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Go-Bag / Go-Box / Shack-in-a-Box
Greetings One and All,
After a recent "field deployment" for the Ecplise and teaching the Radio Merit Badge to a large group of BSA Scouts....I realized that while I was prepared, I may have over prepared in some areas and under prepared in others. 1) Do you prefer an All-in-One Go-Box that is Radio, tuner (if needed), computing device for digital, antenna and feed line? 2) Do you prefer Radio & Tuner (if needed) then select antenna & feed line and add computing device if needed? 3) Do you like a Shack-in-the-Box rig? What your Pros and Cons in general and for the "field deployments" you do? My next is this weekend for a large 80 mile, cross state relay. 2m and my vehicle antenna is all I need. I can actually use an HT as my station is close to the repeater. External 157aH LiFePO4 battery will be used to save the vehicle battery. Just wondering as I try to improve my functional skills. Ed, KD9FRQ |
Personally I like the "all in one" approach. Grab and go.? I have two (if you will..) go boxes both based on the Yaesu FT-857D. I will start with the first go box, or in my case, go-frame. The Ft-857D operates all modes from 160 through 70cm. Additionally, its receive current draw is aprox. 0.5 amp - as opposed to 2 amps for most other rigs. Believe it or not, for off-grid comms this is huge. My go-frame also has an LDG autotuner, SignalLink, WinKeyer, and yes, a Raspberry Pi with KM4ACK's BAP. All I need is a battery?and a wire and I am on the air. Just for fun, once upon a time, I actually loaded up a firetower at a park - as in the firetower WAS the antenna. (No, nobody was on the firetower at the time..) This shows the versatility of using a tuner. Here is a link for more details of my go-frame: My second "go box" weighs approximately?4600 pounds. As it is permanently?built into my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have almost identical equipment but I also carry a 40 ft. spiderbeam mast and a 60 watt foldable solar panel. This is primarily for POTA, but the goal here is to be able to setup?and operate at any time when I am not at home. Like you, I also set up for the eclipse. But in my case I was with friends and also wanted to hang out with them. No problem. I also have a portable router that I put on my dashboard that the Raspi wifi connects to. This router gives me MUCH greater wifi range than just using the wifi in the?Pi. Then my iPad uses that wifi to run FT8 while I hang with my friends and enjoy the eclipse. Hope this helps. ? -- Mike WB8ERJ Geeze! What is he up to now? On Wed, Apr 17, 2024 at 8:01?AM Ed Bloom, KD9FRQ via <ewbloom=[email protected]> wrote: Greetings One and All, |
Follow Up........... Did Jason post hit checklists on a public facing webpage?? If he did, I seem to have misplaced the location. As for my gear, I have two Alinco DR-135 rigs in a 6U Gator box. Pi with NWDR Draws hat. 12v Monitor for email and APRS (Search and Rescue if needed). One is primarily voice with all the local repeaters and ARES District frequencies set. Second box is HF based on two FT-891 units and MJR tuners. This is in an 8U Gator box. Both boxes have internal wiring leading to ports on the back for power, antennas and GPS. Ed, KD9FRQ
On Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 07:57:54 AM CDT, Mike Thompson <wb8erj@...> wrote:
Personally I like the "all in one" approach. Grab and go.? I have two (if you will..) go boxes both based on the Yaesu FT-857D. I will start with the first go box, or in my case, go-frame. The Ft-857D operates all modes from 160 through 70cm. Additionally, its receive current draw is aprox. 0.5 amp - as opposed to 2 amps for most other rigs. Believe it or not, for off-grid comms this is huge. My go-frame also has an LDG autotuner, SignalLink, WinKeyer, and yes, a Raspberry Pi with KM4ACK's BAP. All I need is a battery?and a wire and I am on the air. Just for fun, once upon a time, I actually loaded up a firetower at a park - as in the firetower WAS the antenna. (No, nobody was on the firetower at the time..) This shows the versatility of using a tuner. Here is a link for more details of my go-frame: My second "go box" weighs approximately?4600 pounds. As it is permanently?built into my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have almost identical equipment but I also carry a 40 ft. spiderbeam mast and a 60 watt foldable solar panel. This is primarily for POTA, but the goal here is to be able to setup?and operate at any time when I am not at home. Like you, I also set up for the eclipse. But in my case I was with friends and also wanted to hang out with them. No problem. I also have a portable router that I put on my dashboard that the Raspi wifi connects to. This router gives me MUCH greater wifi range than just using the wifi in the?Pi. Then my iPad uses that wifi to run FT8 while I hang with my friends and enjoy the eclipse. Hope this helps. ? -- Mike WB8ERJ Geeze! What is he up to now? On Wed, Apr 17, 2024 at 8:01?AM Ed Bloom, KD9FRQ via <ewbloom=[email protected]> wrote: Greetings One and All, |
¡°Experience is the best teacher¡±
What I like is to get out (often) and implement, experiment, and experience all the many ways to accomplish the task. From what I have seen from the users on this particular group¡.you should get a multiple plethora of suggestions, good ideas, and innovative ways to enjoy, and also be very good at, ¡°field communications¡± This is a thread I¡¯m going to pay attention to! Kenny |
My go-box is a large aluminum pilot map case with shoulder strap. This holds my IC-7000 transceiver, antenna tuner, digital modes interface, compact 30A mains switching mode power supply, 30 Ah LiFePO4 battery, headset, notebook PC, and miscellaneous adapters and cables. Still room for water, granola bars, and first aid kit. Nothing is fastened to the box, so I can deploy only what is needed in two minutes, depending upon the situation.? My 80, 40, 20m dipoles and VHF antennas and 40 ft mast kit using roof rake poles is contained in a large fishing rod case with shoulder strap.
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Ed/KD9FRQ, Jason's checklist video can be found here:?. Fred/N7PN On Wed, Apr 17, 2024 at 6:35?AM Ed Bloom, KD9FRQ via <ewbloom=[email protected]> wrote:
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On Wed, Apr 17, 2024 at 07:38 PM, Fred-N7PN wrote:
Jason's checklist video can be found here:?.This is the app I use in Linux before every trip. Well, 99% of them anyway and the times I don't use it are the times I find something missing. It is customizable for your setup and works well after the initial input of your inventory. When you create the checklist, the app will output both a text and html file so it can be viewed various ways. Personally I more or less stopped building them. No go box/bag (I have built several) ever fit all of the needs for different trips into the field. A quick POTA doesn't require the same gear as Field Day. Instead, I developed a modular system that relies heavily on the checklist. I expand on the change in philosophy in this video - ? -- 73, de KM4ACK
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