Ramblings on the best internet website for cool gear you may have never heard of...

I have always loved analog watches and a few months ago, I was in the market for a new watch. My trusty Luminox was having a hard time staying on my wrist due to faulty watch pins and I was growing weary of constant repairs.



I was researching the Marathon T-SAR which is an quartz version of self winding Marathon G-SAR. In my ignorance, I figured that self winding watches were a thing of the past (other than the Seiko Kinetic and Citizen Eco-Drives which are different movements). Like I said it was an ignorant assumption due to lack of knowledge of the watch world. I really liked the T-SAR but the self winding automatic movement of the G-SAR really intrigued me as I had never had one.



For those of you not familiar with the Marathon Watch company they are currently the only TRITIUM illuminated watches issued by the US Government. I really like government issue stuff and this watch is one of the best built watches I have ever had the honor of wearing!



Trying to find out about the G-SAR was a little daunting. I read of its existence on a watch fourm and saw the mention of http://www.countycomm.com/ . I quickly surfed my way over there and found that they had some Marathon G-SARs in stock. I ordered it and in 2 days it had arrived via UPS. Great service and awesome watches!!!



The story might have ended there, but as I was looking around their website, I found out that the watches were the most highest priced things on their website (still the cheapest place for them on the web). As I looked at all County Comm had for sale, I noticed that there were MANY items that I never knew existed and they were very inexpensive. Also some of these items are great for your bug out gear!



I would like to comment on some of my favorites I have purchased:

These little jewels carry 4 AA or 4 CR123A batteries. I purchased the CR123A verisons for my tactical light as it is always nice to carry a few extra Lithiums so you will not be in the dark. Great idea and a good design. IMHO these make the SureFire Spare Carriers obsolete *IF* you carry one of the newer LED lights.

This is a good start for a bug out bag (BOB). Mine is used more for a "Tactical Toolbag". In other words it is a BOB for my weapons and any items that I would use in a self defense situation. Spare mags, batteries, cleaning tools, small survival kit, etc. It has served me very well in this role for some time. Keep the big items in the center and the smaller items in the outer pockets for ready access. Later in another entry I will delve into BOB's.

This has to be one of the best button cell LEDs on the market! Plenty bright enough and with its rotating clip it makes it quite handy. From hat bills, to watch bands to belt loops it stays handy. My nephew took one on a Scouting trip and used it for over a week. Needless to say... I had to buy another for he "forgot to give it back". Kids love them and so do adults!!! It doesn't have the momentary switch like the Photon Micro-light, but instead has a on/off slide switch that is plenty good enough. I mean button cell LEDs are not really supposed to be "tactical" are they??? Momentary is what I want on my tactical flashlight not my button cell LED...



A Zippo lighter is a very reliable lighter, as long as you keep it fueled and dry. The peanut lighter solves most of these problems. It is very compact (under 2 inches) and the fuel does not evaporate.It also seems to be water tight (swimming in the pool for an hour with it on purpose didn't seem to hurt it)! This is a great fire starting option for your BOB as well as your other methods. If you smoke (I don't) it will become your best friend. CC also has other lighters and fire starting options for your BOB as well!!!

Here is a tool kit for your BOB that offer big tool performance in a TINY package! Heck it is handy to carry in your pocket. Carry one in your pocket at Children's Birthday Parties and Christmas (for adding batteries to kid's toys) and you will be a hero. Doesn't take up much room, but is a lifesaver when you need it.



A Widgy Bar is a small prying tool that comes in very handy when you need to pry up molding, pull small nails, pry up the corner of a wood box (think ammo crate). I carry the micro-Widgy on my keychain and have used it several times for small prying jobs. If you work in a field that requires you to use tools, then this will come in handy someday. I don't use mine everyday, but when I do, I am glad I had it with me.

There are many things at County Comm that deserve mention here, but I write this as a primer to see what they have to offer. Some things you may find very handy for your BOB and in my expereince EVERYDAY use! I am in NO way connected with County Comm other than being a very satisfied customer. Now if I could only afford the Marathon C-SAR... 73

Later,
ZA

PS So you don't have to scroll up to the top of the page to get the link here it is again: www.countycomm.com

Ramblings on Fatherhood...

