Jonnie Pekelny - Member - The Prepared

Writing (1)

Review: Yaesu FT-60R vs BaoFeng BF-F8HP for new ham radio operators

Ham radio can be overwhelming, especially when you’re new and trying to pick your first (and maybe only) radio. I recently earned my Technician license, and I referred to The Prepared’s best handheld ham radios article for guidance. The guide recommends the Yaesu FT-60R as the main pick with the BaoFeng UV-5R as the budget pick. I wanted to dig deeper to figure out if the FT-60R is worth an extra $75-125 over a comparable BaoFeng radio for my needs. More: If you’re brand new to ham r

July 14, 2021 21 comments

Discussions

Reply to: Bye bye landlines? Now how do we connect when there’s no power? Posted October 19, 2022

Sounds like you no longer have a landline, but a VOIP — voice over internet protocol. They look like traditional phones at first blush. You can keep using the same phones you used for your land line, but it all actually works over the internet. And yes, internet down = VOIP line down, unless there’s some other backup strategy.

Reply to: Bye bye landlines? Now how do we connect when there’s no power? Posted October 19, 2022

Landlines are only dinosaurs because people have decided they are. I think it’s really lovely technology, even if old. But more to the point… my loved ones are scattered all over the place. A good chunk is in my local area, but others are out of state or out of the country. It would be hard to get all of them to pull together in an emergency. And my mom lives nearby but at this point is quite disabled and has trouble managing daily activities. It’s very difficult to get her to do any emergency planning — I’ve tried.

Bye bye landlines? Now how do we connect when there’s no power?

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Posted October 17, 2022

Reply to: Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard? Posted September 24, 2022

Honestly, the whole looking for solar panels thing has been a multiyear quagmire for me. I don’t know much at all about electricity and don’t want to burn down anything. I’m not handy so I don’t want to undertake any solar DIY project and there are a gazillion types of panels out there. (The other panels you link to are good examples. One only has controllers for lead-acid batteries, which I have no idea how to modify for my generator. One has minimal reviews, so I don’t know what I’d be getting. And the GoalZero, which of course I’ve seen before is crazy expensive.) This Allpowers one that I got seems like it could work and it’s compatible with my two solar generators. I think I may wind up putting one of them on some card tables lined up in a row and putting the second one learning against the legs of the tables. Maybe weigh down the kickstands with sandbags. The other thing I’m thinking of getting is something called IQ8. This is an upgrade to the solar system installed on my roof. Apparently with this upgrade I would be able to plug stuff into the wall during daytime hours when the sun is out even if the grid is down. Which of course begs the question of what I’d use the portable solar panels for, but well, maybe camping or maybe as backup if there’s something wrong with the IQ8.

Reply to: Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard? Posted September 22, 2022

Yes, they are still within the return period. The thing is, I don’t know that I can find anything smaller that would actually recharge my solar generators in anything like a reasonable time. I have a Bluetti EB 150 and an even larger GoalZero Yeti 3000X. So, these two panels are 200 W each and together they’ll at least recharge the Bluetti in a day. Something smaller wouldn’t would it? I was also looking for something that could be taken camping, if that need arises. These are “suitcases” that can fold up very nicely. If I go camping there might be more room and I could lean them against a tree? I don’t know how well I can get them to work in my back yard, but if I send them back I won’t have any way of recharging my sogens if the power is down. Which is where I was at before I got these. Found the other threads on Discord, thanks. It’s a little bit of a learning curve for me.

Reply to: Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard? Posted September 21, 2022

Hey, Gideon. Just read your review. I hadn’t even thought about the issue of the panels blowing over. I’m in general unimpressed with the kickstand of the panels I have. I think they are very likely to collapse backwards if there’s wind. But really the bigger issue is that I have no room in my back yard to put both panels horizontally and that’s the way the kickstands work. I have to try to figure out some solution where I can stand them vertically. Also, my back yard used to get lots of sunlight, but then one of my neighbors built a big shed… :-(. Now I guess it doesn’t get so much sun. Sigh. So many issues. I’ve never used Discord, or Slack. But I’m game. I just registered and found ThePrepared on Discords. So, what, it’s all one chat, right? No subtopics?

