Tropical Storm Elsa forecast as of 7/3. National Weather Service.
For those in hurricane country, here are links to earlier posts on hurricane preparedness.
This weekend is ARRL Field Day, an amateur radio operating event in which hams set up their stations in remote locations and attempt to make as many contacts as possible. It’s a hotly debated question of whether it’s an emergency preparedness exercise, a contest, or just a fun weekend. The truth is that it’s all three.
Even if all infrastructure were to be destroyed immediately, it would still be quite possible for hams to communicate worldwide using simple equipment, relying on nothing other than the laws of physics. Short of a zombie apocalypse, the need for such ability might be rare, but it’s a point of pride with hams what they can do.
1946 Field Day. QST for Feb. 1947.
Amateur radio was off the air for the duration of World War II, so Field Day 1946, 75 years ago, was the first postwar opportunity for hams to show that they could still communicate off-grid.
When the results were published, it was pointed out that comparisons with earlier Field Days were not appropriate. Hams had only recently come back on the air, and they were not yet allowed on all bands. In particular, they did not yet have privileges on the 160, 40, and 20 meter bands, all workhorses of earlier Field Days. Instead, their HF was limited to 80, 11 and 10 meters. The top portion of the 80 meter band had just been re-opened, and here were the allocations, as shown in the June 1946 issue of QST:
The top score in the 1946 event was W2FC/2, the Jersey Shore Amateur Radio Association, which netted 9621 points from a total of 809 contacts. The 27 participants had eight transmitters on the air simultaneously.
Shown above is my most recent field operation. It wasn’t ARRL Field Day, but instead Winter Field Day 2021.
The rice and lentil soup that I enjoyed most of this week.
Today, I complete the Ration Challenge. For the past seven days, my diet consisted of the same rations provided to Syrian Refugees in Jordan. This is a fundraiser for Church World Service. You can make your donation at this link:
My soup was satisfactory, but many other participants were able to come up with much more creative recipes for the ingredients. You can see many of them in their Facebook group.
One of the focuses of this website is emergency preparedness, and it didn’t escape my notice that these ingredients would form an inexpensive base for emergency food storage. They do require cooking, but they are inexpensive and have a practically indefinite storage life. These ingredients fed me relatively well for seven days. For one year, I would need the following quantities:
At today’s normal supermarket prices, these ingredients would cost about $125. And chances are, by shopping around and buying larger packages, the cost would be even lower. (Even though I didn’t add it to my soup recipes, one of my major sources of calories this week was the 12 ounces of cooking oil. That works out to about five gallons per year, which would add approximately $30 at typical supermarket prices.) One would not eat well if these were the only things you had to eat, but this relatively small expense would guarantee that one person would have minimal nutrition for a full year. It seems like a cheap insurance policy.
For those of us in places like North America and Europe, it seems inconceivable that we might become “refugees” and have to worry about finding enough food to eat. But I suspect that most of the Syrian refugees in camps in Jordan didn’t think so either. Most of them were probably living middle-class lifestyles at some point. They weren’t always refugees, just as you and I are not refugees today.
If we take a little bit of time to plan ahead for emergencies, we can help ourselves at the time of some future disaster. But more importantly, we can be in a position to help our friends and neighbors.
And if you are able, please make a donation to help today’s refugees through Church World Service at this link:
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Seventy years ago this month, the cover of the March 1951 issue of Popular Science featured this artwork by artist Denver Gillen (who made the first drawings of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and later, numerous covers for Outdoor Life) showing “what an A-Bomb blast may do to your home,” but with an inset of a family safely hunkered down in their family foxhole.
The cover entreats the buyer to save the issue, since it contains a special section on emergency preparedness written by Michael Amrine, formerly of the Atomic Energy Commission.
The magazine’s editors noted that much of the literature regarding civil defense was “tragic nonsense–aspirin for cancer. Even the official booklets say mainly, ‘Keep calm, keep covered, and follow directions.” But it goes on to say that official directions might not be forthcoming, since there did not exist civil defense organizations comparable with the problem. Instead, the magazine advocated “planning and plain hard work” by individual homeowners, and the magazine contained advice on how to do that. “The hard truth is that the most you can expect from civil defense will be control and rescue work after a bombing. The most effective preparation for atomic attack will be family by family, house by house.”
