Letter Re: An Australian Comments on the U.S. Constitution

Sir:
As a foreign reader of this blog (Australian) I keep a very close eye on the U.S. politics. I find myself envious of a country that has a Bill Of Rights such as yours. I carry great admiration for those that defend it, but at the same time it depresses me that so many Americans take it for granted.

In Australia, Federal authority is so pervasive that the only thing the our states provide is an excuse to employ another tier of overpaid under-worked public servants.
Yet regardless of how tight a government’s stranglehold on their populace may be (here and abroad), no government lasts forever.

If you survive the crash, and if community is restored then you might just find yourself in a position of leadership. For this reason, regardless of the fact that you may not live in the U.S. of A., there is every reason to make a hard copy of the U.S. Constitution and take the time to understand its value (at least in ernest). Particularly the Bill Of Rights!

History has spawned a thousand tyrants but it only took the courage of one nation and the spiritual nobility of a handful of founders to show the way forward for all mankind, and all you have to do to benefit from their wisdom and sacrifice is print out their legacy.

After all, if you’re going to rebuild, then you may as well start with the framework to do it right.

As always, thank you for the invaluable service you provide here. Kindest regards, – The Austeyralian

Letter Re: Thoughts on Practical Self-Sufficiency

Hello Jim:
For supper tonight we are having a meal made with ingredients that I gathered from our place, with the exception of the meat which was purchased. I put a smoked ham hock in the crock pot over night. I also soaked some leather breeches (dried green beans) and some horticultural beans over night. These were added to the crock pot this morning along with a couple of hands full of ramps that I had dug yesterday and a couple of hands full of dandelion greens that Abigail had picked last week. Lastly some red potatoes from our garden last year were added.

Abigail will make some of her most excellent corn bread (made from Bloody Butcher corn that we raised) to go along with the meat and greens. The point of this short note is that I feel that people should make every effort to get out of the habit of eating out of the box (yes pun intended) and start now to look at some self sufficient ways of feeding themselves. Eating high quality tasty meals, I might add.

I would also like to put a plug in for one of our favorite training facilities. The faculty at Tactical Defense Institute (TDI) have been training citizens, swat teams, and military on their 186 acre campus for 15 years. Located in southern Ohio, John Benner and his crew conduct classes almost year round. Abigail and I have been able to attend almost half of the classes available and plan to take 3 more this year. If anyone is planning on doing any training TDI is right up there with the top training facilities in the nation. This is not just my opinion but many others. Last year SWAT magazine did an article about one of the carbine classes that we were taking. We have even run into some fellow preppers at some of the classes. We truly a great time and a real learning experience.

Yours truly, – John & Abigail Adams

Economics and Investing:

Nic suggested a piece over at Seeking Alpha: Richard Russell’s in Cash and Gold: ‘No Time to Be Cute’

Courtesy of Matt R. comes this article link: Warren Buffett Worries About High Risks of ‘Significant Inflation’ Around Globe

Brett G. sent this indicator of a bond market crash in the near future: Dow-Jones: I Told You So 14 Months Ago

Items from The Economatrix:

Japan Public Debt of 200% of GDP Makes Crisis Inevitable

Where Has All That Lost Wealth Gone?

Bernanke Admits Printing $1.3 Trillion Out of Thin Air

Europe’s Web of Debt

What Will They Tax Next?

Stocks Slide as New Doubt About Greek Aid Emerge

Roubini: Forget Sub-Prime Mortgages, It’s the Sub-Prime Financial System We Need to Fix

Goldman Disciplined on Short Sales

Pending US Home Sales at Five-Month High

Odds ‘n Sods:

EMB mentioned this amazingly useful, and aptly-named web site: Radio Reference.

   o o o

Since early 2007, I have warned SurvivalBlog readers about the perils of “kanban” inventory control. Here is a bit of confirmation: Volcano Throws Off Ash, Just-in-Time Efforts. (Thanks to Chad S. for the link.)

   o o o

Lee C. flagged this: Fat Americans are a national security threat, warn generals

   o o o

RBS sent this: Copper thieves blamed for dangerous power surge. A comment from RBS: “Here is what could be considered another classic example of the fragility of our Inverted Technological Pyramid. Notice the “value” of the stolen part, and the “cost” it incurred for others.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I Have Sworn Upon the Altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." – Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, September 23, 1800

Note from JWR:

Today we present an article written by one of our long-time foreign correspondents, David in Israel. David was born and raised in the United States. Even before emigrating to Israel, he had a diverse background in forestry, firefighting, mountaineering, emergency medicine, and commercial Kosher food inspection. One of his life-long hobbies has been amateur radio. He is currently a Torah student.

