2. Encourage your Christian relatives with Iraq or Afghanistan combat experience to volunteer to go to South Sudan as missionaries. They will be “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition” type missionaries. Particularly needed are: marksmanship trainers, armorers (with AK-47, G3, and M14 experience), infantry small unit tacticians, commo specialists, and medics.
  3. If you can’t spare the service of your sons and daughters, then send some money, AK-47 magazines, and .30 caliber rifle cleaning kits. Details on where and how to to do this will follow.
  4. Even if you can’t spare a dime, please pray for South Sudan and Darfur. Please make it part of your daily prayers.