Letter Re: Advice on Retreat Locales–Former Microwave Sites?

Dear Mr. & Mrs Rawles,
I want to thank both of you for what you are doing and for SurvivalBlog.com. I’m a 55 year old US-born male currently living in Mexico. I came back here a little over a year ago thinking that I would be here ’til further notice. The last 12 months have changed that and for a number of reasons, the majority of which are how things are changing here, have me seriously considering either moving back to the US or much further south.
Survival and self sufficiency are qualities I admire and know a little about. I’ve crossed both the Atlantic and the Pacific on my own and others’ boats, small to medium sized sailboats. At sea as in the wilderness, you d better prepare because help can be a long way off. For that matter you d better prepare anywhere you live, ocean, city or rural. Most people don’t.
Among my other hobbies, I’m an amateur radio operator. I also am a Christian and a conservative.
Back just after 2000 when AT&T sold off most of its surface microwave sites, there was an article in the ARRL magazine about buying one of these places for a perfect ham home. I probably looked at 100 of these sites at that time and ended up not buying any of them. I even looked at one of the underground cable sites in South Georgia but that one had too many environmental problems for me.
In any case due to a lot of things, most notably the inability to own a firearm here without a lot of complication, plus the complications of property ownership, I am again considering some of the AT&T microwave stations for a retreat and for that matter a permanent residence. The underground sites for the most part are too large to be practical. The smaller above ground sites generally range from around 1,000 to 3,000 square feet (the range I’m looking in) with of course some of the sites getting a whole lot bigger. I like these types of buildings and sites for a number of reasons….the structures are poured concrete walls and roofs around 1 foot thick. They did have a number of concrete block sites which I am not considering. The sites I’m interested in are in higher elevations (all are on higher than surrounding terrain which means they are more defensible) and have short towers, anywhere from 60 feet to 180 feet tall. Some of these sites have really large towers but I stay away from those due to the necessity of lighting any that are over 200′ AGL. The majority of the sites are designed to be blast resistant in varying degrees, operate under positive pressure which makes NBC filtering of air easier, have well constructed electrical systems that are semi hardened against NBC, diesel generators, and parcels of land of varying sizes attached. Another nice part of these locations is that they are structurally sound enough where with some tarpaper,tar, and a front end loader you could bury one of the sites without too much work. Additional radiation and blast protection. I also am aware that after the fuel runs out and it eventually will, if you have not made a serious move to change the internal systems to be more off the grid, that all you will have is an unusual cave with some interesting toys.
This letter is to ask what you think about this approach to a retreat, the idea of using one of these sites. Another thing that makes them attractive to me is they are for the most part cheap raging in price from $20,000 up, depending on location and size. I am by no means wealthy. I currently am learning to trade futures. Whether I do this before things fall apart remains to be seen. My education is in Electrical Engineering, electronics and computers.
Currently I’m considering sites in both North and South Texas, Northwestern Arkansas, Montana, Iowa, New Mexico, Oregon, Mississippi (north and central), Kansas and Nebraska.
Any comments would be deeply appreciated. Anything I can tell you about where I live in Mexico or what the general feelings are in my community at least, please feel free to ask.
Again many thanks for your blog and your work. God Bless and a Blessed New Year to you and your family. – CMC

JWR Replies: Good luck with your move. I’d recommend being very selective and deliberate in choosing a retreat. The former microwave long haul sites have their merits. With these, you are certainly buying some very stout pre-existing infrastructure for very little money! However, many of them in the western states are in locations where it would be difficult to drill a well. (Since they are mainly on hilltops or ridges.) If you could find one that already had a well drilled and it was not right next to a highway, then it would definitely get my vote. Of the states that you listed, my preference would be Montana or Oregon, but of course I’m admittedly biased toward retreats in the western states. (I equate low population density with higher odds of survival when the Schumer hits the fan.) My full rationale on retreat locale selection, as well as my top picks in 19 western states are detailed in my recently released non-fiction book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.

