WS6L go bag kit for Yaesu FT-817ND...

I maintain a "go-bag" for my Yaesu FT-817ND, that's always packed, and ready to go when the urge strikes to operate outside of the shack. The kit is the result of many year's worth of experience operating mobile and portable, and contains the items that I consider essential to successfully operate, whether it be for pleasure, or in a real emcomm experience. The whole kit is packed into a 16" x 8" x 8" canvas bag, tops the scale at exactly 15 pounds, and all I have to do is to remove the FT-817 from the shack, place it in it's bag, and walk away, and work some DX. I'll show you what works for me...

Photo: My FT-817ND sits on top of its camouflaged bag, with the stuff I keep in the bag displayed. The radio fits securely in the bag, and the bag carries comfortably over my shoulder, for true portability.

There are many fine bags on the market that would make perfect go-bags for radio gear... just browse R.E.I. or turn the pages of Cabela's fine catalog... but I couldn't find anything that was suitable for me, at the price that I wanted to pay. One day I was hiking around a local flea market, and I found the perfect bags - made of canvas, and decorated in woodland camouflage - at the kind of price that I wanted to pay - $5.00 for the smaller one, and $10.00 for the larger one. I purchased one large bag and two small bags, took them home, and assembled my go-bag.

The smaller bag could masquerade as a bag, custom-made to fit an FT-817ND, as the rig fits into the bag perfectly, as if the bag way tailor made for it. Behind the rig there's a pouch that's big enough to hold a 6" dual-band rubber duckie antenna, The Nifty! Mini Manual for the '817, and a small logbook and pencil. On the front of the bag there are two compartments, a zippered one that holds various RF adaptors, and a DC power cord, designed to fit into a cigarette lighter plug. The bag is made of canvas and nylon, and has a strap so it can be carried over the shoulder. Not only does this bag keep the essentials together, but it affords protection to the rig when its being carried or used in the field, not only from the elements, but from dropping. So when I'm out hiking around, and I want to bring the rig with me, it lives in this bag, warm, happy, and well-protected. All of this for the small price of $5.00!

Photo: My FT-817ND fits inside the smaller bag, like the bag was tailor-made for it. I've got the small rubber duckie antenna attached, but am actually working a net on 40 meter SSB. The coax is fed to the rig in a custom made opening in the bottom of the bag.

Photo: All of this fits inside of the larger bag, which makes a compact, easy to carry package, and keeps the essentials together, so things don't get lost or forgotten, and it's ready to go at a moment's notice.

The larger bag holds the remainder of my kit, but holds items that I don't place in the can't-do-without category. It's also camouflage, and made of similar materials, as the rig bag, but it's not designed to be carried over the shoulder, as it's just a plain-Jane carry bag. It has a main compartment, two zippered end compartments, and another zippered compartment in front.

In the main compartment, I keep 30 feet of RG-8x, with PL-259s on each end, a Diamond RH77CA flexible dual-band VHF/UHF antenna that actually has some gain, and an MFJ-945E manual antenna tuner. In one end pocket, I keep a Power Port FT-817 Power Kit, which consists of a AC wall charger, and two 2-amp gel cells. The AC adapter/charger for the '817 rounds out the contents of that pocket. The other end pocket contains another DC cable for the rig, terminated in a cigarette lighter plug, and another adapter with ring connectors. A straight key, and a three-foot coaxial jumper, complete with PL-259 connectors on each end, round out the contents of the end compartment. The small zippered pouch on the front of the bag carries additional RF adapters, including a spare, solderless PL-259 connector, a SO-239, a couple of barrel connectors, a BNC angle connector, and a BNC to PL-259 adapter. The bag that contains the FT-817ND fits perfectly inside the main bag - all I have to is to zip it up, and I'm ready to operate.

Photo: My go-bag, ready to go at a moment's notice. Notice the smaller bag, containing the rig, fits perfectly in the larger bag. Accessories are stored in the zippered end compartments, and RF fittings are stored in the pouch in the front of the bag.

The bag has room for a couple of emcomm antennas, but I don't keep them in the bag, as I store the emcomm antennas, complete with string and weights, in my truck, as 99.99% of the time, I'd be with my truck.

The really neat thing about this whole package, is that it appears that it was custom made for my needs, and the care and feeding of my FT-817ND. It's truly a grab and go package...

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