Constructing an Improvised CB Radio Antenna, by Dim Tim

I have put a great deal of the info I have gleaned from SurvivalBlog to good use in my own preps. To reciprocate, the following is one of hopefully many bits of survival information that I plan to pass along to all the readers, in the hope that it will help someone else.

A short time back I read a few posts on some survival communications issues, and found them to be very helpful. They also got me to thinking about something that I did back around the start of the eighties, that I believe would be a great piece of survival gear for the folks using Citizen’s Band. (CB or 11 meter ) and some 10 meter users.

One day, I came upon the thought that if the radio still worked, but the antenna became lost or damaged, what would I do then? How would I be able to talk to my group, let alone listen in to any other chatter. Having a bit of electronic knowledge ( two year tech. degree in industrial electronics ) I set about to make an expedient antenna system from inexpensive, and commonly found materials. The result was a simple antenna that would work in a pinch, and was easy to transport, and would be as good as, or better than a commercial one. Enter the simple dipole antenna.

A dipole is a pair of wires or conductors connected to the “ground” and the center conductor of the coaxial antenna cable, and stretched out either in a vertical or a horizontal position. Most “whip ” style mobile antennas are around 102″ in length ( this is the number that antenna designers use in their standing wave ratio (SWR) to frequency calculations, to match an antenna to a particular radio to achieve maximum efficiency ). Using this as a reference point, I bought a 25′ roll of solid aluminum clothesline wire at the hardware store, a small package of solderless, crimp style connectors, a small package of 1 1/4″ wood screws, and a roll of electrical tape. The only other things you will need are a couple lengths of 550 paracord, two lengths of 1 1/2″ dia. ( about 4-5″ long ) dowel rod, and a 2×4 block about 6 to 8″ long. To start, take the 2×4 block and 2 wood screws, and screw the wood screws only a couple of turns into the wood, placing one at each end, about an inch or so back from the ends. Next, take the coaxial antenna cable, and carefully strip back the outer jacket about 6″ and undo the braided wire, and twist it into one individual length. Next, strip back the insulating jacket over the center conductor about 1/4″. Attach a crimp connector to each wire, preferably by soldering, or by securely crimping with a pair of electrician’s crimping pliers. Next, take and wrap the exposed, twisted, braided wire with a bit of the electrical tape.

Next, take a pair of wire cutters, and cut two 102″-long pieces of the clothesline, and make an eye hook at one end of each, and unscrew the wood screws on the 2×4 and attach one wire “eye” to each ( do not screw the screws down all the way yet.) Next, take the dowel rods, and drill a hole through the side about 1 1/2″ from the end, and then the other, repeating the same for the other dowel. The holes should be large enough to thread one of the clothesline ends through one, and a piece of the paracord through the other for each one. Now, connect one of the coaxial antenna wire connectors to the wood screws on the 2×4 block and tighten the screw down so that the connector will not pull loose. Do the same to the other. Next, take the loose clothesline wire end that is connected to the braided wire and pass it through one end of one of the dowel rods and wrap around the dowel and a couple of turns around itself so it will not pull back out of the dowel.

Before attaching the other element, place an accurate SWR meter in the antenna line to check the match. Thread a length of the 550 Paracord cord through each of the dowel insulators. Now thread the other clothesline (the one connected to the center conductor of the coaxial wire) through the dowel about 4-6″ and make an L-shaped bend so it won’t pull out of the dowel. Set the SWR meter to check your match according to the meter’s instructions. If the match is too high, then take a pair of wire cutters, and trim the end back just 1/4″ at a time until you get the lowest [reading] match you can possibly achieve.

Important note: Care must be taken when trimming the antenna, because you can’t put the cut pieces back! Once you have the best match you can get, finish off the end of the wire the same as the first. Now stretch it up between two sturdy objects, and try it out. I have been able to get the same range as a commercial one with mine.

