Go-Kit: Wireless LED Task Lamps (Cheap)

Click for larger imageOK, so you have backup power for your radios, but how are you going to see? Sure, the radios have dial lights. But, when it gets dark, how are you going to take notes? And will your lighting run off the power you have available?

Being a good emergency geek, I am always looking for items that were designed for something else but would be a useful addition to one (or more) of my ARES projects. 

Here’s such an item: The Lumen Wireless LED Task Light (two for $15 at Costco) features six LEDs, runs on 3 AAA batteries, and can clip onto items up to 1.5 inches thick. It can also mount to two screws, if desired.

There are a number of places where these lamps might be useful, but the one that I thought of immediately was the new “radio box” that KE9O was nice enough to build for me. The wooden box as doors on the front, a back that can slide up (and off) for cable and power supply access, and an inside shelf.

Right now, the box holds a Kenwood TM-D700A VHF/UHF rig, a Uniden BC-780XLT scanner, MFJ power supply, and a West Mountain Radio power strip for the Anderson PowerPoles that I’m using for quick-connect 12v power. I am planning to add a commerclal VHF radio to the box as well as a TNC, since the Kenwood’s TNC is only useful for APRS. Add a computer and I’ve got a pretty complete VHF/UHF station in a box, ready to haul to wherever it’s needed.

My plan is to use the clip (visible in the picture) to attach the lamp to the front of the box, giving me a nice working light. The clamp slides into the lamp base and the lamp itself is adjustable and positionable. Since the lamps come in a two-pack, the other one will go in the shack, to provide emergency lighting there.

The more I write about this, the more I think I need to go buy another package of these lamps. And a box of AAA batteries that I can repackage in sets of three to go with the lamps. The emergency ham’s shopping list is never complete!