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What’s In Your “Go-Kit?” overnight trips. The bare essentials are a 2-meter or
dual-band HT, some sort of “gain” antenna, auxiliary
Portions of this article appeared in ARRL Field Forum, power source, writing materials, comfort and safety
© 1997-2003 Virginia RACES, Inc.
Nonprofit reproduction is permitted with source attribution, items. You can do a lot with a minimum kit, if you
Ed Harris, KE4SKY, Virginia RACES State Training Officer plan carefully. There is risk of not having something
you may need if you go too light, but obvious “bells
Many amateurs carry an HT as part of their daily and whistles” should stay home. My “every day” kit,
routine. Those who do so, should always include including a dual-band HT, weighs 5 pounds and is
basic accessories such as an extra NiCd pack, 4”x6”x10,” fits in a waist pack and contains:
external power cord, some sort of gain antenna,
comfort and safety items “just in case.” All it takes 1) Dual-band HT in padded belt case.
is your battery to “die” when you need to access 2) Copy of current FCC Operating License.
the auto patch to report a traffic accident, get lost 3) “Tiger tail” (counterpoise enhances Tx and Rx of a
typical “rubber duck” by 3 db).
or break down on the road in an unfamiliar place
4) Extra high-capacity (1000 mah) NiCd, or backup
to fully appreciate the value of being “prepared.”
AA battery case for HT.
5) DC adapter & cigarette plug cord for HT
The best “Go-kit” for you won’t fit anyone’s canned 6) Two extra 2A fuses, for HT cord
list. Assemble one which fits your routine, experience 7) Earphone and speaker mike
and local conditions. Commuters using mass transit 8) Spartan pattern Swiss Army pocket knife
should keep at least bare essentials handy. A larger kit 9) Leatherman multi-purpose tool
is practical if you are usually near your car. The trunk 10) CMG Infinity Ultra LED task light and 2 spare
is the best place to store emergency gear because it is AAs
dry, accessible either at home or away and relatively 11) Pencil and pocket note pad
secure. I have three kits which supplement each other. 12) Emergency gas/phone/meal money ($20 bill, $6
My “every day” kit fits in a briefcase and accompanies quarters + five dimes in 35mm film can).
an HT. 13) SO-239 to male-BNC adapter to fit HT to mobile
antenna coax and female BNC to SO-239 to fit HT
A “backup” shoulder bag in the car provides basic gain antenna to jumper.
tools and first aid supplies, some cash, a spare HT, 14) 8 ft. RG8-X jumper w/BHC male and female
25w brick amp, coax, antenna, gel cell battery and connectors to raise and extend HT antenna.
accessories for 24 hours operation. I also carry a fire 15) Spare eye glasses of current prescription.
extinguisher, first aid kit, blanket, two MREs and a 16) Band aids, baby wipes and sunscreen
gallon of water in the car. Two “evacuation bags” at 17) Pocket sewing kit, matches
home have three days supply of food, water and 18) Small pocket compass
medications, a boxed non-spillable AGM deep cycle 19) Operating reference card for HT
battery, battery charger, tool kit, rain gear, clothing, 20) RACES phone and frequency card
safety and shelter items. 21) Repeater auto patch and control code card
In rural areas, fire making supplies, pocket knife, map
The ”Backup Bag” carries “24-hour” items in a sturdy
and compass should be in your kit. In the suburbs,
shoulder bag or lumbar pack with carrying strap. Mine
keep a local street atlas, change for a pay phone and
has external pockets marked as to contents. The large
some emergency cash or credit card. A compact,
main compartment carries a 7ah gel cell battery and
sturdy flashlight, extra batteries, first aid kit, extra HT
20w brick amp while other items are packed around
battery pack and spare eyeglasses are useful
and between them. It stays in the car until needed. I
everywhere. If you take require prescription
am trying to reduce it from its 12"x8"x6" size and 18
medications, carry a 3-day supply. On the road also
lbs. weight. Suggested contents are:
carry enough cash for a tank of gas, hot meal and a
room. 1) Neck-lanyard pocket with spare car keys,
emergency cash, credit card, long-distance calling
A minimum “Go- kit” should sustain a day of card and RACES ID.
continuous operation and be easily supplemented for
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2) Second, “backup / loaner” 2-meter HT. 20) Comfort, safety and basic first aid items:
(Accessories interchange with dual-bander) sunglasses, matches, tissues, toothbrush, sun block,
sewing kit, insect repellent, tweezers, band-aids,
3) Spare large capacity NiCd or AA-battery pack, ear adhesive tape, gauze pads, wound cleaning wipes,
phone and speaker-mike for second HT latex gloves, CPR mask, etc.
