Letter Re: Mobile Solar Power Systems

JWR,
Here’s an item some of your readers may be interested in, Mobile Solar Power, it’s a mobile solar power setup and looks like it would fit in with a number of different scenarios. I spoke with the owner a few days ago and he said he will size the equipment to fit your needs/specifications. It appears to be made with high quality equipment and the owner said the batteries have a 10 year warranty, but with care, may last up to 15 years, otherwise the remainder of the equipment should have a life much longer than that. This solar generator, used in combination with a Generlink would make a nice setup for whatever your plans are. I am not connected with either product, just thought they might be of interest. Regards, – Keith

JWR Replies: That sort of system is ideal for either A.) someone that maintains retreats in two states–i.e. for “snowbird” seasonal moves towed behind an RV, or B.) someone that wants backup power but because they live in a community with strict CC&Rs, they can’t have solar panels visible on a day-to-day basis. (After TSHTF, your problem will not be your development’s Homeowner’s Association–it will be chaining the system down to keep someone from stealing it!) OBTW, packaged photovoltaic systems”made to order” are available from Ready Made Resources . They also have an expert there, available for free consulting (with no purchase obligation) on photovoltaic power system sizing and design. Bob has the specialized tools needed to calculate current loads, requisite battery bank sizing, charge controller capacity, available solar hours, solar panel array solar exposure and orientation, and so forth. I can attest that Bob really knows his stuff, and unlike some solar system specialists, he has considerable experience building systems that are custom tailored for survival retreats. I recommend that any SurvivalBlog readers that are considering installing an independent home power system take advantage of the free consulting offer from Ready Made Resources.

Letter Re: Pros and Cons of Property On or Near a Utility Easement

Jim,
The use of utility easements as bug-out routes has been mentioned here and elsewhere (e.g., the [online shareware] novel “Lights Out” by Halffast.) It seems to me, living next to one would have both pluses and minuses. Plusses: Handy access in case you need to bug-out and clear lines of sight (in at least two directions). Minuses: (If you choose to stay put) the necessity of monitoring bug-out traffic at least and the potential of defending your retreat from such traffic at worst. Are there other advantages or disadvantages? In the final analysis, would you recommend purchasing property adjacent to or near utility easements? Thanks, – d’Heat

JWR Replies: One other disadvantage might arise before TEOTWAWKI: an easement may be used from time to time by a utility company for repairs, maintenance, or system upgrades. I have a friend in California that had planted a vegetable garden on the power company easement running through the back of his property. One summer, just two weeks from the harvest of most of his crops, the power company, with no prior notice, exercised their right to take down the fences and “pass through” with their trucks to perform some sort of maintenance. Nearly all of the plants were trampled beyond viability. At least they did a good job of putting the fences back up.

In my estimation, it is advantage to have a easement near your home if your intention is to relocate to a stocked retreat elsewhere after things appear to be getting Schumeresque. (Since major highways and freeways might be jammed with traffic.) But it is a disadvantage to have an easement near your intended retreat since it would constitute another avenue of approach for intruders.

Odds ‘n Sods:

 SurvivalBlog reader “Paje” put together a detailed analysis on the relative value of gold, dollars, and ammunition that he posted over at the AR-15.com forums. Nicely done!

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Rich at KT Ordnance mentioned this article at News With Views by constitutionalist lawyer Edwin Vieira: Will the North American Union Be American Patriots’ Last Stand?

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There is an interesting thread of discussion in progress over at The Claire Files on using water well hand pumps during sub-freezing weather.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Inasmuch as liberals are demanding that Americans ritualistically proclaim, ‘Islam is a religion of peace,’ Muslims might do their part by not killing people all the time.” – Ann Coulter

Note From JWR:

The high bid is now at $260 in the current SurvivalBlog benefit auction, This one is for a big batch of 16 survival/preparedness reference books, courtesy of the fine folks at Ready Made Resources. (They are one of our first and most loyal advertisers. Be sure to visit their site and check out their huge inventory of preparedness-related products. BTW, they have additional copies of each of the titles listed below, as well as more than a hundred other titles.)

Letter Re: Opinion on The Retreat Potential of New Hampshire?

