Dormant Oil Spray Time

This information comes from the USU Extension Service.

It's time to apply dormant oils to your fruit trees. If you have questions IFA, CAL Ranch or any INDEPENDENT Nursery (the best source other than USU themselves) can help you with information on the oil itself, and the other chemicals that you may need to add to address specific diseases. Dormant oil is only applied once a year, and must be done right around when the buds are swelling. If you wait too long, too bad too sad; you only get one shot.

Dormant sprays are targeted to insects that overwinter as eggs (mostly aphids), or as nymphs/adults withing trees (mostly scale). Keep in mind that dormant sprays are not required every year. You should keep track of your aphid and scale populations from year to year (by examining leaves and twigs for insects). When damage is slight to non-existent, you can skip the dormant sprays. The "aphid swarms" of fall 2010, however, may have led to a larger than normal population of eggs laid, and may require a dormant spray this year.

The ideal time to apply a dormant spray is after the buds of fruit trees have started to swell, and up to the point where leaves have begun to emerge.

This is called the delayed-dormant timing. Waiting for this timing rather than when buds are completey dormant is beneficial because eggs and overwintering adults become more "active" and susceptible to treatment. Also, beneficial insects and pollinators are not affected, oils and other materials for this purpose are relatively inexpensive, and the developing ground vegetation will help to prevent runoff. The exception to spraying only at delayed dormant is pear psylla, which would require one spray during dormancy (just before buds swell) and a second spray 2 weeks later.

Usually horticultural oil alone is sufficient for dormant or delayed dormant sprays, particularly for backyard growers. Most oils are simply sold as "dormant oil" and the ingredients will be "98% (or higher) petroleum oil". This type of oil is suitable for sprays in the dormant season (2% rate) as well as sprays during the growing season (1% rate).

Commercial growers may consider mixing oil with an insecticide such as Lorsban. When applying dormant or delayed dormant sprays, make sure you thoroughly cover all bark cracks and crevices. Also, oils should be used when the air temperature is above 40 F and when there is no threat of freezing temperature for the following 36 hours. Applying between 50 and 70 F on clear days is ideal.

The dormant and delayed dormant sprays can be effective against the following insects.


Brown Mites


Brown mites are related to European red mites, and overwinter as eggs in protected sites on trees. Because of the past three cool springs, we are starting to see these mites more often in commercial orchards and more rarely, in backyard trees. If this pest was a problem for you, oil alone at delayed-dormant timing should be sufficient. peach twig borer: delayed dormant spray of horticultural oil plus spinosad targets overwintering larvae as they emerge to find food; this is a very important spray for managing peach twig borer .



Ahpids:

Horticultural oil alone or with Lorsban (restricted use) at delayed-dormant timing; repeat if infestations were high last year blister mites: these mites cause tiny galls on the leaves of apple or pear. Apply oil, or oil with Sevin at dormant or delayed dormant timing.

Pear Psyllia:


pear psylla: use horticultural oil alone; apply two applications starting at dormant timing San Jose scale: horticulture oil alone or with pyriproxyfen (Esteem). Apply at dormant or delayed-dormant timing.

Soft Scales:

horticultural oil is very effective on soft scales, particularly at delayed-dormant timing when temperatures have started to increase shothole (coryneum blight of peaches, cherries): chlorothalonil (Bravo) at delayed-dormancy

Fire blight:



Copper spray at silver tip stage (late dormant timing) and when temperatures are above 45° (Bordeaux mixture, copper hydroxide, copper oxychloride, copper sulfate). Do not apply copper after ¼-inch green leaf stage or when drying conditions are slow, as severe injury can occur. Fixed coppers such as Kocide and C-O-C-S can be tank mixed with early season oil sprays, but do not combine copper sulfate alone with dormant oil.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact us at RockyMtnSurvival@gmail.com

An overview of Ham Radio

The birth of radio in general was mostly associated with various amateur experimenters. There are many contenders to being the inventor of radio, that honor has been disputed between not only the original experimenters, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1888), Nikola Tesla, and Guglielmo Marconi, but also Amos Dolbear, Reginald Fessenden, James Clerk Maxwell, Sir Oliver Lodge, Mahlon Loomis, Nathan Stubblefield, and Alexander Popov.

