Letter Re: Extreme Couponing

James,

I read your book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” and immediately began my prepping.

I was watching a program on television last night about “Extreme Couponing”. I think this might be a great topic for those of us who are prepping but have limited financial resources.   The gist of the show was individuals took advantage of coupons, grocery store membership rewards and in-store sales all at the same time. One example on the show was a woman had over $1,000 worth of retail groceries and after coupons and other discounts offered by the store, she paid around $8 for those same groceries. Another gentleman paid around $250 for over $5,000 worth of groceries. The guy ended up donating close to 1,100 boxes of Total brand cereal to his church for families in need. These people save an average of over 90% of their retail grocery bill and their food storages are massive   I will do some research and it may take some serious planning and dedication, but to acquire food storage at 10% of retail cost will be a great advantage. As long as you don’t mind I will pass this research along to you to disseminate as you see fit.   Thanks for your time, – Tim S.

Letter Re: The Queensland Floods

Jim,

I’m almost 58 years old –  have lived in North Queensland (“Qld”) most of my life.  This is the worst flooding in Qld that I can remember – it is so widespread.  I have a house in Townsville, but have spent most of the last two years at my retreat area, 4.5 hours by car from here, and Townsville does not usually experience a lot of rain. 

However, found myself in Townsville before Christmas, and the road then flooded over at Ingham, and was not able to drive to my retreat area to be with my daughter for Christmas (we Skyped instead).  My daughter lives 10 minutes by car from my r/area.

People just do not listen.   So many people just too intent on doing what they wanted – and drove right into towns north of Townsville – but road blocked further ahead, and then, rivers rose – and they could not turn around…we have a single lane national highway for most of Australia.

We have one National Highway. Are you laughing?  I am serious, look it up. Our overtaking areas are few and far between.  And it is circa 120 kilometers between Ingham and Townsville.  There is not much between Townsville and Ingham – bush, trees and more bush.  (However after Ingham, each small town Cardwell, Tully, Innisfail – usually 30-40 kms from each other at – 100 kms maximum speed limit in Qld.

People had to spend the night in their car – there are few places to safely take refuge on either side of the road and it is hot and humid here for about 9 months of the year.  With all the rain, more humidity.   If one tries to just pull off the road and park, the semi-trailers will just drive right up the back of the parked car if they do not see you in time …the road does not even have a decent shoulder area in a lot of places in Nortth Qld. 

As an aside, our railroad system is a joke – more for carrying minerals – nickel, zinc, etc than for transporting people.  Our island continent is so vast – easier to travel by plane. 

So, you have to continue until you can park right off the road.  Yet with the flooding – people were stranded in the middle of the road.  One stranded guy on the news footage complained he had mosquitoes buzzing around his head all night…and he was about my age…yet did not have the sense to stay off the road during torrential downpours.

And then the flooding further south just kept increasing.  People are still being evacuated from their homes as I write this at circa 10:30 pm – and flooding started before Christmas. 

My back yard and the neighbour’s yard were covered in water.  The water level in my in-ground pool rose fast – I am used to lots of heavy rain – from Innisfail – but this was incredible. And I was not going outside with the lightning / thunder just to drain the pool.

I normally listen to the TV at 17 volume. I had to raise it to 31 just to hear the news during the heaviest of downpours. 

The strangest thing is – we had thunder and lightening starting in the morning and continuing for most of the day – for about 3 days – this is very unusual and rare – I have lived here for 17 years and can only recall afternoon storms.  I had to have the lights on in the house in the middle of the day…can you appreciate how bright it is here in summer (compared to summer in Europe or London). 

The news footage shows people of various ages, walking about without footwear.  And their arms and head are exposed to the elements.

It appeared from the news footage that people were just throwing what they could into their cars, or carrying containers in their arms or perched on their shoulder, or being lifted into the boats without even a carry bag with personal items / medications.

Locals have been caught out – and most of us have been through floods/cyclones etc before – one lady on the evening news said she had no medication with her and that her animals were home unattended – she was just sitting in her car – unable to go forward or back – no way around – huge expanse of dirty water everywhere.   

When the fatigue sets in – there will be anger – but to what avail.

