Where Begin With Food Storage

For many the topic of food storage is daunting task that often confuses the average family. Most people usually have some concept of why storing food might be beneficial, yet they just don't know where to begin. They often think on a large scale rather than manageble levels. It is not necessary to rush out and purchase a years supply of freeze dried buckets of food, or caselots of MRE's. In most cases this is a waste of money that could have been spent on other critical items. It is often not as satisfying as less expensive and familier options. In this article I will discuss some of the general ideas concerning food storage, and give some examples of where to begin.

First let's go over some of the reasons you may want to consider having an active food storage supply. First and foremost it should be realized that our food supply can be disrupted for any number of circumstances since it relies on a very delicate supply chain. Most of the food we eat actually comes from hundreds, even thousands of miles from where we usually purchase it. Natural disasters ( Floods, Hurricaines, Drought, Blackouts, etc), Political and Economic conditions (Strikes, Fuel Prices, Bank closures, Riots, etc), Contamination (Terrorism, Sanitation,etc) are just a few situations that can affect how that normal food supply gets to the market we usually purchase it at.

There are other reasons that may prevent us from obtaining our food, even if it is there at the store waiting to be purchased. Illness, car problems, lack of funds, inclement weather, road closures and a host of other conditions may cause a disruption of our food supply as well. There are so many things that can go wrong between when oats are grown out of state, and that bowl of hot oatmeal lands on our tables for breakfast. There are literally thousands of people, machines, and conditions that need to work in harmony to keep that amazing pipeline of food flowing to our pantries.

So where to begin? First let's look at a timeline of what might give us some peace of mind. For the vast majority of situations likely to be encountered, a 2 week supply of food and water will be sufficient. It is also very simple and inexpensive to obtain. Most situations are resolved within this time. Storms are over, roads get cleared,power is restored, and the next paycheck usually arrives within a couple of weeks. In fact, many Americans easily have a couple weeks worth of chips, dips, frozen pizzas, and beer already in the house. These facts lead many to have a false sense of security. It subsequently causes them to absolutely fail when things play out longer than a couple of weeks.

I believe for most people a one month supply should be the minimum standard. Ideally however a three month supply of food is what I believe a family should have to be considered "prepared". We're obviously not going to be able to survive in a hole for years on end, or withstand some apocolypse, but we will be prepared for just about any type of event that has been encountered around the globe in recent years. Events that totally eliminate food distribution for longer than three months are usually caused by events requiring further preparations that are not within the scope of this article. Those preparations are also not within reach of the average homeowner or novice.

A 1-3 month supply of food is usually best comprised of foods that we are already familiar with eating and preparing. A years supply of wheat berries, powdered milk, oil, and honey does little good if we don't know how to prepare it, and our bodies can't handle it. Special diets, and tastes can be given indivualized considerations if we focus on things we already use. It is actually very easy and convienient as well. It's also handy to have the abilty to simply go into the food storage to retrieve an item that was forgotten during regular shopping. We seem to run out of the items we forgot, right when we need them.

There are a few different ways to achieve our preparedness level of food. First, we need to have a reasonably accurate idea of just what we eat in a month. This can be determined by keeping a journal for a few weeks, or writing out on paper some of the meals we typically enjoy. For example, if I typically enjoy a bowl of oatmeal, some fruit, and some coffee for breakfast, it is a relatively simple process to measure that out one morning so I know what amounts of each I use in a day. Other days, I may choose some cereal, and a glass of orange juice. Again, I need to know how much of each I typically use. This needs to be estimated for each member of our families. The process is repeated for various lunches, dinners, and occasional snacks.

In the above example we still need to get things to be shelf stable. The oatmeal was fine, but what about the fruit, and milk for the cereal? We could simply use things like canned peaches, or oranges. Powdered milk while not a favorite to drink, might be used with things like a bowl of cereal. Shop around and find some shelf stable ideas for the things normally used and then multiply the amounts used by the family for the determined time period planned for.

At the end of figuring that out, we might come out with a list of items like 7 boxes of cereal, 48 cans of fruit, 48 cans of vegetables, 3 boxes of powdered milk, 3 cans of coffee... etc. Once we have some idea of what we need, there are various methods of obtaining it. Some like to get all of one or two individual items like peanut butter for example. Other like to purchase items by meal. They may for example purchase only breakfast items. That way they know they have 1 month of breakfasts for each member of the family, and then they move on to the next meal category. After some time, they know they have exactly a months supply of food for various meals, and then simply repeat the process until they reach a three month supply.

