Technology and Home Defense
by John
Let’s go into defending your home turf, if everything goes bad. There’s no doubt that there will be those that will want to take what you have. How that will happen, will depend very much on the situation. You can bet that the first confrontation will be an attempt to see if you are easy pickings. After that, things will likely get tougher. What goes bump in the night could be deadly!
Placing coils of barb wire around your perimeter is a very good low tech solution. On the high tech side, there are government surplus seismic sensors (TRC-3a) that can be placed up to a half mile away, and signal you of any ground vibrations such as people walking, or vehicles. On their highest settings they will pick up raindrops, thunder, small animals, and even breeze blowing in the trees! So there is a potential for false alarms if they are not set correctly. Each set has four transmitters and a receiver. There are different set frequencies available as well. Each of the four transmitters emits a series of beepsdependenton which transmitter it is. Each transmitter has a probe that is placed in the ground to pick up vibrations, and has raised bumps like Braille that show how many beeps it transmits. The antenna on the transmitters is made to look like a blade of grass, and they are waterproof too. From time to time you can find them for sale on Ebay, as a set, or sometimes individual units. For a receiver, an airplane frequency radio will work, or a programmable scanner.
The drawback is that these require 9 volt batteries, but they do last for a very long time in the units.
Night Vision will also give you a definite edge. In today’s world it is becoming more commonplace, so one almost needs it to stay even with what your adversary might have! Lots of stuff came back from Iraq and Afghanistan with the returning troops. The generation 1 stuff is lower priced, but not a good choice, as you only see part of what’s out there in the dark. If you’re thinking of buying night vision, save your money until you can afford generation 2 or 3 units. You’ll be glad you did!
The ultimate for detecting intruders, in my opinion, is a thermal viewer or scope. They are pricey, but worth the cost. It’s hard to hide from them, but it can be done. For example they can’t see through glass or walls. The government likely has ones that will, but what you can buy won’t. If there’s something around that’s live, it will glow like a ghost. Having one on a rifle stacks the deck big time in your favor!
All of the high tech stuff does require batteries, so a good supply of them would be a ust.Rechargeableand a way to charge them (solar?) is also something to consider. I know that these are pricey solutions, but each person must decide on what they can afford for assurance and well being. There are low tech solutions that will likely work to a degree, but I prefer to stack the deck in my favor, whenever I can!