The local government authorities cut electricity to the towns – people were walking about in flood water – they do not understand that fallen live power lines in the water that they are walking in, and skimming their body boards on, can electrocute them. 

Two local government employees were removing timber boards that had blocked the drains – the force of the water dragged them both in (yet they were only waist deep) for 20 metres underground. Both emerged alive at the other end – one was unconscious and taken to hospital …they were both fit and experienced people – and they were lucky.

People were told to stock up, but then, authorities cut power off, and people were told to evacuate. This shows how quick this unfolded as town after town became inundated.

Now there are reports of looting – people were evacuated out of the towns, police officers and the State Emergency Services personnel stayed behind to prevent looting – now the residents have been allowed to return to some towns as the flood waters have continued south – and today’s news showed a resident stating that his house had been looted.  Another elderly gentleman had his wife’s jewelry taken – this is going to hit the elderly severely – the vigor seems to have left their speech. 

There have been an unusually high number of ‘natural disasters’ occurring around Christmas day lately.  We are also seeing the chaos from the amount of snow the US/UK/Europe has had – so your kind words acknowledging Queenslanders’ sufferings are received with thanks.  I will pass them on. 

One reason I did not become one of the stranded people on their way to relatives before Christmas was because I heeded the messages posted on your blog.   I am thankful.  I have been doing my QuickBooks, catching up with reading, baking bread, repacking my BOB and spending way too long on writing emails such as this one. 

A belated Season’s Greetings to you and your family. Regards, – Mrs. G. in Queensland, Australia

Economics and Investing:

Greg C. sent this: Coins vs. Bags: Comparing Two Options in Physical Silver. Pre-1965 90% silver coins are not only a better buy, but they’ll have wider acceptance for barter in the U.S..

SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent an indicator of incipient higher fuel prices: Crude Oil Inventory Watch: U.S. Inventories Plunge as Demand Soars

Siggy mentioned this over at the Calculated Risk blog: Unofficial Problem Bank List Dec 31, 2010

Items from The Economatrix:

Treasury Prices Rebound After $29 Billion Bond Auction  

Metals Gain As Investors Seek Protection

2011:  Baby Boomers Come Of Age:  16 Statistics  

Inflation Watch:

All Evidence Points To A Dramatic Increase In Food Prices Worldwide, Possible Shortages

Reader Tom C. wrote to mention: “I just bought some K-1 kerosene. It was priced at $3.49 gallon, up form $3.09 only six weeks ago.”

“Hyperinflation Will Drive Gold To Unthinkable Heights”

Oil’s Surge In 2010 Paves Way for $4 Gasoline  

News from India: Soaring metal prices ring death knell for 25p coins. Does this sound familiar?

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The Year of the 1911: Gear up for it… Every gun magazine in the world is going to be running articles and photos about every kind of 1911 on the market past, present and future.  And that’s cool… but not everyone likes a 1911.  We call those people, ‘Wrong.'” – George D. Hill (Editor of the Mad Ogre Blog), writing about the 100th Anniversary of the John M. Browning’s Colt Model 1911’s adoption by the U.S. Army. (To be precise, it was adopted on March 29, 1911. We are planning a special family M1911 shooting event here at the ranch for March 29, 2011, to celebrate.)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 32 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 32 ends on January 31st, 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.

The Razor’s Edge, by Don V.

“The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.” – W. Somerset Maugham

The United States and a majority of the world stand at the proverbial razor’s edge and as most preppers realize, the road to salvation will definitely be difficult.  The coming changes may happen tomorrow or ten years from now but the grand clock is in countdown mode.  Many experts like to focus on specific issues but it is the culmination of these separate issues that will create the ultimate crisis.  Evaluating each issue allows the opportunity to see how quickly the clock is counting down. 

The elephant in the room for the US, Europe and Japan is debt.  The sovereign debt crisis in Europe is spiraling wildly with Britain and Germany desperately lending to bring it under control so it does not end up in their countries.  The PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) are making news with riots, bailout packages and austerity measures, but the same austerity measures are being passed in Sweden, Iceland, France, and Britain.  Part of the ideal behind the European Union was to foster a closer competitive business unit and all banks in all European countries have some debt at risk in the other countries.  This is the root of the problem.  If one country cannot pay its debt, it can bring the others crashing down.

