GO
KIT:
A PLACE TO START:
If you find the perfect guide to how to make an emergency kit, please
let us know. Suggested lists and opinions we've seen vary from
one
big kit to several different size kits. The purpose of the page
is
to focus on something that will work for everyday use. A small
bag
to place on the front seat of the car, on the way to work.
Something
more practical, packed with the basic items that we believe will help
if
we find ourselves participating in an emergency.
THE BASIC LIST:
This is the primary list for our kits. It works well with what
we have available to us today. Items in
red are optional and not always packed. Flexibility is
dependent on daily activity. An example would be if we were
planning
a weekend away from home, to a Hamfest. In this case, we will
pack
up the chargers and leave out the candy and snacks.
Radio Equipment Items:
Triple-band HT
Operating Manual ( supplied with HT )
2m / 70cm antenna (supplied with HT )
Antenna "Extender Element" for 6m use ( supplied with HT )
High gain dual band antenna for 2m / 70cm use.
Extra high-capacity battery pack.
Battery charger ( supplied with HT )
Rapid charger attachment to Battery charger
Cigarette lighter cord
Two extra 3A fuses, for Cigarette lighter cord
Speaker / microphone
Male-BNC-to-SMA adapter
Female BNC to SO-239 adapter
Other Items:
Copy of FCC Operating License.
Mini-Mag-Lite, extra bulb and spare AAs
Leatherman multi-purpose tool
* (2) Ink pens
* (2) Pencils
Paper notepad (self-stick removable notes: 2 7/8" x 4 7/8" size)
Swiss Army pocket knife
Emergency gas / phone money ($10 bill, + four quarters and five dimes)
Hard candy
Granola bars
Band aids
Surgical gloves
Disposable lighter
* Note:
Pencils for writing. Pens often fail, freeze in the cold, and they
smear in rain. It's good to have an extra Pen around if you're at
the Bank and need to cash a check. Other then that, stick to
using
a Pencil. They can be sharpened with a pocket knife and cost
almost
nothing to replace.
MORE MISCELLANEOUS STUFF:
This is a list of additional things that we are still in the process
of rounding up. A few other ideas. Not all are
necessary.
Remember to think small...
Planned Items:
Small pocket compass
Local ARES phone and frequency reference card
Current eye glasses prescription.
Moist towelettes.
Operating quick reference card for HT
Pocket sewing kit
Sunscreen (small size bottle)
Aspirin
Tylenol
Antacid tablets
Throat lozenges
Role of electrical tape
Ear phones
Cable ties
Whistle
ALL Family Members emergency contact list
State road map
HOW TO PACKAGE:
Believe it or not, this was the hardest piece
of the puzzle to find. We looked around several department stores
and always found ourselves in the camera section. We felt the
best
choice was some type of padded bag with straps and divider
sections.
The camera bag seemed to suit the bill, but the prices were not
cheap.
As an alternative, Kim came up with a good solution. She
discovered
that a soft type lunch box will work. They were padded and came
in
several different colors, shapes, and sizes. The inside seemed
better
suited for the items we wished to pack. The selection of colors
was
appreciated, as to avoid mistaking his from hers. Camera bags
come
mostly in black. Best of all, the price was right!
SPECIAL PROJECTS:
Some food for thought... Nothing is cast in stone. It's
okay to personalize. Here are few items that didn't make it to
the
list sections above. Some of these items and ideas are from our
next
big project. The 72hr Emergency Kit. Remember to use your
own
ideas, also.
Place the photocopy of your Amateur License in laminate. This way it will last for years. 3M™ makes several different sized self-laminating card protectors. Easy to use...no special tools or equipment needed. We took this one step further and chose the Luggage Tag style. The plastic was a little thicker and it has this neat little slit molded into it. A great place to attach and use with your ARRL Amateur Radio ID Badge Lanyard.
