Solar-Battery Home Power – Part 2, by Jeff M.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

POWERING UP & MORE TO LEARN

Don’t expect step-by-step instructions. I found all the needed information but chronological steps for start-up or shut-down are not readily available. However, there is plenty of online info where people figured out the best steps. I powered up my inverter with battery power first, then went through the entire menu. Go slow, though it’s pretty easy. A couple of battery voltage settings from the battery manufacturer were the only deviations. Then I turned the solar panel input on and waited for the screen to recognize battery & solar power. I then turned my inverter on from standby to ON. I turned the main breaker in my subpanel on and was powering my house!

I left my utility feed OFF for the time being as I wanted to see how the system would perform. This was now October 2021, in the middle part of the US, so sunlight was waning significantly. I already had a significant shadow of the bottom 20% of my solar panels. I was later told by an expert who saw a photo of my install, that because I mounted my panels vertically, long side up & down, I was limiting my energy output more than the 20% shading. My first mistake, but performance was fine through the darkest days of winter so I did not react to the advice. I feel I need to see how this works before I begin changes.

As to electrical performance, now almost 5 months out, we are so happy with our system. Switching power sources is automatic, seamless and silent. We had a storm power outage and did not know until a neighbor called to point out only I had power. I’ll have to work on that, it was so obvious.Continue reading“Solar-Battery Home Power – Part 2, by Jeff M.”

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. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

—

We’ll start out today’s column with a caption for the photo, above. It is not a prop from the 1984 John Milius movie Red Dawn. Rather, it is a recent photo from Ukraine, where an immobilized Russian BMP-3 was tagged by a Ukrainian fighter — or perhaps a teen loyalist. Given the global nature of pop culture and movie-viewing, I suppose this was inevitable. Yes, life imitates art. A hat tip to my friend Commander Zero of the Notes From The Bunker blog who posted this photo several days before I did. Oh, and I pseudo-scientifically estimate an 87% chance that you grinned when you saw this photo, and a 71% chance that it made you chuckle.

o  o  o

Reader F.J. sent us this: Survivalist who faked death to avoid trial is found after six years.

o  o  o

Well, it is now official, despite our protests: at the ATF website, 364-pages of new bureaucratic “frame or receiver” rules, without any action by congress.  We now have just 120 days to lay in our lifetime supply of unserialized 80%-complete rifle and pistol frames. I expect most dealers to sell out within a few days, so jump on what you need, NOW! Apparently, AR uppers will thankfully be grandfathered. They won’t have to be serialized, and they can still be transferred across state lines without going through an FFL. It will still be just AR lowers that are considered “firearms.” However, any newly-produced 80% receivers and frames, or any that are in the hands of an FFL holder for more than a day have to be serialized.

o  o  o

Mike in Alaska recommended this 27-minute video, by a fellow ham operator: Survival Radio & Emergency Communications Ukraine.

o  o  o

Lily spotted this news story: A 7-foot-tall robot at Dallas Love Field is watching for unmasked travelers and curbside loiterers.

o  o  o

A piece by David Deming, over at the Lew Rockwell site: Our Underground Future.Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 12, 2022

We’ve received news that novelist Jack Higgins has passed away, at age 92. Here is an excerpt from his obituary:

“Publisher HarperCollins announced Saturday that Higgins died at his home on the English Channel island of Jersey surrounded by his family.

He reportedly was the author of more than 85 novels and was renowned as one of the greatest thriller writers of all time. Born Henry Patterson in Newcastle, England, in July 1929, Higgins served in the military before studying sociology at the London School of Economics. He became a teacher in the northern city of Leeds and a writer in his spare time, with novels that sold modestly starting in the late 1950s.”

—

And speaking of great novelists, April 12th is the birthday of the late novelist Tom Clancy. (Born 1947, died October 1, 2013). It was Clancy who almost single-handedly created the modern techno-thriller genre, with his first novel, The Hunt For Red October. Coincidentally, Tom Clancy’s first literary agent is now my agent, Robert Gottlieb

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 100 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 free 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
  4. 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).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. 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 100 ends on May 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

Solar-Battery Home Power – Part 1, by Jeff M.

So to begin with I must say that my move to a solar/battery system was rather supernatural. I had been pondering for a long time as to installing a generator for our home, or use the large portable I already own and can connect manually, or do nothing. I was constantly worrying about two things:  1. Where will I get fuel in a long term, serious societal event? 2. All generators make noise, most of them a lot, including mine.

I was trapped in a vicious circle of worry, especially with events of the past six years. I truly believe God put the idea in my head with a “stop-dawdling” message on repeat. That was August 25, 2021.

