Jim:
Regarding Mr. Yankee’s article: Salt in some water softeners is potassium chloride, not sodium chloride. Both are ‘salts’ but they behave differently. Be sure you are storing the sodium chloride variety.- SF in Hawaii
Mr Rawles,
Hope this finds you and your family doing well. I’m not sure if this link has been disclosed in the past, and I am certainly no expert in this field, but this seems like a well thought out presentation for a fallout shelter. Keep up the good work, – R.C.
There is a very lively thread of conversation over at The Claire Files Forums, titled “Preparing for Abrupt Climate Change”
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From WorldNetDaily: Debunking the debunkers–Snopes snookered by 10 Commandments hoax.
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Don’t miss out on the Free Shipping special, this month only at Ready Made Resources. They are SurvivalBlog’s oldest and most generous sponsor. Please visit their web site and check out their wide range of products and place your order soon to take advantage of the free shipping special. (Shipping charges can otherwise be considerable, especially on storage food!)
"The price of freedom is the willingness to do sudden battle, anywhere, anytime, and with utter recklessness." – Robert A. Heinlein
The winner of Round 7 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is SF in Hawaii, for his article “Wheat Sprouts and Wheatgrass as Survival Foods” which was posted on November 6, 2006. The second prize goes to “Warhawke”, for his article “Selecting Barter Goods” which was posted on October 30, 2006. Congratulations to both of you. Because there were so many great entries in this round, I decided to award some free books as “Runners Up” prizes. These go to:
Making Traditional Cordage in North America, by Ron (posted November 16, 2006)
Bullet Casting: A (Relatively) Simple Introduction, by AVL (posted November 14, 2006)
Getting Ready for Survival On a (Broken) Shoestring Budget, by J. Cole (posted November 8, 2006)
How Long Until You Starve?, by Mr. Yankee (posted November 3, 2006)
Note to all prize winners: Please send me an e-mail that mentions your snail mail addresses and I will mail you your contest prizes. Thanks!
Round 8 of the writing contest begins today, and end on the last day of January. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate, worth up to $1,600. Special thanks to Front Sight’s founder, Naish Piazza, for providing these course certificates. Second prize is another copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. If you want a chance to win Round 7, get buy writing and e-mail us your article. Remember that the articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.
Jim:
The discussion about cannibalizing tiny solar walkway lights prompted me to once again remind everyone about one of my favorite tools. Northern Tool & Equipment sells a 5-watt folding solar panel that folds down to the size of a paperback book for only $35. They come with a nice wiring kit that also allows multiple panels to be piggybacked for more power. They’re tough and well-made, with the small panels fit into a ballistic nylon type of carrier to make it fold.
One of these lives in each of our Bug Out Bags (BOBs), along with a small battery charger that takes 12 volt input (just look for one with a separate “wall-wart” [power cube]). I tested these and they quickly charge
a set of AAs and will keep you comms running just fine in an emergency. Those little solar lights are probably about 1/4 watt panels, and if you’re desperate they’ll help, but for planning ahead I think these panels from Northern Tool are one of the must-buy items of the year. Having comms, a small shortwave radio and light at night makes life a lot more pleasant, no matter the circumstances.
Here’s the link. – Bill in Oregon
JWR Adds: Since Northern Tool is one of our affiliate advertisers, if and when you do shop there, we’d greatly appreciate it if you place your orders only through this link: Northern Tool & Equipment, (Otherwise we won’t get our little piece of the action.)
Jim:
Maybe I missed something during the acquisition of several undergrad degrees, including one in physics (actually, I probably missed several things)… but how exactly does a Faraday cage have any effect on uncharged particle emissions (neutrons) as suggested by the author of the article that you recently provided a link to? And since when did Einstein claim discovery of an element (Uranium) that
was discovered in the 1700’s?
His cages might work (hard to actually test anything vs. EMP without doing rather large scale experiments), but that sort of nonsense kinda damages his overall credibility. – Simple Country Doc
JWR Replies: The author did get a few facts wrong, as you pointed out. But his basic premise on shielding is sound. The Wikipedia piece on Faraday Cages provides further details.
Hi James,
I enjoyed looking at the link you provided about EMP. If there is ever a threat that will have a magnitude un-matched by any and all other terrorist activity combined, it would be a high altitude EMP attack, (in my opinion). Finding legitimate information and trustworthy sources is tough.
