What did you do today to prep?

Caveman Jim · Dec 19, 2014

I could do a thousand if I aim real good........

I am hard of hearing for human speech but them critters in large groups are deafening to me......

The Heretic · Dec 19, 2014

CoastRange57 said:
I have a very similar antenna , 2 actually on the back floor of my Explorer. Stick it up on the roof when I go to the coast or pilot car. Works great.

I have the 14 inch antenna on the Baofeng. Tried this last summer when I was up at Hagg Lake, with a 1000 foot ridge between me and any repeater. I laid the antenna just right above the metal roof and found a spot towards the rear of the vehicle that bounced it to the repeaters. Got my home repeater on Pumpkin Ridge, and the 146.980 linked and the Mt Hood blow torch. That supports your TX status,and is how it usually works. I experiment pretty much every where I go with the portable antennas.

Yeah, I listen the 146.980 repeater on the commute to see where the dead spots are - always in the same area, even with the new antenna.

Once I got home on the mountain it cleared up because I could see the repeater line of sight.

I will be experimenting to see what I can hear and what can hear me.

There didn't seem to be a lot of difference between the stove and the foot square tin can. I tried a stainless bowl, but it didn't seem to like that - not sure why except the fact that the magnet wouldn't lock onto it since it was stainless - but that shouldn't make any difference for a ground plane - or maybe it does? I don't know - it's been 30 years since I have messed with RF propagation theory.

CoastRange57 · Dec 19, 2014

I had a 4 inch UHF antenna business band on my refrigerator years ago. One old boy on the 145.45 has an antenna on a cookie sheet in his room at the local assisted living center. Works fine. It does not take much to bounce the signal to where it works, I do not know about the stainless, but seems like that could make sense.

d2the3 · Dec 19, 2014

I got the keys to my first house today! Been moving Sh*t all day and it feels GOOD! Less than a mile from my moms place and a little over a mile from my dads, and on the same side of the river from both my wife and my place of work (in case that quake that knocks California off the map).

Burt Gummer · Dec 19, 2014

Bought three of those Lifestraw(?) blue and red water filters - the kind you hang up and let drain. Only $47 each plus $5 shipping. Watch Woot.com - sometimes that clear out some nice stuff cheap.

Not big into Christmas, but if I give gifts they are usually something like these . Or a knife, flashlight, etc.
Always get funny looks but what is a better gift than something that might save your life someday?

The Heretic · Dec 21, 2014

Played with fire-starting technique today.

I put some lint in a can and burnt it in the fire to make char cloth - of a sort.

While it would take an ember from a firesteel and hold it - after a number of tries.

I found just plain lint to be superior as it would take the spark from the firesteel quicker and it would poof into flame.

Lint with vaseline was the best though - as long as I didn't saturate the lint and left more than half of it dry. The vaseline would make it burn longer and the dry part of the lint would take the spark and turn that into flame, whereas the vaseline wouldn't.

CoastRange57 · Dec 22, 2014

Yesterday actually. Brought some 12 blueberry plants back from Southern Oregon, planted those, planted some more raspberry starts I had dug earlier. Pruned 2 native shrubs, one or two a day is good for me.

Let the dogs run in the flood waters for a bit. I let some locals use a blind I have in my field, since I do not hunt ducks anymore, sitting in a warm dry shop is more my speed now in winter anyway, well unless I could go steelhead fishing. These guys had a tight spread of decoys out, and as I looked at them, I noticed....they were sitting on this mirror flat water, with no wind and no movement at all.

Now they got some shooting this morning when the wind was up a bit, but their inability to wait until the ducks got in range to actually connect was hilarious. All that work then just blast away at them when they were still 75 feet in the air just does not work. I thought about going down there and showing them how a twitch line tied to the decoys could do a better job of convincing the flying ducks that their sitting ducks were doing something besides sitting motionless on this water, and maybe spread the spread out a bit better. But then again I could just let them sit there, which is what I did.

Sgt Nambu · Dec 24, 2014

Paused in the festivities today to stop in to a battery/light bulb store to stock up some battery's for the lazers on my carry pistols. The lazerMax on my Ruger LCP eats them like freaKin' potato chips!

U201492 · Dec 29, 2014

The wife, the Daughter and the Son in Law with the grand kids all want to homestead somewhere near the "Ozarks" (they cover 5 states- a large area). Anyhow, last May I had opened up a checking account in Mena, AR so I could throw some $$ at it just in case of a rainy day for when we move there. Ideally, I'd like to have around $1500 to $2000 just for unplanned moving in expenses that I don't know about- so today I sent another $100.

Caveman Jim · Dec 29, 2014

I finally got the 4 50 cal. ammo cans my daughter ordered B-4 Christmas. Have been divvying up some ammo, gun cleaning kits, small medical kits, food & survival stuff into them.
Need more stocking stuffer stuff to fill em up for each vehicle... Man I'm gonna go broke.....

The Heretic · Dec 29, 2014

I gave my mom some of my emergency lighting, so I went around and replaced what I gave her with a different kind that I already had and had not installed; I gave her the flashlights that sit in an induction charger and come on when the power goes out and I replaced those with some that go over receptacles and stay in place.

I will get some more of the flashlight kind next time I go to Costco and put those back around too.

mjbskwim · Dec 29, 2014

It's about time y'all regulars posted in here.
I thought I missed some big SHTF event and y'all were underground

Doc In UPlace · Dec 29, 2014

Scored a Suunto wrist-compass for the kit. Sometimes the weather is so bad that there are no sun or stars to navigate by.

SHPD_Retired · Dec 30, 2014

Bought a stainless steel shelving unit to put in my shed so I can put my gas cans on it. This way I get many more gas cans in the same floor space. Have 5 so far filled with gas and stabilizer. This unit can hold at least 9 so have a few more to buy. Then I should be set for my generator. The Berkey water bottles that were ordered arrived.

JackThompson · Dec 30, 2014

For Christmas doled out around 1,000 rounds of various ammo to the kids.

Picked up a die set and bullet mould for the 7.65x53 Argentine Mauser I picked up over the holidays. No real need for it, but if I can make ammo for it, then it has a place somewhere.

Son-in-law has delivered about 4 boxes of various medical supplies, including respirators, suture kits and wound dressings.

Got all the shortwave radios programmed and delivered to the kids.

Looking to install some cameras and door alarms on the place. Any recommendations?

Ttuck · Dec 31, 2014

Bought a new Condor 169 convoy outdoor pack for 45 bucks brand new. I currently use a surplus marine 3 day assault pack in marpat. Lately i have been wanting a bag that doesn't stand out as much but will still be able to attach pouches too using PALS webbing. My marpat backpack will be repurposed for a BOB or gear carrier when i go out shooting.

Here is a link to what it is http://www.condoroutdoor.com/Condor-169.aspx

Burt Gummer · Jan 9, 2015

Went nuts on bulk AAA, AA, 9v, D, C, CR123, coin-type batteries. All types in large numbers. Let's just say I am covered

. Being a flashlight nut + various goofy LED setups/lamps/strings I might be starving some day but I'll still be able to read at night.

JackThompson · Jan 9, 2015

Ordered 500 rounds of CCI 22lr from MidwayUSA yesterday.

Cost was $39 for the 500 rounds, which I hate, plus shipping was another $12, but it was a good enough deal... JUST good enough.

Keeps me plinking without draining my reserves.

I've made a deal with myself (Keeps me from going nuts shopping) that I pick up a 25lb bag of white rice every time I make a Costco trip. Got 3 bags stored up so far. Once I fille a 55 gallon drum I'll move to beans, then flour, then we'll see...