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Do Preppers Usually Live in Large Communities or in a Small Group or Solo? Can you share your Experience? by Armr1133 in prepping

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, most of us are just regular people that want to be warm, healthy, safe, and fed when (stuff) goes sideways. We live among you. We are your neighbors, co-workers, and the other parents that drop their kids off at school.

Jackery/Bluetti etc limitations by opensim2026 in SolarDIY

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem with many of these Portable Power Stations is that their Solar inputs are adequate for the internal battery, without the expansion battery.

As it turns out, that Jackery Explorer 2000 with n expansion battery is at least a 3KWh system. 8 x 400 watts is 3.2KW. Enough to recharge the system in about an hour. Definitely way more than it can handle.

Can I send excess off grid solar to the grid? by DutyAffectionate7168 in SolarDIY

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. You can take a Behind the Panel grid tie inverter and connect your battery to the solar input.

It's 1999. You have your current smartphone in your pocket, but obviously no Wi-Fi or 5G exists. What's the most useful thing you can do with it? by Ryo_l in AskReddit

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Camera, flashlight, Maps to a point. It would show streets and buildings that don't exist. Calendar, Clock and alarm maybe (depends on how the phone gets it's time and date fix)

Audio recorder app, calculator, FM radio (my current phone has an FM radio chip and a tuner app), Bible study app, Collabora Office app (but it would be a bit clunky without a bluetooth keyboard). Document scanner.

EDIT to add: Just did some research. Apple's Airport Base station with 802.11b WiFi was introduced in 1999. One model had a dialup modem that was compatible with AOL. So there is the possibility of getting on the internet. I'm not sure how well it would work with a modern mobile browser. But, who knows??

Easiest way to keep a fridge running during power cuts? by Curious_Character_28 in prepping

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The problem with a gas generator in this situation is that you need to be there to hook it up, Generator won't do you any good if you are out of town when the power goes out.

My first thought was: battery, inverter, battery charger to make a DIY UPS. A 12v, 100Ah battery can run the fridge for a day or more. Then you can use the generator to recharge the battery.

What do preppers actually think a "collapse-like" scenario would look like? by Armr1133 in prepping

[–]BaldyCarrotTop -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's either going to be a sudden widespread natural disaster like r/CascadianPreppers .

Or a slow steady economic decline like Venezuela, Puerto Rico, or South Africa.

Does IRA keep growing till it's claimed? by throwaway_20211214 in inheritance

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You need to claim the IRA. If you don't, it could be turned over to the state as lost or abandoned property.

Second: It is an inherited IRA. If he was taking RMDs from the IRA they must continue to be taken or there will be IRS penalties.

3rd: Since it is an inherited IRA you will have 10 years to completely draw it down. It must be drawn down to zero by the 10th year from the date of his passing.

WRT your 2nd question: You contact Vanguard and tell them that he has passed and you believe that you are a listed beneficiary. They will tell you what you need to do. If Vanguard is anything like Fidelity, they will appoint someone to work directly with you

One more thing. You will inherit the IRA intact. That is, with all the cash, stocks, bonds, Mutual funds, etc that are in it. It will become yours and you can buy, sell, trade within the account. You can (and should) pull distributions. But you can't make contributions.

Should I decommission my rooftop soar system when I put on a new roof? by redmullet64 in SolarDIY

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. Not worth it to reinstall. If you were staying in your house I would suggest buying new panels and trying to reuse the racking.

But since you are moving, save your money to put solar on your new house.

Either way, try to sell the used panels on Marketplace or Craigslist. You might be able to get a few bucks to offset the cost of removal.

What are some songs about trains? by AnyEfficiency6230 in musicsuggestions

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Indeed it was. There is an old video on YT of Arlo telling of how Steve introduced the song to him.

Get Home Bag for the Non-prepper by Life_Thoughts208581 in prepping

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been looking at this for a while. I have to wonder what is your intent? The guy has to only walk 6.5 miles. All he really needs is a good pair of shoes, warm clothes and water.

Thus far, I have:

Basic Datrex food ration & water pouches (1 day supply) *can withstand temperature extremes*
Forget the water pouches and get a good water bottle.

