One of the things I have learned from years of playing around with radios is that you rarely need a go kit when everything is going according to plan. You need it when something changes, and when that happens, the last thing you want to be doing is standing in front of a pile of radios, batteries, cables and accessories trying to remember what you need.
That is why I think every radio hobbyist should have at least one radio go kit that is completely assembled, charged and ready to leave the house at a moment's notice. Not packed when you need it. Packed before you need it.
My reminder came from an unexpected hospital admission. Recently, I found myself in the situation of being unexpectedly admitted to hospital.
One of the things I wanted was my radio gear. Not because I was expecting to do anything particularly exciting with it. I simply knew that having something familiar to listen to would give me something to do and would make an unfamiliar situation a little more comfortable.
The problem was that I wasn't in a position to pack it myself.
That meant I needed someone else to collect it from home.
And suddenly I had to explain what to bring.
Which radio?
Which aerial?
Which charger?
Which cable?
What headphones?
What batteries?
Where was everything?
That meant I needed someone else to collect it from home.
And suddenly I had to explain what to bring.
Which radio?
Which aerial?
Which charger?
Which cable?
What headphones?
What batteries?
Where was everything?
None of this was particularly difficult when I was sitting at home with access to all of my equipment. It becomes a very different problem when you're somewhere else, you're unwell, you're stressed, and somebody who doesn't know your equipment is standing at home asking: "What exactly do you want me to bring?"
That experience reinforced something I had already suspected:
A go kit isn't just about being prepared for an emergency. It's about removing decisions when you don't have the time or ability to make them.
A go kit should be grab-and-go. For me, a good go kit isn't necessarily a huge Pelican case containing every piece of radio equipment I own, in fact, I think the opposite can be more useful.
The idea is to have a self-contained kit containing the equipment you are most likely to need.
For a monitoring setup, that might be:
* Scanner or receiver
* Spare batteries or battery pack
* Charging cable and mains charger
* Suitable antenna
* Earphones/headphones
* Small notebook and pen
* Memory card if the radio uses one
Everything should have a place and everything should be identifiable.
And, most importantly, someone else should be able to pick up the case and understand what it is.
The key is to make sure that everything required is inside. That removes the need for somebody to understand your hobby.
They don't need to know the difference between a BCD436PT and a BCD325P2, They don't need to know which antenna works best.
They just need to know: Take this box.
An unexpected hospital admission is just one example.
There are plenty of situations where having your equipment ready can make a huge difference.
- Going away unexpectedly:
You might suddenly need to travel. It could be for work, a family situation, helping somebody out, or simply an unexpected overnight stay somewhere.
If your radio kit is already packed, there's nothing to think about. Grab the case and go.
- Evacuating your home:
This is one of the more serious scenarios. Fire, flood, storm damage or another emergency can mean you have very little time to leave.
You probably won't have time to decide which radio you want, find a charged battery, locate your programming cable and hunt around for headphones. A prepared kit means that equipment can become part of your existing emergency preparations. It doesn't need to be your priority during an evacuation, of course. But if you have time to grab it, it's ready.
- Power outages:
A good portable monitoring setup can be useful during an extended power outage. Having the radio, batteries, charging options and accessories together means you aren't searching through drawers in the dark trying to work out which cable belongs to which device. A go kit can also be designed around USB power banks, vehicle charging or other backup power options.
- Travelling:
Even when I'm travelling for something completely unrelated to radio, I like knowing that my portable equipment is ready.
- Radio events and field days:
Not every emergency is an emergency. Sometimes you simply get an opportunity. Someone might message you about a radio event, field day, special activation or an afternoon of radio monitoring. If your kit is already prepared, you can take advantage of the opportunity without spending half an hour deciding what equipment you need.
Having a radio go kit packed and ready to go, helps to ensure you are ready to go at a moments notice and that in the event that somebody else needs to grab this, it also reduces the stress on them.