I can remember how I used to not want to be a Father many years ago. I figured it was something that I would screw up and the responsibilty was too great. The concept of marriage didn’t bother me when I married my wife (I look at that as a life long deal) as I knew what I was getting into. But raising a child… now that is something that was SCARY to me…
I tried to delay as long as I could so my wife and I could do some traveling and have fun… but her biological clock was ticking and I was running out of excuses…

It seemed as if we couldn’t have offspring for we tried many different times when I was willing to accept my fate… but after 5 years of trying, in a hotel on Waikkiki Beach that EPT had a plus in the window. Well I was getting excited but quite unsure of how I was gonna become a Father… Then 9 months later out popped the most beautiful little infant in the world. I realized in retrospect that as a child grows, so does the father.

Luckily for us the Almighty doesn’t give us full grown kids, but babies. Both the Father and Mother are infants as well in learning how to cope with their new bundle of joy. As the child grows, so does the parenting if you want to actually do it.

I think the world needs more TRUE Mothers and Fathers, those that put their children’s interest and well being ahead of theirs. Sometimes you don’t want to deal with having to interact with your children, but that attention means more to them than ANYTHING else you can do for them!

Just this week I added (with mostly Mrs. ZA’s and God’s help) another beautiful, perfect child to this planet.

I have come a long way from being that reluctant Dad, but realize that many Fathers to be have the same anxeity and same doubts as to their parenting ability. That seems to me, the way that all Fathers start out, and the ones who truly love their children will grow into some pretty awesome Fathers!!!

God Bless and 73!

Later,
ZombieAxe

Ramblings on Illumination Tools

Other than a good pocket knife or multi-tool I find that a "tactical flashlight" is one of my must used everyday carry items.

When I write these entries, I like to think back from my first experiences with illumination tools. It helps me to remember some seldom thought of memories and gives me insight as to why I choose what I choose.

Back in the 70's the standard flashlight was the ones that were packaged with those (iirc) Rayo-vac Black Kat batteries. These flashlights were metal, silver,ribbed and were either two 'D' or 'C' battery powered. It always seemed one showed up yearly in my birthday present inventory. It really didn't make a difference if you already had several, you would get more and welcome them. Part of the reason you were glad to get them, is because they were unreliable, so you may have five but only two or three would work correctly.

Looking back I can believe how little light they produced, but being a kid, it sure beat total darkness and I was happy to have it to make sure they was really not a monster under my bed.

I don't believe my flashlight choice changed until I found myself at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in boot camp. Suddenly I had a USGI angle head flaslight (2D), a PT flashlight with wand for those 0430 runs, and a Camoflague Mini-Mag (2AA) with red and blue filters.

The Mini-Mag light is what impressed me the most. No it wasn't much brighter than the 2D cell lights, but it was much easier to carry. I found myself carrying this flashlight with me in my civilian life too, since it was so handy.

Those first impressions of the Mini-mag lights sold me on Brinkman Flashlights and I purchased a 3D and 5D maglite. While these were no where as handy as the mini-mag lights, they were considerbly brighter! When something goes bump in the night, you can bump it back with a maglite!!!

While the 3D and 5D were some of the brightest flashlights I owned, I wanted something brighter. I experimented with both corded and cordless spotlights and while very very bright they were never handy as the little mini-mag flashlight.

A quick detour since we are on the subject of cordless spotlights. In my experince it doesn't make much difference what kind of cordless spotlight you get, they seem to be made at the same factories in China. The ones I prefer are the ones for sale at my local Lowe's Hardware store for twenty dollars. Everyone wants the biggest and best but I assure you a one million candlepower spotlight is more than adequate for most users. Over time that sixty dollar spotlight will wear out just as quick as a twenty dollar one with the same use.

For preparedness minded folks, illumination and lots of it allows you to assess storm damage at night and other times when a portable bright light is needed. I have used my spotlights to survey the road to spot hazards before work the next day to see if I had to cut my way out.

Now back to smaller illumination tools... My first real tactical light was a little Brinkman xeon bulb powered by two CR123A lithium batteries. The cost was about twenty dollars at the local Wal-mart and rank right up there with Surefire's two lithium cell lights in brightness. I carried two Brinkman Lithium xenons (not at the same time) for about a year before I purchased my first Surefire. The Brinkmans are very impressive and today are over four years old. My wife actually prefers the Brinkmans to Surefires mainly because she doesn't like the Tactical light switch of the Surefires.

My next light I briefly mentioned from before is a Surefire Centurion C2 (2 CR123A lithiums). It is built extremely well and was designed for the law enforcement/military market. This was the flashlight that I carried for many years with my CCW weapon and currently resides on my night side table.