Watch for things on sale, or things you may have a coupon for. It is usually not necessary to try and get all the things at once. This is to our advantage. We are planning ahead when times are good so we can do it at a comfortable pace. Buying things and storing them are usually easier to do that figuring out just what to get. There will be some items that are difficult to figure out a shelf stable option. It is those cases only that we should consider things like freeze dried options. Things like freeze dried meats can be a welcome addition to soups or dishes created with items found at the local market. What we don't want to do is pay a specialized food company for things like spaghetti and sauce when those can be purchased extremely cheap almost anywhere.

Now that we have discussed why, what, and how much to store, this should be able to give us the tools to build a foundation for a solid food storage plan. Determine what is eaten, and convert items to shelf stable alternatives if needed. Determine amounts required for 1-3 months, and obtain them at a comfortable pace that is affordable. Items are commonly obtained in an organized fashion usually by food category, or meal catagory.

Some helpful and recommended books:

Not Your Mothers Food Storage by Kathy Bray
100 Day Pantry by Jan Jackson
It's In The Bag by Michelle Snow

In future articles we will build on this foundation and also provide details on some products that have worked for us, and tips and tricks we have learned along the way. It's never to early to begin your food storage plan. You'll be glad you did when it counts.

//EE
(C) 2013

Food Storage- How To Begin

For many the topic of food storage is a daunting task that often confuses the average family. Most people usually have some concept of why storing food might be beneficial, yet they just don't know where to begin. They often think on a large scale rather than manageable levels. It is not necessary to rush out and purchase a years supply of freeze dried buckets of food, or case lots of MRE's. In most cases this is a waste of money that could have been spent on other critical items. It is often not as satisfying as less expensive and familiar options. In this article I will discuss some of the general ideas concerning food storage, and give some examples of where to begin.

First let's go over some of the reasons you may want to consider having an active food storage supply. First and foremost it should be realized that our food supply can be disrupted for any number of circumstances since it relies on a very delicate supply chain. Most of the food we eat actually comes from hundreds, even thousands of miles from where we usually purchase it. Natural disasters ( Floods, Hurricanes, Drought, Blackouts, etc), Political and Economic conditions (Strikes, Fuel Prices, Bank closures, Riots, etc), Contamination (Terrorism, Sanitation,etc) are just a few situations that can affect how that normal food supply gets to the market we usually purchase it at.

There are other reasons that may prevent us from obtaining our food, even if it is there at the store waiting to be purchased. Illness, car problems, lack of funds, inclement weather, road closures and a host of other conditions may cause a disruption of our food supply as well. There are so many things that can go wrong between when oats are grown out of state, and that bowl of hot oatmeal lands on our tables for breakfast. There are literally thousands of people, machines, and conditions that need to work in harmony to keep that amazing pipeline of food flowing to our pantries.

So where to begin? First let's look at a timeline of what might give us some peace of mind. For the vast majority of situations likely to be encountered, a 2 week supply of food and water will be sufficient. It is also very simple and inexpensive to obtain. Most situations are resolved within this time. Storms are over, roads get cleared,power is restored, and the next paycheck usually arrives within a couple of weeks. In fact, many Americans easily have a couple weeks worth of chips, dips, frozen pizzas, and beer already in the house. These facts lead many to have a false sense of security. It subsequently causes them to absolutely fail when things play out longer than a couple of weeks.

I believe for most people a one month supply should be the minimum standard. Ideally however a three month supply of food is what I believe a family should have to be considered "prepared". We're obviously not going to be able to survive in a hole for years on end, or withstand some apocalypse, but we will be prepared for just about any type of event that has been encountered around the globe in recent years. Events that totally eliminate food distribution for longer than three months are usually caused by events requiring further preparations that are not within the scope of this article. Those preparations are also not within reach of the average homeowner or novice.

A 1-3 month supply of food is usually best comprised of foods that we are already familiar with eating and preparing. A years supply of wheat berries, powdered milk, oil, and honey does little good if we don't know how to prepare it, and our bodies can't handle it. Special diets, and tastes can be given individualized considerations if we focus on things we already use. It is actually very easy and convenient as well. It's also handy to have the ability to simply go into the food storage to retrieve an item that was forgotten during regular shopping. We seem to run out of the items we forgot, right when we need them.