Two Letters Re: Survivalism and Personality Types–Pessimists and Optimists

Dear James:
Here is a link to an outstanding essay that I’m sure you and your wife will enjoy. It is a perfect corollary to your wife’s essay. Print it out and pass it around to your friends.
Here is the host site in case you are interested: http://www.textfiles.com/ Best Regards, – Donald

 

Memsahib:
There is another kind of personality-at least in these parts: people who think it’s a sin to prepare. They think God will provide for their needs (Matt.6). When the subject comes up-the only thing that I can counter with, is that I know deep down, that I’m supposed to be getting ready for something and point to the wise and foolish virgins parable (Matt 25). I don’t argue when it comes to person’s faith. – Lynne B.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf." – Thomas Paine

Letter Re: Laser Pointer Pistol Sights Versus Tritium Sights

Shalom Jim:
Recently I’ve been doing some research on laser sighting systems (primarily for pistols). Two of the companies I have looked at are Crimson Trace and LaserMax.
1.) Do you like or recommend laser sights for pistols? If so, which is your favorite company or system?

2.) How do laser sights compare to tritium sights? Are there any significant advantages to either?

BTW I am planning on attending an Appleseed shoot sponsored by the RWVA in March of ’07. Have you ever attended one of these shoots? What is your opinion?
Thanx for your most excellent input. – Dr. Sidney Zweibel

JWR Replies: I do not recommend laser pointer “sights”–aside for a few very specialized applications, such as nighttime pest shooting and nighttime building entry/clearing. (The latter is not usually a concern for preppers like us.) Most laser pointer sights are essentially useless in daylight, since they are often too dim to be seen in full daylight unless the target is in a shadow. Under typical circumstances, waiting to acquire the dot on a target in daylight at average combat distances is slower than lining up iron sights. I have observed from combat training that laser pointer sights subconsciously prevent the shooter from pulling the trigger until after the dot is acquired, even if the shooter has proper iron sight alignment. Frantically searching for the red dot, some shooters will ignore their iron sights under combat stress. Odds are that Mr. Badguy will pull his trigger first. Your mileage may vary, but IMHO, in most cases laser pointer sights are a bad idea. You should train the way you plan to fight, and that training should not involve a battery operated gadget. Under stress, you wil revert to your training. If that means looking for a red dot before you pull the trigger, that could be a very bad thing. Especially if the lighting is wrong (i.e. glaring daylight), or your laser is broken, or you don’t have any charged batteries.
I much prefer tritium sights. No muss, no fuss, no batteries, and they are good for 25+ years. (The half life of tritium is about 11 years.) I have Trijicon brand tritium sight sets on four of my Model 1911 .45 ACPs that were installed in 1994. These sights have only just now mellowed to about the right level of brightness. (They were much too bright when they were first installed.)

I haven’t personally attended an Appleseed shoot, but everyone that I’ve talked to that has positively raves about them. They are are a fantastic training opportunity at very low cost.

From #1 Son: Farm Bill Comment Deadline

Today is the last day before the comment period form the Farm Bill closes. Please put your comments, particularly anti-NAIS ones, in right away! Something like this would probably be good:

I am in opposition to the National Animal Identification System. It should not be forced on small farms and individuals, just to create more profits for large companies. If there is to be any NAIS-like program, it should be a truly voluntary system. Currently it is worded to allow for changes if necessary, and its goals include 100% participation. It would be “necessary” to make the system mandatory to achieve these goals. I request that the NAIS be stopped and have its funding removed until it can be made clear that the National Animal Identification System is truly voluntary, and will remain so, in perpetuity.

This is a great oppurtunity to contact the people that are making important decisions. It would also good to submit letters to your congressmen as well.

NoNAIS.org also has an article on the bill, along with some informations on other issues.

Letter Re: Doubling Up on a SurvivalBlog 10 Cent Challenge Subscription

Jim,
I’m enjoying the blog so much that I want to double my contribution. How would I do that? An additional PayPal subscription? I wish that more folks would join on.
Best Regards, – MP in Seattle

JWR Replies: I’m glad to hear that you find the blog useful and informative. A double subscription would be greatly appreciated, but that would be above and beyond the call of duty. The easiest method is simply to start a second subscription, via the link at our Ten Cent Challenge page. A second subscription won’t cause any paperwork confusion, since I don’t send out any renewal reminders. (The $3 monthly PayPal subscription system is set up on a “subscribed until cancelled” basis.)

Subscriptions are of course entirely voluntary, and gratefully accepted. Your offer of two subscriptions is above and beyond my expectations. Many thanks for the extra support.
May God Bless You and Yours in the New Year!