I also have a Surefie Z2 but prefer the C2 over it because of the belt clip. Other than a different case and rubberized grip(Z2), the C2 and Z2 perform the same.

Often these tactical flashlights produce to much light when all you need is a little LED to find the keyhole. Blinding yourself with your own tactical light can be a problem if that is what you are using to find that keyhole!

Before I ever heard the term and practice of carrying a "soft light", I was carrying a button cell battery LED on my keychain. No one invented the concept, they just coined the term "soft light". For those of us who carried tactical lights, we already knew that it would ruin our night vision if you used it on something mundane.

$190 is a lot of money to spend on a flashlight, but the Surefire Aviator A2 xenon/LED combo cost that. Luckily I got it on sale for $120 and couldn't have been happier at the time. Surefire had come up with a solution to the soft light/tactical problem. The Surefire Aviator had both a bright (not as bright as the other two CR123A lights)xenon and 3 LED bulbs ( I chose white LEDs). You could lock out the bright light for use in the cockpit (to read maps/instruments) and use the xenon bulb with LEDs blazing to inspect your aircraft prior to take off. The Surefire Aviator was designed for a pilot's use both inside and outside the cockpit, but alot of folks found that the A2 worked well for gun users. I used mine both for CCW and work use. It served me very well, but I still kept a keychain LED with me for a backup.

Then that darn Blackhawk company came up with the Gladius. At first glance the Blackhawk Gladius is your typical Tactical flashlight. It is when you notice the features that set it apart. First of all the Gladius uses a white LED, no xenon bulbs to burn out. IMHO up until the Gladius came along, purely LED tactical flashlights never threw their light very far.

I purchased the Gladius for $140 from http://www.lapolicegear.com/ Which was a special down from their regular price of $190.

When I received the Gladius, I thought it was broke, but found out that the battery cap/switch must be tight or the Gladius will not shine. The switch takes a little getting used to, but makes perfect sense after using it for awhile.

There are 4 modes to the Gladius. 1 a lock out mode to prevent accidental activation. 2 a programble dimmer mode where you can set the brightness to whatever you wish and dim or brighten as needed. I setup mode 2 to be dim since I can flip the switch to mode four and get full brightness. I find mode two my most used mode as I can use the exact amount of light I need. The switch acts like an on/off switch and dimmer in this mode and allows you to use it hands free if needed.3 is the strobe mode. This mode will disorient an attacker and hopefully buy you more time to accomplish your goals. I like the strobe mode and have tested it, but have never used it in a self defense situation. 4 is full power mode. Push in the switch and you are throwing out all 90 lumens of the Gladius's LED. Blackhawk refers to them as channels and in reverse order, I begin with the lockout mode as 1 because it makes more sense to me.

Some other features of the Gladius is that when the two CR123A's batteries get low they will blink. More frequent flashing while the light is on means less time is left. There is also a high temperature cut off safety feature. If you forget to turn off the Gladius it will power down if it gets too hot.

Currently the Blackhawk Gladius is my everyday carry light. I use it for work (white LED lights does't change the colors of color coded wiring), when my little one drops something under the table in a dark restaurant, finding a keyhole, using it to find my way around if the power goes out at night and as a tool in my tactical toolbox should I ever find myself in that situation.

I often get asked, "why do you carry a flashlight with you at all times???" The answer is, "so I will have it with me when it gets dark!" Often times you find yourself in situations where you need a flashlight even in daytime. What if you are in a building without windows at lunch time and the power goes out? Sure you can get by without a flashlight during daylight hours 90% of the time, but that other 10% is what bites you in the rear!

If you carry a firearm for protection, then you MUST carry a tactical light. You can easily blind an opponent and give yourself some valuable time to react. Unlike pepper spray, if you shine your light into someone’s eyes that you think is going to attack you, and it turns out it was an innocent person, then it is no harm done (other than maybe some harsh words about blinding them).

In conclusion, illumination is a very necessary tool for the survival and preparedness minded individual. It is also a must have item that you should have if you carry a concealed handgun. ZombieAxe says, “if you don’t carry an illumination tool, then you ain’t none too bright!!!”

Later,
ZombieAxe

Ramblings on the .45 ACP & 1911

The .45 ACP has been with us for around a century and has established itself as one of the top combat/defensive rounds in history.