The US is not far behind.  In December of 2010, tax cuts were not only extended but enhanced, while increasing unemployment benefits while a funding bill is stalled due to earmarks.  This is not unusual for the US Government however it is while we are at a $13 trillion dollar debt.  If you put the debt on a line graph over the last fifty years, it is appalling at how quickly our debt as increased.  This does not take into consideration that municipal debt and both local and state governments are near bankruptcy which could trigger to a great US default.  Japan is at the same stage with a staggering debt and an inability to pay. With either the US or a grander European default, it has the potential of bring the other one down as well as Japan as the banks all hold debt from the other countries.

The second issue behind the debt is the devaluation of the dollar.  This is a unique issue because it could be a solely US problem.  Currently the US dollar is utilized as the international currency for trade and is also the world reserve currency due to its stability.  To explain, Europeans purchasing goods outside of Europe use dollars.  It is used largely in the Middle East and South America.  Other countries hold US dollars as a hedge against inflation or deflation of their currency.  According to the IMF, 62% of currency reserves in 2009 were US dollars.  The US in 2010 started quantitative easing which ultimately means that more dollars are being issued.  With many countries holding US dollars the sting is not so severe to those in the US as compared to other countries who print money during a crisis.  However, the small sting that Americans are feeling is felt by the rest of the world holding US currency.  Like all smart investors, they will reduce their holdings in poor investments, which the US dollar is becoming.  As more people shed their holdings, more will become poor in the USA, creating an inflationary hurricane that no amount of interest increases will ease.  This is already occurring as evidenced by the run on gold, IMF suggestions of a new world reserve currency and even prohibitions on the acceptance of the US dollar in some countries.  The fear of a sudden drop of the US dollar as the world currency is highly unlikely, but the continual reduction of holdings at a reasonable investment amount is very likely.  The reason behind this is that if any country suddenly decided to liquidate their US dollar holdings, it would create a panic and devalue them faster than they could sell.  Also it would create a secondary impact on the sovereign debt crisis as it would become obvious that all the US debts, while being paid rather quickly would be valueless.  Thus Japan and Europe will be very careful how the move on the US dollar, unless somebody like Russia or China provides guarantees. Whether our allies remain our allies or sell to the highest bidder, it will get worse for the average American as countries hold less US dollars and more reenter circulation.

We are also at an Oil Peak Production.  This is a fancy term to say that we have maxed out our ability to discover and produce oil easy and cheaply.  While global reserves may last a good long while (and nobody really knows how long) the fact remains that oil companies must drill deeper, farther off shore and other remote areas to access oil.  If oil becomes more difficult to produce and/or the amount of production becomes less, the law of supply and demand requires extensive increases in cost.  If we examine how oil impacts a single gallon of milk, we realize oil is utilized to create the carton that holds the milk, fuels and builds the truck that brings it to market, fuels the farm equipment and provides fertilizer for the grain eaten by the cows and hundreds of other tiny impacts along the way.  If oil becomes unavailable or too expensive, many of our everyday items will be very costly or simply cease to be made. 

The world is also entering a food crisis.  Russia prohibited the export of food in 2010 due to shortages.  Food is the main tension in North Korea and type in food riots in Google and you will be amazed at the hits.  Food production cannot be further increased.  Food production since 1970 was routine increased through mechanical and chemical enhancements until the mid-1990s whereupon we started to stagnate.  The promise of bioengineered and genetically modified crops did not provide the same advancements of the Green Revolution and many believe that it is detrimental.  In addition, many of the world’s fisheries are endangered with strict limits and much reduced harvests that are only allowing the loosest definition of sustainability. The ability to water crops is also becoming a significant problem, even in the USA where the traditional California farming productions is competing with individual water use. With the population continuing to grow and food production at a halt or potential decline; we are faced with hungry people.  Hungry people are desperate and dangerous.

