After Christmas Emergency Bargains & Docs

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Christmas holiday and wishing you the same for New Years.

There are lots of after Christmas sales (due to less than expected Christmas buying) and the sales include some emergency supplies.  Rite Aid drugstores have the Glow Stick Flashlight that we discussed earlier and they are on sale for just $3.99 each now.  In the same section of the store you will find LOTS of LED lights and other models may be on sale, but the Glow Stick was the only one listed in today's sale flyer.  Batteries are included.  Check them before leaving the store, some have been left turned on and their batteries are dead.

Here are some Emergency Info items on eBay that you might find interesting.


DISASTER EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CD Over 500MB of INFO!
http://tinyurl.com/cdtly4j
$6.99
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Are You Ready? Disaster Preparedness DVD Emergency
http://tinyurl.com/bmqos9b
$8.99
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Are You Ready? Family Emergency Preparedness DVD - C333
http://tinyurl.com/ceq8gk3
$12.95

=====  This next one deals specifically and exclusively with dangerous goods.
2012 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) Spiral Bound New
http://tinyurl.com/bpoob4w
$5.99 plus $3.55 Shipping

The 2012 Emergency Response Guidebook is a spiral bound, full size ERG that measures 5 ½" x 7 ½". The 2012 ERG contains the latest dangerous goods lists from the United Nations Recommendations, as well as from other international and national regulations. The 2012 North American Emergency Response Guidebook has sections that have been added, expanded and/or revised include:

    Addition of all new dangerous goods listed in UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (14th and 15th revised editions)
    Index list of dangerous goods in order of ID number
    Index list of dangerous goods in alphabetical order
    Rail Car Identification Chart
    Road Trailer Identification Chart
    Pipeline Safety Information
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Emergency Preparedness DVD
http://tinyurl.com/czorott
$39.99
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LED Finger Flashlight - Clear Color with White Light
http://tinyurl.com/cqkzrry
$3.99
===== FIRE STARTERS =====

How about a large variety of fire starters?  We've talked about them, here are some links to several different types.


MAGNESIUM 5 Bags For Emergency Survival Fire Starter Kit BOB Back Pack Lot New 
http://tinyurl.com/ce7zlo3
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24 Hexamine Fuel Tablets- Pocket Stove or Fire Starter 
http://tinyurl.com/bnfvgjg
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5 in 1 Survival Kit Whistle Compass Fire Starter Flint Emergency Hiking Camping 
http://tinyurl.com/cq6jx7t
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Magnesium Firestarter Bar Black Tool with Striker
http://tinyurl.com/d54ft4t
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FIRE STARTER KIT/SURVIVAL/CAMPING/HIKING/BOB LOT/MAGNESIUM/ FIRE STARTING/ 
http://tinyurl.com/bnfgu4w
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Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter--ORANGE
http://tinyurl.com/cr2aclf
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10 Boxes STRIKE ANYWHERE MATCHES Emergency Survival Fire Starter Kit Hunting Lot
http://tinyurl.com/cpvkg4n
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50 UCO Stormproof Matches Long-burning Windproof Waterproof Emergency Survival
http://tinyurl.com/cmunbo9

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How to make Char Cloth Tinder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6zH3iIfugw
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I have not used or tested any of these.  If you have experience with any of them, please send a comment to the blog and it will be linked in.

If you have any other favorite emergency info products, send me a link in a comment and I'll approve it for the blog.

-N7OZH-

Gun Violence, Digital Modes for Emcomm, etc

A lot is being said about gun control in the aftermath of the school shooting.  As you hear various talking heads propose "solutions", there is only one question to ask:  "If this new regulation/policy/law had been in affect as of December 1st, would it have totally prevented the school shooting?  If the answer is "no", then the follow-on question is:  "Then why are we doing this?".

There is only ONE way to prevent future such tragedies and here is a post that cuts right to the heart of the matter.  This post will also inform you of several other incidents that you never heard of because the Lame Stream Media refused to report them OR lied about them.

http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2012-12-19.html#read_more

My sentiments exactly.
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Digital modes for ham radio EmComm work is being discussed more and more.  Here are some links on digital modes that we have not discussed before.

Radio Operations Center Software
http://www.w4pcsoftware.com/

EmComm Operations Center Software
http://www.w4pcsoftware.com/EmComm_Ops.html

Simon Brown and SDR Radio
http://sdr-radio.com/

WB5RVZ Software Defined Radio Homepage
http://wb5rvz.com/sdr/

In 2011 Simon Brown (HB9DRV) sold the rights to Ham Radio Deluxe and began working on software for Software Defined Radios (SDR).  These are radios with no knobs, switches, buttons or displays.  Everything is controlled by an attached personal computer.  The links above will tell you more about SDR and give you an idea of what is available.

