Thursday, July 23, 2026
21 check-insThis Week's Question
“You've been given 15 minutes to grab your kit and deploy. Is your go-kit ready to go right now — and if not, what would it take to get you on the road?”
It's an honest question, and there are no wrong answers. Most of us have a kit that is “mostly” ready — a radio here, a bag there, a charger still plugged in at the desk. The goal tonight isn't to describe the perfect setup we hope to own someday; it's to think about what we could actually walk out the door with if the call came right now.
As you check in, tell us where your kit really stands: what's packed, what's scattered around the house or vehicle, and what would slow you down the most. Sharing honestly helps all of us learn from each other and get a little more ready than we were last week.
Grab-and-Go: Is Your Deployment Kit Really Ready?
Imagine the call comes in tonight. You have 15 minutes to grab your gear, get yourself ready, and get on the road. For an ARPSC / AUXCOMM communicator, that moment is what a go-kit is really about. It isn't about owning every gadget on the market — it's about being able to respond effectively, safely, and quickly with the things you actually need.
A good go-kit is simply your readiness, packed and organized so you don't have to think hard under pressure. When you can reach for one bag (or two) and know your radios are charged, your paperwork is in place, and you can take care of yourself for a while, you deploy with confidence instead of scrambling.
Tonight's topic is built around the go-kit materials on our website — the AUXCOMM training article, the field deployment checklist, and the suggested-items list. The goal isn't a perfect kit. It's an honest look at where yours stands, and one small step toward being more ready than you were last week.
Why a Go-Kit Matters
When you're activated, the clock is already running and your attention is pulled in a dozen directions. A packed, organized kit does the remembering for you. Here's what it buys you:
Speed Under Pressure
When you only have minutes, you can't afford to hunt for a charger or a logbook. A ready kit lets you leave quickly without forgetting the items that make you useful once you arrive.
Deploy Safely
Foul-weather gear, sturdy clothing, lighting, and safety glasses mean you can work in the real world — day or night, rain or shine — without putting yourself at risk.
Self-Sufficiency
The point of an emergency communicator is to add capability, not become one more person needing food, water, or shelter. Your kit should carry your own sustainability so you don't lean on an already-stretched operation.
Communications Readiness
Radios, power, antennas, and Winlink capability packed and tested mean you can actually pass traffic when you get there — whether the mission lasts 24 hours or stretches to 72.
How This Connects to Your Personal Task Book
If you're working through your Personal Task Book (PTB), the go-kit isn't just a nice-to-have — it's a task you can genuinely check off with pride. The PTB asks members to maintain a short-term (24 hr.) and long-term (72 hr.) deployment-kit inventory, organized well enough to deploy from home with either kit in 30–60 minutes or less.
Think of your go-kit as a building block toward that goal — and toward the quiet confidence that comes with it. Every item you pack, label, or stage today is a step you won't have to take under pressure later. Tonight's 15-minute scenario is simply a friendly gut-check on how close you already are.
A Quick Honest Inventory
Before we get into categories, take a moment with these:
- What's already packed and ready to grab?
- What items are still loose around the house, shack, or vehicle?
- What would slow you down the most in those first 15 minutes?
- Are your radios charged and programmed with the frequencies you'd need?
- Do you have enough power, food, water, and paperwork to be useful?
- Could you support yourself for 24 hours? For 72?
- Do you actually know where everything is right now?
Thinking in Categories
The go-kit documents break a deployment kit into practical sections. You don't need everything in every category — but it helps to know what each one is for, so you can spot your own gaps. Here are representative examples drawn from the source materials.
The core of most deployments: reliable local and repeater communications.
Handheld and/or mobile radio, spare batteries and chargers, a mag-mount or portable antenna with support, coax and adapters, an earphone or headset, and RF/audio adapters. Add a repeater directory and your programmed frequency list so you're on the air fast.
For longer-haul communications when local infrastructure isn't enough.
Portable HF radio, wire or portable antenna and supports, coax and connectors, an antenna tuner, and a power source sized for the rig. Handy to have alongside: an SWR meter or antenna analyzer to get your antenna working in the field.
The unglamorous stuff that keeps a station running and documented.
Paper, pencils and pens, a logbook, ICS forms, message pads, a clipboard, and a 24-hour clock or watch. Toss in your IDs and credentials, plus local maps and a repeater directory so you always know where you are and who you can reach.
For passing formal traffic and email over radio when the internet is down.
Laptop with its DC power cable, a sound-card or hardware TNC interface, the patch cords that connect it to your radio, adapters, and your software already installed and configured. Test it before you need it — digital gremlins love to appear on scene.
Keeping you functional so you can keep working.
Any medications you rely on, toiletries, a change of clothing, glasses or spares, and a bit of cash. Small comforts matter more than people expect over a long shift — a communicator who's miserable or hurting isn't much help to anyone.
Enough to sustain yourself for 24 hours — and add-ons for 72.
