Category Archives: COMMUNICATIONS

Ham, shortwave & CB radio systems, satellite, internet, telephones, scanners, TV, Morse code, smoke signals ect…
POWER could go here too.

USMC Birthday 2020

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Happy Birthday Marines!

See you on Veteran’s Day 2020!

Semper Fi!

Revolutionary Result

The US Marine Corps started as the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775. On that date, the Second Continental Congress decided that they needed 2 battalions of Marines to serve as landing forces with the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).

After the war, the Continental Navy was dismantled, and as a consequence the Marines as well. However, after increasing conflict with revolutionary France, the Marine Corps was formally re-established.

US Marine Corps Today

The United States Marine Corps is the US Armed Forces’ combined-arms task force on land, at sea, and in the air. It has more than 180,000 active duty personnel as well as almost 40,000 personnel in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Tomorrow is Veteran’s day where we honor ALL of our Veterans.

 

Cross ref
http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/are-you-prepared/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/baofeng-uv/
I really like this little radio for general communications and to listen to FM broadcast radio.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/extra-petrol/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/rally-points/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/cb-radio/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/intel-gathering-radio/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/water-storage-2l-coke-bottles-2/

Election EVE

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Election EVE

OK folks things seem to be heating up. First Wal-Mart pulled ALL of the guns and ammo from their displays  last week “in case there were rioting going on” then Friday they put most of them back on display except in the worst areas.  Friday a friend in Madison WI reported that the stores downtown were boarding up their windows getting ready for the election riots.  Getting similar reports from other places around the country.  Many police departments have cancelled days off, vacations ect for one to two weeks surrounding the elections.  And then there is this head line–New York City luxury buildings hire armed guards for possible Election Day unrest. Them that can afford that would do well to have that in place all over.  In my area listening to the police calls  there are more and more calls stacked up WAITING for an officer to become available and often when they get dispatched the call is ended with the dispatcher saying “I will send back up as soon as I can”.  Folks that is very concerning to many of us as it shows how over loaded the system is getting.  It IS bad now and I believe that it will get much worse regardless of who ‘wins’ Tuesday. It will be bad at least till spring.

But what are the rest of us going to do?

Top up your vehicle this morning on the way to work OR tonight on the way to get stuff.

It is NOT too late to organize with those who live near you.  You can still go to the big box stores and buy stuff. Get last minute stuff as if it were going to blizzard for the next 1 – 6 months. While you are there get a couple of CB radios antennas, AND cigarette lighter plug in so you can power the CB in your vehicles.  Also get a few of those blister pack FRS/GMRS radios AND if they have them a mobile radio to go with them. IF they have scanner radios get one of those too. Do you have a good AM/FM radio or 2. Gathering information will be vital in the coming months. Charge and check ALL of your communications devices. Make sure they are all programmed correctly and that everyone knows how to use them. Finalize your communications plan. What if the net goes down? Do NOT depend on only your cell phones nor just one or 2 social media sites to communicate with friends / family.

Review your bug out plan and fine tune it. Where are you going? How are you getting there-transportation- AND routes?

 

Security issues- when things are going on in your area you will need at least one person on FIRE watch 24/7.  They can also monitor the radios.  Should things locally continue down hill you will have to set up stronger security arrangements  3 or more people to do this. One person to stay at the Comms center / command post and the other 2 to patrol or stand guard.  What does that look like for you?  Could need 12 people for this. Which leads to how do you / they get sleep, eat and take care of other bodily functions?  How does the rest of what you have to get done, get done? What is everyone’s work load?

 

Please let us know about things in your areas and ideas to address your concerns. Reply below.

Join us at https://mewe.com/group/5ad01347afa4753cdb674252 copy and paste in your browser

side note… I thought that I was watching an episode of TWD, turns out it was the evening news…..

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/prepping-count-down/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/re-hydration-drink/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/journaling/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/medications-to-stockpile/

 

Count down preps 6 days

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Count down preps 6 days

 

OK folks we are getting down to the wire.

 

On national radio reports are the some groups are planning a peaceful protest called take over DC for next week… How true that is IDK….   But I would plan as if it will happen and be worse than expected.

