EmCommWest 2011

The most walking I did this weekend, was all over the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.  Well, I also stopped in Cabela's to pick up some items for my Half Dome hike in July.

EmcommWest is a weekend that is devoted entirely to emergency communications.  There is always a small vendor's area to peruse and I usually manage to find something to put in my emergency tool kit.

The highlights for me this year were a seminar in creating your "go kit"  with lots of examples and lists of what to include, as well as a gathering of lady hams.  A "go kit" is a bag of stuff that you have ready to grab and go when the emergency happens.  They can be big or they can be small.  They can be intended to last for a few hours or several days.

The gathering of lady amateur radio operators was one of the first meetings of its kind that I have been to in this largely male activity.  It was fun to meet everyone and I really enjoyed hearing the reasons why ladies become amateur radio operators.

Not much exercise this weekend, but I sure had a lot of fun.  I can hardly wait for Pacificon, which this year will be in my backyard in Santa Clara County.

On the Road Again...

I didn't sleep well last night. Too excited! An entire weekend of amateur radio! Woo hoo! I got ready and threw my suitcases in the car along with my mobile APRS kit and a spare HT. I also got my son ready so I could take him to school before taking off.

Fortunately, I didn't have to drive up to Reno all by myself. I carpooled with two amateur radio friends, one of them a presenter at the convention. After picking both of them up, we made a quick stop at Starbucks, I picked up a case of diet lime Coke for the cooler, and away we went!

The drive was uneventful, although the expected rain did show up this side of the Sierra Nevada. I was glad for my new tires. I had also pre-programmed some of the repeaters that I would be using during today's journey. We talked a bit with other hams also on their way up to the convention.

It was, however, not a day totally devoid of hiking preparation. We stopped at a massive recreational outfitter called Cabela's, a store even larger than REI. I was like a kid in a candy store! I bought some new liner socks and I also spent some time looking at headlamps. Cabela's had a much larger selection than REI. I found and purchased a Cabela's headlamp that weighs less than an ounce, clips on to the visor of my hat, and puts out 21 lumens with 5 LEDs. Perfect! I liked it so much that I bought an extra one (for backup, in case the clips break) for myself and two for Duane. We would need these while hiking in the dark on the Mist trail.

We drove on, reaching Reno and our hotel, Circus Circus, by 2:30 pm. We checked in and had some time to get settled and rest before the convention's first event - the barbeque, featuring hamburgers, hot dogs and one ham's award winning chili!