Basic Electronic Repair – Part 1, by J.M.

In several previous articles on SurvivalBlog.com (‘Elements of a Security System‘, ‘Surviving With Electronics’ & ‘Tactical Technology for TEOTWAWKI’) I discussed various ways you can utilize technology like electronics to help you prepare and survive. However, the best technology in the world won’t do you any good if it isn’t working, and you probably won’t be able to go online and order a replacement after the grid goes down. The problem is that electronics are like magic to a lot of people, and the thought of opening a device up and repairing it isn’t something they’ve ever considered. Part of this is due to the societal market conditioning we’ve been receiving since childhood that you always need to have the latest and greatest so you should upgrade instead of repair, and part of it is due to the fact that most people aren’t being taught even basic problem solving skills these days. The reality is that performing common repairs on most electronic devices is actually pretty simple and straightforward, and it just requires the ability to logically approach problems and some simple tools and supplies. Note that ‘electronics’ doesn’t just mean thing like tablets, cell phones and computers – red dot sights, night vision devices, drones, security cameras, flashlights and many other devices commonly included in preps can fail and need to be repaired.

The purpose of this article is to discuss how to adopt a ‘repair, not replace’ approach to electronic devices and the skills, tools and resources you can use to support that approach, both in normal times as well as after the grid goes down. I’m going to focus on small electronics, not major things like appliances, televisions, computers, etc., all of which require a lot of specialized knowledge, tools and supplies. However, the underlying approach of learning how to repair things can be applied to pretty much anything.Continue reading“Basic Electronic Repair – Part 1, by J.M.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we again look at Dollar-Euro parity. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

Alasdair Macleod: Gold and the Upcoming Recession.

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Gold could see a relief rally if Fed raises rates by 75 basis points – Standard Chartered.

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Zimbabwe goes for the gold — coin, that is — to fight high inflation.

Economy & Finance:

Federal Reserve announces a 75 basis point jump in the benchmark overnight rate. This is their fourth rate increase since March.  This probably won’t be enough to slow down the rate of inflation, but it will be enough to torpedo the real estate market and trigger a deep and possibly lengthy recession.

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At QTR: Delusional White House Economists Argue Two Quarters Of Negative GDP Doesn’t Mean Recession Anymore.

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H.L. flagged this, from the Twitter-sphere: Dollar-denominated debt crisis in Developing Nations?

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Catherine Austin Fitts’ “Financial Rebellion”: Where To Stash Your Cash In 2022. (Video)

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — July 28, 2022

On July 28, 1932, U.S. Army troops, using tanks, cavalry, and tear gas demolished and burned the shanty town set up near the U.S. Capitol by unemployed Bonus Army protestors.

July 28th is also the anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, in 1914. This war irreparably changed geopolitics. Officially, the war lasted until November 11, 1918, as did our involvement. But American troops were still running around shooting Russians until 1920.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. 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),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 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.

Expedient Reloading, by Brandon F.

My father grew up poor on a barren Wyoming homestead 8,200 feet above sea level. A World War 2 veteran and policeman, he and my mother were very frugal — not stingy or cheap but careful with what assets they had. My earliest memories of my father were of him teaching me to shoot and hunt cottontails with a Winchester Model 62 pump-action .22 rifle, which I still have. I was so young he had to hold the barrel steady as I could barely lift the rifle. He was not one to waste ammunition. Throughout my young pre-teen years, my best friend and I spent many happy hours plinking with our .22 rimfires.

Later on, in my teens after acquiring centerfire firearms I got into reloading with the classic Lee loader. This little handloader made affordable shooting possible. Now, nearly fifty years later and recently retired I have found time to reload all the empty brass that has been accumulating in the garage. It has been more than a little frustrating trying to find the components needed, especially Boxer primers. Recently, I was on a friend’s property when his one-time neighbor and ten-year-old daughter stopped by to visit. As avid shooters, they had been at a nearby range.