Reply to: Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard? Posted September 13, 2022

Hi, Eric. Clarification: I do have a permanent solar installation on the roof. These panels that I’m asking about are ones I got for recharging my solar generators. Like you I only plan to use them in an emergency in an extended power outage. (I have actually used my solar generators in power outages that lasted up to day, but I simply recharge them from the wall once the electricity comes back up in that case.) So, these are semi-portable solar panels. Not portable in the sense of carrying them around with you in your backpack, but portable enough to set up, charge and then put away. (Also I would like to be able to take them car camping if I go.) But I still need a reasonable setup in my back yard for them when I do use them and that’s what I can’t figure out now that I know how much space they take up!

Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard?

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Posted September 12, 2022

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 30, 2021

Sorry, but I think it’s pure fabrication that staying at a FEMA or other refugee shelter is as good as dying. I’m not aware of any refugees from our wildfires of recent years dying in the makeshift camps where they stayed — although I’m sure many of them were pretty miserable. But people certainly did die when they refused to leave their homes.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 22, 2021

I couldn’t disagree with you more on this one, Bob. Yes, there are many factors, overpopulation, lack of preparation… of course. But I think it’s now been amply demonstrated that all of us are facing catastrophic, human-driven climate change. There is plenty of data on this now for anyone who is interested in seeing the facts. If the world doesn’t work on climate change — which at the moment it’s not doing nearly as quickly as necessary — then we will simply not have a livable planet in pretty short order. Not for humans and not for many other species, although life as a whole will probably survive in some form.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 22, 2021

We’re getting off topic, Bob, but I’m not sure where you get the idea that California’s economy is “because of $$$ from Washington, D.C.” I don’t even know what that means. California is an economic powerhouse, not only as a state within the US, but also by world standards compared to nations. It has quite a few vibrant economic sectors. Admittedly it was hit hard by covid, but we seem to be recovering. By the way, I’m not saying this because of any kind of Californian pride. Just the facts…

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

Bob, is arresting climate change such a new idea to you that it warrants two question marks, lol? It’s not a contest between me and the world. It’s something the world needs to be working on together because the most urgent issue of our time. If we are only looking at our individual survival strategies and not seeing the major driver of disasters all over the world, we are really missing the forest for the trees. But here in California it has become so obvious that there has been a big change for the worse in the fire situation. California now becomes a tinderbox every summer and fall. It didn’t used to be like that even as recently as 6 years ago. The drivers are not really overpopulation as far as I can tell. In any case, the more obvious drivers are severe and frequent drought and some mismanagement of infrastructure on the part of our power companies. There is also a debate about long-term fire prevention policies on public land, controlled burns, etc. But climate change is very obviously a big cause of all the trouble. I will also point out that extreme and frequent drought in a state that provides a great number of agricultural products to the world, not just to the US, is bad news for everyone.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

I am going through the water course now.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

Bob, I like the idea of belonging to a small prepper group, but not sure how I would go about finding one. Do you have any suggestions? Relocating isn’t really an option. I’m very established in my area of California. Relocating would wreak havoc with my social network. I would only do it as a last resort. But also…welcome to the new normal climate drama. Climate change is hitting ever harder in many parts of the planet. Here in California it means catastrophic wildfires and drought. You can’t solve this problem by moving out everyone from the most populous state of the nation. And the surrounding states are not really better off. We all have to pull together to arrest climate change and develop strategies for coping with the changes it’s too late to undo.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

Oh, well, yes. Of course leaving ahead of time is ideal. I’m glad to know you don’t advocate sheltering in place during a wildfire. However, I will also point out that it’s not always easy to know when to evacuate or where to go. Last year, our wildfire situation was very complex. A series of dry lightening storms started over 400 fires throughout the state. Each of them was an evolving situation. It’s not so easy for a civilian in that situation to figure out when a good time to evacuate is. I got my ham radio license in part to keep better informed about just such a situation.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

Bob, you really can’t shelter in place for some kinds of disasters, so there’s no point in pushing that as a strategy. I live a state where wildfires are the most common emergency nowadays. Am I going to sit around while fire engulfs my neighborhood and the airs stops being breathable? No.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 20, 2021

This is exactly the kind of discussion I’d like to see about urban bugging out. Water is a tricky one because it’s so heavy. I have a filled 32 oz container in my BOB and also a small plastic water bottle for my dog. That is already a lot of weight. I have some more water in my car, only enough total to get through less than a day, probably. Well, okay, maybe a day. After that I’ll have to find a water source. It doesn’t have to be clean though. I have filters.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 20, 2021

Illini Warrior — if you think that evacuation is not a good strategy, what exactly is your advice for surviving a wildfire?

