Basic Checklist

The following lists and data are based upon the ARES Field Manual as published by the ARRL.   Some of the information has been modified to suite the needs of the Washington County ARES/RACES team.

Most of the items above should be in your "READY" kit.  You should be able to just pick it up and run.  It is possible that you may want to include some of the items from the list below.

EXTENDED DEPLOYMENT EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

Further information about our "READY" Kit

Power -- Your radio 72-hour kit should have several sources of power in it. with extra battery packs and an alkaline battery pack for your HT. For mobile VHF and UHF radios, larger batteries are needed. Get Gel-cell or deep-cycle marine batteries would be good sources of battery power,and you must keep them charged and ready to go. It is also wise to have alternate means available to charge your batteries during the emergency. You can charge smaller batteries from other larger batteries. You can build a solar charging device. If you are lucky, you may have access to a power generator that can be used in place of the normal electrical lines.   Have more battery capacity than you think you might need.  Have several methods available to connect your radios to different power sources.  Some good information is available at http://www.e_marine_inc.com/articles/battery_charging.html .  This site also provides information on solar power and load calculation on other pages.

Gain Antennas -- You can expect to need some kind of gain antenna for your HT, as well as an additional gain antenna that can be used on either your HT or your mobile rig.  The extra antenna might be needed by someone else, or ;your first antenna might break.  For VHF and UHF, you can build a J-pole from TV twinlead,   for an inexpensive and very compact antenna. Have several lengths of coax in your kit, totaling at least 50 feet and with barrel connectors to connect them together.

Personal -- Include staples: water, or a reliable water filtration and purification system; enough food for three days; eating utensils, a drinking cup and if needed, a means of cooking your food.  Shelter is also important.  Here you are only limited by the size of your kit and the thickness of your wallet.  Some hams plan to use their RV's as shelter, conditions permitting.  Other disaster conditions may make the use of an RV impossible, so you should have several different plans for shelter. Light is important psychologically during an emergency. Make sure that you have several light sources available. Various battery-powered lights are available, and propane or gasoline fueled lanterns are also good possibilities.  Don't forget about the newer hand crank or shake to energize flashlights also!