"GO" Kits
Be Ready To Go On A Moments Notice
Jim
Wauford, WA4REV, submitted this Power Point he had prepared for the
special comm training in Warner Robins, Georgia for the comm
class. It contains some good ideas.
To view Jim's presentation, click on the below button.
The presentation may take a few moments to load/download
Jim, WA4REV writes:
Drawing
from my Air Force days of half-century ago, I've refined my "Jump Kit"
concept to include several "Go Boxes."
The
photos are of my recently completed "Radio Box." The design
objective was to put a station in a box that can be quickly disconnected from
power, ground, and antennae, close it up, load it up, and take it to a mission
site. I've accomplished that for a basic radio station (HF/VHF/UHF).
The equipment included in the "Radio Box" is as follows:
> Kenwood TS-430A HF radio
> Kenwood TM-D70 Dual Band Radio
> MFJ 948 Tuner
> MFJ-4245MV Switching Power Supply
> MFJ-269 Analyzer
> Rigrunner Power Distribution Panel
> Antenna Switch (I use the antenna sw. for tuning purposes, not actually to
switch antennas.)
For my "Digital Box" ie. Winlink, I have a SCS PTC-IIex Pactor 3
modem, an old Toshiba Satellite laptop computer and a Canon BJC-240 printer .
The actual box hasn't been built yet.
Of course my Jumpkit also includes: tool box, accessories box, and personal
items box (bag.)
Additionally,
I have an ICOM IC 2100 VHF radio, a Yaesu VX -7R Handhel tri-bander, and a
mobile unit consisting of a Kenwood TS-2000 with the RC-2000 Controller and
Hustler antenna with 75 meter, 40 meter, and 20 meter resonators. I have
the three-way adapter to mount all three resonators on the same mast at one
time, but it gets top heavy. For the most part, I just keep the 40 meter
resonator on. In addition to the Hustler, I have a copper J-pole VHF/UHF
(homemade) antenna and a 40 meter Hamstick dipole (a la Ed Cravey). I've
been seriously considering buying a 75/40/20 SATERN antenna, but I haven't been
able to confirm the usefulness of the design. It's made by Radiowavz in
St. Louis, MO (actually Lake St. Louis).
I don't know if the results of my experimenting will give anyone else any ideas,
but if anyone wants to draw from my ideas, it's public domain as far as I'm
concerned. I'll be happy to discuss what I've done and what I have planned
with anyone interested.
BTW the box is made of 1/4 inch plywood reinforced on both sides with one ply of
Bidirectional fiberglass. The walls and shelf support joints are all
joined together with 2 inch BID tapes in the corners. The shelves slide in
and out and the Radio, Tuner, and Power Supply are fastened to the shelves by
means of fiberglass "brackets." It's painted outside with
grey fleck stone paint and with flat black enamle on the inside. I have a
folding luggage caddy to roll it around on. I will soon be installing a
central ground bar in the box so that I'll only have to make one ground
connection when setting up.
I'm very pleased with it so far. I tested it in a trial deployment during
ARRL field day. Everyone who saw it was impressed.
Hope I haven't bored you to tears by all this. Feel free to share any of this as
you see fit.
God Bless.
Jim WA4REV
Click thumbnails for larger view
Thanks Jim for the information. Your radio "GO BOX" is FB for sure...........
We've put together a list of things to include in your " jump kit". Of course you can customize the contents to suit your own needs and requirements. The list is by no means all inclusive so you should give plenty of thought to putting the kit together. Much of what you pack will depend on how long you anticipate being in the field. The below items will give you a good start.
The Radio Bag
Small Hard Shell Cases are often used to house radios.
-
At least one dual band HT with a car charger (dry cell batteries can also be used with proper dry cell pack).
-
CW key or keyer
-
A headset with mic.
-
Copy of you radio owner manuals.
-
Dual band VHF/UHF portable rig
-
Portable HF rig and tuner
-
Compass for help with antenna orientation
-
A true NVIS antenna
-
Multi Band HF antenna such as G5RV
-
Antenna rope
-
Coaxial feed lines, Jumpers
-
Battery source with charger for your radios
-
Mag Mount Antennas (include a metal pan such as a small pizza pan to mount the antenna anywhere)
-
Assorted connector (BNC, SO239, PL259, SMA) adaptors to connect your mag mount.
-
Small tool kit.
The Personal Bag
The area you are going into will likely be without power, heat, telephone service and water. Most businesses will not be open due to the emergency. So pack up and be READY.
-
Bible, witnessing material
-
Your Disaster Relief ID and your Drivers License
-
Repeater Directory
-
Street Maps
-
Cell Phone with extra batteries and charger (A telephone calling card would be good)
-
All Prescribed Medications
-
Over the counter pain relievers such as aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, sinus, antacids, chap stick etc.
-
Insect repellant
-
Sunscreen
-
Earplugs
-
Matches or lighter
-
CASH- If power is indeed out, ATM machines may not work.
-
Bottled Water (fill large water containers before you head out)
-
Back Pack or Fanny Pack
-
High Energy Snacks
-
A battery powered light that is designed to mount on your cap. (extra batteries)
-
A good flashlight (such as MAG-LITE) with extra batteries.
-
Clipboard
-
Pens and pencils (they tend to grow legs and walk away).
-
A good Multi-Tool.
-
Any special tools you radio uses such as small screwdrivers etc.
-
An orange day-glow vest
-
Battery powered AM/FM radio (extra batteries)
-
A Hardhat (This may be required at your site)
-
Automotive Jumper Cables
-
A good first aid kit
-
Wet Wipes
-
Small towels/rags
-
Folding type lawn chair
-
An umbrella and/or rain suite
-
Good leather work gloves
-
Toilet paper
-
Change of clothing including extra socks (try to anticipate how long you will be in the field)
-
Jacket
-
Work boots for outdoor work, comfortable shoes for indoor work.
-
Baseball type cap
-
Personal items such as shave cream, soap, toothbrush and paste, shampoo, eyeglasses
-
Bath cloth/towels
-
Cot, Air Mattress or Hammock
-
Blanket
-
Sleeping bag
-
Pillow
-
A Coleman type propane camp lantern with extra mantles.
-
Propane canisters for the lantern.
-
Wind up alarm clock
-
50 ft extension cord
-
Multi outlet power strip
-
Cooking gear and eating utensils (if needed) NOTE: Dried foods are easy to prepare and will store for long periods.
Amateur Radio Operators are masters of IMPROVISATION:
Be sure to have things such as insulators, wire, small parts and of course duct tape.
