Posts tagged: self defense

QUICK QUIZ: Do You Recognize These 4 Home Security MASSIVE FAILS?

Do You Recognize These 4 Home Security Massive Fails
Graphic © myfamilysurvivalplan.com / off-grid.info. Photo – Unsplash (PD)

This lock is completely useless!! Can you see why?

FULL, IN DEPTH TUTORIAL: ULTIMATE HOME DEFENSE: How To Protect Your Home And Your Loved Ones Against ANYTHING The Bad Guys Try To Do.

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QUIZ ANSWERS:

1) This hasp is super thin, NOT hardened, and could EASILY be snipped open with a pocket-sized hand held mini bolt cutter in about two seconds (or a $6 junior hacksaw in under a minute!)
SOLUTION: Upgrade to a double-thickness hardened hasp such as this one.

2) Latch is held on with basic screws – could be taken off silently in a few seconds with a Philips screwdriver. MEGA fail!
SOLUTION: Use stainless steel carriage bolts like these ones (dome top) on the outside, double locking nuts on the inside, ideally with a steel plate on the inside to make drilling more challenging – or fit a heavy duty hardened hasp such as this one which covers the bolts when closed.

3) This padlock is old, cheap and is “open shackle” – which permits easy insertion of a steel rod, bear claw or crowbar. One good lever with one of the above and it’s off. It could also probably be popped with a hammer and cold chisel in one good strike. Completely useless. SOLUTION: A heavy duty, top quality closed shackle padlock such as this one with make it much, much harder to break in.

4) Latch is held on with a basic nut on the outside – ridiculously easy to undo!
SOLUTION: Put the bolt the correct way round so that the nut is on the inside!! (and use a domed top coach bolt or covered hasp, as above).

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Protect your home (get this handled asap):

When we talk about survival and preparedness we have to look first to the most important skill of them all: home defense.

Do you think that a group of men could get into your house and take anything they want? Or you truly believe that you can keep them far away from your porch?

I’ll bet at least one of your doors is unlocked, right now. A home attack could happen any time – and daytime attacks are increasingly common.

It’s time to start getting to work on your home and property. Do NOT leave it to chance!

Here are four steps you need to take:

1) The first step is to make sure you know as much as possible about them and have them know as little as possible about you. That means taking these steps to “disappear off the map” while also taking these steps to give yourself that maximum possible time to react to any incoming threat

2) The second step is to protect and beef up your doors. Your goal should be to make sure they CANNOT get in – no matter which tools they brought with them! Add two more deadbolts to the door, one high up and one down low. If you drill these out carefully and correctly, you can keep your work hidden from the outside. Just remember not to throw those deadbolts, unless your whole family is inside; otherwise, they can’t get in. On the hinge side of the door, you’ll want to replace the screws with longer ones, so that they go into the stud. Also, replace one screw in each hinge with a pin, drilling out the corresponding hole in the other side of the hinge for clearance – to prevent hinge attacks such as the halligan bar attack. Between the deadbolts and these bolts, your door will be much stronger. But there are many more upgrades you can do: here’s the full list.

3) Third step – Windows: First – do a walk-through before you leave for the day and make sure they are actually closed. Even if “you think you closed them”. Don’t leave a ladder out in your yard. Then look into window locks: Even having simple window locks and actually using them puts you ahead of the crowd – but to be a truly hard target that they won’t bother messing with there is more to learn: Full window security tutorial here.

4) Step 4 – Understand and apply all of the “layers” of home defense. This is an absolutely vital concept. Here is the link to the full list of all 25 layers and the amazing in-depth tutorial:

ULTIMATE HOME DEFENSE: How To Protect Your Home And Your Loved Ones Against ANYTHING The Bad Guys Try To Do.

The Advantages In Using Electric Fence As Your First Line Of Defense

The Advantages In Using Electric Fence As Your First Line Of Defense

When it comes to your personal protection and the protection of your property, is there such a thing as “too much”? Hard to say really. But if you have the time and the means, you should spear no expense in securing your home. Sure, having you very own machine gun turrets installed on the lawn would be excessive indeed, not to mention extremely illegal.

But luckily there are other ways of securing a perimeter, and they’re far less expensive than advanced military technology. Building a fence around the area you’re trying to protect is the way to go, and nothing would be more efficient than your very own electric fence system. Electric fences are less obvious than barbed wire and more efficient, as they can deliver quite a punch to anything and anybody that dare to intrude on your property. To be more precise, the system uses alternative current (A.C.), and via a transformer, turns it into electric pulses. A mechanical trigger is activated when something comes in contact with the wires and the current is released immediately. The current shoots out the power terminal, goes through the wires as high voltage electric pulse (can go as high as 10.000 V) and it’s picked up by a second terminal, which consists of a rod (mostly copper) that’s implanted in the ground. Such fences are highly used today in agriculture (they deliver mild, discomforting shocks to keep animals away) or in prisons (where voltages are lethal).

Such technology is available for everybody who takes prepping and personal safety to the next level. And believe it or not, installing an electric fence has its own advantages over more traditional methods. If done right, you won’t be sorry won’t went for an electric fence instead of barbed wire or anything else. And here’s a list of reasons as to why.

1. Electric fences are cheaper than traditional fences

Believe it or not, it’s true. The materials are cheaper to buy and the installation process will be cheaper as well. This is because an electric fence requires a lesser quantity of wires and fewer posts as opposed to traditional fencing methods. It’s not meant to be strong and withstand mechanical forces, but rather cover a big enough area to stop all sorts of intrusions. It may be frailer than barbed wire, but it will do some much more than scratch the surface of your skin; it can make you wish you’d never been born.

