Letter Re: Our Experience with a Chimney Fire

Mr. Rawles,
Recent posts about chimney fires mention the value of having ones chimney cleaned at least once per year. Most volunteer fire companies do chimney cleaning for a nominal donation. It gives the homeowners a chance to get their chimney cleaned and make a donation towards their community’s fire service, it helps the fire company by making one more house less likely to have a chimney fire, and it benefits both parties by getting folks to interact with and perhaps join their local volunteer fire department. Best, – RMV

Letter Re: Forecasting the Weather in a Grid-Down Situation

Old Farmer wrote an excellent piece. As he noted, each area is different and has its own patterns. I have spent decades as a pilot and have learned to read the weather fairly well. A couple of tips the Farmer left out:

1. If you place your left shoulder into the wind (or the direction from which the clouds are moving) you are facing into an area of low pressure. This is useful in locating the source of bad weather. For example, if your weather generally moves in from the west and you have a wind coming in from the North-Northeast, the low has passed your location and the worst of the weather was north of you. (Quite common in Houston).

2. Cloud thickness [generally] determines precipitation:

  • If the cloud is less than about 1000 feet thick, no precipitation
  • If the cloud is between about 1,500 feet and 3,500 feet drizzle or freezing drizzle is possible
  • Between 3,500 feet and 7,500 feet intermittent precipitation
  • Between 7,500 feet and 10,000 feet moderate precipitation
  • Above 10,000 feet moderate to heavy precipitation

You can get a good estimate of the cloud thickness based on height. Depending on temperatures you can guess as to whether you’re going to see rain or frozen precipitation. (Temperature drops about 2.7 degrees F per thousand feet in humid air. The base of the cloud is located where the dew point and the temperature meets.)

Keep a notebook of weather observations using entries like Old Farmer used in his example. One of the greatest finds was that British sea captains of the 1800s recorded weather observations in their ships’ logs and those logs still exist. The data has been priceless to researchers. For the individual, if I watch the weather channel, note the weather across the US, and the forecast, and then note how the weather plays out here; I now have a really good idea of how weather is going to play out at my home for a given set of conditions. I’m usually more accurate than the weather folks.

Final Note:
Weather is a “chaotic” system in the scientific meaning of that term. Extremely small variations can make huge differences in outcome. The old saw about a butterfly flapping its wings in Norway means hurricanes in Florida the next year is close to the truth. I say this just to re-emphasize Old Farmer’s point about being prepared. It is a scientific impossibility to ever get the weather 100% accurate, even with the best computers we can imagine. Always be prepared for it to get much, much worse than expected. The folks in Florida learned this lesson the hard way from Hurricane Andrew.

Excellent posts and the caution about relying on our technology to keep us safe is very good advice. – Capt Bart

Economics and Investing:

This article by Jeff Nielson is a must read!: Quantitative Easing is Economic Suicide. (Thanks to SurvivalBlog’s Poet Laureate G.G.sfor the link.)

The latest from our favorite Switzerdudes over at The Daily Bell: How Western Powers May Have Blown It

Here is Sheepdog to rout those grievous wolves: Ron Paul Will Chair the Monetary Policy Subcommittee.

Items from The Economatrix:

Dow Hits Two-Year High as Fed Details Stimulus. How can investors think that stock gains will out-pace double digit inflation? What idiocy.

The Fed’s Big Gamble: Here’s What Could Go Wrong

US Quantitative Easing is Fracturing The Global Economy

US Home Prices Expected to Slide Another 8%

Three Charts that Prove We are in the Biggest Debt Bubble in History

Inflation Watch:

The Federal Reserve Stirs Poltergeist of Hyperinflation, Weimar Collapse

Asset Inflation/Deflation: The Fed’s QE2 Versus $15 Trillion in Losses

Fast Rising Food Prices Feed Inflation Fears

Reader “Skyrat” notes: “Just today I purchased a Famotidine (an antacid OTC medication) refill, 20 milligrams, sixty tablets for $4.00 at Wal-Mart. This replaces the (now empty) bottle I purchased 20 August 2010, for $4.00. The kicker? The new bottle held only ninety tablets. Rising cost of living, anyone?”