AO-7: The Reanimated Survivalist Communications Satellite, by David in Israel

One problem that most preppers fail to take seriously is communications. To most First Worlders communications are something that comes out of the wall like water or electricity, so why should the magic ever end? While not as high a priority as an inexpensive firearm for security, food, water, cooking fuel, non-motorized transport, or shelter, in a safe area communications with those you care about keeps you from going on unneeded health and welfare checks especially during dangerous times.

Typically I would suggest a 100 watt+ multi-band HF radio for vehicle or base use and a QRP 40meter set and/or 2m/440 handi-talkie and home made Yagi antenna for lightweight sat-com for those who must travel or bug-out long distances on foot, ski, horse, or bicycle.

There are circumstances which can impair HF radio such as nuclear detonations, and in an information age warfare situation even amateur satellites can be hacked via their encrypted command channel and shut down temporarily. There is one tough old bird, designated AO-7. It is back from the dead and still in orbit which is for the most part immune to these troubles, possibly even toughing out a few nukes if it is in the right place at the right time. AO-7 is not the easiest satellite to work, so beginners might want to first try the FM birds. But what better satellite for a survivalist than the “reanimated” AO-7. [Insert mutant zombie biker jokes here.]

AO-7 was launched 15 November 1974. It remained operational until a battery short killed the satellite in 1981. On 21 June 2002 the battery short finally opened up and the satellite was heard again on its 2 meter beacon (145.9775 MHz CW) after 21 years of silence, and 27 years in space.

What is bad about the current situation is that power is limited, only a few concurrent CW, SSB voice, or low bandwidth data transmissions are possible before the transponder draws more power than the large but aging solar cells produce resetting the satellite. The good news is that as far as I can tell even if the satellite command channel is somehow hacked it will only be shut down for a short time when it is in eclipse and powers down or when the transponder is overloaded and an undervoltage resets the satellite. For a few months twice a year the satellite is in full sun 24 hours a day and alternates between mode A, B, and C.

One last bit of info for those who have only worked terrestrial Amateur radio contacts or possibly even FM satellites and the space station, this is not so much a repeater in the sky where one guy takes turns on the whole thing, it is more like a snippet of frequency that is picked up by the satellite amplified and retransmitted on another band, many people can squeeze in and use, much like on HF. This is why SSB or CW are important modes to use minimizing wasted retransmitted bandwidth. You might get the transponder to beam back FM or wide band data but it is not acceptable to push several other conversations off a satellite so you can be a hog, on AO-7 it would probably re-set the satellite anyway.

If you are not a ham you can pick up this and the other satellites using your a scanner that has SSB abilities, sometimes you also need a better antenna than the standard “rubber duck” [whip antenna] to pick up the signal. Kent Brian is an antenna genius. Get his free instructions for portable pocket change sat-com antennas.

You will also need to track the satellite, the easy way is with a computer program for your laptop, phone, or PDA that uses a NASA/NORAD two line [descriptor] element for the Keplerian elements so you can tell when the sat will be available and how much the Doppler will bend your frequency. There are plenty of free tracking programs. BTW, it is fun for kids to spot satellites and the space station even if you have no itch for satellite communications.

this is the TLE for AO-7:
1 07530U 74089B 10117.60551541 -.00000027 00000-0 10000-3 0 7622
2 07530 101.4026 135.4310 0012225 014.2326 345.9087 12.53578232622114

If you are working with only a watch, pencil, and paper remember that not every 115 minute orbital pass is above the horizon for you. And only once or twice a day do you get a sweet high overhead pass good for line of sight from valley locales. If you keep a listing of passes in a notebook you will notice a repetition in about a week to 10 days for the amateur sats, now you can extend the repetition pattern indefinitely into the future. Here is a summary that I found at the AMSAT web site:

Orbit: 1444 x 1459 km
Inclination: Inclination 101.7 degrees
Period: 115 min
Beacons:
29.502 MHz (200 mw) Used in conjunction with Mode A
145.972 MHz (200 mw) Used in conjunction with Mode B and C [low power Mode B]
435.100 MHz (intermittent problem — switches between 400 mw and 10 mw)
Linear Transponders:
Transponder I: Mode A
Type: linear, non-inverting
Uplink: 145.850 – 145.950 MHz
Downlink: 29.400 – 29.500 MHz
Translation Equation:
Downlink (MHz) = Uplink (MHz) – 116.450 MHz ± Doppler
Output Power: 1.3 watts PEP (start of life)
Transponder II: Mode B and Mode C (low power)
Type: linear, inverting
Uplink: 432.125 – 432.175 MHz *See Note
Downlink: 145.975 – 145.925 MHz
Translation Equation:
Downlink (MHz) = 578.100 – uplink (MHz) ± Doppler
Output Power: 8 watts PEP Mode B (start of life), 2.5 watts PEP Mode C

