Cybertek Electric: Issue #2 1/2/96
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I know a fifteenth, which Thiodhroerir the dwarf sang before Delling's door.
He sang might to the Aesir, power to the elves, and understanding to Odin.
Cybertek Electric: Issue Two
January 2nd., 1996
edited by Thomas Icom/IIRG
<ticom@l0pht.com> <thomas.icom@iirg.com>
Complements of OCL/Magnitude's Project Blackthorn,
and The International Information Retrieval Guild (IIRG)
Table of Contents
=================
- The Presidential Election Looms: What are YOU going to do?
- Backyard Pyrotechnics I, by Pyronomy
- Decoding Touch Tones
- Urban Survival Part II, by Douglas P. Bell
- Rede For a Departed Brother
The Presidential Election Looms:
What are YOU going to do?
The new year brings many thoughts to mind, but the one thing that keeps
presenting itself in my head right now is the fact that 1996 is a Presidential
election year in this country.
I've been talking to a lot of people who have a dangerous attitude towards
voting. They have no love for either the Republicrats or the Demopublicians,
and feel that a third political party has no chance. As a result they either
don't vote or vote for "the lesser of two evils". I guess they don't realize
that both of these actions will never help us out of the mess we are currently
in.
There is a nationwide third political party which in my opinion offers more
hope towards solving the problems in this country than either the
Demopublicians or Republicrats: The Libertarians. They are for individual
self-responsibility and reliance, and decreased government interference in the
lives of its citizens.
I don't know how many eligible voters in this country are actually registered,
but I do know that in the 1992 Presidential election only 55% (a record high
actually) of the nation's registered voters actually voted, and that of that
number roughly 40% voted for Clinton. The current President of the United
States was voted in with less than 25% of the popular vote. If everybody who
either didn't vote in the last presidential election or voted for "the lesser
of two evils" votes Libertarian, they stand an excellent chance. So make the
extra effort. Do your research. Find out just where the parties stand on
issues that matter; not the bullshit non-issues that the media popularizes,
and this November to get off your ass and get to the polls.
-Thomas Icom/IIRG
May Odin guide your way!
---/////---
Backyard Pyrotechnics I
by Pyronomy
The following series of articles will give details on how pyrotechnic devices
might be constructed. It is my intent that the descriptions given are for
informational purposes only. WARNING: THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL DEALS WITH
PYROTECHNIC DEVICES THAT CAN BE HAZARDOUS. SO PLEASE USE CAUTION:
I think that it would be prudent to explain the difference between
pyrotechnics and explosives. Explosives are broken down into several
categories. Low order explosives are things like gunpowder, flash powder,
black powder, etc. They tend to burn rapidly or deflagrate. There power as
explosives usually comes from the bursting of the container that they are in.
High order explosives are things such as dynamite, plastic explosives,
nitroglycerin, etc. They work under a different principle called detonation.
Detonation in the most basic terms is the rapid, self-propagating
decomposition of an explosive accompanied by a high pressure-temperature
shockwave that moves at 1000-9000 meters per second. This is not generally
considered in the chemistry world as burning. Primary or initiating explosives
are the last class. Some of these are mercury fulminate, lead azide, etc.
These can be sensitive to either shock or burning or both. They generally are
more powerful than low explosives and produce a shock wave that is used to
detonate high explosives. The only class that we will be dealing with in this
series are the low order explosives.
Pyrotechnics are an art form that has a history thousands of years old. They
are constructed for the purpose of providing exciting displays for groups of
people large and small. They existed even before anyone conceived the idea of
using black powder to hurt their enemies. Explosives on the other hand
generally are used to do some type of work. Be it in war or in peace they
generally have a tendency to destroy. If this is your purpose then this
article isn't for you. Most pyrotechnic devices are explosive in some way and
are therefore listed as explosives. Usually this is necessary for the devices
to achieve the desired effect. I will cover devices that are intended to make
pleasing displays be it on the ground or in the air. If you want to play with
the big boys go join the army.