I love the .45 round as well as the firearms used to deploy it. It wasn't until I started shooting a 1911 that I pretty much standardized on the .45 ACP.

The Full Metal Jacketed .45 ACP round makes a good manstopper to, if that is all you can have. For instance the Geneva Convention forbids the use of expanding bullets (what we would call hollow points). This was not a problem when the United States fielded the 1911A1 in .45 ACP, but when the US military switched to the Beretta M9 in 9mm Parabellum this was a problem. Now this is not a 9mm vs. .45 debate, it is a stopping power debate. If the 9mm is able to be used with expanding bullets, then it is a good threat stopper, but this is not allowed for military use.The 9mm Full Metal Jacket has the problem of poking holes through a target without tranferring stopping power to the target. The .45 ACP is a better fight stopper in Full Metal Jacket than 9mm FMJ, however the .45 ACP works even better with expanding bullets. There are cases where both have failed to stopped a threat or have done so easily with a single bullet. The general idea and logic is that if you can only have one type of bullet, go larger! I also like the 9mm, but when my tail is on the line make mine a .45 ACP please!!!

The best round, you as a reader can chose, is the one you feel confident in using. I have heard of folks being killed with a .25 ACP, and still attacking someone after being shot with a .44 magnum. Just because a .45 is what ole ZA chose doesn't mean it is right for you. The most important thing is shot placement. Being able to place your shots where they will stop a bad guy from taking your life or your familys is what it is all about.

All the sidearms I have ever shot , the ones in .45 ACP are the ones I enjoyed most and have shot the best with. Glock, H&K, Kimber and Rock Island Armory (best value for an entry level 1911) are what I shoot in .45 ACP.

For those of you wanting to try a 1911, the Rock Island Armory 1911 (made in the Phillipines) is probably one of the cheapest ways to see if the 1911 is for you. Sure it dings up your brass (for those that reload) and the sights are terrible, but it is accurate and reliable. One of these days I will upgrade my Rock Island 1911 with an ambi safety, better sights, and an enlarged ejection port, but for now she shoots fine.

Kimbers are some real nice 1911's. I really like the Kimber Warrior. It has all of Kimbers strengths and none of weaknesses of the series II firing pin safety. Shoots like a dream, eats everything it is fed, very relaible, and LOOKS GREAT! I love this 1911 and it does everything I want a pistol to do!

Without a good magazine, your semi-auto weapon becomes a single shot derringer. I only trust ONE brand of magazine in my 1911's. That would be Wilson Combat 47D (any of the 47 series are good). Sure you can get cheaper mags, but when your life is on the line and your magazine fails, those $5 gunshow special magazines will not be looking like such a good idea. I say, "buy once, cry never again". This applies to all my purchasing decisions as I hate to buy an item twice. Wilson Combat 47D magazines are an investment in fail-safe gear!

Thanks for reading!

Have a great weekend and 73!

Later,

ZombieAxe

Ramblings on hydration systems

In my opinion, nothing beats a sip of cold, clear, pure water when you are thirsty. Growing up as a kid I remember my 'Granny' giving me a water jug to put in the fridge so I had something cold to drink other than sodas. When I was thirsty, I reached in the fridge past the Coke and Mountain Dew and grabbed that cold water jug. To this day I still like my cold one to be ice water. It is a good habit that I have taught to my children.

In the seventies and eighties, I don't remember seeing bottled water for sale at stores where one could purchase something to drink. You brought your own if you wanted water.I recall as a kid that my family took a two and a half gallon jug of ice water on long trips to drink. Later, I cleaned out a Gatorade jug and kept it full of water for those extended road trips when I began to drive.

When I became seventeen I signed up for the Army and soon found myself at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Hydration methods were primitve then. Old green plastic canteens that would soak up the sun's heat all day and be slightly below the boiling point when you took a sip. How I wished for some cold water in those days!

The years I spent with the Army were great. On field exercises everyone who could, took a cooler filled with cold sodas and well hidden beer. Looking back on it, it was quite funny... A sea of Olive Drab Green punctuated now and then by the brightly colored non tactical red and white coolers. Of course we soon had to camoflague them with green paint after the commanding officers reviewed our encampment via helecopter!