The girl showed us all the spent cartridge cases they had collected. I pointed out that the aluminum ones were not reloadable. Her father laughed and said; ‘’I don’t reload the cases; I reload the primers.’’ This got my attention. ‘’How do you do that?’’ I asked. He explained that he ordered a primer reloading compound called PRIME-ALL from an outfit called Sharpshooter22. I had heard of people using strike anywhere match heads or cap gun caps to reload primers with varying degrees of success, but hadn’t realized there was a compound you could purchase. He explained the process and cautioned that the reloaded primers must be loaded still wet into the cases and the acetone allowed to dry before loading propellant and bullet.Continue reading“Expedient Reloading, by Brandon F.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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. Today, we look at plunging photovoltaic power prices, even in the midst of inflation.

The Cost Of Solar Power Has Fallen Quickly

First up, at CleanTechica.com: Just The Facts: The Cost Of Solar Has Fallen More Quickly Than Experts Predicted. Here is a quote:

“The price of residential solar, for example, was at $2.65/W in the first quarter of 2021, down from $7.53/W in 2010; utility-scale solar was $0.89/W compared to $5.66/W a decade ago.

Those plunges were driven in large part by higher module efficiency and lower module cost. The price of different module technologies — including crystalline-silicone, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium diselenide — are forecast to lessen in the coming years with more efficient manufacturing.”

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in 2022?

This summary article was recently posted over at MarketWatch: How much do solar panels cost in 2022?

Why the Ozarks is Mecca for Doomsday Preppers

This article that dates back to 2018 is some quite useful reading: Why the Ozarks is Mecca for Doomsday Preppers.

In Remote Alaska, Meal Planning Is Everything

Linked over at the great Notes From The Bunker blog: In Remote Alaska, Meal Planning Is Everything.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“It is almost superfluous to say that there is no such thing as a free and independent press among the mainstream news media today. In fact, the major media more resembles a propaganda machine than it does a free press.” – Pastor Chuck Baldwin

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 27, 2022

July 27th is the birthday of Captain Samuel Whittemore (born in 1694, died February 3, 1793). He was an English-born American farmer and soldier. He was eighty years of age when he became the oldest known colonial combatant in the American War of Independence.

Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy.

Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British Grenadiers of the 47th Regiment of Foot from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols, killed a second grenadier and mortally wounded a third. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment had reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked.

He was subsequently shot in the face, bayoneted numerous times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found by colonial forces, trying to load his musket to resume the fight. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore recovered and lived another 18 years.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. 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),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 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.

Consider Health Sharing Programs, by Harvey Griffin

Regular visitors to SurvivalBlog no doubt share the desire for greater independence and are assisted by the virtues of frugality and common sense. Like many of you, I search for alternative products and services that fit my budget, lifestyle, and values. One line item that proved difficult to match my requirements but was a necessary evil for years was health insurance. I have a family with young children and as much as I admire pioneers and the old ways of doing things, I could not responsibly choose to forgo coverage altogether. Thankfully about six years ago I researched Christian health sharing programs and made the switch from conventional insurance, and I could not be more grateful or happy that we did.

I hope that by sharing my family’s experience we will help others. We would particularly like to help those who are baffled or struggling with conventional insurance and medical costs and are not aware of this option and how it can change your lifestyle.

A health care sharing ministry program has functions and terms that are familiar to anyone with conventional health insurance. Members pay a monthly “sharing amount” that works like a premium, which is used to pay program costs but is also directed to a pool that is used to pay member claims. This monthly share may be variable based on the program sponsor, but each sponsor may have varying tiers of coverage. Like insurance, if you want more coverage, you pay a higher share. My family of five pays $650 per month for our program’s highest level of coverage. There is an annual “unshared” amount of medical expenses that fall on us, like an insurance deductible. Unlike the deductible, there is no additional cost sharing once we hit our unshared amount limit. Insurance will continue to use coinsurance or copays until there is an even higher “max out-of-pocket” limit. My family’s annual unshared limit with our health share is $3,500. Other programs have similar cost tiers but from what I have seen the most expensive option costs far less than any policy and have far more generous coverage terms.Continue reading“Consider Health Sharing Programs, by Harvey Griffin”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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.

