David in Israel on Glock Handguns

James:
I must agree with the previous poster, after becoming expert at diagnosing and smithing the Model 1911, I finally went the polymer gun way. A Glock will massively outlast a steel firearm–take abuse like an AK but still shoots accurately,. [Limited to a] “one handgun arsenal”, the Glock 17 won. Shooting +P 9mm which vastly outperforms standard 9mm loads safe for antique firearms also allows me compatibility with military ammo stockpiles [Israeli Uzi SMG ammo] if imports here are stopped. BTW, I suggest that everyone at a minimum (and in addition to your regular bench reloader) have a “Lee Loader” hand (pocket size) reloader set, primers, powder, and both lead molds as well as factory bullets.

Letter from Fred the Valmet-Meister Re: Finding Quiet Amateur Radio Bands

Jim:
I was listening to a bunch of hams chatting last night; some from Arizona and some from California talking about radios and bands etc. One of the things they talked about was that outside of the big cities, even on the popular 2 Meter band, it is pretty dead; even in [populous] California. Still, the most popular and most reliable means of two-way communications on the road is the CB radio. It is also much “cleaner” outside of the cities as well. Anyway, it was interesting to hear since some of these guys that travel a lot. The hams that travel have a CB too. – Fred the Valmet-meister

Letter from Mr. Coffee on: Longer Term Survival, Photovoltaics, Dog Breeds for Retreats, and Ballistic Protection for Windows and Doors

Jim,
I have really enjoyed reading your blog the past five months of 2005 and look forward to reading it in 2006. Who knows what 2006 will bring? Something is coming and we all should continue to prepare as best we can.  The information you and your other contributors share is invaluable. Thanks for going to all the trouble of maintaining the blog every day of the year for the benefit of all of us.
I found the letters from Norman and Mr. Whiskey in your Dec. 21st and 22nd editions about the idea that things may not return to “normal” even after one year to be really thought provoking as well as depressing.  It is difficult enough to store food, water and fuel for one year. But to think those stored items will run out and there still aren’t supermarkets and gas stations to go to is mind boggling. I have started to think “long term” as a result. Thanks.
I also appreciate the material you shared on “Resources for Going Off-grid” (Dec. 28th). In 2006 I am going to investigate installing solar panels just to run a small refrigerator or my computer at times to be able to access all of the material on surviving that I have stored.
I enjoyed the information you and others have shared on “Best Dog for a Retreat”. I have an Airedale and a Rottweiler and agree that both are excellent dogs for a retreat even though both are large and do eat a great deal of food. They are [in effect acting as] my LP/OP. Especially the Airedale which is incredibly alert all day and all night). BTW, my SOP is to bring them inside my “Alamo” (my retreat house) after they have served their purpose of waking us up when strangers approach the house. I wouldn’t want to let them be shot and
killed.
I have come up with an idea that I would like to share. I know that you believe in steel plates to protect doors and windows in your retreat. What do you think about making wood “molds” and then pouring in concrete with re-bar reinforcement to make panels to protect doors and windows I have seven large windows, a back patio sliding door and front and back wooden doors in my retreat. Would three inch thick concrete slabs stop bullets? Just a thought.
Jim, thanks again for all your hard work and great information. It must be a great feeling to know that your blog may be helping thousand of people to survive the difficult times ahead. Your friend, Mr. Coffee

JWR Replies: Even if reinforced with re-bar, three inches of concrete will not stop repeated rifle fire.You will also find that 3″ thick concrete panels any larger than about 24 inches square will be very difficult to move. (BTW, if you do take this route, be sure to cast in some protruding loops of rebar to act as handles.)

If you are handy with a saw and a screwdriver attachment for your drill motor, the following is a lighter-weight solution that will provide better ballistic protection than poured concrete. It is a variation on Joel Skousen’s retreat door design: Make a framework out of 2x4s or 2x6s that will fit in each window frame. For each, cut two pieces of 3/4″ thick plywood (preferably marine grade, for your wet climate) that will go on the front and back, in effect creating a box that is four or six inches deep. Tightly fill each box with gravel that is 3/4″ or smaller (“three quarter minus”–but nothing smaller than large pea gravel) before power-screwing on the second plywood panel. Because the gravel will shift downward each time a bullet hits the ballistic panel, it will stand up to repeated high power .30 caliber FMJ rifle bullet hits in the exact same spot.  The beauty of using plywood is the bad guys will eyeball it and assume that it is vulnerable. They will hence waste lots of ammo, thinking that they are filling you with lead.  You can make a fake protruding gun ports with raised molding (painted black in the middle) in the center of each, and a small real gun port near the  off-center bottom of each panel. Paint some black squares and rectangles in a random pattern, to help conceal the real gun port.