Getting all the disclaimers and such out of the way, I am a retired commercial electrician. I knew very little about PV solar power, actually nothing once I began educating myself and I realized how much I did not know and how many things that I had heard about solar and battery storage that were just not accurate. I also must say that I previously was not a “solar guy” My electrical background told me the scale needed to actually have enough power to be realistic in a home and that reality kept me away. Additionally, I realized the tremendous amounts of energy required to mine raw materials, transport, and then manufacture solar panels and lithium batteries. These calculations, if done honestly with current technologies, negate any lessening of our environmental impacts.Continue reading“Solar-Battery Home Power – Part 1, by Jeff M.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoub

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 focus on the arrival of Avian Influenza.  (See the Montana and Wyoming sections.)

Region-Wide

From Spectator World: Heading west to escape liberal tyranny: Remote work will geographically polarize the country even more. This refreshingly unbiased article begins:

“As our nation navigates a ‘return to normalcy’ in a post-Covid world, one return most workers won’t be making is to the office. And as an estimated 40.7 million American professionals plan to be working fully remotely within the next five years, expect the great political divide to widen as liberals and conservatives move farther apart, both ideologically and physically.

With working from home becoming the norm, “home” for many people is changing. ‘Anywhere from 14 to 23 million Americans are planning to move as a result of remote work,” an Upwork.com study taken at the height of the pandemic found. ‘[N]ear-term migration rates may be three to four times what they normally are.'”

It is noteworthy that this article quotes real estate agent Todd Savage — one of our loyal advertisers.

o  o  o

I noticed that Redoubt News now offers a free e-mail newsletter.

o  o  o

‘The true loss is our security’: Security camera purchases rise in the Inland Northwest.

Idaho

Idaho Supreme Court blocks new abortion restriction law from going into effect.

o  o  o

Idaho Power faces $1 million fine after reporting violations.

o  o  o

Canyon County: Idaho sheriff says area ‘overwhelmed’ by fentanyl overdoses: ‘This is at everyone’s doorstep’.

o  o  o

Video: Idaho Teachers Brag About How They Work Around State’s CRT Ban.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 11, 2022

Today is the birthday of Lieutenant Colonel George Vincent Fosbery (11 April 1832 – 8 May 1907.) He was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was also a designer and inventor of firearms including the Webley-Fosbery “automatic” revolver (pictured) and the Paradox Gun.

April 11th is also the birthday of John Milius, who was born in 1944. He both wrote the screenplays and directed the films Dillinger, The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Farewell to the King, and Flight of the Intruder. He also wrote the screenplays of the first two Dirty Harry movies as well as the first draft of the screenplay for Patton (before Francis Ford Coppola turned it into a vaguely anti-war commentary laced with references to reincarnation). He also co-wrote the screenplay for Jeremiah Johnson. Milius is my favorite Hollywood writer and director, in part because he stands for everything that Hollywood doesn’t.

—

Today we present a review written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

CRKT Tueto Knife, by Pat Cascio

One of the things I like about the cutlery and other products from CRKT (Columbia River Knife & Tool) is that they are always offering something a bit “different” or “unique” to put on the market. Many of their knives are a collaboration between CRKT and some very well-known custom knife makers. When they do this, you are getting the production version of a custom knife design, and it is near-custom when it is manufactured, at a fraction of the price of the custom model. I used to design and collect custom knives – most were fixed-blade, and I can attest to how much a handmade knife can cost. I simply can’t afford them, these days.

This newest folder from CRKT is called the Tueto, and to be honest with you, there is nothing special about this folder if you ask me. So, I plan to really put this folder through some serious testing for this article. However, I will say that the Tueto, is quite eye-catching. It is very attractive folder, and it feels great in the hand. It balances nicely, too.

The Tueto was designed by custom knifemaker, Jesper Voxnawa, from Denmark. CRKT claims that the Tueto is “purpose-driven like a puukko with a powerful twist.” If you don’t know what a Puukko fixed blade knife is, you’ve been living in a cave – they have been around in one version or another, ever since I was a little tyke. There is nothing special about a Puukko fixed blade knife, other than it is designed to handle just about anything you can throw at it. I know that many in the Denmark and Finland carry a Puukko on their military belt – as do fishermen, all over the world. They are an inexpensive knife that won’t let you down. I keep a version of the Puukko in the center storage armrest in my pick-up all the time.

Let’s take a look at some of the specs on this Tueto. It is an assisted-opening folder – I really like that. It has the extremely smooth opening IKBS ball bearing pivot that deploys the blade – extremely fast. The green G10 handle scales are super-tough and they provide a great hold on the knife. It is easy closing, once the blade is deployed with one hand. You can carry tip up for right or left-handed carry.Continue reading“CRKT Tueto Knife, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Chad’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

The following recipe is from reader Chad in Wisconsin. He modified a commercial recipe that he found online, to allow him to make his equivalent of Resse’s Peanut Butter Cups, from his storage foods cache.  Chad says: “This is the ultimate ‘comfort food’ for The Dark Days.” He also notes: “This recipe can be doubled, for double your yum!”

