As an emergency communicator you are probably going to be responsible for your own food and water. If the emergency happens during winter, you are also going to be faced with keeping yourself warm. Let's look at some simple ways to do this.
Those of you that go camping a lot are probably already familiar with some of the items listed below. For those that do not go camping, all of this is probably unknown territory and a valuable resource that could save your life or at least make it a lot more comfortable and convenient.
First, a SMALL STOVE that is very inexpensive.
http://tinyurl.com/newe7gm
I am showing this on Amazon, but they are available at WallMart and many local stores and gun shops. Any place that sells camping or emergency supplies will have the items listed in this post. Prices will vary greatly, so it is best to shop around.
A LARGER STOVE
http://tinyurl.com/qawyaju
You will notice that both of these are meant to mount on top of a small 4 ounce propane/butane mixture in a 3 inch tall cylinder. However other fuel sources are available and there are even adapters that will allow you to use pure butane with these stoves.
ADAPTERS
These allow you to use your butane canisters with the little hiking/camp stoves that normally use pure propane or a propane/butane mixture. Get one of these and you can run your little single burner stove off of up to three different fuel sources.
http://tinyurl.com/pln98zo
http://tinyurl.com/nhco4pn
SINGLE BURNER STOVES
Lots of people have coleman stoves, but single burner stoves are more portable and they are ideal for quick use. During an emergency these can be left set up until the emergency is over.
http://tinyurl.com/ogyrojh
PROPANE ADAPTER HOSE
Lots of propane devices are designed to use the little 1 pound propane tanks, but maybe you want to run longer. There is a hose available that will adapt a 20 pound tank for use with many stoves designed only for the one pound canisters. The interfaces are not the same, but this hose takes care of that.
http://tinyurl.com/pddkk9s
PROPANE HEATERS
There are versions of these to work off of the 20 pound tanks and versions to work with the 1 pound canisters.
http://tinyurl.com/nuwmbvb
Can't decide between a stove or a heater? How about one device that does both?
http://tinyurl.com/ofytsal
There are also heater/cooker devices that mount directly on top of a 20 pound cylinder. Two functions, one device.
PROPANE DISTRIBUTION POST
Maybe you want/need to hook more than one device to your 20 pound propane tank? Got that covered, too.
http://tinyurl.com/qeqn34x
PROPANE SAFETY
There's a lot to know about propane and using/storing it safely. Fortunately, there is some expert info on the internet.
http://tinyurl.com/qzsljd3 (Part One)
http://tinyurl.com/q6pt7le (Part Two)
Please pay particular attention to the warnings about liquid propane and propane flash fires that can destroy your lungs instantly and leave you dead in about 15 minutes. Here is a real life example.
"If you connected a one pound
canister to a camp stove, with the canister either over-filled or upside
down, so that the output is liquid, instead of gas: Liquid propane
could jet out of the burners, it will quickly expand to a large cloud of
gas just when you’re trying to light it and something’s going to go
Boom! With any luck, the only thing that will get singed is your
eyebrows, but you could also destroy the equipment and even suffer eye
injuries that will be painful and take a long time to heal, just when
you don’t have the time to waste.
But, if it was a huge cloud of flame and you happened to be sharply
inhaling at the moment, such as from surprise at the huge cloud of flame
that’s currently enveloping your face, you’ll end up literally
breathing in the flame into your lungs. When you burn the lining of your
lungs, they will start oozing liquid to the point of filling up and you
will probably die of pneumonia within 15 minutes, if you’re lucky. If
you’re not lucky, it will take even longer.
I can promise you that it will be the most miserable 15 minutes of
your life. In a slightly different scenario, this actually happened five
years ago to someone for whom I cared a great deal, and Julie did die,
alone, on the floor of her kitchen, with her traumatized dog lying by her
side. The memory still makes me ill. So, I’m here to tell you that that
this type of deadly injury really can happen."
=====================
You can fill 1 pound propane cylinders from 20 pound cylinders and vice versa. Complete instructions and pictures of the needed adapter and safe methods of doing so are in the articles. I hope you will take the time to read them. The adapters are available at Harbor Freight and any store that sells camping supplies. Wasatch Propane also has them. This time of year, even the Smith's Super Stores have them in their camping section.
There are many places to get propane tanks refilled. Some of them are rip off artists and some are VERY incompetent. The only source in Salt Lake City that I can recommend is Wasatch Propane.