Odds ‘n Sods:

There is some interesting data on how to run a self-sufficient farmstead on a tight budget at: http://www.eartheasy.com Yeah, they’re tree huggers, but that does not detract from their useful knowledge. Anyone that can make a living like that deserves some attention.(The editors live on next to nothing in British Columbia.) They publish a free e-newsletter.

   o o o

The gent who operates Freeze Dry Guy recently updated his website (http://www.freezedryguy.com).  And BTW, we just updated the link from his ad on SurvivalBlog.  (The link formerly  was to e-mail him.  It now goes directly to his web site.) Check it out!

   o o o

Wow! The last time I checked, the spot price of COMEX silver was at $8.80 per ounce, and gold was at $516.60.  It looks like they’ve bounced back after their profit-taking, just as I predicted. If you think that you’ve missed the boat, not to worry. The precious metals are just starting a secular bull market run which will probably span a decade or more. Buy on the next dip.  A couple of years from now, you will look back wistfully at any spot silver price of under $12 an ounce as a great bargain. Don’t hesitate. Otherwise, you’ll kick yourself, doubtless with vociferous “Shoulda, Woulda, Couldas”!

   o o o

I made a few more additions to the SurvivalBlog Glossary.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It is our sacred duty to transmit unimpaired to our posterity the blessings of liberty, which were bequeathed to us by the founders of our Republic.” – Andrew Johnson

Note From JWR:

I wish all of the readers of SurvivalBlog a happy, healthy, prosperous, and well-provisioned new year. I pray that “Aught Six” will be a great year for you. Let me know your new year’s resolutions related to preparedness, via e-mail, and I will be glad to post them anonymously.

Letter Re: Recommendations on CB Radios?

Sir:
I am new to the blog.  Just got your book “Patriots” and realized I am nowhere near ready.  Question is:  What are the best Citizen’s Band (CB) radios for both base and mobile use.  Can you give me a few brands and models? I am interested in long range. I am a ham so am familiar with the terminology, but not familiar with CB. I think when the crunch comes there are going to be more CB people out there than hams. Thanks. – R.I.P.

JWR Replies: I tend toward either:

  • Pre-1980 crystal-tuned 23 channel SSB-capable CBs with a full five watt output, or
  • Late-1980s or early-1990s synthesized 40 channel SSB-capable CBs that have multiple IC designs.

The advantage of the radios in both of there eras is that in an emergency they can easily be modified for out-of-band (“free band“) transmission by someone with basic electronics skills. In the case of the crystal-tuned radios, by simply substituting special out-of-band “bastard” crystals, and in the case of the later synthesized radios by clipping wires and adding resistors, jumper wires, and/or switches.) See the SurvivalBlog Archives for some specific maker/model recommendations and web site links for free band modification details. (Posted on Sept. 14, 2005, under the title “Marine Band and Out of Band (“Free band”) CB Radio Modifications.”) Note that I do not encourage any illegal modification or operation of CB radios out of band, and that any information on such modifications is for scientific/educational purposes only.

Three Letters Re: A Home-Based Business–Your Ticket to The Boonies

Jim:
I thought the point was to have a home-based business that could survive in the boonies…?
 
I don’t see much need for a locksmith, gunsmith, or alarm installer in the boonies where most structures are on huge acres of land with fences and who knows how many dogs on the property, let alone a cantankerous old coot with a heavily worn double-barrel shotgun… <grin>
 
Even repairs are pushing it when neighbors may be a mile or more away… that is a SMALL customer base.
 
How many guns near you in the boonies that need custom gunsmithing? Another small customer base. Only the BEST gunsmiths get guns shipped to them for work…, then shipped out when finished.
 