In the beginning of 1895, Tesla was able to detect signals from the transmissions of his New York lab at West Point (a distance of 50 miles).Marconi demonstrated the transmission and reception of Morse Code based radio signals over a distance of two or more kilometers (and up to six kilometers) on Salisbury Plain in England in 1896. Marconi, by 1899, sent wireless messages across the English Channel and, according to his reports, the first transatlantic transmission (1902). Following Marconi's experiments (1900-1908) many people began experimenting with radio. Communications were made in Morse Code by use of spark gap transmitters. These first operators were the pioneers of amateur radio.

In 1912 after the RMS Titanic sank, the United States Congress passed the Radio Act of 1912 which restricted private stations to wavelengths of 200 meters or shorter (1500 kHz or higher).These "short wave" frequencies were generally considered useless at the time, and the number of radio hobbyists in the U.S. is estimated to have dropped by as much as 88%. Other countries followed suit and by 1913 the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea was convened and produced a treaty requiring shipboard radio stations to be manned 24 hours a day. The origin of the term "ham", as a synonym for an amateur radio operator, was a taunt by professional operators.

World War I

By 1917, World War I had put a stop to amateur radio. In the United States, Congress ordered
all amateur radio operators to cease operation and even dismantle their equipment.These
restrictions were lifted after World War I ended, and the amateur radio service restarted on
October 1, 1919.

Between the wars

In 1921, a challenge was issued by American hams to their counterparts in the United Kingdom
to receive radio contacts from across the Atlantic. Soon, many American stations were
beginning to be heard in the UK, shortly followed by a UK amateur being heard in the US in
December 1922. November 27, 1923 marked the first transatlantic two-way contact between
American amateur Fred Schnell and French amateur Leon Deloy. Shortly after, the first two
way contact between the UK and USA was in December 1923, between London and West Hartford,Connecticut.

In the following months 17 American and 13 European amateur stations were communicating. Within the next year, communications between North and South America; South America and New Zealand; North America and New Zealand; and London and New Zealand were being made. These international Amateur contacts helped prompt the first International Radiotelegraph Conference, held in Washington, DC, USA in 1927-28. At the conference, standard international amateur radio bands of 80/75, 40, 20 and 10 meters and radio callsign prefixes were established by treaty. In 1933 Robert Moore, W6DEI, begins single-sideband voice experiments on 75 meter lower sideband. By 1934, there were several ham stations on the air using single-sideband.

World War II

During the German occupation of Poland, the priest Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, SP3RN was arrested
by the Germans. The Germans believed his amateur radio activities were somehow involved in
espionage and he was transferred to Auschwitz on May 28, 1941. After some prisoners escaped
in 1941, the Germans ordered that 10 prisoners be killed in retribution. Fr. Kolbe was
martyred when he volunteered to take the place of one of the condemned men. On October 10,
1982 he was canonized by Pope John Paul II as Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Apostle of
Consecration to Mary and declared a Martyr of charity. He is considered the Patron saint of
Amateur radio operators.

Again during World War II, as it had done during the first World War, the United States Congress suspended all amateur radio operations. With most of the American amateur radio operators in the armed forces at this time, the US government created the War emergency radio service which would remain active through 1945. After the War the amateur radio service began operating again, with many hams converting war surplus radios, such as the ARC-5, to amateur use.

Post war era

In 1947 the uppermost 300 kHz segment of the world allocation of the 10 meter band from
29.700 MHz to 30.000 MHz was taken away from amateur radio. During the 1950s, hams helped pioneer the use of single-sideband modulation for HF voice communication. In 1961 the first orbital satellite carrying amateur radio (OSCAR) was launched. Oscar I would be the first of a series of amateur radio satellites created throughout the world.Ham radio enthusiasts were instrumental in keeping U.S. Navy personnel stationed in Antarctica in contact with loved ones back home during the International Geophysical Year during the late 1950s.