4) Operating manuals for both HT’s. **HT Duty Cycle Limits and Brick Amps
5) Fused DC adapter cords with Molex connectors for Today’s compact HTs are rated for only 20% duty cycle at
brick amplifier and HTs. 5w output, or 30 seconds transmit to 2 minutes of standby.
Their final power transistors may fail prematurely if
6) 10 ft. AWG10 gage extension cord, with battery subjected to frequent full power transmissions of several
clips, in-line fuses and Molex connectors to power minutes. When I first got my license, I burned up three sets
brick amp and/or HT from a car battery. of finals during the warranty period of an HTX 202. The
Kenwood TH22 I replaced it with later fared no better.
7) Compact, rugged, 25-40w 2 meter or dual-band
brick amplifier. - See comments below**. Kenwood’s service center admonished me that I was
exceeding the recommended duty cycle for their HT and
8) Gain antenna for HT: (telescoping half-wave should buy a mobile, which I did. I also sought full-sized,
Larsen 2m or dual-band Comet CH-722SA ( wave rugged HTs with adequate heat sink, built to public safety
VHF, collinear UHF), plus tiger tail, throw weight standards for RACES use and pass that advice along.
and cord to pull up into a tree. Unless you know that your handheld is, limit your use of
full power to short transmissions.
9) HT NiCd and 12V gel cell AC chargers.
A small brick amplifier is also recommended to provide
10) One 15ah or two 7ah, 12V gel cel1s to power brick better range and signal clarity from your HT. Good
amp on 10-25w @ 25% duty cycle 24 hrs. operating practice and maximum endurance on battery
power demand that you limit RF output to the minimum
11) 16 spare AA Alkalines for HT and flashlight(s). needed to maintain reliable communication, but the
emphasis is still on “reliable.” An ideal portable amp for
12) RG8-X jumpers, various lengths to total 50 ft., EmCom should weigh no more than 1.5 lb., provide 10-15w
with soldered PL-259s, and double-female barrel output when driven by the HT on a low, (battery conserve)
connectors to connect all. power setting and 25-45w when driven by the HT at full
power from its regular NiCd battery pack. The amp should
13) Adapters: BNC-male+BNC female to SO-239; not require no more than 8A current at maximum output,
BNC-male+BNC female to PL-259; NMO to SO- enabling it to operate safely from a Series 1545, .093 pin
239 adapters plus others, such as SMA and N if Molex connector and fused cigarette lighter plug. No
your group uses them. preamp is wanted, because preamps FM just increase
intermod. It is more important to buy a rugged, quality
14) Cable ties, electrical tape, pliers, diagonal cutters amplifier with an ample heat sink than to seek the smallest
and multi-bit screwdriver. “box.”
15) Compass and local area USGS 7.5 minute topo Disaster Bags-- are duffels of family survival gear
map stored above flood level in your house to shelter in
place which can also be grabbed quickly and thrown
16) Two sharpened pencils, pencil sharpener, gum into the car with the backup bag in the car trunk, if
eraser, note pad, waterproof permanent marker.
needed. Many hams overlook these, but in a real
disaster, they will be are your most important item.