At this time I would like to say a little something about this outrage in
Oklahoma. McVeigh, or whoever is guilty, I hope they give you to the families
of the ones you murdered YOU PIECE OF DUNG. While I am on the subject what is
this bullshit the press is doing to the Militias. I've never seen such a load
in my life. Several slimes do something horrible and the press goes and
stereotypes a whole class of people without any investigation to see what kind
of people they really are. Well if you are reading this you obviously don't
believe anything that those jerks say anyway. What was the purpose of this
bombing anyway? Are we supposed to be impressed with this chicken shit attack?
You didn't even have the balls to be there. What are you pissed about Waco.
Hell I didn't like it either but I wouldn't kill someone because of it. Lets
just pull the plug on you and be done with it because you obviously don't have
a clue.
Anyway it's a shame that this happened because it has side effects that some
people are not aware of. For one thing those people that find the main theme
of this article interesting and might want to try working with fireworks will
soon find it harder to get some of the things that they might need. The laws
will probably get a lot tougher on anyone that might construct anything that
someone else who is either nosy, stupid, or misinformed might think is a
danger to society. They might even see the required reading material
disappear. I don't know about you but it bothers me a hell of a lot.
I don't want anyone to have the false impression that I am all knowledgeable
on this subject. For me it is a hobby that I happen to cherish with a very
large passion. There will be some suggestions later on some reading material
that will help.
WARNING: THESE DEVICES CAN BE DANGEROUS POSSIBLY FATAL SO BE CAREFUL. Safety
is the key to successful and pleasing pyrotechnic displays. Therefore we are
going to discuss safety now and throughout this series of articles.
Some of the DO's and DON'Ts
NO SMOKING: This means while handling chemicals or when constructing, firing,
and transporting devices.
Be gentle when handling your devices as some can be sensitive to rough
handling. You can't be too careful when involved with a hobby like this one.
The first thing you should do before constructing any devices is to check the
laws wherever you are to find out if it is legal. There are several different
classes of explosives that have been designated by the Dept. of
Transportation. Pyrotechnic devices like the common firecracker, bottle
rockets, those little pieces of junk that just burn on the ground with merely
a whimper and party poppers are in Class C. The smaller sized paper tube
launched aerial shells that go up a couple of hundred feet then burst are also
Class C. Some states sub-divide this class into sparklers and ground devices
that shoot sparks. Some are even so lame as to have everything banned. There
is also Class B. This is where most of the big professional displays reside.
These are probably familiar to everyone who has lived through one Fourth of
July. They consist mainly of a round that is launched from a metal tube and
burst high in the air. I'm not exactly sure what the boundary is between Class
B and C. The largest aerial shells that I have seen on sale in fireworks
stands was 2 1/4" in diameter and was marked Class C. Most of the aerial
devices that we will be discussing will be higher than normal altitude Class
C.
OK back to safety. Do not fire any devices on public property as it is
dangerous and probably not legal. The author assumes no liability for damage
or injuries caused by the use of this information. Okay enough so here is the
list of minimum safety equipment needed.
SAFETY EQUIPMENT NEEDED WHERE TO GET IT
Face Shield Hardware Store
Breathing Mask " "
Thick Latex Gloves " "
Welding Gloves Welding Supply
Welding Arm Shields " "
Leather Shoes
The equipment listed should be used anytime you are mixing your chemicals or
when constructing devices. I know they are cumbersome but it is better to be
safe than sorry. Especially the shoes. (Blackmatch will burn through house
slippers. I know this from personal experience.)
Credits
It would be wrong for me to continue without giving credit to the individuals
from whom I acquired the basic information that I am about to impart to you.
The first is the fantastic series of books by Kurt Saxon entitled The Poor
Mans James Bond. There are four books in the series covering every possible
area of self reliance. All contain numerous how-to manuals from A to Z. You
want to know, it's in there. Another one is Granddad's Wonderful Book of
Chemistry. It contains everything that you would want to know about
laboratories and chemical processes. Another series written by Mr. Saxon is
The Survivor. This series is jam packed with how-to articles that are on every
subject that you could possibly want. I would highly suggest all of these
books as they are very valuable. The best ones as far as pyrotechnics are
concerned are Granddad's, PMJB I and PMJB II. In PMJB I you will find
Fireworks & Explosives Like Granddad Used To Make which is a group of articles
including Scientific American 1903, Dick's Encyclopedia of Formulas &
Processes 1872, The Techno-Chemical Receipt Book 1896, and Henley's Twentieth
Century Formulas 1907. It also contains Pyrotechny by George Weingart (1947).
