Be Prepared

[ODA CDR (RET)]

I need a cigarette socket (female) that has a USB connection on the end. Looking to use a cigarette lighter charger that can hook up to the solar panels via USB. Can't seem to locate that animal. They can be found all day long male plug with USB socket. Any help here???

[mugwump]

You won't find a USB to female cig because it's going from 5v (USB) to 12v (Cig) and that can't be done without wasting a boatload of power and producing a lot of heat. Male cig to USB can be easily found because they're going downhill--12v from the car to 5v for the USB.

12v solar panels directly produce 12 - 17 volts output. These guys who sell solar charge stations with 5v USB only are making a marketing decision and converting the 12v from the panel to 5v USB.

You can hook a 12v female directly to the output of a solar panel if whatever you plug into the cig can handle 12-17 volts DC. What are you trying to power?

[mugwump]

If you need 12V out...

You can find a cheap monocrystalline panel and directly hook the output into the input of a battery pack:

This is a good 5W mono panel (small 8.7" x 10.4" about a sheet of paper) and is a good deal at $30. Ask about connection wiring before you buy.

This is twice the power--10W--for about half the price but bigger.

This 8000 mAh power pack has an input up to 19V so the panel can charge it directly. It has 9-12V output (for your cig socket), USB for phones etc, and 16-20V output for laptop computers. The trick with this power pack is, people are using it without a charge controller because it's apparently built in. I'd put a diode between the panel and the battery so you don't lose current backing up into the panel when it's dark...or just unplug the battery when you aren't charging it. Easy peasy.

That's all you need--a 12v solar panel, an Energizer pack, a bit of wiring, and the cables to plug your devices into it. It might all fit into a large single revolver pistol case or jerry-rig something out of tupperware.

[Cake_14N]

Consider one of these: BiolLite Stove

I have one along with the grill and it is awesome. I also have the GoalZero system and the stove outperforms hands down.

I can charge 2 sets of AA batteries in the time it takes to cook a meal and heat water to do the dishes. Plus, I no longer need to carry fuel as the BioLite burns wood I pick up from around my camp.

As soon as REI gets the Kettle Pot I am going to get one. The stove will fit inside the pot saving more room in the pack.

Downside to the stove is if there are fire restrictions you can't use it. Much of New Mexico was under those for most of the summer and USFS did not budge on their ruling on stoves. White gas was ok, but wood burning stove was not.

Just my 2 cents.

cake

[mugwump]

I thought I was all clever and everything with "my" handheld tranceiver-simplex repeater idea. I just found maybe 20 YouTubes on the subject.
This guy works up the battery and panel requirements for solar charging. He's pretty long-winded and says "charger" when he means "charge controller" but even if you're starting from scratch you'll understand the issues by the end.

[mugwump]

The farm owners contiguous to my property think about a grid-down scenario quite a bit. It's an expensive and complicated proposition to plan for continuity of operations for a large farm and there are many moving parts. One of the biggest is fuel. They guys around here who prep are serious about storing diesel. Serious.

The guy next door uses 2300 gallons of diesel per year. He wants enough fuel on hand to keep things going for two years. Two years is his planning window for a low-probability, high-impact event (financial collapse, pandemic, CME) and with a longer timeline would give him sufficient time to switch over to using soy/sunflower pure vegetable oil and biodiesel for critical processes. It would be pretty drastic in the longer term--e.g. culling 2/3 of his dairy cows, shifting from corn to sunflowers and potatoes--but he thinks the plan is do-able. He figures using all the land available in our hollow we could keep 600 people alive the first two years and 400 for years 3-5/6. Then it would all depend on how fast equipment degraded and draft animals could be obtained (accompanied by another 10-20% drop in the people the land could support--animals need to be fed).

Here's hoping it never happens, eh?

Anywho...diesel. My friend claims (and my research on the web backs up) that the new ultra-low-sulfur diesel--besides causing a host of problems in older equipment like decreased power, lower lubricity, fuel system leaks, clogged fuel injection systems, and incompatibility with lubrication oil--stores very, very poorly. If there is any zinc or copper anywhere in the delivery/storage path there is accelerated formation of sediments, gels, and soaps. And because it picks up water so easily, ULSD grows biofilms at a much faster rate than high-sulfur diesel. Biocides (Tri-D, BioKleen) help in the short term but not much. And no, you just can't add sulfur back into the fuel, it doesn't work.

