Two Letters Re: Some Transceiver Antenna Questions

Jim,
A few pieces of additional information about antennas: Quarter wave antennas are traditionally used for portable radios as they match the radio’s output impedance of 50 Ohms. By matching this impedance with an antenna of 50 Ohms you get maximum energy transfer. A 1/2 wavelength long antenna (twice as long as a 1/4 wave) has an impedance of several thousand Ohms and is not a suitable radiator unless you add some sort of impedance matching between the radio or the antenna. This can be in the form of a coil and capacitor or an antenna tuner. One advantage a 1/2 wave antenna (with a matching section) has is that it is less reliant upon a metal ground plane to function efficiently. VHF marine antennas are almost always 1/2 wave antennas.
Now, this is not to be confused with a 1/2 wave dipole which is really two 1/4 wave elements attached to each side of the coax (impedance = 75 Ohms and usually close enough to 50 Ohm to not create a problem). If mounted vertically, the lower element attached to the shield of the coax acts as the ground plane portion of the antenna. In fact, by adding a couple of additional elements to the shield side and positioning them at a 45 degree angle, this creates a 1/4 wave ground plane that has an impedance of 50 Ohms.
Sometimes you can get over an impedance mismatch by simply using a longer antenna with more capture area thereby delivering better reception. When transmitting though you should keep the antenna close to 50 Ohms to avoid damage to the radio’s transistor final amplifiers.
For more information that you could digest at one sitting, see the links at this site. — Rob at MURS radios

 

Jim,
Concerning the letter from “SF in Hawaii” on the topic of “Some Transceiver Antenna Questions”: Another factor in antenna selection is the impedance of the antenna at it’s resonate frequency. Almost all 2-way radios are designed for use with a 50-Ohm antenna system. Select the correct 50-Ohm impedance coaxial cable to connect your radio to an external antenna. Typical 50-Ohm coaxial cables are RG-58, RG-8, and RG-213. Do not use 75-Ohm coaxial cables designed for regular TV or cable television (CATV) systems! Typical 75-Ohm coaxial cables to avoid for 2-way radio use are RG-59 and RG-6. Special co-phasing harnesses made with RG-59 coaxial cable are used in special applications, such as dual CB antennas on a tractor-trailer truck, so that the resulting impedance between the two antennas is 50-Ohms at the connection to the CB radio. But for a single CB antenna, you need to stick with 50-Ohm coaxial cable.

Then there is the antenna itself. The 5/8-wavelength, 1/2-wavelength, and 1/4-wavelength antenna design tends to have an impedance close to 50-Ohms. A full-wavelength or other fraction thereof antenna is no where near 50-Ohms. That is why you never hear any other type of antenna mentioned. Because the radio is designed for a 50-Ohm antenna system, 50-Ohm coaxial cable is used along with either a 5/8, 1/2, or 1/4-wavelength antenna. For the maximum radiated signal, all three components (radio, coaxial cable, and antenna) must be near the same 50-Ohms of impedance. An impedance miss-match results in wasted power and possible damage to the transmitter section of the 2-way radio due to reflected transmitter power coming back down the coax from the antenna and going back into the radio.
Your correspondent in Israel may not be familiar with the American Citizen’s Band (CB) radio service. Various countries have created similar “CB” radio services, but the allocated frequencies can vary depending on each country. The CB radio band in the US is a range of High Frequency (HF) radio frequencies that lie between one of the shortwave broadcast bands and the Amateur Radio Service 10-Meter band. These frequencies are divided into 40 channels, separated by 10 kHz steps, from 26.965 to 27.405 MHz. The term “Meters” is a measurement of the wavelength of a radio signal at a given frequency. The 27 MHz CB band is 11-meters. The 28 MHz Amateur Radio Service (ham) band is 10-meters.