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 19, 2021

My one experience of evacuation so far was in 1989, in the Loma Prieta earthquake, which was a big 7.1 quake that hit Northern California, quite near where I lived at the time. I was visiting a friend in the next town over from mine. The quake was followed by many, constant aftershocks (very unnerving because no one knew whether an even bigger quake was coming) but people had started to settle down, mostly outside their houses, when the authorities came around and told everyone to leave because of a possible coming tsunami, which never arrived. I must say that the evacuation itself was a mess in my location. The police and fire departments consistently created panic and confusion on the ground even when there was none to start with. But what I want to say is that the civilians divided pretty cleanly into two groups. One group became frantically self-centered. I saw a shopper at a local mini mart get into a grappling match with the cashier over the last set of batteries. I saw drivers lose their cool when they were delayed in getting through the traffic on a local street for even a minute. The other group became wonderfully cooperative and philanthropic. People stopped their cars to help strangers on the street. One guy went around houses in the neighborhood turning off everyone’s gas. The second group really pulled together. It was wonderful. The first group is obviously dangerous. But that’s because they’re scared. It’s important as much as possible to stay out of their way and/or help them feel safer. Escalating conflict with them should be a last resort. The second group is golden. I think that people will be found within it who will be there for you. I imagine that if I had stayed in the area and wasn’t evacuated, some good disaster community building could have happened with them.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 17, 2021

In the interests of keeping this thread relevant and comprehensible to everybody, I’d like to ask folks to keep in mind that we are spread out all over the world, and even inside the US, all over the country. We don’t necessarily know your local geography, place names, nicknames for the place names, reputation or history or relationship of local communities and we don’t know people you refer to by name who are not on this forum and aren’t famous. I know I would personally appreciate having more context when you write about all these entities. Thanks in advance.

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Bye bye landlines? Now how do we connect when there’s no power?

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Posted October 17, 2022

Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard?

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Posted September 12, 2022

Urban bugging out

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Posted September 12, 2021

Ideas on carrying ID in your bug out bag

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Posted September 11, 2021

Dog owners, do you pack poop bags in your BOB?

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Posted September 11, 2021

AA batteries for HT ham radios (particularly Baofengs)

Advice 6

4

Posted September 5, 2021

Preprogramming ham radios with emergencies in mind

AdviceScenarios 14

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Posted September 5, 2021

What’s the best contractor bag size and thickness for bug out bags?

AdviceGear 12

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Posted September 1, 2021

Reducing weight and bulk on prepackaged self-care, health and hygiene items in the BOB?

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Posted August 31, 2021

What is the best practice for starting a fire?

AdviceSkills 21

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Posted August 30, 2021

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Reply to: Bye bye landlines? Now how do we connect when there’s no power? Posted October 19, 2022

Sounds like you no longer have a landline, but a VOIP — voice over internet protocol. They look like traditional phones at first blush. You can keep using the same phones you used for your land line, but it all actually works over the internet. And yes, internet down = VOIP line down, unless there’s some other backup strategy.

Reply to: Bye bye landlines? Now how do we connect when there’s no power? Posted October 19, 2022

Landlines are only dinosaurs because people have decided they are. I think it’s really lovely technology, even if old. But more to the point… my loved ones are scattered all over the place. A good chunk is in my local area, but others are out of state or out of the country. It would be hard to get all of them to pull together in an emergency. And my mom lives nearby but at this point is quite disabled and has trouble managing daily activities. It’s very difficult to get her to do any emergency planning — I’ve tried.

Reply to: Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard? Posted September 24, 2022

Honestly, the whole looking for solar panels thing has been a multiyear quagmire for me. I don’t know much at all about electricity and don’t want to burn down anything. I’m not handy so I don’t want to undertake any solar DIY project and there are a gazillion types of panels out there. (The other panels you link to are good examples. One only has controllers for lead-acid batteries, which I have no idea how to modify for my generator. One has minimal reviews, so I don’t know what I’d be getting. And the GoalZero, which of course I’ve seen before is crazy expensive.) This Allpowers one that I got seems like it could work and it’s compatible with my two solar generators. I think I may wind up putting one of them on some card tables lined up in a row and putting the second one learning against the legs of the tables. Maybe weigh down the kickstands with sandbags. The other thing I’m thinking of getting is something called IQ8. This is an upgrade to the solar system installed on my roof. Apparently with this upgrade I would be able to plug stuff into the wall during daytime hours when the sun is out even if the grid is down. Which of course begs the question of what I’d use the portable solar panels for, but well, maybe camping or maybe as backup if there’s something wrong with the IQ8.