The truly promising home-based businesses are either MAIL / UPS / FEDEX based, such as mail order and Internet sales, or home based businesses over the internet, such as accounting, med. Transcription (now mostly foreign cheap labor), etc…
 
Just some thoughts and possible target realignment. – Robert


Jim-
Here’s some to home based businesses to consider:
Professional Genealogist. See http://www.apgen.org/ . If it sounds interesting, do research on your own family to see if it’s your kind of thing. Start by going to http://www.familysearch.org/ , click on “Order/Download Products”, click on “Software Downloads–free”, download the first Personal Ancestral File (PAF) in the listing. PAF is as robust as any program that you’d pay money for–plus all genealogists know it well. You can offer your services to search in your local area. If you like being a detective you can have a lot of fun/make a bit of money.

JWR Adds: The Memsahib and I have used PAF for organizing our genealogical research since about 1988. However, we recently switched to Reunion for our Apple Macintosh computers. We find that Reunion is easier to use, has more features, and most importantly it produces “clean” GEDCOM format files for export for use with other genealogy programs and word processing programs. (With the Mac version of PAF we had numerous file corruption problems with GEDCOM export files. But we’ve heard that the PC versions of PAF are less glitchy.)
 
Indexer. You receive manuscripts electronically and use special software to set up indexed words, concepts. If you are a careful reader (and especially if you smirk when you find a typo!) this may be for you. http://www.asindexing.org/site/indfaq.shtml. Hey, index “Patriots” so we can find all those cool ideas without having to read the thing nine times!

Scopist. A scopist takes a court reporter’s dictation and transcribe it via special software into appropriate format for attorneys. Very interesting work–I suggest doing civil work rather than criminal because it can get pretty gruesome. Find scopists on the internet. Don’t spend bucks on a “school.” Instead, find a scopist who needs help (they like to go on vacations, too!) and volunteer to work for free to get trained. You’ll need a transcription machine to transfer info into the computer. Check your favorite attorney to find who the local scopists are and what the typical rates are for your area.
 
Grow and dry wild flowers. Search the web to see what’s hot, what’s not. One of my daughters worked for a man with a piddly 1?2 acre lot who sold his stuff by mail throughout the country. Can you grow Baby Breath? I remember teenagers in my Church going to Eastern Washington to pick Baby’s Breath (your wife will know what this is) for florists. Here in Hawaii, you can buy a lei made from about 25 tennis-ball size orchids for $3!! Too bad they can’t be shipped stateside. But here’s a clever graduation tradition–use Saran Wrap and twist in bite-size candy to make a candy lei (for graduation from 6th grade?). Advertise in the PTA.
 
Grow Lavender–it’s a big deal for growers in Washington State; if your climate can support it, give it a look.
 
I know a guy who has a multi-acre rose-growing operation–he sells rose plants at Farmer’s markets, and he must be making money because he’s there every weekend.
 
Which reminds me–check out the possibility of growing plants used in spices–do you know what you pay per pound for spices–Yikes!
 
Look into Square Foot Gardening, http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ , especially to become a supplier of garden-fresh produce for up-scale (or wanna-be upscale) restaurants. His book/DVD has good stuff and he tells you exactly how to pitch the produce to local places. And a plus–you get to learn all about intensive gardening.
 
Can you set yourself up to treat discarded food oil to make it useable in diesel engines and then supply the locals? It’s going to be more and more popular–but you’ll need a willing bunch of sources–maybe those same upscale restaurants?!
 
Bake whole wheat specialty breads for local outlets (organic food stores, chic restaurants). Hey, that reminds me–timbales. You’ll have to hunt to find the ones that are saucer-sized. When I was a kid, the little concession stands had them hung all lined up on a horizontal stick–you plunked down your money (in those days a dime) and DaMan took one off, sifted powder sugar on it and away you went. Looks like a lot, but it’s mostly air. Easy to do; try it at home first, of course–start with the little timbale forms.
 
Okay, some of these aren’t quite home-based, but think outside the box. Maybe for a relatively small investment you can involve your kinds in a free-enterprise business effort. Like a little concession trailer outside the high school ball game where you’ll sell “shave-ice” (not sno-cones!!!–and NOT “shaveD ice!!!”). Then move it around town to all the public events. Get license, pay the fees, taxes–it makes America great!
 
