GORDO’S SHORT CIRCUITS

Seasoned hams know the routine well — another public service event requesting ham radio support. Been there, done that, right?

After nearly 50 years of a monthly weekend standing on a street corner, radioing in bib numbers, or broadcasting a lost child report, I always find that my grab-and-go radio bag of tricks (Photo A) has something that’s gone wrong since the last time I grabbed-and-went! These public service events are good training for all of us to check our response gear often!

Here are some of my notes of my on scene go-bag bloopers:

• My favorite headset on which the flexible ear pad covering has disintegrated to a sticky blob

• My new headset mic level way too hot for local crowd noise, or totally unusable in the wind (Photo B)