The article first noted what not to do, and pointed out that steps such as blacking out the house, taping windows, or even buying a Geiger counter were of very minimal utility. It noted that, as in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, radiation was not going to be the big killer. Instead, it would be the familiar forces of heat and blast, and the article gave pointers on preparing a refuge room to protect against them. The author asked readers to “imagine that your house is in a cyclone or hurricane belt, and next door to a gas tank” and plan accordingly. The most important principles in planning a refuge room were making sure there were at least two exits, keeping out from under heavy furniture or appliances, and preferably being in a corner of the cellar with the least windows or exposure. The importance of using a corner is illustrated by the drawing at left.
After a spot was located, ideas such as shuttering windows and making use of a heavy table or workbench were outlined.
The article included a number of frequently asked questions, including “what should I tell the children?” The answer was simple: the truth. They should be instructed where to go in a raid and how to hit the deck. You shouldn’t scare them, but don’t make it a game, either.
For homes without a basement, the author suggested placing earth or logs against an outside wall, with a sturdy table inside.
The list of recommended supplies included the usual suspects such as canned food and battery operated lights. Under the category of “valuables,” the recommendation included an extra pair of glasses and a lockbox for valuable papers. Rounding out that category was money (in small bills), on the assumption that, as in the last war, the economy would be in full operation.
The list included a wind-up clock and maps of the city and county. The battery operated radio made its usual appearance on the list. The article noted that utilities would probably be out, although some, especially the gas lines, might continue to function for a time. Since battery operated radios were still quite rare (but not unheard of) in 1951, the article noted that a car radio would also work.
The article did note that it was dealing with just the Hiroshima-style A-bomb, and not the H-bomb. It notes that the H-bomb was then still just a theoretical possibility, but that if perfected, it would wreak the same level of damage over a still larger area.
This previous weekend was Winter Field Day. While this event is billed as an emergency preparedness exercise, it’s also simply a fun opportunity to get on the air from a portable location, and make the most of limited resources.
As happened with ARRL Field Day this past June, the event was affected by COVID-19. Since the pandemic generally prevents operation as a group, many who would have otherwise participated stayed home. But in my opinion, being part of a group is not what defines this event. The event is not called “Group Day,” it is called “Field Day.” The focus is operating from out in the field somewhere. And while groups of people can be dangerous because of COVID, there is absolutely nothing that is unsafe about a field. I was completely socially distanced during the entire event. I saw a few other campers and said hello to some of them from 50 feet away. As I’ve previously written, camping is an excellent safe way to travel during the pandemic.
As an emergency preparedness exercise, it seems to me that it was best to adapt to the actual emergency conditions. Because of COVID, it wasn’t possible to do it as a group. But in many emergency situations, a group of helpers might not be available to set up a station and get it on the air. It seems to me that the ability to get a station on the air, even a minimalist station, without outside assistance, is a valuable skill in an emergency.
For summer Field Day, my wife and I operated for an hour or two from a city park, shown here. If it weren’t for all of the naysayers lamenting that they had to stay home for Winter Field Day, I probably would have done something similar and just operated for a while from the back yard, or maybe again from a city park. But since so many people were lamenting that it was impossible to truly go out and operate away from home, I decided to do a winter camping trip in our popup camper.
I made reservations for William O’Brien State Park, which is only a 45 minute drive from home. The temperature never got below 20 degrees, and it was actually a very nice weekend for camping. There were several other campers in the campground. I spotted three RV’s, as well as three family groups camping in tents. Also, I believe at least one of the park’s cabins was occupied. So at least a few non-hams were undaunted by being in the field in the middle of winter, in the middle of a pandemic.
Even though it’s not insulated, the popup camper stays quite warm inside with electric heaters and/or the furnace running. Since I was paying for the electricity anyway, I used two electric space heaters. One was plugged into the outlet in the camper, which was hooked up to the campground’s 30 amp circuit. The other heater was plugged into a separate extension cord going to the campground’s 20 amp circuit. Therefore, if needed, I could run both heaters full blast. When I needed the electricity for cooking, I temporarily unplugged one of the heaters. There was a light dusting of snow Sunday morning, but the camper’s canvas was bone dry by the time I folded it up.
