2013 Final Thoughts

Well, 2013 is rapidly closing in and a new year awaits. As this year ends I want to give some thoughts that I feel are important. The internet is a fabulous tool but it is a double edged sword. Too many people fail to understand how this impacts them especially when conducting research on prepping and survival. There has been an explosion of blogs, YouTube channels, Facebook pages, books, etc. on prepping and related topics. The majority of these provide no useful, informational, or insightful information. Not only do they really have nothing new to add but some of the information is incorrect and dangerous. Yet, for those new to this field they may not have the background to discriminate the good from the bad. This leads to problems especially if you believe the information on face value and fail to test it under realistic conditions which most people won’t. 

 Some of my observations include:

There is always a lot of debate on which firearm is the best to carry and everyone has an opinion. Yet, rarely do you read a discussion on what tactics to use. Tactics are a critical component when it comes to protection and is probably more important than which firearm to use. If you are not tactically sound all else will go to hell in a crisis.

• Lately, there is a lot of hoopla about the very inexpensive Chinese made Baofeng radios. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of this radio based on price alone as they ignore radio performance and poor quality control issues.

• There are many posts on what you should do to secure your home but rarely do they discuss in detail how to do this. Knowing “what” to secure is significantly different from knowing “how” to secure.

• Knives are another topic that is highly debated especially when it comes to talking about what blade steel to use, fixed blade or folder, length of blade, choil, jimping, blade shape, handles, sheaths, modifications, etc. Again, everyone has an opinion especially regarding the knife but there is little on how to use the knife, advantages, disadvantages, etc.

Motivations

Another area of concern are those who update their blog on a daily basis. At Survival Skillcraft we only update our blog when we have something to say. We don’t blog just to blog. Yet, many bloggers are looking for a monetary profit be it big or small. They are trying to earn some extra money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and we fully appreciate and support capitalism. The problem is that they need to remain current and relevant in order to keep their name in the spotlight. The problem is how one comes up with so much information. Let’s face it most of the information that is posted is not new or original. Or, it is a post from someone else so that the same information gets moved around from place to place. Don’t get me wrong as there are some great blogs and information out there the problem is shifting through all the fodder to find them.

The Bottom Line 

I could go on but the point is that you have to be able to discriminate the good from the bad from the ugly and dangerous. The only realistic way to do this is through realistic training where you test out what works for you. You will also find out what doesn’t work and what modifications you need to make in order for it to be useful for your specific needs.

The bottom line is that you want to know what works before a crisis. This is your responsibility and yours alone. Getting information off a popular website or from a popular blogger doesn’t mean the information is valid. Abraham Lincoln summed it up best when he said, “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”

Survival Skillcraft would like to with you and your family a great and prosperous 2014. 

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TC

©2013

Review of the Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio

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 would 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.

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 back up form of communications for disaster preparedness

Following were 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: 2/10th of a mile from inside my home with many obstructions
Performance: Very loud and clear

Test 5: 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). I have a GMRS and amateur (ham) radio license so I can enter the GMRS frequencies into my ham radio which is 5 watts. This is a great benefit if you have a GMRS license.

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.

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.

I highly recommend these radios.

You can get them on Amazon.com: Midland GXT1000VP4

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TC

(C) 2013

Review of the Midland XT511 GMRS Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio

The Midland XT511 GMRS Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio is a power packed radio full of functionality. You get GMRS/FRS with privacy codes, FM/AM radio stations, NOAA weather radio with alerts, clock with an alarm, VOX, and a flashlight. There is a Dynamo crank for battery charging capabilities as well as a USB jack for charging a mobile phone. I like that fact that you can use the NiMH battery pack or 4 AA batteries. The initial battery charge time is 24 hours and then 12 hours thereafter which is a little long to charge in my opinion. The radio is simple to set up and use. A shoulder strap is included. Keep in mind that radio performance is based on many factors. Performance can vary substantially based on your location, height, battery strength, etc.

Observations:

GMRS/FRS: In an urban setting the most range I have been able to obtain with GMRS is about 1.5 miles (Yes, I have a GMRS license.) GMRS is 5 watts.

AM Radio: I have been able to clearly receive all the AM stations that I listen to. At times there is a little static on AM stations but that seems to be the case with most AM radios.

FM Radio: FM stations come in crystal clear which I would expect.

NOAA Weather: Works as expected and is very clear. You must program the alert function to provide warnings. It is not set to automatically alert.

External Speaker Mic: Provides clear audio. Feels a little cheap but works.