Corn, food and potential sticker shock

Freakanomics: A Dunkin’ Donuts Store Exhibits Penny Sanity. JWR’s Comment: I believe this trend will continue until a zero is inevitably knocked off the currency.

Food Inflation Accelerating as Cooking Oil Poised to Catch Grains.

Odds ‘n Sods:

US Coal to Gasoline Plant Will be the Largest in the World. The $64 question is: What will be the real EROEI ratio for this production process? If it is not any better that that for corn ethanol, then we may be witnessing little more that political grandstanding.

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Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish Department: ACORN Files for Bankruptcy. (A hat tip to Ross H. for the link.)

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AmEx (American Expatriate) forwarded this: FEMA’s data collection and analysis of national preparedness information stalled

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The folks at Internet Grocer (aka Best Prices Storable Foods) wrote to clarify some confusion caused by their recent newsletter. To put this straight: The November specials are for free shipping on the following: Full cases of butter, Full cases of canned cheese, large can cases of canned meats, MREs, and the Aquarain 200 and 400 water filters.

Notes from JWR:

I was asked about the implications of the recent political power shift in Washington, D.C., following the November 2010 mid-term elections. Although it was generally good news, I must sadly conclude that we’re still in Deep Schumer. Another $600 billion in monetization was just announced by The Fed. And Senator Judd Gregg, (R-N.H.)–a sitting US. Senator–admitted that in a couple of years unless our level indebtedness is decreased, our sovereign debt position will be no better than that of Greece! (But this is mathematically impossible, since our debt is compounding, so the U.S. will be a great big Banana Republic.) Whether the denizens of D.C. shift to a policy of austerity or they continue with bailouts and monetization, and whether the interest rates go up or down, every summary sentence will still end with the words: “…and crashed the economy.” So after celebrating the Republican victory, and bemoaning the continuing Democrat control of the Senate, I recommend that you get practical redouble your family preparedness efforts. We are heading into some very hard times, with plenty of drama. The US Dollar is doomed. There is now virtually nothing that anyone can do to stop it. So get busy: Get out of Dollars, and into tangibles, pronto!

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Today we present two more entries for Round 31 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 between $500 and $600, 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 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 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 copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 31 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Developing Your Healthcare Networking List, by Josh S.

For a while just after my wife and I graduated from graduate school we went without health insurance. We figured that it would be no problem. We are young, healthy, she just graduated with a nursing degree and I with a doctor of chiropractic degree. If there was any small problem we could handle it and get by. If there was a big problem, well, we could have been in trouble.

With no health insurance we became very cautious people. On our long hikes and backpacking trips we took care to plan, not hike to close to steep edges, keep a close eye out for large predators, and all of the usual precautions where checked and double checked. My wife would remind me over and over on a trip or when the little boy in me got the best of my curiosity “we don’t have health insurance” she would say.

During this time we started to network and manage our own healthcare. We took care to eat healthfully, took regular large amounts of Vitamin C, and exercised just to name a few. Another thing we did was make a list of our contacts. When in need, it is very important to know people. The relationships you build are very important in a survival setting and knowing a few healthcare providers of some kind is a great way to stay alive. My wife was, by this time, a nurse (who worked getting my practice started and turned down a hospital job to do so), so she had some great knowledge already. My roommate from undergrad is an emergency room doctor in another state, my sister married a nurse who was also the son of a dentist (the dentist also lives in our hometown). My other sister married the son of a family practice doctor and lives a couple of hours away from us. On top of that my cousin, in the town where we live, is a physician’s assistant who works at the “welfare” clinic.

Now, I understand that this is an abnormally large amount of connections with healthcare providers but it makes my point. It is important to make a list of who you know and get their phone number. It isn’t that hard to call a doctor at home and say “hi this is so-and-so, my best friend so-and-so is married to your nephew. I am having a real hard time with Problem-X and was wondering what I need to do? I don’t have health insurance and am in a real bind.” This privilege should never be abused or your best friend may get a call from the doctor and get chewed out for giving you his phone number. However, many doctors got into their profession to help people. I have gotten calls in the evenings many times for someone needing to get back to work the next day and their back or neck wont let them do so. I am more than happy to help if I can. Its why I got into this business.