Odds ‘n Sods:

“John Adams” mentioned this: For those of you with high speed Internet connections: Basic Urban Skills Training: Concealment Does Not Equal Cover. (A very interesting 20 minute USMC training film showing extensive live fire building penetration tests, produced by Dahlgren Laboratories.)

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Rob at MURS Radios reports: “Response to the $98 SurvivalBlog.com MURS Radio [pair of handheld transceivers] special has been terrific! I sold out 25 pairs in one day but I am happy to report that I was able to negotiate the same discount ($98 a pair and free shipping) on another batch of these radios. These radios will be available on or about January 5, 2007 and I am accepting pre-orders for these radios now (see the update on my SurvivalBlog.com special web page).”

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Yorie in Pennsylvania mentioned this piece from the Hebrew language a7.org web site: “The Shaar HaNegev Regional Council which is responsible for 16,000 residents and students is now formulating evacuation plans if damage from Kassam rockets becomes unbearable. ‘The situation is getting worse and worse. We’re not strong. We don’t have an army behind us. We don’t have a government behind us,’ said Mechi Fendel, resident of Sderot. Over sixty-five rockets have fallen on the besieged communities during a month-long “cease fire” between Israel and terrorist factions in Gaza. While Prime Minister Ehud Olmert clings to a policy of restraint against the terrorists, residents of the battered towns are growing scared.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And the thing about my jokes is, they don’t hurt anybody. You can take ’em or leave ’em – you can say they’re funny or they’re terrible or they’re good, or whatever, but you can just pass ’em by. But with Congress, every time they make a joke, it’s a law! And every time they make a law, it’s a joke!” – Will Rogers

Two Letters Re: Recommended Versatile Dog Breeds for Retreat Security

Jim,
One of the biggest problems with the largest dog breeds is that they don’t live very long. We have three Irish Wolfhounds, all males, they are great dogs, very friendly and outgoing. Not good guard dogs, I think, but their size will scare most people. One of them would make a great hunter if we let him (we live in the city). However, the average life expectancy of an Irish Wolfhound is 6.5 years, and this is the same for Great Danes, Mastiffs etc. The belief is that their hearts just give out, since they have been bred to large for a dogs heart to support. So one of the problems would be that when you finally got them trained, and they are stubborn, you would only have a couple of years before you would have to start over.

They don’t eat as much as you would expect, no more than a large Shepard or Rottweiler would, because they are not that active. I agree with your comments that a medium size dog is likely a more effective compromise. Thanks, I enjoy reading SurvivalBlog.- I.S.

Hi Jim,
I had opportunity over year ago to visit a place in semi rural Los Altos Hills (next to Stanford University) Seems a mountain lion had been taking chickens from a relatively open pen. The homeowner had a big Rhodesian Ridgeback who she said feared very little and was quite protective of the place from even pedestrians walking by on the road. Anyway, the incident that the homeowner saw was mountain lion (no visual contact, only evidence of the intrusion) somewhere on the property caused the Ridgeback to run to the back patio and whimper to be let in. Maybe this Ridgeback had lost some of his cousins’ bravery in lion fighting from the dark continent. Anyway, point is, no matter the [breed of] dog, anything can happen. – Tim

JWR Replies: As with most of the other mammalian predators, in canines, hunting skills are primarily learned rather than instinctual. Don’t count on breeding alone to be assured that your dog will know how to hunt, or in the case of guard dogs, know how to physically defend against an intruder. Dogs need training, just like we do.

Letter Re: Minimum Safe Distance From The Big City for Retreat Locales

Mr. Rawles,
If one takes the Rawles Ranch criteria for minimum safe distance from large metropolitan areas – 400 miles from an area of 1 million or more, then one has eliminated all of the west except Montana north of Helena and North Dakota west of Bismarck (With a small piece of South Dakota northwest of Pierre too). Indeed, all of Idaho (the state mentioned in your novel “Patriots”) is excluded by circles drawn on Seattle and Salt Lake. My area of interest (when I’ve paid off the land and can afford to move) in the Big Horn area of Wyoming is excluded by the circle on Denver. Most points south are excluded by circles centered on Phoenix and Fort Worth. (I haven’t even considered the impact of Juarez.)
Even 300 mile circles on cities of 1 million or more only adds small parts of Idaho and Nevada.

