Letter: Faraday Cage Question

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Good afternoon!

I have a question on adapting a homemade Faraday cage. I am getting a little paranoid about these two North Korean satellites in orbit over our country.

Would a metal mailbox, such as can find at the local hardware store, be acceptable protection? I am trying to put together something simple for really, really cheap! It has a larger size and is easier to obtain. It is also cheaper than some of the other options I have been reading about on constructing a Faraday cage.  T.B.

HJL’s Comment:

Most any metal container will work as a Faraday cage with a few simple preparations. The metal needs to have a good electrical connection between the various parts. If you are using painted metal, you will have to remove the paint where the electrical connection needs to exist. Galvanized metal works really well. If a metal mail box is not large enough, you can consider a 30 gal trash can with a metal lid.Continue reading“Letter: Faraday Cage Question”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR‘s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers:

Books:

The Mobile Internet Handbook

Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook: Living Beyond the Grid with Renewable Energy Technologies

Movies:

Gone with the Wind (Two Disc Edition)

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

(Note: Three of the Indiana Jones movies are now on Amazon Prime. Ditto for the entire Young Indiana Jones television series.)

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

Economics & Investing for Preppers

Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, and derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the quirky “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor):

Precious Metals:

First of all, let’s look at our recommended metals market analysis: CPM Precious Metals Outlook of May, 2017

Commodities Economics:

Next, over at The Business Standard: Commodity Picks: 8 May, 2017

Forex:

On to the foreign exchange (Forex) news: Dollar Higher But Sensitive to Growth of US Economy in Q1

Continue reading“Economics & Investing for Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day

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“Try to imagine a life without timekeeping. You probably can’t. You know the month, the year, the day of the week. There is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car. You have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or a movie. Yet all around you, timekeeping is ignored. Birds are not late. A dog does not check its watch. Deer do not fret over passing birthdays. Man alone measures time. Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out.” – Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper

Notes for Tuesday – May 09, 2017

On May 9th, 1945, Herman Goering– commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, president of the Reichstag, head of the Gestapo, prime minister of Prussia, and Hitler’s designated successor– was taken prisoner by the U.S. Seventh Army in Bavaria. Goering, who was addicted to painkillers due to a wound, was instrumental in creating concentration camps for political enemies. It was Goering who ordered the purging of German Jews from the economy following the Kristallnacht program in 1938, initiating an “Aryanization” policy that confiscated Jewish property and businesses. Tried and convicted at the Nuremberg trials, he was sentenced to hanging, but before he could be executed he committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide tablet he had hidden from his guards.

Water Contamination and Filtration 101, by MHN

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*For those of us who prep, I am tailoring this guide to contaminants that would be found anywhere: radiation from fallout, chemical contamination from industry, contamination from urine and feces, natural sources that one might encounter on a homestead, and the technologies and techniques like filtration that would be most widely available in a SHTF scenario. I am an engineer who has specialized in water treatment in the chemical industry.

Most of us rely on clean tap or bottled water for everything from drinking to cooking to showering. We pay little attention to the process that takes raw water and transforms it into safe clean potable water. Once upon a time our ancestors drank right from streams and lakes. While the quality of this water was most likely better than the quality of water from most modern day surface sources, it was still contaminated with various pathogens and minerals. Even though our ancestors’ digestive tracks were heartier than ours, waterborne illnesses ranging from minor stomach bugs to cholera and dysentery took their tolls.

Continue reading“Water Contamination and Filtration 101, by MHN”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This column is posted on Tuesdays. Here, we present news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region.  We also mention companies in the region of interest to preppers. The Redoubt region is perhaps the safest and most free place to live in these United States.

The American Redoubt has seen an unusually wet spring season. Near record rainfall has been the gift of the Jetstream which seems to have parked itself over the northern Redoubt. I can safely predict that the fire season will be mild this summer–at least in the northern part of the Redoubt.

Idaho

Here is a headline from Redoubt News about Boundary County, Idaho: There’s a New Sheriff in Town and He’s Been Busy His First 100 Days

o  o  o

Southern Idaho man admits being masked gunman in staged robbery

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

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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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.

RKBA

President Donald Trump’s full remarks at NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Atlanta. While his speech was not specific on particular gun law policies, it was encouraging. He previously mentioned that he is in favor of the Hearing Protection Act.

Columnist who defended NRA quits after being suspended. JWR’s Comment: I’m confident that a conservative network like Fox would benefit from hiring Stacy Washington!

Tactical Training

Fort Bragg released a video of a team engaged in an active shooter drill. The video underscores the importance of training. As the writer points out, the reason we train is so foolish (and costly) accidents don’t happen. I like his saying: “Remember, amateurs train until they get it right, professionals train until they don’t remember how to do it wrong.” (Warning: The second video is graphic.)