Wasatch Propane
Address: 201 W 2700 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Phone:(801) 467-3722
The methods used to refill tanks at service stations resulted in a large number of fires, explosions, and deaths. That resulted in Congress mandating the use of OPD style tanks. These problems never happened with tanks filled at places like Wasatch Propane, but sometimes result with service station refills. Basically, the service stations were filling the tanks too full (in cold weather) and the campers were then going to warmer climates to use the tanks. Once "warmed up", the liquid propane began to convert some of its mass to gas (always does when temperatures go up). The overfill by the service station did not leave enough "free" space in the tank for the expansion, so it went out the safety pop-off valve. Propane is odorless and heavier than air (1.5 times as heavy) so you can be standing in two feet deep propane gas and not know it.
When that gas cloud moves to a flame source (or even a static electricity source) death and destruction quickly follow. If you lay down in your ground level sleeping bag where there is a propane cloud close to the ground (or if one later developes), the propane will displace the oxygen and you will suffocate.
Read the article and stay safe.
PROPANE/BUTANE MIX (4 ounce containers)
You probably noticed that the small camp stoves at the beginning of this post were mounted on the small 3 inch tall 4 ounce canisters containing a Propane/Butane mixture. These are only designed for single use and if filled with pure propane may explode because they are designed for a lower pressure Propane/Butane mixture. Use ONCE and then throw them away.
http://tinyurl.com/oume3ap
SIZES OF TANKS AVAILABLE.
20 Lb Cylinders
8 Lb Cylinders (lighter to carry and more convenient)
1 Lb Cylinders
Butane Canisters
A lot of this stuff is available at WallMart and the 20 pound (actually 18 pound) tanks are available at Costco, also.
NOTE: The trade in canisters you see in cages at many stores (including Home Depot) are a rip off. They are NEVER full by design. All of them have special outlets on them that prevent being refilled except by the manufacturer. Go to Wasatch Propane and pay about $2.75/pound for a propane refill. Do a trade in at a local hardware store and pay about $4.95 per pound.
TIP: You can sometimes get old propane tanks for free or no more than $5. Professional refurbishers like Wasatch Propane will give you $10 or $15 or $20 for a trade in toward a new canister with an OPD valve.
Propane and butane may be your only sources of fuel (other than wood) during a disaster, especially a prolonged disaster. It is a good idea to have some around, but if you don't know the safety rules you could wind up destroying your house or garage or killing members of your family. I hope the info in this post helps you prepare and stay safe.
-N7OZH-
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Foothill Stake and MARA Nets - 2013 Field Day
========= FIELD DAY 2013 =========
For 2013, the ARRL Field Day is June 22 and 23. It is always the fourth full weekend in June.
Same location as last year, the pavillion next to the Foothill Stake Center. Times of operation will be posted later.
This year we are going to do Field Day using DIGITAL MODES of communication. If you've been wanting to see what that is like, plan to drop by for a while.
The rules for Field Day 2013 can be found HERE. (This link will open in a new window - close that window and you are right back here.
===========
One of our intrepid members decided to get the big $32 Harbor Freight "Battery Charger / Engine Starter / Trickler" rather than the little $14.99 one. It not only charged the battery, it also produced lots of noise in the radio audio. Stick with the little one, it produces no radio hash.
==========
Harbor Freight is having several overlapping sales right now and the annual tent sale is next month (June).
The Dollar Days Sale - May 14-27 - going on NOW.
For 2013, the ARRL Field Day is June 22 and 23. It is always the fourth full weekend in June.
Same location as last year, the pavillion next to the Foothill Stake Center. Times of operation will be posted later.
This year we are going to do Field Day using DIGITAL MODES of communication. If you've been wanting to see what that is like, plan to drop by for a while.
The rules for Field Day 2013 can be found HERE. (This link will open in a new window - close that window and you are right back here.
===========
One of our intrepid members decided to get the big $32 Harbor Freight "Battery Charger / Engine Starter / Trickler" rather than the little $14.99 one. It not only charged the battery, it also produced lots of noise in the radio audio. Stick with the little one, it produces no radio hash.
==========
Harbor Freight is having several overlapping sales right now and the annual tent sale is next month (June).
The Dollar Days Sale - May 14-27 - going on NOW.
The current 24 page brochure recently mailed to those on the Harbor Freight mailing list includes many items which are DOUBLE DISCOUNTED. That means that they give the normal sale markdown and then add another discount on to the normal sale price. Never seen them do this before. That sale ends May 31st. If you are not on their mailing list, you are missing out on some great deals!
Finally, there is a multi-page sale brochure that you can pick up in the store with still more items on sale.
==========
-N7OZH-
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
RACES and Covering Your Stake In An Emergency.
May 14th, 2013
===== Another Ham Radio Blog =====
Another ham radio blog of interest can be found HERE.
===== RACES =====
Hopefully all who are reading this are members of RACES. If not, you could be told to listen but not transmit during a major disaster.
If you are not a member of RACES, here is where you can get an application blank:
RACES Application
You can join the Utah State RACES e-mail list using Yahoo Groups.