Late 20th century

At the 1979 World administrative radio conference in Geneva, Switzerland, three new amateur
radio bands were established: 30 meters, 17 meters and 12 meters. Today, these three bands
are often referred to as the WARC bands by hams.During the Falklands War in 1982, Argentine forces seized control of the phones and radio network on the islands and had cut off communications with London. Scottish amateur radio operator Les Hamilton, GM3ITN was able to relay crucial information from fellow hams Bob McLeod and Tony Pole-Evans on the islands to British military intelligence in London, including the details of troop deployment, bombing raids, radar bases and military activities.

Major contributions to communications in the fields of automated message systems and packet
radio were made by amateur radio operators throughout the 1980s. These computer controlled
systems were used for the first time to distribute communications during and after
disasters. American entry-level Novice and Technician class licensees were granted CW and SSB segments on the 10 Meter Band in 1987. The frequency ranges allocated to them are still known today throughout much of the world as the Novice Sub Bands even though it is no longer possible to obtain a novice class license in the US. Further advances in digital communications occurred in the 1990s as Amateurs used the power of PCs and sound cards to introduce such modes as PSK31 and began to incorporate Digital Signal Processing and Software-defined radio into their activities.

Purchasing and Brooding Chickens

Purchasing and Brooding Chickens

You can buy chicks from your local farm store, like IFA or CAL Ranch. There is a limited selection there, and the chicks are a little more expensive. However, hatcheries like McMurry require a minimum order of 25 birds (so they keep warm in transit). If you want fewer birds, go to your farm store or make a group purchase. Purchase an all-purpose bird, some breeds are more friendly, gentle. So a little research about the different types of birds that are available by checking with some national hachereries. We have raised some Buff Sex Linked hens, some Americana and White Leghorns. I think that we will add some Black Australorps this spring. This breed originated in Australia developed from Black Orpingtons imported from England; and the emphasis of the breeding program was on egg production without sacrificing too much in size and meat quality. Some sensational results were made in the Australian program, and one hen set a laying record of 364 eggs in 365 days. Introduced into this country in the 1920's, they have become useful and popular and are certainly one of the best layers of light brown eggs of all the heavy breeds. A flock of Black Australorps with their glossy black plumage which has a greenish-purple sheen and their larger than average bright red combs make an unusually handsome sight. They are big birds, cockerels weighing 6 to 8 pounds at maturity and pullets 5 to 7. They have a pinkish white skin and plump bodies which dress out nicely once the birds have their final plumage. Pullets mature early and many will be in production between 5 and 6 months of age. They are quiet, gentle, and stand confinement well.


When they arrive, chicks are tiny! And they need to be kept warm. We use a little rabbit hutch with shavings on the floor, and this makes a great little brooder box for them. The box is 36" long x 27" wide, by 20" tall, and will take about 50 little chicks... at least until they have a bit more mass and can stand a little chilling. We only will be purchasing about 8 this year so there is plenty of room for them to grow. Mail order chicks, no kidding, come in a box via the US Postal Service. These boxs hold, ample room for 26 chicks


Chicks do not need fancy accomodations, and a used to use a wading pool, which works well when you have the space for it. Waterproof, round (so no pileups in corners if they got spooked), and nice and generously sized (from a chick's perspective). But whatever you use, you'll need to be able to put a screen lid on it to protect the chicks from pets and curious children.

A quick word about your new chicks and children. Chicks are, at this age, very, very, fragile. So fragile we do not allow anyone handle them for at least 3 weeks. Chicks can catch colds. They can be dropped by accident. They can be squashed by an overly excited toddler. But more to the point, while you can hand tame a chicken, they really don't benefit by being handled. They need to put their energy into growth, not stress.


This is our brooder box is either in our barn or in the garage. If you don't want the box in the house you need a heat lamp close to the bottom of the pen so that the chicks can stay warm.
(ours is a shop light). They will need a water font, a feeder, and shavings. Your chicks will start out on Chick Starter Medicated Feed. Yes, a product of evil agribusiness with antibiotics built in. Get over it. We had to buy liquid antibiotics to treat chicks but most times it's cheaper just to let nature take it's course. Kind of cold hearted, but if they get sick it's usually for some reason, and we have seldom seen chicks who get sick recover and be as hardy as the others who remained healthy. so we start them on a bag of medicated feed, and shift over to an unmedicated growing feed at the end of the first bag.