Ingredients

Base Layer:

Topping:

Directions

To Make The Base Layer:

  1. Melt 1 cup butter, margarine, or ghee over low heat.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar, peanut butter, and the graham cracker crumbs.
  3. Spread mixture in a jelly roll pan. Pat it down evenly.

To Make The Topping:

  1. Melt together 1/2 cup butter, margarine, or ghee with 1 cup chocolate chips.
  2. Spread this topping mixture over the peanut butter mixture.

To Prep for Serving or Storage:

  1. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Cut into bars of the desired size.
STORAGE

Chad noted that these bars can be frozen for storage for a week or more, if the bars are kept individually wrapped in saran-type wrap.

—

Do you have a favorite 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 and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

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 look at some stock market risks. (See the Equities section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold to test $1,950 as bullish sentiment drives prices.

o  o  o

Alasdair Macleod: The Commodity Currency Revolution.

Economy & Finance:

“Sounding The Alarm”: A $3 Trillion Problem Emerges As The Fed Prepares To Launch QT.

o  o  o

Another perspective on the QT dilemma: The Fed has more money on its balance sheet (8.9 trillion) then the total value of all 401ks in the United States (7.3 trillion as of 9/21).

o  o  o

The Daily Wire reports: ‘Unhinged’ And ‘Abnormal’: Fed Warns Of Housing Bubble As Average Cost Of New Homes Hits Record High. Here’s the intro:

“New data from the Census Department released last week reveal that the average cost of a new home hit a record high in February at $511,000. Now, the Federal Reserve is warning about a housing bubble.”

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: FOMC Minutes Signal Bigger, Faster-Than-Expected QT, Multiple 50bps Hikes. JWR’s Comment: It looks like the Fed’s leadership is fast-tracking a recession.

o  o  o

California city to give universal income to transgender, nonbinary residents regardless of earnings. JWR’s Comment: I had to do a double-take, thinking that this was coming from a parody site, like The Babylon Bee. No, it is a genuine news article. This is virtue signaling run amok.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Here’s how to get started with the antipolitical politics of the Benedict Option. Secede culturally from the mainstream. Turn off the television. Put the smartphones away. Read books. Play games. Make music. Feast with your neighbors. It is not enough to avoid what is bad; you must also embrace what is good. Start a church, or a group within your church. Open a classical Christian school, or join and strengthen one that exists. Plant a garden, and participate in a local farmer’s market. Teach kids how to play music, and start a band. Join the volunteer fire department.” –  Rod Dreher, The Benedict Option

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 10, 2022

April 10, 1827 was the birthday of General Lew Wallace. He wrote books (author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ), sculpted, practiced law, painted, played the violin and made them as well. In the “Battle of Monocacy” he led a unit alongside 8,000 Union troops against 15,000 Confederates. He was second in command of the Lincoln conspiracy trial as well as principal in the trial of the Commander of Andersonville prison where prisoners had been starved to death. He was U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. And he served as the Territorial Governor of New Mexico. Willian Bonney (“Billy the Kid”) surrendered to him.

April 10th, 1796 The birthday of Jim Bowie (died March 6th, 1836 at the Battle of the Alamo.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 100 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 free 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 100 ends on May 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

Why Do We Prepare?, by Todd X.

I am a prepper. As a child, I remember my grandmother’s stories of living with scarcity during the Great Depression and her life lessons about the necessity of being prepared. As a teenager, my father was a senior operations officer at the Strategic Air Command (SAC) headquarters. He believed he would have an early warning about any incoming nuclear attacks. Consequently, he devised a code phrase. If he called and said: “I have some bad news: Grandpa fell and broke his hip” then we were to grab our bug-out bags and quickly head to our well-stocked cabin in the woods for safety. In college, I had a friend whose grandfather survived the Holocaust. His wisdom was two-fold: (a) always be prepared and aware of your surroundings as you are in a better position to survive calamity if you do; and (b) don’t be flashy in your consumption or possessions because if you do, you become a target. That inspired me. In the language of a recent SurvivalBlog author Elli O. and her article Red Shirt Versus Gray Man – I am a “gray man” prepper. When the pandemic hit and others were scrambling for supplies, we were prepared, and griped along with others, but didn’t experience any hardship. Prepping is part of my DNA, and I will die a prepper as I know no other way to live.

Tactical vs. Strategic

I believe we often confuse “tactical” and “strategic.” As a refresher, strategy lays out the long-term, broad goals that an organization, community, family, or individual wants to achieve while tactical forms the short-term actions and steps that need to be taken to accomplish the strategy. In other words, tactical and strategic are flip sides of the same coin. Without a good strategy, tactics don’t matter and without good tactics, a strategy won’t work or come to fruition. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I understand and engage in the tactics of prepping, and the need for “beans, bullets, and bandages” (among water, power, communications, to name just a few other necessities).Continue reading“Why Do We Prepare?, by Todd X.”