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Q & A Day……

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Ask a question and I will give you an answer. It can be about pretty much anything – politics, firearms, current events, survival, preparedness, or “What happens when you get scared to death twice??“ – whatever.

Go ahead – “make my day.”

JR

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Broken Arrow

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The Siege

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24 Comments

  2. SingleMom says:

    What is the secret to growing peas? We had them every year when I was little, and I don’t remember any problems, but the daughter has several friends with gardens and not a single one of them has been able to grow peas. What are they doing wrong? We’re Zone 6.

    Reply
    1. JR says:

      SingleMom – Not sure what the issue could be other than the obvious things such as water and soil not being right. I also found peas to be one of the easiest things to grow. It’s been a few years but I always planted them in the cooler weather and they just went crazy.

      Reply
    2. goingray58 says:

      Peas don’t like acidic soil .. and if you get climbers it works pretty good to use stake and fencing wire. You can get the county agent in your area to do a soil analysis to determine whatever amendment might assist. If acidic.. Bone Meal and lime but it takes a year.. and wears out in 3 .. there are more immediate amendments.

      Reply
  3. David Savage says:

    What is the best way to study for the Technician Ham Radio License? Also what do you recommend for hand held radio as well as a base station? Just starting out and looking for guidance.

    Reply
    1. Brad M says:

      David Savage, I am a General HAM and I have known people who have attended classes, read books, and just taken online or phone app practice tests to get there. Whichever way works best for you is the way to study for the test. I would, however, recommend that you understand the regulations for proper use of the HAM Bands, so that you don’t violate any. That being said it is a very great and warm community of folks who will educate and assist anyone who is looking to join our ranks. As for a hand held unit, while you get used to using one, I like the Baofeng handhelds that retail for around 30.00 on Amazon, but upgrade the antenna as the little rubber ducky ones that come on them have solder issues in them. Base units are a whole other bailiwick that would depend on what you intend to do with it. Since you are asking about the Technician license you wouldn’t be using the HF frequencies and you can get a small unit that can be a vehicle mount, OR base station for around 100.00 all they way up to some very high end units that have the HF frequencies for your future license privileges that easily exceed 1000.00. I say start small to be sure what you need, and that you will use it, then expand from there, and use your entry level equipment as backups, and to help train new generations of HAMS. GOOD LUCK!

      Reply
      1. David Savage says:

        Thanks – I have an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering. I looked at some of the practice test online and seems straight forward. Definitely need to lean the regulations portion. I would like to be able to communicate with some family members about 35 miles away and not sure what I would need.

        Reply
        1. goingray58 says:

          aapw.com/radio/ allows you to focus on one section or the other .. They have quite a few questions about areas of band allowed for which licensing level,.. as well as straight FCC regs so yeah..

          Also you can download CHIRP in MAC/WIN or Linux to programs the Baofengs

          Have fun
          GG58

          Reply
    2. goingray58 says:

      My wife and I just passed out Technicians exams and I passed my General as well.
      The test is 35 questions out of a pool of 400+ questions. So you don’t know which ones you’ll get. They are weighted a little. So you get pretty much the same regulation questions and vary on the add ins like some of the technical stuff. You can miss 9 and still pass. It’s pass fail not grade so pass is pass. The examiners will bring 5-7 versions of the test with them so no one gets the same tests. Take one and if you fail you can pay for another if you want. If you pay for a Technician test , you can usually take the General for free. Or buy a second if you fail which is what I did.. so I’d get a different test.

      We went to a class .. you can usually look it up on line through ARRL site.
      6 weeks and the 7th was the test. Not all clubs do it the same way, but no Volunteer Examiner VE can tech without being certified to teach.

      I used two websites and one mobile app and lived in them over and over to memorize the most information you can. You can also print the entire set of question if paper works better for you, which is what my wife did. And she beat me badly in score for tech.
      http://http://aa9pw.com/radio/
      http://www.eham.net/exams/

      Mobile app: Ham Test Prep (symbol is a yellow diamond)

      hope that helps
      GG58

      Reply
    3. goingray58 says:

      And I should have said.. as well .. take your class and get a feel for what you want to do .. Buy Baofeng’s on Amazon to play and replace the antenna with a real one.. Uv5’s or UV9’s triband.. they are throw aways.. and inexpensive ..

      When you learn a little about radios and antennas and mobile vs base .. antenna tuners.. you can decide what you think you like .. and how much it costs.. etc..
      Hook up with an Elmer “Experienced Ham”, maybe from class and they can talk about that stuff all day and help . and they will it is a very helpful community.

      Reply
    5. JR says:

      David – here is a link to the radio several mentioned – LINK. It is a heck of a deal for around $25.00 and there are tons of Youtube video’s on usage/programing.

      Reply
  4. goingray58 says:

    Let’s talk about reloading preferences..
    Or for someone with more experience than me.. land navigation preferences.