There are a few different ways to achieve our preparedness level of food. First, we need to have a reasonably accurate idea of just what we eat in a month. This can be determined by keeping a journal for a few weeks, or writing out on paper some of the meals we typically enjoy. For example, if I typically enjoy a bowl of oatmeal, some fruit, and some coffee for breakfast, it is a relatively simple process to measure that out one morning so I know what amounts of each I use in a day. Other days, I may choose some cereal, and a glass of orange juice. Again, I need to know how much of each I typically use. This needs to be estimated for each member of our families. The process is repeated for various lunches, dinners, and occasional snacks.

In the above example we still need to get things to be shelf stable. The oatmeal was fine, but what about the fruit, and milk for the cereal? We could simply use things like canned peaches, or oranges. Powdered milk while not a favorite to drink, might be used with things like a bowl of cereal. Shop around and find some shelf stable ideas for the things normally used and then multiply the amounts used by the family for the determined time period planned for.

At the end of figuring that out, we might come out with a list of items like 7 boxes of cereal, 48 cans of fruit, 48 cans of vegetables, 3 boxes of powdered milk, 3 cans of coffee... etc. Once we have some idea of what we need, there are various methods of obtaining it. Some like to get all of one or two individual items like peanut butter for example. Other like to purchase items by meal. They may for example purchase only breakfast items. That way they know they have 1 month of breakfasts for each member of the family, and then they move on to the next meal category. After some time, they know they have exactly a months supply of food for various meals, and then simply repeat the process until they reach a three month supply.

Watch for things on sale, or things you may have a coupon for. It is usually not necessary to try and get all the things at once. This is to our advantage. We are planning ahead when times are good so we can do it at a comfortable pace. Buying things and storing them are usually easier to do that figuring out just what to get. There will be some items that are difficult to figure out a shelf stable option. It is those cases only that we should consider things like freeze dried options. Things like freeze dried meats can be a welcome addition to soups or dishes created with items found at the local market. What we don't want to do is pay a specialized food company for things like spaghetti and sauce when those can be purchased extremely cheap almost anywhere.

Now that we have discussed why, what, and how much to store, this should be able to give us the tools to build a foundation for a solid food storage plan. Determine what is eaten, and convert items to shelf stable alternatives if needed. Determine amounts required for 1-3 months, and obtain them at a comfortable pace that is affordable. Items are commonly obtained in an organized fashion usually by food category, or meal category.

Some helpful and recommended books:

Not Your Mothers Food Storage by Kathy Bray
100 Day Pantry by Jan Jackson
It's In The Bag by Michelle Snow

In future articles we will build on this foundation and also provide details on some products that have worked for us, and tips and tricks we have learned along the way. It's never to early to begin your food storage plan. You'll be glad you did when it counts.

//EE
(C) 2013

Family Emergency Communications Kit

Family Emergency Communications Kit

Recently, I posted an article on the Survival Skillcraft blog on creating an emergency communications kit. This is a great kit if you are by yourself but the reality is that many people have family members that they need to communicate with during a crisis. This article will focus on an emergency communications kit for the family. For demonstration purposes we will assume a family of four. You can adjust items to fit your family size.  Please keep in mind, as with any kit, it is important to design the kit to your particular needs so feel free to add or remove items as necessary.

This article will not discuss the use of cell phones. It will be assumed that the cell phone networks will be overwhelmed during a crisis and that the networks will either be so busy or completely offline that you will not be able to send or receive either phone calls or send text messages.

Platform:

The platform for my Family Emergency Communications Kit is the LA Police Gear Jumbo Bail Out Bag which costs $29.99. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on this bag because I know it is not going to get much use to justify spending $150.00 plus on a bag. Yet, I needed a bag durable enough to survive a crisis and large enough to hold all of my communications equipment. After doing a lot of research on different bags I decided on the LA Police Gear Jumbo Bail Out Bag. While it isn’t a top of the line bag it fits my needs perfectly and should hold up to any abuse that I will put it through. Keep in mind that the majority of the time this bag is going to be sitting in a closet so there is no need to spend a lot of money on the bag. It is a much wiser decision to spend your money on the communication equipment you will be using. 

