Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 3, by Hoofer

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.)

In Part 1 and Part 2, we hit a few of the “How it works” or “Why it works” stuff.  Proven by experience, or our family ham antenna business would have failed immediately.  So, what do you have laying around the house, farm, garage – that can be turned into a high performance antenna for just listening?

In the basement / garage, Metallic stuff, old copper pipe that burst from freezing, Telephone wire, cable TV wire, Ethernet cable (4,6,8 strand stuff), Iron pipe… will work, again not as good. Old extension cords! The longer the lengths, the better!  No need to strip wire or separate multi-wire cables, but, a 16awg x 100′ extension cord, whew, that’s a lot of long wire!  Even a 20′ tattered Extension cord can make a very nice 20 meter dipole antenna.  a 10′ extension cord can become a CB Antenna!  Don’t run out and buy one, hit the rummage sales, look around for junk that can be turned into treasure!

On the farm, or barn, aluminum electric fence wire. Stainless woven stuff does work… not as good though, a roll of barbed wire… again, will work, just not as good.  Old Telephone wire that once strung between poles.  There is no such thing as old-useless-pipe, a television antenna mast (the pole), that won’t work as an antenna, even a flag pole!Continue reading“Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 3, by Hoofer”

Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Today: A Map Showing the Largest Type of Electric Generating Capacity, By County.

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

(Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

Economics & Investing Links of Interest
  • H.L. sent this very troubling news: The Great Taking: Global Looting of Humanity Imminent?
  • Reader Tom H. mentioned this essay by Adam Sharp at The Daily Reckoning: Silver’s 27% Drop, in Context.
  • Video from The Economic Ninja: Why I am pivoting from Silver investing into something else. JWR’s Comments: I’m glad to see that he agrees with my advice on recouping your original investment cost, during a rally. Rather than Bitcoin, I recommend pivoting into other tangibles, most notably, paying off your home and retreat property mortgages.  Most of us have already recouped 25% or more of our silver purchase cost.  When silver hits $95 per Troy ounce again, then that woudl be a good opportunity to recoup another 25%. But plan to keep at least one-third of your silver as a long-term (multigenerational) hedge on the purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar. You have fire insurance on your house.  But you also need “fire insurance” on the Dollar. If you don’t already hold some silver, then the recent dip below $70/oz. might be a good opportunity.  I’m confident that $85 will become the new floor for silver within a few weeks. And of course, you can also acquire still U.S. Nickels in bulk, at face value. That is a hedge with no downside risk.
  • A 24-minute Matthew Piepenburg Interview: This Isn’t a Gold Bubble — It’s a Currency Breakdown.

Economics & Investing Media Tips:

Please send your economics and investing links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Every man should make his son or daughter learn some useful trade or profession, so that in these days of changing fortunes of being rich today and poor tomorrow they may have something tangible to fall back upon. This provision might save many persons from misery, who by some unexpected turn of fortune have lost all their means.” – P. T. Barnum

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 5, 2026

On February 5, 1736 British Methodist ministers John Wesley (pictured) and Charles Wesley arrived in Savannah, Georgia.

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Today is the birthday of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (5 February 1840 – 24 November 1916). He was an American-British inventor best known as the creator of the first truly automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun. Maxim also held patents on numerous mechanical devices such as hair-curling irons, a mousetrap, and steam pumps. Maxim claimed to invented the lightbulb. He was the father of Hiram Percy Maxim, who founded the ARRL.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  2. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  3. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  4. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 123 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 2, by Hoofer

(Continued from  Part 1.)

A typical Trucker’s dual-mount CB antenna has 2 coaxes down to one connection to the radio.  We want the signal from both antennas, unified exactly for a nice strong signal / in phase voltage pulse, into the radio. Because the antennas are on the sides, like mirror mounts, the strongest, best signal (in phase), will come from the front and rear of the truck, while signals from either side, will cancel each other out (a little bit).

The same thing happens with our Vertical antennas, 2-3-4-5-6-7-8 of them.  We want to get rid of the noise and interference to hear cleanly in one direction.  These verticals can be arranged in a circle, straight line, triangle, all kinds of shapes.  While most people *think* the signal is being concentrated (it is), the biggest advantage is Nulling out the unwanted junk.  By combining the antennas, switching in shorter / longer / equal coaxes which tie them together, we can change the shape of our broadcast / receive signal. Continue reading“Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 2, by Hoofer”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, a report on some odd Russian snow camouflage.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Government has three primary functions. It should provide for military defense of the nation. It should enforce contracts between individuals. It should protect citizens from crimes against themselves or their property.” – Milton Friedman

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 4, 2026

On February 4, 211, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus died in Eboracum (York) in England, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta. From his biography:

“Septimius Severus was the first Roman Emperor from Africa. He ruled from 193 to 211 AD and is known for having expanded the Roman Empire through military campaigns.