Did you see the Hostess wedding cake? http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh/images/05/weddingtwinkie.htm . Sure, it’s silly, but if you’d like to get into cake decorating, you can get noticed by offering one of these babies for laughs. Of course, you’d better learn how to do serious decorating.
 
Have you got a nice rural setting? People pay big bucks for wedding receptions in “different” (but not dirty) sites. Also, Public schools have money for taking kids on field trips–can you organize a ride on a hay wagon pulled by your tractor? Develop a maze. How about a couple of those dorky wood characters with a hole for a face, so people can get their picture taken as Ma/Pa Kettle–do it digitally and sell them a photo hot off your photo printer.
 
This reminds me; many people do very well by visiting schools and putting on assemblies–do you have/know/do something that can entertain/involve students? I’ve seen some very mediocre paid-for assemblies in my teaching days, so think about it.
 
Do you live in an interesting area? Do the locals know about places the casual visitors never see? Write up a must-see list and sell it on the Internet.
 
Does your hometown (or nearby town) have curbs in residential areas? Make a cardboard mask so you can block out an area of curb in front of a house and spray a black background; then use stencils to spray the house address on the blackened curb–firemen and cops love this idea–at $2 per sign, you can make quite a few bucks on a Saturday. Get the license! Pay the fees! Don’t harass the homeowner–get permission first.
 
Well, come to think of it, don’t just think outside the box–use the box itself! – B.B. In Hawaii

Mr. Rawles,
One comment on your recommendations for cottage industry jobs. I highly encourage people to learn as much about gunsmithing as possible, but it is very difficult to make a living at this trade. I worked five years part time for a self employed gunsmith who could not have made ends meet if he had not had another skill (made dentures for dentists) and a wife who worked. Our business always suffered when the economy dipped. Having a gun fixed is not a priority in non-SHTF times. And being a small time gunsmith means that you can’t afford to invest in expensive machinery, so most work is very labor intensive. Keeping a stock of parts for most common repairs is costly. There are probably more different kinds of guns than cars. Of course most of these problems can be circumvented with some time, work, and creativity, but only the sharpest and most experienced gunsmiths make a good living.
 
Another minor problem is that lots of people who come into your shop like guns and want to talk to you about them. You need to be courteous and encouraging about gun ownership, but this time spent talking pays zero per hour.
 
And of course to legally work on other people’s guns, you have to apply for and pay fees to get an FFL. That means that an ATF agent can come by and examine your records and inventory. Gunsmiths and FFL holders who work out of their homes are rapidly disappearing because of the general bias by the ATF against anyone who does not (or even who does) have a storefront with regular hours.
 
Gunsmithing is a great skill, and a wonderful hobby, but it’s not a very good way to make money I’m afraid. I hope others have had a more positive experience. – C.G. in NC

JWR Replies: I recommend gunsmithing only if you can develop a specialty and eventually a reputation for expertise in the specialty that will attract mail order business from clients all over the country.

Letter Re: Recent North Plains Blizzard

North Dakota News
This following text is from a county emergency manager out in the western part of North Dakota after the recent snow storm: WEATHER BULLETIN
 
Up here in the Northern Plains we just recovered from a Historic event — may I even say a “Weather Event” of “Biblical Proportions” — with a historic blizzard of up to 44 inches of snow and winds to 90 MP that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities
and cut power to tens of thousands. FYI:
o       George Bush did not come…
o       FEMA did nothing…
o       No one howled for the government…
o       No one blamed the government
o       No one even uttered an expletive on TV…
o       Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit
o       Our Mayors did not blame Bush or anyone else
o       Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either
o       CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX, or NBC did not visit – or report on this Category 5 snow storm
o       Nobody demanded  $2,000 debit cards…
o       No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House…
o       No one looted…
o       Nobody – I mean Nobody demanded the government do something
o       Nobody expected the government to do anything, either
o       No Larry King, No Bill O’Reilly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera
o       No Sean Penn, No Barbra Streisand, No Hollywood types to be found
And,
o       Nope, we just melted the snow for water
o       Sent out caravans of SUVs to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars
o       The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn’t ask for a penny
o       Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snow bound families
o       Families took in the stranded people – total strangers
o       We fired up wood stoves
o       Broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns
o       We put on an extra layers of clothes because up here it is “Work or Die”
o       We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for ‘sittin at home’ checks.
o       Even though a “Category 5” blizzard of this scale has never fallen this early…we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.
” In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% most of the world’s social problems evaporate.”
 