A Word on Amateur Radio:

Before getting into the actual radio equipment I want to stress the importance of having at least one family member who is an FCC licensed amateur radio operator. This will increase your communications ability tremendously especially during an emergency. There are many free resources available on the Internet that will completely prepare you for the Technician’s test which is the first level of being a licensed ham radio operator. Additionally, a good book that I highly recommend is The Ham Whisperer's Technician Class License Course by Andy Vellenga which is available from Amazon.com. The fee for getting your Technician’s class license is $15 for 10 years. With some studying and time commitment you can easily be ready in one month to take your test. This will greatly increase your capabilities.

Communication Equipment:

The communications equipment in my set up included the following items:

1 – Yaesu FT-60R Handy Talkie Amateur Radio (Primary ham radio)

1 – Baofeng UV-B6 Amateur Radio (Secondary ham radio)

1 – Baofeng UV-B5 Amateur Radio (Back-up ham radio)

1 – Baofeng UV-5R+ Amateur Radio (Back-up ham radio)

2 – Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios 

2 – Motorola MT352R Giant FRS/GMRS Weatherproof Two-Way Radios

Other Equipment Includes: 

•  GoalZero 19010 Guide 10 Plus Small Adventure Kit (Solar Kit to recharge batteries)
•  VertexStandard Alkaline Battery Case (FBA-25) – To use AA batteries with the Yaesu FT-60R
• EneloopRechargeable AA and AAA batteries
• Storacellby Powerpax AA 12 Pack Battery Caddy
• NationalInteroperability Field Operations Guide, Version 1.4 (January 2011) by the Department of Homeland Security
• EnergizerLED Folding 360 Area Lantern with Light Fusion Technology
• Back up antennas for each ham radio (secured in homemade PVC case)
• Chargers for each piece of electronic gear
• External microphone for Yaesu and Baofeng radios
• Written emergency communications plan with important phone numbers, evacuation areas, etc. (This is a critical component of your kit. You must have a written plan.)
• Frequency list for each ham radio
• Composition notebook, pens, and permanent marker

 Radio Equipment Observations:

Yaesu FT-60R Handy Talkie Amateur Radio

The Yaesu FT-60R DualBand Handheld 5W VHF/UHF Amateur Radio Transceiver - Dual Band is an excellent radio especially for new ham radio operators. Whether you are looking for a handy talkie (HT) for a hobby, emergency communications (EMCOMM), or for those times when cell phone service is not reliable the FT-60R is an excellent choice. At 5 watts it is also a good option when hiking, backpacking, or camping. Preppers will find this to be a useful form of communications and a great radio for a go bag or emergency communications kit.

Pros:

+ 5 Watts of Power

+ 1000 Memory Channels

+ Dual band VHF/UHF for 2M and 70cm bands

+ NOAA Weather Alerts

+ User manual is well written

+ High quality; durable product

+ Decent battery life (the battery is good for approximately 300 charges)

+ Sound clarity is very good

+ Lots of accessories are available

+ The radio has a lot of options and functions to change different settings to your preference

+ Easy to program although I do recommend using Yaesu ADMS-1J Programming Software which is simple, fast, and effective to program all of your frequencies

+ With a cloning cable it is easy to clone another FT-60R to transfer all of your frequencies

Cons:

- A bit heavy and bulky compared to newer radios

- The charger does not indicate that the radio is charging or when the charge is complete.

- If you are not using WIRES then turn it off otherwise you will have a delay when pressing the PTT which can cut off what you are saying. Press the "0" (zero) button to disable WIRES.

Recommendations:

1. I recommend upgrading the antenna. I am using a Diamond SRH77CA and notice a significant difference in performance compared to the standard rubber duck antenna.

2. I also recommend getting the Vertex Standard Alkaline Battery Case (FBA-25) which will allow you to use 6 AA alkaline batteries for power should your NiMH battery lose its power. Yaesu does not recommend using rechargeable batteries and claim that only alkaline batteries should be used. I have spoken with numerous people who use rechargeable batteries without incident. Use rechargeable batteries at your own risk.