JWR Adds: Some provisos: Be sure to waterproof all connections with RTV silicone, or something similar. Be sure to have an antenna connected whenever transmitting, to prevent damage to your transceiver. Since nearly all CB radio transceivers are set up with vertically polarized antennas, it is important that you rig your antenna vertically. (This way, the geometry of your transmitting wave will match the vertical geometry of the receiving antenna.) This may seem counterintuitive when you are looking at a dipole, but trust me, you should set it up with the two elements running up and down. And, of course, all of the usual antenna safety precautions apply.

Letter Re: Ballistic Protection of Straw Bale Houses?

Jim,
I love your blog site and appreciate the service that you provide. I stumbled on SurvivalBlog several months back and quickly ordered your novel [“Patriots”]; loved it and found it to be life changing event.

I am a former Infantry Marine of 13+ years medically retired from wounds received in Fallujah in November of ’04. Needless to say, I have had some pretty major paradigm shifts (in the line of preparedness and government encroachment) since I retired in August of ’06. On with my question: I have done quiet a bit of ballistic demonstrations on the usual and conventional building materials, but have not ever seen what protection straw bales offer. My wife and I are partial to that method of construction for its fire protection and insulation properties. I’d love to here any insight you may have. Thanks, -Jon

JWR Replies: Unless straw bale houses have a thick outer stucco or adobe clay coating (two inch or greater thickness), then they are poor at stopping small arms fire. Just one layer of sandbags works much better than even two straw bales back-to back (4 feet thick.) For that reason, I prefer ICFs, tire houses (“Earthships”), monolithic domes, or traditional reinforced masonry construction over straw bale.

Letter Re: U.S. Climate Data Available Online

Jim:
Some comments on studying climates and microclimates: I do a fair amount of this professionally, and there are a couple more things worthy of discussion:

1) when looking at a specific area, in which a subject property is located, pay particular attention to low areas where cold settles. These areas will freeze first. Crop performance will vary widely.
Study not just the winds, but the exposure–the microclimate. Solar, wind, rainfall and snowfall patterns.

2) Do not build with haste. We encourage people to live with a property in as-is conditions for a year if they can, so that they can fully understand what the seasons are like all over the subject property. This is obviously not possible for everyone, but if there is a rustic cabin on the site, chances are it is in the best location for exposure, proximity to gardens, pastures, etc. It is likely that someone lived there long enough to understand the property.

3) Understand the neighboring properties, their owners, occupants, and passers-through, both human and animal. Don’t expect that just because you think you have the best place for a house, that it’s without complication. Ever seen a new house built right on top of a game trail frequented for decades by moose, deer, and predators? Nice big windows to many species look like opportunities to graze just beyond the reflection. Deer inside homes in the forests are not uncommon. Moose once in awhile too. Where there are deer, there may be bear, cougar, etc. It might be downright interesting, to wake up and find a moose in your great room. Take care, – Thomas S.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader “FFF” recommended some commentary from Patrick Buchanan: Subprime Nation

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For any of you that have been dragging your feet on taking a course at Front Sight: they just announced their biggest freebie offer ever. The Memsahib and I have both taken the Four Day Defensive Handgun course at Front Sight, and we can vouch that it is absolutely top notch training, even for experienced pistol shooters. And BTW, the Springfield Armory XD .45 that is included in the offer is a fine choice for self defense. Here in the States it is now just as popular as the Glock 21. Hopefully more spare parts will soon make it into the pipeline, which will make the XD .45 the ideal choice for a defensive handgun.

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Don’t miss the new Montana retreat listing on SurvivalRealty.com

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Signs of the times: Russian police hunt for thieves who stole a 200-tonne metal bridge

Note from JWR:

Congratulations to Kevin B., the high bidder in the recent SurvivalBlog benefit auction for an HK Emergency Flare Launcher and 28 flares. Today we begin a new auction. This one is for a Brunton Solarport 4.4 watt photovoltaic panel, kindly donated by Ready Made Resources (a $140 retail value) as well as seven other items: A set of Michael Z. Williamson’s sniper trilogy books, a copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value), an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” (a $23 retail value), an autographed copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” (a $25 retail value), and a SurvivalBlog Key Logistics Tote Bag (a $14.50 retail value.)