You'll need a lid if you have pets or not, and, you can roll out a blanket cover to trap the heat.
As you take each chick out to put it into your brooder, dip its beak into the water so it gets the hint. Very shortly, you'll have a bunch of thirsty chicks tipping their heads back and swallowing water. We've never had them fail to find the food trays, and in a little while you'll hear the tap-tap-tap of chicks pecking at the plastic.

Chickens need grit to grind their food so we go out to our dirt road and find some very, very, fine sand to sprinkle over the food. If you can't find fine sand, it is sold at most IFA or CAL Ranch.
The chicks stay in this box, growing like weeds (you can see them change size day by day!) for a couple of weeks, or until they start to look frankly crowded. The moment it looks like chicks are pecking at each other, they need a bigger home.

They will, however, be much too small to throw outside at this stage, and especially with other adult chickens. We set up a separate pen in the barn with shavings on the floor for them to play in. They'll continue to need a heat lamp, and you'll want the sides of their pen to be high enough to discourage them from flitting up and over to explore the outside world. At this age they are pretty durable and curious. They start homing in on bugs at this age, and will scratch and peck at straw, or gobble down any early thinnings from the garden you throw into their pen. You can waste the good part of a morning just watching their antics. In about 8 weeks (or earlier if your weather is mild) they'll be feathered out and ready to move out into the world. But once again they are not ready to be integrated into a mature flock. We put them in a separate area off from the other chickens but where they can see each other and "talk" to each other until they are fully mature, and then watch closely as they integrate into the structure of the coop.

The Survival Mindset

Back in the day when people who were preparedness minded they were called “Survivalists” . They were categorized as loners, hermits or people who didn’t want anything to do with others. They were viewed as gun toting wingnuts, who would rather live alone in some cave in the mountains rather than with the "normal" folks in the city or burb. Most were thought of as people who carried weapons dressed in camo and at a moments notice would rather remove someone from the gene pool as look at them.

Now, we have changed the name to a much softer sounding word “Prepper”: A kinder and gentler way of saying survivalist and as such as our society from the rock hard pioneer days to the soft, gentler life; it has become more acceptable in the proper world of the urban and suburban culture. A world where soccer moms and dads scurry to and fro from store to store cashing in coupons and searching for the best deals on the latest designer clothes for themselves and football game to soccer game and carrying their precious cargo of kids to their important appointments. To be called a prepper, was much like being a preppie, or a “yuppie”, a somewhat acceptable and smiled at linguistic term used by the "prepper people" who see the former as fail ing to see the light of the on-coming freight train speeding down the tracks. A train where the engineers do not realize the tracks end abruptly...and not far ahead.

Lest I be accused of being a sarcastically sharp tongued rogue who is sardonic…and seriously out of step with sacred and solemn social issues….may I say humbly:

Yes, there was some sarcasm there, but, self condemnation also. When I was younger, and had a gaggle of children I spent much of my time doing exactly the same thing. To me the world would never end. There was always another day. It was my secret hidden“Easter Basket” filled with one good thing after the other. The chocolate eggs never ran out, and the little yellow marshmellowy peeps were a staple. It was a never ending the treasure chest. I too had pretty good job, and was always looking for another way to step upwards. There were always alternatives to make a few more extra bucks and go a few more places.

The months before Christmas were spent budgeting for each child’s gifts. Would five hundred dollars per child be enough…..what about the neighbors giving their children motorcycles and go carts….how would we be able to cope with that thought. I didn’t make enough money to live in that kind of style though. New clothes…..they had to be acceptable and just like everyone else’s at school or the kids wouldn’t wear them. Maybe we better increase to six hundred for each child…….all seven of them. Then what do we do for brothers and sisters, mom and dad. The best friends and neighbor gifts……Yes, we were in the middle of the “rat race”, the gerbil cage, the hamster racetrack. How many of you are on that track now?