I didn’t set out to make hundreds of contacts. In fact, after making the first one, which happened to be with Rhode Island, I felt like I had proved the concept. But I was on the air for a total of about three hours out of the 24 hours of the contest, and made 27 contacts with 14 states.
Only eight of those contacts were with other portable stations. Six were outdoors, and two were indoors but at temporary locations. I’m grateful for the other 19, who were operating at their home stations, since they gave me someone to make contacts with. But I feel a little sorry for them that they didn’t figure out some way to operate in an actual field for Field Day, even though they couldn’t do it as part of a group. Also, I was a little bit mystified to hear home stations working other home stations, while calling it Field Day. For previous Field Days when I’ve stayed home, I’ve often made some contacts, but since it’s Field Day, I’ve made a point to seek out stations who were actually in a field. There are contests almost every weekend that are geared up for home stations to work other home stations. I guess I don’t see the point of ignoring those opportunities, and then getting on only for a weekend called Field Day. Again, I was grateful that I had stations to work, but I really didn’t get the point of home stations spending the whole weekend working other home stations.
My original plan was to use dipoles for 20 and 40 meters, along with a quarter wave wire for 80 meters. The 80 meter wire was a bust, and didn’t really get out, due undoubtedly to its very low height and lack of much of a ground system. But the dipole for 20 meters did a great job, and I made all of my contacts on that band. You can see (just barely) that antenna at left. It’s held up at the center, inverted-vee style, with my telescoping golf ball retriever, and the ends are tied loosely to some bushes that happened to be at about the right spot. I was running low on wire before the contest, so I ordered a roll of speaker wire that did the job. I cut it to the proper length of about 16-1/2 feet, and then unzipped it when it was in place. I thought I had forgotten to bring a tape measure (it turns out there was one in the toolbox), but I used a six-inch ruler to measure the table, and then used the table to measure the wire.
My original plan was to put up a 40 meter antenna as well, but when 20 meters closed in the early evening, I decided to simply call it a night, and made a few more contacts Sunday morning. As with most of my NPOTA activations, I operated mostly CW, but also made a few SSB contacts. I also made one PSK-31 contact using my tablet computer and the DroidPSK app.
My station consisted of my Yaesu FT-817 powered by a fish-finder battery, which still had plenty of charge left at the end of the contest. The one digital contact was made possible with the Signalink USB interface, which performed flawlessly with the inexpensive RCA tablet computer. For some reason, the tablet’s keyboard didn’t work very well with the DroidPSK software, so I had to use the touchscreen, which seemed like a rather laborious process to me. I probably could have made the process much easier by setting up some macros in advance. But for the first time using it, I was glad that I was able to make my first ever portable digital contact.
As you can see in the picture above, I needed something to prop up the radio on the table, and a box of matches did a perfect job with this important task.
Am I going to save any lives with my ability to operate a portable station? Almost certainly not. On the other hand, if there is ever an emergency, large or small, that makes other forms of communication impossible, I know that I am able to send messages to friends and relatives in other states. I can do it formally by checking in to a National Traffic System net, or I can do it informally simply by working someone and asking them to make a phone call or send an e-mail for me. I can also do that for neighbors who want to let their friends in other states know that they’re safe. I’m also well equipped to receive information from the outside world simply by knowing that I can power up a broadcast receiver to listen to either local or distant stations. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever have a need, but it’s good to know that I have the ability.
The point of exercises like Field Day is to show that hams can adapt to emergency situations and still be able to communicate. COVID has shown us that there are some emergencies where you are cut off from the group that normally helps you establish communications. Can you adapt and still communicate if you are cut off from both this group and your normal station setup? Field Day and Winter Field Day during COVID gave me the opportunity to show that I can.
Here’s a short video tour of my setup:
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Bottom Line: The Opinel is a very inexpensive and unpretentious high quality knife for your everyday carry needs.
Pre-pandemic, I very rarely carried a pocket knife. When I needed a cutting tool, I looked around the garage or kitchen and found something suitable. In the car, I would find a cheap utility knife in the toolbox which would usually serve the purpose.