 
Hurray for North Dakota. You are my kind of people…..You don’t sit on your rear and cry for someone else
to do it for you. You do what has to be done, yourself. But, unfortunately, you will have to pay, for the rest of your life, for those who are too lazy (slovenly) to do anything for themselves… – H.A.H.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I know that every good and excellent thing in the world stands moment by moment on the razor edge of danger and must be fought for, whether it’s a field, or a home, or a country.” – Thornton Wilder

The Army Aviator on Deep Cycle Batteries and Inverters

About batteries: Since 1996 doing my [seasonal] RV living, I’ve been using 16 golf cart batteries: 12 on the back bumper and 4 on the front bumper. They have been adequate for my RV requirements. BTW, beyond the normal stuff, my RV utilizes two networked servers, two workstations, two satellite uplinks as well as three satellite downlinks and my ham radios, all on a 24/7 basis. The inverter is a Trace SW-4024. Then in 1998, I bought the ranch and it, now, uses 16 of the venerable L-16 batteries, purchased from a dealer who wished to rotate his stock. The ranch also utilizes a matching Trace SW-4024.
(For commonality of parts.) BTW, I also have a pair of Trace 12 VDC / 2400 watt inverters in case the big Traces fail. (Yep, I’m stupid on occasion. I didn’t ground the one at the ranch well enough and lightning took it out. Now it’s [replacement is] grounded to the well and four widely separated ground rods.) I went with the backup inverters as 12 Volt DC because they can be more readily utilized elsewhere if needed. Early in 2004, I installed a Trace SW-4024 at my [commercial] radio station with 24 L-16s and both stations operate continuously with the system interfaced with the city power feed. If the city power fails, the Trace picks up the load so fast neither the CD players nor the computers glitch. On the air, you can’t tell that the switch occurred. Unfortunately the rest of the building, which isn’t on the Trace, goes dark. This was very disconcerting to one disc jockey in particular. Ha!
As to longevity, we pull a continuous 24 Amps and so far, during a power failure, the system has gone almost 10 hours without running down. (Thank Goodness!)
As to those BIG telephone [Central Office stationary] batteries, they are HUGE and only one cell. It takes three of them [wired in series] to equal the voltage of one L-16. One battery must weigh 200 pounds. They are clear on the sides. I missed out on 42 of them when I ran across a telephone serviceman who had just finished dumping all of the liquid out of them and loading them on his truck for disposal. The EPA poses no problem as long as you affirm you are going to put them into service. EPA only has restrictions when you dispose of the battery. So far no battery failures and things are humming.
Best regards to you and the Memsahib, Oh ….. HAPPY NEW YEAR! – The Army Aviator

Letter Re: The Best All-Around Dog Breed for a Retreat?

Dear Mr. Rawles,
Hi, just wanted to say I loved “Patriots” and follow SurvivalBlog religiously.  Thank you so much for your efforts on behalf of the survival-minded community. A bit about retreat dogs:
 
A dog is two things – what its breeding have made it, and what its training has made it.  You can’t separate the two.  You can give someone a dog that is ideally suited to a purpose, but if that person doesn’t know the first thing about training and socializing a dog, they will end up with a train wreck that will make their life and the dog’s life a misery.  This is especially true when you figure in back-yard breeders or worse yet, puppy mills where breeding for temperament is the last thing on the breeder’s agenda.  That “purebred” dog you spent retreat money on may just be the worst investment you ever made, [if] done haphazardly.  Training dogs is not nearly so essential as training the dog owner.  A trained dog owner can bring an untrained dog up to speed.  A trained dog, given to an untrained owner, will quickly revert to his natural behaviors with unpleasant results.  A dog is an investment that will return rewards in many ways, but realize that it is an ongoing investment that requires upkeep and involvement from you on a regular basis.
 
