FNIRSI GC-03 Radiation Detector: An Evaluation, by Mike in Alaska

Introduction

This article is not a full review. It is just a cursory evaluation.

Several weeks ago, I ordered a Multifunction Nuclear Radiation Detector from a eBay seller who imports these units from China. FNIRSI also sells several other electronic test equipment units, one of which I bought was the multi-function oscilloscope hoping that I could use it on the bench as well as for portable operations. Alas, I didn’t like the unit because the probe connections for the oscilloscope don’t fit well into the connector (BNC type) on the top of the case and because of that issue I broke off the connector for one of the two channels and when I disassembled the unit it effectively destroyed the outer lining for the case. I contacted the company but never got any reply from them or the seller I bought it from. I was able to repair the unit and make it operational, and it is not as good as advertised as far as sensitivity is concerned. It is just a glorified DMM. In that regard, it is good. So up front, just beware that if you buy any items from the FINRSI brand you’re on your own for user support. I am under no illusion that this unit will be any different in that respect. Caveat emptor.Continue reading“FNIRSI GC-03 Radiation Detector: An Evaluation, by Mike in Alaska”

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, we look at the end of traditional dial-up internet service.

AOL Discontinuing Its Dial-Up Internet Service

Several SurvivalBlog readers wrote to mention this news: End of an era: AOL to discontinue its dial-up internet service after 30 years. JWR’s Comment:   Like a lot of other folks, by the late 1990s we received so many unsolicited AOL CDs in the mail that we hung them up in our garden, to scare off birds.

The Latest Ransomware and Cyber Attacks

Reader “Neo” sent us this: July 2025: Biggest Cyber Attacks, Ransomware Attacks and Data Breaches.

Farmers’ Almanac Predicts a Cold, Snowy Winter Across US

And, speaking of AOL reports: Farmers’ Almanac winter forecast for 2025-2026: A long season of cold, snow across US. (Our thanks to H.L. for the link.)

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 13, 2025

On August 13, 1642, Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered that Mars had a southern polar cap.

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This is the birthday of screenwriter, director, and producer, Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980). His many films spanned five decades.

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Today is also the birthday of sharpshooter, entertainer, and folk heroine Annie Oakley (1860–1926.)

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Please pray for everyone at risk of the floods in Wisconsin.

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As part of the 20th Anniversary celebration for SurvivalBlog, we are running our biggest sale ever on all of our percussion gun inventory at Elk Creek Company.  (Elk Creek Company is a spin-off venture that helps pay the bills for SurvivalBlog.)  Take note that most of our percussion revolver inventory is hand-selected for the availability of cartridge conversion cylinders. This is particularly important for folks who live in any of the 23 states that have de facto registration on the sales of private party modern (post-1898) cartridge guns.  The sale pricing on our percussion guns will end on Friday, August 15, 2025. Oh, and by the way, if you’d like to pay in pre-1965 “junk” U.S. 90% coins, you can divide your order total by 29.7. That is a very generous rate.

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Today’s feature article is a short but important piece, written by a SurvivalBlog advertiser. We need more entries for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 30th, 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.

Sanitation for Preppers, by A.C.

Okay, folks. This is it: The unavoidable conversation that every prepper just pretends isn’t important; we’re going to talk about your poo. In the world of survivalism and prepping, the conversation almost always revolves around a predictable list of essentials: food, water, shelter, warmth, and weapons. These are the “sexy” parts of the apocalypse, the elements we see glamorized in movies and books. But in a real, long term grid-down situation, a far more mundane and devastating threat looms large, one that is almost never discussed and rarely planned for; sanitation. The truth is, without a proper plan for managing human waste, the modern world would swiftly descend into a public health crisis that could wipe out communities long before any other disaster does.Continue reading“Sanitation for Preppers, by A.C.”

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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SurvivalBlog reader Tim J. suggested this video: The Insane Number of Humvees in US Inventory. JWR’s Comments:  Once all those thousands of HMMWVs (“Humvees”) are inexpensively released as surplus over the next decade, for preppers, it will seem like manna falling from heaven. The key question is: Will any of the up-armored variants also be released? Oh, by the way, a full set of HMMWV operator and repair manuals is included as a bonus to our annual blog archive waterproof USB sticks.  Mark your calendar for Febraury 16, 2026, to order your 20th Anniversary Edition sticks.