 

Top up with fuel Thursday on your way home.  Get the stuff you will need for the next week or 2 fresh. Get refills of any medication you will need in case the pharmacy gets closed for some reason.

 

How are your shoes? Do you have enough warm socks? How about gloves? How about warm blankets?

 

HAVE YOU VOTED YET??? Get it done.

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/prepping-count-down/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/journaling/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/medications-to-stockpile/

Prepping count down T minus 8 days

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Prepping count down T minus 8 days

 

A week from tomorrow is the dead line for voting.

 

Many of us have already voted either early at the courthouse or absentee [in accordance with local laws]. In many places you can vote early up to the day before the regular election. IF you have not already voted – get it in gear and get R done! All the indicators are that there will be ISSUES at polling places on Election Day and after generally.

 

This week by Thursday stock up on what you need for the next few weeks so that you don’t HAVE to go out for stuff. ON Thursday this week top up all your vehicles with petrol.

 

Here is one of the VERY few times we will talk about firearms for self defense—according to news reports firearm sales this fall have hit record numbers – even more so than the last 12 years. Make of that what you will.

 

For this weekend and the week of the election pretend and prep as if it is going to be a week [or more] long blizzard. So get fresh milk and bread, make sure you have eggs. Now is a good time to get a few extra packages of butter. Get whatever drinks and snacks you will want for the next several weeks. you may as well get most of what you will need for Thanksgiving which is a month away.

 

As I type this it is 6 degrees F outside and we are starting to dig out of a winter storm- roads are very slick and the traffic is jammed up such that EMS just called dispatch to cancel the fire dept response as the fire trucks would not fit between the stalled vehicles. Official reports are that we got 14 inches of snow this last weekend.

 

By now you should have your plans in place for communicating with family and friends. Charge up your devices and test your back up systems. You may want to add another fire extinguisher to your fire fighting/escape plan.

 

 

Cross ref…..

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/journaling/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/prepping-count-down/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/prepping-count-down-t-minus-30-days/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/comms-part-1/

 

Count down to election T minus 3 weeks

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Count down to election T minus 3 weeks

 

By the time you read this is will be about 3 weeks until the election in 2020. by now you have already made up your mind who/what you are voting for or against…  WE ALL will have to live with the results.

 

Have you inventoried your supplies and provisions? Get R done….  Make a list of what you need to top off what you need. Continuing to journal what is going on, you learn a lot from this exercise.

 

Continue [or start] saving 2 L Coke bottles [PETE] clear plastic juice bottles will also work for water storage [and food such as sugar, salt, beans rice ect] ask your friends to save them for you— yup, once they understand they will want them for themselves, but eventually they will start giving them to you and they will have a water reserve.

 

Get your early voting done and out of the way…. So you don’t need to be out on election day.

 

Get some cash out of the bank- [most banks have a $300.00 a day limit]. On Thursday top up your vehicle’s fuel tank. Consider getting a fuel and hand transfer pump to have available in time of need inside your vehicle—this is safe ONLY if neither have had fuel in them-after the first use they will need to be stored outside the vehicle.

 

Have you already talked with your doctor about the meds you need to have on hand in case you can not get out to the store?

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/journaling/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/comms-part-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/prepping-count-down/

Prepping count down T minus 30 days

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Prepping count down T minus 30 days

 

Civil unrest some more.

 

As I write [type] this it is less than 30 days till the 2020 elections.  We have been having a great deal of civil unrest this year [some places 100 days of rioting] along with the health issues of Cov id nineteen aka The human mal-ware program 19 aka THMP19.

 

 

The first Presidential ‘debate ‘has happened….   Both sides think their guy won. From where I sit I do not see that anyone’s mind was changed…    Time will tell

 

Regardless of who ‘wins’ the popular election in November we still have to wait for the electoral college vote this year on December 14th for the real selection of President. And then on January 20th someone will be seated as president.

 

Between now and November election day things will continue to heat up. When the winner is announced half the people will be happy and want to party and the other half will continue to riot. By the end of January, things will most likely be REALLY bad and wont get better until at least spring 2021 after we get our gardens established for the year.

