Homestead (film)

[Jackalope]

My wife and I viewed the film ?Homestead? which is based upon the novel ?Black Autumn?.  The film relates the story of a prepper compound which has everything.  The movie mostly followed the novel, though there were a few differences.  It?s definitely a Christian based film. Actual on-screen violence is limited and I don?t recall any foul language. Overall, it was a decent film.  However, it is apparently the debut of a series, as the film ended prior to what ws depicted in the novel, and a postscript outlines how the series is going to continue.  I wasn?t too happy that they didn?t even cover the entirety of the first novel.  The book series is currently comprised of nine novels, so it?s going to be a long video series if they follow the novels. The two main characters were accurately portrayed, as well as the tension between them.  Some characters were one dimensional, such as a typical government bureaucrat. I give the film four out of five stars.

  By the way, I give ?Black Autumn? five out of five stars.  Interesting fact regarding the novel, the main characters are named after the authors.

[Deathstyle]

Interesting. I believe theatrical release is in 2 days. I saw a clip of the opening sequence they posted in YouTube and a clip from the trailer that seems to indicate local law enforcement tries to use their badge to ?acquisition ? the main characters food and supplies

[Jackalope]

Yeah, a government bureaucrat does attempt to requisition their supplies.  The movie does go into the hoarder versus prepper discussion.  Another reason to be discreet regarding your preps. After thinking about it overnight, I?m revising my rating to three stars, mostly because the lack of closure in the movie.  I don?t understand the trend of modern movies and novels, where the stories have to be told in multiple volumes, rather than completely finishing in one work. I realize that it generates more money for the creators, but it sucks for the audience.  It?s one of my pet peeves.

I really enjoyed Niven?s and Pournelle?s novel ?Lucifer?s Hammer?, which was an enormous book. But they completed their story in one novel.  It could have had a sequel, but the gist of the tale was told in a single volume. ?Homestead ?, the film didn?t even cover the happenings in the first book of the series.  I guess if you didn?t read the book, you wouldn?t know that.  Rant over..

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Homestead - book 1 is next in my reading rotation.  I downloaded a sample so that if it does not catch my fancy, it costs me nothing.  Likely as not, I'll read the entire series though.  I do wish that there was more ham radio in prepper fiction, but most don't know what they are missing, so probably for the best, else the charactors would be running around with their 1,000 mile handi-talkies. 

- SJH

[Jackalope]

In the film, the Baofeng AR-152 radios were frequently used, for local communications.  They also used Garmin Inreach mini satellite communicators to send text messages, and an Iridium satellite phone.  I have no complaints regarding the use of appropriate communications devices, or firearms. Looks like they had good technical advisors.

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Jackalope -

Thanks for the information.  That's good to hear.

[Searchboss]

I do wish that there was more ham radio in prepper fiction, but most don't know what they are missing, so probably for the best, else the characters would be running around with their 1,000 mile handi-talkies.  - SJH

I got a laugh out of that statement. It is one of my pet peeves.

Thanks for the entertainment suggestions.

[Felix]

Discussion of ham radios in prepper movies/books tickles a question I don't recall seeing much discussion on:  does the typical mast carrying antennae serve a a giant, neon, flashing sign that "a Prepper lives here"?
In a government move to control information flow, would individual stations not be a target for shutdown/equipment confiscation?

[Jackalope]

   Well, Felix, during WWII the Germans rounded up amateur radio operators in the beginning. The FCC database would provide a shopping list for those the government wants to corral.

    Most hams that I know don?t have towers.  There are books specifically about discreet antennas, and wire antennas are hardly noticeable.  Today, there are antennas that are simply loops about three feet in diameter.  And many radio operators only operate portable at parks and mountain tops.  Prepper radio operators have made plans to maintain communications, I?ll leave it at that.

[JohnyMac]

Thanks Jackalope. I just ordered Book 1. 