Basically, an SDR radio is very similar to a modern HF rig controlled by Simon's former product, Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD).  HRD is no longer Shareware, it is now a "for sale" product although there is a trial mode before you pay up.  The new HRD home page is here:  http://www.hrdsoftwarellc.com/

More info on Simon Brown selling the rights to Ham Radio Deluxe can be found here:
http://www.arrl.org/news/hb9drv-sells-rights-to-ham-radio-deluxe

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PACKET RADIO FOR EMCOMM

More and more Emergency Communications groups are practicing with Packet and HSMM-Mesh.  Most of the major ham radio manufacturers now make mobile 2Meter/70Cm rigs with built in TNCs.  All you need is a cable and a dumb terminal program to send and/or receive and/or be a digipeater in Packet mode.  You don't even have to leave your computer on or even attached to the radio to work in receive or DigiPeater modes.

A couple of our members are already experimenting with HSMM-Mesh or are in the process of acquiring the needed second hand hardware.  You can get some very inexpensive equipment on eBay for HSMM-Mesh.

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Usually when I mention Harbor Freight, it is to recommend some bargain or other.  This week I am warning you against one of their products.  The current flyer features a car windshield defroster that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket (The one in my car is labeled "Not a Lighter Socket".  It is located just above the "Not An Ashtray" tray.).  I bought one of these window defrosters at Harbor Freight and then returned it.  They are on sale for $9.99, but you can get the same results for a LOT less money.  Here is how:  Just park your car with the front windshield facing the street and then go across the street and light a match.  Be sure you are at least 45 feet from the car when you light the match.  Amazing!  A lit match 45 feet away from your windshield will defrost your windshield just as fast and effectively as the $9.99 unit at Harbor Freight.  NOTE: If the wind blows your match out almost instantly, no problem, the match is still just as effective as the $9.99 Harbor Freight defroster.

Side Note:  I had an acquaintance in Alabama who cleared his windshield of snow and ice by pouring ALMOST boiling water on it.  Never did crack the windshield!  I haven't tried it yet, have any of you ever done this???  Did it work???

73s from N7OZH

Ham Radio and Emergency Survival

NOTE:  This post has been edited.  See NEW info at the end of the post.
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More and more digital modes are being used in disaster communications.  Not just IRLP, but modes like PSK31 and PSK63 and Olivia.  Voice communications take up LOTS of bandwidth.  Digital modes use a very narrow slice of bandwidth and you can put several digital QSOs in the same space as just ONE SSB or FM voice QSO.

 Two meters and 70 CM can both do digital modes.  You just need the correct computer to radio interface.  The internet is full of them.  Some disaster nets are now accepting checkins by voice AND by EchoLink and/or PSK31.  More and more mobile rigs are being produced with Echolink built IN!

Here are a few links of interest to the digital modes.

Icom and Yaesu CAT interface Support Page
http://www.xggcomms.com/page9.htm

Ham Radio Service Manuals on CD/DVD
http://www.xggcomms.com/page4.htm

PSK31 audio levels set up page.
http://www.mymorninglight.org/ham/psk.htm

That last one is very important.  Audio levels and RF feedback are the two biggest "gotchas" in using PSK31.

To get the needed interfaces for computer to radio connections, check AES, and eBay.  The best and most reasonably priced PSK31 cables are on eBay.

Now that Baofeng and others are producing low cost hand held radios, the name brands are beginning to produce lower cost models.  Let's hope the same price war comes to mobile and HF rigs.  We would all benefit from that!

In a disaster, no matter how much emergency ham radio training you have had, you might find your self in a situation where you do NO ham radio communications and spend the entire time just trying to survive and take care of your family or coworkers.

You can always use Google to find lots of info on emergency survival and there are books on the subject.  Here is a web page devoted entirely to Emergency Survival.

http://www.SurvivalBlog.com

More info will be added to this blog on Wednesday, the 12th of December (Just 9 days before the end of the world!).

I have been researching HSMM-MESH networks and have found it to be very interesting.  There are several of these networks in use here in Salt Lake City.  This would be an ideal way to handle Stake/Ward communications during a disaster.  Temporary antennas would be needed since it is against Church policy to mount antennas on Church buildings (Liability Problems).  Also, portable antennas would allow having the Communications Center quickly relocated if the main building were damaged so severely that it could not be used.  Here are some of the most informative links I have found.


Ham radio HSMM-MESH networks

http://www.arrl-nm.org/wp/archives/3092

https://www.slvarc.org/all-articles/85-hsmm-mesh-my-first-experience
OR http://tinyurl.com/d8ycgnk

http://www.w7aia.org/Training_files/hb2011/hsmm-mesh-part-1-k7gjt&nd7p.pdf
OR http://tinyurl.com/c2ac6c7


N7OZH