Sir:
What is your opinion (since it isn’t on your list of 19 [preferred states for retreat relocation]) of the Free Stater’s choice, New Hampshire? I personally would not be that comfortable living near the east coast with their weather Thanks, – GRD

JWR Replies: If for some reason I was forced by circumstances to live in the northeast (it would probably take a set of Peerless handcuffs and a whole roll of duct tape), I would probably choose New Hampshire. It certainly has the highest “freedom quotient” of any of the states in the northeast. Its guns laws resemble those found in the Deep South and in the West. The tax situation is also more agreeable than in some of its neighboring states. New Hampshire is very friendly to small business and entrepreneurs. I could live with weather in the northeast. However, the overall high population density of the northeastern U.S. is a hazard in the event of TEOTWAWKI. The three following quotes from my recently-released book, Rawles on Retreat and Relocation: sum up my thoughts on this subject:

The northeastern states depend on nuclear power plants for 47% of their electricity. (South Carolina is similarly dependent.) This is an unacceptable level of high technology systems dependence, particularly in light of the emerging terrorist threat. (Refer to Chapter 8 for further discussion and a map of reactor locations.) You must also consider that virtually all of the eastern states are downwind of major nuclear targets–most notably the USAF missile fields in the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Colorado. (Refer to Chapter 9 for further discussion and a map of likely fallout distribution.) If for one reason or another you are stuck in the northeast, consider New Hampshire or Vermont. They are both gun friendly and have more self-sufficient lifestyle. But unless you have some compelling reason to stay in the East, I most strongly encourage you to Go West!

and,

If you are an eastern urbanite and come to the conclusion that you need to buy “a cabin in upstate New York” or “a brick house in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens,” then you are wrong, quite possibly dead wrong. (BTW, I’ve heard both of those quoted suggestions in e-mails from readers of my novel [Patriots]!) A rural area that is within an overall heavily populated region is not truly rural. It lacks real isolation from the basic problem–population. Wave after wave of refugees and then looters will overwhelm these seemingly “rural” areas. In essence, you will need to be at least one tank of gas away from the big cities–preferably at least 300 miles, if possible.

and, to explain the significance of population density:

Once the Golden Horde has been thinned (and honed to ferocity) and they’ve cleaned out an area, the thugs at the pinnacle of ruthlessness will comprise the most formidable rover packs imaginable. They will move on to an adjoining region, and then another. But the inverse square law will work in your favor: Imagine that you take a jar full of marbles turn it upside down on a wooden floor and then lift the jar suddenly upward. The marbles will spread out semi-randomly. You will see that the farther from the mouth of the jar, the marbles are farther apart. The same thing will happen with rover packs from the big cities. They will attenuate themselves into a huge rural expanse that is peopled with well-armed country folks. By the time the looters work their way out 150 miles from the big cities, they will be thinned out considerably. The rover pack is your primary threat in a total collapse, no matter how remote your retreat. Here are your potential adversaries: A squad to company size force (12 to 60 individuals), highly mobile, moderately well armed, with a motley assortment of weapons and vehicles, and imbued with absolute ruthlessness. Be prepared to fight them, with no outside assistance.

In my opinion, the Free State Project made more of a political choice than a practical choice when they selected New Hampshire rather than Wyoming. Let’s face it: The majority of the nation’s population lives in the East. So in terms of attracting the greatest number of Free Staters that would actually relocate, they did what they thought the best. The political impact of those relocatees would have been much greater in Wyoming, which is very lightly populated. Instead, they diluted their potential effectiveness by moving to a state that has a relatively high population. I wish them the best, but they should have listened to Boston T. Party!

Letter Re: Feeding Problem With an AR-15 Chambered in 7.62×39

JWR,
Agreed [with your comments] on the kludge of AR-15/7.62 variants. However, since he already has the upper. I might suggest the purchase of another lower [the “AR-47”], that is intended to directly take AK mags, eliminating the [straight magzine well] problem.
I’ll be honest, these things kinda suck, the fit and finish on them is truly horrible. I’ve assembled a few of them into California-legal configurations, they do work, but getting them to fit with the upper, and everything else is a pain in the a**.
Personally, I would be inclined to just replace the 7.62×39 upper receiver group with either a .223 or 9mm upper, and go that route. If anyone is looking for a cheaper place to pick up those AR-47 lowers, I think the guy with Metroshot still has some (last time I checked, he wanted about $125 for one of them.) Send him an e-mail if you are interested in one. He’s an FFL, and will ship
to your in-state FFL. Regards, – AVL

 

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mike the Blacksmith and Ben L. both mentioned this article: Bird flu virus ‘still smoldering,’ U.S. expert says

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William S. Lind, writing in Counterpunch, penned this thought-provoking piece: When Will the First IED Strike Cleveland? (A hat tip to Eric S. for recommending this article.) According to IED experts, the terrorist IED threat shows spiral development. My personal prediction is that IEDs in the Middle East will soon display far greater sophistication. It is an inevitability of Fourth Generation Warfare. In perhaps just five years, “mud hut tribesmen” will be employing unmanned aerial vehicle borne IEDs (UAVIEDs)–an acronym that I coined when is was a technical/proposal writer in the national defense community. And Mr. Lind is partially right. It is just a matter of time before we have roadside IEDs going off in the U.S. But most of the culprits will not be returning U.S. servicemen that have learned the technology. Rather, I believe that it will be Islamic terrorists who have already learned how to take advantage of the relative anonymity of our big cities.

