As amateur radio operators we owe it to ourselves and our served agencies to be prepared for any length and type of deployment. Nothing can be more harmful to the amateur community then being deployed and not having the right tools for the right job. As many of us know from past deployments for the first few days of an emergency many agencies can be overwhelmed with this in mind it may not be possible for them to have some of the every day basic needs in place. This is when having a well put together deployment kit will come in handy. Remember the less prepared we are the less likely we are able to provide our needed services and the next time around agencies will be less likely to ask for our assistance. With this in mind here we have taken the time to prepare a list of needed things for a deployment kit. Remember that no two deployments will ever be the same. So it is best to have three deployment kits one being radio and related equipment and the other two being a short term needs kit and the other being a longer term kit that can be added to the over all kit
Here are just a few things to ask yourself before you start preparing your kit
1. How long may you be deployed
2. Will you be on foot or mobile near your vehicle
3. Will you be in the field roughing it or in a building with a power source
4. Where are you going to sleep
5. Are food and water along with sanitary areas going to be provided
6. Can your items in your kit do double duty to save much needed space along with cutting down with weight
7. What type of weather issues are prone to your area
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Hand held VHF, dual band or Tri band Radios (keep in mind you may want to bring a spare or two along) |
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Battery chargers for HT |
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Spare rechargeable batteries |
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Mobile VHF or dual band radio |
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HF radio |
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Multi-band antenna , tuner and heavy cord |
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Coaxial for feed lines, jumpers |
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High gain VHF/UHF antennas with adapters and mounting setup |
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AC power supplies for VHF/UHF/HF Mobile radios |
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All related power audio and RF cables and adapters |
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A repair kit with hand tools, adapters, fuses, wires, connectors and other small parts, |
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Head phones and proper adapter |
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Gear for any other modes of communications amateur and non ( pager, cell phone, pda, and charging equipment, ATV, packet and all other modes |
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Copies of manuals for all radios and other equipment |
Personal Gear
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Money |
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First Aid Kit along with medications and prescriptions for a week or more |
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Phone calling card |
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Water containers filled before you leave( along with water purification tablets) |
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Long shelf life foods (Meals Ready to Eat along with other snacks) |
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Foam sleeping pad and sleeping bag ( multi layer is best for the many different conditions you may face as far as weather ) |
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Clothing for the season ,weather and length of deployment |
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Toilet kit (soap, razor, deodorant, nail clippers, Hand sanitizer cream , and bug spray, tp) |
All other supplies and information
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ID cards and other forms of authorization |
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Copy of Amateur Radio license |
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Copy of GMRS license |
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Copy of Restricted Radiotelephone operator permit |
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Local and Regional Frequency list ( a laptop is a great way to cut down on paper work that you might have to carry) |
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Maps of local area and region (street and topographic) |
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Key Email and internet addresses, key phone numbers |
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Copy of groups SOP |
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Resource list for your group |
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Office supplies (pens, pencils and sharpener, legal pads |
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Logs and Msg forms |
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Sticky notes |
Sub Dividing of Kits
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A small day pack for a quick deployment |
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Radio Kits for a fixed location |
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Accessory and tool kit |
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Short term personal kits in duffel bag |
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Field kitchen kit with food in tubs |
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Shelter kit for when in field emergency power |