It is considered by most to be the authority on pyrotechnics. The last one is
American Pyrotechnist by VanderHorck. It contains articles by numerous authors
about constructing mechanical devices used in the manufacture of pyrotechnic
devices. In PMJB II you will find a reprint of Tenney Davis's book The
Chemistry of Powder and Explosives published in 1943. It is modern and has
done away with most of the older terms used for some of the chemicals used.
However it is a very good idea to have Granddad's around as it does explain
the older terms. I would like to express my gratitude to Kurt for the vast
effort he has put into this series. It is well rounded and will provide a
great many hours of pleasurable reading. THANKS KURT. would also like to
suggest getting a chemical dictionary or maybe borrow one and check certain
aspects of the chemicals that are used in pyrotechnics. You should especially
check the sections on hazards, properties, and usage.
I would like also to thank Stormbringer in D.C. (BBURPP) for turning me on to
PMJB and for the inspiration. Asrael (OOPS Sorry bout them tax records Dad)
Asphyxia also for the inspiration. Hey AZ be careful with that Perchlorate.
And last but not least Thomas Icom for the opportunity to pen this series.
Materials
The hardest part of it all is acquiring the materials unless you have an
unlimited budget which I think most folks don't. So I am going to give you
some hints on how to construct some of the things that will be needed.
Scales are a must if you want your compositions to be consistent. All of the
compositions used are given by weight proportions. A cheap set of proportion
scales are to be described. You will need the following:
Wood appox. 18"x 4"x 1/2"
Plastic/Vinyl strip 12" long and as thin as you can get it (I used a piece of
1" vinyl window blind)
Wire appox. 4" long and fairly stiff 10-14 ga. (I used brass brazing wire)
Bend the wire in a U shape 3/4" in from each end. Make two holes in the wood
slightly smaller than the wire. The holes should be placed so that the wire is
in the middle length-wise and perpendicular to the length and 1/4" deep. The
wire should be inserted so it is no more than 1/2" off the board. Put a slot
in the plastic so that it will balance on the wire. Add a small container
shaped like a scoop at one end of the strip by using a 2" piece of plastic
drinking straw and duct tape. On the opposite side of the strip using a small
piece of tape attach a dime about half way between the wire and the end. This
will allow you to weigh out fairly small equal amounts of the chemicals.
The scales are used in the following manner. Place something under the scoop
to catch any chemicals that might not make it into the scoop. Place your
chemical in the scoop until it is just heavy enough to tip the scoop down all
the way. This is one proportion that weighs somewhere around half a dime. It
doesn't really matter how much as all the formulas are given as parts by
weight proportion. Any way you go about it is okay as long as you make sure
that the weights are consistent.
Chemicals
CAUTION: ALL OF THE CHEMICALS BEING USED ARE EITHER POISONOUS OR DANGEROUS IN
SOME WAY. PLEASE USE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN HANDLING THEM:
The formulas that are used will only be tested possibly modified versions of
ones found in the various sources that have already been mentioned. No
formulas will be given that have not been personally tested to ensure some
measure of safety and consistency. There are several categories of chemicals
that are used. Oxidizers and reducers are the most important as far as the
actual burning of compositions. Binders tend to hold the compositions together
physically and also have the tendency to moderate the burn rates. Some also
have the tendency toward being combustible.
Oxidizers do just what their name implies by providing oxygen to sustain the
burning. We will get into more detail on the actual terms at a later time when
we start to get into the section on constructing stars and such as that. Some
are listed here:
Potassium Nitrate is the oxidizer that is used in Black Powder. It is used in
numerous compositions that contain a carbon based reducer. It should be
obtained from the chemical supply house.
Potassium Perchlorate is a lot more powerful oxidizer than the nitrate as it
contains more oxygen. Like the other chemical compounds made from chloric or
perchloric acids it can be rather sensitive in certain circumstances. Such as
when mixed with finely divided metals such as aluminum or copper. It also
gives up chlorine which helps to deepen the color of your fire. It can be
obtained from the supply house. Note that it also is more sensitive to shock
when mixed with sulfur and may be set off w hen struck real hard with a
hammer. It is a strong irritant.
