My PSK

digispam said:
I am a repair technician by trade (part time these days...). Mostly business band UHF / VHF.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's not to argue antenna theory with a Ham radio user (unless you want to get verbally beat up for a few hours :)

Did you make that jpole? Out of 300 ohm? Do you have a pic of it unraveled?

I'm spoiled i guess, I have a Globalstar at my disposal because we're a dealer. Tough I have NEVER wanted to take it, I just dont get that far out in the wild :( It just goes to show how easily I forget to to the simple route.
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You are correct it is a 300 ohm twinlead j-pole. I have made one but this is a commercial version. Create little antenna that takes up little space. I don't have a photo unrolled but there are probably plenty on the web. I'm not fanatical about antennas though. :D I actually prefer simple wire antennas for HF.

Those Globalstar sat phones are pretty neat. Your a lucky guy.

KR
 
JimMLa said:
Didn't see a poncho/emergency blanket?
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I do carry several 45 gallon plastic bags though that can be made into a poncho or help cover me above and/or below me while I'm in the shelter. I personally am not a big fan of the mylar survival blankets. They tend to delaminate over time and even the smallest puncture or in high winds they will typically shred pretty quickly. At least that has been my experience. The heavier version of the survival blanket is pretty good though and might fit. That would be good addition. I'll have to see if that would fit. It would be getting closer to a camping bag with a blanket in it though. :D Thanks for the thought.

I generally wear weather appropriate clothing that should help inside a decent shelter.

KR
 
Just want to say thanks for posting this. It's particularly relevent to me as I've just bought a Maxpedition Jumbo S-Type for the exact same purpose. I find it carries nicely on the back, as well as side.

Rick.
 
foxyrick said:
Just want to say thanks for posting this. It's particularly relevent to me as I've just bought a Maxpedition Jumbo S-Type for the exact same purpose. I find it carries nicely on the back, as well as side.

Rick.
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It does. I am trying to figure what other things I can fill in it. There is still room. While I don't need to fill every cubic inch, its nice to know that there is still room available and it is very comfortable on the back hip and even tolerable on the side for extended periods of time.

KR
 
kr1 said:
Thanks tka. I don't really like wire saws. Maybe I just have never used the right one but I don't think they are that useful. Any suggestions as to the right one to get?
I do have a signal mirror just wasn't in the picture.
Fishing kit?? All the places I spend most of my time I never see fish. I probably should include a rudimentary fishing kit though.
Aluminum foil. Thanks. I did forget about that.
I have small candles that are included in the kit.
Sunblock and oh yea, DEET. Thanks, I forgot.
Thanks again for the list. :thumbup:
KR
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I have a "NATO-approved" "Commando" wire saw that I have not used much at all to be honest. I'm kinda "eh" about it, too, but they are suggested often. It works though and can reportedly go through bone as well as wood, though I have never tried it on bone. :p The good thing about it is that it's much longer than a Leatherman saw and weighs almost nothing, so it can't hurt to have one.

DEET is a good one. :thumbup:

Also, how bout the Collins Gem (small) version of the SAS Survival Guide by John Wiseman? This book is a little bigger than a deck of cards and is almost 400 pages of great survival information. I got mine for $8 on amazon.com. Here is a picture of mine next to classic-sized SAK:

 
I may look into radios some time in the future, I remember a freind talking to the space shuttle on his years ago, i thought this was really cool. It would be greatl For Sar or other emergencies, I dont know if it would work with many of the Trunked systems used in my area but it has potential.

PS: Have you looked at Heat Sheets They are supposed to be far better than mylar blankets, or even one of the survival bivi bags check out www.equippedtosurvive.org
 
This may be too much, but will throw it out there anyway for consideration. I have the AA battery pack for the FT50. Besides alkalines it can be used with nimh or nicads although the manufacturer does not recommend it. There are some small solar chargers for AA available. I have a couple of older ones. One is a box with hinged lid containing solar panel - this is about the size of the radio. The other has a larger solar panel that rides outside of the pack (velcro or other means) while the cells are in a little box inside the radio. The two pieces are connected with a cable. The advantage is you can charge the cells while on the move. There are probably more efficient solar chargers out there these days; mine are 5 years old or more. If one was to be "out" for a while, the ability to charge cells might be useful. On the FT50, you get less power with the aa case as it will only be 4.8V with 4 nimhs, but you are carrying the JPole which might make up for it.

Also, a bandana might be good for initial filtering of water, headwear, bandage, potholder, dew collector, etc. Could also be used for tinder. Read about using a small pencil sharpener to shave twigs for tinder; I put a small metal one in with my firemaking kit as it takes up almost no space. Will try it out soon.
 
newadventure said:
This may be too much, but will throw it out there anyway for consideration. I have the AA battery pack for the FT50. Besides alkalines it can be used with nimh or nicads although the manufacturer does not recommend it. There are some small solar chargers for AA available. I have a couple of older ones. One is a box with hinged lid containing solar panel - this is about the size of the radio. The other has a larger solar panel that rides outside of the pack (velcro or other means) while the cells are in a little box inside the radio. The two pieces are connected with a cable. The advantage is you can charge the cells while on the move. There are probably more efficient solar chargers out there these days; mine are 5 years old or more. If one was to be "out" for a while, the ability to charge cells might be useful. On the FT50, you get less power with the aa case as it will only be 4.8V with 4 nimhs, but you are carrying the JPole which might make up for it.

Also, a bandana might be good for initial filtering of water, headwear, bandage, potholder, dew collector, etc. Could also be used for tinder. Read about using a small pencil sharpener to shave twigs for tinder; I put a small metal one in with my firemaking kit as it takes up almost no space. Will try it out soon.
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You are so correct about the bandanas. I carry two tied to my backpack.

You are correct about the battery case. Very low output and it won't last long. I have two High capacity battery packs from W&W that are 7.2 volts and 2100 mAh so it should last a while and has high output. Based upon my experience with this radio one battery pack @ 7.2/2100 should far outlast any situation that I could possibly come out of alive.

KR
 
tka1 said:
Also, how bout the Collins Gem (small) version of the SAS Survival Guide by John Wiseman? This book is a little bigger than a deck of cards and is almost 400 pages of great survival information. I got mine for $8 on amazon.com. Here is a picture of mine next to classic-sized SAK:

Click to expand...

I bought the Gem book a month ago just to see what its like. Neat little book.

KR
 
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