    Reply
    1. Patriot Believer says:

      GG,

      True story. The first gulf war is when we started using GPS. They were clunky things; a “trim pack” about the size of a phone book and a “man pack” the size of an over the shoulder satchel. Being old school, I told my team not to trust those fancy electronic things and to stay up on their land nav until we had a chance to wring them out.

      A week before, a French team had strayed over the border and been captured. Traditional land nav uses terrain features for reference but, in the desert, there are none so, they made a mistake and got rolled up.

      The team ignored me and embraced the GPS devices. One night, we used them to nav to a spot to survey and take soil samples. My buddy took a rusty nail like piece of metal and pushed it into the sand centered on the front of our vehicle to mark the spot we navigated to.

      Two weeks later, we returned to the same site and spot using the devices. On arrival, the team bailed and went looking for the nail instead of securing the area first. I yelled at them and they took care of business and then went back to looking for the nail. They were unable to find it. I gloated. “told you so” I said. Until, Mike took a pee next to our right front vehicle wheel and spotted the nail. We were 3 feet off.

      I didn’t hear the end of that for two months.

      Obviously, GPS has been mainstream for a long time now and I use it for lots of things. But, I still maintain the ability to do traditional land nav with a compass, a Gazeteer and a pace count. L1 GPS is fragile and requires frequent updates from ground stations. If those ever stop, the error rate will quickly escalate. The military uses L2 GPS which is a whole different ballgame but not available to civilians.

      In a time of conflict, we may not be able to count on it. I’ll maintain my land nav.

      PB

      Reply
      1. goingray58 says:

        Thanks PB;
        I don’t disagree. If people produce it .. they can defeat it .. or break it .. worse make it read falsely. GIGO.
        Maps aren’t popular, but very useful. moreover non-electronic maps.
        The old days where a map was used with various overlays. Mark the overlay and save the map. I still haven’t invested well enough in those.

        Reply
  5. jh says:

    I’ve been in a long battle with friends about using surplus level 1 or 2 police style duty leather holsters and belts as a basic handgun, ammo, knife carrying devices instead of the more expensive kitted out war belts or the vulnerable USGI UM84/m12 and pistol belt setup. would this fall into what works best for you, or must one have the latest war belt/kydex holster setup to be a effective survivalist/prepper?

    Reply
    1. 3rdMan says:

      What works for you!!! SF operators tend to use a mix of gear. Watch Lone Survivor some time. The SEAL even worn blue jeans and a mix of camo. I think the idea is to blend in, not to look like you just came off the pages of newest Tactical GQ edition.

      Reply
  6. Jim says:

    More of a discussion, than a question…
    I want to buy a widget. I really like the high quality, USA made widget but it’s the most expensive. The less expensive, and lesser quality widget, is made in China. I find another reasonable priced widget that is made in the USA, only to discover that the company is owned by a Japanese investor.

    So, do I buy a product made in the USA, but is fiscally less responsible.
    Buy Chinese, which is fiscally more responsible.
    Or, purchase from a local manufacturer, knowing the sale benefits a Japanese firm.

    3…2…1…GO

    Reply
    1. goingray58 says:

      I suppose I’ll get fussed at or disagreed with.. but here goes..
      Assuming quality is identical.. based on research and reviews.,,
      Depends .. If you are not going to get something you really need… because it is 4x the price .. maybe not .. but if it is not so much definitely buy American.
      The Japanese widget .. same thing is it is comparably priced with the Chinese but America is WAY over the top .. then Buy the Japanese.

      I have seen one product and this is real .. for $369.00 American, and the quality is supposed to be superior to the $169.00 equipment. It’s possible.. So I found them and went to see and touch them. There was not twice the price difference .. not even close. Now why is that do you think ? Maybe serving a Brick and Mortar store and internet as opposed to a warehouse and internet only.. Or maybe just not good at business. I don’t know.
      Then I ask myself what can I do with the $200.00 if I spend that local on other products. I call that a good trade of priorities. If I had unlimited budget I woudl not worry as much .. but even then competition still drives business, so why woudl a pay to support a non-competitive business.

      I Love my country and will buy it as much as I can, but I love my family as well..

      Let your conscience be your guide. Just like your vote.. Wimpy answer maybe I just don’t want to make anyone TOOO mad.. 🙂
      GG58

      Reply
    2. JR says:

      Good question Jim and I agree with GG58.

      I prefer to buy USA made and have considered trying to do something on the website to highlight MADE IN THE USA products. I am also willing to pay a little more if made in the US – but there is a limit. Depending on comparative quality as GG58 mentioned I will pay more for US made stuff. If the choice came down to between Japan and China that’s easy – Japan.

      Generally I’m willing to go an extra 10% for US-made products.

      Hope this answers your question.

      Reply

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