If you have an excess of bravery one of the most powerful oxidizers is
Potassium Chlorate. If you decide to use it get all the PMJB books and read
them from cover to cover many times to make damn sure you know exactly what
you are doing. It has a tendency to spontaneously explode when mixed dry with
certain things such as sulfur and red phosphorus and should be wetted
thoroughly including an antiacid before handling. Thanks for that note Kurt.
Another rather powerful but hazardous oxidizer is readily available as of this
writing is Potassium Permanganate. It is generally a purple colored granular
substance that grinds up into a reddish purple powder. Be aware that it is
very caustic and will burn skin on contact. It is very sensitive when mixed
with reducing agents and when mixed with powdered aluminum it is as powerful
and maybe even a little stronger than the flash powder described further on in
this article.
Barium Nitrate (used for green fire) is a good oxidizer and also helps color
the flame green. It also comes from the supply house. Most Barium compounds
are poisonous so caution is important. Make sure that you wear your mask and
gloves when using this in a well ventilated area.
Strontium Nitrate (used for red fire) colors the flame red and also provides
oxygen. If you have access to a 100-200 mesh screen it may be obtained from
common road flares. But be aware that most contain binders such as kerosene
which could possibly cause problems. It is best to buy it from the supply
house. Most Strontium compounds also tend to be hazardous in some way or
other. They are usually poisonous and should be treated with caution. They are
shock sensitive when mixed with reducing agents.
Ammonium Perchlorate is also a powerful oxidizer that is available and is
mainly used in rocket engines. I have not used it yet but have acquired some
for testing purposes and will let you know what I find out.
Reducers on the other hand are in the simplest terms what gets burned. I know
that some will find that too simple a description but its easy to understand.
Some are listed below.
Charcoal can be found at the hardware store but contains a lot of trash in it
so it is recommended that you spend the bucks and buy soft charcoal sticks at
the art store. These can be ground up real easily and are my first choice.
Powdered Aluminum can be obtained through a chemical supply house or if you're
into chemistry made at home, but I bought it. NOTE: Filed aluminum doesn't
work well unless it is very fine. Do not use sandpaper to make it small as it
will contain many particles from the paper and could taint the quality. Be
aware that most finely powdered metals can be explosive when mixed with
oxygen. Some also can be toxic in this form.
Zinc Dust is another metal that can be used in the arts. It may be obtained
from the supply house in a couple of forms. In bits and pieces, in a powdered
form, and in a powdered form called mossy. This means that it was powdered by
pouring molten zinc into water. The form I have acquired is the regular
powder.
Sulfur has the main job of evenly spreading fire to all parts of the
composition in which it is incorporated. It also acts as a reducer by being
combustible. It is best obtained from the supply house.
Binders can have multiple purposes when included in some compositions. They
hold things together and sometimes act as reducers. These will be described
individually.
Shellac is a good binder when wetted with ethyl alcohol. It also is
combustible so tends to act as a reducer.
Stearine is a binder and a reducer at the same time. It is sold at the hobby
store for use in candles. It is sometimes used in making blue fire.
Another binder is powdered water soluble things such as dextrin but I have as
yet been unable to find a source. IF you find one please pass it along. I am
in the process of trying a couple of ideas along this line and will let you
know what I find.
You will also need a couple of wetting agents to suspend your binding agents
so they will be evenly distributed within the compositions. Isopropyl alcohol
(rubbing alcohol) is used in certain cases that will be mentioned later. Ethyl
alcohol to be used when shellac is being used in a composition. Denatured
Alcohol can also be used if it is the kind that has been denatured by methanol
only. It should not contain any other denaturants. Water is used when dealing
with some of the Nitrate and Perchlorate composition and will be noted at that
time. Never mix any Chlorate compositions dry as they tend to go BOOM.
Cannon Fuse can be found at gun shops and gun shows. It may also be found at
your better hobby shops that carry model rocketry supplies. Make sure to test
the fuses burn rate.
Other chemicals are also needed for special purposes such as Ammonium
Chloride which is used as a source of chlorine in the burning to help in
deepening the color. It is also used in making a pretty good white smoke. Be
aware that it has the tendency to draw moisture from the air.