RACES NETS
There are state wide RACES nets on both HF and VHF/UHF. The following are the details of each net.
HF Net
Date: 3rd Saturday of odd numbered months
Time: 8:00 am
Frequency: 3920 kHz
VHF/UHF Net
Date: 3rd Thursday of even numbered months
Time: 8:00 pm
Frequency: Intermountain Intertie and other linked repeaters (See the Utah VHF Society members directory for more details on the Intermountain Intertie.
============= Stake Emergency Communications Nets =================
Does your stake have an Emergency Communications Net? Does it meet on the air weekly? A few years ago during one of our Stake Emergency drills, we dispatched ham radio and FRS operators to collect information just as they would during an emergency. Teams of two or more people (One with a radio) went along every street and reported on every house.
We quickly learned that 5 watt handy talkies on battery power (and FRS radios with even less power) could not communicate from one end of the stake to the other. Wards that were the greatest distance from the Stake Center could neither hear the command center or be heard by the command center.
Our communications plan was quickly modified to place two radio operators in a vehicle using a mag mount antenna with gain in the approximate center of the stake boundaries. These two mobile operators could communicate effectively with all the other ham radio and FRS operators in both directions. They then relayed communications to the Command Center in the Stake building. Messages from the Command Center were also relayed out to the remote teams.
Has your stake been tested to see if you can effectively communicate with the central command center from the most remote locations in your stake? Do you have a contingency plan to overcome any problems? If you can't communicate in real time with your roving teams that are collecting information and reporting on houses and individuals that need immediate help, your effectiveness is compromised and your help may come too late.
Another problem we discovered was that a neighboring stake was using the exact same simplex frequency as our stake. Normally their radio net meets on a different night so there had never been a conflict. In a wide area disaster, both stakes would be communicating at the same time. Big Problem. The solution is to use tactical calls that will identify which stake the information belongs to. For example, "The is Foothill Team 6c" indicates that this is a report from the sixth ward in the Foothill Stake and that the reporting team is team #C.
There will still be communication overlaps, but at least the messages will go to the intended recipients and not to the wrong ones (or to both at once). Dispatching help to an area in your stake when the problem is actually in another stake and ward is a waste of resources and time.
If your stake has not tested the ability to communicate over your entire stake area, from corner to corner, it would be a good idea to schedule such a test. It is also advisable to contact neighboring stakes and find out now if there is going to be a frequency overlap. During an actual disaster is NOT the time to discover and deal with these types of problems.
N7OZH
===== Another Ham Radio Blog =====
Another ham radio blog of interest can be found HERE.
===== RACES =====
Hopefully all who are reading this are members of RACES. If not, you could be told to listen but not transmit during a major disaster.
If you are not a member of RACES, here is where you can get an application blank:
RACES Application
You can join the Utah State RACES e-mail list using Yahoo Groups.
RACES NETS
There are state wide RACES nets on both HF and VHF/UHF. The following are the details of each net.
HF Net
Date: 3rd Saturday of odd numbered months
Time: 8:00 am
Frequency: 3920 kHz
VHF/UHF Net
Date: 3rd Thursday of even numbered months
Time: 8:00 pm
Frequency: Intermountain Intertie and other linked repeaters (See the Utah VHF Society members directory for more details on the Intermountain Intertie.
============= Stake Emergency Communications Nets =================
Does your stake have an Emergency Communications Net? Does it meet on the air weekly? A few years ago during one of our Stake Emergency drills, we dispatched ham radio and FRS operators to collect information just as they would during an emergency. Teams of two or more people (One with a radio) went along every street and reported on every house.
We quickly learned that 5 watt handy talkies on battery power (and FRS radios with even less power) could not communicate from one end of the stake to the other. Wards that were the greatest distance from the Stake Center could neither hear the command center or be heard by the command center.
Our communications plan was quickly modified to place two radio operators in a vehicle using a mag mount antenna with gain in the approximate center of the stake boundaries. These two mobile operators could communicate effectively with all the other ham radio and FRS operators in both directions. They then relayed communications to the Command Center in the Stake building. Messages from the Command Center were also relayed out to the remote teams.
Has your stake been tested to see if you can effectively communicate with the central command center from the most remote locations in your stake? Do you have a contingency plan to overcome any problems? If you can't communicate in real time with your roving teams that are collecting information and reporting on houses and individuals that need immediate help, your effectiveness is compromised and your help may come too late.
Another problem we discovered was that a neighboring stake was using the exact same simplex frequency as our stake. Normally their radio net meets on a different night so there had never been a conflict. In a wide area disaster, both stakes would be communicating at the same time. Big Problem. The solution is to use tactical calls that will identify which stake the information belongs to. For example, "The is Foothill Team 6c" indicates that this is a report from the sixth ward in the Foothill Stake and that the reporting team is team #C.
