A major serious question...

Chili or Stew for the potluck?

-Eric

A major serious question...

Chili or Stew for the potluck?

-Eric

I vote for stew

ANOTHER EVENING ACTIVITY IN THE WORKS!

OK, so another thing we're planning to do in the evening(s) is launch some rockets!  You can get model rockets pretty cheap (amazon.com)... The emergency flares in previous years have been a blast, so why not step it up and launch some stuff even higher!  So order something up and bring it on the trip - it'll be fun! 

I'll bring a launch pad and a couple of cheap rockets...maybe a dozen "A" and "C" engines and some wadding.  Maybe some Pyrodex.  Maybe some Pyrodex and Tannerite. 

Time flies!  Since this trip is just a little over 1 week away, I'm planning on doing my packing this weekend.  I've kept an list of things to pack for this trip and updated it after each year's event; thought I would share it here to help people put together their own lists:

Clothing and camping gear:
Tarps (x2)
Tent
Tent heater
Sleeping pad
sleeping bag
pillow
coleman stove
propane cylinders (x2)
white gas
white gas lantern
battery lantern
cooking/eating utensils
dish soap
kindling
MAPP torch
5 gallon water can
12v oven
Toilet paper
Flashlight
headlamp
garbage bags
spare lantern mantles
rope
bathroom bag (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.)
small wash bucket
3 sets of clothes
Hand warmers
Baby wipes
paper towels
camp chair
camp table
awning
gloves
extra coat
Milwaukee fuel coat
Milwaukee batteries and charger
stocking cap
coffee cup
percolator
sunglasses
hand saw
axe
splitting maul
chain saw

Vehicle and tools:
OHV permit
tool kit
glock
ammo/mags
rescue/EMS bag
recovery bag (jumper cables, rigging, air hose, tow strap)
2 gallon gas can
fire extinguisher
1qt motor oil
1qt gear oil
tire plug kit
RTV
electrical repair kit
OHV flag
Extra windshield washer fluid
ready welder
welding hood

Electronic gear:
Windshield Tablet mount
GPS locations for trip (cache map tiles in tablet)
tablet and charger
cell phone
cell charger
Sony video camera and charger
Solar panel
USB battery charger adapter
gopro cameras (x2)
extra MicroSD cards
gopro mount kit
VHF radio
Spare radio battery
VHF radio charger
VHF radio dash mount
VHF external antenna
VHF radio battery eliminator
VHF frequency list
inverter
USB cables (micro and mini)
Cellular repeater and antenna

food:
beef stew
sausage
jerky
bottled water
crackers
coffee
yogurt
granola bars
hot pockets
canned fruit

Drone:
4S batteries (x3)
Spare props
Hexcopter
Transmitter
Spare AA batteries
Battery charger

Because ‘murica:
Model rockets
Rocket launcher
Rocket engines
Recovery wadding
Extra igniters
Tannerite
AR-15
Ammo
Magazines

...and that's why we love having you (Verley) come with us on adventures!  I have much of that stuff with me as well, and it's awesome to travel with folks that are prepared for anything!   

There are many of us bring 'Merica type stuff this year, so that will be extra fun!  I have a big pumpkin I'll try to bring out (if its not too rotten) so we can make something explode nicely.

I've had a few people contact me who had problems with the DAT file that is attached to the first post; so I tried to update my radio with it today and couldn't make it work either.  Some of us must be using different versions of CHIRP and/or different radio versions.  If I try to send that file to my UV-5R it results in a whole bunch of unusable and incorrect frequencies.  Rather than try to figure out why that file won't work for me (and those who contacted me) I made up a "generic" radio file that works well for this trip.  It has FRS, GMRS, and MURS frequencies programmed in, and even has a Zukiworld welcome screen :)The file is attached to this post in ZIP format (you'll need to extract the CHIRP image prior to loading it into CHIRP).  Feel free to contact me with any questions...

Download the latest version of CHIRP from here:
http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

Sewerzuk's list is giving me inadequacy issues.  I need a bigger list for myself.  All kidding aside, thank you for sharing your list.  It is good information for others to start with.

I've had a few people contact me who had problems with the DAT file that is attached to the first post; so I tried to update my radio with it today and couldn't make it work either.  Some of us must be using different versions of CHIRP and/or different radio versions.  If I try to send that file to my UV-5R it results in a whole bunch of unusable and incorrect frequencies.  Rather than try to figure out why that file won't work for me (and those who contacted me) I made up a "generic" radio file that works well for this trip.  It has FRS, GMRS, and MURS frequencies programmed in, and even has a Zukiworld welcome screen :)The file is attached to this post in ZIP format (you'll need to extract the CHIRP image prior to loading it into CHIRP).  Feel free to contact me with any questions...

Download the latest version of CHIRP from here:
http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

It's not a CHIRP file, that may be the problem. It was made with the Baofeng software that comes with the radios.

Thanks for helping folks, I hadn't received any questions on the file so I thought it was OK for everyone.

-Eric

It's not a CHIRP file, that may be the problem. It was made with the Baofeng software that comes with the radios.

Thanks for helping folks, I hadn't received any questions on the file so I thought it was OK for everyone.

-Eric

Ok; CHIRP is supposed to be able to use those DAT files.  For some reason it was programming in frequencies in the 300mhz range.  A few other people ran into a similar problem.  Not a big deal
I will be bringing a couple of radios, so I will have a backup radio if somebody arrives without one.

I used the software that came with the radio ... it was a little quirky until I found the "English" button to display the menus in English instead of ' s  And then I was able to load the dat lickity split.  I'll bring my laptop, data cable and help anyone who wants the help to get the data loaded. I suspect loading the data file will wipe out any entries already programed. The software didn't strike me as one that would deal with that properly.

One or two more screws... And I'll be ready for fall classic!

No more arguments from my multiple personalities on what device to plug in to the one 12 volt outlet

No more arguments from my multiple personalities on what device to plug in to the one 12 volt outlet

Nice; I added one to my console last night too. 
I'm actually running 4 power sockets now! 

1.  ARB freezer/fridge
2.  Dual USB charger for phone and tablet
3.  Inverter for camera and heated coat battery charger
4.  Power for Cell phone repeater

Looks like the PMO got some snow last night:
http://128.223.164.243/view/index.shtml

Snowing right now!

For those thinking of driving the dunes, don't forget your high-visibility flag and an OHV tag.

-Eric