If you plan is to survive the coming crisis and do so unscathed. many thing must be taken into consideration.
Yes I know morse code is an old form of communication, but you should learn it.

Why?

One easy simple explaination is. What better way to communicate without leaving your voice all over the airwaves.

All the young guys are right now saying, we have internet, and other radio communication, including Sat.
Yes you do... right now, do you really think? The government would not jam any Sat access.
They will leave radios open. but it is the 21st, so expect voice recognition.
So what better way then morse to transmit your alfa code?

We have been thinking we could use all the modern devices, GPS is one example.
They will shut down or block any access to the GPS system and anything else they can. Yes we might find some hackers to help us out.

But you better be prepared to wayfind the old fashion way.

Too many of us are dependent on the GPS.

We dont track. Can't way find. Can't survive in the wilderness with only our wits. Many of us don't know the local plants in our area that are safe to eat or medicinal.

Many of us are out of shape, and some use the excuse they are to old to be out there working out. Well No matter how old we are, we will be tested and pushed to the limit.

so We better prepare our minds and our bodies.

We don't know how to ride a horse or trap, some are not even hunters. We better be expert mountain man types.

Too may here think that we will carry on our live in our confortable houses, while all along fighting for the cause.
The only people who will still have a home will be the traitors or sheep.

Or the occasional patriot who never let his thoughts known.
Yes he or she might be able to do the underground thing.

The rest of us, the people who spoke up or made our views known. We will be in the mountains, cities sewers, deserts,or any other place that allows us some rest time.

No one can fight 7 days a week 24 hrs a day.

I know even my nice retreat I spend years preparing and stocking, will only provide my shelter and protection for a limited time.

Eventually I must move into the wilderness and fight the guerilla fight.

Some have the notion that they will stand toe to toe with the US Military.

No we will hit and run or stand and die.

Oh yes we can inflict damage on them.

But at what cost.

Our job is to figure ways to even the playing field. Make all their FLIR and night vision. Helo's and tanks, excess weight.

That's what we need to be working on.

We must work on tactics and precision.

Don't waste time on things you won't be using in the field.

I am not saying don't make a retreat,

I am saying the retreat is only a safe house for a short time.

Learn to eat things they won't, to sleep in places they can't, learn to never hesitate.

As God is my witness this will be the most evil and cruel battles of history. There is none of the battle field honor of the history books or battles of our fore fathers, just killing and destuction.

We must understand they can't let you live. If you fail, No camps for you, just death.

Tyranny can never continue if one spark of hope is left alive.

So prep for not just a civil war, but for battle for the dream of freedom.

We must be the most capable, well skilled, feared fighting militiamen ever to walk this earth.
So learn all those forgotten skills and physically train ourselve till we can't be whipped.
Being a militiaman is great. being a militia man feared because of his stealth and cunning, and his ability to flourish in any situation.


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no spaces just to make it more fun.

I am a hunter, a horse rider, not a trapper, but I know my stuff in my area. Great post, just a great post. Good job, dude.

it has been since 1977 when i had to learn code and had to copy with a pencil 16 GPM..i thought i would never have to deal with it again..you make good points might have to drag out the tapes and start reviewing..

Ever seen the movie City Slickers? That's what we don't want to be.

I can hunt and I can track. An education from full blooded Native Americans who married into my family. Daniel Boone, were he alive today, would blush with envy.

I can snipe with deadly accuracy from as far out as 800 yards in crappy conditions. One shot, one kill.

I can set man traps that you won't see until it's too late.

And I am blind in my right eye on top of all of that.

Because of my vision and color skew, I can't wire or disarm explosives anymore. My depth perception up close is screwed, like less and four feet from my face. Further away, not a problem, but my reach doesn't go that far. My good eye is far sighted.

My Congestive Heart Failure won't allow me a decent run anymore, or long term stamina, which is a death sentence for me in some very real situations.

I've said this in another post, I will say it again here but with more detail, and I hope you all know how I feel, how much I regret losing my health, but not my heart for doing the right thing with my brothers.

I would rather die marching in a muddy field with my brothers in arms, or die in a delaying action to allow those who need to flee extra time, on my feet as a free American, than to die of old age while on my knees in legalized slavery to the state.

Such is the fate of Old Warriors. I accept it gladly, to do the right thing. For Freedom. For America. For the Constitution of the United States.

+1 Old Warrior

Am close to the same situation here, but would also die rather than bow to those who subvert the constitution. I believe we were created by God for a purpose and hopefully everyone will serve that purpose...