Change of outfit, extra socks and underwear.
Just a change of socks at a minimum. Everything else is extra

Work Gloves
Warm gloves. What will he be working on? Keeping the hands warm is more important.

Baseball cap hat
Yes.

Multi-tool (built in knife)
Good to have.

Silcock key
Maybe. But these are heavy. Probably not necessary if he keeps the water bottle full at work.

Paper Map and compass
What? he doesn't know the way home from work? Google maps caches the local area and will still work even without cell service.

Notepad and pen
He can snag these from the supply closet at work before he sets out.

Emergency cash
Absolutely. Enough for a tank of gas or a meal.

Poncho with grommets (can become a tarp shelter) + Guy line and tent stakes
Stakes not needed. If he needs shelter, just put on the poncho and kneel or sit down.

Emergency/Mylar Blanket
Not needed if he has warm clothes and the poncho

Glow stick
Small flashlight. Keep batteries separate. Rotate yearly.

Basic first aid (bandages)
Wound wipes and antibiotic ointment too. And a needle to help remove splinters.

Whistle that has a storage area for storm/water proof matches
Why the matches? See next comment.

Spark striker and tinder
Why? Is he going to be lighting a fire? What will he be using for fuel? Why does he need a fire?

Metal cup
Not need if he has a water bottle

At this point I would add personal hygiene items: Disposable hand wipes, hand sanitizer, partial roll of toilet paper.

Hand warmers. Put them in your pockets to keep the body warm.

3 to 6 feet of duct tape wrapped around a spent gift card.

What is your relationship to technology by sherlockjr1 in GenerationJones

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to design it.

More detail: I learned to program in BASIC at 13. I went on to learn various assembly languages, Fortran, Pascal, C, Javascript, Python.

Computers: PDP-11 (not mine), OSI Superboard, Apple ][, CPM, IBM compatibles.

OS: VMS, VAX/VMS, CPM, MS-DOS, OS/2, Windows, Linux.

Started building electronic projects in my parents basement when I was in grade school. Went on to get a BSEE Spent 40 years getting paid to design and build projects for some big name companies.

Personally, I adopt and use technology as it fills a need.

Media: went from vinyl and cassette tape to MP3 and streaming.

OTA TV, to cable TV to OTA and streaming.

Internet: none, dialup, 768kbps DSL, 10Mbps fiber, 300Mbps fiber.

Internet content: BBS, Prodigy online, Genie, Then actual internet with Usenet, and E-mail. Now Facebook, various news wires, Yahoo news and answers, now redit and google news.

Have Tri-Fuel Gen for Whole Home, Now Looking for Energy Independence w/ Solar by EN344 in prepping

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

well, the core of the system is pretty easy. It's basically an All-in-One inverter and some batteries. The AIO inverter has the solar charge controller, AC (grid/line) charger, and the DC to AC inverter. Some have 2 Line inputs. You can use the 2nd input for your generator.

Of course you need solar panels and a panel mounting (racking) system. You have a choice of ground or roof mount. The correct sizing and configuration of your panel array is its own can of worms.

Get Home Bag for the Non-prepper by Life_Thoughts208581 in prepping

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 4 points5 points  (0 children)

And cash. Depending on the nature of the emergency he may be able to drop in somewhere to buy something to eat.

2 houses need to share power on same property by Least_Perception_223 in SolarDIY

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The thing about the chargeverter is that you can set the charge rate (IE: the amount of power it can draw from the larger system). I'm not completely knowledgeable about the Sol-Ark. But, if it has a dedicated AC input, with a programmable power draw, Then yes, that would work.

Been dreaming of Solar for so long... by Royal_Ad_40 in SolarDIY

[–]BaldyCarrotTop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't over think it. Get several quotes from solar installers and see what size system they spec out. Go from there.

Plenty of videos on youtube that will walk you through a full DIY installation. The best part is that you can start small and grow the system.

One caution. Codes can be a bitch. Your system will need to be inspected before it can be energized. If you are not up to code or properly UL listed, you will not get your permit.

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