Water and food (the checklist suggests planning for roughly nine meals across a 72-hour deployment), plus foul-weather gear, flashlight and lighting. For extended events, add shelter items such as a stove, mess kit, and sleeping gear so you can work away from home comfortably.
For getting a station working — and fixing it when it doesn't.
SWR meter or antenna analyzer, multi-meter, soldering iron and solder, electrical tape, spare coax and connectors, extra patch cords, and a small assortment of adapters. A power supply, extension cords, and a plug strip round out the ability to power and repair your setup on site.
What turns a 24-hour bag into a 72-hour capability.
More power (a deep-cycle or gel-cell battery and charging options), additional food and water, extra clothing, expanded shelter and sleeping gear, and field references such as AUXFOG, NIFOG, and MIFOG. Staged as a second layer, these ride on top of your 24-hour kit rather than replacing it.
What Tends to Get Forgotten
These are the items that quietly cause the most grief in the field — not the big stuff, but the small pieces that are easy to leave behind:
- Medications
- Chargers and adapters
- Paperwork, ICS forms, and logbooks
- Cash
- Glasses (and spares)
- Flashlight / lighting
- Foul-weather gear
- Patch cords and connectors
- Radio and software manuals
- Local system info (repeater directory, maps)
- Site access keys or cards
- AUXFOG / NIFOG / MIFOG references
The Right Mindset
Progress over perfection. A kit that grows a little each month beats a “someday” kit that never gets built.
Staged readiness works. A 24-hour bag you can grab now, with a 72-hour layer ready to add, is better than one giant kit you never finish.
Simple and usable wins. A tidy, organized kit beats a giant disorganized pile of gear you have to dig through.
The best go-kit is the one you can deploy with. If you can actually get it out the door quickly, it's doing its job.
Go-Kit Reference Materials
The three go-kit documents referenced tonight live in the New Member Packet on our Documents page (in the Members Only section). Sign in to open and download them:
On Our Website (Members Only — New Member Packet)
- Go-Kit Article — AUXCOMM Training (Part 1) The “why” behind go-kits and how to think about deployment readiness.
- Go-Kit Checklist — Go Kits (Part 2) The field deployment checklist: VHF/UHF basics, HF, operating supplies, Winlink/digital, 24-hour personal needs, and 72-hour add-ons.
- Suggested Go-Kit Items (Part 3) Practical item ideas — radios, power, tools, personal care, shelter, forms, and field references.
More Go-Kit Ideas & Field Guides
- AUXFOG / NIFOG (CISA / SAFECOM) Auxiliary and National Interoperability Field Operations Guides — handy pocket references to pack in your kit.
- ARRL ARES Resources Background on amateur emergency communications and field deployment.
- ARRL ARES Field Resources Manual Includes recommended personal go-kit and jump-kit item lists for deployments.
- Ready.gov — Build a Basic Emergency Kit A solid starting point for the personal & sustenance side of your 24/72-hour kit.
- Michigan Ready — Personal Preparedness State-level guidance on preparedness and supplies for Michigan responders and families.
Ready Enough to Start — and Ready to Improve
Maybe your kit isn't perfect yet. That's okay — almost nobody's is. What matters is that you know where it stands and you're moving in the right direction. Pack one more item this week. Charge the batteries. Label a bag. Print a form. Each small step means that the next time the call comes, you're a little more ready than you were tonight. That's exactly what this group does best: we get better together, one honest step at a time.
Check-In List
| # | Call Sign | Unit # | Name | City | Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KE8WUO | 20 | John | Warren | — |
| 2 | N8WRO | 10 | Tim | Richmond | — |
| 3 | N8WRN | 33 | Gary | Utica | — |
| 4 | KF8FQZ | 41 | Lisa | Warren | — |
| 5 | KF8FRA | 44 | Peter | Warren | — |
| 6 | N8KNS | 25 | Don | Sterling Heights | — |
| 7 | AD8MP | 35 | David | Saint Clair Shores | Member |
| 8 | N8KJV | 38 | Jason | Warren | — |
| 9 | WA4MLD | 18 | Ray | Warren | — |
| 10 | KF8ETQ | 23 | Darren | Fraser | Member |
| 11 | N8BZR | 27 | Brian | Harrison Township | Member |
| 12 | N8WCB | 6 | Dave | Sterling Heights | Member |
| 13 | N8HLY | 12 | Tom | Sterling Heights | Member |
| 14 | KF8FGS | 32 | David | Utica | — |
| 15 | KE8YNU | 1 | Dave | New Haven | — |
| 16 | KC8KJO | 14 | Tom | Memphis | — |
| 17 | N8XZ | 5 | Ron | Warren | — |
| 18 | WC8E | 8 | Jeff | Sterling Heights | Member |
| 19 | W8BPD | 24 | Brian | Warren | Member |
| 20 | N8CAF | 26 | Cliff | Clinton Township | Member |
| 21 | K8ACW | 46 | Art | Utica | — |