THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN FOR "THIS WEEK IN AMATEUR RADIO" BY WILLIAM CONTINELLI, W2XOY, WHO ALSO WROTE THE "WAYBACK MACHINE" SERIES.

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“DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT”

I grew up in a family of Nomads. A full tank of gas was always an invitation to another cross-country trip. Throughout the late 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s, a variety of Ford Station Wagons and VW Busses took us through 45 States and 4 Canadian Provinces.

When I became interested in radio in the early 60’s, my gypsy lifestyle suggested radios that were transistorized and compact--ready to go on a moment’s notice on the latest family adventure. For our California trip in 1964, I packed a Realtone AM-FM-SW radio, 2 Olson 100 mw CB walkie-talkies, and spare batteries into an old battered briefcase. Thus, the “Radio Bag” was born.

The “Radio Bag” varied in style, shape and contents as the years passed. By the early 1970’s, it was an old high school book bag, stuffed with a Lafayette “Dynacom” 3 watt, 3 channel CB walkie-talkie, a Standard 2 watt 5 channel 2 meter HT, a Realistic “Patrolman” AM-FM-SW-Police Band radio, and spare batteries. A second bag contained a Lafayette HA-750 6 meter rig, a Midland CB radio converted to 10 meters, and a Heathkit HW-8, along with tons of “D” cells and antennas. The first bag went with me everywhere, the second was for long trips only.

Besides allowing me to enjoy my hobby on the road, the radio bags proved useful in emergencies. They saw a great deal of use during Buffalo’s Ice Storm of 1976, and Blizzard of 1977. In the Winter of 1978, the radio bag was literally a lifesaver. While on a Greyhound Bus trip from Buffalo to Albany, our Bus had to leave the Thruway near Waterloo because of heavy snow. While trying to get to Route 5, the Bus became stuck on some RR Tracks. The Standard and Lafayette radios quickly brought the Police and a tow truck. (Greyhound never thanked me).

The radio bag was with me in lower Manhattan on 09/11/01 when the World Trade Center was destroyed. Because of poor planning on my part, I did not have the local ham or public service frequencies pre-programmed. Nevertheless, my co-workers & I were able to use the information gleaned from various radios to get on the only Amtrak train to leave Penn Station that day.

With this reinforcement of the radio bag permanently etched in my brain, I came up with the “new and improved” 2003 model. It’s a padded camera bag, which measures about 12” x 9” x 8”--less than a cubic foot. How much can you fit in? Here’s the answer.

TWO Yaesu FT-50 Dual Band HT’s. Why 2 HT’s? Well, one can operate as a scanner while the other one is on the ham bands. Or, you can give one to a fellow ham for use at the emergency site. And, based on Murphy’s Law--if you DIDN’T have the 2nd unit, the first would fail at the moment it was needed the most. (Of course, having the 2nd unit means the 1st one will never fail).

At a bare minimum, the radios should have full 144/440 Mhz transmit/receive, as well as extended receive from 118-174 Mhz and 440-470 Mhz. Ideally, the receivers should also cover TV audio, FM Broadcast, and the 800 Mhz bands. This eliminates the need for a separate scanner.

One reason I prefer the FT-50 over the newer VX-5 or VX-7 is that the FT-50 has an optional alkaline battery case that holds 6 “AA” cells. That’s not available on the other radios. In the field, you are not going to have the time or opportunity to recharge batteries. A battery case for 6 “AA” alkaline cells is necessary for long operating times and quick battery replacement.

A GMRS Radio. Note, I didn’t say FRS. The unit should cover GMRS/FRS simplex channels 1 through 7 (462.5625 to 462.7125 Mhz) plus the REACT frequency of 462.675 Mhz (simplex and repeater). I prefer GMRS over FRS radios because GMRS units operate with more power (2 to 5 watts vs. 500 mw), more modulation (5 kHz deviation vs. 2.5 kHz), have repeater
capability, and can be connected to an external antenna. My radio is a Maxon GMRS 210--identical in size and shape to the Radio Shack 2-meter HT, equipped with the 6 “AA” alkaline battery case.

A CB walkie-talkie. Yes, CB is still alive, and millions of people still use it. A link to 27 Mhz may be essential in an emergency. I carry a Midland 75-785. It’s compact, well built, covers all 40 channels, has good modulation, operates on 9 “AA” cells, and has a BNC antenna connector. Similar units were available from Cobra, Uniden, Radio Shack and Maxon. I say “were” because it seems that the CB walkie-talkie is headed for extinction, killed off by FRS radios. Very few catalogues or websites have new CB walkie-talkies for sale. The good news is, if you can find one, it may be at a deep discount. I bought my Midland new for $15.

A pocket size AM-FM-SW radio. My favorite is the Sony ICF SW-11. It measures 6” x 3”, covers AM, FM, and the SW Broadcast bands from 60 meters through 13 meters, is inexpensive, and has excellent sensitivity. The Grundig Traveler II is a good second choice.

A PDA or Palmtop with e-mail ability. I use a Sharp Zaurus. It is an electronic organizer with 1 Meg capacity, has the usual functions (scheduler, word processing, spreadsheet, money tracker etc), a traditional keyboard, plus the ability to send & receive text e-mail. I now store frequencies, repeater offsets, and PL tones for every city I visit in my Zaurus.

A flashlight and a small utility tool, such as the Leatherman.

Telescopic antennas for all radios, along with any necessary adaptors.

At least 18 “AA” alkaline batteries. All radios and the flashlight operate off of “AA” cells for convenience. Each radio has fresh batteries, and they are tested every 3 months.

Two cigarette lighter cords. One for the Yaesu FT-50’s, and one for the Maxon/Midland.

A small disposable camera. I didn’t have this with me on 09/11/01, and I regret it to this day.

A cell phone. However, based on my experiences on 09/11/01, it may prove to be useless in an emergency, due to power failures and/or overloading.

Yes, all of this fits in the camera bag, with some room to spare. As you can see, I’ve tailored my radio bag based on my personal preferences. You can add, subtract or substitute radios depending on your individual needs. Whatever the final configuration looks like, make sure that the radio bag is always with you.

I also have a second radio bag for long trips, or a major emergency. It contains a Yaesu FT-817 HF-VHF-UHF rig, plus batteries, a power cord, and telescoping antennas for 7 Mhz through 440 Mhz. This radio went with me on month long trips to Phoenix, Seattle, and Memphis, and earned me a 10-10 number from the middle of the Arizona desert. The only reason I do not recommend this radio for your primary bag is it’s excessive current consumption (400 ma on receive, 2 amps on transmit).

One final note--the last time I left the house without the radio bag was January 17, 1981. How do I remember that date? Well, as I was driving to the store, my VW Bus decided to throw a rod after 185,000 miles of faithful service. As I pushed it off the road, I witnessed a car-pedestrian accident in which a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured. The motto--Where I go, so goes the radios.