The length of an antenna is directly proportional to the radio wavelength used. The shorter the wavelength, the shorter the antenna. Convert 11-meters to feet and you end up with one wavelength being about 36-feet long at the 27 MHz CB frequencies. This is why a 1?2-wave CB base station antenna is typically 18-feet long, and a 1?4-wave mobile whip antenna is 9-feet long. The measurements of frequency, wavelength, and antenna length are all interrelated.

A general rule of thumb for mobile 2-Way radios is not to use ridiculously short antennas and not to mount them right next to the car body! A transmitting antenna needs to be free and clear of obstructions in order to radiate a signal effectively. As previously mentioned, a traditional 1?4-wave whip antenna for the CB band is 9-feet long (102-inches, plus a 6-inch shock spring). It is naturally resonant on the 27 MHz frequencies used by CB radios and contains no loading coils. But at highway speeds the long whip antenna tends to lean far back due to wind resistance, reducing the effective range of the signal being transmitted. Various CB antenna designs utilize “loading coils” to reduce the physical length of the antenna, while maintaining the equivalent electrical length of the 1/4-wave 9-foot whip. These designs are a compromise, since it is the whip portion of the antenna that radiates most of the signal – not the loading coil. The shorter antennas do a better job of staying vertically upright at highway speeds. The performance of a 60-inch CB antenna with a base loading coil is usually an acceptable compromise from the far more awkward 9-foot whip antenna. A variety of 4 to 7-foot long 5/8-wave fiberglass antennas with a wire “wrap” are also available and provide another good compromise over the full size whip antenna. Their thick fiberglass core does a better job of keeping the antenna vertical at highway speeds. The better ones have a “tunable tip” feature that allows the antenna to be fine tuned without having to use a hacksaw to cut off excess length. (Plus, once you cut it off – you can’t put it back!)

Whatever you do, don’t buy a cheap 19-inch long magnetic-mount CB antenna and expect it to equal the performance of the full size 9-foot whip! Those antennas have so much of the antenna length replaced by a loading coil that their effective range is usually measured in yards instead of miles. Those who prefer the performance of the 9-foot whip antenna for CB radio sometimes use fishing line tied between the antenna and the vehicle body to hold the antenna in the vertical position when driving down the highway. The appropriate strength or “test” of fishing line will keep the whip upright while going down the road, but still break if the antenna strikes an overhead obstruction such as a low tree branch. Quality CB antenna brands include K-40, Wilson, and Firestik.

A base station directional antenna (or “beam” antenna) such as the Yagi or the Log Periodic design not only needs to be correctly mounted with the correct polarization – it also has to be pointed at the direction you want to talk. This requires an electric antenna rotator with sufficient rating to handle the size of your antenna (TV antenna rotators are usually unable to handle a large directional “beam” antenna). If you only need to communicate between two specific locations, a properly oriented (polarized) beam antenna will be very effective. But for general purpose use, an omni-directional antenna, such as a 1/2-wave [vertical] base station antenna would be your best choice. – Sarge

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jesse and Eric both sent us this link to a WorldNetDaily article: Congress warned: U.S. risks ‘catastrophe’ in EMP attack. Eric asks: “Is your vehicle EMP safe? Do you have spare solid state bits stored in a Faraday Cage that is properly grounded? If you don’t then you could find yourself walking or pedaling. “

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The folks at CGW (one of our loyal advertisers) just launched a new updated web site, with more than 300 new products added to their already large inventory of gun parts, optics, knives, and tactical field gear. Some of the new items include Bushnell Elite Scopes and Red Dots, Glock Barrels, Leupold Mark2 & VX-L scopes, Maxpedition Versipaks, and AR-15 products from ARMS, Troy Industries, and Daniel Defense. I can vouch that CGW also does amazing gunsmithing. (We have three L1A1 rifles that were custom built by them, here at the ranch.) Check them out, and please mention SurvivalBlog when you place and order.

