The YouTube video of the go box I made starting out with Gator box.  The video plus linked list of materials.

http://kf9za.kremer.com/gobox/

Just found out my link to Amazon to get the cable is a bad link.  Here's a good link:

http://amzn.to/19zzNgn

Ran across this neon green chinese HT radio:

http://www.409shop.com/409shop_product.php?id=109054

And Gigaparts.com is selling the Icom 7200 in Orange, Olive Drab, and two kinds of camo:

http://www.gigaparts.com/store.php?query=camo&action=search&type=radio&gslog=1&restrict=%21radio&Submit2.x=0&Submit2.y=0&Submit2=Submit

Hope you all don't mind me posting this here.  Figure that DX'ers are the biggest phonetic alaphabet fans.

Out with the XYL looking at artwork for house. (come on guys, you've been there) and ran across this gem:

http://kf9za.kremer.com/phonetic_alphabet_art.jpg

Thought at first it would be great for my office, but then saw the price was $99.95.  I took a pass, but did get the picture.

All the best,
Steve
KF9ZA

First one for sale on eBay. US $389.80.  $53 for warrenty. Free shipping:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130736654806&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

Thanks.  Good question.  Got the old bathroom scale out and checked it out.  With 75' of cable plus a 12' extension cord inside it weighs 37 lbs.

UPDATE July 9, 2012: I added a new Kenwood TM-281A to the Go Box. I decided I wanted to have two radios to be able to monitor two frequencies, plus to have a backup radio. The TM-281A was purchased from R & L Eelctronics for $139.95. I chose it for it's price, ruggedness, and that it can put out 65W.

Here's a picture of the new and improved Go Box:

http://kf9za.kremer.com/gobox/images/kf9za_updated_gobox_web.jpg

Here's a link to the original YouTube video and linked list of materials:

http://kf9za.kremer.com/gobox/

Hi Ed.  Thanks for the comments...


Your right.  At first I was planning to use a 4U, but like buying a house, it's better to have too much room than not enough.  Where I have the canvas bag holding the microphone I plan for future expansion.  I have an Icom IC-7000 in my truck right now.  In the future I may put the Icom where the bag is or perhaps pick up a used 7000 or 706.


I actually was using a pizza pan as a ground plane.  That gave me the idea to put a 22g steel sheet in the box affixed to the back Gator lid.  In the video when you see the mag mount antenna it's stuck on the steel sheet I have bolted to the inside of the lid.  This gives me a really good ground plane.

I've built a new Go Box using a Gator rack mount case.  Here's the video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/KT52zOqTOu8

Here's the YouTube video with the list of the materials I used and links to the Web sites:

http://kf9za.kremer.com/gobox

Thanks to K4IFXand KC6TYD for their YouTube Video inspiration and ideas.

K9LYI I would never suggest that any ham or anyone just jump in on a radio channel out of the blue and try to communicate especially in an emergency.  What I was proposing was the potential of offering a service to a public official.  You would offer them the ability of communicating to another agency by having the knowledge to program a radio with a frequency and a PL tone.  If there is a need for on department to talk to another, you program in the frequency and hand the microphone to the official and they make the call.  The ham operator would never make the call, there would be no outsider, the call would be made by the official who is a known entity.

I know that there are very expensive software based interoperability solutions that will patch together two radio solutions so cross communications can exist.  What I was proposing was a possible inexpensive solution.  Not perfect, but it could work.

On this subject an interesting read:

http://www.dhs.gov/files/publications/gc_1297699887997.shtm

Scoll down and see who can request copies of the NIFOG ( National Interoperability Field Operations Guide) which is a list of frequencies used by public service agencies.  No trunked 800 freqs that I can see.

"Public safety communications professionals and emergency communications specialists in private voluntary organizations can receive reasonable quantities of NIFOGs at no charge by completing the NIFOG request form."

Would the referemced private voluntary organizations include Ham Radio volunteers?

I may well kick over the hornet's nest with this post…or it might be a good discussion. I have no idea which, but here I go anyway.

If you do an eBay search right now of these two terms:

TYT TH-9000
Motorola SMP-908

These are radios are listed around $250 for a 50-60W mobile.  They have a wide range of adjustable freq steps and are wide open for the freqeuncies:

136-174 Mhz
400-490 Mhz
440-512 Mhz

I'm an Amateur Radio operator.  I own Amateur Radios and operate on the Amateur bands on the designated frequencies.  I have no intention of buying one of these radios but I did start thinking….

Should an Ecomm radio group have radios that transmit on other bands used by public service and commercial entities?  In a true life-or-death situation should an Ecomm communicator have a tool like these radios in their "tool box" to communicate to anyone.  If a public official said…"If we could somehow only talk directly to the forest rangers, the Search and Rescue team, those boaters on on the lake" or you fill in the blank.  These radios would cover many public service VHF and UHF, as well as Marine, and business frequencies.  Do a Google search of the term: National Interoperability Field Operations Guide

With Amateur Radio we are testing our radios each time we have a ragchew, but with these radios testing them would be an illegal transmission.  But if it was a true life-or-death situation the transmission would be legal and could save a life.  But who makes the call on life or death, legal or not?

In the goal of total interoperability from all involved in a life or death disaster are radios like this a tool to have just in case? 

I actually just took the picture and put the bottle back.  Didn't buy it.  Not a big Shiraz fan.  Sorry.

Something I ran across at the wine store:

http://kf9za.kremer.com/morse_code_wine.jpg

This may be on the fringe of an appropriate posting to the Mobile Ham forum, but I thought it was interesting.  In the article they refer to "Vanity" license plates.  In my state of Indiana my ham plate is handled like a vanity plate, except we pay a lot less for the ham plate.  Could a symbol come to a ham plate?  Maybe.

Symbols May Make License Plates Easier to Read, Remember

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/01/symbols-may-make-license-plates-easier-to-read-remember/