Overall Assessment:

While this radio doesn't have all of the latest and greatest gadgetry such as GPS the FT-60R is a very popular radio that has been around for quite some time and has a proven track record. Many experienced ham operators own one and this is a great first radio. Also, many Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) use this radio. The FT-60R is often used as a great basic emergency communications (EMCOMM) radio. Keep in mind that during a crisis such as 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing cell phone service failed yet ham radio operators where still able to communicate with ease!

Radio performance has a lot of different variables that will affect how well the radio performs. Your location, type of antenna, battery level, radio settings, etc. can influence radio performance. Yaesu is a well-known brand in the amateur radio world. They make solid reliable radios that will perform well and last for years. I did a lot of research before purchasing this radio and I have no regrets at all. I would buy this radio again. If you are new to ham radio and don't want to spend a lot of money to get into this hobby the FT-60R is a great radio at a solid price. I purchased mine at Ham Radio Outlet for $149.00.

A Note on Baofeng Radios:

It seems that Baofeng radios are becoming very popular radios based on their very affordable price.  When talking about emergency communications it is my belief that one must never sacrifice quality for price. Yet, this is exactly what is happening with the Baofeng radios. People claim how great they are based on price alone and minimize or overlook the flaws of the radio. This is a mistake. Be cautious of Baofeng reviews that are based on price and not product attributes. I own three Baofeng radios that are included in my Family Emergency Communications kit. This was not by design. The reality is that each radio that I received has a quality control issue. I ended up buying the lasted model hoping that the issues would get resolved but they have not. These radios are made in China and the standards are definitely subpar. During a crisis or emergency I need a radio that is reliable which is why my main radio is the Yaesu FT-60R. Now, despite the quality control issues, the Baofeng’s are not useless. They are my backup radios and cheap enough to give to someone else during a crisis who may be helpful to me or my family. If Baofeng can tighten up their QC issues they will be a force to be reckoned with. As of right now, if you are looking for a quality handy talkie ham radio I recommend either Yaesu, Kenwood, or Icom for your primary radio, not Baofeng.

Baofeng UV-B6, UV-B5, and UV-5R+ Amateur Radios

These Baofeng radios are low cost radios that have a lot of potential to be a great radio. Unfortunately they fail in this respect. The biggest issue that seems to impact all Baofeng radios is one of quality control. Every Baofeng radio I own seems to have issues that detract from the quality of the radio. For under $50 you are getting a good deal on a low cost ham radio. Unfortunately, quality control seems to be the tradeoff. This is well documented by many Baofeng users.

The Baofeng radios have the potential of being a very good radio but there are two problems that really detract from this radio:

1. There are significant quality control problems with these radios. Essentially, you may end up with a good radio or a bad radio. It can be a crap shoot. Until the quality control issues are fixed you are at the mercy of luck. I do know people who own Baofeng radio’s with no issues and they are very happy with their radio. Again, it is the luck of the draw. I just happen to end up with three radio’s that have issues.

2. Programming this radio is not user friendly. Yes, you can do it but there are a lot of steps involved which increases your chances of making an error. The "user manual" for these radios are horrible. Go to the Miklor website for good information on this radio.

Pros:

+ 4 to 5 watts depending on the model (although not convinced that it truly is 5 watts)

+ Very small, compact, and portable

+ Has the ability to name channels

+ Voice assisted which is nice for the hearing impaired

+ Ability to listen to and program FM radio stations (UV-5R+ does not store FM stations)

+ Stores between 99-128 channels depending on the model (not the most but enough)

+ Comes with Automatic Number Identification (ANI) which can be a very useful function depending on your needs (Not on the UV-5R+)

+ The flashlight is surprising bright for short distances

+ Good volume control and sound quality

+ Excellent battery life

+ Accessories are inexpensive

+ Can program FRS/GMRS/MURS frequencies to both receive and transmit (Note: this is an illegal function to transmit on these frequencies with this particular radio. Also, GMRS requires a license from the FCC which currently costs $85 for a five year period.)

Cons:

- Programming is not user friendly and requires a lot of keystrokes. I recommend using Chirp software to program the radio. The Chirp software is free and easy to use. Spend the extra money and get the following programming cable: Kenwood 2-Pin USB Radio Programming Cable FTDI Chipset KPG-22. This cable is FTDI and will work without problems as opposed to all the counterfeit cables on the market that will just frustrate you.

- User manual is a poor translation from Chinese to English. Some of the translations do not make sense.