Mercurous Chloride (Calomel) is also a good chlorine source but be advised
that it produces poisonous fumes especially when burning and should be used
only where there is extremely good ventilation. It is used primarily in the
making of blue and green fire. It does not seem to take up moisture from the
air like Ammonium Chloride and is preferred over it. Generally when chlorates
or perchlorates are used for an oxidizer there is no need to add any extra
chlorine source. This compound in any form is very poisonous.
Black Powder is available at most gun shops that cater to muzzle loading
enthusiasts. It comes mainly segregated by grain size. 2F is the size that I
have found to be the most useful. It can be carefully ground in small amounts
with a porcelain mortar and pestle if the need arises.
I have touched only the tip of the iceberg here so please refer to PMJB for a
complete list of what will be needed.
Black Match
Black match is a type of fuse used in certain ground and aerial devices. It is
also very cheap and easy to make. You will need cotton twine and some finely
ground Black Powder(BP). You will also need some kind of frame to stretch the
fuse over to allow it to dry. Take 3 strands of the string and twist together
then tie to one side of the frame. Twist the strands then tie tightly to the
other side of the frame. Take a shallow container and put some BP in it. Add
water 1 drop at a time mixing constantly with a wooden stick. Continue adding
water until the BP is a thick paste. While wearing rubber gloves completely
saturate the string with this paste. Wipe off any excess and allow to dry
completely. This fuse burns at about 1" per second. It can be made to burn
very fast by inserting it into a paper tube about 1/4" in diameter. This is
called Quick Match and burns faster than you could possibly get away from so
be careful when using it. The Black Match is also a lot cheaper than Cannon
Fuse and is sufficient for use when testing compositions.
Flash Powder
Flash powder is a mixture of Potassium Perchlorate and the finest powdered
Aluminum that can be acquired. 400 mesh works real well. You would be wise to
wear a particle mask, face shield and rubber gloves for measuring your
chemicals and also welding gloves when mixing them, just in case. Also it
would be wise to do so when making devices. Measure 2 parts Perchlorate and 1
part Aluminum. Combine them on a piece of aluminum foil and gently mix
together thoroughly with a plastic measuring spoon. Store in a plastic bottle.
** DO NOT STORE IN PLASTIC BAGS ** This composition is not real sensitive to
static like Black Powder is but has been set off by static under test
conditions so use caution when choosing your containers. This composition if
placed in a test cup made from aluminum foil that is 1" in diameter and 3/4"
deep to a depth of 1/4" and fired with enough cannon fuse to allow time for
departure flashes, makes an audible poof and makes lots of white smoke. If
loaded to a depth of about 5/8" you get one helluva boom, a big flash, and
enough smoke to be seen from a long way off. The first time that I did this it
scared the bejeezes out of me. I was not aware that any of the low order
explosives would do this in that small an amount and under those conditions.
Obviously I had failed to take into account the speed in which this stuff
burns. When tightly contained it can build up pressure fast. I urge extreme
caution when using this composition.
First Device
Now lets start the construction of a small firecracker that is approximately
M-80 grade maybe even a little better. Be advised that this device can remove
a hand. It is best to place it on the ground standing straight up so that the
end plugs won't bean someone on the head or something like that.
Take a thick walled paper tube (fax paper roll or home made) about 5/8" in
diameter and 2" long. The walls of the tube should be a least 1/8" thick. Make
a wadding with toilet paper (TP) by inserting one wadded up sheet in the tube
and packing tightly against a hard surface with a cylinder that will just fit
the tube. Eject it from the tube then make another. Insert one of these into
the tube leaving 1/4" space between it and the end of the tube. Fill this
space with a quick drying two part epoxy cement and let it cure completely.
Take a sharp pointed round object and make a hole in the middle of the side of
the tube that will fit the fuse very tightly. Insert at the minimum 6 seconds
worth of fuse into the hole until it turns toward either end. If you made the
hole correctly the fuse should be rather hard to remove. If not use some
Elmer's glue around the base of the fuse to hold it in firmly. Once again let
it dry completely. Now stand the tube on end and add flash powder until 1/3 of
the containers interior is covered. (Another alternative is to fill it
completely and pack lightly using the end plug. I am still experimenting to
find the right amount so be careful when trying this.) Insert a piece of
wadded up TP in the tube and lightly pack just enough to hold the powder
together leaving room for the other wadding that you made. Now insert the
wadding and epoxy as before once again allowing to dry completely. You now
have a device that I hope you enjoy. I put one of these under a 55 gallon
plastic trash can that was inverted on concrete and it went 10' into the air.
