Bags To Go

If you are involved in emergency communications in any way, you will need a go bag or 2. Or 3. Having them packed and ready to go can save you a lot of time when the time to roll comes. Everybody has their own strategy, but let me share with you my philosophy. I have 3 bags packed. My primary bag is a 3-day assault backpack. This is in connection with my service in the South Carolina State Guard. We are required to have a pack ready to go.

Go Bag #1 - 3 Day Go Pack

The pack should contain everything you need for 72 hours of activity.  Sometime in 3 days, you should be able to get replacement supplies. In this pack, you should include all the things you will need for 3 days, including toiletries, dry clothes, food and medicines. You may have to get an extra prescription from your doctor. I recommend you carry a week's supply of meds, just in case.

Here is a link to the detailed 3 day pack I compiled. Note that this includes things like uniforms, which you may not need, but you can use it as a guide. For example, where it says "Extra Uniform," just substitute "Extra shirt and pants."

You will find that a vacuum sealer is a really good thing to have. Clothes shrink dramatically when vacuum sealed. Also, I don't particularly like MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) that are supplied by the military, so I make up my own using a vacuum sealer. I put stuff like the bags of tuna, crackers, fruit and power bars, and other foodstuffs in a bag, vacuum it up and seal it. You should have 5-6 of these in your 3 Day Pack.  3 days worth. If you can handle MREs, by all means, use them, but remember to field strip them to save space and weight.

Go Bag #2 - Basic Communications Bag

If you are going to be doing emergency communications, you will also need a basic commo bag with the equipment and supplies you will need, again, for a 3 day assignment. The requirements for this will vary, depending on the assignments you may expect. This bag will not be a backpack style, since you may already have one of those, and you probably only have one back. Get a size that is the minimum for what you need. If you get a big bag, like a duffle bag, you may find that you will soon fill it.

Go Bag #3 - Advanced Communications Bag

This bag focuses on advanced communications tasks. If you are aware of Comm-T, this would be the bag that would support that function. It would also include a PC and software for programming radios in the field. Which radios? Well, that depends on the missions you expect. It is obviously impractical to have the software and cables for every possible radio, but you should have cables for the radios you support and the most likely ones you may encounter. 

This bag also has tools that will allow repair of cables, putting connectors on cables and other hardware tasks. I also suggest you bring a wide variety of adaptors, you never know what you may encounter in the field.

Why 3 Bags? Why not combine them?

For me, it makes sense to have 3 different bags, because I am never sure what function I may be called upon to perform. Having my gear segregated like this allows me to quickly grab what I need
without a lot of repacking. If your work is more fixed than mine, you can re-organize in whatever way makes sense. For example, if overnight or extended stays is not a possibility, you may not need the 3 day pack and can pack some of the essentials in Bag #2 or #3. The key idea is to make sure you have everything you need and can quickly grab and go. If you are packing a bag in a rush, it is likely you will forget something. If you have the essentials already packed, all you have to do is add anything additional you need.

I hope this helps with your emergency preparations. Let me know what you think.

EmComm - The Prime Directive

It has been said many times in many places, but it bears repeating, the essence of amateur radio is emergency communications. Let’s quote from the FCC Rules, Part 97,

§ 97.1 Basis and purpose.
The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles: 
(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications. 

Couldn't be clearer, the Prime Directive for the Amateur Radio Service is emergency communications, EmComm. And, amateur radio has a proud history of serving the public in times of crisis. It is not necessary to recount all the times that ham radio has been a vital part of emergency response; it is so common as to be in danger of being taken for granted.

The question is, what are you doing to support the Prime Directive? Checking into weekly traffic nets is a good start, but there is far more you can do to support the cause.

What can you do?

For starters, make a plan. You should look at emcomm from two perspectives - as a giver of aid and as one affected by a disaster. Every ham has the potential to play either of these roles. A situation in a nearby community might need your support. You might be called on to go into the area and help with communications, or you might be asked to handle traffic or provide situation awareness information from your home.

Either way, you need to plan ahead. Pack a Go Bag, loaded with the things you might need. Don't wait until a disaster hits, do it now! Remember to pack not only radio gear you will need, but also things for your own sustenance.  I will detail my own plan in a future blog, but most of it is common sense. Just remember, you might find yourself in a situation where you need to be able to operate for 24-48 hours without outside aid. Hint, get, or make, some MREs.

Next, get your act together for when you might find yourself in a situation. Is your shack capable of operating without commercial AC? What about antennas? If your tower goes down, can you get back on the air? Make yourself some wire antennas - a VHF/UHF twin lead J-Pole can be very valuable and a G5RV for hf all wound up, ready for action, could be life-savers.

I will cover these topics in detail in future blogs, but don't wait on me, or anyone else for that matter. Get planning and acting now and you will be on the way to fulfilling the Prime Directive.