What I believe to be the largest and most threatening of issues is the Moral Crisis.  To determine where the moral crisis has originated is difficult but the factors include a bias toward the older generations values and learned lessons and that “newer” is better, a loss of basic Christian values and the replacement of civil government as God. This has brought us to the point where people are more concerned about whether something is “legal” versus “right.”  In the US today, the majority of people live in urban areas designed as residences instead of communities.  Companies no longer hire workers but have resorted to employers and employees who are often at odds with each other.  Ultimately, a society has been created that has very little care, respect or value for its fellow citizens, aside from times of national tragedy.  This Moral Crisis could be the damnation of us all as we need leaders who will make hard and tough decisions.  This requires strong moral fiber not only of the leaders but of the constituents who demand what is right. 

Any one of these five issues is a full blown crisis all alone.  All five are nearing catastrophic potential that would change everyday life for all of us.  The scary part is that each one of them could bring the others to a head at nearly the same time.  Even if by some fortunate stroke of luck that the main thrusts of each crisis is separated by years or even decades; their impact will be dramatic and we are feeling the effects now.  Yet somehow our government has kept up this juggling act of immense proportions.  It leads to the question of what will be the trigger that brings all the balls to the ground, or the proverbial razor’s edge.  Will the juggler trip over one of the props on stage; whether it be a pandemic, a war in the Koreas, a solar flare, a natural disaster, a massive boomer generation retirement or global warming?  Or will one ball drop and distract his attention bringing down the show?  Could it be that our juggler does not have an end of show planned and is simply fatigued to the point of failure?  We hope for the juggler to collect all the balls as intended and end the edge-of-our-seat-performance with a flourishing bow.  Yet until the show ends, it takes only a single spark to burn down the entire stage.

Two Letters Re: Thoughts on SHTF Communications

Sir:
I feel that any article that brings attention to the need for communications in the future is a very good article! However, Carl really needs to upgrade to a General or higher class license and experience just what some of the HF bands can do for him. How well something like 75 meter phone can cover a very wide area that will put his favored two meters to shame, no matter how “big” the two meter station is. Not to mention really long distance communications with no infrastructure whatsoever on whatever ham band happens to be working at the time.

There are a few radios on the market that are very well suited for doing most all of the things needed for a true “do it all” radio. The Kenwood TS 2000 is such a radio. For much more secure radio communications, the newer 900Mhz digital spread spectrum radios are the thing to have. This is the type that was used by the military a few years ago, And local listeners with scanners will not hear anything when these are operating. (Spread spectrum “spreads” the transmission over the whole band, And the digital breaks the transmission up into thousands of little “bits” ) This type of radio will be secure from all but the higher level government “snoops” who have some fairly sophisticated equipment. I would like to point out the article I wrote for SurvivalBlog some time ago regarding ham radio.

To update that article, The newly available “spread spectrum” radios is about all I could add.

Thanks again to JWR for a great blog site! – Extraman

 

James;
I really appreciated Carl L.’s well thought-out post on SHTF Communications.  Although we have a licensed UHF business frequency for our retreat, my like minded friend has convinced me to get my Technician licence for communications with him and others through the amateur  repeater system.  I plan on taking the test when I get back from an overseas trip next month.   I would like to point out another part of SHTF communications and that is SIGINT.  A good quality short wave radio is important to hear what is going on around the world and the country.  A wide band scanner is also a very useful tool to obtain raw data from local government sources such as Police, Fire, Sheriff, Highway Patrol, EMS, CAP, etc.  Since our location is remote and surrounded by federal lands, we also have out scanner programmed for all FRS, GRMS and MURS frequencies to detect anyone using these inexpensive radios near us in a SHTF scenario.   I recently purchased a CB radio and base antenna for our radio room.  I view the CB as another tool for SIGINT.  Truck drivers traveling cross country are constantly advising each other of their travels on the CB.  This could prove valuable in a bug out vehicle.    At night, with a good base antenna, you can listen to “skip” transmissions from all over the country.  This could be a very important and an inexpensive method of getting a SIGINT picture of what is happening around the country in a grid down situation since there are so many CB radios around the country, many of them in vehicles.  The radios are inexpensive and storing an extra radio in a Faraday Cage (a steel trashcan with lid) is cheap.   By being a good listener in days of a crisis, valuable intelligence can be gathered to make better decisions.   – P.D.