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Ben M. mentioned this article that refutes a recent assertion by sci-fi writer Robert Silverberg, over at Asimov’s: Analysis: recent panics over rare metal scarcity overblown

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Rob A. and Rick D. flagged this article: IndyMac Seized by U.S. Regulators Amid Cash Crunch. The piece begins: “IndyMac Bancorp Inc. became the second-biggest federally insured financial company to fail today after a run by depositors left the California mortgage lender short on cash.” As I’ve said before: The ongoing global credit collapse will lead to lots of bank runs. Be ready.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And did they get you to trade
your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
a walk on part in the war
for a lead role in a cage?” – Roger Waters, lyrics to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” (1975)

Note from JWR:

There are just four days left in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. The high bid is now at $370. This auction is for two cases (12 cans) of Mountain House freeze dried foods in #10 cans donated by Ready Made Resources, valued at $260, a course certificate for a four-day Bushcraft & Survival Course valued at $550, 25 pounds of green (un-roasted) Colombian Supremo coffee courtesy of www.cmebrew.com valued at $88.75, and a set of 1,600 U.S. Military Manuals, Government Manuals, and Civil Defense Manuals, Firearm Manuals on two CD-ROM disks, valued at $20. Please e-mail us your bids soon, in $10 increments. The auction ends on July 15, 2008.

Surviving an Age of Greed and Envy–Criminal Looters and Looters Under Color of Law

Several SurvivalBlog readers recently sent me a link to an article that ran in Britain’s The Independent newspaper: Britain declares war on food waste. So it seems that The Powers That Be have figured out a way to ration food under a novel pretense–the wastefulness of bulk packaging. (I guess they’ve never heard of freezers, dehydrators, and vacuum packing machines. We hardly waste a morsel, here at the ranch. The subtle subtext to this new “war on waste” article ties in to the Fabian Socialist mindset that is so pervasive in England. (And sadly, here in America, as well.) They want to control the masses. The very thought of self-sufficiency offends them. After all, they statist model thrives on the dependency of the electorate.

This discussion naturally leads a larger issue for those of us that are well-prepared. It is the issue of the haves and the have-nots, when times get tough. I’m a big advocate of charity. I stress charity in all of my writings, and I have stocked extra food here at the ranch just to dispense as charity. I have a “give until it hurts” attitude toward charity. But I’ll fight to my last breath deterring anyone that attempts to rob my family’s sustenance by force. That includes both lawless looters, and bureaucrats who might choose to illegally loot under color of law. Both sorts of looters have a common bankruptcy of morals and ethics. And, to my mind, both deserve the same reaction from those that they attempt to rob: the force that looters apply should be immediately met with proportional force.

With that said at the intellectual level, there comes the practical aspects of defending your property from looters. Obviously, there is a continuum of force and resultant continuum of fear. Force can be applied by either party. To use force righteously, you must not be the one who initiates the use of force. If someone breaks into your home and you genuinely fear that they have intent to do you harm, then you have the the right and responsibility to defend your life. In some jurisdictions, this right extends to the right to defend your property, and often there is no requirement to give ground to an intruder. Part of this is the much-debated “Castle Doctrine“, which is in effect in some of the United States. (One caveat: These laws vary considerably, so take the time research the peculiarities of the law and its application in your own jurisdiction. Do not consider anything I’m presenting here legal advice!)

Let’s face it, no matter what the law says, some people in positions of authority may misuse their authority and deprive other people of their rights and property, under color of law. This happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and it could happen again, regardless of legal protections under the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006 (and other laws.) History has shown that in extreme situations, laws are simply ignored and rights get trampled. How you will react in this event is up to you. Just don’t do anything that you would be embarrassed to stand up and testify to in court, later. (And keep in mind that it might come down to that!) I recommend that you prepare yourself, prayerfully, about how far you are willing to go to stand up for what is right and lawful.