This device throws a very hard wadding so watch out.
Sources
Poor Mans James Bond, Granddad's, & The Survivor available from:
Atlan Formularies
P.O.Box 95
Alpena, AR 72611
(501) 437-2999
/////
Decoding Touch Tones
by Thomas Icom/IIRG
Doing this is relatively simple for everyone except all those individuals on
Usenet who keep asking about it. This ought to set everyone straight. Decoding
DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency: what everybody outside of Ma Bell calls Touch
Tones, as "Touch Tone" is a trademark of Western Electric, one of Ma Bell's
children.) is simply a matter of having access to a DTMF decoder. These can be
purchased in various levels of sophistication, built, or "borrowed".
Starting with the simple first, I'll talk about "borrowing" a DTMF decoder. If
you have a pager, you can borrow one of the pager company's. Record the Touch
Tones you wish to decode, call your pager, and play the tape into the phone.
When you get paged, the numbers on your pager will be the DTMF sequence. You
can do the same with certain VMBs. When you call a VMB, enter in a bogus DTMF
sequence and see if it'll tell you "NNNN is not a valid mailbox.". If it
responds with the sequence you'd entered, you can use that to decode unknown
DTMF sequences.
Those of you with a Soundblaster/AbLib card in their PC can try one of the
programs that turns your sound card into a DTMF decoder. There are a few such
programs floating around on BBSes and FTP sites. I experimented with a few
pieces of software and wasn't impressed; as all of the one's I tested were
prone to falsing and lacking somewhat in sensitivity. A PC also lacks
portability for real-time decoding in the field. Since they are available for
free however, you might want to try what you can find and see if it works for
what you need it for. One point which you should be aware of is that some of
the programs available require a "real" Soundblaster. If you have a clone they
won't work.
For those of you who can solder, DTMF decoder ICs are sold for less than $10.
They can be interfaced to a PC and work well. Full DTMF decoder kits are also
available for less than the finished product. There have been hundreds of DTMF
decoder schematics published and released into electronic domain (some are on
the 'Stone) over the years. If you're going the do-it-yourself route, avoid
plans that are more than a few years old. New ICs are constantly being
developed which cost less, and are more reliable.
Schematics which you should avoid at any cost are ones which implement the 567
Tone Decoder IC. While it was a nice chip in it's time; by today's standards
it takes too long to get a good lock and is too prone to falsing. A DTMF
decoder implementation using this chip is also 10 times the size of more
modern designs, as a total of eight 567 chips are used to do the job that one
chip can do today.
One that is readily available appears on page 169 of Paul Bergsman's excellent
and highly recommended book Controlling the World With Your PC. I acquired my
copy at my local Barnes & Noble, or you can get it from HighText, P.O. Box
1489, Solana Beach, CA 92075. Paul's book is the bible for real-world
interfacing for the PC.
Another set of recently published DTMF decoder plans can be found in the
September 1995 Issue of Nuts & Volts magazine. These plans use a California
Micro Devices CM8880 IC and a BASIC Stamp. A kit based on this project is
available for $22 (not including the BASIC Stamp and LCD Serial Backpack used
for the display) from:
Scott Edwards Electronics
964 Cactus Lane
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
520-459-4802
FAX 520-459-0623
72037,2612@compuserve.com
Finally, one can go and buy a completed DTMF decoder. The assembled units
start at less than $60, and used equipment can be had for even less at
Hamfests. Starting at the bargain basement we have:
Motron Electronics
310 Garfield St., Suite 4
P.O. Box 2748
Eugene, OR 97402
800-338-9058, 503-687-2118
motron.info@emerald.com
Their TDD-8X DTMF decoder is $59. It features an 8 digit display, 104
character memory, and serial port for connection to a PC. For DNR work in
those backwoods areas that have yet to receive DTMF service, Motron has the
TM-16A which will also decode rotary dialing for $179. With the RS-232 port
option the price of that unit goes up to $249. For those of you who have
remote control applications in mind, for $99 Motron sells their AK-16 DTMF
Controller Board. It features 16 relay driver outputs, up to 12 digit security
code capability, ASCII serial output of incoming DTMF tones, and DTMF user-
programmability.
