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The following is my list of recommended features and some features to avoid, when looking  for a general coverage receiver. This is based upon my personal experience over the years as a shortwave listener (SWL) and Amateur Radio operator. Frequency Coverage: Look for a minimum frequency coverage of 500 kHz to 30 MHz. This covers the AM broadcast band (520 – 1710 kHz) and all of the shortwave broadcast bands (2 – 30 MHz). Coverage of the FM broadcast band (88-108 MHz) is also highly desirable. Digital frequency display: Allows precise tuning to a specific frequency. Avoid any radios with…

On January 1st, 722, Frankish Hofmeister Charles Martel fled from Bishop Willibrord. Ten years later, Martel’s army defeated the Muslim army at Poitiers. — January 1, 1785: John Walter published the first issue of his newspaper “The Daily Universal Register,” which was renamed “The Times” of London in 1788. — And on January 1, 1928, the first US air-conditioned office building opened, in San Antonio, Texas. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can…

Sturm, Ruger & Co. announced the launch of Ruger Harrier rifles, a completely re-engineered line of modern sporting rifles that represents the company’s latest evolution in AR-pattern firearms. The new rifles are manufactured at Ruger’s recently acquired Hebron, Ky., factory, formerly the home of Anderson Mfg. “Introducing Harrier rifles marks an important step in advancing the quality and performance of our modern sporting rifle line,” said Todd Seyfert, Ruger president and CEO. “Ruger Harrier rifles combine the rugged reliability Ruger is known for with modern adaptability, making them an ideal choice for shooters seeking precision, durability and customization – and…

In the mid-19th century, a number of notable gunmakers developed transitional designs as firearms evolved from the muzzleloaders to breechloaders. Westley Richards, a British firm, developed a breechloading cavalry carbine that, due to its unique mechanism, earned the name “Monkey Tail” carbine. Watch our “American Rifleman Television” I Have This Old Gun segment above to learn the history of this unique “capping breechloader.” “Westley Richards is a venerable English firearms manufacturer. It’s been around since 1812, and it’s still currently manufacturing firearms to this day,” NRA Museum Director Philip Schreier said. “In the 19th century, one of their innovative military…

00:00:05 Speaker 1: On this New Year’s Eve, I’d like to go back into the Bear Grease archives to a unique standalone episode about Southern comedian Jerry Clower. Something about the holidays can make us nostalgic, and I’ve been thinking about this one, which originally aired a March twenty third, twenty twenty two. That seems like so long ago. Man, the years just kind of roll by. I vividly remember that I drove eight hours just a few days before this episode aired to meet with Jerry Klower’s former neighbor in a Mitt County, Mississippi. After we called the town…

00:00:04 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome to Foundations. I’m your host Tony Peterson, and today’s episode is all about taking the right approach to researching your new puppy. It’s a pretty good idea to not be overly impulsive in life, at least when it comes to the big decisions. You know, you wouldn’t want to marry someone you met a week ago anymore than you’d want to buy a house like just on a whim, you know that kind of thing. This also goes for getting a new furry best friend who is very likely to be with you for…

00:00:07 Speaker 1: This podcast. 00:00:10 Speaker 2: Welcome to Meet Eater Trivia, the only game show where conservation always wins. I’m your host, Spencer new Arthan. Today we’re joined by Cory, John, Marge, Max, Nate and Sarah. This is a ten round quiz show with questions from meat eaters for verticals which are hunting, fishing, conservation and cooking, and there is a prize. Media will donate five hundred dollars to the conservation organization of the winners choosing. We have an I f a Q this week. If you have an I F a Q, send it to Trivia at…

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As 2025 draws to a close, I’d like to revisit a topic that often comes up in SurvivalBlog: camouflage clothing and equipment. Note: To see examples and variants of the camouflage patterns that I’ll mention in this article, see the comprehensive Camopedia.org website. They are to be commended for maintaining a great reference site. I will begin with some history: Camouflage uniforms were not standard issue for all but a handful of the world’s armies until the mid-1960s.  Experimentation with modern printed camouflage fabric as we now know it began with the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS, circa 1942-1945.  They…