I’ve grown tired of being disorganized with respect to getting on the air and having “everything” I want at my fingertips. I’m often grabbing a random pencil and notebook to scribble callsigns and feel like nothing is at hand when I need it.

I have some difficulty copying callsigns as I hear them. It’s almost like in one ear and out the other. So to combat this I’m writing them down on paper as I hear them. I tried using digital logging software but found that too cumbersome for this purpose, and often end up with dozens of instances of Windows Notepad open with partial callsigns recorded.

Then there’s the random bits of information I need to look up. I end up with dozens of open tabs to keep looking up various things: q codes; abbreviations; band plans; and more.

Add to this the expectation that as it warms up outside, and we’re on the road with the camper, I won’t always have my computer (and internet) with me at all times.

All of this brought me to the conclusion that I need to put together a comprehensive set of reference and logging material. So that’s what I’ve done.

I bought an 1″, aluminum, three-ring binder and put together what I think will be my workspace for playing on the radio. Let’s have a look at it.

I had plans of laser engraving more permanent information (think band charts, phonetic alphabet) on sheets of anodized aluminum for inclusion in the binder but that plan fell through when I couldn’t find suitable material.

So I went with what else I know how to work with – wood! I have two sheets of 1/4″ plywood, laser engraved on both sides, with a bunch of information I think I might need in a session.

In the last photo there, you can see the custom logging pages I created – with a nice scratch area on the bottom for jotting my notes.

Some of the other things in the binder include:

• Small copies of my radio manuals (printed pages 4-to-1)
• Illinois repeater list from the Illinois (IEMA) Field Operations Guide
• What I’m calling a Location Guide for Springfield, which will serve as a template for places we travel. This includes:
  • Repeaters
  • Local nets
  • Urls
  • High-level map

And of couse, I just had to make a new mechanical pencil I’m going to keep in my new pencil case, just for radio use:)

I have to say, putting this all together has been fun. I’ve used it a couple of times already and it has made a big difference in my frustration level. Everything is where I need it, it’s easy to take off the shelf and easy put away when I’m done. I expect this will be important when I eventually go mobile.

If you’d like to see any of this in better detail, just let me know.

73.