I’m surprised at all the large dogs being recommended.  Sure, a large dog is intimidating to an unarmed person.  A dog of any size will simply be shot by an armed person with ill intent. If you just want an early warning system, a medium or even a small size dog would be better, less food consumption. How much dog food have you got stockpiled?  Remember dogs do a great job of soaking up our leftovers, but come SHTF are you really going to have a dependable supply of leftovers to toss to Rover?   If it came to feeding the kids or feeding Rover, you know you’d feed the kids first.  Then what?  Watch Rover starve, or put a bullet in him before he starts to think of your kids as food?  How would the kids and wife react to that hard choice?  These are the harsh realities we don’t like to think about now, but would have to face later.  Better to plan around them now while we have the luxury of planning. A medium sized dog would still be perceived as a threat by many, and even a medium sized dog can inflict a lot of harm, or at least give a bad guy something additional to deal with while you’re grabbing your gun.  And a medium sized dog can have a big voice.  I currently have a 55 pound mutt who sounds like 150 pounds worth of bad news on the other side of a wood fence or a locked door.
 
I am a student and a huge fan of the Doberman breed.  However, I have mixed feelings about their suitability for use as a retreat dog. No, I take that back – I think they would be well-suited for some scenarios, and poorly suited for others.  Physically, they have a short coat, and cannot be an “outdoor only” dog in a cold (ice and snow) climate.  Temperamentally, they are incredibly intelligent and trainable, but they get bored easily. Sometimes they are too smart for their owners to manage, because they have their own ideas, and they are strong willed, requiring a strong willed owner.  If bored and confined, they are likely to try to figure out a means of escape. Most dogs don’t like being left alone, in the Doberman this is more intense and they are apt to become very maladjusted if left alone frequently or for long periods even if infrequently. Having a second dog does usually help with this. The Doberman is an athletic breed, and needs frequent exercise or they are apt to become hyperactive and destructive when cooped up indoors. Hope you have rawhide and other chew toys stockpiled if considering a Dobie for retreat! They have a high prey drive, so keeping them in proximity to livestock or other pets (chickens, cats, etc) that run when chased may be problematic. They are very loyal to their “pack” (your family) and naturally protective and leery of strangers. They can also misinterpret aggressive play or wrestling from visiting kids as an “attack” on your children, and respond with devastating force. They can be highly affectionate and even “clingy”. Most Dobermans do not like getting wet, although they will occasionally play in the water (puddles or surf), especially on hot days. If your vision of a retreat dog is one to live indoors with the family, regular training and exercise, going out on chores and errands with you (rather than being left alone) then the Dobie may well be your ideal dog.  If your idea of a retreat dog is one who lives outdoors patrolling the perimeter or living in the back yard that can be left alone (without human interaction and minimal training) for long periods of time, I think you would have to look long and hard to find a worse choice than a Doberman.  I wouldn’t recommend a Dobie as a first dog for a first time dog owner any more than I would recommend a full auto M16 for a first time gun owner. Too much of a learning curve. They were originally bred to accompany police, night watchmen and tax collectors on their rounds, and they are well suited to this and other similar duties.  Anyone serious about obtaining a Doberman, I recommend doing the homework to find a breeder that uses German stock, or breeding pairs that are from German stock.  The intelligence, trainability and temperament are beyond reproach, since all German breeding stock must pass Schutzhund to be allowed to breed.
 
Speaking of Schutzhund, this is a terrific sport.  No, it is not “attack dog” training to make the dog mean.  All dogs have aggressive and protective instincts.  However, we train our dogs not to be aggressive with family and friends.  In a real life confrontation, an untrained dog can become either confused or berserk with equally tragic results either way. Maybe that person coming up the walk is a bad guy, here to murder you and your family – or maybe just a poor lost soul looking for directions.  Makes a difference in how you want the dog to respond, doesn’t it? But the dog can’t possibly know the difference. Schutzhund teaches a dog how to turn its aggressive behavior on and off, to control it and direct it at your command.  Any intelligent breed will enjoy working with you, learning something, getting the mental and physical stimulation of this sport.  You and your dog will learn valuable skills and gain confidence that will be of great benefit if and when the balloon goes up.  In any kind of a large dog, I recommend considering this seriously.  The dog needs to understand not to shred the mail man, but when you call it into action, it needs to be able to exert exactly how much and just what kind of protective behavior you instruct. – Rusty