Economics and Investing:

John R. recommended a piece by Jim Willie: Ultimate Cost of 0% Money

Also from John R.: U.S. foreclosures jumped in the third quarter; Newly initiated foreclosures up more than 30 percent

Venezuela Devaluing Currency to Revive Economy/ (Thanks to Dan L. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Dude, Where’s My Job?  

Gold Hits Three-Week High On Weak Dollar  

Energy Stocks Rally to Fresh Two-Year Highs

US Dollar Seen Rising in 2011 After Rough 2010   (JWR is dubious…)

10% Brits Will Be Jobless in 2011 

Odds ‘n Sods:

Dennis mentioned the Sustainable Local Food and Farm Conference in Grass Valley, California that will be held on January 22, 2011.

   o o o

Our changing sun. Solar max by the middle of the decade? Major flares?

   o o o

A World in Crisis: What the thirties tell us about today. (Thanks to John R. for the link,)

   o o o

Beau spotted a web site with a lot of military field manuals. Most of the manuals can be downloaded and saved or printed.  

   o o o

The Polish Rosomak APC Debuts in Afghanistan

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” – John 3:36 (KJV)

Notes from JWR:

The folks in Queensland, Australia that have been inundated are in our prayers. This catastrophe should serve as a reminder for everyone living in lowland areas to be prepared!

—

Today we present another two entries for Round 32 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 32 ends on January 31st, 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.

Thoughts on SHTF Communications, by Carl L.

The scope of this article: I was involved in a discussion in the SHTF411 chat-room regarding SHTF radio communications.  Being a licensed Amateur Radio (ham) operator, I jumped in and put my two cents into the mix.  In the course of that discussion, I was asked to write something up on the subject.  

Now, I am no expert on the subject and to be sure.  I sometimes feel that I am the least qualified among my peers.  With that in mind, please understand that much of what I’ve written in this essay is only my opinion and there will be many other more qualified opinions out there.  As such, rebuttal and corrections are welcome.  We all have many things to learn, and I am no exception.   A bit about me: I have been an Amateur Radio operator for about 15 years now.  

I am a no-code technician class, which enables me the use of bottom tier Amateur Radio privileges.  That means that I don’t engage in long distance ham communications over HF frequencies.  I can, however, use any frequencies assigned to the amateur bands, 6 meters (about 54 Megahertz) and above.  My interest in Amateur Radio was formed back in college because my advisor was an avid ham guy.  But I have no real interest in progressing further within the Amateur Radio hobby because my primary purpose for becoming involved in ham radio was that it gave me another outlet to apply my knowledge in electronics.  There is plenty of opportunity for improving my electronics and radio skills at 6-meters and above.  In fact, the real motivator was to provide communications between my wife and I because we couldn’t afford cell phones back in those days, and getting our ham licensees has served us well, from that point of view.   I have been an active participant in the field of electronics ever since I can remember – even at the age of about 5 or 6 years old.  I have a degree in Electronics Technology.  I chose the technology route, rather then a full engineering degree because a technology degree is aimed more at hands-on knowledge, rather then strictly theoretical.  I love working out on the manufacturing floor and felt that sitting at a desk would drive me even more Everyone then calls me loony, but without the mental stress of being cooped up in a four-walled cubical.  

General comments: The conversation in the chat room started out with some of the more mundane technical aspects of radio communications, such as what type radio to use, etc…  But in reality, before you run out and buy some radios, it would be wise to understand what is really out there, and the benefits, as well as the detractions associated with the huge variety of radio equipment that is available.   Let’s start with my views on CB radio, first.   I first got started with CB when I was about sixteen years old.  My first CB radio was an old Johnson Communications CB radio that used vacuum tubes.  It was a good radio and I got many years use out of the thing.  They were quite forgiving.  In fact, I used the metal springs of my bed as an antenna.  If you tried that with a modern day radio, the RF finals would blow out in a matter of a second or two.   From my point of view, the CB (about 27 to 28 Megahertz) is too public for use in a SHTF scenario.  Plus, the typical inexpensive CB radio only has 40 channels, while the better radios also have upper and lower side-band.  While CB would be better then nothing, I think the construction of hand-held CB radios is sub-standard and they are bulky.  I would stay away from CB, if at all possible.  