Letter Re: U.S. Climate Data Available Online

Jim,
I’m not sure if this has been covered here before, but here are a few links to Government climate data and maps in the US. Microclimate data are represented as well, to a degree limited by the number of stations:

Climate Maps of the United States – Lookup Page

Monthly Station Climate Summaries – By Station

U.S. Climate Normals

For those interested in wind speeds and patterns across the USA for whatever reason, the map link above can be supplemented with the data for the major population centers.

Thanks again for your hard work, – The DFer

JWR Replies: Thanks for sending those links. They are very useful for both assessing the “livability” of various locales. Along with prevailing wind maps (which are useful for radioactive fallout prediction), I consider maps an essential planning tool. I strongly recommend that anyone considering retreat locales should do a climate study first. It is notable that climate and growing season duration are what caused us to rule out areas east of The Great Divide when we went searching for the Rawles Ranch.

Letter Re: Snap Shooting Skills

Sir;
The recent SurvivalBlog article on snap shooting was great. I think that there is one useful thing to mention and that is how body armor vests (particularly thicker ones with rifle plates) change the way you shoot. The first and most obvious change to the proper way to shoot both rifles and pistols is to always face the target with your body armor! This means facing your chest directly towards the enemy, it really changes the way snap shooting works. Bringing rifles on target while keeping your chest straight toward the target is something that needs to be practiced for awhile. Doing the same with pistols is easier but still must be practiced. When wearing body armor also change the way you shoot from the prone to reflect the protection of the vest. Instead of the traditional strong side knee bent lying mostly on your weak side the way to do it is flat on your chest straight to the target so the vest protects you as much as possible.

The second way that body armor changes the way you shoot is ergonomics. Vests add thickness to all sides of your upper body. If your long gun has a stock that is exactly the right length for you [when wearing street clothes] then it will be roughly two inches too long. This is where M4 or HK91 adjustable stocks are real nice. Web gear is also going to fit smaller. These little things get to be a significant problem after a while. Try to get some hours at the range practicing snap shooting. Practice shooting with your entire kit (weapon, web gear, body armor, [and helmet]) now, so that if you need to change something you can do it before you really need the stuff–[in times when] going online and ordering a larger vest or shorter stock will probably be impossible.

Body armor is a big purchase (about the price of a decent battle rifle especially if you get [SAPI] rifle plates). After stocking a good pantry full of food and a basic firearms battery for each adult (with plenty of ammo and accessories); I can not think of another more useful item to have. – Ryan

JWR Replies: I agree with you wholeheartedly that body armor should be a high priority purchase. It is one that is often overlooked by my consulting clients. As your budget allows, each adult family member at your retreat should buy a Level IIIA concealment vest and a Kevlar helmet. If you have a big budget, then also buy an Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest (or equivalent).

If I had to choose between buying a second gun and buying body armor, I would definitely choose the body armor! Consider it part of your life insurance–the type that insures that you don’t die–as opposed to traditional life insurance that pays after you die. (Well, technically, it would be “assurance”, rather than “insurance”, but you get my point.) Do some comparison shopping, for price, quality, and proper fitting. (The latter is crucial.) One vendor that I recommend offers all three is BulletProofME.com. (I was recommending them long before they ever became a SurvivalBlog advertiser.)

Letter Re: The Value of a Dollar as Currency Unit

Howdy Jim,
Regarding the quotation by Dr. Walter E. Williams wherein he writes about “dollars as being ‘certificates of performance'” it reminds me of discussions years ago of the nature of money. Perhaps it may be condensed down to something such as, “Money is a measure of life energy.”

Whether it is fiat paper currency, or silver or gold coinage currency, or electron-charged cyberspace currency, what it measures and thereby accounts for is life energy. As an example consider the different measures of value we accord to an ounce bar of pure silver and an ounce coin of the the same material. The difference is the amount of life energy involved in making the coin. (“The only people who ‘make money’ are the people who work in a mint. The rest of us have to earn it.” – Earl Nightingale) The life energy expended in turning the silver ore into a pure-silver bar makes the bar more valuable than the ore. The life energy expended in turning the pure-silver bar into a pure-silver coin makes the coin more valuable than the bar. The different values we accord these various forms of this one material are the amount of life energy we humans are willing to invest or exchange in order to posses or control these different forms of this one material. Whatever medium of exchange we use (paper, coin, electron, or other), it serves as a measure of life energy.