 

Many places have reported marked shortages of foods. Part of this was already happening before THMP19 raised its ugly head. Regardless of how or why, there IS a shortage in the stores even today. The shortages are both in amount of food available and the variety of those foods…. I do not see that getting any better until at least summer 2021. so start planning your gardens and order some of your seeds NOW! Consider fruit trees and other perennials.

 

At least one radio talk show has already announced that they will be staying home election day to avoid down town [Portland OR] during the expected riots.

 

***WHAT to do between now and the election? FIRST take care of VOTING NOW, so that it is over and done with for you! VOTE for or against whoever you want, but get R done!***

 

Stock up on medications [talk with your doctor NOW], food, water and toilet paper NOW, while you can! Get at least 2 months ahead so that you will not have to be out the weekend before nor the week of the elections.  Each and EVERY Thursday top off your vehicle fuel supply. Also go to your bank and get the CASH you will need for the next week- cash is king in a disaster. Double check your supplies and provisions. — in the week prior to election day decide what you will need to ride out for at least that week and get it on hand.

 

Review your emergency plans- particularly SAFETY including fire fighting plans. Review your communication and evacuation plans. DRIVE your planned routes. Finalize your go bags.  Make sure you have back up power systems in place for your phones, computers and radios.

 

Consider ordering 2 books that will help you get ready EVEN when time is short. 72 hour kits or Bug Out Bags are just the start of being prepared. BOBs and how to make them are covered too along with other concerns like communications, skill sets and team selection concerns, health and safety issues are explored.

In short, this will quickly get you started on the road to preparedness and provident living.   https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Not-Things-WILL-Happen-ebook/dp/B00J6PO0J2/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=Richard+Calton&qid=1601832216&sr=8-4

 

AND

 

https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Not-Things-WILL-Happen-ebook/dp/B00TZ9NNJ2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Richard+Calton&qid=1601832272&sr=8-1

 

They also make good Christmas gifts to get your extended family going in prepping.

 

 

A book that I read a while back when it first came out that you could use to reduce the cost of prepping [it is a project after all is said and done] is https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Guide-Reduction-Janice-Czaplewski-ebook/dp/B00I9NHDSM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Janice+Czaplewski&qid=1601832587&sr=8-1

 

 

 

Cross ref

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/journaling/

 

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/prepping-count-down/

 

 

 

Prepping count down

5 Replies

Prepping count down

 

At this point we have about 2.5 months  or about 75 days to decide what we are going to do as things get worse with both the Human  Malware Program 19 [Rona or Covid-19 as it is more commonly known] and the pending election-regardless of which ‘side’ wins. And what we have to do to be ready to deal with the civil unrest as it gets worse. In November/December it will get REALLY bad …

 

Many people are of the belief that we have to get out of the cities, PERIOD.  There is merit to that thought.  I do not think that is a bad idea at all. BUT where to go? Small towns OFF the main roads where you already have connections.  That would be a good idea IF you have it arranged ahead of time [now]. YOU have to decide IF you have time  and place to move to..   Unless you are independently wealthy, how are you going to make a living? Are your friends / family on board with you showing up there? Did you put supplies and food there ahead of time??

 

Some other conventional :wisdom” is that short of having  a place set up for you to move to is the idea that you go “camping” to a national forest or park starting 2 weeks before the elections in November.  Great idea!???! Humm this year we still had snow falling in June and can expect some more in October.. YEP, that is my idea of FUN taking the family [with kids] to an unsecured area with little to no pre-positioned “stuff” . How are you going to stay warm, hydrated and fed?

 

What will happen with all your stuff you left behind? Well most likely it is gone. I am NOT saying that you should never plan on bugging out. Of course not! All big ships have life boats in case they HAVE to abandon ship. BUT bug out is a last ditch plan that you DO need to be ready to do. Discuss your plan now with family and be ready to do what you have to.

 

OK, so you/we are stuck where ever we are at. WHAT DO WE DO while we wait?