The next list that you need to make is one of the local clinics and doctors that accept cash payment or have a discount for “cash at time of service”. This discount can reach an excess of 50% off the clinic’s pay scale because they get cash now and don’t have to bill or chase down payments. Even now some providers will accept bartering/goods as payment. I do this in my chiropractic clinic and know others in the area, in other professions, that do the same. I once took a 4-wheel drive on one occasion and an AR-15 on another occasion for patients who needed lots of work and didn’t have the cash to pay for it. There are more of these bartering physicians than you think and knowing who and where they are can really be a big help (this is a more common practice in very small towns and is rare or non-existent in the cities).

The last resort for a major problem is the emergency room. I am very much against using the ER as a clinic. It is for emergencies and should be saved for emergencies. There are always other options for non-emergent care and the ERs are very overcrowded with people trying to just get free healthcare and it is bankrupting the hospitals. By law the ER has to see you. They don’t have to treat you but they do have to see you. There is a loophole to this and that is if you have pain that rates an 8/10 or higher on the mVas pain scale. This scale is used by asking the question “Can you rate your pain from 0-10, zero being no pain at all and 10 being the worst pain you can imagine?” If your pain is reported as 8/10 or higher then they will not only have to see you but treat you as well, insurance or not. This is loophole that they try and keep under wraps. Now ER doctors are becoming very wary of this scale because realistically when a person is at 8/10 they should be mostly incapacitated and can’t function normally. Doctors know when a condition is causing a person to be in that much pain and they can, for the most part, tell when a person is faking. For instance you are on your phone texting and they ask about pain and you say 11/10. If insurance reform happens and it is instituted by private industry and not the government then this scale will probably go away as it is becoming less and less accurate as people learn about these loopholes. Many hospitals are fighting very hard to get reform in these areas thus it is critical that you would only use this loophole in a life or death situation.

A great way to make new contacts for your list is to meet healthcare workers at there level. There are many ways to meet people working in the healthcare industry. It is easier in a small town. I know many dentists and doctors who are gun enthusiasts and frequent the local gun clubs, ranges, and shops. They shoot leagues and attend other events. They often volunteer with search and rescue units in mountainous regions as well as local charities that provide for the underprivileged. Another great way to meet these professionals is to join the local volunteer ambulance or fire service. This is also a great way to trade some amazing training for volunteer hours with those departments. Please understand I am not saying to go befriend these people just to get “free” healthcare but it is very important to meet and know all of the “brain” resources in your community, especially if there is some form of disaster. For the most part medical people are trustworthy as well as have a certain level of self-reliance themselves, and if they live in a small mountain community they are there because they enjoy mountain activities and thus enjoy befriending like minded individuals.

During our stint with no healthcare my wife had no problems but I had two. Both minor, but they would have been a real pain without some contacts. The first was pink-eye. This is a really miserable condition that takes a few eye drops to clear up. However, the eye drops are a prescription so I needed a doctor who could call in one for me. One phone call later and I was at the pharmacy paying the $10 to fix my situation. On another occasion after a long walk my toe started to hurt and I somehow got the toenail infected. It swelled up and was really painful. I called my cousin and went to see her at her house. She pulled out a very well stocked first aid kit, lanced my toe, drained it, and called in a basic antibiotic regimen through the clinic. I went to the pharmacy and picked up my $4 worth of pills. A couple days later I was good as new. Now this was a very minor infection but without the right care it could have become a serious one.

Proper planning and contacts are the best insurance anyone could have. It is so important to get involved in the community and get to know the locals. After having practiced in our small town I have made many contacts with, not just the local doctors, but also law enforcement, the local gun shop owners, fire departments, ambulance crew members, the search and rescue crew, and many other survival specific skilled individuals. Getting to know the locals could save your life. People also like to take care of their own so it is really a privilege to become a local in a place worth bugging out to.

When I read survival literature I look back on this time we didn’t have health coverage and can’t help but think how having some finely tuned knowledge of outdoor survival and preparedness is like insurance. There is no better life saving insurance than knowing how to handle situations in the wild, having some food, silver, and ammo stocked up, and being aware of our surroundings and the current state of the world (it may soon “end as we know it”). A little while back, when my new practice started taking off, we did a couple things. First we stocked up on food, silver and ammo. Then we got health insurance. I can tell you how nice it felt to finally know we where covered if something bad happened, and I’m not just talking about a fall or broken bone. We finally had a safety net if TSHTF.