LABEL YOUR EQUIPMENT! This isn't your Mom... If you are rushing around, it's easy to forget something. People are basically honest and will make an attempt at returning lost items. Fellow Hams, even more so. Especially if you were trying to help then in an emergency. What we do is make up stickers with just our Call Letters. We have an Electronic Label Maker that we purchased form Staples. You do not need to be so elaborate. Home address ladels will do the same thing. The point is, without a form of identfication you equipment will stay lost. Mom was right...
We pack a green and orange highlighter for marking on a photocopy of a street map. This was a necessity in New York City. It was a running joke at TSA Headquarters. We had the only green highlighter and needed a sign-up sheet to use it. We will probably never use them much. It just feels good to know it came in handy. You never know… Kind of our safety blanket, we suppose.
Steve packs an American Flag. It's the little one that hung from our pickup truck antenna during our NYC/WTC trip. The stories it could tell. Another one of those good luck charms.
Don't forget about that void under your drivers seat. This is another place to stash stuff. A collinear design roll-up 2-meter J-pole is in each of our vehicles. Too big to pack, but always handy. This is a good place for that extra quart of oil, the jumper cables, some good leather work gloves, and the campers rainwear.
Take a look at some of those new technology LED flashlights. Energizer makes a new folding lantern version with a lifetime warranty. It has 2 LEDs and runs on 4 AAs. What's neat is that the LEDs never need replacement. Also, the thing will continues run 200hrs on 1 bulb or 100hrs on 2 bulbs. The only bad thing is the size is a little less than a pack of cigarettes. Looks like a Star Trek Communicator. Not that big, but big enough…
Some packing tips. Some items do not travel well. How to avoid the damage? We use some of that smaller size bubble wrap, plastic bags, and elastic bands. Not rocket science, perhaps. This bubble wrap stuff is available at several department stores. It comes in sheets at about a quarter of an inch thickness and can be cut to any size or shape.
THE
BOX: PORTABLE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS STATION IDEAS
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| Rite-in-the-Rain
Paper: I
have substantial experience with "Rite-In-The-Rain" paper, and think
the world of it. It's expensive, as paper goes, but it does work
as advertised. If you do use it in the rain, then dry it out when you can. It's almost indestructible, but not quite. Also, if you plan to use "Rite-In-The-Rain" paper, make sure you have a supply of pencils with very hard lead. You'll find pencils in these "high-tech" leads the same places you find the paper. I used Skillcraft 3, Koh-I-Nor 9H, etc. Those are really, really hard leads. They're harder to sharpen, but they're also harder to break. My all-time favorite (for normal purposes), Ticonderoga HB, has no place here. Softer leads smear easily on "Rite-In-The-Rain" paper, and the paper wears out pencils very quickly. Dave Wallace KA6GJN |
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| David WB2AZE: Hi Steve, saw what you
had on the
website. It looks very good and I would like to add my 2cents.
1. I use a larger plastic toolbox for my go kit. I can carry a spare HT, 7ah gell cell, d cell alkaline battery holder, spare antennas, connectors, lantern, etc in it and don't have to worry about the handle breaking from the weight of the batteries. 2. Insect repellents West Nile and Lyme Disease is up in the East Coast. I find that Avon Skin-so-Soft has a sunscreen and insect repellent combined. 73's
Steve KB1DIG replies: ...Great Go-Kit ideas!! We just started moving towards large Rubbermaid plastic totes with wheels at this QTH. Short $$ at Wal-Mart. Too much stuff to bring now as the new local EC... Kind of the same idea as the tookbox.. Hope this helps keep larger items weather protected in the back of the pickup now.... Thank you! 73.. |
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| China Markers: In addition to
pencils, I
also have black and red china markers. I have written more than one
message
on a window and on the side of a car or van. They are waterproof and
work
great. You can use them on a small “dry marker” board for writing
outside
in a complete downpour.