 

 

Start with a threat assessment. What are the dangers you face now and projected in the near future 3-6 months? How much food and water will you need to get through 6-10 months with NO re-supply available? You should already have been JOURNALING what is going on and what you use daily. Project that out for however long you expect this to last. [I bet it will last longer than you think-sadly.]. Up your security, better door locks, security bars holding the doors shut and exterior lights, make sure you have 3 inch screws on ALL parts of the doors instead of the typical ½ inch ones. Stock up on food and water.    Make more friends, get to know those who live close to you. Start a neighborhood watch. Talk with the police in your area.

 

Work on your plan – when do you stop going to work? When do you make that last supply run? How are you going to communicate with each other, family, friends and those near you? How are you going to gather local information as things develop? Examples are scanners, CB/FRS/GMRS radios, HAM if you have a license, the UV5r or variant is good for several miles and you CAN listen to it without a license. And it can work as a scanner. See other posts for the last several years on this site. We have been talking about it for years.

COMMs part 1

We often hear about blending in. Some have suggested that you get tee shirts that plug BLM ect… that could get you into worse trouble – and for darn sure do not have Trump on anything either. BOTH draws attention to you. [have your convictions on Poly Tics that you want-AND DO VOTE, just do not display partisanship ] It is best to stay totally GRAY.

 

Guns and ammo/magazines  IF you feel you need them now then most likely you WILL need then later. IF on the other hand you don’t feel you need them,  you could be right. Do what you want to do on that. Some say all that makes good trade goods. Others advise ‘precious metals’ [said as Schmegal from Lord of the rings would say it ;]  I include that in with the other metals already listed in this paragraph. Do what you want on that AFTER you have food, water, medications ect…  ymmv

 

Bartering is time honored practice. Stock up on stuff for that AFTER everything else is set. Along this line work on SKILLS and tech books [hard copies] to make yourself more marketable and valuable. Stuff can be taken, skills can not be taken from you.

 

Always be working on bettering your situation! The job is NEVER done as you CAN improve everything. BEEF up your physical security!

 

 

Plant a garden. OK as I write this it is August so we are headed toward the end of growing season as far as starting plants. You CAN lay out garden beds and work on them for next year though. Combining gardening with security starts with the plan. Along the fence line Primacane [produce 1st year of growth] black berry and raspberry plants make food for you AND provide thorns to keep people out of your yard.  In the spring you can clean out the old stems from last year IF you want and the new growth replaces it. You will most likely want to keep the street side trimmed for looks and safety.  Another great hedge row is Hazel nuts. Plant them on 4 foot centers and as they grow you weave the branches together between them and after a few years they become locked together and almost impossible to get through—think hedge rows in Europe during WWII that tanks had issues getting through.

 

Cross ref

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/re-hydration-drink/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/journaling/

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/medications-to-stockpile/

 

Journaling

19 Replies

Are you keeping a journal of what you are experiencing during this time? IF not you should be! are you planning your garden for this year? You need to be! This is both therapeutic and practical. Your kids and grand-kids in years to come will benefit from this. While you are at it keep track of what you use daily, along with what you have learned and still need to learn. What insights have you gotten from this experience?

1. What supply did you overlook and realized you either needed it or didn’t have enough of it?

2. What have you been running out of? Keep track of how long it takes to use up something consumable like toilet paper or laundry soap, and then begin stocking up accordingly with a 3-month supply in mind to START. Top off your reserves every other week and rotate everything. [This gives you a 2,5 month buffer in case you decide it is best to stay in for a month or so…. Kinda like driving on the top 1/4 of your gas tank.] Aiming for a year or so supply.

3. If you’re able to go to the grocery store, what is typically on your list of things to buy? This can give you insights into what you might want to stock up on for the future.

4. What do you realize you need to learn if this quarantine continues for weeks/months or something like this happens again? Many people discovered stores were running out of milk, eggs, yeast, sugar and flour.

May want to get chickens this year too…review the news the last few months about food & last year with the late spring and early fall- grain harvest was down 40% reportedly. I have have been watching this channel for a long time now….  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0tivnr2GS0&fbclid=IwAR2de1U_dYn4m0hnpiCFaVrnC5lWANtv1z20w5im4ssU7dea7C-_MMMUmxs

 

 

Illnesses part 2

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Illnesses part 2

Covid 19

 

Remember WAY back in the late 1900s? along about 1999 the West Nile disease was found on the east coast and then was found in Wyoming?   The virus spread very fast and was here the next year!!!    REALLY?!?!