[Felix]

Thank you, Jackalope.   Without specificity, I take it that HAMS are (in some number?) prepared to establish antennae which are somewhat effective if even not quite as good as the home set.    And that they understand these are possibly sacrificial, one (or perhaps only a few) times useful before triangulation and seizure?    Hmmmm... honey traps for ambush organized by locals who would like to punch above their weight by taking out trained radio interdiction teams?
Just reviewed "A Failure Of Civility" and in truth, honesty simply demands one contemplate these things.   Now and then if not often.
The next month is pregnant with dystopian possibilities... and then, we can "relax"?    Yes.   Fools can.   Just as they can catch a bit of shut-eye when it's their turn at guard duty.

[Sir John Honeybucket]

If we in the United State have a war, significant world without law event & etc. my assumption is that I will 99% listen for raw information to process into intelligence, and only transmit on very rare occasion, and that from from locations not tied to me.  Move, send priority massage traffic and scoot before I have to shoot. These days I am slow and not agile at all, running an E&E course is out of the question for me. On the other hand, there are times when being sneaky outweigh being lythe and quick on your feet, though being BOTH is ideal.

73 de Sir John Honeybucket

[JohnyMac]

Plus Sir John, us old farts care not a threat 

[Tree]

Listening is not without some risk in a non-permissive environment.  BBC vans would locate people watching unlicensed televisions via the local oscillator.  LO can still be an issue when "passively" listening to radio.   

I am interested in learning more about emissions control counter-measures.

Foxhunting broadcasts from an NVIS antenna can be difficult; unless you are using AWACS or some type of drone.

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Yes, local oscillator  stray emission was especially a problem when using tube radios as wall the circuits leaked a lot of signal, operating the entire receiver stages at higher power.  Also, Intermediate Frequencies were in standard bands, so locating the LO and alter the TV horizontal raster oscillator was common.  Unfortunately, my tr(U)SDX oscillated heavily on the receive frequency itself, being a direct conversion set.  I was surprised at how noticeable it is.  I used to use two similar receivers side by side, one offset 455 kHz from the desired frequency to fake a BFO injection so that I could listen to Morse code and even SSB. There are other tricks associated with this.

[pkveazey]

There is one down and dirty way to kill the receiver of a signal tracking vehicle. Overload the front end of the trackers radio and blow out the detector diode. The signal detection vehicle will be sniffing for signals with very sensitive equipment. As soon as they get real close, just hit them with about a 50,000 watt pulse and it will blow out their detector diode. Blowing that $1 diode will put them out of business until they can get it repaired. Make sure you turn off your own equipment before you send that pulse. Make sure the pulse is sent at around 455 Khz so it will enter their first IF stage. Hell, a pulse that strong might even wipe out their whole IF stage also. To send a pulse that strong, you'll need a Monster sized Capacitor to charge up enough to discharge all at once. On the other hand, you could spend a brazilion dollars and buy an old 50,000 watt AM radio station's equipment.

[Sir John Honeybucket]

While we are discussing the DFing of stray signals from our radios, remember tha the radio environmenvt in a grid up situation is FILLED with stray RF, often quite strong.  The referenc crystals in our various gadgets, RF generated from power supplies and wall warts and more, make ths type of incidental ly radiated signals quite difficult, far more difficult than hunting an actual transmitted signal.  Also, If you transmit in a denied area, assume that airborne assets are being use to vacuum-up the radio spectrum and analyzing the colocation data and etc. using intense computer power.  The days of a couple of guys, driving around in a van with a 'thing' on top, well, that is long gone.  Aircraft, including extremely high altitude balloons can exploit a lot of radio and optical intel.  If you set-up in a remote area in Nebraska with a population density of 5 people per mile., make your sked and then pack and leave, you're as likely to be SEEN by surveillance as heard, and likely the two events are immediately collated by the enemy. If you carry a cellphone, car has OnStar, BlueTooth on your sound system and etc. all collated. On the other hand, transmitting from a city like NYC gives you 29,000 people per square mile(a), a very difficult task to sift it all.  So, ideally, I'd recommend rural for receiving if possible and city for transmitting, if possible.  Hide in the clutter.