- The radio does not automatically know the offset so you end up having to enter both transmit and receive frequencies. With radios such as Yaesu, Kenwood, or Icom you do not have to do this which makes programming much simpler and error free.

- The charger that came with my radio does not work properly, the flashlight work intermittently, one of the buttons works intermittently.

- The volume cannot be turned down all the way. Even when turned to the lowest setting you can still hear the radio.

- The channel display tags can be difficult to read

- In order to have the channel names appear if you use Chirp programming software you need to go to either menu 18 or 19 and change the setting to "name" otherwise it will continue to show the frequency and not the name (UV-B6 and UV-B5)

The main purpose of this radio should be as a backup radio to your primary radio. Unless Baofeng makes some changes and improves quality I would never recommend this as a primary radio. If you decide to go with this radio be very patient with the programming until you get it down. There are a lot of steps and a lot of room for error.

Overall Assessment:

If Baofeng were to fix the following three issues this radio would easily be a great radio:

1. Eliminate quality control issues as there is too much variance from radio to radio

2. Make programming easier so that both Tx, Rx, and offset frequencies do not have to be entered

3. While the user manual is improved over prior models it still has a way to go.

I would only recommend the Baofeng as a backup to another radio.

Side Note:

I compared performance of the Baofeng UV-B6, UV-B5 and UV-5R Plus with a Yaesu FT-60R DualBand Handheld 5W VHF/UHF Amateur Radio Transceiver - Dual Band. The Yaesu significantly outperformed all of the Baofeng models. It was able to receive signals from a further distance and the sound clarity was much better. Yes, the Yaesu costs three times as much as the Baofeng models but it is a much better radio. The Yaesu is a basic model that doesn't have all of the same features as the Baofeng's such as FM radio or a flashlight. The UV-5R Plus is a 4 watt radio and the UV-B6 & UV-B5 are 5 watt radios. I suspect that they may not be putting out the amount of watts that they claim. Again, as a backup radio the Baofeng's will be fine but I would not recommend them as a primary radio. If you are a new ham radio operator looking for a high quality, low cost radio I recommend the Yaesu FT-60 which costs about $149.00 but you are getting a high quality radio.

Note on FRS/GMRS Radios:

To use GMRS frequencies you need a FCC license which costs $85 for a 5 year period.  Yes, I am well aware that most people forgo this requirement which is a mistake. Using the radios without the FCC license is opening the door for legal problems. While this issue is beyond the scope of this article it is just wise and prudent to not let a licensing issue potentially lead to bigger problems.

Do not expect much more than 1.5 miles for a realistic communications distance. This is a real world number and not the “best case scenario” of the 36 to 50 miles distance that is advertised.  Even though 1.5 miles is not far it is still adequate during a crisis or emergency because you want your family close.

There is absolutely no privacy on these radios. Do not let the term “privacy codes” lead you to believe that your conversations are private…they are not.

MidlandGXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios 

When it comes to two-way radios I always keep my expectations low to start. There are so many factors that influence radio performance and as we all know they never provide the advertised "best case" range. After receiving these radios I put them through my unofficial test to see how they will perform for me and my needs. To my delight the Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios performed very well and are one of the better consumer radios available (although all of the consumer models can be significantly improved.)

My goals for using this radio include:

1. Use when hiking in a desert or mountain environment

2. Use in an urban residential neighborhood

3. As a backup form of communications for disaster preparedness

Following are the tests I conducted:

Test 1: ½ mile line of sight, flat ground with no obstructions

Performance: Extremely loud and clear

Test 2: One mile line of sight, flat ground with no obstructions

Performance: Extremely loud and clear

Test 3: Half mile in residential neighborhood with many obstructions

Performance: Extremely loud and clear

Test 4: Drove in my vehicle 1.5 miles in an urban environment with many obstructions

Performance: Was able to hear with some static. I did notice that the vehicle had a negative impact on radio performance. I stopped to exit my vehicle and the radio performed significantly better where I was able to hear the transmission loud and relatively clear although there was static.

For my needs this radio performed flawlessly. Granted, I am not asking for a lot of range but I don't need them to perform over a long range. I also did not expect the radios to perform well in an urban residential neighborhood with a lot of obstructions such as numerous one and two story homes. The ½ mile residential distance with obstructions still provided crystal clear clarity.