But with the pandemic, it seemed that I needed a knife multiple times per day. More often than not, it was to open a box from Amazon or Walmart. I like to do this outside, so that I can immediately discard the outer packaging into the recycling bin. Thus, it became convenient to keep a knife in my pocket. I had several around the house, many of which had been given to me as gifts over the years. The first one I stumbled upon was the Opinel No. 6 Stainless Steel folding knife.
As you can see from the picture, the Opinel is a nondescript knife with a wooden handle. It looks like a tool, which, of course, is exactly what it is. It doesn’t have a camouflage handle. It doesn’t have a built-in screwdriver or can opener. It’s benign looking, and designed for cutting things, a goal which it accomplishes remarkably well. It’s well made, and it seems to keep a cutting edge well. I’ve sharpened it a couple of times with a whetstone, and the edge seems to last.
My version came in stainless steel, and the knife is also available in carbon steel. Apparently, the carbon steel blade holds an edge a bit better, but is more prone to rust. The stainless steel (marked on the blade in French, Inox, short for inoxidable) seems the more practical choice.
The Number 6 in the product name indicates the length of the blade, the number 6 being 2.87 inches. The sizes range from a tiny Number 2, up to a Number 12 with a 4.84 inch blade. The number 6 seems to be the perfect size for the occasional jobs I use it for. In addition to opening boxes, I’ve used it to cut food while camping, strip wire, cut cords, and do the normal variety of tasks for which one would use a pocket knife. It’s big enough to do the jobs I need it for, but as it weighs only about an ounce, I hardly notice it in my pocket. The blade meets the “under three inches” standard which is important for some regulatory purposes. (On the other hand, at such time as it becomes safe to fly commercially, I’ll have to remember to leave it at home or in my checked baggage.)
Locking mechanism. Wikipedia photos.
The knife has a simple locking mechanism, which allows the blade to be locked open or closed. It’s simplicity itself–namely, a notched ring which can be twisted to hold the blade in place. In my opinion, most locking mechanisms are annoying and dangerous. If you’re using a knife in such a way that the blade might inadvertently close, then in my opinion, you are using it wrong. And most locking mechanisms I’ve seen require some contortion to disable them, such as holding down a button while moving the blade toward your finger. In most cases, in my opinion, the “safety” feature of a locking blade makes the knife less safe. In the case of the Opinel, however, the locking mechanism needn’t be used at all. In fact, I carried the knife around for quite some time before even realizing that the blade could be locked.
On the rare occasions when I might want to lock the blade on the Opinel, the mechanism and easy and safe to use. You merely rotate the ring to lock or unlock the blade.
Joseph Opinel began making knives in 1890 in Savoie, France, and the knife has always been the quintessential working man’s knife. Picasso reportedly used one as a sculpting tool. Today, about 15 million knives per year roll off the company’s assembly lines.
The Opinel knife is quite inexpensive, but high quality and useful. It’s unpretentious and looks like a tool, so it won’t draw the ire of those who are squeamish about knives. It’s the perfect knife to keep in your pocket. You’ll find you wind up using it several times per day.
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A few months ago, as an experiment, we sent some sourdough starter through the U.S. Mail. We previously posted the results from one recipient. The other sample went to Keith at the Successfully Living Simpler blog, and he posted the results. He claims that he made a “mistake” with the recipe, but I would say that he actually made an “invention” by inadvertently mixing two recipes to make these biscuits.
Early in the pandemic, many people simultaneously decided to take up baking, and yeast became almost impossible to find. But a single package of store-bought yeast has now been used to make bread in three different states. And in my refrigerator, I still have the means to continue making it indefinitely.
Sixty years ago this month, the August 1960 issue of Popular Electronics was a particularly good one. In an upcoming post, we’ll feature one of its construction articles, the elusive loudspeaker crystal set. There’s also a primer on soldering, and a guide to restoring shortwave receivers from the 30s and 40s and turning them into state-of-the-art communications receivers. There’s even the obligatory one-tube radio, namely a one-tube superregenerative receiver for the FM broadcast band.