Severus began his career in the Roman government, rising through the ranks during a period of political instability. He became emperor in 193 AD, a year known as the Year of the Five Emperors due to its rapid succession of rulers. Severus defeated rival claimants to secure his position.

As emperor, Severus led successful military campaigns. He annexed new territories and strengthened Roman borders. His victories included defeating the Parthian Empire and capturing their capital, Ctesiphon.

Severus implemented significant changes to the Roman military. He increased the number of soldiers and raised their pay. To fund these changes, however, he had to reduce the purity of Roman coins, a debasement of coinage which had long-term economic consequences.”

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And on February 4, 1789, the first US Electoral College chose George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice President.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  2. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  3. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  4. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 123 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 1, by Hoofer

As an introduction, I started building Vertical & Yagi Beam antennas in the early 1980s for CB radio.  When the FCC dropped the ‘Morse Code’ requirement in 2007, many ‘tone deaf’ people like myself, transitioned to ham radio. My entire family are either General or Extra Class hams.  Having this license and operating ability is an essential ‘Life Skill’, like the ability to read, write and speak the native language.

No tool is useful, in unskilled hands – unless you’re planning on selling/bartering it away, right?  Our family and I have taught Technician, General, and Extra classes – but, none of us consider ourselves Super Duper hams nor engineers, just dedicated hams.  Show us a radio, and any one of us can get on the air, make contacts, work a Contest, pass mail, and train others to do the same.  That’s what hobbies are about, having fun, bringing in others, sharpening the skills, and in the case of ham radio, or Distance Exchange (DX), like Short Wave Listening (SWL) – you’ll need to train your ears and brain to effectively operate / communicate / carry on a conversation.  CB radio is Grade School, ham radio is High School.Continue reading“Antenna Building: Theory and Practice – Part 1, by Hoofer”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Reader H.B. suggested a Facebook reel on how to make your own local topo maps.

o  o  o

At our friend Jack Lawson’s website: Do It Yourself! Building a 3500-Watt Portable Battery Bank Solar Power Unit.

o  o  o

Here is a free short story based rooted in an ancient legend, with a useful introduction. It was co-authored by SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large, Michael Z. Williamson and his wife: Skjaldmóðir.

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 3, 2026

On February 3, 1863 Samuel Clemens first used the pen name Mark Twain in a Virginia City newspaper, the “Territorial Enterprise“.

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And on February 3, 1931, New Zealand’s worst natural disaster, the Hawke’s Bay earthquake, which killed 256 and injurds thousands, devastating Napier and the Hawke’s Bay regio.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  2. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  3. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  4. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $981,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 123 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Some Thoughts on Batteries and Flashlights, by Hoofer

We’ve read SurvivalBlog for several years, my wife first (she’s the farmer), and more recently, me… the last 4-5 years. (I’m the farmer’s husband, but, grew up on 250 acres, farming).

I took particular note of the recommendation ‘not’ to use/buy appliances which use 18650 batteries (Li-ion rechargeable). We bought four of these 18650 batteries 2.5 years ago, and use them nearly every day. This particular variety is not in stock on Amazon – however, the replacements are well worth considering, if you’re actively using flashlights.

Our old standard flashlights, were Mag-Lites, 3, 4, 6 D-cell versions, which we’d had for at +30 years, and used hundreds of batteries, and a few bulbs. Started with the standard bulb, then the brighter halogen bulb – and of course Alkaline batteries, which made the Mag-lites quite heavy, the 6 D-cell has a particular name among law enforcement, also served as a handy “bat”… Whenever I got a call after dark to work an outage in some Milwaukee neighborhoods, I took the 6-cell Mag-lite, over my shoulder, like a baseball bat – people moved away from me, instead of getting in my face.

The first 18560 flashlight was this little compact model, which I first used at work, in poorly lit Telephone Central Offices, and of course on the farm. We bought 6 of them, only 4 of them remain in use.Continue reading“Some Thoughts on Batteries and Flashlights, by Hoofer”

SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest.  Today, a photo of Stanley Lake and McGown Peak, Idaho, in the heart of the Sawtooth Mountain Range.  (A 2009 public domain photo by Frank Kovalchek.)

American Redoubt News Links

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.