Mode C, while weaker, is useful to us because it allows more operators onto the transponder before it goes to undervoltage and resets. An inverting transponder tunes the downlink frequency downwards as you tune upwards on the transponder uplink, non-inverting tunes with you.

When AO-7 first came back from the dead Jan King, W3GEY, the AMSAT-OSCAR-7 Project Manager commented: “AO-7 has a good set of arrays and the first BCR (battery charge regulator) we ever flew. It’s the first spacecraft we ever had that was capable of overcharging the battery. When the battery failed the cells began to fail short. One cell after another failed and the voltage measured on telemetry began to drop. So, the cells were clearly failing SHORT. Now, after all these years, what happens if any one of the cells loses the short and becomes open? Then, the entire power bus becomes unclamped from ground and the spacecraft loads begin to again be powered but, this time only from the arrays. Now you have a daytime only satellite but, each time the sun rises at the spacecraft you have a random generator that either turns on Mode A or Mode B or whatever it wants.”

Visit the AMSAT site for more information on working the satellites, and specifically their AO-7 page. Also, Emily Clarke has a nice AQ for working AO-7.

Two Letters Re: Middle Tennessee Flooding has Lessons About Preparedness

Dear Mr. Rawles,
We live in southern Middle Tennessee, about an hour south of Nashville, and we are watching the news coverage of this weekend’s record-breaking flooding in the Nashville area. It is confirming our conviction not to live in a metropolitan area as we see how people are affected by this natural disaster.

All three interstates going through Nashville–I-65, I-24, and I-40–have been shut down for long periods of time yesterday and today. The cars and trucks stuck on I-40 as I write this stretch for over five miles, and the drivers
have no way of backing up, turning around, getting off on a side road, or crossing the median. They are stuck! Note to self: when evacuating an area, do not take the interstate.

The motels are full, and even the Opryland Hotel is being evacuated because of rising river levels and sporadic electric service. They’re interviewing hotel guests on the news who have been evacuated and left stranded at a local high school with no food, no medications, and no creature comforts. The ones who had cars had to leave them behind. Most of them probably did not have cars because they came in by air. They are complaining about the inconvenience and lack of information. Imagine if this situation [or a comparable situation] were affecting the whole state or the whole country–what would these people do?

Public services are being stretched way beyond capacity as police and disaster workers try to rescue people from their cars and from their homes, and try to keep people off the roads. I have heard that over 600 people
have been rescued. Rescue workers are exhausted, and now that it’s dark their work is even more dangerous. So far, five people have died as a result of this flooding, but the count will probably go up as the flood waters go
down. Some areas are dangerous to drive into, but due to the overwhelming scope of the flooding, no rescue workers have been able to go in and put up barriers or warnings.

Many of these homeowners probably did not have flood insurance, as their homes were in areas that have not flooded in anyone’s memory. (Some of the these subdivisions are located within the curve of river bends, which
seems incredibly short-sighted to me.) A levee on the Cumberland River is leaking in at least one area and there is concern that it will break. Several areas have no electric service, no home phone service, and no cell phone
service. They are saying that the water supply is safe, but they are asking people to conserve water. Lots of people are spending the night in shelters that have just cropped up today, including people from out of state who got
stuck here when the interstates closed down.

All of this gives our family food for thought and helps us discuss how we can be even better prepared for a similar situation in our area. It also makes us wonder how our nation would fare if a disaster struck across several states or the whole country. It is obvious that there simply aren’t enough police or emergency workers to take care of everyone at the same time. So many of the flood victims being interviewed on the news don’t seem to have any sense of personal responsibility for emergency preparedness. – Ginny

James,
I have recently started reading your blog. Since I started from scratch six months ago my family and I have stored food, stored water, learned firearms and safety, learned first aid, purchased communications equipment. Some of the ideas were put to test this past weekend in Nashville, Tennessee. with the “once in a century” flood. Our area of Nashville received 15 inches of rain in a little over 48 hours. To putt that in perspective: Our annual rainfall for this area is around 45 inches. Many areas flooded out.