I kept my cooler full of ice, with a partially frozen gallon jug of water and a soda or two. No one would touch the water, but on occasional 'cooler raids' that cold soda you had been craving all day would be gone. If all your drinks were in the cooler, then you were SOL for the rest of the field exercise.One of the folks I served with, nicknamed 'Hook', was a alcohol craving alcoholic ( if you knew him, that definition wouldn't seem redundant) that was still stuck in his former glory days of High School football. One day I was going out on a patrol and wanted a good swig of water. As I approached my cooler, I looked in horror to see my precious gallon of frozen water baking in the sun! Had I been that careless to leave the one comfort item I enjoyed so much to die a slow death in the sun??? I lunged for the cooler with one hand and grabbed the melting gallon of frozen water to correct my error with the other. Once I opened the cooler I realized that Hook had taken all my sodas and precious water out and replaced them with cheap, but effective beer. I honestly now think he didn't deserve the tongue lashing he got from me that day...

I really enjoyed the outdoors all my life, and I can fondly recall the Boy Scout two quart aluminum canteen I used while I was young. I never seemed to run out of water before I ran out of woods and creeks to explore. Later on being a full grown, the two quarts were just a good enough for awhile...

The first time I tried a CamelBak hydration bladder was about 1999, years after my millitary service. I had purchased a Camelbak H.A.W.G with a 3 liter/or 100 oz bladder. I tested it the night before a trip to Central America. I found out very quickly that I couldn't stand that plastic taste for it reminded me of those od green canteens from my Army days. I used the backpack part of the Camelbak to hold a 2 liter bottle of Evian and it worked great!It wasn't until I learned how to clean a Hydration Bladder (lemon juice with equal part baking soda, then fill with water and soak overnight, be sure to get the mixture in the drinking tube too!!!) that I carried a hydration bladder on my hiking excursions.

At work I always carried a half gallon insulated jug. One hot summer day in August two years ago, I decided to carry my 2 liter/70 oz Camelbak to work to try it out on the job,the rest is history. I soon found out that 2 liters doesn't last long for a person that works outside all day, so I upgraded to a Coyote Brown Thermobak Camelbak 3 liters/100 oz to refill less. Now I do drink more than 3 liters a day, but I have a water cooler on the work truck that holds 5 gallons to refill from.

Drinking and Driving is against the rules in just about any job... but that usually refers to alcoholic beverages. According to the company I work for, driving a company vehicle both hands better be on the wheel. No Super Gulp Super Soda cups are to be obstructing your view! So to hydrate between jobs, the hydration bladder is the only option that allows you to drink & drive... No I don't think putting beer in a hydration bladder would get you past the state troopers ;-)

I have little versions of my wife and I (aka kids) and they love to go to Walt Disney World (I do too). For anyone that has never been, everything is expensive! When kids are hungry or thirsty they can get Grumpy, so get them a hydration bladder too! Now anytime the little ones want a drink, they can get a sip from their very own Camelbak and no $4 kid sodas. Yes, I carried a 3 liter (actually two the first day) Camelbak Talon, the wife a 2 liter feminine one, and the little ones carried 50 oz kid sized ones! So you can get ones for the entire family! Needless to say, they are a great way to beat the heat anywhere, and keep you hydrated by sipping and not gulping down your water. You would be surprised at how few Camelbaks are seen in amusement parks. Once folks figure out that you got your own private water source on your back, their warm bottle of Dansai don't looks as refreshing!

A word of caution for kids using Camelbaks, you must pace them in using one. My first born would slap drain a hydration bladder within minutes of getting it. Then we would have to go find a bathroom right in the middle of something. Little ones need to be hydrated but not 50 ounces at a time! The solution was to freeze water in the hydration bladder (about two thirds and then blow the water out of the drinking tube and inflate the bladder so it would not freeze in a funny shape and be uncomfortable the next day) and in the morning fill it up with water so it will start slowly melting. Usually at the end of a hard day there would still be a chunk of ice left!

Ok I have sort of given a history of my experiences hydrating on the go, so I will tell you a little about the gear. I personally like the look of the millitary Camelbaks in OD green and the newer Coyote Brown. At work I carry the Thermobak Coyote Brown Camelbak. This is just an insulated cover with shoulder straps and no pockets. I carry this while working because it is low profile doesn't get in the way and the Coyote Brown color doesn't look too tactical, but still blends in the woods if I needed that option.

So what if you already have a backpack but want to add a hydration bladder to it??? No problemo, a Thermobak's shoulder straps let you tuck out of the way, and place it in any backpack! I added my Thermobak to my Talon for 6 liters of water but soon found out the weight to consumption ratio wasn't worth it, but in a bug out situation 6 liters in arid terrain should be worth it.