Then there is the Family Radio Service (FRS).  As the name implies, this radio service was intended to be used for family activities, such as camping, hiking, bicycle riding, boating, hunting and other general purpose family communications activities.  The advantage of FRS over CB is that, while CB uses Amplitude Modulation (AM), and is very interference prone while, FRS uses Frequency Modulation (FM), is relatively noise free.  A considerable disadvantage to FRS might be that, it operates on a much higher frequency and therefore its operation is typically only good for “Line-Of-Sight” communications.  Bear in mind that, if you can’t see the other radio, you can’t communicate with that other radio.  Basically, if there are hills or buildings between you and the other individual you are trying to communicate with, quality and reliability of the communications will be severely degraded.   CB, on the other hand, is more dependent on atmosphere conditions.  We have all heard of the term “Skip”.  Skip occurs when the atmosphere is in such a condition that radio waves traveling up into the atmosphere can be reflected back to earth, extending the effective range of communications.  But this mode of communications isn’t reliable, as the atmosphere is continually changing.  You may communicate well today, or even next week, but in a month or so, you might not be able to get past “Line-Of-Sight”.   If you want to communicate by radio in the present scenario and do not want to take the time study for an FCC issued Amateur radio license, CB and FRS are probably your best and cheapest alternatives.  And what ever your personal preference is, as well, is perfectly acceptable.  

If you catch a hint that I might be biased toward Amateur radio and the 2-meter band in particular, it’s because I am!  But to be sure, there are sound reasons that I’m biased toward the 2-meter (144-148 MHz) FM band – based on my particular experience in the 2-meter FM band.  I’m biased heavily toward 2-meter FM because I am already heavily invested in the 2-meter Amateur band.  I’d upgrade to a General or advanced license, for sure.  But the expense I’d have to lay out for good HF (High Frequency, or shortwave) equipment is daunting and I’d much rather spend what money I have available on other survival items. Time is short and I want “The biggest bang for my buck!”  I am in this position, mostly because the 2-meter band offered the best alternative to my wife and me when we first got into Amateur radio.  Back then (and even still today) there were (and still are) an abundance of 2-meter repeaters.  Basically, a repeater listens on one frequency and retransmits on another frequency.  The person doing the talking is listening on the frequency that the repeater transmits on, and transmits on the frequency that the repeater is listening on.  If the repeater antenna is placed on a water tower, hill top or mountain top, communications distances can be increased to a hundred miles or more.  In the area where I live, there are about 80 or so repeaters for use.  There are repeaters that allow a person to talk nation wide.  And there are repeaters that connect to the internet and allow world-wide communications.  But for the latter, you need a web-capable radio to accomplish this amazing feat.  The Yaesu FT-250R hand-held radio has these features available within it, allowing it to communicate over the internet to other repeaters incorporating the web-net feature.  

My Radio Equipment:
Currently, I’ve got mostly a hodgepodge accumulation of 2-meter radios.  My mobile units consist of a 50 Watt Yaesu 8900, a 50 Watt Yaesu 2600, a 50 Watt Kenwood and a 25 Watt Alnico packet-only radio.   For hand-held radios I have a 5 Watt Alnico, a Yaesu 5 Watt 50RD, a Yaesu 5 Watt Vx, a Yaesu 5 Watt FT-150R, two Yaesu 5 Watt FT-250R’s and some off-brand thingy I can’t recall by who.  In addition, I have a 35 Watt linear amplifier in the event that a hand-held unit requires more RF power and I have a 160 Watt linear RF amplifier for the mobile/base units.  Note too, every radio I have will operate from 12VDC, making them all prime for emergency operation from any usable car battery.  So, in combination with my solar power system, reliable communications is a virtual guarantee.  If grid power is available, I have a 50 ampere, 13.8 VDC bench-top power supply that will power the 160 Watt linear amplifier and a couple mobile/base radios.  In addition, I have grid powered and solar powered NiMH battery chargers to ensure longevity of operation of all of the hand-held radios.  The only dud in the bunch of hand-held radios I currently have is the is the Yaesu 50RD.  And that is only because I don’t have a battery pack that will hold NiMH AA batteries so, it’s life is limited to the two factory made NiMH battery pack that I have.   My goal is to eventually have a compliment of hand-held radios that are all the exact same make and model.  There are several benefits to this.  One is that I can purchase software that will enable me to program all of them, the exact same way, standardizing on frequency/memory assignments.  Another advantage is that, even though I have mostly Yaesu hand-held radios, they all operate slightly differently, depending on the specific features within them.  With using all the same model radios, members of the retreat group will only need to become familiar with one radio.  And yet another advantage to employing identical radios is that, as radio parts break or fail, they will all use the same parts.  So, battery packs and antennas – the most likely parts to fail – will all be interchangeable.  