Pros:

+ Has a lot of functionality

+ Comes with 50 channels

+ Great sound clarity and very loud

+ Has direct call and dual monitor functionality

+ Good size and feel

+ Excellent battery life

+ Excellent belt clip

+ The "Whisper" function works very well

+ Ability to use AA batteries when the NiMH rechargeable battery pack runs out of juice

+ Accessories are available such as a speaker mic and headset

+ Backlight is bright

+ Icons are easy to see

+ Can scan weather channels from NOAA and has a NOAA weather alert function

+ Has scanning function although it does scan very slowly

Cons:

- Instructions are printed in a very small font

- The battery charger does not indicate when the battery is completely charged

- The headset that comes with the radio does not work well or stay in place

- Setting up the Group Mode has a lot of steps

Keep in mind that this radio has 50 channels of which some are GMRS and require a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Overall Assessment:

I researched just about every consumer FRS/GMRS radio from Midland, Motorola, and Uniden and find this Midland radio to be one of the better consumer radios available on the market. All of the radios have some benefits as well as some flaws. The key is finding one that works for your needs and will function within your expectations. There is definitely a significant difference between consumer radios and professional radios and I would like to see these companies upgrade their radios to a more professional level for the consumer market. Even if the cost increased I think this would be a benefit to end users. A more rugged case and stronger buttons would be very nice. A rugged 5 watt GMRS only radio would also be a nice option to have. There is an open market for two way radios that are between the consumer and professional level radio that is wide open for a company to come in and dominate. Even if they only had one or two choices of radios at this level it would be nice to see. Note: Midland does have a professional grade FRS/GMRS radio but the cost is more than the Yaesu FT-60R.

The Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios fit my needs very well and performed to my requirements. Keep in mind that radio performance is impacted by a host of factors. Overall, I am very satisfied with these radios and will purchase an extra set.

Motorola  MT352R Giant FRS Weatherproof Two-Way - 35 Mile Radios

Again, when it comes to two-way radios I always keep my expectations low. After receiving these radios I put them through my unofficial test as listed above to see how they would perform for me and my needs. The Motorola MT352R Giant FRS Weatherproof Two-Way radios also performed very well.

Pros:

+ Easy to set up and use

+ Has a lot of functionality

+ Great sound clarity

+ Excellent 15 hour battery life

+ Ability to use three AA batteries when the NiMH rechargeable battery pack runs out of juice

+ Can use the Goal Zero 19010 Guide 10 Plus Small Adventure Kit as another power source

+ Accessories are available such as a speaker mic and headset

+ Has a Power Boost function on the PTT for added power

+ Backlight is bright

+ Icons are easy to see

+ Has a flashlight feature on the bottom of the radio which is very handy

+ Can scan weather channels from NOAA

+ Has scanning functions

+ IP-54 rating. If you need waterproof radios consider the Motorola MS350R 35-Mile Talkabout Waterproof 2-Way Radio (Pair)

Cons:

- Instructions are printed in a very small font

- The belt clip does not seem durable and is poorly designed (I can see this being a significant problem)

- The radios are a bit bulky

Overall Assessment:

The Motorola MT352R Giant FRS Weatherproof Two-Way radios fit my needs very well and performed to my requirements. Keep in mind that radio performance is impacted by a host of factors. Overall, I am very satisfied with these radios and may purchase an extra set.

Conclusion:

During a crisis, disaster, or emergency you cannot count on cell phone service. It is imperative to have alternate forms of communications that will keep you in touch with your loved ones or others. Additionally, I can’t stress the importance of having a written emergency communications plan in your kit. Your plan must be inclusive and practiced for it to be effective. Your plan must have emergency phone numbers, meeting locations, evacuation points with back up locations, radio frequencies, out of town contacts, etc. You do not want to learn of your plans weakness during a crisis. 

As you can see this kit only contains communications equipment. I also have a go bag that has other equipment that I will need in time of a crisis. Redundancy is built into my communications kit by having backup radios and backup power sources consisting of electrical, battery, and solar. In another bag I also have a small radio capable of receiving shortwave radio. During an emergency information is power. Having communications provides peace of mind knowing that I will be able to communicate during a crisis.

Remember the adage:  Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

Stay safe.