Thank you again for all that you and yours are and do. Regards, – Lex

Feedback on the “Maxed Out” Consumer Credit Documentary

Sir,
Today I went through some of the links on SurvivalBlog that I might have otherwise passed over, for whatever reason. I came across the Google Video link: Maxed Out. Normally I would not have taken the time to watch an hour-and-a-half video on the computer, but I was curious just because you would take the time to post it up on your site. I knew that credit cards would one day become a problem, but even in my wildest dreams I never could have imagined anything even close to what is contained in that video. For those of you who have not seen it, go and do so! Go as soon as you read this, and pass it along to everyone that you know that has a computer. If ever there was any doubt that we were being used and manipulated for evil reasons, by evil people, then this should remove all that doubt.

Years ago I had two department store credit cards that I thought that I would never get paid off, but I [eventually] did. I paid the minimums, just like everyone else. However, I saw “the flaw in the slaw” and used every chance that I could get a bit of extra cash, to help pay it off quicker. As soon as I did, that was it. I had finally had enough. I have never had another [credit card] since. Recently, my auto insurance company, as well as a few others, have sent me notices to the fact, and now I pay a small amount extra on my premiums because I have a lower credit score, because I don’t owe anybody anything other than my regular monthly bills (my house payment is not included, because it is paid for.) At first I was mad beyond belief, that I had to pay more, because I was smarter than the rest of the people who bought into the Credit Card Fairy Tale. (You all know that one, where your life will become sooooo much better! After a few phone calls that went nowhere, I decided that the powers that be, had me by the short hairs. In retrospect, and after seeing this video, I can see that I am getting off cheap. Weighing all the factors, I am still ahead in the long run. So as Mr. Rawles has pointed out in so many other of the daily pages, pay off your debts as quickly as you can. And if you do decide to keep your cards, ask yourself this very important question: are you really happier that you have them? – Dim Tim

JWR: Replies: I do recommend having at least one “no annual fee” major credit card, just to keep on hand for emergencies such as car repairs on cross-country trips. But unless folks have the self-control to never use them, or at least never use them for impulse purchases (so that the balance can be paid in full each month, with no interest charges), then I recommend that they leave their credits card locked up in a home vault, or simply cut them up.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader E.L. recommended that we look at some of the YouTube clips of economist Peter Schiff. This Neal Cavuto segment aired back August, 17, 2007, when the Dow had “dipped” 7% below its 14,000 high, silver was around $12.70 per ounce, and the US Dollar Index was around 81. Most of the the pundits were downright bashing on Peter Schiff and calling the subprime crisis “a buying opportunity” for financial stocks. But given recent events–with the Dow now in the 12,700 range, silver around $16 per ounce, and the US Dollar Index down below 76, it seems that it was Schiff who was right.

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I found some interesting economic analysis from Alex Wallenwein posted over at Gold-Eagle: Gold and the Biflationary Depression. Alex may have hit the nail on the head: we may soon see simultaneous currency inflation and asset deflation.

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“The Bricklayer” in Detroit mention this YouTube video showing a low-tech small scale power windmill in Africa.

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Steven found this nearly one-year-old Reuters news story that you might have missed: U.S. companies prepare for bird flu pandemic

Note from JWR:

This is the last day in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction. The bidding is now at $540. The auction is for a scarce original 1980s-vintage Heckler und Koch 19mm Emergency Flare Launcher (EFL) aka “Notsignalgerät“ from my personal collection. It comes with three magazines and 28 scarce original German 19mm flares–10 red, 10 white, and 8 green. Together, this package is worth at least $400. It is not classified as a “firearm” under Federal law. (Consult your state and local laws before bidding.) Sorry, no overseas bids will be accepted for this auction. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments. Be sure to submit your bid by midnight (eastern Time) tonight!