Camelbak also makes a 100 oz Unbottle that you should be able to find at your local Dick's sporting goods. The Unbottle is a insulated bladder cover with a few plactic D rings, tube and bite valve designed to updgrade any backpack.I use a Camelbak Talon as my bug out bag (bob) and it works out great. The only option I wish it had was a waist belt to help stabilize it on hilly terrain. The Camelbak Motherlode and BFM are also nice but just a little bit big for me as a bob.

Some things that I have learned about hydration bladders. Get a bite valve cover, when taking the bladder on or off the bite valve sometimes winds up on the floor and you know what Mom said about putting things in your mouth that touched the floor. Get an insulated drinking tube cover, those first few sips are going to be warm. Keeping your water the temp you like it means you will hydrate more often. Get a clip for your drinking tube, so you can position the bite valve where you can get to it or keep it out of the way. Keep your hydration bladder clean, you can put any liquid you want in it, but make sure you clean it asap when you get finished or it will get funky!!! Dry your hydration bladder before storage with a coat hanger or one of Camelbaks dryers.

So I like Camelbaks... But Blackhawk makes some great hydration bladders as well. The reason I use Camelbak is that is the first hydration sytem I ever used, works great, and when something works I usually don't try new stuff. IMHO I would stick with either Camelbak or Blackhawk hydration systems, because if it is good enough for our fighting men and women, then it is good enough for me!!!

The concept of the hydration bladder was to allow you to take a few sips every 10-15 minutes and drink hands free. The idea is not to drink so much that us men don't drill into holes in granite when we take a leak. When your urine is a pale straw color that is usually a sign that you are hydrating well. Bright yellow means you are not drinking enough fluids, and clear is you are drinking too much. The sensation of thirst means you are already becoming dehydrated!

After working out in the summer heat all day sipping on my Camelbak, there comes a time when drinking just one more sip of water is going make me sick. This is a sign that your body's electrolytes need replinishing. Usually a soda can do the trick, but Gatorade is what really helps. You need that sodium, potassium and other goodies after depleting them!

A final note from those in the medical field. It is claimed that the body more readily absorbs warm liquids with less shock to the body than cold fluids do. IOW they claim that warm water is better for you than cold water and I agree. That being said my Camelbaks water is as cold as I can get it. The reason??? I paid my dues to my country in the drinking the warm water thing and in other areas. Frankly for me, I drink way more cold water than I would even consider warm. So cold water hydrates me better than warm because I drink more of it. I can drink warm water if I have to, but given a choice give me glacier runoff! If I could come up with a liquid nitrogen cooled Camelbak I'd use it!

Here are some links in case you want to know more about hydration systems:
Camelbaks website: http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm
Blackhawk's website: http://www.blackhawk.com/category1.asp?D=D0051&S=&C=&N=1&pricestart=&priceend=

73

Later,
ZA

The Origin of ZOMBIEAXE... and rambling on Ham radio

It all started back in the early 90's when I was in the Army. We had code words or callsigns for the field. Part of mine was Zulu Alpha, or to make ourselves sound ferocious we tweaked them and mine became Zombie Axe...

It always seemed that I migrated to the ham radio forums on Survival and Preparedness and that is where I posted on the forums with ZombieAxe.

I think that communications (Amateur Radio) is an often overlooked prep in most Survival and Preparedness situations. I work in the telecommunications industry and have been to areas where storms (tornado's, hurricanes, ice, wind, and severe thunderstorms) have totally cut off communications for several weeks at a time. It is always the same, Amateur Radio is often the ONLY communication system that works.

The reason is that most folks only know how to use a phone or a radio. Amateur Radio operators know how the radio works, how to build them, how to fix them and how to get on the air after everything else is destroyed, and how to use them!

So if you want to communicate after some disaster with your loved ones, give ham radio a look see...

Some links:
What ham radio is: http://www.hello-radio.org/whatis.html
Clubs in your area: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml

In the beginning...

Howdy Folks,

I have been around the web pretty much always as ZombieAxe or Zulu Alpha. The purpose of this blog is toward Survival & Preparedness, Firearms, Ham Radio, German Shepherds and other items that I find interesting to me and hopefully YOU as well. I will try and review some of my preps and gear and elaborate on why I chose them and a running commentary on life as I see it. So God Bless and 73...

Later,
ZA