TC

© 2013

Small Scale Power Concepts

In a typical wilderness or camping setting, an individual commonly plans for various sources and uses of energy. Fire for example, is very important. We can easily use it as a source of light, warmth, cooking, and in desperate times, a signal for help. Of course as we all know by now, our magical and multipurpose fire requires a source of fuel like wood. Imagine for a moment having to tough it out for a day or two in a primitive scenario. You might be injured, sick, or just plain frustrated. Finding a small pile of pre-cut firewood near your campsite would certainly be a real gift at a moment like that. In the northern forests, trees and the wood they provide are a definite go to source for energy. But what about back home?

At home, most of us typically don't rely on wood to supply the energy for our basic needs. We instead get our power from the local electric company. Due to various events that power supply can be interrupted due to storms, repairs, accidents, etc. Of course, now your computer, lighting, and communication tools like radio and tv are now often useless. It's at these times that many homeowners are scrambling to find some old flashlight in a crowded junk drawer. The kids are likely to be complaining since the TV is off, and they recently discovered their other electronic gadgets have dead batteries. You might want to call your spouse or even friends and relatives across town, and discover your cell phone is hovering around 5% and you debate saving the remaining power just in case.

Electricity is certainly important to the average homeowner. When back up plans are discussed, the conversation often leads to considerations that are very large scale. A 10,000 watt generator, or a multi-panel solar system costing thousands of dollars. Many of those large scale options are not available for those living in small houses or apartments. Often times however a small emergency back up system is all that is really required in the majority of cases. A small system can get those cell phones, ham radios, some lamps, radio, tv, computer, wifi, and modem back up and running very quickly. Just think, while your neighbor is still rummaging through that junk drawer for his flashlight, you will be enjoying your normal house lighting, reading Survival Skillcraft on your laptop, while the kids enjoy a little tv for a while.

These capabilities do not need to break your budget. In fact, a back up system can be tailored to your specific needs and added to at a later time as funds become available. It's something that can meet immediate concerns, and later on can become as elaborate as your imagination will allow. In future articles, I will be discussing some of the tools and equipment that can be used to create a workable system that just about anyone including an apartment dweller can benefit from. The purpose of this article is to lay out a few concepts that will be kept in mind as we continue on.

The first concept to keep in mind is size. It is unnessesary to create a super huge, do everything system. Start small, get some immediate benefit, and go larger as you become more knowledgable about your actual needs, budget, and energy sources.

The second concept will be to keep in mind that three things need to be done with the energy. It needs to be aquired, stored, and distributed. These three aspects all need to be considered when buiding a balanced system. For example, when the lights go out, the average person still retains an excellent distribution system, but can no longer aquire energy, and usually has very little stored in the form of a couple of batteries in a flashlight somewhere. Another person may have stored numerous batteries, yet has an ineffective distribution system, since he cannot power his computer with all those packs of AA batteries. We also want to have a way to aquire more energy in the event the power company does not get things back online in a short amount of time.

The last concept to keep in mind is efficiency. When crafting a small power system, the devices you choose to distribute your precious energy to, need to be as efficent as possible, or that you can afford. The small system will work a lot better for example powering a couple of 5 watt lights than one 75 watt lamp. It is more efficient to use a laptop, or cell phone to get the weather report from the web, than trying to power a large desktop with an older monitor. Efficiency of devices is critical to the success of a small back up system.

As stated before, there will be future articles on this topic that will go into more detail and explain aspects more clearly. For now, I would like to show you a very capable, and inexpensive system that I was experimenting with that has the above concepts demonstrated.

Many people may have a jumpstart pack in their vehicles, or garage already. This is a very capable storage device since there is a battery contained in it. With a couple of inexpensive items such as a 100 watt inverter, or car cell phone charger the stored energy can now be distributed into useful devices such as a cell phone, and in this case a laptop computer. In testing I also used an electric shaver, hair clippers, a small lamp and they all worked fine. With this small system, it is easy to power the laptop for a few hours, and charge all the phones of my family members. The only weakness, is there is not a way to aquire energy if that battery should run out.

I had a folding solar panel that puts out around 13 watts of energy. It's not super powerful, but consider that the laptop averages about 15 watts while in use, the panel could easily extend the battery life to power the computer all day long.

 Again, this is not a model system. It is just to demonstrate that with a few simple items, critical needs can be met. Watch for future articles on this topic. Hopefully the material will help you create an effective back up power system that meets your needs.

//EE