The Countrywide Bailout and the Macroeconomic Picture

As I mentioned a few days ago, Bank of America (BofA) is buying out troubled Countrywide Financial (a home mortgage lender) for more than $4 Billion, and taxpayers are going to help them finance the buyout. This is good news for Countrywide (whose CEO is being given a ludicrous $110 million going away present), but bad news for the economy as a whole, and for taxpayers.

I should mention that it has been rumored that BofA felt obliged to acquire Countrywide, because the two firms had some large derivatives contracts, and if Countrywide had folded, BofA would have to write-off some very large dollar figures–perhaps enough to wipe out BofA. But by buying out Countrywide, BofA now holds both sides of the derivative transaction (they are in effect both party and counter party) so they can just zero out those derivative contracts. I expect that regardless of whether or not they are able to offset their derivatives exposure, buying out Countrywide may still be disastrous for BofA. One of the longest standing legal precepts in mergers and acquisitions is: “When you buy a company, you also buy its liabilities.” The full downside risk at Countrywide is enormous. If the default rate spikes in the nascent recession, Countrywide’s mountain of bad paper could very well take BofA down with it. I think that A.P. Giannini (the founder of the Bank of Italy, which later became the Bank of America), is probably rolling in his grave right now.

What does the Countrywide experience portend for the larger economy? I believe that the credit collapse will eventually spawn numerous taxpayer-funded bailouts of financial institutions, some of them measuring in the hundreds of billions of dollars. In essence, the credit collapse is just getting started. The bad news that is presently being trumpeted about subprime mortgages, will soon apply to the entire mortgage credit market. There are so many institutions–banks, hedge funds, mutual funds with financial stock holdings, and more–that have direct or indirect subprime exposure, that once the dominos start to tumble there will be many billions if not trillions wiped out. So much debt has been re-packaged in so many different ways that nobody can tell who owns what debts, and exactly what property is backing those debts. (There are now a dizzying array of Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs), Convertible Contingent Debt Securities (CODEs), Enhanced Equity-Linked Debt Securities (ELKs), Mandatorily Exchangeable Debt Securities (MEDs), Stock Return Income Debt Securities (STRIDEs), Structured Investment Vehicle (SIVs), and even “Super SIVs”–SIVs that aggregate other SIVs.)

It is the bankers’ inability to assign risk that inspired the summer of Aught Seven credit collapse. Liquidity has dried up worldwide because bankers are terrified of issuing loans if they cannot evaluate risk. With all of the repackaging within repackaging, it is nigh on impossible to identify risk. The term “marked to market” has become meaningless. With so much debt marked to mystery (my term), we are in uncharted waters. In my estimation, anyone that isn’t apprehensive about the economy is a Pollyanna.

While much of the credit market is going through a meltdown, the credit rating agencies like Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s are of no help because it has now been revealed some of them were in on the sub-prime scam–artificially boosting credit ratings in exchange for bribes. (You can look for this scandal to be one of the biggest financial news stories of 2008, potentially much bigger than the Enron scandal ever was.). Any further turmoil in the financial markets–and I expect that there will be plenty–will surely depress stock prices and the value of the US dollar. The dollar is already in deep, deep Schumer. There is a significant chance of a full scale collapse of the US Dollar in 2008.

Knowing the way that things work in Washington, DC, I conclude that bailing out the bankers will eventually mean both higher marginal tax rates, and a higher capital gains rate. As previously mentioned, this is just one more reason to shelter most of your assets in tangibles. For the most part, tangibles are not taxed until after you sell them and realize a profit. And, as I also recently mentioned, here in the US, land and houses are not taxed by the Federal government(at least not yet.) I don’t expect the mortgage tax deduction to go away anytime soon, but I would not be surprised if once they feel the squeeze, the Federal government ups the size and number of unfunded mandates on cities, counties, and states, forcing them to increase property taxes.

Snap Shooting Skills, By Robert R.