I won’t condemn, nor make fun of anyone on that hamster racetrack because I have been there. May I say it is one of the hardest things to get off of akin to stopping smoking. Here you have friends, family and associates standing in the large and spacious building pointing their boney fingers at you. Mocking and surmising that you are an unfit parent if you are the mother and a slug if you are the father all because "YOUR" children had to go without a motorcycle for christmas. But a surprise is comming…..if you haven’t been watching the economic system crashing around your ankles and the energy price manipulation in full swing, whether you realize it or not, the end is in sight. The bearings on the hamster racetrack are about to sieze up. When you got to the market... surprise…..lettuce at a buck fifty a pound, when it used to be thirty nine cents a head. Hamburger at three bucks a pound, T-bone steaks at over nine to tweleve bucks a pound. Bread priced at three to four dollars a loaf! Egg shortages because of food poisoning and recalls nearly every week; which you find out about AFTER you have eaten it.

Ah, but you say, most canned and bottled stuff is about the same price. Nope, fooled again…..the size of the cans and bottles are shrinking or look at the bottoms of the bottles of pop….they are moving upwards every few weeks. Yeah, the hucksters don’t miss a trick. You’ll never see them lose money on anything…they just decrease the product amount, and you pay it none the wiser. Gasoline now at $4.00 a gallon, and diesel....that is a byproduct of gasoline production...costs more than premium gasoline in many cases. Ya think this could be because the trucks, trains and planes that bring the food and most everything else use diesel......ya think ??????

If you don’t believe me by now, dear Ms./Mr. Ostrich….pull your head out and look around. Things are not the same. You continue to get our fearless leader to droning, “All is well, we are in the midst of a recovery”. The corporate media cajoles you by not reporting on the real news: Depression, both mental and monetary are rampant.

When I was kid, I used to love to read the funny books, especially Superman. He always came out the victor even when the evil Lex Luther had him on the ropes with the green kryptonite. You knew he was going to find a way around it. The new funny books are now “Time”, “Newsweek”, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC news. The sad thing is Superman is not going to get out of this one this time around. OPEN YOUR EYES. As an old college roommate used to say……”pull your head out!” He never said out of where so I guess YOU have to decide out of what or where it's at or in.

Time for a Paradigms Shift

If you haven’t already done these things get them done NOW:

• Store at least five hundred gallons of water and more if you have a large family
• Harden you house to intruders by installing new locks and bolts on the doors
• Change all of you exterior doors to solid wood of steel, and use solid hinges
• Get at least 3 months of food that your family will eat, then extend it to one year
• Get a sufficient amount of food that does not require cooking
• Store up winter clothing and shoes in larger sizes for the children: You may have to move northward and into the mountains
• Provide light/heat/solar/storage battery sources
• Purchase blackout plastic for the windows to use at night
• Purchase sheets of ¾ in plywood to protect windows
• Purchase heat sources that can be used INSIDE the home, or learn how to vent them to the outside
• Purchase communications equipment HAM Radio, and learn how to use it
• Learn how to protect yourself and your family….I don’t tell you how, but learn it
• Store a small to moderate amount of silver for barter (not investment, survival)
• Purchase items that you can use for barter, LIKE FOOD
• Learn how to “bug in” or “bug out” and if and when to do it
• Make some like minded friends and neighbors
• Involve your family in EVERY aspect of your preparations
• Encourage family members NOT to discuss the family preparations with friends
• Learn how to plant and grow a garden
• Find a retreat area beyond one hundred and eighty miles that your family can get to, and plan for the fuel/preparations necessary
• Make friends in your retreat area
• Design a BOV and make a number of plans and routes to get to your retreat
• …………..

The list is daunting, and goes on and on. But the gist is….simply

Get some WATER
Get some FOOD
Get some HEAT SOURCES or protection like a TENT and WOOD STOVE

If you don’t do it now, it won’t be available or you won’t be able to afford it…I CAN ASSURE YOU OF THAT!

And guess what?........I ain’t selling anything….I just want you, your family and your neighborhood prepared so you don’t come over to my house and beg for my food, cause my food is for my family….and besides all of my stuff got destroyed in a boat accident and sunk to the bottom of Fish Lake anyway…..well anyway, preppers will get a smle out of that last statement!