Flashlight: The flashlight is not a high power blinding light but works well for close range. This flashlight should be a backup to another flashlight. Do not rely on this flashlight as your primary form of light.

Dynamo Crank: My philosophy on the crank is that it is a last resort option because I don't want to accidently break it and would rather have it available for an emergency situation. It works but takes some effort to build up power. The crank feels a little cheap and I am not sure how durable it is over the long haul.

Size: This radio is smaller and more compact than I thought it was going to be. But, I view this as a positive feature since I don't want a big or bulky radio.

Wish List:

- I would like to see Midland have a stronger more durable and rugged case for this model. In its current form the plastic shell feels a little cheap.

- Some of the GMRS frequencies are authorized up to 50 watts of power. I would love to see Midland crank up the output to 50 watts for these GMRS frequencies. That would really add to the utility and functionality of this radio.

Making these two changes would make this a serious "base station" radio.

Overall Assessment:

The Midland XT511 GMRS Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio is a solid radio. I use this radio in conjunction with my Midland GXT1000VP4 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) (Black/Silver). It provides a solid GMRS/FRS communications network with AM/FM and NOAA capabilities. I also include ham radios in my communications set up.

Overall, I recommend this radio for a base station set up. It is not a perfect radio but there are not many "base station" options available.

This radio can be purchased at Amazon.com: Midland XT511 GMRS/FRS Base Station

TC

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(C) 2013

Books on Prepping and Survival

Over the last few days I have read 15 books on prepping, survival, bugging out, bugging in, bug out bags, and disaster preparedness. For the most part these books should have never been written or published. None of them where excellent, most were average at best, and a few were just terrible. Having the ability to write a book does not mean that you have reason to write a book. 

Following are some of my gripes about these books:

• Almost everything that was written is freely available on the Internet and the book was a failed regurgitation of information that is already available
• No insightful information was provided
• Some of the information was harmful
• Some of the information was incorrect
• All of the information was too brief and lacked useful details that can actually be applied

When someone decides to write a book they should bring something new, innovative, or insightful to the table otherwise there is no incentive to read the book.  My impression is that these authors, and I use the term very loosely, are trying to:

• Make some extra money
• Obtain some credibility by writing a book 
• Doing it as an ego booster

Having survival skills, prepping skills, or knowledge about disaster preparedness does not mean that you should necessarily write a book with the same information that is already available from numerous sources such as other books, blogs, webpages, forums, and videos. I also got the impression that many of the ‘authors’ are really just armchair preppers who rarely practice their skills to truly know what works, what doesn’t work, or tricks of the trade. They sit behind their computer doing numerous internet searches acquiring knowledge but never testing or using the skills. Then they decide to write a book that benefits no one! Absolutely ridiculous and a waste of time and money for the reader. Amazon.com often has “free” kindle books that everyone posts on their webpages and I have done it to. But, I will refrain from this in the future unless I have actually read the book and find it to be of value. After this experience I will rarely, if ever, pay for a kindle book on prepping unless I know from a good authority that the book is actually worth buying and reading

My plea to all authors who are thinking about writing a book:

• Offer some new insight. If you can’t do this then do not write a book.
• Offer details that can be implemented and applied by the reader. Providing just enough information to make the reader dangerous is not a benefit to anyone.
• Have it properly edited for spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and content. If the knowledge and information is good I can live with spelling and grammatical errors. But, having a properly edited book adds credibility if that is what you are striving toward.
• High quality photos, while not required, help. Do not use low quality photos as it just makes your book look cheap.

Of these four number 1 is clearly the most important - insightful. I want new information and not your version of the same crap that everyone else writes. If you are up to the challenge I would love to read your book. I will even write a review on Amazon for you.

Video Analysis: Police Interview Gone Bad

This video shows the importance of never being complacent and never relying on someone else when it comes to your safety. A suspect is in a police interrogation room and ends up committing suicide with a full size .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. He could have easily shot the police officer but didn't. After shooting himself you will hear one of the officer's stating that no one shook him. This means that they wrongly assumed that someone else searched the suspect for weapons.

This video is not meant to be critical of the officer but to show that one can never make faulty assumptions.

Stay safe.