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In response to the recent three-part feature article by St. Funogas, Mrs. Alaska wrote:

“I always look forward to articles by St. Funogas.  They are practical and insightful.

I concur with the advice to mark your prep supply usage to develop realistic plans for storage.
My husband and I live in a fly-in-only location in Alaska.  Seven years ago, we decided not to put our plane on skis to keep here in winter (the days are so short, and the snowstorms so frequent), but to leave it hangared with our airplane mechanic in a nearby town.  As a result, we go seven months each winter without seeing anyone and without resupply.
To do so, we maintain a spreadsheet of items and how many we have on hand and how many we need to buy.  This required exactly what St. Funogas suggested:  we wrote the dates we opened a tube of toothpaste or a bag of chicken feed or flour or rice or chocolate chips on the item. Importantly, we discovered that our seasonal use varies. Split peas we consume in winter but not in summer. Our free-ranging hens consume twice as much feed in winter as in summer. Therefore, we check our inventory list twice a year. For lightweight, shelf-stable products we maintain a multi-year supply.  For products that age out, like gasoline, even with Sta-Bil, we maintain about 18 months of supply.
Great advice, St. Funogas!”

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Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Reason, in a strict sense, as meaning the judgment of truth and falsehood, can never, of itself, be any motive to the will, and can have no influence but so far as it touches some passion or affection. Abstract relations of ideas are the object of curiosity, not of volition. And matters of fact, where they are neither good nor evil, where they neither excite desire nor aversion, are totally indifferent, and whether known or unknown, whether mistaken or rightly apprehended, cannot be regarded as any motive to action.” – David Hume

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 12, 2025

On August 12, 1865, British surgeon Joseph Lister (pictured) performed the first antiseptic surgery using a carbolic acid (aka phenolic acid) solution spray on his instruments and bandages.

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On August 12, 1867, US President Andrew Johnson defied Congress when he suspended Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.

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And on August 12, 1908, Henry Ford’s company built the first Model T car.

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Today’s feature article is an essay by our friend Brandon Smith, the Editor of the highly-recommended free site Alt-Market.us. He is also the Editor of the by-subscription e-newsletter, The Wild Bunch Dispatch.

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We need more entries for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 30th, 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.

As America Soul Searches, The Rest Of The West Is Falling Apart, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Introductory Note: This perceptive essay was first posted at Brandon Smith’s Alt-Market.us. It is reposted with permission.

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In terms of geopolitics one could argue that allies don’t have to like each other, they just have to provide a mutual benefit that serves the greater purposes of peace. One could also argue that through cultural exchange the good habits of one country could easily influence the bad habits of another, but that kind of influence can also happen in reverse.

Though we might think of American culture as the content driver of the planet, the reality is that our ideals are an exceedingly rare dynamic found in no other society. We provide sanctuary to a fragile ember of free thought in an otherwise gloomy world of globalist oppression. It is something that must be protected at all costs.

Over the years I’ve heard many arguments from ignorant liberals about the grand progressive accomplishments of the European experiment and its centralized system. I’ve been told many times about how much safer Canada and Australia are. How the UK has near zero gun crime and how socialism works so well in Norway and Sweden.

Leftists in the US have long embraced this messaging as gospel and for generations they have told us that we must join the rest of western civilization by sacrificing certain liberties for the sake of future generations. We must become more like our allies in “more civilized” and liberal nations, or be left behind and labeled an “embarrassment”.Continue reading“As America Soul Searches, The Rest Of The West Is Falling Apart, by Brandon Smith”

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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, some data on gun ownership rates in the American Redoubt region.  (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

Video: US States by Gun Ownership Rate — Comparison. JWR’s Comment:  If Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington were separate states, they’d both very likely be in the Top 10.

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Some after-action info on the July, 2025 TEOTWAWKI Readiness Exercise (T-REX) is now available at the AMRRON website.

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Bend man killed in wrong-way crash near American Falls, Idaho.

Idaho

Idaho National Guard members to aid ICE with administrative duties.

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Video: Didn’t Expect To Find This While Exploring In The Idaho Wilderness!

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Sole survivor of 2005 Idaho family murder returns to tell her story 20 years later.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“No tears in Heaven, no sorrows given,
All will be glory in that land;
There’ll be no sadness, all will be gladness,
When we shall join that happy band.

