From: Myron A. Calhoun

Jim, KD0NQQ and MAARS Secretary, said that I talked faster than he could
write when I described the contents of my "VHF Grab 'n Go" suitcase at
the last MAARS meeting, so he asked for an itemization; here it is:

My VHF suitcase, which I have taken when deploying to the EOC, the
hospital, the Red Cross office, an emergency shelter, or similar places
where I might need to operate/coordinate with other HAMs, contains the
following items (in no particular order):

1. pad of paper; marking & ballpoint pens; paperclips; city, county,
   and state maps; "Amateur Radio" and "Official Radio Vehicle" (thanks
   to W0EVJ) signs; HAM-frequency chart; numbered-radiogram list and
   message forms; Civil-Defense and Red-Cross stickers & flags; ....

2. A small 12-volt AC power supply (because a "local" deployment is
   probably indoors and probably will have AC power) and a bag of
   AC-related items:
    * Short extension cord
    * Three-prong-to-two-prong adapter (i.e., a "cheater")
    * Three-way multi-outlet (a.k.a. "Xmas tree")
    * Light-bulb-to-two-AC-outlets-plus-bulb adapter

3. One or more 12-volt batteries (just in case!-) plus spare batteries
   (usually AA) for my HT

4. A two-meter transceiver [plus a "handi-talkie" (HT) on my belt] and
   a small bag with transceiver microphone and power cable, plus adapters
   to get power from a cigarette lighter or straight from battery terminals

5. A 12-volt extension cord

6. some coax (never enough!-)

7. a foldable DIY ground-plane two-meter antenna, plus rope to support
   it from a ceiling or tree and a gizmo to hang it from a "suspended"
   ceiling without leaving marks on the ceiling or support structure

8. A bag containing a cheapie ($7, Harbor Freight) DVM & leads

9. A broadcast-band FM radio, batteries, & earbuds in case duty is boring

10. A bag with all sorts of 12-volt gender benders.  40+years ago I
   standardized all my radio power cords to use banana plugs and jacks,
   but the world moved on and other standards followed (the Molex male/
   female pair about 20 years ago, PowerPoles now), so my bag has:
    * a pair of BIG-alligator-clips-to-banana-plugs
      (BIG enough to clamp to car-battery terminals)
    * cigarette-lighter-PLUG-to-Molex-female
    * cigarette-lighter-PLUG-to-pairs-of-banana-jacks
    * two-banana-plugs-to-cigarette-lighter-OUTLET
    * Molex-male-to-cigarette-lighter-OUTLET
    * two banana-plugs-to-banana-jacks
    * two banana-jacks-to-banana-plugs
    * old Comm-van-standard-to-Molex female
    * two one-banana-plug-to-three-banana-jacks (12-volt Xmas tree)
    * four two-banana-plugs-to-PowerPoles
    * two Molex-male-to-PowerPoles
    * two Molex-female-to-PowerPoles
    * one PowerPole-plus/minus-to-PowerPole-minus/plus adapter
    * Molex-male-to-LED polarity checker (VERY IMPORTANT!)

11. A pair of headphones with quarter-inch-stereo plug

12. A bag of 31 different audio gender-benders, including miniature- and
   sub-miniature mono- and stereo- to quarter-inch mono- and stereo-
   plugs and jacks, RCA to ....  I really only need to carry enough to
   "bend" anything to the quarter-inch-stereo plug on my headphones,
   but I decided to store ALL of my audio gender-benders in the same
   bag instead of keeping a few in the bag and the remainder
   "somewhere" in my too-cluttered shack.

13. A three-audio-inputs-to-one-stereo-outlet adapter which lets me
   listen to three audio sources at the same time (one goes to my left
   ear, one goes to my right ear, and one goes to both ears; this is
   especially useful at the EOC)

I also have two other "Grab 'n Go" suitcases containing more radio-related
stuff (HF transceiver, bigger power supply, longer coaxes, antenna makings
[wire, insulators, golf-ball slingshot "launcher"], antenna tuner, scanner,
AM and FM radios, etc. which I would grab for need-heftier-communication
or will-last-longer deployments (although, to be honest and "just in case",
I put ALL THREE in my vehicle for EVERY deployment beyond a trip to the EOC).

I have another -- and much smaller -- suitcase (I think it was originally
a "makeup bag") with packs of AA and AAA batteries and several FRS radios,
in case I need to communicate over short (but longer than hollering)
distances with non-HAMs.  I grab this case when CERT calls.

I do NOT normally pack any food, raincoats or other bad-weather clothing,
blankets, candles, matches, etc., but -- since this is Kansas -- my
vehicle already contains a small assortment of such stuff.

Myron A. Calhoun, <WØPBV@ARRL.net>.
RACES Radio Officer for Riley County and
ARES Emergency Coordinator for Riley, Clay, and Geary Counties