BTW, speaking of legalized looting, I heard that Ayn Rand’s monumental novel Atlas Shrugged is finally being made into a movie, scheduled for release in 2009. Somehow, I have my doubts that Angelina Jolie can handle the role of Dagny Taggart. But who knows? She may surprise us with a stellar performance. If it results in more people “Gulching“, then I’ll consider the movie a success.

Letter Re: Learning from the Price of Canned Tuna

Hi Jim,
A while back on the blog you had a letter from a reader regarding the price increases that are coming down the pike (pun intended) for tuna. I was in a Wal-Mart the other day, and it looks like those increases are coming sooner rather than later.

Two weeks ago, I purchased a bunch of Wal-Mart house brand tuna packed in oil, 6 ounce cans, for $0.53 per can. Yesterday, I was in Wal-Mart again, and the same product is now $0.74 per can. That is a price increase of 39% in a fortnight! I’m happy to say that I laid in my three year supply (over 300 cans, mostly from Costco) before the price jump. Thanks for your counsel on this.

I have been stocking up on everything, because I figure it’s not going to get any cheaper. I have amassed in two months, starting from no food storage, a 1-year supply of “regular” rotatable food, and a three year supply of 30-year storable food. It wasn’t easy or cheap, the time required was like having a half-time job for the last two months) but I did it. I strongly encourage everyone to stock up now, while there is still food to be had. All of the major [long term storage food] canneries are running on 8 to 12 week backlogs. And I think those will only get worse as the number of people who decide to start preparing increases. Best, – A.L.

Real Estate Market Update for Northwestern Montana, by Viola Moss

We have, just in the past six months, transitioned from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market in northwestern Montana. Much of this is due to the impact of stricter bank mortgage lending requirements. Many [previously commonplace ] investors and types of loans are now nowhere to be seen. I heard just this week that the lenders are requiring the appraisers to go back only two months (instead of six months) for comparatives. This is nearly impossible with the sales spiraling downward. This is quite a reversal from just two years ago, when we didn’t have comps because the prices were going up so fast due to demand and lack of inventory!

Also contributing to the “Buyer’s Market” transition is that many buyers have to sell their home from whence they are coming as their market has long become stagnant.
Those who can afford it and have been “shopping” for a retreat the past two years have been way too picky in their expectations for their money and privacy. Many have been shopping for several years and now realize the pickings are few, especially for properties without restrictive covenants to raise animals and have a little farmstead. We have a lot more inventory but only about 5% is covenant free for such use.

The other thing is that those who want waterfront or surface water will pay more as it is primo and getting more scarce, especially without restrictive covenants. Maybe one would want to address having a well with a hand pump and consider that the water is more easily protected from contaminants (but I will leave this recommendation to Mr. Rawles). Many good properties at dropping prices are passed up for this one reason.

Those who are demanding total privacy and can’t afford a lot of land to allow such need to understand that only about 8% of our land is privately owned. (The good news to this is that the wildlife is abundant and one could easily bug out to the woods.) Therefore, parcels are usually grouped together for private purchase and use. So if you can get a property with a forest boundary or near bigger parcels for privacy that is as realistic as one will get. There may be a very few rare finds of “totally surrounded by forest” properties; but, then they are not accessible year round and may have to deal with US Forest Service road agreements. Would this cause one to be blocked in or out in the near future? I think looking for a good sustainable neighborhood could be of benefit if lieu of that perfect private piece, especially for those who can’t afford a lot of acreage.

Also, larger parcels, even if you could afford them are getting fewer and fewer because they have been subdivided for more affordable land for buyers. These usually come with the new restrictive covenants and have caused the off balance of covenanted lands versus non-covenant.

Don’t be fooled by the pictures on the MLS. There is nothing like actually looking at a piece and seeing how the “lay of the land” is. One could get 47 acres with creeks at the end of the road but it may not be always accessible or where you would want to build is on the corner of the property right next to the abutting owners summer cabin! The terrain and lay out can make all the difference in what you think you might want or not want.