And one particularly intriguing teaser on the cover promises to tell you all about unlicensed two way radio. The magazine was pointing to FCC rules that are still in effect today in more or less the same form, namely Part 15. Among other things, they allow license-free broadcasting on the AM broadcast band, as long as the transmitter input power is less than 100 milliwatts and the antenna is less than 10 feet long (today, strictly speaking, the allowable antenna is now two inches shorter, because the limit is now 3 meters). Of course, you also need to avoid interference with licensed stations. The magazine explained how you could use two transmitters, along with two broadcast receivers, for a two-way operation. It gave other ideas on how to use such a transmitter, such as mounting it in a car, to stay in touch with another car that’s driving with you, or even to talk to the house while driving by.
Back in the day, as the source of your transmitter, the magazine recommended a wireless phono oscillator. We’ve discussed these before, and they were readily available, either assembled or in kit form, to listen to a phonograph on a nearby radio. These units usually had a range of 50-100 feet. But with the full-size (10 foot) antenna carefully placed, the range could be much greater. According to the magazine, the signal could be picked up by a good car radio a half mile away.
Due to COVID-19, home broadcasting is making a comeback. In particular, there are many applications where you might want to broadcast to nearby car radios. A church, for example, can have its service in the parking lot, with churchgoers listening on the car radio. They can see the altar, but they’re safely distanced in their car. Along with an inexpensive video projector, neighbors can come together for an impromptu drive-in movie.
Review of the Talking House AM Transmitter
Of course, there’s no such thing as a phono oscillator any more, so where do you get a good transmitter? The answer is the transmitter shown at the left, the reasonably priced InfOspot Talking House transmitter. I recently bought one, and I am absolutely amazed at how well it works.
The name derives from the fact that it was originally marketed to real estate agents. The agent would record a short sales pitch for the house, put a sign outside inviting passers by to tune in to a particular spot on the dial, and the house would literally start selling itself.
Because this is the intended use, the Talking House has a built-in digital recorder. You can record a continuous loop of up to about five minutes. Earlier models of the Talking House were capable of only the continuous loop–you couldn’t broadcast live with them. Before I bought the model shown above, I bought one of the older models on eBay. It had an excellent transmitter, but wouldn’t work for live programming without some modification. I was tempted to break out the soldering iron and tap into the audio line, but with the low price of the newer model, I decided to just get it. The transmitter has two inputs in the back, one for a microphone, and the other for a line-level input, such as from a PA system. These inputs can be used to record a loop on the built-in digital recorder, or for live audio. I tested the unit by recording a program on my MP3 player consisting of music and voice. I set it up in my ground floor home office, stretched out the 3 meter antenna, plugged it in, and went on the air.
You can select any frequency from 530-1700 kHz. When you plug the transmitter, you can hear a small electric motor running the built-in antenna tuner. The assures the best possible antenna match, and the best possible signal. After starting it up, I walked around the house with a portable radio admiring the audio quality. Then, of course, I hopped in the car to see how far I was getting out.
Given the short antenna inside the house, I was absolutely blown away at how well it got out. It easily covered the city block. There were a couple of spots where the signal dropped out slightly, but it was broadcast quality within the block. I kept driving and driving. The signal got weaker, but it was still very listenable several blocks away in most directions. There were spots where it dropped out, but I had almost 100% coverage (with a good car radio) out about a half mile. When I explored further out, I found many “sweet spots” where I had an excellent signal more than a mile away. My best DX was over 2 miles, since there were a few places where I could positively identify my signal at that distance.
I’m astonished at how well this transmitter works. And it is FCC certified as complying with part 15, so there is no question as to its legality. You only have to ensure that you’re using a vacant spot on the dial so as not to interfere with licensed stations. In my case, I use 1610 kHz. In the U.S., that frequency is used only for Traveler Information Service (TIS) stations, and there are none close by.
One might be tempted to purchase an FM transmitter, rather than one for the AM band. There’s a knee-jerk reaction by some that the audio quality is better on FM. That’s not necessarily true, since it depends on the quality of the transmitter. An AM signal can have an excellent frequency response, and the Talking House has excellent audio, probably better than a cheap FM transmitter.
The main problem with buying an FM transmitter is that it’s probably not legal. The requirements for license-free FM transmitters are such that the signal must be extremely weak to be legal. A good receiver 100 feet away probably wouldn’t be able to pick it up. If a transmitter performs better than that, then it’s probably not legal. If you use it for a few minutes per week, you probably won’t get caught. But fines are typically in the range of $10,000 per day, and in my opinion, it’s just not worth the risk, particularly since the Talking House AM transmitter works so well.