While a safe distance criteria is an important consideration, living closer to cities (but off of major lines of drift) may be more important to most of your readers in the western USA. Long term, the agricultural climate and radiological hazards may be very important as well. However, the more I read from your blog, as well as “classical” sources like Mel Tappan, Robert Heinlein, and David Brin, leads me to conclude that living in or near a small community of like minded, prepared people may be the most important criteria of all. – Sun Dog

JWR Replies: The location of the Rawles Ranch–400+ miles from the nearest major metro area–was an admittedly ultraconservative selection. We like our elbow room and we prefer to have more deer and elk than people for neighbors. In conversations with my consulting clients, I often cite 200 miles as a typical “safe distance” figure, and 300+ miles as the ideal. I suppose that I would only feel nervous within a 150 mile radius. It is interesting that you mention Ciudad Juarez. That is one of the population centers that is shown as a “cross border” threat in one of the maps in my recently released non-fiction book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.

Letter Re: Manpower Requirements for Defending a Retreat in a Worst Case, and the Jealous Neighbor Factor

James:

The “Mr. and Mrs. Oscar” profile was most interesting. For a lot of us, probably the epitome of “If I had the money, my retreat would be…” On the downside, I would be concerned with:

1. The problem of defending/patrolling the property. A quarter section translates to a full mile of frontier. In a full SHTF situation, I’d want a trustworthy, commo equipped, well-armed loyal soul every 100 yards or so. If those folks put in 12 hour shifts, you’d need about 35 hands for perimeter security. That doesn’t take into account the roving patrols on the interior of the compound, nor the rapid response fire team(s).

2. The “jealous neighbor” factor. Human nature being what it is, you can bet that there’s a few locals who figure that when the balloon goes up, “Those rich people with that big house should have grub to spare.”

3. Every fella who delivers gas, propane and diesel knows all the details of his route. People talk.

4. With all those Class 2 weapons, I’d be concerned about being a bit too high on the radar screen.

5. The problem with “Meeting others of our ilk.” is widespread. I wish I had an answer.

All in all, a most interesting read. – Hawgtax

JWR Replies: The level of security that you describe (35 people!) would only be required if you had a retreat that was close to a city or right on a line of drift and it was an absolute worst case scenario. I think that even in the midst of TEOTWAWKI, having just one or two LP/OPs manned 24/7 and supplemented with intrusion detection sensors (such as a Dakota Alert passive IR system) and some trip flares would be provide sufficient warning to quickly man a defense. Once it is clear to the bad guys that you are on your guard and well armed.(just one burst of semi-auto high power rifle fire would probably be good clue) then looters will go find an softer and more inattentive target elsewhere.

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Werewolf, our correspondent in Brazil, noticed an Amazon Shorts downloadable e-book “Peak Oil and Personal Preparation for It” by Steven Woeste available for just 49 cents.

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The Rude Awakening notes that pre-1983 U.S. pennies “contain about 3 grams of copper and about .1 grams of zinc. Current metallic value: 2.4 cents per penny.” Post-1982 pennies, which contain almost no copper whatsoever (they are just copper flashed zinc tokens), are “rapidly approaching metallic parity, thanks to the soaring price of zinc. These later pennies contain 97.6% zinc and 2.4% copper. Current metallic value: .89 cents per penny.” OBTW, don’t miss the interesting thread over at The Claire Files on this same topic.

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Christopher Laird of PrudentSquirrel.com has a great piece titled: “USD – 2007 A Final Year?” posted over at the Gold-Eagle site.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Western values are superior to all others. Why? The indispensable achievement of the West was the concept of individual rights. It’s the idea that individuals have certain inalienable rights and individuals do not exist to serve government but governments exist to protect these inalienable rights. It took until the 17th century for that idea to arrive on the scene and mostly through the works of English philosophers such as John Locke and David Hume. While Western values are superior to all others, one need not be a Westerner to hold Western values. A person can be Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, African or Arab and hold Western values. It’s no accident that Western values of reason and individual rights have produced unprecedented health, life expectancy, wealth and comfort for the ordinary person. There’s an indisputable positive relationship between liberty and standards of living. Western values are by no means secure. They’re under ruthless attack by the academic elite on college campuses across America. These people want to replace personal liberty with government control; they want to replace equality with entitlement; they want to halt progress in the name of protecting the environment. As such, they pose a much greater threat to our way of life than any terrorist or rogue nation. Multiculturalism and diversity are a cancer on our society, and, ironically, with our tax dollars and charitable donations, we’re feeding it.” – Dr. Walter Williams