Generally any crayon will work very well. Charles Crizer, KF4MNE
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| Rite-in-the-Rain Paper: I'm
a geologist and have used this product for many years. You can
literally
write on it w/a pencil during a downpour. It also comes in
standard
8-1/2x11 inch pads and I often photocopy field maps on it. The
paper
is great. It blows people away to see water sheeting off the page
in a downpour and I'm happily mapping!
Best "r-i-t-r" notebooks are in bound format ($15 to 17). Covers for spiral bound and stapled ones fatigue very quickly w/regular use in wet weather. Box of full sized 8.5x11 sheets for copiers is $24 for 200 Sheets (use conventional toner copiers, not ink jets for obvious reasons!) For fair prices, quick service: http://www.forestry-suppliers.com Get a catalog. It's like a big candy store! Hard hats, safety vests, boots, compasses, FRS radios, GPS, foul weather gear...... And the Source itself: Forestry Suppliers also sell aluminum enclosed clip boards that are nearly indestructible. They have a 5x7 format that fits well inside a jacket for $18. Jim Falls, KG6FWT
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| Dont forget your handy dandy ladderline
jpole or
even dipoles... great range extenders and with 50 feet of light cord
you
can be 20 feet in the air in a few seconds... I use a fanny pack with
about
25 feet of coax and 50 feet of cord. I use a two pocket pack ... small
pouch fits misc rf connectors and compass etc... turns a HT into a
great
emergency station just about anywhere you can throw a line!
73 de
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| Dave WB1COB: First of all, excellent
article.
Please
check out our club website at www.cqradioclub.org , we are
interested
in similar projects,
1) Space Pens: FISHER and EVERSHARP make refills that come with an adapter so the refill can be used in a Parker, Diplomat, or Pelikan pen. So instead of a $30 Space Pen which is the same as the one that went to the moon, I use a "give-away" pen which had a Parker refill. If it gets lost I am only out the cost of the Space Pen refill. After all the pen itself doesn't do the writing, its done by the refill. My pen didn't go to the moon, but it still writes upside-down. 2) HT Batteries: I have alkaline battery cases (even extras) for each HT. I bought these when the HT's were brand new with the intention of never buying the $100 special super-duper battery pack. AA cells work just fine. Maybe I get 4 point something watts out instead of the full 5 but I'll deal with it. Talking into a rubber duck to a repeater, it doesn't matter anyhow. I also started using rechargeable alkalines. The chargers packed with the HT each handle 4 batteries, that gives me two extra for the mini-mag lite. The AA cells also work good in LED lights, broadcast radios, weather radios, etc.. Love those AA cells. The flat AA cells can also be put aside and replaced with onetime use batteries if you need them in a hurry to stay on the air. I would not purchase an HT unless I can get an alkaline battery case for it. 3) Leatherman: Use them, love them, but I have a good quality $5 one from Ocean State Job Lot in my kits. It's a little bigger and made in China (phooey), but it works well. There are also many poor copies out there (real phooey). 4) Compass: One item I will not settle for anything less on is a SILVA compass. They come in various price ranges, and are very well made. 5) LED AA Flashlight has no bulbs to worry about replacing. We use a $15 from Wal-Mart lithesome different color lenses. Mini-mags are OK, cost $9 and do at least have a spare bulb. Those folding Eveready LED lights make a good desk light when you unfold just right. Have you done that yet ? I used mine during an ice storm we had in November like that. 73
Steve KB1DIG replies: .......I have not used the folding Eveready LED light that much. A few times.. It is cool though. Great idea as a desk light. This one I have is in the Go-Kit all the time. Will keep it in mind. The LED light I do seem to use all the time now is made by CMG Equipment. It's very small and uses a single AA-cell battery and has a good sized single LED. It's mostly sold for under $20 and also used by the US Military. With one AA it burns for perhaps 24 hours or more. I clip this to a baseball cap. Looks a little strange but works great. Good for under the hood of the car at night, in the rain. I keep it on my key ring along with a mini multi-pliers tool made for Sears, by SerberTech. Can't beat that Craftsmen Lifetime Warranty! I use all this stuff in place of the good old swiss-pocketknife that's now with the Go-Kit. I keep the pocketknife on another key ring, together with the mini mag-lite attached as a backup. It's on an outside pouch, so I can get at it easier. That's the plan...Works for me.. Web info links:
Small multi-pliers tool:
(also called
the M4 SeberTool)
Thank you Dave!! |
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| You may as well have the latest versions of
my articles:
I was visiting your web site. You have
done a nice
job and your page will be a valuable resource.