The guys around here who store for SHTF are buying high-sulfur (>5000 ppm) home heating oil instead of the current diesel being sold (<15 ppm). Heating oil is just diesel fuel that's been dyed red to indicate it's untaxed and not for on-road use. With biocides added they think they can get years of safe storage and with the epoxy-lined collapsible-membrane tanks and automated fuel polishers some are using, up to 10 years.

In any type of emergency the EPA issues immediate waivers to allow home heating oil to be used for transport purposes so you wouldn't be breaking the law in a short-term blip like a hurricane.

Even now it's getting difficult to find high-sulfur fuel because many larger refiners have switched all production to ULSD but it's worthwhile to search around. Note that newer diesel car and truck engines can be damaged by HSD (the catalytic exhaust systems killed, injector woes). Check your equipment and the impact of HSD before you use it.

If you can't find or use HSD, consider accelerating your rotation schedule to use your ULSD every 6 months if no additives are used and every 12 months if they are.

[Pete]

Southern-style snowstorm: Gridlock, kind neighbors

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...01-29-07-10-58

"ATLANTA (AP) -- Students camped out with teachers in school gyms or on buses and commuters abandoned cars along the highway to seek shelter in churches, fire stations - even grocery stores - after a rare snowstorm left thousands of unaccustomed Southerners frozen in their tracks........"

I wonder how may people thought as they were getting ready for work "Gee, maybe I'd better throw a couple of old blankets and a bag of snacks into the trunk. Never know what could happen."

[Toaster]

This snowstorm is a great example of the lack of preparedness that people typically have whenever there is a situation out of the norm.

My buddy called me yesterday telling me his wife could not find milk, eggs, or bread at any grocery stores.... It will be a good thing to ask clerks what could and could not be found yesterday/today in stores...Most people just lose their minds in the most mild of inconveniences.


Snowmageddon, has caused the death and end to Fayetteville NC and total destruction of Ft Bragg and the Airborne

Had I not had any food or blankets in my apartment my wife and I would have starved to death and then frozen to death during the last 12 hours

[tonyz]

As a September baby, I fully realize...winter snowstorms, blizzards and cold weather...can sometimes create a lot of unintended consequences...

Not all bad !!

Be prepared !

Wasn't that the title to this thread !

[The Reaper]

It occurs to me like the worst situations always seem to occur to those who are unprepared.

For those who are ready for it, trouble seems to visit a lot less frequently.

If it does, the outcomes are almost always a lot better.

TR

[pyreaux]

I did manage to almost set my house on fire checking function on my camping stove. A little fuel leaked out.

So far in my area of louisiana most folks have stayed in. Thankfully we drive in ice so rarely that no one is "used to it" and the vast majority were driving very slowly. The few fast drivers quickly took themselves out of the equation by sliding into ditches completely clear of the road with minimal vehicle damage.

Many around here tend to have deer in the freezer or a neighbor with the same. The grocery store rush did happen here, but not much completely gone other than eggs. They were still pumping out enough king cakes to keep everybody well supplied.

[PSM]

Originally Posted by pyreaux

I did manage to almost set my house on fire checking function on my camping stove...

Hence, the screen name pyro!

Pat

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by PSM

Hence, the screen name pyro!

Pat

LOL, you owe me a keyboard or at least the mouthful of Elijah Criag I just spit on the screen !

[JoeyB]

Picked up 2 wouxun kg-uv3d radios. Still have to find a local class to get my ticket...
The manual is predictably crappy, can anyone point me to a good guide? I will get the clone cable and program but would like to be able to do it manually....

[Nonstop24/7]

This topic of survival planning and developing of our own plan is of the utmost importance.
So often we wait until it's standing in line, waiting on some incompetent government " we are here to help you" dude.
Let's face the facts. Breaking this all down into our individual situation, location, and type of emergency, we all need some expertise like Reaper to assist.
A lot of very important points are raised in this article and IMHO we could sure use some more of it.
There is so many levels of this type of planning, how can it be simplified?
I feel like there is plenty of talent on this site with much experience and ideas.
Hopefully, the thread will continue!

Nonstop24/7