Keep your powder and contact list dry and live well.

Constructing a Backpack VHF Field Radio, by Ed S.

Constructing a Backpack VHF Field Radio, by Ed S.

Much has been written about life after TEOTWAWKI. Looking at all the different scenarios leaves one thinking that,with so many things that could happen, how can you prepare for all of them? Obviously, you cannot. However, many of the preparations we make can be used across the spectrum of possibilities. One thing that groups need to be able to do is keep in contact with each other. Small hand-held radios, or “walkie-talkies” work for most needs but are limited by range and crowded bandwidth. Both the GMRS and FRS systems are in use 24 hrs a day and, since they are relatively cheap and easy to obtain, you can count on them being heavily in use after most any event. Citizen’s Band (CB) radios while limited in range, will face the same problems. [JWR Adds: Using a crowded band will decrease your chances of making a successful contact and increase the chances of unintended interception. For this reason, I recommend using lightly-used bands, such as the MURS band.]

One area that is most always overlooked is Marine Band VHF radios. Since the FCC requires these to be used only on vessels actually on the water, few people are familiar with them outside the Marine work and pleasure fields. They have many positive traits that can be utilized in the event of a TEOTWAWKI. For that an event that is that serious, I feel the FCC restrictions can be overlooked.

The Marine Band base units are 12 volt DC, they offer a choice of 25/1 watts of transmit power and are usually small, lightweight and sealed against harsh elements. The handhelds (walkie-talkies) are also small, rechargeable, offer a 5/1 watt option and are also weather sealed. An average base unit can be had for around $100 to $120 and the handhelds can be had at most any boating or sporting goods dept for about $55 to $90. That makes them relatively affordable.

Using an attached small boat base antenna, in the described setup we have achieved 20+ mile range. Here is what you do:

Materials:

  1. A military surplus large ALICE pack.
  2. Your choice of base station set.
  3. A small boat or so-called “sailboat” base loaded whip antenna,
  4. A piece of marine grade treated plywood, sized to fit the inside dimensions of the pack you choose (we use ALICE packs for their durability, but any sturdy pack [with a stiff frame] will do.),
  5. A small 12 volt battery of at least seven Amp hours. (We use the [gel cell] batteries sold at places like Wal-Mart in the toy dept used to power the kids electric cars and such.),
  6. Coaxial cable for the connections.
  7. A DC power cable of at least 10 Gauge.

Assembly:

  1. Connect to the pack board your radio at one side of the top and your antenna on the other so it protrudes out of the pack as high as possible using three wing nut screws. (The sailboat rig that I purchased comes with a L-Bracket that is perfect.)
  2. Next mount your battery in the middle at the bottom to balance the weight.
  3. Connect to your battery another set of power leads and run them out the bottom of the pack for recharging.You can also add a one or two pigtail “cigarette lighter plugs” [or Anderson Power Pole connectors], for an easy 12 volt source to power other items from your battery,such as a powerful spotlight, charger for other items etc.
  4. Check your connections and you are ready to patrol your perimeter, travel to visit other groups, set up LP/OP sites, and most anything that you feel the need to do that causes you to leave your camp.

Conclusion:
We have had luck with this set-up as it also allows your party to send out scouts, et cetera with handhelds because it gives them more range also. At your night camp or break, using the wing nut attachment system, the antenna can be dismounted and moved to a tree, structure, or high bush for more range if needed, since VHF is line-of-sight.

Other items can be attached to the board, as your situation calls for, such as a small scanner or a CB. You are limited in this only by the weight and space factors.

JWR Adds: The foregoing is presented for educational purposes only. Operating a Marine Band radio in circumstances not permitted by law is subject to some very hefty fines!

Be sure to properly insulate any exposed power terminals. Shorted terminals can result in some spectacular unintentional arc welding for a few moments! A large glob of RTV silicone sealant on each terminal usually works well.

Adding a five to 15 watt amorphous (foldable) photovoltaic panel and a compact charge controller to the rig that Ed described will provide greater flexibility and self-sufficiency.