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

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day

“We mortals, men and women, devour many a disappointment between breakfast and dinner-time; keep back the tears and look a little pale about the lips, and in answer to inquiries say, ‘Oh, nothing!’ Pride helps; and pride is not a bad thing when it only urges us to hide our hurts— not to hurt others.” – George Eliot, Middlemarch

Notes for Monday – May 08, 2017

May 8th is the birthday of missionary and U.S. military intelligence officer John Birch. (Born, 1918, died August 25, 1945.) Many considered him to be the first American casualty of the Cold War.

o o o

SurvivalBlog is introducing a new column this week. We intend  to let our readership know that we are not “armchair preppers”.  We actually live the life that we write about! Each week, we will share a bit of what our plans for the week are to further our preps and we invite you to do so as well. Be prepared, because we all know that no plan survives contact with the enemy. This weekend, we’re going to ask you how you did with your plan.

A couple of things to note:

  1. As you share, please be mindful of good OPSEC and don’t post personally identifying information.
  2. Visit our bookshelf if you need some ideas or search our archives for help.
  3. Remember that SurvivalBlog readers encompass those of all different stages in prepping – From begining to advanced.
  4. If you’re a beginner, don’t be afraid to post or even ask for help on how to do things.
  5. If your advanced, don’t be afraid to chime in and help keep others from making the same mistakes you made.
  6. Have fun!

Bushnell Equinox Night Vision Scope, by Pat Cascio

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This week, I will be reviewing The Bushnell Equinox Night Vision Scope.

Most SurvivalBlog.com readers readily know that I’m a bargain hunting hound. I have to be. I simply don’t have enough income to purchase all the “toys” I want. It’s been this way my entire life, too. Several of my are amazed at my bartering skills and survival mindset, but I have to be this way. Now that I’m semi-retired and collecting my very meager social security benefits each month, I once again am forced by life to make do with what we have.

I know that many people believe that all writers make millions of dollars a year. If only that were the case! Most gun writers I know hold down a second regular job. They can’t live on what they are paid for their articles. What we do is akin to a “ministry”, if you will. Our hearts are in it. We love to pass along information to our readers. When testing various products, we all hope we get it right most of the time.

The local gun shop knows that I love a bargain. It has to be a bargain before I’ll even look at a firearm and consider purchasing it. Every now and then, the gun shop will set a firearm aside for me. They seem to know that I’ll probably buy it some how! I know I’m in trouble when I walk in the front door and someone starts waving a gun in the air to get my attention. Grrrr!!

Continue reading“Bushnell Equinox Night Vision Scope, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Basic Bread, by P.B.

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I have been using this recipe for about 20 years and continue to experiment with different ingredients and techniques. My favorite is still using the basic ingredients, letting it cool overnight, and slicing it for toast the next morning. My neighbors like it also.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons of granular yeast
  • about 1 3/4 to 2 cups of warm water[2]

May also use the following items (examples):

  • 1/4 cup of wheat germ;
  • 1/4 cup of oatmeal;
  • 1/4 cup of rye flour;
  • 1/4 cup of cornmeal;
  • crushed caraway seeds; Italian seasoning; rosemary; basil; hot peppers; grated cheese; black or green olives; raisins.

Continue reading“Recipe of the Week: Basic Bread, by P.B.”

The Editors’ Preps for the Week – May 8th, 2017

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To be prepared for a crisis, every prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors will share their planned prep activities for the coming week, ranging from healthcare and purchases to property improvements and food storage. We also welcome you to share your planned activities for increasing personal preparedness in the coming week in the comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

JWR:

The Rawles Ranch is abuzz with activity as the snow has melted and life has begun to spring forth. This is the time of year that we prepare our firewood for next winter, so we are actively cutting wood. We like to manage similar projects at the same time, so this is an excellent time to a little bit of wildfire risk mitigation. We are clearing underbrush and stacking it in piles to burn this week. These slash piles are still slightly damp so they take a while to burn, but that is certainly better than a raging conflagration of completely dry wood.

Continue reading“The Editors’ Preps for the Week – May 8th, 2017”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks to watch, investing opportunities, hedges, derivatives, and the precious metals markets. These are all from the quirky “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR:

Precious Metals:

The Outlook for Asian Gold Demand in 2017. Hmmmm… Note the recent spike in Swiss exports to China.

Commodities Economics:

Consider the source of this press release, but this sounds promising: Industrial Commodity Prices to Rise in 2017: World Bank.

Forex:

It is quite obvious that the US Dollar (USD) and the Swiss Franc (CHF) are still bouncing around parity. Hold tight, if you are hold CHF, because the long term trend is for a weakening USD.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day

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“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them — words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they’re brought out. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you’ve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That’s the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.” – Stephen King, Different Seasons