 

 

More realistic is that it had been here [the US and WY] for many YEARS prior to that BUT we were just not testing for it.

 

When we did start testing for it the cases just exploded in the news.

 

 

Typically things are happening many times before we are aware of it and only after it is brought to own attention and we pay heed to it and then it IS all over the place.

 

Here 20 years later we do still hear about West Nile disease but it is kinda like the common cold in news worthiness. Right?

 

OK now that we have that out of the way for the time being, we can discuss Covid 19 some more.

 

ONLY time will tell, BUT there is a good chance that in 20 years we will feel the same about it. [common cold] HOWEVER that is not the case today.

 

There are the basics to pay attention to. GOOD HAND WASHING and general infection control are the prime way to stay healthy. as we discussed in part 1

 

I have heard several things this weekend on Covid 19. Some are rational and some are NOT!

 

This is for discussion ONLY—   Talk with YOUR healthcare provider about your course of action OR inaction!

—-

Any thoughts or data on Colloidal silver

***  Thoughts ONLY as I do not know nor believe that there is any hard data either way-  I would side with that it may be a good treatment when taken per normal protocol…  at least it most likely will NOT hurt…   should always have this available and be able to make more….

 

or Sambucol?—[an elderberry preparation]

***  First, do no harm…..    ;]     it can not hurt to take it…AND should generally help. I would personally have that on hand AND strongly consider growing Elderberry  just because…..

 

***  I have heard/read some claiming that Baking Soda taken internally in relatively large doses, several times a day for several days WILL CURE Covid 19–   this could cause way more issues than it may solve AND there is NO current evidence that this is safe AND effective.

 

Saturday Feb 29th AM I made a normal med run and asked the pharmacy if they had heard anything ref Covid 19….  the 5 staff there agreed that basically what I already wrote was the extent of what they knew FOR NOW…    side note it was a big box pharm that I am on first name basis with all the older staff and they share baby pictures with me… even when I run into them in other stores.     anyway they are TOTALLY out of masks and alcohol gel in the system and it is back ordered…..   also this AM a patient came in with scripts, was coughing openly, did NOT have a mask on and stated that they had tested positive for the flu….  I asked the pharm if they had considered positive pressure filtered air system to keep the bugs out of their shop….. most likely they can not due to cost to the corp…even though it would help the staff stay healthier and on the job.

 

I watched a show about the 1918 Spanish influenza. Millions died, but they said a bunch of people who didn’t get it starved to death. In many cities everything shut down including grocery type stores. In the city there just wasn’t any food.

THAT is the issue— people —- most disasters [bad as they may be] are not near as bad as the people factor… stay prepped

All that is a sample of our conversations this last week.

 

So check your supplies and make sure you have what you need NOW. Top up your fuel tanks [should always drive on the top ¼ of your fuel tank anyway]  You may want to consider some extra cash on hand. Ask your job if you can work on line or at least have meetings on line—which will save the company money on travel.  Talk with YOUR DOCTOR about what you need to do health wise.

 

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/93/

ttp://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/election-2016-fu/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/comms-part-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/convalescent-care/

and some books that explore the topics in more depth
http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/ready-or-not-things-will-happen/ This is book 1 the quick start guide to preparedness.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/general-preps/

 

Mt Saint Helens 39 years later

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Mt Saint Helens 39 years later.

It is hard to believe that it has been 39 years since Mt Saint Helens blew her top!

The scene was described by some as a moonscape, a few others disagreed and said that the moon would be considered to be like a golf course by comparison!

The now looks very good and everything has grown up again.

When this happened we lived way south of it and even though it was on the news a lot – it did not directly effect us. So like most people we did not pay much attention to it.

Where were you and how did you deal with this event?

What are your plans going forward?

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/volcanoes-4-scotty/

Cross ref

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/are-you-prepared/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/baofeng-uv/
I really like this little radio for general communications and to listen to FM broadcast radio.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/extra-petrol/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/rally-points/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/cb-radio/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/intel-gathering-radio/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/water-storage-2l-coke-bottles-2/

To do more of your own research a good place to start is

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens