TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AMATEURS
ALL NON-WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AMATEURS
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED
WOOD COUNTY BULLETIN NR 13.38 DATE: September 22, 2013 SUBJECT: SET UP IN THE DARK
When an event happens where temporary communications are needed, can you provide it without a lot of problems? What happens if you need to set up temporary communications in the dark, do you know how everything goes together?
Practicing equipment setup when you can see what you are doing helps a lot. You are able to see what you are doing, how things go together, and where your equipment is. If you lay down a small antenna, a piece of pipe, or a chunk of coax, you can see it easily. When it gets dark the whole world changes, and things aren't near as easy to do. You may lay a tool on the ground for a few minutes, and it seems to just disappear. A black piece of coax is hard to see. What happens when you accidentally drop something, it seems to have fell off the edge of the earth.
When you practice setting up your equipment, and can see what you are doing, think of it as if it were dark, and plan the same way. Pretend that it's dark and lay out all of you equipment in an open area without grass. If there is no open area without grass, lay a canopy, piece of plastic, or even a blanket on the ground and place everything on it.
If you are sitting up in the dark try to use the headlights of your vehicle, if you have one. Always have a flashlight available, even a little one or two LED (Light Emitting Diode) unit. You would be surprised how much brighter the world seems when you have just little light.
When sitting up in the dark, take your time and plan every step that you are going to take. When you have practiced in the daylight, it will go much easier when you are in the dark.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV