Some lessons from the eclipse trip

[Cameramonkey]

I admire your forethought and planning and appreciate that you shared with us!

The provisions you listed were per person, right? Haha!

Your issues with the mobile phones is interesting and in retrospect, not a surprise. That makes a strong case for having a few FMRS or GMRS radios among your groups for short range communications.

F*** FRS. Get GMRS, full 5W. FRS .5w are worthless beyond line of sight. Even "reasonably" priced GMRS may not be the full 5w as allowed by the FCC. I had a set I tried on vacation. I could get about 1.25 mile out of them 5x5. But at 1.25+ 500' with a 6' elevation drop behind an earthen wall it was lights out. Switching to a MURS radio that was known absolutely to be 4w it was no problem whatsoever. I was back to 5x5.

The problem is the retail FRS/GMRS producers are refusing to advertise the actual output power. They instead hide behind obscure distance ratings that dont mean squat. Yes, pure power is not the end all for distance, but it is a good 60-80% indicator of performance.

If you want GMRS radios that dont hide behind distance ratings and advertise the actual output, try these. Still not sure how they fit the requirements since they dont appear to have fixed antennae... (I have not tried them, but do use their other products as a HAM)

https://baofengtech.com/gmrs-v1

These also have good ratings that seem to jive with the distance of a 5w GMRS. But once again, you wont find wattage ratings ANYWHERE on these, so buyer beware.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001WMFYH4/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I16T76KSAUZGMG&colid=3U41SQX8Y5V3T

 

[Ericpwp]

My take away was Sprint is worthless. I was using my phone for the GPS and couldn't load any side streets. I had to break out the tomtom, something I haven't done in years. Gravel road around the traffic FTW.

 

[Route 45]

The family and I went down to Metropolis, IL on the night before. I was honestly shocked at the lack of crowds. I had enough food and water in the SUV for a 3 day zombie apocalypse and didn't end up needing any of it. We saw the eclipse from the banks of the Ohio river at Fort Massac State Park. Very cool! Thought a single cloud was going to mess it up, but it moved out of the way just in time. I expected the river bank to be packed with people, but we had plenty of room to set up our canopy and enjoy the event.

Traffic wasn't too bad on the way back. We pretty much drove the speed limit (or a little more) all the way up I-69 until we got just outside of Bloomington. It was backed up and a bit slow, but I've seen worse on a normal day in Atlanta. I'm betting that's the most use that the southern Indiana stretch of I-69 has seen since it was built.

Can't wait for the next one! Luckily, I will be able to step into my backyard to see full totality.

 

[cosermann]

Had food and fuel to get there and back. Had paper maps in addition to my electronics. However, none were needed.

The population estimates and "trafficshed" info I used to plan the route and destination ended up being accurate [1]. Waze worked well for rerouting around much of the Ohio bridge traffic (probably saved 15 min each way). Traffic was a bit heavier than usual and added about 45 min each way to a normally 3.25 hr trip (the driveshed estimate was accurate). Traffic near the bridge was almost exclusively to blame.

Car to car (we had 2) comms worked fine with the cell phones.

We had a whole field to ourselves behind the 2nd Baptist Church in Marion, KY. Couldn't have asked for a better spot.

My biggest takeaway - Avoid large population centers as much as possible.

Fortunately, the 2024 path practically goes over my house. Hopefully I'm around then and the weather cooperates.

[1] - https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/statistics

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

We went to Providence, KY to view the event. Our strategy was to get off the interstates and find a small town off the beaten path to beat the crowds. It was great. Easy in, easy out. They had a thing at their golf course and we had a nice time talking to the locals. We took Alt-41 up to Henderson. That bridge, with 3 lanes traveling on it was insane. When we hit it, the traffic was backed up but moving. Once we got across the river, we jumped onto IN-62 and bypassed a bunch of construction traffic. It was slower than normal but worth the trip.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Had food and fuel to get there and back. Had paper maps in addition to my electronics. However, none were needed.

The population estimates and "trafficshed" info I used to plan the route and destination ended up being accurate [1]. Waze worked well for rerouting around much of the Ohio bridge traffic (probably saved 15 min each way). Traffic was a bit heavier than usual and added about 45 min each way to a normally 3.25 hr trip (the driveshed estimate was accurate). Traffic near the bridge was almost exclusively to blame.

Car to car (we had 2) comms worked fine with the cell phones.

We had a whole field to ourselves behind the 2nd Baptist Church in Marion, KY. Couldn't have asked for a better spot.

My biggest takeaway - Avoid large population centers as much as possible.

Fortunately, the 2024 path practically goes over my house. Hopefully I'm around then and the weather cooperates.

[1] - https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/statistics

We almost went to Marion but we were afraid it was still too close to the interstate. Good to hear it wasn't real crowded.