2. Electric fences are easier to install

Because the key components are fewer and lighter, you can install your electric fence by yourself, although I’d advice against it. But even if you plan on doing it yourself, make sure you know what you’re doing. The materials aren’t that heavy, not even the posts, so the installation will go faster than if you’d be installing a traditional fence, where you’d need to dig holes. The thin electric fence poles require no such effort on your part; just take them out and stick them in the ground.

3. Electric fence systems are easily maintained and modified

The system will require very little attention on your part. Just pay some attention to the battery system and the console from time to time, to make sure that everything is working properly. Also, they should be kept clean and dry at all times to avoid unwanted electric discharges and system shutdown. The wires require no maintenance unless the fence has been hit or damaged in one way or another. Because it has fewer and lighter elements compared to a regular fence, you can modify the structure with ease. You can add or take out poles in matter minutes.

4. Electric fences are more efficient overall

The intensity of the electric discharge is customizable, depending on the types of charge you’re using, but also on the materials that the fence is made up of. Barbed wire can be easily cut and taken down by perpetrators, and once the fence is gone, the way is clear. Electric fences can’t be cut, as they’ll release thousands of Vs when the cutting tool comes in contact with the wire. So not only is it hard to go around, but it’s also very hard to interact with a fully charged electric system without getting the shock of a lifetime.

Of course, there are some things to keep in mind and consider before installing your very own electric fence. The systems are effective, but you’ll need to keep the area around the fence as clean as possible at all times so that nothing’s growing in the vicinity of the wires. Growing plants could complicate the situation, so make sure there are none close to the wires.

Thunderstorms could also spell trouble, as the electric discharges could shut the fence down. But repairing the electric fence shouldn’t be much harder than installing it, so that’s a plus. To make it even more effective, you could conceal it, so whoever is trying to breach your “fortress” will get a nasty surprise. However, most states have very specific laws regarding electric fencing visibility and signaling. So do some research and stay out of trouble.

How You Can Use Drones In A TEOTWAWKI Scenario

How You Can Use Drones In A TEOTWAWKI Scenario

Drones have been widely available on the market lately and they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors. Many people look at drones and see an over-the-top expensive toy. I, on the other hand, as a prepper, see opportunity. And with good reason. Drones are remote-controlled gadgets, with enough battery autonomy that have cameras attached. No special skills are required to handle your very own drone and you can even pair with your smartphone. You can use drones in a TEOTWAWKI scenario to gather intelligence in your surroundings without being physically present in a possibly hostile territory. Reconnaissance missions will no longer require special preparations, other than that of flying a drone that has a camera attached. The cameras can take high quality pictures and even videos with sound. If you’re smart phone allows it, it can even emit in real time. Many drones have a built-in GPS software that helps them return safely to their launch point, in case radio contact is lost. However, in a survival scenario, the GPS service might not be available, so keep that in mind before taking off.

What You Need To Know About Drones

First and foremost they are battery operated. So if you plan on using the drones even when everything falls to bits, you’ll need to ensure you have a recharging station, based on fuel, or even better, solar panels. They are computer and smartphone friendly, which means they have USB ports that allows you to connect your drone to your computer, for easy access and settings; you can even follow the flight path in real time from your smartphone and even adjust camera angles. The flight speed varies from model to model. The average drone flies at about 25 mph, but the more expensive model can reach staggering speeds of even 80 mph. Autonomy and control distance is also variables from one model to the next, but an average fully charged battery gets depleted in about 10 – 30 minutes. There are also gas-powered drones available on the market, their autonomy is superior to the battery operated ones, but they’re also more expensive. A drone can serve many purposes in SHTF situation: scouting and surveillance flights, scouting for wild game and even delivering messages from A to B. On the downside, drones are very visible and can attract unwanted attention. They can be taken down easily or even worse, followed to give away your location. So you’ll need a bit of practice before using it in a critical situation and A LOT of caution.

Some Of The Best Drones That You Can Buy

The Dromida Ominus FPV is one of the cheapest drones on the market, which is perfect for flight practice. The camera quality is rather good and it has great connectivity to your mobile device. It’s easy to use, has decent autonomy and it can be very fun to fly. For those of you that are looking for a device to get you started in the drone area, look no further. The Dromida Ominus FPV is a resilient little gadget, comes in many colors you can choose from (blue, green red, yellow), is both iOS and Andriod compatible (so you won’t have to change your phone) and costs only $150. If you’re interested in purchasing it, go here.

The Parrot Bebop drone is possibly the most renowned of the Parrot company and it is a semi-pro drone, meaning it’s considered to sit in between toys and professional drones. The drone itself is very lite and incredibly maneuverable, making it easy to fly even in closed spaces or indoors. It supports smartphone and tablet connectivity and it comes with two batteries. The battery, if fully charged, should last about 10 – 15 minutes of continuous flight. The onboard camera is decent; it has a resolution of 1080p. The base model comes at about $450, but if you’re willing to spend more you can get the model with the range extension, that will allow it to fly further. For more details, go here.

The Yuneec Q500 4K is drone whose popularity is growing steadily amongst the drone enthusiasts thanks to its camera quality. The built-in camera has a 4K resolution (4000p), meaning the image quality it offers for both pictures and video is unbeatable. It comes with two batteries and the camera is removable. There’s also a version that comes with a 1080p camera, but the $k version is of course far superior. The controller has an android built into it, so you don’t necessarily have to use your phone or tablet for maneuvering the drone. The model doesn’t have many gadgets and accessories available yet, but it won’t be long before Yuneec releases a bunch, considering how fast this little drone is gaining in popularity.

Getting your very own drone is nowhere near a bad idea. Flying one can be really fun and addictive, so if you’re lacking a serious hobby, drone flying could just fill that void. Enjoy it and practice, you’ll never know when your drone piloting skills will save your neck in a SHTF scenario.

By My Family Survival Plan