There will still be communication overlaps, but at least the messages will go to the intended recipients and not to the wrong ones (or to both at once). Dispatching help to an area in your stake when the problem is actually in another stake and ward is a waste of resources and time.
If your stake has not tested the ability to communicate over your entire stake area, from corner to corner, it would be a good idea to schedule such a test. It is also advisable to contact neighboring stakes and find out now if there is going to be a frequency overlap. During an actual disaster is NOT the time to discover and deal with these types of problems.
N7OZH
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Emergency Preparedness Fair at Home Depot on Highland Drive April 27, 2013.
I went to the emergency fair planning to only be there about 30 minutes. Two hours later I left with armloads of literature. I saw things there that I have never seen at ANY emergency show in Utah before.
There was a new type of fuel puck for emergency stoves (The little ones that fold up).
There was a new type of Solar Oven that I had never seen before. This got me to thinking about solar ovens again. I have a book that tells how to build several different designs of solar ovens, but lately I have been seeing some very clever ones using new designs.
Here is a link to a new solar oven web page that I discovered today - click HERE.
And here is a really useful packing crate that somebody has modified to create a really great solar oven - click HERE. You may have to scroll down to see the pictures.
If you Google Solar Ovens you will find all sorts of info on building and using solar ovens. A very easy way to cook food in an emergency when there is no electricity, no propane, no nothing. And the sunlight is free!
To see pictures and prices of the most unique solar oven at the fair, cllick HERE. They also have a short visual presentation of the oven showing how to set it up and how to cook food in it. Fascinating.
Literature from the Emergency Prep Fair
100+ page book listing services for anyone over the age of 55.
www.55plusbook.slco.org
Fascinating fire starter or wood substitute.
www.instafire.com
Various brochures and helpful tips from the Unified Police Department of Salt Lake.
www.updsl.org
Emergency tips and products. Click HERE
The Red Cross also had a response to the "Triangle of Life" by Doug Copp. Their position is that the building codes in use in the USA means that we will have very few "pancaking buildings" in an earthquake and that the methods taught by the Red Cross are better in this country. You'll have to make your own determination. I'm just glad to know of alternate ways to stay alive.
Be Ready Utah had an excellent handout about Employee Workplace Emergency Kits and also School Student's Book Backpack. All good advice. I'll try to get these two copied and onto the web site.
Finally, go to BeReadyUtah.gov to download LOTS of brochures and forms including a family contact kit.
Woody gave training tonight on Greenwich Mean Time, also known as Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) which you can always get from radio station WWV and WWVH. Utah is always UTC minus seven hours (now) or UTC minus six hours when the next time change comes along.
That's enought for today, more next time.
N7OZH
There was a new type of fuel puck for emergency stoves (The little ones that fold up).
There was a new type of Solar Oven that I had never seen before. This got me to thinking about solar ovens again. I have a book that tells how to build several different designs of solar ovens, but lately I have been seeing some very clever ones using new designs.
Here is a link to a new solar oven web page that I discovered today - click HERE.
And here is a really useful packing crate that somebody has modified to create a really great solar oven - click HERE. You may have to scroll down to see the pictures.
If you Google Solar Ovens you will find all sorts of info on building and using solar ovens. A very easy way to cook food in an emergency when there is no electricity, no propane, no nothing. And the sunlight is free!
To see pictures and prices of the most unique solar oven at the fair, cllick HERE. They also have a short visual presentation of the oven showing how to set it up and how to cook food in it. Fascinating.
Literature from the Emergency Prep Fair
100+ page book listing services for anyone over the age of 55.
www.55plusbook.slco.org
Fascinating fire starter or wood substitute.
www.instafire.com
Various brochures and helpful tips from the Unified Police Department of Salt Lake.
www.updsl.org
Emergency tips and products. Click HERE
The Red Cross also had a response to the "Triangle of Life" by Doug Copp. Their position is that the building codes in use in the USA means that we will have very few "pancaking buildings" in an earthquake and that the methods taught by the Red Cross are better in this country. You'll have to make your own determination. I'm just glad to know of alternate ways to stay alive.
Be Ready Utah had an excellent handout about Employee Workplace Emergency Kits and also School Student's Book Backpack. All good advice. I'll try to get these two copied and onto the web site.
Finally, go to BeReadyUtah.gov to download LOTS of brochures and forms including a family contact kit.
Woody gave training tonight on Greenwich Mean Time, also known as Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) which you can always get from radio station WWV and WWVH. Utah is always UTC minus seven hours (now) or UTC minus six hours when the next time change comes along.
That's enought for today, more next time.
N7OZH
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