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A tornado tears through a north London street

 

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The essential characteristic of Western civilization that distinguishes it from the arrested and petrified civilizations of the East was and is its concern for freedom from the state." – Ludwig Von Mises

Note From JWR:

Today we remember the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. It is estimated that 2,403 Americans were killed, and 1.178 injured. It wasn’t the first time that as a nation we were blind-sided. The events of 9-11-2001 proved that it could happen again, and sadly similar attacks are likely to occur. We are thankful for the sacrifices of our soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

Letter Re: Communications for Disasters–Are Scanners Useful?

Jim,
A very good shortwave portable is the Sony ICF-2010. It is an older portable from the 1980s but is a very strong performer with its synchronous detector. It is often found on the used market and eBay. One fact that many sellers don’t know is that you need to have fresh AA batteries in them for memory retention or the unit will not even function. Many sellers believe that their radios are broken when in fact only need fresh batteries. The unit can be run of D cell batteries or via an AC adapter. Another thing that “goes wrong” with them is the FET transistor blows when connected directly to an external antenna. This transistor can be easily repaired and diodes can be placed in line to help protect the radio from this happening again. If you know how to fix some of the common issues with this radio, you can often obtain a bargain that will perform nearly as well as a tabletop unit with a long wire antenna!
Another good performing SW radio is the Yaesu FRG-7. This radio has an almost cult following. It is a table top unit that was originally produced in the late 1970s. It has a preselector that allows for signal peaking. Useful to help bring in the weak ones and attenuate the strong ones. The radio can be run off AC or via D cells.
Other radios to have available:
CB – Every trucker has one installed, high usage near freeways, good way to hear what’s happening down the road from you (get a good antenna for the best range)
2 Meter ham – Nearly every ham has one, listen to the national simplex frequency 146.520 MHz if electricity is not available and repeaters are down (again, get a good antenna for best range)
FRS/GMRS – Many families have them and know how to use them, be sure to match the CTCSS (privacy tones) to communicate
All the above are very inexpensive to own. Having multiple radios gives you more options because no one will know what its gonna be like! Regards, – Echo Echo

Letter Re: Feeding Problem With an AR-15 Chambered in 7.62×39

Hi Jim,
In reference to magazines for the Colt [AR-15 chambered in] 7.62×39 [,the AK-47’s cartridge.] Have you had any experience or feedback with the ones that have the AK type mag. welded to the top of an AR type mag.? I think they call them Frankenmags? Thank you, – Tom

JWR Replies: Because of the sharp angular transition between the curved Kalashnikov magazine and the straight AR-15 magazine well, they don’t work very well at all. You can expect lots of “failure to feed” jams. The sadly inescapable problem is that the 7.62×39 Russian cartridge uses a steeply tapered case, designed specifically to feed in a curved magazine. AR-15s should have never been adapted to fire this cartridge. It was a very bad idea! If you load more than about 10 of these cartridges into a straight magazine, they tend to get jammed, even to the point of “tipping over” in the magazine!

I recommend that you sell that 7.62×39 upper receiver group (or perhaps the whole rifle) and buy an AK or SKS. (Or better yet, a Valmet M62 if you can afford one.) For the now “surplus” AR-15 lower, (assuming that you want to keep it) either get a 5.56mm NATO upper receiver group, of if you want more “punch” then get a 6.8mm upper. (See the recent discussion about these in SurvivalBlog, posted on November 4th.)

 

Odds ‘n Sods:

Readers David D. and Bret F. both recommended a speech transcript at the Energy Bulletin site: Closing the ‘Collapse Gap’: the USSR was better prepared for peak oil than the US.

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Michael Z. Williamson sent this link, with this comment: “Further evidence that the “inevitable” Atlantic [La Palma] megatsunami is merely hype.

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Rourke (moderator of the Jericho Discussion Group) noticed that SurvivalBlog was linked in the entry on “Survivalism” at conservative commentator Glenn Beck’s “Glennpedia.”

 

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“For extraordinary heroism, distinguished service, and devotion above and beyond the call of duty. During the first attack by Japanese airplanes on the Naval Air Station, Kanoehe Bay, on 7 December 1941, Lieutenant Finn promptly secured and manned a 50-caliber machine gun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machine-gun strafing fire. Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to man this gun and to return the enemy’s fire vigorously and with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks and with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first-aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. His extraordinary heroism and conduct in this action were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.” – From the Medal of Honor citation of John William Finn, the only Medal of Honor recipient from the attack on Pearl Harbor that is still living. At last report, Finn was also the oldest living recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Note From JWR:

Please take the time to visit the web sites of each of our paid advertisers. They have some great products at very competitive prices. If and when you do buy, please give your patronage to our paid advertisers first! If they don’t have what you are looking for, then move on to the web sites for our affiliate advertisers.