 

[cosermann]

We almost went to Marion but we were afraid it was still too close to the interstate. Good to hear it wasn't real crowded.

We did something similar to you. We got to Providence, and had some extra time so we went on to Marion. 20 min further up the road for 25% more total eclipse time (an extra 32 sec) seemed like a good deal.

It was still a half hour off 69 to the south, and 52 min off 69 to the east - and on the way down we noticed that all one had to do was get just a little bit off the interstate and the crowds dropped precipitously. Also, since the max line was south of Marion between it and 69 we figured no one would have a compelling reason to come that far north.

 

[rhino]

Had food and fuel to get there and back. Had paper maps in addition to my electronics. However, none were needed.

The population estimates and "trafficshed" info I used to plan the route and destination ended up being accurate [1]. Waze worked well for rerouting around much of the Ohio bridge traffic (probably saved 15 min each way). Traffic was a bit heavier than usual and added about 45 min each way to a normally 3.25 hr trip (the driveshed estimate was accurate). Traffic near the bridge was almost exclusively to blame.

Car to car (we had 2) comms worked fine with the cell phones.

We had a whole field to ourselves behind the 2nd Baptist Church in Marion, KY. Couldn't have asked for a better spot.

My biggest takeaway - Avoid large population centers as much as possible.

Fortunately, the 2024 path practically goes over my house. Hopefully I'm around then and the weather cooperates.

[1] - https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/statistics

PARTY AT COSERMANN'S HOUSE IN SEVEN YEARS!

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

We did something similar to you. We got to Providence, and had some extra time so we went on to Marion. 20 min further up the road for 25% more total eclipse time (an extra 32 sec) seemed like a good deal. It was still a half hour off 69 to the south, and 52 min off 69 to the east - and on the way down we noticed that all one had to do was get just a little bit off the interstate and the crowds dropped precipitously.

The 2024 eclipse will give us 3:29 of totality, just by stepping out on my back porch. A 15-20 drive to bedford will get us 3:45 and a 40-50 minute drive to Bloomington will get us 4:02. After what I witnessed Monday, Im thinking that 50 minute drive will be worth the extra 33 seconds! Especially since it will likely be the last chance in my lifetime to see a total eclipse.

 

[caverjamie]

F*** FRS. Get GMRS, full 5W.

Get MURS, GMRS-like range without the license requirement. Seems like there is hardly anyone on it. Legally you cannot use radios not type-accepted, and I think murs radios are few and far between. But I'm sure the Baofengs will "work". I have some old HT1000s that are grandfathered into murs, you can get them for $25 apiece or so off ebay these days. Supposed to limit the power to 2 watts max. That's what we used to caravan down to the eclipse.

 

[cosermann]

Yep. Hope the weather cooperates. "April showers," and all that.

The average is about 12 days and 4.5" of rain in Bloomington in April. Cloudy too about half of April.

 

[catfishjn69]

nothing is better than Winston's bagels, yummy. ate a lot of them while leaving Gatsby's back in the late 80's back when Carbondale was really fun!! I spent the eclipse in st Louis at plant then headed south against the traffic around 5 by then it had cleared up except for 255 and 55 around st louis

Did you get a Winston's Bagel while you were there???????

If not you really missed out on the Carbondale experience!!

Go Salukis!!!

 

[CountryBoy19]

Get MURS, GMRS-like range without the license requirement. Seems like there is hardly anyone on it. Legally you cannot use radios not type-accepted, and I think murs radios are few and far between. But I'm sure the Baofengs will "work". I have some old HT1000s that are grandfathered into murs, you can get them for $25 apiece or so off ebay these days. Supposed to limit the power to 2 watts max. That's what we used to caravan down to the eclipse.

Not to get too far off topic but are new batteries and accessories readily available for the HT1000's? I didn't realize they were so cheap; I've been looking for some 2-way radios and came close to buying some bubble-pack GMRSs. FYI, there is a seller on ebay that has 5-packs of the HT1000, already programmed with MURS bands 1-5, 3 NOAA weather bands, several marine bands etc, for $89 shipped. That's $18/radio already programmed for what my amateur opinion says is "a good assortment of channels".

 

[rhino]

What is the typical range for MURS radios?

 

[IndyTom]

Not to get too far off topic but are new batteries and accessories readily available for the HT1000's? I didn't realize they were so cheap; I've been looking for some 2-way radios and came close to buying some bubble-pack GMRSs. FYI, there is a seller on ebay that has 5-packs of the HT1000, already programmed with MURS bands 1-5, 3 NOAA weather bands, several marine bands etc, for $89 shipped. That's $18/radio already programmed for what my amateur opinion says is "a good assortment of channels".

The five pack that says this?

Programming, Antennas, Side Covers, Batteries, Chargers,
Documentation And Other Accessories Are Not Included.