Reply to: Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard? Posted September 22, 2022

Yes, they are still within the return period. The thing is, I don’t know that I can find anything smaller that would actually recharge my solar generators in anything like a reasonable time. I have a Bluetti EB 150 and an even larger GoalZero Yeti 3000X. So, these two panels are 200 W each and together they’ll at least recharge the Bluetti in a day. Something smaller wouldn’t would it? I was also looking for something that could be taken camping, if that need arises. These are “suitcases” that can fold up very nicely. If I go camping there might be more room and I could lean them against a tree? I don’t know how well I can get them to work in my back yard, but if I send them back I won’t have any way of recharging my sogens if the power is down. Which is where I was at before I got these. Found the other threads on Discord, thanks. It’s a little bit of a learning curve for me.

Reply to: Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard? Posted September 21, 2022

Hey, Gideon. Just read your review. I hadn’t even thought about the issue of the panels blowing over. I’m in general unimpressed with the kickstand of the panels I have. I think they are very likely to collapse backwards if there’s wind. But really the bigger issue is that I have no room in my back yard to put both panels horizontally and that’s the way the kickstands work. I have to try to figure out some solution where I can stand them vertically. Also, my back yard used to get lots of sunlight, but then one of my neighbors built a big shed… :-(. Now I guess it doesn’t get so much sun. Sigh. So many issues. I’ve never used Discord, or Slack. But I’m game. I just registered and found ThePrepared on Discords. So, what, it’s all one chat, right? No subtopics?

Reply to: Any ideas for how to fit solar panels for solar generators in a small back yard? Posted September 13, 2022

Hi, Eric. Clarification: I do have a permanent solar installation on the roof. These panels that I’m asking about are ones I got for recharging my solar generators. Like you I only plan to use them in an emergency in an extended power outage. (I have actually used my solar generators in power outages that lasted up to day, but I simply recharge them from the wall once the electricity comes back up in that case.) So, these are semi-portable solar panels. Not portable in the sense of carrying them around with you in your backpack, but portable enough to set up, charge and then put away. (Also I would like to be able to take them car camping if I go.) But I still need a reasonable setup in my back yard for them when I do use them and that’s what I can’t figure out now that I know how much space they take up!

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 30, 2021

Sorry, but I think it’s pure fabrication that staying at a FEMA or other refugee shelter is as good as dying. I’m not aware of any refugees from our wildfires of recent years dying in the makeshift camps where they stayed — although I’m sure many of them were pretty miserable. But people certainly did die when they refused to leave their homes.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 22, 2021

I couldn’t disagree with you more on this one, Bob. Yes, there are many factors, overpopulation, lack of preparation… of course. But I think it’s now been amply demonstrated that all of us are facing catastrophic, human-driven climate change. There is plenty of data on this now for anyone who is interested in seeing the facts. If the world doesn’t work on climate change — which at the moment it’s not doing nearly as quickly as necessary — then we will simply not have a livable planet in pretty short order. Not for humans and not for many other species, although life as a whole will probably survive in some form.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 22, 2021

We’re getting off topic, Bob, but I’m not sure where you get the idea that California’s economy is “because of $$$ from Washington, D.C.” I don’t even know what that means. California is an economic powerhouse, not only as a state within the US, but also by world standards compared to nations. It has quite a few vibrant economic sectors. Admittedly it was hit hard by covid, but we seem to be recovering. By the way, I’m not saying this because of any kind of Californian pride. Just the facts…

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

Bob, is arresting climate change such a new idea to you that it warrants two question marks, lol? It’s not a contest between me and the world. It’s something the world needs to be working on together because the most urgent issue of our time. If we are only looking at our individual survival strategies and not seeing the major driver of disasters all over the world, we are really missing the forest for the trees. But here in California it has become so obvious that there has been a big change for the worse in the fire situation. California now becomes a tinderbox every summer and fall. It didn’t used to be like that even as recently as 6 years ago. The drivers are not really overpopulation as far as I can tell. In any case, the more obvious drivers are severe and frequent drought and some mismanagement of infrastructure on the part of our power companies. There is also a debate about long-term fire prevention policies on public land, controlled burns, etc. But climate change is very obviously a big cause of all the trouble. I will also point out that extreme and frequent drought in a state that provides a great number of agricultural products to the world, not just to the US, is bad news for everyone.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