—

In a shooting range video, attempting to recreate the 80% hit accuracy at 15 to 20 yards in 15 seconds of the Indiana Impromptu Mall Defender: The Eli Drill. (Elijah Dickens is pictured above.) I’ve read that he was armed with a compact Springfield Hellcat 9mm pistol. He demonstrated commendable speed and accuracy, under pressure. Early reports cited an engagement distance of 40 yards, but that was later corrected to 15 to 20 yards. But regardless, he still did some fine shooting!

o  o  o

Reader Cathy N. suggested this 28-minute Deutsche Welle documentary: Preppers: Sweden bracing for the worst.

o  o  o

H.L. sent this: Poll: Nearly One-Third of Voters Believe They May Have to Take Up Arms Against the United States Government.  JWR’s Comments: I’m one man, with one vote. But inevitably in many nations, elections are blatantly rigged, or they are suspended, or indefinitely postponed. It is then that substitute votes must be cast from the treelines. A phrase such as: “No pasarán” makes for great fodder in reports filed by starry-eyed journalists. “No pasarán” is a slogan of collective resolve. That particular one originated during the Spanish Civil War, spoken in words and sung in songs. Just words. In the end, words of resolve must be backed up by deeds of substance. A “no” vote is always tallied when it arrives at 2,790 feet per second.

o  o  o

The latest from Tamara K.: Don’t Become a Fudd: A How-To Guide

o  o  o

Video from Laura Ingraham: Voting With Their Feet. Cali, NY and Illinois depopulating, moving to Florida, Texas…

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I regard free speech as a prerequisite to a civilized society, because freedom of speech means that you can have combat with words. That’s what it means. It doesn’t mean that people can happily and gently exchange opinions. It means that we can engage in combat with words, in the battleground of ideas. And the reason that that’s acceptable, and why it’s acceptable that people’s feelings get hurt during that combat, is that the combat of ideas is far preferable to actual combat” – Jordan Peterson, Maps of Meaning, 2017

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 26, 2022

On July 26th, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres. Already in the midst of a bad drought, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota suffered tremendously. The swarms were said to be so thick that they blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop. While America has not seen infestations on such a scale since then, North Africa and parts of the Middle East continue to experience them.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. 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),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 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.

Lessons Learned: A Burst Pipe, by Kim F.

Thursday afternoon, I realized the full significance of the noise I heard running through my pipes. It wasn’t a dripping faucet somewhere, there was a leak under my slab.

I live in hurricane country. I’ve had an abundance of experience with the aftermath of these storms in my more than half a century of life. You could say I’ve been prepping since I was 8 years old. In all that time, I’ve never lost water. Power, yes. Hot water, yes. I’ve never even experienced a “boil water” alert, except when I was volunteering for disaster relief in other communities. But I have had experiences of living without water over the years.

In the late 1950s our family moved to an area that had horrible-tasting water. Bottled water was unheard of then and 5 gallon jugs that were available were out of our price range. My Grandpa used to bring gallon jugs home from work every day for our drinking water. As luck would have it, we found our own place a couple of months later so I only had the ‘bad tasting’ water problem when I visited my grandparents on vacations.Continue reading“Lessons Learned: A Burst Pipe, by Kim F.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements 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. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we cover a spate of Buffalo gorings, at Yellowstone park. (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

Two pilots die after firefighting helicopter crashes into Salmon River.

and,

Gov. Little orders flags to fly at half-staff for two fallen firefighters.

and,

Moose Fire near Salmon now burning 23,000+ acres.

o  o  o

Reader A.K. sent us the link to this television news segment: Increasing hay prices force Boise rancher to sell cattle.

o  o  o

North Idaho man sentenced for murdering woman with shot to the head while she was driving them 70mph.

o  o  o

Reliving ‘Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey’: Idaho woman raised in FLDS discusses life after the religious cult.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In the American political lexicon, ‘change’ always means more of the same: more government, more looting of Americans, more inflation, more police-state measures, more unnecessary war, and more centralization of power.” – Ron Paul