My family and I live on a lake. The water came up to our house but no major damage. Many others were not so fortunate. Things I found out. Scanner radio came in handy to listen to on the ground reports of rescues. For your readers I would suggest they know the local [public service] frequencies. This came in handy vs listening to all the other channels further away from where we were being affected at the time.

I listened to a rescue crew report that a nearby road flooded over within a mile of our house. If we had needed to bug out at that point I would of known not to use that road. One observation were all emergency crews acted professional however at one small point they simply could not get to everyone. Two portions of the interstate (I -24 and another I- 40) were flooded. Both interstates are major roads for Nashville.

One crew was asked to go to a location but they were blocked in on the interstate by traffic and could not move forward due to water over the road. The call was transferred to another crew who handled it. The idea struck me that sometimes no matter how well the intentions are help may not be able to arrive on time thus self sufficiency would pay off. Nashville did not have looting during this crisis. However my family and I were prepared with food , guns, ammo, safe drinking water if that time had arrived. Things I would change: CB radio batteries in portable CB were dead when I went to use it. Fortunately we had power at house and I could recharge the rechargeable batteries. I saw a neighbor outside on the lake our property fronts in a boat needing help to secure docks that were in process of floating away. I ran outside to join him. I made two mistakes on running to his aid:

I failed to let any member of my family know I had left. I also did not take my cell phone. Simple mistakes but nonetheless if the boat we were traveling in flood waters had tipped over my family would of had no clue that I had gone out in the water on a boat. Another small one was my Goretex rain gear about a month ago was obviously no longer water proof. I decided I would wait till next fall when the rainy season hits again to replace this gear. I would of never guess that I would really need this gear in the torrential downpour. I simply put it the gear on and stayed wet. Last night I purchased new rain gear from an online site, with the lesson learned.

The other part I learned and observed was peoples reactions. Some people are very level headed during a crisis and could make good decisions. Others were in panic mode. I still have a lot to learn but felt comfortable in the knowledge we were semi-prepared. I will fine tune some things from this experience for the next event. “Living and Learning”, – Kris

Two Letters Re: Removing Orthodontia Braces, Post-TEOTWAWKI

Two Letters Re: Removing Orthodontia Braces, Post-TEOTWAWKI

James,
In response to the letter about removing braces, I am a dentist and due to the economic situation in my part of the world, I have de-banded many people who could no longer afford to continue orthodontic treatment.

Fortunately this particular problem is not too difficult, but before do-it-yourself de-banding seriously consider leaving everything in place, until things hopefully come around again, or at least try to find a dental professional.

There is an increased risk of tooth decay and gum irritations with braces, but there usually is no orthodontic problem with leaving braces on too long. At some point the orthodontic forces on the teeth will dissipate and the braces will stabilize the teeth in position without putting much force on them. I would only consider do-it-yourself orthodontic appliance removal in a prolonged TEOTWAWKI. Once the wires are removed, especially if a retainer is not made, the teeth may very well drift and orthodontics will most likely have to be repeated later on.

At any rate, before attempting this procedure wash your hands well and be sure any cuts or sores on your hands are well covered. Nitrile gloves if you have them. Not a bad idea to have the patients brush their teeth and
rinse their mouth as well.

The first step is to remove the arch wire, the band of wire that goes around the teeth. It is held in place with ligatures, usually small rubber bands, but occasionally braided wire. Remove each rubber band ligature from around the bracket, any wires can be unbraided with disinfected small tweezers. A dental instrument, such as a dental explorer works great, but a disinfected paper clip would do in a pinch. After disconnecting the the ligature bands, the arch wire will slip out. Be careful, the ends of the arch wire can be very sharp !

Once the arch wire is removed, it is possible to floss the teeth and cleaning is much easier and effective. If the brackets are not irritating, there is little harm in leaving them in place as long the patient has good
oral hygiene and avoids sweets.

To remove the brackets, small disinfected needle nose pliers can be used. Stabilize the tooth with your fingers of one hand and put the beaks of the pliers on the little arms of the bracket. Give a little twisting motion to
the bracket and most will pop off. Start with the eye teeth (canines) or the larger teeth in back. These teeth have larger roots which stabilizes the tooth and the brackets twist off easier. Once you have a little experience with larger teeth, try the front teeth. The lower front teeth can be the most difficult because their roots are short, so be sure the stabilize them well with your free hand. Some teeth may be very mobile when the arch wire is removed. It is best to leave the brackets on mobile teeth.