Another warning: If a property is priced really well, then there is usually a reason. Yes, sometimes a seller actually prices something to sell. But be sure to know what the well depths are and especially, in this country, find out how much the normal the spring water run-off/melt will be and affect the property. Your 20 acres may only have 5 acres of useable land year round.

Many have not made the moves and changes in location and lifestyle needed for what’s coming and are finding it is now “almost too late.” They wanted their cake and ice cream too. One foot in both sides of reality and disillusionment. I envision that many will bail out of their current places and take what monetary resources they can squeeze out of to get to refuge areas, like here [in northwestern Montana]. They will abandon what they have in the cities and coastal areas when they realize it is too late; but, maybe think they can get out by a hair’s breadth. Hopefully, they can settle for 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best before disaster strikes!

Another problem we see are buyers and their significant others not agreeing that something has to be done! One will know and want to move now or acquire a bug out retreat; yet, the spouse or children or parents don’t! I implore those who can foresee what is coming, to go ahead and do what they know is needed. Otherwise, your loved ones will have nowhere to run to. They will be grateful. The worst that could happen, is that everything turns around and you live a more crime free, pollution free, healthier lifestyle and environment for you and your family. You can always go back to Egypt — wherever that may be for you. Yes, you may sense a bit of personal prejudice towards this part of the country. I left my comfortable “Egypt” in 2004. <grin>

For others, they have actually lost almost everything due to job loss, natural disasters, et cetera. They had a boat come by to rescue them and said, “God will send me help.” They finally realized they don’t need a helicopter to get them out and they need to move now! They know they need to move in faith regardless of the obstacles now: though with much less than they had anticipated but thank goodness they are here or on their way.

Again, this is a prime location for people to nestled into and hunker down for the days to come. Even if you have to have a neighbor or community, you will find that the majority of these mountain people are prepared much more so than other locations in the United States. Viola Moss. E-mail: mtnmama@vmre.net Web site: www.vmre.net

JWR Adds: Be sure to take a look at the growing list of properties and agents available at SurvivalBlog’s spin-off web site: www.SurvivalRealty.com.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Charles V. recommended this editorial by Craig R. Smith, the CEO of Swiss America: In the eye of an economic storm

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Readers Jerry S., OSOM, Korey, Nick, and Rob A. all sent us this: The Fannie and Freddie doomsday scenario–It’s time to wonder what would happen if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed. Here is a telling quote: “‘If Fannie or Freddie failed, it would be far worse than the fall of [investment bank] Bear Stearns,’ says Sean Egan, head of credit ratings firm Egan Jones. ‘It could throw the economy into depression or something close to it.'”

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Brent F. suggest this article from The Age, down in Oz: $8 a litre tipped for 2018

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Frequent content contributor Hawaiian K. recommended a PDF of a good, basic primer on responding to NBC incidents, available from Richard Fleetwood’s outstanding SurvivalRing site.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“We are thus in the position of having to borrow from Europe to defend Europe, of having to borrow from China and Japan to defend Chinese and Japanese access to [Persian] Gulf oil, and of having to borrow from Arab emirs, sultans and monarchs to make Iraq safe for democracy. We borrow from the nations we defend so that we may continue to defend them. To question this is an unpardonable heresy called ‘isolationism’.” – Patrick J. Buchanan

Note from JWR:

Special thanks to Bruce C., a US Air Force officer that kindly volunteered some if his spare time to re-edit the SurvivalBlog Glossary. He helped flesh out a number of entries, and made some corrections, particularly for some radio and aviation terms. Gracias!

Two Letters Re: Amassing Copper Pennies–By the Ton!

Dear Jim:
I enjoy and appreciate your site. I am concerned about the gentlemen [TRK, who stated in a recently-posted e-mail that he is] amassing tons of copper pennies. I understand his desire to hedge against inflation, but it seems risky to do so with a $60,000 investment in copper pennies. I didn’t want to see your readers get wiped out by following his bad advice.