On Morse for comm listening is worth far more than writing IMHO
To learn Morse Code your PC can help a lot.
Here is a link to ARRL code practice MP3 files http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/morse.html
You can download (also the text file of what is being sent) and listen at several speeds, I'd suggest 5-10 WPM for a while.
Also from ARRL is this link http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/learncw/ Some of the programs for study can use MP3 files. For me keeping CW as "sounds" was much better than writing down 'dits & dahs' in other words just write down the text.
Here is a free program that can be downloaded
http://www.dxsoft.com/en/products/cwget/
Just attach your radio speaker to the PC Mic or Line input. Or set the radio speaker close to the PC built-in Mic (acoustical coupling). Keep the radio volume LOW. Use the program to 'verify' what you are copying on paper. The main thing is to learn it!

Larry ~Etech

Old warrior,
I ain't that old but I do agree that I would rather die fighting on my own terms with a rifle in my hand than in a ditch with my hands tied behind my back.

I agree the oldest methods are the best. While I have extensive experience as a survivalist, I have also found, that when you involve your family in the affair, you have new problems. I was homeless for 5 months this year. It was the hardest thing my family ever experienced. The stigma that immediately falls on you, is just ridiculous. It is very hard to get back into a house when you live in a tent and act like your camping. There are many things people do not realize will happen when you MUST live outside. One constant problem is protecting your food from animals. Another is, all sorts of freaky people come out of the "duct work" and have ill intentions; wishing to take advantage of you... from cult leaders, to psychotic morons, to police. In one summer, I experienced all of it. Stupid cops came and woke us up and 2 o'clock in the morning to ask us if we saw a woman running around in the woods. What?! I can only imagine, what a real disaster will be like, when men can not live in their homes. There are so many little things your family will suffer. Your wife, and your children. As these come to mind, I will discuss them. Taking care of yourself is one thing, but taking care of your family, and trying to make it back to a normal life are exceedingly difficult. I will post more about this later. These problems are unforseen by most, and need to be addressed.

Good post Grey. I guess I should go back and read them old boy scout manuals of mine and study up on that deet dot stuff again...

Old Warrior, Etech, and any other "senior" militia men. I applaud your realization of the inevitable, death is certain, its all in how you approach it. You either die bound and head hung low, or you smile and spit in his face as he walks up to deliver the last blow. HOWEVER, just because your old and slow doesn't mean we can afford to loose you anymore than anyone else. Experience and knowledge, wisdom and skill are the gifts of age. I, for one, have uses for the older generation.

Teaching the young. The old warrior is the best teacher; he knows what to do, how to think, how to survive. Those who are not old enough to serve along side the warriors need this experience if they are to survive and be a cohesive team member.

Defending the rear. Not as glorious as dying in the front line, but just as important. If you can't take the battle to them, let them do the work and bring it to you. When all the fighters leave for the field, the woman and children, the injured and ill, logistics, commo, medical and all the other necessary resources have less to ensure they survive. The old, young, and women will have to bear it to the fullest. But I forsee that many an "old warrior" would rather fall than allow for one woman or child to take his place.

Greater love have no man than to lay his life down for another. But you may as well prolong it until the last foe falls.

+2 GW

General Washington knew if the army survived they would win. Just a thought about fighting.

I don't know if you guys have ever seen the contest between CW/Morse and texting, I believe it was on the Jay Leno show. Too funny. Morse won by a great margin of speed with accuracy.

Morse has other attributes too like using Q and Z signals. QTH means your location or my location is, for example. Thus even people speaking other languages can comprende a message using the Q and Z signals.

Morse generally can get the message through static crashes or noise on a frequency or when there are very weak signals to contend with, or jamming is being attempted on your network.

Morse can be used with the simplest tranmitting devices, and even flash lights can use morse. Not having cell phones or satellite coms and such makes no matter.

It works even if it is centuries old.

The Signal Operator in all of us should know all modes and all methods. No one mode is going to work for us all the time.
And yes GW all forms of Morse is
very important stuff to know !!

However today we also have some great tech toys to make the job easier.
1. Digital recorders that if held by the radio will allow non-morse people to record the messge and take it to someone who can translate it. Like an MP3 player recorder.
2. If you have a mini recorder you can record the code in slow mode and play it back over the air in fast mode for reduced air time. Then record the daya at fast mode and playback at slow mode to allow inexperienced coders to translate even if they have to use a written copy of the code and a lot of back-up and listen again.
In Nam they used these at the base camps to send Burst transmissions.

my health is leaving, my rifle shoots better than i'm capable of, i can't afford to stockpile much. as far as survival experience, i spent 6 months in the wilderness and gained weight. am i an expert? no. i learned how much i don't need and how to live.

+1 old warrior, etech I'd be proud to stand with you both