I mentioned Digital Packet.  I don’t really know how viable Digital Packet will be in a SHTF scenario.  I certainly wouldn’t want my call sign being continually broadcast 24/7.  But as I expect there will be emergency traffic on Digital Packet, I’ll probably turn off the transmit feature and simply monitor emergency text messages.  One of the major disadvantages with Digital Packet is that it requires a computer to read the text messages.  In a grid-down scenario, this would not be practical as, I’d want that kind of power being used for other more important uses.   Technical Aspects of radio: A thorough coverage of radio is not practical here, but I will attempt to cover some of the every basics.   From a lay person point of view, there are really only a few terms to know.  

The most talked about seems to be Standing Wave Ratio (SWR).  SWR is basically the amount of RF energy that doesn’t make it out of your antenna and is reflected back into your radio.   SWR is a ratio of RF leaving the antenna (out into space) to the RF being reflected back to the transmitter. High SWR values will destroy the output final of your transmitter.  The cause of high SWR is a result of property mismatches between the transmitter output, the transmission cable and the antenna.  The transmitter is inherently designed to match the transmission cable, providing the proper type cable is used.  The main source of high SWR is a result of property mismatches between the transmission cable and the antenna.  While not all of the antenna mismatching is due to improper antenna length, in large part, an antenna can be tuned to lower the SWR of the transmission system by tuning the antenna length.  The ideal SWR is 1:1.1.  This is considered to be a perfect match.   The device that measures the SWR of your transmission system is called an SWR meter.  Most SWR meters are specifically designed for a specific band of operating frequencies.  That is, you can’t generally use the same SWR meter to tune a 2- meter antenna system and a CB or 10-meter HF transmission system, unless specifically designed to do so.  For CB and 10-meter tuning you will need an HF SWR meter and for 2-meters, you will need a VHF/UHF (Very-High/Ultra-High) frequency SWR meter.   Many CB enthusiasts believe that more power equals more distance.  But is simply a myth!  True, for a given antenna setup, more power will give more distance.  But the chances are, a well-tuned antenna will provide greater effective radiated power (the RF power actually leaving your antenna) then would purchasing a linear RF amplifier.  The mode of thinking should be, perfect your antenna first!  Then, if more Effective Radiated Power (ERP) is required – only after getting the best performance out of your antenna – add the linear RF amplifier.  If the Antenna is not performing at its best, you are only wasting money, power and you are more then likely damaging your transmitter, over the long-haul.  If you already own the SWR meter, or if you can borrow one, best transmitter performance is free, save the time spent.  But to spend a few hundred dollars on a 160 Watt RF linear amplifier would be a total waste, if your antenna was the real problem.   In radio communications, RF power isn’t what the linear RF amplifier uses.  RF power is that which leaves the antenna to do useful transmission of the desired information.  So then, I own a 160 watt linear RF amplifier.  If the amplifier is outputting 160 watts, the RF energy being reflected back to the transmitter is 40 watts, negating transmission line losses, I’m only putting 120 Watts of Effective Radiated Power out of the antenna.  This is about an SWR of 1:1.4, which roughly means about 25% or that precious RF power is being wasted as heat at the RF output of my expensive $360 linear RF amplifier.  In terms of effective radiated power, this is a huge loss.  

