Emergency preparedness Series (Go-Bottle)

 

"The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty".

~Proverbs 27:12 NIV 

             Since I first got into ham radio, Skywarn, and ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) one topic has always come up on one end of the spectrum or the other and that is the Go-Bag and emergency preparedness. Whether  you are a railfan heading out on a local trip or a 5 hour cross state drive, a ham radio operator that is a storm spotter or that does disaster response or just a average everyday person who works, you need a Go-Bag.. Why do you need one? The answers simple, to sustain yourself for the day,  until help arrives or you can make it back home to safety. In the next article I will cover my EDC (Everyday Carry Bag) But in this article I want to cover a simple solution I found that can be put together for less than $200 bucks, can go anywhere you go whether it be work, a day railfanning, field day, or a trip out to the park. 

    Many years ago I just went out railfanning and didn't give much thought to what to eat drink or even if something happened how would I get home. To put it lightly I was young and dumb, sometimes I would pay attention to the weather and with the abundance of restaurants and vending machine around I was pretty set for a day of watching trains. Fast forward 20 something years and the food scene and area has changed drastically  along with my  daily needs and budget. For the most part I don't like lugging around my Go-Bag everywhere I go and some places are not bag friendly. I needed something that I could break away from my bag and if needed keep a low profile with  should the need for me to get home arise and I have to face possible dangerous encounters on my way home. This setup below also allows me a quick throw in the car and  go solution to my everyday carry bag for places close to home. 

The Go-Bottle 

                Let me introduce you to the Battle Bottle from Iron Infidel it is a 2 liter stainless steel bottle that comes with a neat camo carrier or if your savvy like me you buy the 2 cover version to switch up. Pictured above is it in the black camo pattern. As a ham radio operator most events I have done are marathons and if you have done any then you know that they only last a few hours, way too little to use your 72 hour bag. The bottle above filled with the water and gear weighs about 10 pounds, fits in between the seats of your car and provides you with a few hours of  operating without breaking out your 72 hour go bag.  Let's unload our bottle and  see what has worked well for me. 

The Contents 

 

        From top left here are the contents: 

1. Compass map reader* 

2. Water key  (to refill the bottle) 

3. Sharpie Marker 

4. Snack 

5. Snap lights (Green)* 

6. Flashlight (Mini Goose Neck)  

7. Ferro Rod 

8. Knife 

9.  Magnifying glass 

10. Bottle with cover 

* ( comes in a multi pack that will be broke into Additional  Go- Kits) 

For the most part I have everything I need should  any emergency arise or if I decide I don't want to drive I have a quick solution that I can just through into a car and go without tasking the driver with a bulky bag or taking up precious room in their car. Almost all of this stuff can be found on amazon but I have included a link to the battle bottle. How you put it together is for you to decide, I just wanted to show you what has worked well for me. If you have any questions just write in the comments below and I will cover them in another blog post. 

Link to the bottle: (and no I am not affiliated with them just a really happy customer) 

This is for the 2 cover 1 bottle set. https://ironinfidel.com/collections/battle-bottles/products/battle-bottle-ocp-and-ocp-black

Of Hams and Hoggers 2.0 (an introduction )

 The most important thing is to enjoy your life — to be happy. It's all that matters. 

~Audrey Hepburn~

Good evening friends, family and visitors, I want to welcome you to my blog and give you a little insight about myself and what my blog is all about. For many of you who know me know besides being an extra class amateur radio operator I am into trains, weather and other fun outdoor activities. For those of you who do not know my story here it is. 

CSX 911 first responders unit 

My love of trains: For many years since I was young I always have loved trains. Whether the full size steel wheels on steel rails, or the Tabletop models I always have loved trains and still do. Most of my passion is sitting next to the railroad tracks and travelling to railfan destinations in Ohio my other part of this passion is to model the Youngstown steel industry in HO Scale on my freelance model railroad. For the most part some way shape or form you will find me trackside at one point or another.  

Ham Radio: The one thing that lead me to becoming a ham radio was the trains. For many years I helped a associate run a small hobby shop in Akron here and he was a veteran radio operator. I followed him to a ham fest to help sell items and wound up getting hooked into this hobby. In August of 2017 I became KE8HNK and in February of 2018 I passed my extra class and the rest is history. One more thing I would like top clear up is yes my real name is Elmer and yes I know the history LOL if you don't know then just look up what an Elmer in ham radio is. 

Supercell over Akron 

Storm Spotting and Skywarn: What better thing to get into than storm spotting. It was a natural, plus the Skywarn logo in my opinion is one of the coolest logos out there. Add this in with my love of outdoors, ham Radio, Trains and  my travels it was seamless addition to my two great hobbies I already enjoy plus I get to help save lives by getting weather warnings out quicker using a hobby I already enjoy. 

Outdoor Activities and Preparedness: For the most part through the channels of ham radio I have found other great activities to get into such as archery, and disaster prep. For the most part I volunteer on several groups and try my best to help others know the importance of preparedness whether you are trackside or outside at home storms and disasters can strike and I want others to know how to survive and get home safe or help keep some sense of normalcy in their life. 