17) ARRL ARES Field Resource Manual
18) Compact, rugged, flashlight (Pelican Stealthlite), Each family member needs their own evac bag with
with extra bulb and extra AA alkalines (above). personal medications, warm hat, rain gear, sturdy
batteries shoes, a change of warm clothes, socks and underwear,
flashlight and sleeping bag or heavy wool blanket in a
19) Two sets of spare fuses (2A, 10A, 20A) for HT soft backpack. Store in sturdy, waterproof containers,
cords, FM mobile, HF or brick amp. with handles, such as metal trash cans, with a 3 day
supply of nonperishable food, water and sanitation
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supplies, so the family can take when told to evacuate. 8) Leather work glove shells, wool finger-less liners,
wool knit hat, hard hat, wind/rain suit, wool
Establish a refuge or safe meeting place within sweater, insulated safety boots, safety glasses,
walking distance of your home, work or school at a reflective vest, extra dry socks and a change of
underwear.
friend or neighbors if family members can’t get home,
or must leave for their personal safety. Arrange with 9) Tarp, shelter half or poncho
an out-of-state friend or relative to accept collect calls.
Family members should meet at the refuge or call the 10) Wool blanket or insulated poncho liner
out-of-state contact when they reach another place of 11) Two each, message pads, pencils
safety. Sew tags in children’s clothing with your
address and telephone number. Label home telephones 12) Grease pencil
with YOUR address to ensure that visitors calling from 13) 2 sheet protectors, 12 push pins.
your home can tell emergency services where they are.
Install a flashing porch light so that the responders can 14) Vinyl electrical tape for rain wraps, 1 roll
find you. All family members must know the
15) Cable ties, large and small, 1 dozen each
emergency contact phone and address! RACES
mutual aid and rapid assessment teams 16) Rubber bands, medium and large, six ea.
must be self-sufficient to operate
17) Adjustable open-end wrench, 6"x 0-5/8"
independently of local resources strained to
their limits. The following is a ‘thought 18) Folding hex key set
starter’ for your disaster planning.
19) Lineman’s pliers w /crimper /side cutters
1) 3-ring binder with phone and frequency lists, 20) Needle-nose pliers
repeater control codes, County disaster plan,
RACES /SKYWARN /NTS scripts and manuals, 21) Channel locks or Vise-Grip pliers
topo maps and manual for mobile rig, in weather
resistant portfolio. 22) Mobile-type, dual-band SWR/power meter
2) Dual-band or 2m antenna, at least 3db gain, with 23) Pocket VOM or multi-meter w/ test leads
50 feet of coax, RG8 or better on reel. Examples:
radial kit and mast clamp for your such as from 24) Connectors / adaptors including no-solder type
BNC and UHF for emergency repairs
www.hamstick.com; compact dual-band base
antenna such as Diamond X-50 or a small yagi 25) First Aid Kit container.
such as Cushcraft 124WB.
26) Mess kit, utensils 3 days bottled water and
3) Military mast kit; or 3 ft. roof tripod, landscaping nonperishable food (which can be eaten cold*).
spikes for anchoring, guy ropes and four 5 ft. TV
mast sections. 27) Personal hygiene and sanitation supplies. Good
choices are pre-packaged baby wipes, waterless
antibacterial hand cleaner and paper towels.
4) AC charger for HT NiCds or small gel cells
1 gallon of water per person/day is needed for drinking
5) Two sealed gell or AGM BCI Group U1 (33ah)
deep cycle batteries or one Group 24 (80ah) or and washing. Good emergency foods are canned soup
Group 27 (96 ah), automatic, low amperage or stew, beans, tuna, juices, fruits, veggies which can
charger and UL-listed AC extension cord. be eaten cold, or warmed without preparation; also
(Schumacher Electric Corp Model SE-1-12S, from peanut butter, cheese spread or jam in plastic jars, lots
www.batterychargers.com ). of hard candy, instant coffee, tea, dried fruit, crackers.
Avoid processed meats such as Spam which are loaded
6) 12-volt, 8w flourescent or auto backup light bulb with salt or fat and hard to digest. Sterno, heat tabs or
with 10 ft. long, soldered clip leads for attachment MRE heaters are best for warming. Use up and
to battery. Adequate light is important for replace emergency food and water stocks every six
operating efficiency and morale. A strong, battery months.
light is safer and more reliable than gas lanterns.
7) Propane soldering iron, fuel, and Solder-It Kit.