Let’s remember, you can’t fill your belly with pennies, nor can you bandage your wounds with them. While pennies are certainly tangible, preparedness is all about useful tangibles. Beans, bullets, Band-Aids. Preparedness is first about having the immediate means of [preserving] life on hand, second about having the knowledge and means to adapt to changes, and third, about protecting what you have. (Which might include your monetary wealth, including protecting it from inflation).

First lesson: What this gentleman is doing is last priority. You can do without money, you can’t do without food for your family or the means to provide it in the future. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he has his priorities already squared away.

The Problems With Pennies

The Government has made bulk melting down coins illegal [, per] 31 USC 5111 allows the Secretary of the Treasury to prohibit melting of coins (which he has). The penalty for violation of it is five years in federal prison. I realize that the prepper, TRK, said nothing about melting them down, but, see my next point:

Which is more likely?: The entire US will come to a rapid, screeching halt, or the prepper will have an unexpected event happen in his life: the loss of a job, an illness, et cetera.

If something happened (which it always does), and he needed the to cash out his notional gains into real cash, the only place he could really do it would be a scrap metal shop – and they’re not going to buy his pennies if the penalty is 5 years in the clink.

So, if he needs the money, he’s going to have to cash the coins in at face value. Actually, probably a discount to face value, because no bank is going to accept tons of pennies, he’ll have to find some way to get paper money.

If he was able to cash out, he’d wouldn’t be “assured” of getting what he paid for them as he suggests. He’d take a full body punch of inflation. If, as he says, inflation runs at 20% a year, and he has to cash out after five years, he would have lost 80% of his “face value”. His $60,000 would only purchase $12,000 worth of goods [in real terms].

Okay, you say, I’ll melt it myself and deliver the melted down metal to a scrap metal shop. No good. Copper melts at 1,984 degrees F. No big deal if you’re melting one or one hundred pennies, but if your melting over 14 million pennies, like someone who has 40 tons of pennies would have to, it’s gonna take quite a bit of time and energy, as well as specialized equipment.

Miscalculation of Future Value

The prepper in question may assume that, in the future “after the collapse,” copper will be worth more than it is now. Is that necessarily true? In the event of a wholesale collapse, who exactly, will be buying copper? Further, he assumes a global market. But, in a collapse, he will only be able to sell to buyers near where he lives, and they will determine the value of his copper. Since copper can’t be eaten, and, as a soft metal, it isn’t good for machining or armoring or the like, he’d be damned lucky to be able to sell it at any price.

While copper isn’t an unlimited resource, it is fairly abundant and is easily recycled. In a collapse, it will have near zero value. Long term, it’s value is still likely to be lower than it is today, a time when China’s overheated economy is driving up prices from equilibrium.

The uncertainty of the future value of copper puts this prepper and his family in significant jeopardy. He can’t count on his copper to provide for his family in a crisis.

The Bartering Boondoggle

Again, in a collapse situation, copper is also worthless for bartering. First, it will be difficult to convince people that your pennies are 95% copper. Yes, the date indicates that, but they only have your word to take. There is no Internet that they can consult to ascertain the veracity of your story. So, your probably out of luck. People have jars of pennies lying around their houses.

More importantly, copper isn’t gold or silver. I might very well sell you a dozen head of cattle for such and such amount of silver (or gold), but not for copper. The reason is familiarity. People are familiar with silver and gold as money. They know it’s worth. They know that they will be able to trade it to someone else for what they need. It has a deeply-ingrained cultural acceptance, even in this age of credit cards and toilet-paper money.

Not so with copper. People are familiar with it (if at all) as plumbing and wiring. There’s no impression of worth, no trust that it can be exchanged for other goods and services. Further, people have no way to value copper, absent a global market, and, as as the dozen head of cattle example suggests, even if they would accept copper, it’s far to bulky for large-value transactions.