Letter Re: Solar and Off Grid Power – an Additional Contact

Mr. Rawles
In your [list of] resources for solar and off grid contacts you must not have been aware of Kenny G. at www.armadillosolar.net, who is most likely the most respected install team leader in the U.S. and one of the most sought after consultants in the industry. In many cases he has come in to fix systems installed by less than honest installers, particularly in the Texas. In the local area of Austin, Texas I know of none of his customers who are less than enthusiastic about his products and advice. Austin hosts the largest aggregation of residential off grid installations in Texas, and we talk about it! BTW – the wife and I loved your novel TEOTWAWKI [one of the draft editions of “Patriots”] that we got from you many years ago, before it was published via that publishing company. – Wotan

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“There are 1011 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it’s only a hundred billion. It’s less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.” – Dr. Richard Feynman

A Home-Based Business–Your Ticket to The Boonies

The majority of SurvivalBlog readers that I talk with tell me that they live in cities or suburbs, but they would like to live full time at a retreat in a rural area. Their complaint is almost always the same: “…but I’m not self-employed. I can’t afford to live in the country because I can’t find work there, and the nature of my work doesn’t allow telecommuting.” They feel stuck.

Over the years I’ve seen lots of people “pull the plug” and move to the boonies with the hope that they’ll find local work once they get there. That usually doesn’t work. Folks find that the most rural jobs typically pay little more than minimum wage and they are often informally reserved for folks that were born and raised in the area. (Newcomers from the big city certainly don’t have hiring priority!)

My suggestion is to start a second income stream, with a home based business. Once you have that business started, then start another one. There are numerous advantages to this approach, namely:

You can get out of debt

You can generally build the businesses up gradually, so that you don’t need to quit your current occupation immediately

By working at home you will have the time to home school your children and they will learn about how to operate a business.

You can live at your retreat full time. This will contribute to your self-sufficiency, since you will be there to tend to your garden, fruit/nut trees, and livestock.

If one of your home-based businesses fails, then you can fall back on the other.

Ideally, for someone that is preparedness-minded, a home-based business should be something that is virtually recession proof, or possibly even depression proof. Ask yourself: What are you good at? What knowledge or skills do you have that you can utilize. Next, consider which businesses will flourish during bad times. Some good examples might include:

  • Mail order/Internet sales/eBay Auctioning of preparedness-related products.
  • Locksmithing
  • Gunsmithing
  • Medical Transcription
  • Accounting
  • Repair/refurbishment businesses
  • Freelance writing
  • Blogging (with paid advertising) If you have knowledge about a niche industry and there is currently no blog on the subject, then start your own!
  • Mail order/Internet sales of entertainment items. (When times get bad, people still set aside a sizable percentage of their income for “escape” from their troubles.For example, video rental shops have done remarkably well during recessions.)
  • Burglar Alarm Installation

Other home-based businesses that seem to do well only in good economic times include:

  • Recruiting/Temporary Placement
  • Fine arts, crafts, and jewelry. Creating and marketing your own designs–not “assembly” for some scammer. (See below.)
  • Mail order/Internet sales/eBay Auctions of luxury items, collectibles, or other “discretionary spending” items
  • Personalized stationary and greeting cards (Freelance artwork)
  • Calligraphy
  • Web Design

Beware the scammers! The fine folks at www.scambusters.org have compiled a “Top 10” list of common work-at-home and home based business scams to beware of:

1. Craft Assembly
This scam encourages you to assemble toys, dolls, or other craft projects at home with the promise of high per-piece rates. All you have to do is pay a fee up-front for the starter kit… which includes instructions and parts. Sounds good? Well, once you finish assembling your first batch of crafts, you’ll be told by the company that they “don’t meet our specifications.”
In fact, even if you were a robot and did it perfectly, it would be impossible for you to meet their specifications. The scammer company is making money selling the starter kits — not selling the assembled product. So, you’re left with a set of assembled crafts… and no one to sell them to.

2. Medical Billing
In this scam, you pay $300-$900 for everything (supposedly) you need to start your own medical billing service at home. You’re promised state-of-the-art medical billing software, as well as a list of potential clients in your area.
What you’re not told is that most medical clinics process their own bills, or outsource the processing to firms, not individuals. Your software may not meet their specifications, and often the lists of “potential clients” are outdated or just plain wrong.
As usual, trying to get a refund from the medical billing company is like trying to get blood from a stone.