Snap shooting is something I learned a few years ago that can make one well trained, aggressive shooter, able to defeat many lesser-trained opponents. The idea of snap shooting is to present as small a target as possible while quickly peeking out and delivering accurate fire, and then returning to your cover.

In the movies you always see the bad guy will put his back against a corner, using it for cover. He then turns the corner, exposing his entire body, raises his weapon to take aim, and is promptly shot dead by the good guy. Snap shooting aims to correct all the mistakes of this very poor example of how to exchange gunfire with someone who aims to shoot you.

When someone is shooting at you, you obviously want to expose as little of yourself as possible, for as short a duration as possible, to minimize the chance of being hit. At the same time, you have to deliver accurate fire when you do expose yourself to make the risk worth something.

The first thing to know about snap shooting is how to properly use cover. Ideally you will have some decent cover to use (something that can stop incoming rounds and provide concealment) In our movie example, the bad guy puts his back up against the corner and then turns the corner and exposes his entire body to make his shot. In doing this, he has limited his visibility of what is going on, by facing away from the target, and as he presents himself, does so in a way that maximizes the enemy’s likelihood of hitting him. At the same time, because his weapon is not raised, he must expose himself for a longer period of time to aim his weapon and fire.

Stand, or crouch behind your cover, facing towards the enemy. You want to put yourself far enough off your cover so that you can pre-aim your weapon, and also be mobile enough to quickly move to other pieces of cover, or move to flank and continue engaging your target. Raise your weapon and get proper sight alignment towards where you believe your enemy to be. This will save you the time of doing later outside of cover.

Now that you have your weapon raised and ready to fire, quickly peek out with only your barrel and eyes, putting your weight on your right foot (left foot if peeking from the left side of cover) and bending at the torso. Only expose what is absolutely necessary to get an accurate shot off. Fire as many shots as you feel you can safely and accurately, and then return to your previous position behind cover. (This should just mean bending back to cover from the torso.)

In the space of a second you can peek out, exposing only your barrel and eyes, shoot off a couple of well placed shots, and bend back into cover. This technique should be used to fight your way into a position of better cover, more advantageous shooting positions, or for flanking your enemy if working within a team. That is not to say that this is only good for aggressive movement, but is also fantastic for defending a fixed position or close quarter battle. With practice you can become very fast and remain deadly accurate, while only exposing a very small target for your enemy.

Being “backed off” from your cover so that you can peek around also allows you to have greater situational awareness. Greater situation awareness can win the battle, and often does. Also be sure to peek out from different positions so that you do not become predictable. You can peek out standing, crouching, on the left or right side. Just keep things mixed up to throw off your enemy. Here is a good example of some snap shooting being done by a paintball player. [JWR Adds: I consider paintball a useful adjunct to tactical firearms training. Just beware that paintball competitors have a tendency to start subconsciously thinking of concealment as cover (since paint balls have minimal penetration), and they also develop a “60 yard mindset” wherein they feel safe to maneuver if they are more than 60 yards from their opponent(s). Modern centerfire rifles of course have 400+ yard effective range!]

One might say this is something paintballers use and doubt its effectiveness, but its effectiveness in paintball translates into the real world as well. So practice snap shooting the next time you go out to shoot and see just how fast you can engage targets with accurate fire from cover. One very skilled snap shooter can defend very well against many untrained shooters. I spoke with a friend of mine who is an Army Ranger and got through most of Green Beret training before suffering an injury that put him out of training. He never trained in this style of shooting! It is somewhat surprising that something people who play paintball use all the time and is extremely effective is unknown to nearly all combat forces. Make sure you have the edge and train to snap shoot!

I recommend the AR-15 with a 16″ barrel for this, or another short rifle, because the AR-15 rifle is lightweight, light recoiling, and accurate. It lends itself well to snap shooting. The .223 is not and will never be a .308, but will allow you to carry more ammunition for suppressive fire when working in a team of two or more, so you can cover one another and out flank your enemy for killing shots if you cant score them from your current piece of cover. Good luck and train hard.