Letter Re: Finding Affordable Ham Radio Gear

Sir,
Dave’s observations are quite true. There are some really good deals on older radio gear. I have a great fondness for these “Boat Anchor” radios. (Real radios glow in the dark and keep your shack warm in the winter.) That being said, there is a very real caution for the use of the old tube radios. My Kenwood TS-520 is mostly solid state with tubes for the output section to give more power than was available from the transistors of the day. The problem for the unaware is that these tubes have 800 volt power supplies with enough amperage to kill. They can be destroyed by careless or uninformed operation and replacement can be difficult. I have a matched set of replacement tubes for my Kenwood TS-520 in storage for the day they need replacement. Yes, they need to be ‘balanced’.

I greatly enjoy the radios and their various modes (I actually prefer CW Morse code operation to voice). But if you are going to get one, please, please find someone with experience in using boat anchors to help you learn their care and feeding. Even unplugged the power supplies can have enough energy stored to be fatal, sometimes for hours. Never take the covers off without serious training in the care and feeding of radios. I really enjoy them, they are inexpensive and fun to use, but like any powerful tool, misuse one and it can and will kill you. Unfortunately, it happens almost every year. Perhaps a better bet for the new ham is some of the first generation solid state stuff. No huge power supplies, no matched tubes, lighter in weight and not nearly so finicky in operations. They have the additional advantage of mostly running on 12 Volt DC (my Kenwood TS-520 takes 115 AC) and are therefore easier to operate portable from a battery or other off-grid power system.

There are many ‘Elmers’ (ham speak for a more experienced ham helping out someone new to the hobby) out there and almost anywhere there is a ham club you can find someone to help. Find these folks and let them help you. You’ll find the hobby fun, the people mostly nice and you’ll learn a lot. – Capt Bart

Letter Re: Prepping: It is Dental and it is Mental, by Wade H., DDS

Mr. Editor:
A good item to have on hand is Oil of Oregano. It stops the bacteria infection in the tooth and gives one enough time to find a dentist to take care of the problem. Last Wednesday, my nine year old Australian Shepherd woke up with an extremely swollen cheek nose and eye. I called the vet and she could not fit Hannah in for a week. I started giving Hannah Oil Of Oregano P73 in the pill form (wrapped up in ground meat). In two days, the swelling went down about 80%. Today Hannah went to the vet and the vet did a look over and said well, there is no swelling and the tooth does not look broke. I insisted that the vet look again and told her what condition Hannah had been in. She ended up getting her tooth pulled. The tooth was rotted way down in the roots. Moral of the story – Since Hannah had to wait for 1 week and had she not had the Oil of Oregano, she more than likely would have died from the infection.

The Oil of Oregano will not cure the bad tooth, but it will kill the infection, thus giving you time to find a dentist. I know of two people who did nothing to their abscessed tooth and ended up in the hospital, had to have all their teeth pulled and had to learn how to walk and talk all over again. Oil of Oregano is an anti-fungal, antibacterial, anti-parasitical, and anti-viral. When the flu came knocking at our door last year, we doubled our daily dose of Oil of Oregano and the flu did not stay but an hour. The first year in many that no one got sick. We also carry Oil Of Oregano in our Bug Out Bag. It can clean out an infected wound, kill the bacteria in water, and even worm you! Yes, I have I wormed my dogs with Oil of Oregano. – Ginny

 

Economics and Investing:

QE2: Many Americans Haven’t a Clue What It Means (Video)

OBTW, they also don’t know what “Keynesian” means. (Another brief video)

More Mainstream Media Nonsense: US Federal Reserve Decision Expected to Boost American Economy

B.B. sent us this: Freddie Mac Says Net Loss $4.1 Billion

Items from The Economatrix:

It’s All About The Dollar

US Pensions Reaching A Breaking Point?

US Federal Reserve’s Latest Bubble Threatens Mayhem

Fed Expected to Pump Up to $1 Trillion Into US Economy

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jim C. spotted this: The BBC bunker they don’t want you to know about.

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Greg W. recommended an article on inclement weather performance of American arms in Korea.

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Reader Rick H. a link to a web page that describes how to make 9 volt DC LED flashlights. Rick added this proviso: “When soldering the LEDs try to use a low wattage soldering iron (30 watts or less) and use a couple of small clip-on heat sinks, alligator clips, or crocodile clips (for our British cousins) to protect them from thermal damage.”

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 31 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 between $500 and $600, 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 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 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 copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 31 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.