What to expect from this blog: For the most part you will find my stories and journey into new things and if I can teach something and share knowledge then I have accomplished my mission here. I hope you will come back and enjoy my blog and if you do don't be afraid to drop a comment below. I look forward to bringing you what I feel to be great content and hope you hang around and subscribe. Also follow us on social media  (links posted below) Remember God is in control, He loves you and so do I until next time friends 73

 Follow me of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radioactiverailfan

Alliance Ohio (Go Ohio Series part 1)

 

"I never regret the thing I did, but I do regret the things 

I didn't take the opportunity to do" ~ET 

 An NS Train Rolls past the Amtrak Station in Alliance  

      Overview:    If your looking for a good one day trip to watch trains and enjoy ham radio then look no further than Alliance Ohio. Alliance is situated approximately 18 miles NE of Canton Ohio and about 30 Miles SE of Akron. The history of the city of Alliance, begins in 1850 when two major railroad lines, the Ohio & Pennsylvania and Cleveland & Wellsville Railroads intersected in Liberty, once known as “The Crossing”. Three small communities, Williamsport (founded 1827), Freedom (founded 1830), and Liberty (founded 1850) merged at this time. Four years later in 1854, the village incorporated as Alliance. In 1889, the village of Mount Union (founded 1833) was annexed into the city Alliance.

     Through the years the railroads merged became the Pennsylvania railroad, then Penn Central, Conrail and now Norfolk Southern. There are two major lines  that interconnect and that is the Pittsburgh line and the Cleveland line that provide most of the traffic along with the two smaller secondary's the Bayard line and the Fort Wayne Line. One can expect to see about a train an hour or so on the Cleveland- Pittsburgh line and possibly a few on the other secondary lines however, don't be disappointed  if there is no trains on these as they have been downgraded in the past few years. 

    

    There is a picnic table that is there to provide a place to sit if you so desire however a lot of rail fans choose to bring their own lawn chairs, just make sure they are back far enough not to get in anybody's way. In rainy or cold weather some take the 1500 ft trip down to the Amshack or the Amtrak station shelter however this also could warrant a visit from Alliance Police depending on ones behavior or a pissed off train crew. Another point to remember is this is an active Amtrak station and the trains usually  come early in the morning  so overnight or late night stays can also arouse suspicion along with drawing attention from the night club across the street from the station.

Ham Radio:

There is plenty of ham radio opportunities Alliance, One of the staples is the Alliance Amateur Radio club (W8LKY) and they maintain a 2 meter and 70cm repeater that from the Amtrak station can be reached easily with a good handheld and antenna set up using less than 5 watts

On Tuesday evening at 7 pm they host a Homeland Security net on simplex frequency of 147.510 Mhz

They also host on Thursday evening a 10 meter net at 8 PM Eastern, on 28.420 Mhz.

They sometimes shift frequency due to QRM, but are never far off of 420.

Also on Thursday might at 9 pm they host the 2 meter net on the club repeater (Frequencies listed below) so there is plenty of weekday QSO opportunities. However if you are accused of causing interference just be courteous and stop.

Food and dining:

There a ton of food places in Alliance up on State street however it is best to bring a lunch, and snacks with you, otherwise it is circle K and a few other Gas stations. However if you want one of the best trackside greasy spoons check out the Burger hut located a few blocks away form the Amtrak station. They are located right next to the Cleveland line so you won't have to miss out on the action. This place has been threatened by closing so give it a try before they are gone. 

Listening in and other Frequencies :

Railroad operations:

161.070 ARR ch 64 Road and Dispatcher Channel

Berea and Pittsburgh (ex-Conrail/NYC/PRR)

Alliance and Crestline (ex-Conrail/PRR)

Cleveland and Parma (ex-C0nrail/NYC)

Toledo terminal area (ex-Conrail lines)

160.800 ARR Ch 46 Road and Dispatcher Channel

Toledo and Chicago (ex-Conrail/NYC)

Toledo and Detroit (ex-Conrail/NYC)

Youngstown and Ashtabula (ex-Conrail)

Youngstown and Warren Secondary lines

Meadville, Pa., line (ex-Conrail/Erie)

Ham radio:

 2 meter repeater

145.370 (- offset)

W8LKY

Tones

• Transmit: 110.9 hz

• Receive: 110.9 hz

---

70cm Repeater

442.350 (+ offset)

W8LKY

Tones

• Transmit: 131.8 hz

• Receive: 131.8 hz

So if you are looking for a place to watch trains and enjoy ham radio this is one place that wont let you down either way. I hope you enjoyed this segment of my go Ohio series and look for a video later this year, As always remember God is still in control, stay safe and blessed 73 my friends until next time. 

Directions to Alliance

From Canton/Massillon and West:

Follow US 62 East to the first exit for Alliance. US 62 is State Street in Alliance.

From Minerva and South:

Follow SR 183 North. This route is Union Avenue in Alliance.

From Salem and East

Follow US 62 West. This route is State Street in Alliance.

From Interstate 76 and North:

From Akron or Cleveland: Follow I-76 East and take the exit for SR 14 South (Alliance exit). Turn right on SR 183 South and follow this route to Alliance. SR 183 is Union Avenue in Alliance.

From Youngstown: Follow I-76 East and take the exit for SR 225 South (Alliance exit). This route ends at SR 183 which is Union Avenue in Alliance.