Spotter's Travel Kit

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Spotter's Travel Kit

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[ ] City, county and state road maps

[ ] Site-specific sector/visibility maps

[ ] Gridded area maps

[ ] Hiker's compass, ruler, protractor, and drawing compass. (The hiker's compass would be used to find the actual bearing of the event that is occuring. The protractor would be used for finding the equivalent bearing angle on a map. The ruler would be used for drawing lines to/from you and the event, and to and from other spotters' locations and the event along the bearing angle(s) given and, thus, helping you in finding the exact position of the event. The drawing compass could also be used for drawing exact distance circles and thus helping you to better estimate and call a more exact distance measurement to the event from you or other notable landmarks.)

[ ] Severe weather event report log and/or microcassette recorder (to dictate notes). (Its a good idea to in some way record/log your severe weather report on something permanent for later use if necessary. The NCS may request a clarification of a previous report you made, perhaps because in the hype of the actual event something was missed and he/she didn't have a chance to record everything. You may be out of range of a repeater for some time while severe weather events are occuring around you, and these records will allow you to recite everything you saw in detail later. Etc.)

[ ] Pens, paper, and clipboard to write upon.

[ ] Portable wind speed/direction indicator, barometer, temperature gauge, psychrometer, and a rain gauge.

[ ] Radio transceiver (amateur, GMRS/FRS, and/or CB) or cellular telephone. (If amateur radio, you should have both a mobile and an HT operable on 2-meters.)

[ ] Scanner.

[ ] Portable weather radio reciever.

[ ] A pair of binoculars or a small telescope.

[ ] Portable TV (for watching local news/RADAR).

[ ] Video camera and/or photographic camera with extra tape, film, and batteries (fully charged).

[ ] Personal identification. (Driver's license, Insurance card, and your Spotter ID Card; and your FCC license if a ham - you WILL be stopped and questioned often by authorities, at first, for a while. Its inevitable.)

[ ] Vehicle placards.

[ ] Portable hazard strobe (orange). (Used strictly for hazard avoidance while off roadside. Does not make you an official emergency vehicle. Lets not get big heads.)

[ ] Flashlights with extra batteries and bulbs, a traffic wand and reflectors or flares.

[ ] Lawn chair, folding seat, or blanket.

[ ] Raincoat (brightly colored so you can be seen).

[ ] Heavy waterproof boots, a change of clothes and extra shoes or boots.

[ ] Food and drinks (non-alcoholic). (You may be asked to stay there a while.)

[ ] Emergency supplies:

[ ] Fire extinguisher

[ ] First aid kit

[ ] Miscellaneous items:

[ ] spare fuses

[ ] paper towels

[ ] fly swatter

[ ] insect repellant

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Last updated: December 21, 1997.

Mail to: Alachua County SKYWARN (skywarn@fireline.org)
© Copyright 1997 by Alachua County SKYWARN. All Rights Reserved.