ATTITUDES

Now for the gist of all of this: If you have prepared with the STUFF, and don’t have a survival attitude, you will most certainly fail, and thus and your family will die, or at least become very uncomfortable. Your attitudes above all, is what is going to keep you alive.

One of my mentors, whose friendship I cherish used to say….” In order to survive, you’ve got to be tougher than Woodpecker Lips”. Yes it is indeed true. Survival is not for the faint of heart. You must be willing to eat things that you have never imagined like locust, grubs, ants, grasshoppers, worms…..and the list goes on and on. It’s not that you WILL have to eat them…but you must be able and willing to eat them if your life depends on it. And more importantly, you have to train your children to do the same.

• Butcher a steer? YES
• Kill a chicken and clean it? YES
• Kill a bunny and clean it? YES
• Kill a cat….(which I hear tastes like chicken!) and eat it? YES
• Kill a rat……and eat it…….YES…I don’t know if even I can do that!
• Shoot a weapon……at another person…..??????? Unfortunately, YES if the conditions warrant it for your families safety.
• Make a lean-too and live in it? YES
• A snow cave? YES
• Catch and clean a “slimy” fish and eat it RAW? YES
• Use maggots to clean out a gangrene limb? YES

Well enough gross stuff. You may not have to all of those things, but you have to have the mindset, that nothing except dare I say cannibalism is off limits. That is taboo, and is the ultimate taboo in my book. Unfortunately, it is not out of bound for many people in our society if it comes to that point.

How do you prepare yourself for these things? It is only by experience, using the guidance of a mentor/teacher who has had training and experience in these practices that one learns. I have a good friend and associate who trains his Boy Scout Troop each summer on overnight camps how to eat grubs found under dead trees. It is through practice and perseverance that one learns these traits.

Start by teaching the family, including the little kids to fast for 2 meals for one day a month, and then two days a month on different weeks. Use your heads though, regarding medical conditions like Diabetes and other conditions which may make it dangerous to do this. It teaches one to not be at the mercy of one’s body’s wants.

Learn to eat to live, and not live to eat. Begin to change your diet to whole grains and fresh vegetables. Learn how to grind your own wheat, and make your own bread. Find recipes that utilize your storage food, and then replace the food that you use. Cut back on sugar, and use honey and molasses. Start using beans and find our how to make them compatible with the children and your own constitution. Use some powdered milk, so that the kids will drink it when the time comes. Yes, you can get some, what we in our society consider “YUCKY” things from specialty markets such as oriental/east Indian markets that are considered delicacies in their society that would turn our stomachs. Use these sometimes so that what one may consider ‘yucky’ is found not to be so ‘yucky’.

Finally, the most important thing that researchers have found is that people are much more likely to survive when they believe in a “Higher Power”. Whatever that may be to you, believe in it. For me it is a loving Heavenly Father, who has sent me to this existence to learn things that I could have never learned any other way….through experience. To me, when, not if, but when I die, I return directly to his loving and open arms; to receive me with a kiss on the cheek and a “well done my son” if I have lived a life of service and love, and truly did my best to follow what I consider to be his commandments and rules.

You may have your own thoughts on that, and that is your privilege. But find something within the infinite that you can believe in, greater than yourself or any mortal being. This is the best way to survive ANYTHING. Then if the chips fall against you, you leave knowing that the other side is not that bad, in fact a wonderful and loving place. It makes the transition considerably easier.

We intend to help you with all of the above, if you will let us. There is still time. Things are definately more expensive and less available and will become more so. So, please let us help you and your family get ready.

CB's for TEOTWAWKI ?

Over the years I have had many questions asked like “Why not just use CB radio? “ Here is one answer that I have given:

I have talked about CB vs. Ham a little bit before but here it is in review. Actually, CB radio was once a HAM band that was taken away from the HAM radio group in order to make a band for people not interested in anything but short range communications and no Morse code requirement. The FCC dropped the power requirement to a maximum of five watts to allow for local use, and then set the frequencies, originally by crystal to channels. So that people could only use those frequencies that the FCC allowed. It is the same today. There are some who will use "heaters" or "sliders" to boost power or transmit between the set channels, but for the most part, it still remains the same.