For those looking for a nice looking "Rolls Royce" type unit in order to
impress their next TSCM client, you have two choices:
Optoelectronics
5821 NE 14th Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334
800,327-5912, 305-771-2050
Universal Radio
6830 Americana Pkwy.
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
800,431-3939, 614-866-4267
Universal sells (for $399.95 + $6 s/h) their M-400 decoder. This unit decodes
DTMF; as well as POCSAG, GOLAY (pager modes), CTCSS (PL), DCS (DPL) (tone
codes which are used to access radio repeaters and prevent interference), and
whole bunch of other digital communications modes used on the shortwave and
ham bands.
Optoelectronics also sells a similar unit, their DC400. This unit is only
$259, and only decodes DTMF, CTCSS, and DCS. It has a 127 character memory and
interface to a PC when mated with a CI-V to RS-232 converter. If you don't
need all the extras the Universal unit has and want something that'll
interface with a PC, go with the Opto' unit.
/////
Urban Survival, Part II
by Douglas P. Bell
Now that we have housing, guns, hygiene, and other good stuff out of the way,
what next? Well how about food production/procuring! OK so we talked about a
garden that didn't look like a garden, and wasn't in "normal" garden plants,
but just what plants are these? What would be a good book on the subject?
One of the best books for this is "The Edible Ornamental Garden" by John E.
Bryan and Coralie Castle (101 Productions, 1974, 192 pages, 8 1/2" x 8 1/4").
The nice thing about this book is it covers the usual garden plants as well as
the less usual ones.
The chapters in the book include general culture of plants, cooking with
flowers, leaves and herbs, plants, their culture, history and recipes, and
mail order nurseries.
This book is a must have for the urban home owner who has a small plot of land
and wants a garden that most people wouldn't bother because they wouldn't even
know it was there. The book will also provide you with food ideas that you may
have been missing out on right under your own nose, right in your own yard or
flower garden.
Well, so much for your outdoor garden, what about an indoor garden? That's
right, set up a small "flower box" garden in a window sill or even a terrarium
garden. For the terrarium, you might try to find "Gardening With Terrariums",
although this booklet has almost nothing on food growing indoors as it is
actually a book about ornamental plants.
if a window box of terrarium garden isn't big enough for you, there are other
ways of doing this, such as setting up a greenhouse. Books on greenhouses run
from how to build your own "window box" greenhouse to commercial production
set-ups. Go down to your library or used book store and look over the books
they have. There should be something that will be of interest if you are
serious about plant production and propagation.
Well, if gardening isn't your cup of tea, and you can't put in a greenhouse or
"indoor garden", but still want plant food in your diet, what is left?
Sprouting!
Sprouting is very easy to learn and requires almost no room or equipment to
do, and so is perfect for the urban survivor. Sprouting not only increases the
amount of food over just eating the grains or seeds you might have stored
(such as mung, pinto, or wheat), but provides much more nutrition as well. A
booklet on the subject you might like to find is "Seeds and Sprouts For Life"
by B. Jensen.
Now that you have all that garden produce, what are you going to do with it
all? Yet another booklet for the continually short of space urban survivor is
"Rodale's Gardening Harvest Book" which covers freezing, canning, jams,
jellies and drying. well so much for plants, what else is there? What about
meat? Well how about traps!
In one "survival" magazine there are ads for leg hold traps, "you may not want
the fur, but you will want to eat" or something like that is how the ad runs.
Well OK, leg hold traps are a good way to get food and furs, but I don't
recommend them for the urban survivor.
The reason is simple, if my best rat catcher or favorite hunting hound comes
back with a messed-up leg or worse yet, doesn't come home at all, I'll know
there is someone else out there and start looking for them and their traps!