Glory is waiting, waiting up yonder,
Where we shall spend an endless day;
There with our Savior, we’ll be forever,
Where no more sorrow can dismay.

Some morning yonder, we’ll cease to ponder
Over things this life has brought to view;
All will be clearer, loved ones be dearer,
In heaven where all will be made new.

Chorus:

No tears, in heaven fair,
No tears up there,
Sorrow and pain will all have flown;
No tears in heaven will be known.”  – No Tears in Heaven
Music and Lyrics by Robert S. Arnold, 1935

Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 11, 2025

August 11, 1904: The Russian fleet in the harbor of Port Arthur, Manchuria, was exposed to artillery on the hill above the harbor; Russian ships attempted escape, but most were forced back into the harbor by Japanese ships.  Russia’s ignominious defeat in 1905 at the hands of the better-equipped and more competently led Japanese Navy has never been forgotten. The Russians had sought a “small victorious war”, but they got themselves trounced.

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On August 11, 1857, N. H. Wolfe and Company, the oldest flour and grain company in New York City, failed. This failure shook investor confidence and began a slow selloff in the market which continued into late August. Several other failures followed, and this cascaded into what was later called the Panic of 1857. Coincidentally, the Rawles family arrived in California by covered wagon in late August of 1857. Thankfully, California’s local economy was less affected by the Panic of 1857 than the eastern states. From the InfoGalactic Wiki: “The early 1850s had great economic prosperity in the United States, stimulated by the large amount of gold mined in the California Gold Rush that greatly expanded the money supply. By the mid-1850s, the amount of gold mined began to decline, causing western bankers and investors to become wary. Eastern banks became cautious with their loans in the eastern US, and some even refused to accept paper currencies issued by western banks.”

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As part of the 20th Anniversary celebration for SurvivalBlog, we are running our biggest sale ever on all of our percussion gun inventory at Elk Creek Company.  (Elk Creek Company is a spin-off venture that helps pay the bills for SurvivalBlog.)  Take note that most of our percussion revolver inventory is hand-selected for the availability of cartridge conversion cylinders. This is particularly important for folks who live in any of the 23 states that have de facto registration on the sales of private party modern (post-1898) cartridge guns.  This sale pricing on our percussion guns will end on Friday, August 15, 2025. Oh, and by the way, if you’d like to pay in pre-1965 “junk” U.S. 90% coins, you can divide your order total by 29.7.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

Camel City Mill Ironside Merino Wool Work Socks, by Thomas Christianson

I recommend Merino wool socks rather than cotton or synthetic socks for field use. Merino wool provides better moisture control, better insulation when wet, and better odor-resistance than cotton or synthetics.

I recently had the opportunity to test four pair of Camel City Mill Ironside Merino Wool Work Socks. They proved to be excellent. The socks were comfortable, durable, warm, they breathed-well, and were order-resistant.

Camel City Mill is one of a half dozen or so American companies that sell outstanding Merino wool socks that are made in the U.S.A. When so much manufacturing has been moved overseas, it is great to know that some of the world’s best Merino wool socks are being made in the United States.Continue reading“Camel City Mill Ironside Merino Wool Work Socks, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Carol’s Zuke Bread

The following recipe for Carol’s Zuke Bread is from SurvivalBlog reader Carol in Delaware. This uses a regular 9×5 loaf pan. The recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 lightly packed cups shredded zucchini (shred it just before adding)
  • 2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Butter a standard 9×5 loaf pan and line with a sling of parchment paper if desired, for easy removal.
  3. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, oil, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Whisk well to break up the eggs and get everything well incorporated.
  4. Blend in the baking powder, soda, and salt, so they are mixed in thoroughly, then stir in the flour.
  5. When the flour is almost all incorporated, fold in the zucchini and nuts. Stop mixing as soon as there is no dry flour left and the zucchini is evenly dispersed. Do not over-mix this batter.
  6. Turn the batter into your prepared pan and smooth it out.
  7. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter on it (moist crumbs are fine.)
  8. Let the bread cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes before turning out of the pan.
SERVING

Serve with warm with butter or cream cheese, after slicing.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: A map showing the most frequently occurring natural disasters, by US county. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

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Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.