= Sir John Honeybucket

(a)  Prague has a population density of rougly 1.3 million people per square mile. 

[Felix]

Excellent "hiding in the clutter"... the digital grey man on steroids.

[Defiant_Faith]

We saw the movie last night. It brought up some good things to think about. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Nemo]

In a government move to control information flow, would individual stations not be a target for shutdown/equipment confiscation?

That would be too much headache.  The govt would just use a disposable homing drone.

Nemo

[Tree]

The open fundraising model of Angel Studios exposes them to subversion. 

Similar to how the "open source" intelligence Bellingcat was used to launder 3-letter narrative about Syria through an "independent" reputation.

Or how Mike Benz describes how the State Department uses capacity building of "independent" media to destabilize non-cooperative regimes.

 Angel Studios may be easily co-opted in the same way.   

The objective of presenting a pro-immigration message via an ostensibly independent crowd-funded platform is clear.

The next big Angel Studios film, Rulebreakers, about an all-girls science team from Afghanistan, reflects State Department narrative so well, it would be shocking if they didn't fund it.

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Re: si;;y/offensive story lines-

Your posting about 'Rule Breakers' and Afghanistan, had me thinking about a movie about sheep fleeing Afghanistan so as to not be part of the local warlord's pleasure squad.  I'd call the movie "Virgin Wool".   

[Felix]

Went into town for to see Homestead.
Previously mentioned facets and my own view lead to thinking that someone intends to cash in on "Prepping" lore, rumors, assumptions.   With some possibly objective and neutral examination of the societal tropes, its myriad connections to where survival and morality rub together.   Plenty of room to string along series watchers for multiple seasons.
Although hope is essential and everybody loves happy endings... I was not favorably impressed by the "letting in of all our friends" which _this time_ worked out so swell and swimmingly.   

If anything, I'm curious to see how/if/when the issue of handling crimes and the criminal(s) living with them is handled when it is no longer possible to pass that off to "the authorities and the criminal justice system".

I think Matt Bracken did a fine job of that in Doomsday Reef - and it is every bit as critical to think about as ammo count and weight of food safely stored.

[Sir John Honeybucket]

Letting them all in...  universally ends badly.  Picture a small radiation shelter with a design capacity of 12 people but being " nice" and letting in 50, this means death.  The old LIFEBOAT EXERCISE was a psych conditioning drill used much in military 'human relations' conditioning drills when I was in. Do you choose the engineer/ex-soldier with his wife and two children or the "artist" with no family produced, no skills BUT he is an 'artist' and " we need art".       I actually heard that silly "we need art" nonsense, during one such LifeBoat brainwashing session on a military base. That emotional appeal was from someone who had never been hungry or afraid a day in her life.

I'd likely burn the art as a xook fire to boil water to makle pine needle tea and to make a raccoon stew, the 'artist' , on the other hand, might try to take my stew to make 'art', after convincing the idiot masses that they NEED art. 


- Sir John Honeybucket

[Sir John Honeybucket]

The movie Homestead is evidently based on the book Black Autumn.  I am reading the first in the Black Autumn series and it's slow but generally enjoyable.  Again, the author seems to have only a passing aquaintance of radio terms, confuses HF ( 7150 KHz )) with repeater operations, and magically makes routine radio contact to a mobile guy hundreds of miles away on VHF... cuz he got him 2,000 Watts.  No, it doesn't work that way.  However, the first book is good reading, generally recommended and made more interesting for me, since it's in Utah, and I know Utah rather well. 

- Time to refresh my coffee and then back to my book.

Sir John Honeybucket

Pro Tip -  If the grid is down , it is night, and you are in your mountain top retreat, standing at your living room window, lights ON whilst looking at the devastation in the valley below, YOU ARE MAKING YOURSELF A TARGET because the entire vally with no electricity sees your lights.  The frightened and hungry masses WILL be drawn to lights...