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TC
(C) 2013

Baofeng Radios: My Observations

Lately there has been a lot of attention on the low cost Chinese Baofeng radios. It is time for me to put my opinion out there for those who care. First, I own three Baofeng radios so my opinions are based on real life experience with this product.  I own the UV-5R+, UV-5B, and UV-B6.  Amazon.com has hundreds of reviews on Baofeng radios and many are 5 star reviews. Unfortunately, many of these positive reviews are based solely on the price of the radio and not the quality of the radio. Meaning that for $30-$40 you are getting a good deal. There is a significant difference between getting a good deal verse having a radio that truly is worth 5 stars. While a 5 star rating can mean different things to different reviewers the radio should be based on the merits of the radio before being rated as a great buy. No doubt that all the Baofeng radios are a great price but price alone doesn't make it a great radio. Don't get me wrong this radio is not bad but it is not worth 5 stars. Price is but one factor of the radio that should not trump all other factors.

Before getting into the deficiencies of the Baofeng radios it is important to address your reasoning for purchasing this brand. For me, I use ham radios for emergency situations when other forms of communications such as cell phone service can easily fail during a crisis such as 9/11 or the Boston Marathon bombing. I need a radio that is highly dependable and will perform flawlessly within the capabilities of the radio. Now, if you are using the radio for entertainment purposes or as a hobby then your requirements may not be as stringent and this is completely understandable. So, I do realize that people purchase products with different expectations and for different reasons. I need the radio to work in the “worst case scenario” so my expectations are very high as they should be in this situation.

Issues with Baofeng:

Many of the Baofeng radios have potential to be great radios but there are just too many quality control issues that plague this brand.  All three of the Baofeng radios I own have some sort of issue that really detracts from the quality of the radio. Essentially, you may end up with a good radio or a bad radio. It can be a crap shoot. Problems include an LED light that flickers and is not consistent, the number "8" button sometimes works and sometimes does not, and the charger that came with my radio does not work properly. The volume cannot be turned down all the way. Even when turned to the lowest setting you can still hear the radio. Programming this radio is an absolute nightmare. Yes, you can do it but there are a lot of steps involved which increases your chances of making an error. The "user manual" is beyond pathetic. Some of the translations from Chinese to English barely make sense. Baofeng even states, "The new English, German, French instruction, more convenient and more humanized" is quite a joke. There is nothing "humanized" about the instructions or the radio. Yes, there is a ton of information available on the Internet and YouTube but this is by necessity. To program this radio I highly recommend a quality cable and a software program called Chirp located at: http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home . Go to the Miklor website for good information on this radio located at http://www.miklor.com/

For a good programming cable I highly recommend is the Kenwood2-Pin USB Radio Programming Cable FTDI Chipset KPG-22, Also works with Baofeng,FDC, Linton, Puxing, Surecom, Weierwei, Wouxun, and Quansheng. This cable is FTDI and will work without problems as opposed to all the counterfeit cables on the market that will just frustrate you.

Other issues with the Baofeng include:

- User manual is useless and not at all helpful.  The user manual is a poor translation from Chinese to English. Some of the translations do not make sense.

- Scans very slow

- The included earpiece is does not work well

- 4 watts of power as opposed to 5 watts

- 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 you do not have to do this making programming much simpler and error free.

- The channel display tags can be difficult to read

- The volume cannot be turned down all the way even when turned to the lowest setting

Overall Assessment:

The main purpose of this radio should be as a backup radio to your primary radio. Unless Baofeng makes some changes I would never recommend this as a primary radio. If you claim this to be a 5 star radio based on the low price and because it works you are leaving out a lot of details. For example, at $150 no one would rate this as a 5 star radio. The same holds as a radio for under $40. If you decide to go with this radio be very patient with the programming until you get it down. Once you get used to the steps it is not too bad but there are a lot of steps and a lot of room for error.

If you are trying to decide between the UV-B5, UV-B6 and the UV-5R Plus I recommend the UV-B5. I can live without the flashlight and prefer to have the ability to switch frequencies with the knob. It does not respond as well as I would like but it is better than using the up and down buttons.

If Baofeng were to fix the following three issues this radio would easily be a 5 star radio:

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

2. Make programming easier so that both transmit and receive (offset) frequencies do not have to be entered

3. Create a useable user manual for all Baofeng radios

I would only recommend Baofeng as a backup to another radio. Keep in mind that a low price is not a substitute for quality. If you want a quality radio you will pay more money but you will end up with a significantly better product.

Side Note:

I compared performance of the Baofeng UV-B5, UV-B6 and UV-5R Plus with a YaesuFT-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 to four times as much as the Baofeng models but it is a significantly 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 while the UV-B5 and UV-B6 are 5 watt radios. I suspect that they may not be putting out the amount of watts that they claim which has been verified by Baofeng users although I personally have not tested this out for myself. 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. Be aware that low cost for the Yaesu is about $149.00 but you are getting a quality radio.

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//TC

© 2013