So, as we’ve seen,
1. Copper is not a survival prep
2. It is far more likely that you’ll need access to your money than it is that the country will quickly and immediately collapse
3. Copper will be [in a collapse] probably worth pennies on the dollar. (Heh, heh)
4. Copper doesn’t have barter value

I’m sorry to have to tear apart this scheme so thoroughly, but people could get hurt by following TRK’s example. I envy the author’s creativity and zeal for fighting back against the evils of inflation, but this is not the way to do it.

[As you’ve stressed in SurvivalBlog many times:] Beans, bullets, band aids first, then tools and knowledge for future employment. Last priority is protecting your assets. Readers should remember that you may need your money sooner rather than later, so it’s not wise to lock up all you have in “survival” assets. You still need cash, money in the bank, T-bills, even stocks. Land is a great investment, but only at a good price and only if it’s only a relatively small percentage of your wealth.

If there’s an overall lesson here, it may be that we must prepare for the absence of collapse, just as we prepare for other eventualities.

Miscellaneous errata from the author’s letter:

His math assumes that all 20 tons is copper. 5% is zinc which is worth only $.78 per pound. The real problem would be separating the zinc from the copper if you had to melt it down yourself. Also, I don’t know if scrap metal shops might refuse pennies for similar reasons (in addition to the illegality).

A semi-truck load is 40 tons, not 20 tons. That is gross weight, so total payload capacity is less. Also this is a DOT rule, and carriers obviously load whatever they want.

Note: 20 tons is about 14.5 million pennies. That is an amazing figure. – Tom A

 

Jim:
See this law reference: Five Cent and One Cent Coin Regulations
[The current Federal law states:]

“Except as specifically authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury (or designee) or as otherwise provided in this part, no person shall export, melt, or treat:
(a) Any 5-cent coin of the United States; or
(b) Any one-cent coin of the United States.”

Regards, – PNG

JWR Replies: Your concerns are well-founded. In my piece about saving nickels, I make the same point: The U.S. Treasury ban on melting 1-cent and 5-cent coins went into effect in April of 2007. So it is indeed currently illegal for any “person” in the US to melt penny and nickel coins. It is also illegal to export more than $100 face value of pennies of nickels. (This intended to thwart salvage coin melting overseas, outside of US jurisdiction.) There is, however, a bill before the US Congress that would mandate the issuance of copper-plated steel pennies and that will likely result in the eventual rescission of the the penny and nickel melting ban. The bill, H.R. 5512, was authored by Congressman Zack Space, of Ohio. Space’s bill has already passed in in the House, and will most likely pass in the Senate and be enacted, but there are no guarantees.

At this juncture, I should repeat a couple of important provisos: Any speculative investing should be seen as a potential total loss, and hence should never account for more than 5% of one’s net worth. And, as I’ve stated dozens of times, any such investing should be pursued only after getting your key logistics, tools, training, and retreat property squared away, and only after eliminating all of your debts. These constraints put this sort of investing outside the reach of 95% of the SurvivalBlog readers. Sure, I advise going ahead and collecting a few rolls of nickels, but don’t go hog wild in amassing copper pennies and nickels as a primary hedge against inflation. That would be a foolish venture.

Two Letters Re: The Mil-Spec AR-15 Makers–Parts Chart

I imagine you are going to get a lot of e-mails stating the chart [posted on an Internet Forum] that you cited is inaccurate. At least in the case of the all-factory Bushmaster, I own I can say there were at least a couple of missing “X”‘s [in the chart]. Likewise, I question who exactly was the metallurgist who placed a “1” in the barrel steel column.

Also, Bushmaster has a lifetime warranty. It’s right on their web site and I can assure you they honor it. When I had a parts breakage issue after thousands of rounds put through the rifle, I received prompt, courteous no-hassle service.

Internet commando reports need to be taken with a pound of salt. It’s hard to tell how many so-called “factory” rifles discussed in online forums are little more than parts kit guns [that were] assembled at home [that started out] with no more than the stripped lower receiver being the only real factory part.