Generally some of the back molars have a band instead of brackets. To remove these, try to get your instrument near the gum line and work around the tooth pushing up away from the gum line. You may have to work from both the cheek and tongue side of the tooth to get these bands off.

Treat all these wires, bands and brackets as [biohazard] “sharps” and dispose of the properly.

Once the brackets and bands are removed, there will be bits of cement stuck to the tooth, sometimes this cement can stain. This can be difficult to remove without special instruments, but large patches of cement can reduced with careful use of an emery board, but be very care full not to scratch the enamel of the tooth.

There is some aspiration risk to removing brackets, especially with non-standard instruments, so be very care full to keep the airway clear and try to do as much as possible with the patient sitting upright. There may
also be decayed sections of tooth underneath the brackets and bands, which can become painful once the appliances are removed.

Again, I would only consider DIY orthodontic appliance removal in an extreme, prolonged situation and be very mindful about the possibilities of making a bad situation worse by performing dental procedures without the benefit of dental training. – D.J., DMD

JWR,
Eric asked about removing orthodontic brackets. I am a practicing general dentist. This information is for informational purposes only, and should only be used in a TEOTWAWKI or in a “hitting the fan” event. I am using household and toolbox items here because the vast majority of people will not have access to the proper dental tools. First, if you have the opportunity, ask your orthodontist if you can be chair side the next time your child’s arch wires or ligatures are changed. There is nothing like seeing it being done.

A nice small pair of tweezers for removing the rubber bands (ligatures) will be needed. If you can get your hands on a pair of College Pliers, that is even better as the narrow angled beaks will allow easier access to grab and remove them. Just grab one end of the rubber ligature and pull it over the bracket until it is completely removed. You can also perform this with a dental explorer. This is what many dentists use to remove the orthodontic ligatures. Just hook the explorer under the rubber ligature and work around it until it is free of the bracket. I have actually seen both of these dental tools available at gun shows. A nice small narrow pair of wire cutters could be used for the removing of the actual brackets off of the teeth. Place the beaks so that they are on either side of the bracket and pressing against the surface of the tooth. Squeeze the wire cutters very gently and slowly. This should get the bracket to release from the surface of the tooth. In some cases, both the bracket and the bonding adhesive will come off, leaving very little on the tooth to remove and polish. In other cases, much of the adhesive will remain behind on the tooth structure leaving a lot of clean up work. These wire cutters can also be used to cut the metal arch wire in between the brackets if one cannot remove the ligatures and the arch wire with either of the previously mentioned tools. Once all of the brackets are off of the teeth cleaning up the remaining cement is the most tedious part. Again, the average person will not have dental scalers and polishing devices to do this. I have also seen dental scalers at gun shows. They probably will have broken tips on one end, or they are very dull. If you are adept at sharpening things, you may be able to put an edge on these that would be adequate to do the job. Some of the big box stores like Wal-Mart have little mini dental kits with a mirror, explorer, and blunt tipped scaler in them. Gently scrape (scale) the cement off. In some cases a very fine fingernail file or a piece of superfine automotive wet sandpaper (600 grit or higher) can be used to polish off the remaining cement. Be very gentle in doing this. You do not want to abrade the tooth surface much because this can lead you more vulnerable to developing tooth decay (cavities), temperature sensitivity, and staining in these areas. The cement will not hurt you if it is not removed, but it may feel strange and with time it can stain and be unsightly.

Do not use a Dremel motor tool to polish off the cement. You can overheat the nerve in the tooth, causing the nerve to die; necessitating a root canal or an extraction. If we are in a TEOTWAWKI situation, the possibility of getting a root canal done is not very good. You will also want to consider retaining the treatment after the brackets have been removed. While nowhere near ideal, a “boil-and-bite” mouth guard may help a little bit to retain the orthodontic correction. Purchase them now and place them in your bug out bag (B.O.B.) or store with other medical necessities in case they are needed. Make sure you clean any instruments that you place in your mouth as well as possible. A bottle of Betadine and a bottle of rubbing alcohol will help. Sterilizing with a flame will dull the cutting edges of any instruments. However, a dull cutting blade is easier to fix than a spreading infection. Let’s all hope and pray that this info is never needed.

Those of us that are called by His name need to really heed 2 Chronicles 7:14. I just pray that it is not too late for us and the rest of this world. – KJN

Economics and Investing:

El Jefe Jeff E. sent this frightening news on price inflation: US inflation up 2% in March. I’ve already warned you: As the Treasury monetizes its way out of the recession, be ready for mass inflation, folks!

