Posted on 10/05/2012 3:35:43 PM PDT by Kartographer
Preppers' Thread to post progress, good buys, DIY projects, advice and ideas ...
/johnny
Lol!
And very true. I remember those.
No springs.
It was interesting that they had a guy on the radio the other night talking about survivalism. Somebody called and said it wouldn’t be that bad going back to like the 1800’s.
The guest totally called BS on it. Like he said, it would be MUCH, MUCH WORSE than simply trying to go back to the days before electricity.
The people in the 1800’s KNEW how to live, get by, and even prosper without electricity.
Most people these days (and I admit to probably being one of them) probably couldn’t start a fire without matches or a lighter or and electric stove...
Of course I know you can, and I probably could, but have simply never tried.
But you know what I’m saying. It’s little things like that that put you ahead of the next 200 people.
Anybody who thinks we can go back to the 1850’s is missing a few screws... Only two maybe three people out of a hundred even have the skills.
Somewhere I have a book on DIY stuff from like the 1930’s. Making traps, simple fix-up stuff around the house, all that sort of thing.
There’s no “App” for that!!
I recently worked with soem old timers who were previous ECM/ECCM types for the government
forget faraday cages
dont even waste your time
dig a hole 500 feet in the ground and go there
otherwise, it wont work
despite shielding, ceramic floors and walls to isolate what’s inside, nothing
Surprised me, but, these guys were experts.
I hate to admit my biggest issue.... God help me but my biggest issue is my spouse. I know others must have this issue. I am a believer in the SHTF and he is not. I can not help but resent the *&%#- out of this...over the past few months I have done as nuch prepping as I can....basically on my own. I wonder how others are dealing with this. I guess i am a little old fashioned ....I would like to know a man can be the protection and. I am doing this on my own. God help me for admitting that. Is anyone else faces this?
You learn fast, or you die. I almost died from a slip-fall accident. I'm back in the 21st century, with a better appreciation of what is required.
/johnny
God bless you Marcella, and have a Very Happy Birthday!
Besides, preparedness events include tornados and straight-line winds (my area), forest fires, landslides, earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, job losses, and divorce.
EMP and nuclear strike are WAY down on my list of worries.
/johnny
I’m thinking I’ll have a Corona Light Beer at midnight. And a piece of lemon cake or lemon meringue pie as I have both.
I’m worried about the food aspect first. Not for me, I have quite a bit stashed and stash more just about every time I go to the store.
But there are alot of people out there who probably have next to nothing.
Even though the weather can have an effect on someones ability to survive, I don’t see that as being enough of an influence on people to turn them into zombies for a while, perhaps a week or more.
Food, gas, electricity.
Anyone who has it will be a target.
I've managed to walk about 15 miles since Monday. I miss walking in the mountains.
It's downright sporty here in suburbia.
All I had to worry about in the mountains was rattlesnakes and big cats... and black bears, but who worries about black bears?
/johnny
Well, I have only an AS in electrical engineering now, but these guys were at work dooing frequency analysis on our vehicles, had several long conversations, got a few phone numbers for later work in the state department from them if I wanted to try...
I have no idea what a Smith chart is, but these guys were real, for interesting careers, either we read the same books or they knew some things I knew from the past from books or old friends, too.
And they scoffed entirely at the idea of the power output of an aerial blast being stopped by the types of faraday cages they had seen and it was only when something was buried in about 500 feet of soil did they trust any safe material
They also stock food, by the way...
Me, I plan to be proactive. Help out where I can if it's that kind of situation, or hunt ferals, if it's that kind of situation.
I hunt feral pigs now. It shouldn't be hard to change species, except I don't have to evaluate what kind of bacon they might make. ;)
/johnny
My last ex-wife was raised Mormon, so she was good with preparing for life's little bumps like tornados or job losses.
One thing she did point out is that when we bought in bulk, when stuff was on sale, we saved about 12-14% on our grocery bill over the year.
She was a crackerjack with Excel(tm).
/johnny
I have what I consider to be very good relations with a couple of the folks who live around me.
Trouble is, after SHTF, how do you tell the difference between someone who is willing to help and build things back or someone who wants to kill you the first time you close your eyes?
In that kind of world, it’s almost a no-brainer that you just kill them first...
Maybe I’m too cynical about human nature.
My husband died last year and he didn't do any of the preparing. However, he knew to leave me alone, that I knew what I was doing. When hurricanes came, he was glad we had “stuff” and could stay cool and have hot food and watch TV,etc. even though power was off. He trusted me completely to do what was right for both of us.
Now, if your husband doesn't care about protecting you, that's a problem. Does he have a gun or guns and would use them to protect both of you? If not, that's a problem you have to handle yourself. Resenting him doesn't help you.
Take the responsibility yourself. If he controls the money and won't let you spend any to protect both of you in an emergency, that's another problem. I am such a strong personality, I wouldn't let anyone stop me from preparing.
I hope you get this worked out fairly quickly. I will pray for you.
Remember the story about rock soup?
Ferals get obvious when things get dicey. I'll sleep well.
/johnny
You guys were talking about solar flares. I just got this email from Suddenlink cable TV:
Seasonal Sun Outages
Twice a year, during the spring and fall, TV watchers may experience some degree of interference on some channels due to a phenomenon known as “sun outages.” The following information will help you understand what they are and how they could affect you.
What is a sun outage?
A sun outage is an interruption in TV signals caused by interference from solar radiation. The interference is caused when the sun is in direct line with a communication signal and the sun’s radiation overwhelms it.
How does this affect watching TV?
During this time, you may experience interference on some channels that can affect picture quality and sound when watching television. The picture, for instance, may pixilate slightly, or clicking sounds may be heard. In some cases, picture or sound may completely drop for a few minutes. Sun outages do not affect Internet or phone service.
How long does the interference last?
Such interference can last up to several minutes a day.
When will this interference occur?
This fall, sun outages may affect some channels – though only intermittently and generally only for a few minutes at a time - between now and October 12. The effects, if visible, will occur during daylight hours.
What should you do?
If you experience picture or sound interference during these times, please be patient. Your service should return to normal after a short while.
Did you do any physics classes for your AS? How radiated power from a point source falls off over distance?
I think you fell for a sea story.
As I said, EMP and nukes are the least of my real-world worries.
That's not why I prepare.
Besides, if an EMP does wipe out some stuff, I can wind generators. Built my first when I was 10.
/johnny
A solar storm in 2003 took out 14 of the HV transformers in South Africa.
The solar cycle is eleven years.
2013 and 2014 could be real interestin...
BTW, Happy Birthday!
This cycle is weak.
I've been tracking sunspots since the early '70s.
I still have hope, but not much for this cycle.
/johnny
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