There are many uses for this transmitter, and it seems like a very useful item to keep on hand. In addition to drive-in church services and impromptu drive-in movies, it could be very useful to broadcast information in the neighborhood in case of emergency. It comes with a “wall wart” power supply for the 18 volts needed to power the unit. It could be run on batteries, but since the wall wart’s ground lead is an integral part of the unit’s antenna system, it seems best to run it on a small inverter power supply in an emergency, even the smallest of which would be adequate.
One accessory that is necessary if using an external audio source is an audio isolation transformer, to prevent ground loops. When I plug in my MP3 player, it sounds great. But if hook up to an AC adapter, the hum overwhelms the signal. The isolation transformer prevents this. It’s necessary if feeding the audio from any device, such as a computer, that is plugged in to the AC power.
If, for whatever reason, you want to legally broadcast, and have people be able to listen to you up to a mile away, sixty years ago, I would have told you to go to Lafayette or Allied and get a good phono oscillator. And today, it’s even easier. All you need is a Talking House transmitter, and you’ll be on the air the same day your Amazon order arrives.
Several weeks ago, I wrote about my experiences using sourdough started with commercial yeast. While it’s starting to show up again in supermarkets and it’s apparently now available again on Amazon, yeast is not always available. In a long-term food emergency, that could pose a problem. Flour is inexpensive and plentiful, but in order to turn it into bread, you really need yeast. Fortunately, as I wrote previously, you can grow your own at home. You just need one package of commercial yeast, and you can turn it into an infinite supply.
You can also share your sourdough starter with neighbors. But I wondered whether it was possible to share with people who live further away. I asked for volunteers, and got two. I’ve now heard back from one of them, and it turns out that yes, you can share your yeast with anyone, courtesy of the U.S. Mail.
I spread a thin layer of the sourdough starter, about three inches by three inches, on a piece of parchment paper, and then left it to dry. In a couple of days, I removed it and broke it into two pieces, one for each recipient. I could have just as easily used wax paper, plastic wrap, or even just a plate. After drying, I placed them in plastic sandwich bags, and placed those inside envelopes which I mailed.
My suggestion when they received them was to put it in a glass of sugar water to bring the yeast back to life. Then, use that water in place of some of the water and yeast in a bread recipe.
The loaf of bread shown above was baked by my cousin in Oregon, after she received it in the mail from Minnesota. She did report that the bread didn’t rise as much as expected. But it did rise some, even though it was denser than usual.
This is my experience as well. The yeast that are growing today, the descendants of the ones I started with, aren’t quite as active. It does take longer for bread to rise. But she reported that the bread tasted good.
The other package went to a friend in Alabama. He reported that the yeast survived the trip and came to life when he added sugar water, although I don’t think he’s made any bread with it yet. If he does, I’ll also post the results here as well.
Fifty years ago this month, the June-July 1970 issue of Science and Electronics showed how to put together this electrostatic generator, as well as the accompanying Leyden jar and electroscope.
It consisted of a plastic jar which was turned by the crank to rub against a piece of wool. A pickup wire collected the charges and conducted them to the metal ball. This could be used to charge the Leyden jar. For bearings, the device used roller skate wheels.
Emergency preparedness buffs will notice that the electroscope, at left, looks very similar to the venerable Kearney Fallout Meter (KFM) used for detecting nuclear radiation. Indeed, they do rely on the same principle. In the presence of ionizing radiation, the charge will slowly dissipate, allowing the leaves to get closer together. This electroscope is not calibrated. Therefore, it would not be able to provide an accurate radiation dose reading. However, this generator would be useful to charge the KFM.
For young scientists without any ionizing radiation at their disposal, the magazine describes a number of interesting experiments, any one of which would be sure to bring home the blue ribbon at the next science fair. To guarantee the top prize, one interesting experiment would be to purchase a small uranium sample. Charge up the electroscope and see how long it takes to discharge. Then, repeat the experiment with the uranium inside the electroscope and see how much faster it discharges.