I am going through the water course now.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

Bob, I like the idea of belonging to a small prepper group, but not sure how I would go about finding one. Do you have any suggestions? Relocating isn’t really an option. I’m very established in my area of California. Relocating would wreak havoc with my social network. I would only do it as a last resort. But also…welcome to the new normal climate drama. Climate change is hitting ever harder in many parts of the planet. Here in California it means catastrophic wildfires and drought. You can’t solve this problem by moving out everyone from the most populous state of the nation. And the surrounding states are not really better off. We all have to pull together to arrest climate change and develop strategies for coping with the changes it’s too late to undo.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

Oh, well, yes. Of course leaving ahead of time is ideal. I’m glad to know you don’t advocate sheltering in place during a wildfire. However, I will also point out that it’s not always easy to know when to evacuate or where to go. Last year, our wildfire situation was very complex. A series of dry lightening storms started over 400 fires throughout the state. Each of them was an evolving situation. It’s not so easy for a civilian in that situation to figure out when a good time to evacuate is. I got my ham radio license in part to keep better informed about just such a situation.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 21, 2021

Bob, you really can’t shelter in place for some kinds of disasters, so there’s no point in pushing that as a strategy. I live a state where wildfires are the most common emergency nowadays. Am I going to sit around while fire engulfs my neighborhood and the airs stops being breathable? No.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 20, 2021

This is exactly the kind of discussion I’d like to see about urban bugging out. Water is a tricky one because it’s so heavy. I have a filled 32 oz container in my BOB and also a small plastic water bottle for my dog. That is already a lot of weight. I have some more water in my car, only enough total to get through less than a day, probably. Well, okay, maybe a day. After that I’ll have to find a water source. It doesn’t have to be clean though. I have filters.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 20, 2021

Illini Warrior — if you think that evacuation is not a good strategy, what exactly is your advice for surviving a wildfire?

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 19, 2021

My one experience of evacuation so far was in 1989, in the Loma Prieta earthquake, which was a big 7.1 quake that hit Northern California, quite near where I lived at the time. I was visiting a friend in the next town over from mine. The quake was followed by many, constant aftershocks (very unnerving because no one knew whether an even bigger quake was coming) but people had started to settle down, mostly outside their houses, when the authorities came around and told everyone to leave because of a possible coming tsunami, which never arrived. I must say that the evacuation itself was a mess in my location. The police and fire departments consistently created panic and confusion on the ground even when there was none to start with. But what I want to say is that the civilians divided pretty cleanly into two groups. One group became frantically self-centered. I saw a shopper at a local mini mart get into a grappling match with the cashier over the last set of batteries. I saw drivers lose their cool when they were delayed in getting through the traffic on a local street for even a minute. The other group became wonderfully cooperative and philanthropic. People stopped their cars to help strangers on the street. One guy went around houses in the neighborhood turning off everyone’s gas. The second group really pulled together. It was wonderful. The first group is obviously dangerous. But that’s because they’re scared. It’s important as much as possible to stay out of their way and/or help them feel safer. Escalating conflict with them should be a last resort. The second group is golden. I think that people will be found within it who will be there for you. I imagine that if I had stayed in the area and wasn’t evacuated, some good disaster community building could have happened with them.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 17, 2021

In the interests of keeping this thread relevant and comprehensible to everybody, I’d like to ask folks to keep in mind that we are spread out all over the world, and even inside the US, all over the country. We don’t necessarily know your local geography, place names, nicknames for the place names, reputation or history or relationship of local communities and we don’t know people you refer to by name who are not on this forum and aren’t famous. I know I would personally appreciate having more context when you write about all these entities. Thanks in advance.

Reply to: Urban bugging out Posted September 16, 2021

I think in general developing skills to de-escalate conflict and create room for possible alliances and friendships is extremely useful for survival. In fact, civil society is often one of the main casualties in a conflict zone. Empowering the locals to rebuild that civil society is the major work of unarmed peace teams and helps provide the footing for the local population to solve their own conflict.

Reply to: Review: Yaesu FT-60R vs BaoFeng BF-F8HP for new ham radio operators Posted September 16, 2021

Yes, it’s an old radio, but it’s held up well. In the US it still seems to be one of the preferred HTs and is definitely still available. But I’m still a new and inexperienced ham. I am barely getting the lay of the land of how things are in the States. Definitely not up on what’s available in Europe or elsewhere. This is probably a question for someone who’s been around longer.

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