I have attached the latest Word version, as well as some other materials in .pdf which may be helpful. These may be posted on your web site for noncommercial, nonprofit, educational and public safety use within the scope of the U.S. Copyright Law, as long as they are presented complete and intact with source credit to Virginia RACES, Inc. the owner of this work. In the next few weeks the training page of the Virginia RACES web site www.varaces.org will be completely revised with new and updated material. Stay tuned. Charles
E.
Harris, KE4SKY
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| "Somethings to consider, roadside flares,
reflective
safety vest, rain gear, good boots, insect repellent."
"I forgot to mention carrying a pre-paid phone card." 73 de Keith KC8TCQ
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| Speaking of the space pens and getting your
paper wet,
try http://www.riteintherain.com
They offer all kinds of waterproof notepads and items for field use in any weather. For $10 you can order their sample pack which includes 2 notebooks and a space pen plus other samples. I used them, and I'm about to order more. Definitely a site to check out. 73
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| Lee suggests: “One thing that I would add to
my emergency
kit would be a self heating MRE.
For the money vs. shelf life they are not that expensive.” Thanks Lee! |
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RadioShack's Model #12-803 AM/FM/WX/SW Self-Powered Portable Radio Owner's Manual in .pdf format |
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| Lee suggests: "Get a copy of the C. Crain
catalog, in
it there is a light that will last the better
part of forever. Also there is all kinds of stuff that hams like." Thanks Lee! |
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| Greetings:
Nice job
on your
kit. I would add a personal water purifier. REI sporting
goods
has several.
Dan W. KG6JCH |
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| Your members should consider Coast Guard
Approved water
pouches and survival food bars. They are very compact,
temperature
tolerant, and less likely to incur damage than bottled water. The
food bar takes much less room than even one MRE, which one of the notes
suggested. However, the MRE provides ONE meal, and the food bar
provides
NINE meals. Also, if someone is using a currently manufactured
MRE,
it should NOT require water, except for the beverage mix. It is a
misconception that water is needed to hydrate the food. If
someone
has a pack that has food that needs re-hydration, it is most likely an
older, surplus unit, with unknown remaining shelf life.
Both the CGA water and food have a five year
shelf life,
even in the heat of a car in a hot climate. On the low side they
tolerate down to (?) below zero..... I seem to remember 40 below, but
don't
quote me on that. I can check to see exactly if there is
interest.
The water pouches can slip into a pocket, under a cap, under the car
seat
or console, etc. very easily. If people are carrying bottled
water,
it is
Also, on water filtration units, it didn't used to be a problem more than removing living organisms. The thought was that a few chemicals in water for a temporary period like a disaster would not justify adding chemical purification elements. Now that is not the case, since we have more potential for chemical toxicities to occur. Therefore, we now provide the Katadyn combi, rather than the Katadyn pocket, so that the filter addresses both potential problems. Please inform your members that filtration is now about the best option for purification and that all traditional purifying items like bleach, iodine, potable aqua, etc. are no longer completely effective even for biological organisms and there are new complications in their use. If you have any questions, please let me know. I have quite an extensive background in these things. April Kelcy, Consultant/Educator
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Please send us your ideas and comments.
Send E-mail to: buck0@comcast.net 
Good
luck building! Kim KB1GTR & Steve KB1DIG
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE EMERGENCY KIT INFO LINKS!
"What's In Your 'Go' Kit?".doc
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