3. Email Processing
This is a twist on the classic “envelope stuffing scam” (see #1 below). For a low price ($50?) you can become a “highly-paid” email processor working “from the comfort of your own home.”
Now… what do you suppose an email processor does? If you have visions of forwarding or editing emails, forget it. What you get for your money are instructions on spamming the same ad you responded to in newsgroups and Web forums!
Think about it — they offer to pay you $25 per email processed — would any legitimate company pay that?

4. “A List of Companies Looking for Homeworkers!”
In this one, you pay a small fee for a list of companies looking for homeworkers just like you.
The only problem is that the list is usually a generic list of companies, companies that don’t take homeworkers, or companies that may have accepted homeworkers long, long ago. Don’t expect to get your money back with this one.

5. “Just Call This 1-900 Number For More Information…”
No need to spend too much time (or money) on this one. 1-900 numbers cost money to call, and that’s how the scammers make their profit. Save your money — don’t call a 1-900 number for more information about a supposed work-at-home job.

6. Typing At Home
If you use the Internet a lot, then odds are that you’re probably a good typist. How better to capitalize on it than making money by typing at home? Here’s how it works: After sending the fee to the scammer for “more information,” you receive a disk and printed information that tells you to place home typist ads and sell copies of the disk to the suckers who reply to you. Like #8, this scam tries to turn you into a scammer!

7. “Turn Your Computer Into a Money-Making Machine!”
Well, this one’s at least half-true. To be completely true, it should read: “Turn your computer into a money-making machine… for spammers!”
This is much the same spam as #5, above. Once you pay your money, you’ll be sent instructions on how to place ads and pull in suckers to “turn their computers into money-making machines.”

8. Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)
If you’ve heard of network marketing (like Amway), then you know that there are legitimate MLM businesses based on agents selling products or services. One big problem with MLMs, though, is when the pyramid and the ladder-climbing become more important than selling the actual product or service. If the MLM business opportunity is all about finding new recruits rather than selling products or services, beware: The Federal Trade Commission may consider it to be a pyramid scheme… and not only can you lose all your money, but you can be charged with fraud, too!
We saw an interesting MLM scam recently: one MLM company advertised the product they were selling as FREE. The fine print, however, states that it is “free in the sense that you could be earning commissions and bonuses in excess of the cost of your monthly purchase of” the product. Does that sound like “free” to you?

9. Chain Letters/Emails (“Make Money Fast”)
If you’ve been on the Internet for any length of time, you’ve probably received or at least seen these chain emails. They promise that all you have to do is send the email along plus some money by mail to the top names on the list, then add your name to the bottom… and one day you’ll be a millionaire. Actually, the only thing you might be one day is prosecuted for fraud. This is a classic pyramid scheme, and most times the names in the chain emails are manipulated to make sure only the people at the top of the list (the true scammers) make any money. This scam should be called “Lose Money Fast” — and it’s illegal.

10. Envelope Stuffing
This is THE classic work-at-home scam. It’s been around since the U.S. Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, and it’s moved onto the Internet like a cockroach you just can’t eliminate. There are several variations, but here’s a sample: Much like #5 and #4 above, you are promised to be paid $1-2 for every envelope you stuff. All you have to do is send money and you’re guaranteed “up to 1,000 envelopes a week that you can stuff… with postage and address already affixed!” When you send your money, you get a short manual with flyer templates you’re supposed to put up around town, advertising yet another harebrained work-from-home scheme. And the pre-addressed, pre-paid envelopes? Well, when people see those flyers, all they have to do is send you $2.00 in a pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope. Then you stuff that envelope with another flyer and send it to them. Ingenious perhaps… but certainly illegal and unethical.

From all that I’ve heard, most franchises and multi-level marketing schemes are not profitable unless you pick a great product or service, and you already have a strong background in sales. Beware of any franchise where you wouldn’t have a protected territory. My general advice is this: You will probably be better off starting your own business, making, retailing, or consulting about something where you can leverage your existing knowledge and/or experience.