I have run into this a lot at gun shows with even FFL dealers selling complete guns as “Bushmaster brand” and quickly finding that the rifles did not even have chrome-lined barrels (this is standard in their mil-style civilian knock-offs) and/or had the stamps of brands from the parts kits seller right on them.

I’d like to note that many of the parts dealers here in the midwest do not even sell chrome-lined barrels for the most part because the home [AR] builders are more
interested in saving $35. At the last large show I attended there were only two complete [barreled] upper [receiver]s out of 40 [seen there] which had chrome-lined barrels. The parts dealers were at least honest about which were which, even if the re-sellers were not always honest. Buyer Beware! – Chris S.

James:
The rifles from Colt’s Manufacturing have some undesirable features like pinned, non-retractable stock and are lacking a muzzle device and bayonet lug. Colts Manufacturing is the same operation that makes the M1911-style pistols and single action revolvers.

The rifles from Colt Defense have all the desired features (except of course no [full auto] “fun switch” for civilians.) Colt Defense has the M4 contract for the military and also make the “Law Enforcement” rifles which may also be purchased by civilians.

I’m not sure but I don’t think either segment of the business (and both sell [indirectly] to civilians) uses the old screw-type front receiver (pivot) pin at this point.

The Colt Defense Model 6920 is the carbine that is closest to the military M4. Using a 16″ (versus 14.5″ for [government contract] M4) chrome-lined government profile barrel with M203 cuts, bayonet lug, flash suppressor, removable carry handle, railed flat top upper, fully shrouded bolt carrier and collapsible stock. It is the weapon most likely to be chosen by someone wanting an all around, lightweight accurate AR-style carbine from Colt.

I have recently purchased several Colt Model 6721 carbines (similar to the Model 6920 but with a heavier barrel) and both came with the fully shrouded bolt carrier. See this post for details. Neither of these carbines have the “now perennial two screws-in-place-of-a-front-pivot-pin design” [you mentioned] although they do have the oversized [hammer and trigger] pins.

Although I am more of a FAL 7.62 mm NATO guy, I have owned a number of AR-15s including ArmaLite, CMMG and Stag Arms. I find the Colt carbines, which I regularly use for three-gun competitions and occasionally for tactical training, are fine weapons and if needed I would certainly trust my life to them. In addition, I had no problem finding guns available for purchase (I’m neither a LEO or in the military) and contact with Colt has been excellent in regard to questions.

Keep up the good work with your informative and enjoyable blog. There wouldn’t be enough intelligent info across the spectrum relating to preparedness without your remarkable web site. – John E.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Readers Josh W. and John M. both sent us this article link: Black Box Warning for Antibiotic

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Eric found this: As food costs soar, it’s back to basics for meal planners. Eric’s comment: “What a wonderful chance for folks to start learning about eating their food storage foods and saving money! I think about my friends who have hundreds of pounds of red winter wheat put up and no idea what to do with it – they have no [grain] mill and don’t eat whole wheat bread or whole wheat anything. As someone who has been eating commercially available whole wheat products for decades it took my metabolism a while to become accustomed to 100% whole wheat bread made from our storage wheat – and I’m better for it. Now store bought bread tastes fake to me – it lacks flavor.”

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Kevin A. flagged this piece over art The Silver Bear Cafe: Understanding Bernanke, by Rolfe Winkler.

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RJ spotted this news article from England’s Financial Times: Widespread alarm is rattling at castle gates. The current real estate collapse is hitting the entire English-speaking world, and beyond. This is all tied to the global credit collapse that I’ve been shouting about since the summer of Aught Seven. And this collapse is nowhere near over. Methinks things will get a lot worse before they get better.

Note from JWR:

Please mention SurvivalBlog whenever you phone into a talk radio show or podcast where the discussion touches on preparedness. Thanks!