Another reason I don't like leg hold traps for the urban survivor, especially
now with the current anti-gun/anti-trapping scum about, is if you don't check
your traps every day (any decent trapper checks his traps AT LEAST once a
day!), someone else might find your traps with an animal caught in it and turn
you in to the local power structure which will be more than happy to harass an
honest survivalist rather than fight crimes such as murder, rape, etc.! After
all they might get hurt doing that!
Now I'm not against trapping mind you, it's just that you have to be a little
tricky about it. If you live in an area with a lot of raccoons (and who
doesn't?), you might try the "egg-trap", so called because the commercial
version is egg shaped. This is a very safe and very good trap. It doesn't grab
the leg like the leg hold traps and it is safe around dogs, cats and children.
The way this works is, you take off the back of the egg trap, put the bait in,
and close it up. The trap is then put in an area where raccoons are likely to
see it. The raccoon can see and smell the food, but can't get at it. So the
raccoon reaches in, grabs the bait and pulls. Now the trap is so designed that
the leg is held as long as the bait is pulled. Let go of the bait and the leg
is released. In almost all cases the raccoon will hold on to the bait and you
have him trapped!
Another good way to trap animals without hurting them (and getting the
neighbors pissed at you) is to use a box trap. A box trap is just what it
sounds like, a trap in the form of a box. Normally the animal walks into the
trap to get some sort of bait and trips a level closing the trap door;
trapping the animal with no harm. These traps are available commercially and
can be easily built out of wire mesh and scrap lumber to fit just about any
size or area you want to put one.
These traps can be built to trap birds, squirrels, and most any animal to
about a small to medium sized dog or good sized coon. After that, the size and
strength needed limit the practical usefulness of the trap as far as most
urban survivalists are concerned, as it would be hard to explain away a German
Shepherd sized trap in the back yard; while a "raccoon" or "groundhog" trap
will not raise too many questions. I know one person who built one of these
traps for squirrels and normally catches about ten to twelve a week! About the
only problem they have encountered is the trap needs rebuilding/repairing
every week or so, as the squirrels really tear the hell out of trap!
The next set of traps are the so-called "kill traps", as they kill their prey
by breaking the animal's neck or back when the trap is tripped. Needless to
say, you don't want to use this trap where children or pets can get at it, as
most people would get a little upset by this! As these traps are normally in
the mink/martin size, they are not good "meat" traps, although for protecting
your food supply from rats and mice they would work fairly well.
For more information about traps and trapping, you should get "Survival
Poaching" by Ragnar Benson (Paladin Press), "Animal Traps and Trapping" by
Bateman (Stackpole Books), and go to your local magazine rack and and get a
subscription to "Fur/Fish/Game - A Harding Magazine" (Fur-Fish-Game, 2878 E.
Main St., Columbis, OH 43209), $12/year, $21/two years), as well as buying all
the Harding Press books.
/////
Rede For a Departed Brother;
Paul D. "Bleach" Keniry, 1979-1995
One who is born upon this dim Middle Earth
Has only a few years to live.
To know the love of family,
The warm embrace of a lover,
And the comradeship of good friends.
To some the years may be long and rich,
To some the years may be all too short.
Yet through it all each does his or her best,
As did Paul do his for us.
So that when finally each does stand before the Gods
It is with pride in self and backed with the loving prayers
Of those known in life.
In time, the others of us are all fated to follow,
There to be reunited with those who have gone before.
To meet again in joy and laughter
In the shining land of the Gods.
Yet know full well that the ancient sagas say
That those who are truly worthy shall be born again.
Returning in time to family, to friends,
And his own folk.
And we here know full well
That our friend is the worthiest of the worthy.
We will meet again, both in the golden lands beyond,
And, in time, here once again.
May his spirit help and guide those who remain,
May his soul find peace and joy
And the best of company.
In the emerald gardens and golden halls
Of high Valhalla.
As the tree is green forever,
May Paul's soul live to eternity.
---/////---
Unless otherwise noted Cybertek Electric is Copyright (C)1995 by
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Noncommercial reproduction is encouraged provided this electronic publication
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|\ /| /\ / |\ | Thomas Icom/IIRG
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| | /\ \ \ | |/ International Information Retrieval Guild
| | / \ \ \| | "May Odin guide your way!"
Madhr er manna gaman, ok moldar auki, ok skipa skreytir.
<End of Text>