Antennas:
There are many, many kinds of antennas.  The two most popular are the “Mono-Pole Ground Plane” and the “Yagi”.  The mono-pole ground plane antenna is Omni-directional – meaning that, the RF energy is transmitted in all directions around a 360 degree circle away from the antenna.  A Yagi antenna is directional.  That is, if you point the Yagi antenna in a specific direction, the bulk of the energy emitted from it will be concentrated in only one direction.  If you think about this, with a ground plane type antenna, the RF energy is sent in all directions and this means that there is less energy traveling in any given direction.  The result is shortened distance, but you effectively are able to communicate equally well in all directions, be it for better or for worse.   But with a Yagi antenna, most of the RF energy is directed toward one direction.  What this means is that you will be able to communicate further in the direction in which the antenna is pointing then you could out of the sides and in the back end of the Yagi antenna.  And please note that, because a Yagi is highly directional, this property dictates that some method will be required to rotate the Yagi (directionally) toward those you intend to communicate with.   Each type of antenna has its purpose.  For me, communication on simplex (without the aid of a repeater, or attempting to reach a repeater at a far distance) a Yagi would be best.  But for local two-way (simplex) communications between my wife and me (especially with hopes of maximum privacy) a mono-pole ground plane antenna would be more effective.   Effective communications tactics in a SHTF scenario: In this area I am very inexperienced. 

I know some of the standard Amateur Radio emergency procedures, but a SHTF scenario like what we all are expecting would require communications methods far different than that for emergency communications.  For one thing, Amateur Radio emergency radios communications are set up to make contact in the broadest of ways.  An emergency ham command post would be attempting to communicate with as many services as possible.   But in a SHTF scenario, I’d tend to think that we would want communications with only those within your retreat group or possible adjacent groups that we may have built a common relationship and trust.  As such, all of the radios in the group would necessarily be required to use the minimum ERP possible.  That means the Command & Control center would probably be operating the mobile/base units at the 5 Watt setting and not the 25 or 50 Watt setting.  Likewise, the remote hand-held devices would necessarily be operating on the 0.5 or 1 Watt setting.  For communications at greater distances, I’d insist that the radio be switched over from the monopole ground plane antenna to the Yagi, and at the lowest power setting that provided reliable communications.  Remember, the Yagi is directional in nature, so all of the energy from the other 280 or so degrees will be concentrated into the remaining 80 degrees, extending communications to a proportionally further distance.   Each member in the group should be well trained on the communications methods that have been established based on some standard of best practices – but those best practices must be decided by the group as a whole, based on your particular situation, or by someone with tactical communications experience.  And that wouldn’t necessarily be me…  

I’d make every individual in the group take on a handle – even the little ones.  That would be some label that will positively identify you within the group, but not to outsiders who might be listening in stealth.   If more then one mobile/base radio is available, use one radio for say, long distance communications or perimeter patrols, and the second unit for internal communications between different activities, such as gardening, medical, mechanical, etc…   Other forms of communications: One form of communications that I believe will be invaluable will be shortwave radio.  While this is mainly a one-way communications method, it will probably provide information from hams, as well as important international information.  Of note, When Iraq invaded Kuwait , I heard some of the first international broadcasts of that event – long before the event was revealed to the U.S. public by the MSM.  In fact, it was so shocking my wife didn’t believe me when I first told her about the invasion.  She thought I was listening to some foreign propaganda.  My wife took the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq more seriously when she was told that she was being deployed to Saudi Arabia, where she then spent the next nine months as a “Desert Rat.”  

If/when you do purchase a shortwave radio, don’t get cheap!  Get a Grundig or comparable quality shortwave radio.  I have two Grundig shortwave radios with a Radio Shack label.  The older shortwave radio is more then 23 years old.  It still works perfectly.  And I’m so confident in this radio, I use it as an alarm clock to wake me every day to go to work.  The newer short wave radio is currently Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) protected [by storing it is a Faraday enclosure].  It is every bit as good quality as the older radio, but about two thirds the size.  I spent somewhere between $200 and $250 for each of these short wave radios.  They were one of the best purchases I’ve ever made and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.   Another device that might be of importance is a general purpose scanner.  While I’ve had one or two scanners over the years, they aren’t something I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know.  But to be sure, if you do decide to purchase a scanner, don’t hesitate to spend the money on a good quality unit – it will repay you many times over.  

 

Some Useful Links to Amateur Radio Information:

Where it all begins, The ARRL

Testing Preparation

Further Study

Basic radio

More learning

Places to buy gear

Shortwave tutorial

Shortwave Listening