Some time ago, FCC allowed the use of SSB (single side band) on CB, which allowed for power to increase to 12 Watts PEP. This increased the distance a little, but not much. It is still AM and still power limited. And yes there are numerous people today who are monitored and are ticketed accordingly for over power and out of frequency violations by the FCC. It is an expensive fine. They pick up numerous truckers each month who like to slip out of band, or use a ham radio on the CB band which increases their power. There are local and regional monitors listening especially around the CB band for these violations.

The problem with CB is “SKIP”. During the day, especially on solar active days, the skip is usually very long (>400 miles) and it changes minute to minute as the ionosphere changes. It causes such problems, that people cannot talk to each other just a mile or so away, but they can talk clearly to people hundreds and even thousands of miles away for a minute or two, and then it fades out. These idiosyncrasies make this mode of communication less than stable for local communications: Which is what you really want in case of emergency, and squirrely at the least for long distance because you are relegated to talking to where the skip is coming in from (which usually is not where you want to talk to). This can be fixed, just like the surrounding HAM frequencies, by adding power, and antennas and VFO's (tuners), but then you are right back in the HAM radios again, and not CB's.

As to licensing, true post TEOTWAWKI there will be few if any people interested in enforcing the FCC laws. That's not the problem. The problem is, that just like anything else you do, there is a learning curve. To think that you will be able to sit down and set up a HAM type station post TEOTWAWKI by simply going down to the store and purchasing the equipment and the antenna etc. is not clear thinking. They just won't be available. Even now in the Salt Lake City metroplex there is only one small store. Most equipment is purchased over the internet and has to be shipped from hundreds of miles away. You must have practiced with the equipment so you know how to run it so you don't burn it out when you set it up and begin transmitting and you need to know the frequencies that people are going to be on where you are to be useful to yourself and more importantly your family and neighbors. So until that time if you purchase the equipment, why not use it legally and enjoy it.

If you try to use it without a call sign though, you will be exposed very quickly as most HAM's will not talk to you without a call sign and usually check on the computer to see if it is a valid sign on QRZ.com etc if they are not familiar with it, just to see where you are located and who you are.

Another consideration is within a few hours or days; the CB will be useless for most people who have no large battery or external power service or supply. As you know, there has to be two sides of any conversation for communication to exist. Therefore, if you are expecting CB'ers to be ready for TEOTWAWKI like HAM's, they won't. I believe most of the old timers realize the limitations of their equipment or think of their radios as toys, and as such aren't really planning ahead to use them post TEOTWAWKI. The newbie’s on the other hand don’t have any idea anyway.

Like most things in life, if you want to do something, do it the right way and you will be much farther ahead. Take the class or read the books. Get active in the local club and have a great time while getting ready to be of service.

CB or HAM, it doesn't matter to me, I have done both, and do have both. I prefer the unlimited (it seems like) HAM experience, to the limited channel master life of CB; But it is your decision.

73's
Saddleup

Excerpts from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions

Meditation XVII.

Excerpts from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions.

Now this bell tolling softly for another, says to me, Thou must die.
Perchance...... As therefore the bell that rings a sermon calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come, so this bell calls us all; but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness…. (it) should ring to prayers first in the morning; and it was determined that they should ring first that rose earliest.

If we understand aright the dignity of this bell that tolls for our evening prayer, we would be glad to make it ours by rising early, in that application, that it might be ours as well as his whose indeed it is.

The bell doth toll for him that thinks it doth; …..Who casts not up his eye to the sun when it rises? but who takes off his eye from a comet when that breaks out?

Who bends not his ear to any bell which upon any occasion rings? but who can remove it from that bell which is passing a piece of himself out of this world?

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee…..

Tribulation is treasure in the nature of it, but it is not current money in the use of it, except we get nearer and nearer our home, heaven, by it. Another man may be sick too, and sick to death, and this affliction may lie in his bowels as gold in a mine and be of no use to him; but this bell that tells me of his affliction digs out and applies that gold to me, if by this consideration of another's dangers I take mine own into contemplation and so secure myself by making my recourse to my God, who is our only security.