I like the simplicity of this featured “box in box” Faraday Cage, but wonder how well cardboard actually insulates at a conductivity level. In other words, I fear that the work would be for not if the cardboard became damp at any time which in this design is quite likely. Wrapping any object in Visqueen [sheet “painter’s plastic”] or some non-permeable substance, change the temperature of the environment that it is in, and whamo, condensation.
I have no background in designing or testing such ideas, but common sense prevails in this matter. To me damp cardboard becomes a conductor, and not an insulator. A wood box would render the same results. I wonder if there would be some merit to a box out of glass, or maybe even some Pyrex container with matching lid and Mylar tape or Foil tape the seam to the ground wire? How about a glass aquarium for the larger items? Go to your local auto glass or commercial window supplier and have them cut you exact tolerance lids for the larger items.
How about adding the dry-ice in accordance with your earlier posts for long term food storage to displace oxygen and add absorbers as well? Ultimately, I think a semi-controlled environment would be a good idea. This does not solve the condensation issue; it does however put the items inside of a non absorbing insulating medium. I understand other precautionary measures would be prudent, (i.e.- foil, chicken wire, copper mesh, etc.) just trying to expound upon an idea and hear what other’s with more knowledge can add to this discussion. Happy Holidays, – The Wanderer
JWR Replies: Glass would work as a damp-proof insulator, but it is fragile. I would instead recommend using a plastic box, such as Tupperware, for the inner box. The dry ice and oxygen absorber methods that you mentioned are only useful for killing pests. (They don’t necessarily drive out moisture.) Stopping condensation is best accomplished by A.) Enclosing some freshly dried silica gel, gypsum, or a similar desiccant, and B.) Using an outer container that has an airtight seal. Desiccants can be “freshened” (i.e. have any collected moisture driven out of them, for re-use) by placing them in a kitchen oven or in a food dehydrator set to 180 degrees overnight. One safety tip: If your silica gel is in paper packets, then be sure to put it on a metal tray or cookie sheet to prevent the packets from falling through the oven grill and contacting the heating element. I presume that most of your reading this already own a dehydrator. They are great for making jerky and drying fruit. Every well prepared family should own one. The brand that I recommend (great for making jerky and drying fruit) is the Excalibur. We’ve had one of their large models here at the Rawles Ranch for 20 years and it is still going strong. Excaliburs are sold by a number of Internet vendors, including Ready Made Resources.
The modern blunderbuss. Is this the ultimate in intimidating a burglar?
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Details about the about planned microchipped “E-Passports”. A hat tip to Redmist for sending this link, (Via Claire Wolfe’s site.) And BTW, here is how folks have already cracked the new system.
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Gokuryu sent this, from CNN.com: We Were Warned: Tomorrow’s Oil Crisis Gokuryu says “This segment explains how the former CIA director and other experts say we are on the brink of an energy crisis.”
"Political speeches are like chuckar hunts. They go on for a long time but rarely accomplish much." – #1 Son
The recent early snow cover and unseasonably cold weather at the Rawles Ranch has changed the habits of the local deer. Now they are visiting our feeder to browse on some grass/alfalfa mix hay, even at mid-day. It looks like this may be a hard winter. Hopefully we won’t lose too many young deer, elk, and moose. The eating habits of the Rawles clan have changed too. There is definitely more interest in Chili con Bambi, Clam Chowder, and Hot Cocoa.
Hi Jim.
While reviewing accessories for the MURS radios, I perused my way onto this Ham radio site that is loaded with links to other sites and/or articles on antenna building for literally all of the radio spectrum.Of particular interest is this site for converting an old outdoor television antenna into a 2 meter (144-148 MHz) Yagi (beam) antenna for very little money:
Since many of the readers of SurvivalBlog are interested in communications I feel these other sites would be helpful as well, here are some other useful sites regarding ham and CB radio repairs
Radiomods.co.nz
Roger Bird
Antennas and design software:
Andrew’s Page
RF Cascade
AlphaDeltacom.
Ipass.net
Prices on used equipment with pictures.
Scanner frequencies by state and city/town.
