Winter Survival and Blizzard Survival

Utah is getting a major storm right now. Here are some links to good advice on what to do when the snow becomes a problem.

Blizzard Survival
http://www.fcgov.com/oem/blizzard-survival.php


How to Make a Blizzard Survival Kit
http://www.ehow.com/how_2068127_make-blizzard-survival-kit.html


How to Survive a Blizzard
http://weather.about.com/od/winterweather/a/winter_survival.htm


How to Build a Snow Cave
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Snow-Cave


Why are snow caves dangerous?
http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/FAQ_Snowcaves.htm


It is recommended to have hand warmers and space blankets in the car even for short trips. Never leave home without a cell phone or ham radio or both.

To help others, monitor FRS/GMRS traffic for people calling for help.

There are some excellent tips in the web pages given above on what to do when the power goes out and/or the phones are down.

Above all else, keep warm and be sure to get food and water.

===Notes from the 12/15 and 12/22 nets===

KD7UM - BOX BUILT FROM 1/2 INCH PLYWOOD. 30 AMP PS - 2 TNC'S - MOBILES - HANDLES - FRONT & BACK OPEN FOR VENTILATION. REMOVABLE SHELVES (COTTER PINS) - 15X18X16 - BOX & SHELVES FROM ONE PIECE OF PLYWOOD.

ALL GENERATORS produce PURE sine waves from the coils. Most generators send the pure sine wave to a DC converter and then to an inverter to produce a sine wave which ranges from pure sine waves to badly modified sine/square waves.

The Honda 2000i models make very beautiful sine waves. Some generators including Honda put up to 24 volts on the 12 volt line!

Worst sine wave has flattened tops & bottoms, BUT the WORST part is the 0 volt gap between cycles. True sine waves got from cycle to cycle in one
continuous move with an almost instant crossing of the 0 line (x axis). Bad ones run along the 0 line for a ways before producing the other side of the wave. BAD, BAD NEWS, ESPECIALLY ON MOTORS. The only way to know for sure what you are getting out of your generator is to get together
with someone who has an oscilloscope.

When charging batteries with the 12 volt output of a generator, you MUST monitor the charging and disconnect the generator when the battery is charged or the battery will be destroyed.

If your generator has a 12 volt output, best bet is to get a solar regulator (that can handle 24 volts or more) and let it regulate the 12 volts and also monitor the battery charging and auto disconnect when the battery is charged.

KD7UM - 12 VOLT DC - SOME GENERATORS ARE FOR BATTERY CHARGING ONLY.

73s until next time. Havae fun shoveling snow.
N7OZH