Jon in Wyoming sent this: Euro Sales Extend as Morgan Stanley Mulls EU Breakup

Also from Jon: Roubini Says Rising Sovereign Debt Leads to Defaults

Yishai suggested this piece by Ronald Bailey of Reason magazine: Peak Everything?; Forget peak oil. What about peak lithium, peak neodymium, and peak phosphorus?

Items from The Economatrix:

Analysis from Dan Denninger: Bernanke is Getting Scared

Goldman’s Shares Plunge on Investigation, Downgrade

US “Middle Skills” Jobs Vanish

Greece Faces “Unprecedented” Cuts as $159 Billion Rescue Nears

German Anger Rises as Greek Bailout Triples

Stronger Economic Reports Pull Stocks Higher

Economic Outlook is Cautious Even with Spending Up

Odds ‘n Sods

Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe; The world may be on the brink of biological disaster after news that a third of US bee colonies did not survive the winter. ( A hat tip to OSOM, for the link.)

   o o o

EMB suggested this Lifehacker article: Top 10 Hard Drive Upgrades and Fixes. (I don’t normally post computer tech article links, but this one has a some preparedness and OPSEC implications…)

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Reader “Mr. 47” sent a link to a company that makes some clever bullpup conversion stocks.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." – Congressman Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine (1839-1902), writing in 1886

Odds ‘n Sods:

EMB mentioned this amazingly useful, and aptly-named web site: Radio Reference.

   o o o

Since early 2007, I have warned SurvivalBlog readers about the perils of “kanban” inventory control. Here is a bit of confirmation: Volcano Throws Off Ash, Just-in-Time Efforts. (Thanks to Chad S. for the link.)

   o o o

Lee C. flagged this: Fat Americans are a national security threat, warn generals

   o o o

RBS sent this: Copper thieves blamed for dangerous power surge. A comment from RBS: “Here is what could be considered another classic example of the fragility of our Inverted Technological Pyramid. Notice the “value” of the stolen part, and the “cost” it incurred for others.”

Letter Re: Removing Orthodontia Braces, Post-TEOTWAWKI

JWR:
Thanks for your site, and all that you and your family does for the thousands of loyal readers!

Before I approach my child’s orthodontist I thought I would throw it out to you, because I know there are others thinking the same thing. How can I safely remove my child’s braces [in the event of a societal collapse where access to an orthodontist might be impossible.] Thanks again, – Eric W.

JWR Replies: That question goes beyond my expertise. Perhaps an orthodontist in the SurvivalBlog readership could comment. Thanks!

Letter Re: The EMP Threat and Electronic Gun Vault Locks

James:
In looking at your blog on survival it revealed to me a major problem with safes with digital combo locks. If there is an EMP, those locks would most likely be fried and one could not get to guns, funds, et cetera! Do you know of a process or method of guarding against this? Is there some shielding that can be put around the combo unit that will protect the electronics? Thanks. – R.C.

JWR Replies: This blog topic seems to pop up just as regularly as dandelions. I’ve mentioned the following several times in SurvivalBlog, but it is worth repeating: A steel gun vault body itself makes a decent Faraday cage. (Although a finger mesh RF gasket at the door perimeter would make it even better.) All that you really need to add is a flat steel can (such as a peanut can or Danish butter cookie tin) to cover the safe’s electronic keypad assembly. Taping the can on works fine, but it will look tacky. A hinge attached with epoxy to a tin (allowing the can to swing to the left or right) might look better. Ideally, the tin should be grounded to the vault body. (Again, this looks tacky, but there is no way around it if you want a fully effective Faraday enclosure.)

If EMP is a major concern where you live (i.e. if you live within 250 miles of a major nuclear target), and your vault has an electronic lock then you should use silica gel rather than a 120 VAC rod-type dehumidifier inside your vault. This is because the power cord for a dehumidifier can act as an unintentional antenna that might “couple” EMP to your vault’s electronics. (One of the major no-no’s with Faraday cages is to have any conductor that can carry RF penetrate the cage or container body.)

And, needless to say, to have a gun vault lock that is absolutely safe from EMP, the next time that you move, you should sell your current vault as an included “bonus feature” with your house. Then, after you move, replace that vault with one that has a traditional mechanical combination lock. Coincidentally, I should mention that I prefer S&G Group II locks. Oh, and speaking of moving, I prefer Zanotti Armor brand six piece gun vaults that can be disassembled for ease of transport. We have a Zanotti ZA-III six-foot tall vault here at the Rawles Ranch that we’ve moved several times over the years.