Lastly, for the real brave do-it-yourselfer here’s a link to a site that outlines how to build a 10 or 24ghz Gunnplexer
Hoping all stays well, – Joe from Tennessee
Defeat the Coin Act of 2006, by Lee Rogers at The Funny Money Report. Here is an excerpt: “Over this past summer a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives called the Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation. This bill is also referred to as the Coin Act of 2006 or House Resolution 5818. Introduced by Representative Jim Kolbe from Arizona the bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology this past August. The purpose of the bill according to the text of the bill itself is to modernize the legal tender of the United States, and for other purposes. The mainstream media has sold this bill to the American people as legislation that will move to get rid of the penny. Even though that is one of the proposals included in the bill, there are much more significant things in the bill which makes me dead set against it.
The implications of the U.S. Mint being put in the hands of the banking cartel is another major problem. If the Federal Reserve gets control of it, I wonder how long it will take before they order a stop to the production of collectible U.S. gold coins. Or for that matter, how long would it take for them to eliminate the production of all U.S. coins? Obviously if rampant inflation continues, we will either see a change in the composition of the coins or an elimination of them.” The preceding article excerpt was forwarded courtesy of Tom W. at CometGold.com
Hi Jim,
Last week you discussed your preference for communication modalities for use in disasters and their order of importance. Obvious by omission were two modes that I thought might have distinct utility: a radio scanner (to monitor weather, traffic accidents and attendant backups, police and fire activity, etc.) and a transceiver with frequencies in the amateur bands (160, 80, 40, 20, 10 and 6 meters and the centimeter bands).
Will you please provide your thoughts on the utility of these devices and whether or not you think they are worth the trouble (expense and licensing)?
Thanks for your input. – Jim H.
JWR Replies: I previously strongly emphasized the importance of owning a scanner, but I consider them less important now. There are several reasons for this: First, and foremost, the majority of police and sheriffs departments now use scramblers or encryption devices for all but their most mundane traffic. Even some fire departments now use scramblers. Second, one of the other major uses of a scanner was the ability to receive NOAA weather broadcasts. But most MURS radios and 2 Meter handi-talkies can be programmed for those frequencies, so if you own a set of MURS band walkie-talkies (such as those sold by MURS Radios), then this is a redundant feature. Ditto for most of the recent production digitally tuned general coverage shortwave receivers. (They usually have a one touch “WX” button.) Lastly, there is the “information overload” factor for someone manning a Charge of Quarters (“CQ“) desk. Scanner chatter is just one more distraction for someone that is concentrating on monitoring field telephones, intrusion detection sensors, security cameras, and a local CB or MURS security coordination radio network. And since less and less of what you will hear on scanners in the future will relate useful tactical/situational information (because of increasing encryption, as previously noted) then I recommend that if you have a scanner that you leave it turned off most of the time. Yes, a scanner does have its uses and each family should probably own one. There will often be Public Service Band traffic that will be broadcast “in the clear” (unencrypted) that will have significance–adding to your situational awareness. But, in general, scanners are considerably less important for TEOTWAWKI planning than they were a decade ago. Put one on your purchasing list, but fairly far down the list. BTW, the scanner model that I like the best is the old reliable (but sadly discontinued) Bearcat 800 XLT. Used ones can often be found for less than $50 on eBay.
Tom W. at CometGold.com sent this one, from Canada.com: “Hedge Funds Overleveraged, Sprott warns”
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Reader CM writes: “A fascinating look at how Mr. Bernanke is radically increasing the money supply, and lying about it..The link is to a DailyKos diary but don’t let that
deter you – the charts and information that it contains are worth the look.”
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Northern Tool & Equipment (one of our affiliate advertisers) is offering sitewide Free Gift Cards with purchases over $100. This limited time promotion started Monday, November 27th and goes through Monday, December 4th. You will need to enter keycode 94660 in order to receive their free gift card.
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In case you missed it back in September, The War on Guns blog featured an interesting interview with novelist Matt Bracken. (The author of Enemies Foreign and Domestic, and Domestic Enemies.)
"[W]hen you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing- when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors- when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you- when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice- you may know that your society is doomed." – Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 1957
The cold spell here in the vicinity of the Rawles Ranch is continuing. Last night’s low was -11 degrees Fahrenheit. (Or, as they call it here in The Un-named Western State: “Shirtsleeves Weather.”)
My sincere thanks to the less than 1/2 of 1% of SurvivalBlog readers that have signed up for 10 Cent Challenge subscriptions. You 63 people know who you are. Subscriptions are entirely voluntary, and gratefully accepted.