 

[Cameramonkey]

What is the typical range for MURS radios?

Lots of factors could impact them. I got 1.2 miles out of them easily@5w.
Point A 575' msl at the beach (with an sudden 6' drop behind an earthen berm that blocked cheap GMRS consumer radios. Those GMRS would be fine 200yds closer inside a house but failed at the beach)
Point B 590' msl at the boat dock
highest elevation between the two points 603' msl. (25' terrain, the rest trees)

 

[CountryBoy19]

The five pack that says this?

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Yes, I caught that later, but still not bad. Batteries antennas & chargers will double that price but the plus is that they are already programmed. From my limited reading it's getting harder to find guys that can program these so piecing together a few radios from cheaper auctions is going to have the challenge of programming. FWIW, to program these (from my limited reading) it takes a computer running WIN 98 or older, a processor that is less than 1 ghz, the specialize motorala program that is NLA (yet Motorola still actively defends against sharing around).

I read prices as high as $100 per radio for custom programming (which admittedly was said to be ridiculous by other posters on that forum).

So I can buy 5 radio already programmed, and buy the accessories separate, or I can buy cheap radios as they come along on ebay and then pay to have them programmed.

ETA, I'm a newb at this, just trying to learn. Maybe we should start a thread to school the newbs like me?

 

[jedi]

This is golden information along with the premise of the whole thread.

Hmm...

...more emergency food in vehicle to keep everyone happy driving by the exit...
...FRS radios for close communication...
...porta potty...

Along with updated map book and a mindset to avoid crowds. All things I need to evaluate for my own trips.

Again, what if this was an emergency rather than people voluntarily going the same pathways?

Add a sprinkle of violence to the mix.
The lines at the fast food would become deadly.
Just look at katrina for what it will be like.
People go back to their barbaric selves.

Not all people but the majority will.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Yes, I caught that later, but still not bad. Batteries antennas & chargers will double that price but the plus is that they are already programmed. From my limited reading it's getting harder to find guys that can program these so piecing together a few radios from cheaper auctions is going to have the challenge of programming. FWIW, to program these (from my limited reading) it takes a computer running WIN 98 or older, a processor that is less than 1 ghz, the specialize motorala program that is NLA (yet Motorola still actively defends against sharing around).

I read prices as high as $100 per radio for custom programming (which admittedly was said to be ridiculous by other posters on that forum).

So I can buy 5 radio already programmed, and buy the accessories separate, or I can buy cheap radios as they come along on ebay and then pay to have them programmed.

ETA, I'm a newb at this, just trying to learn. Maybe we should start a thread to school the newbs like me?

My .02; you want something you can either recharge on the go, (via auto, solar, etc) or something that takes standard batteries.

I need to find a good AA battery pack for my UV-5Rs. I tried one but it was junk; wouldnt even stay snapped together. (even placing it carefully on the table caused it to separate and the batteries would spill out)

Ultimately I wouldnt mind a rechargeable coupled with a decent solar solution and deep cycle batteries for storing excess power. (solar charge the batteries and use them to run/top off the radios and other DC gear.

And yes, using a ham radio on GMRS is TECHNICALLY illegal, but seriously, as long as you are doing no harm, its no big deal. The big no-no for GMRS on a HAM handheld is the fact the specs call for a non-detachable antenna... like that really hurts anyone. (you could operate them otherwise in spec if programmed right) And if the SHTF all bets are off anyway.

 

[CountryBoy19]

My .02; you want something you can either recharge on the go, (via auto, solar, etc) or something that takes standard batteries.

I need to find a good AA battery pack for my UV-5Rs. I tried one but it was junk; wouldnt even stay snapped together. (even placing it carefully on the table caused it to separate and the batteries would spill out)

Ultimately I wouldnt mind a rechargeable coupled with a decent solar solution and deep cycle batteries for storing excess power. (solar charge the batteries and use them to run/top off the radios and other DC gear.

And yes, using a ham radio on GMRS is TECHNICALLY illegal, but seriously, as long as you are doing no harm, its no big deal. The big no-no for GMRS on a HAM handheld is the fact the specs call for a non-detachable antenna... like that really hurts anyone. (you could operate them otherwise in spec if programmed right) And if the SHTF all bets are off anyway.

FWIW, I'm not concerned with SHTF, I'm more concerned with everyday usage, it just so happens to cross into the territory of SHTF usage. If that makes sense.

Replaceable batts are nice, but rechargeables are ok by me, I have the capability to recharge at home or on the the go sans line power. The main usage will be communication between my wife and I while I'm at the shop (1/4 mi from house) or while I'm out setting/checking traps, hunting, working around our property (no more than 1/2 mile from the house). I understand that a bubble-pack GMRS will do just fine for that, but if, for the same price, I can gain more capability, that would be great.