Field Equipment

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What is in my field box?
Click on the pictures to see a larger view. One thing not shown that I use a lot is the SuperNova charger. As for the rest. Starting on the left: wire cutters, glow plug driver (I took a 600mah receiver pack and soldered the cells in parallel, then connected to a power panel type glow plug, this gives me a 2400mah driver), JR ball link screwdriver (about $5, really saves your fingers on tight links), snap ring pliers, Ofna Racing allen wrench set (very nice, I would not have a field box without them!), hemostats (another can't do without tool), oil pen (not necessary but sure is nice, I got it ar Fry's Electronics for $8, made by Hempe part number is #3776N, and I fill it with Tri-Flow oil), JIS screw driver set (Japanese Industry Standard, the type screws used on the Raptor), Matrix bent nose ball link pliers (on the top of my list of must have's :), Snap-On thin flat-nose pliers (these have a very good grip, I use them so much I would not consider my field box complete without them), Curtis Youngblood glow plug wrench (almost a must-have... well maybe not, but it sure is nice!), automobile transmission pick (I could not do long without this). Up on the top half I have rubbing alcohol for cleaning the helicopter (don't spray on bearings or electronics), towel, socket wrenchs, flat blade screwdrivers, straight edge ruler to check if the flybar is bent, gauge to measure the length of the links, 5mm open end wrench, L-shape allen wrench that has been cut off so it will reach behind the muffler to take the bottom engine bolt out (yeah I know you could just remove the muffler but sometimes this is faster for me), small piece of fuel tubing used when taking some parts off (I use it on the right screw in the pitch arm, I slide the tubing on the end of the screw to hold the screw in place and keep from losing the washer), and an extra glow plug. Oh yeah, the stuff in the lid of the field box is all the charging leads I use. I drilled holes in the ridges and installed zip ties to hold them in place.
Fold-up table
Fold-up chair
I used a peice of aluminum to make a bracket to mount the batteries to it. I used 8 nicads and zip tied them to the aluminum plate that I attached to the starter by 3 bolts.
This is the best way to make your starter portable. Go to Ron's website to find out what to order. This is where I got my parts to convert mine. Works great!!!
GloBee GloCharger
GLBP0100

<MKD664>		 Kato Model Aircraft Co. MK2ELEC electric fuel pump that runs off 4 "AA" batteries that fit inside it's case. Just strap on to your fuel jug. No wires! So far I have had great sucess with this fuel pump! It has pumped over 100 gallons!
With standard "AA" batteries you get about 3 gallons of use. The Duracell Ultras last probably twice that, at least it seems like it anyway :) The latest thing I have found are some Ray-o-vak NiMh 1600mah batteries that Wal-Mart just started carrying. Since my Super Nova charger can charger NiMh I thought this would be a way of never having to buy batteries again plus when the batteries go down on me at the field, then I could just charge them up right then :) To charge them I went to Radio Shack and bought a battery holder and some banana plugs. I simply take the batteries out of the fuel pump and put them in the holder and plug it into my Super Nova.
The above fuel pump is the best way to go, but if you want to make your current electric pump portable then get a metal plate to mount the pump and batteries to. You can cut a 5mm slot accross the top about 10mm down. Put a 90 degree bend about 20mm down. This will let you hook the pate on the handle of the fuel can. Next just mount your fuel pump to the plate. I used four short screws. I then made up a battery pack with 8 cells and zip tied it to the plate. Solder the fuel pump wires to the batteries. On one of the two wires from the pump, cut it and install an inline fuse holder. Use a 1 amp fuse and tuck the fuse holder between the battery pack and the fuel pump.
 
Rubbermaid
7768 Stepstool ToolBox
$18 www.rubbermaid.com

Plano tackle box
Impact series.
I laid down a foam egg create type cushion that is ordinarly used for a mattress cushion. Then I put a sheet of plywood on top. Then bolted the KSJ680 heli transport mounts.

UPDATE: 1-10-2006 - The JT Models Radio Mitt is back up and going. Their website was down for a while but they are back selling "The Radio Mitt" again and have made some improvements to the design.

For this winter I got "The Radio Mitt" by JT Models. It works great! The radio is easy to install so you can share the glove with others at the field. Just slip the radio in and it velcros back closed. There is also a velcro opening for the antenna to go through, also the one I got has a place for a hand warmer. You place it in the blue pocket in the center. I have not used one of the hand warmers yet. So far the lowest temperature I have flown in is 34F. In the pictures to the left you can see that the window area allows a clear easy view of the controls and display. I bought the neck strap adaptor. You have to pick your own place to install it. Since I have two radios, I had to pick a location that would be good for both. This took a few minutes to find the optimal location for me, but is easy to do. After you cut a small slot for the adaptor, you glue the two washers on and let it dry. This procedure was simple. The adaptor came with two key ring holders, one to clip on the radio and the other for you to clip your neck strap on. It was not very convenient to attach the key ring to the radio so I used the clip from a neck strap that I wasn't using. Using the neckstrap keeps the window pulled away from my sticks and switches as you can see in the pictures to the left. There is about an inch between the sticks and the sticks. So far it has worked great. My fingers get stiff in the cold weather and this glove means the difference between flying and not flying, so I really like it :)

I currently only know of three other radio gloves on the market. <TransMitt> and <Winter Radio Glove> and <Mongo Transmitter Mitt>. I do not have experience with any of these.
One of my flying buddy's (thanks Robert B.) gave me a gas tank to keep my fuel in. This has worked great because it is not top heavy like a standard fuel jug is. Now I can put it in the back of my truck without having to strap it down. I used automotive trim tape to attach the fuel pump to the side and a Dubro Kwik-Fill Fuel Can Fitting (DUBP0807) on the gas cap. In the picture on the right you can see I made a place to keep the caps from the fuel jugs and a sorta Abacus. I made it with four rubberbands and some beads. The plastic plate this is on is the bottom of a box that goes in a fishing tackle box.