Ramblings on commo capabilities every prepper should have...

Every Survivalist/Prepper should have commo :)

The type of communication capability is a question that only you can answer for yourself, but these are IMHO the very basic communications one needs. You can always do better than this list... it is just a place to START.

Two way radios:

Sometimes you need to talk to someone past yelling range. A pair of FRS/GMRS radio (make sure you pay the money and get your GMRS license) are better than nothing. So a pair of these in your BOB (to talk to your allies along the way) or to talk to your party while you patrol your perimeter is always a good thing. Be sure to have this capability!

AM/FM/Shortwave Radio:

Being able to listen to your local AM/FM radio is a definate plus when something is going FUBAR. Add Shortwave capability so you can listen to far away stations in case your local ones are out.

Weather Radio with S.A.M.E alert:

Weather Radios have come along way since the beginning. These radios can be programmed to go off ONLY when there is an alert for your county. So no more getting woke up @ 3 am for an alert for a county 50 miles away! These things give you a heads up for severe thunderstorms, hurricane reports, tornado warnings, winter storm warnings, etc. so having one is a great for getting a heads up and SURVIVING!

Scanner:

A good VHF (and higher) scanner can give you a heads up as to what your police department, fire department, EMS, utilities, ham radio operators, etc. are doing. Be advised, depending on your locale, your public service frequencies may be digital and trunked, so your scanner will need to have this capability.

I really like to listen to the public service freqs to track the occasional severe weather that tears through our area. Knowledge is power!

So get you some commo... you never know when it will come in handy!

This is a basic list... I highly encourage you to look into Amateur (Ham) Radio to give you some truly awesome capabilities!!!

Later,
ZA

Ramblings on the S&P minded web resouces that ZA reads and listens to...

A lot of folks ask me, "who do you read on the web and who inspires you???"

First off, I have been into the S&P idealogy since the mid 80's (wow whatta decade!!!) and although I have been at it awhile, there is still MUCH to learn! Some folks that I have met in the S&P world have this, "I am so smart NO ONE can teach me anything because I already know it" attitude!!! What jerks!!! The moment YOU think YOU know it all is about the time you fnd out YOU know NOTHING with that attitude!!!

While I am no spring chicken, I am constantly looking for better ways to do things I already know as well as learn new things! I frankly DO NOT CARE if the dude starting prepping yesterday or been at it for fifty years... if it is a better way or a good piece of info... I am gonna use it!!!

Probably one of the best blogs on the web on Survival and Preparedness is James Wesley, Rawles of Survival Blog (links at the top of my blog) who is constantly pumping out info on stuff I can use, news and ideas. Updated DAILY this website is a powerhouse of knowledge. If you don't read it, you should!!! Also I highly recommend JWR's "Patriots" work of fiction which also has a bunch of ideas to get you started.

Also another fellar that is tireless in his efforts to get out knowledge to the masses is Jack Spirko of the Survival Podcast(links at top of blog). Jack usually puts out a podcast once a day that runs from 35-45 minutes. A bunch of the podcasts revovle around the "Modern Survival Mindset". Instead of preaching to just store food, Jack encourages you to also grow some of your own food! I have always been a gardener, but through Jack's podcasts I have learned there are better ways to do these things. Jack Spirko YOU ARE DA MAN!!! Also be sure to check out the great forums there as there are a bunch of like minded people who have a bunch of experience doing things that you will want to try!!!

Another podcast I listen to is The Preparedness Podcast (link at top of blog) which is also a great podcast. This generally run once a week and have been known to flirt with the 120 minute mark in length. There is a bunch of great info that is handed out in each podcast. I really think the Capabilities Checklist is a great tool to evaluate your needs of what you need to acquire to make your SHTF experience less stressful! Good work Rob, Greg and Mike!!!

Finally my other information source is Glenn Beck. Very entertaining, usually spot on in my political idealogy, and a great sense of humor! I prefer to listen to him in the podcast format as I like to be able to pause the program as needed. You can catch him on numerous radio stations around the country as well as the Fox News Channel. IMHO he is way better than Rush or Hannity. You go Glenn!!!

So there you go, this is where ole ZA draws his plans, encouragement, ideas for S&P minded matters on the web!

I encourage everyone to check out the above sources of info, if you do not already, as I feel they are great places to stimulate the thought process and learn about new things!

So again thanks, James, Jack, Rob, Greg, Mike and Glenn for all you do to get the word out!!!

Thanks for reading!

Later,
ZA