KC5DOV Plan B RF Book: Finding News & Other Critical info When it Counts!

How we get news & other critical info when staying home or if bugging-out

If you search the many survival and prepper websites you will find there is an overabundance of information and checklists on everything from Bugging-Out to Bugging-In to Bug-Out Vehicles to Bug-Out Radios, etc.  In reality, there is no one master list of equipment for each Bug-Out vehicle, backpack/go-bag, location, or radios needed or wanted when relocating or traveling as this information is subjective to the individual end-user.  

One of, if not the most important  pieces of equipment in we keep in our vehicles and in our emergency gear is information kept in a 4” “D-ring” loose-leaf notebook entitled the “KC5DOV Plan B RF Book.”  The book contains information needed for bugging-in or out safely to have news, traffic, weather, and other critical information to know what’s happening in the world or at minimum in our local areas of operation.  If we decide or are forced to relocate from our suburban home due to any natural or man-caused disasters, TSHTF, TEOTWAWKI, or loss of ROL (Rule of Law) we will first relocate to our small 3-acre farm or if needed further away to family land in a very remote area approximately 100 miles distant utilizing the information in the book.  For travel, we complement our Garmin GPS and GMC IntelliLink systems with maps of the areas we reside.   

Working and traveling the last 35 years traveling in hurricane disaster areas we’ve compiled information to know what is happening in the world.  The “KC5DOV Plan B RF Book” is a living book, meaning some of the information will change periodically and the documents may change order.  Currently it consists of twelve (12) sections, one for each differing type of information.  The notebook is never left in the vehicle unattended overnight or while parked in a “bad” area due to the Confidential Info (Section 2) it contains.  The twelve (12) sections are:

• Section 1 is the complete Index.  No further explanation needed.
• Section 2 is for Confidential Info and contains copies of our current driver’s license, PI licenses, copies of insurance cards, vehicle and trailer registrations, Concealed Carry Id’s, medical info, a shot record for our dogs, business cards, equipment inventory, a serial numbers list, emergency contacts,  reference copy of Deed to farm and Ponderosa, etc.
• Section 3 consists of three (3) charts of AM radio for local, distant, and fringe stations that should be heard from our particular locations.  The website RadioLocator.com was used to compile the AM/FM lists.  FM has the same documentation.  Also included in this section is a list of radio stations most likely to be heard nation-wide to have info from all 50 states and a list of 50,000-watt AM stations, 100,000-watt radio stations, and the big night Mexico (aka Border Blaster) stations.
• Section 4 is Amateur (Ham) radio and consists of a copy of my Amateur (Ham) radio license, list of local repeaters, repeaters enroute to our remote safe location, and for the remote location itself.  Also included are nets for different bands, charts for ITU, CQ, and callsign zones, and grid-square map. Maps and frequencies for Skywarn are is in this section for our areas frequented.  Selected HF info is enclosed for long distance communicating and news.
• Section 5 is our NOAA / NWS information.  Included is a copy of my NWS Storm Spotter certificate, maps of NWS offices nation-wide, NOAA/NWS frequencies, and S.A.M.E. codes for our area of operations.  NWS Windchill and Heat Index, and other weather related info.
• Section 6 is our CB and SSB info.  Included is a channel description of the CB/SSB and Freeband/SSB frequencies, Prepper, and Militia frequencies.
• Section 7 is for Shortwave (AM/SSB) and Pirate (SW/AM/FM/SSB) along with charts for band information and their characteristics.  A list of world-wide stations is included.  Information on selected Pirate Shortwave stations is also enclosed.
• Section 8 contains information on TV channels for home/farm and our Remote Camp, and info for Air, Maritime, MURS, and FRS-GMSS.
• Section 9 is our scanner bank information and contains a host of local info for our local and remote areas.
• Section 10 is for Time Conversions, a copy of the current Sky and telescope Skywatch magazine, selected astronomy sky maps, and 12-months of Moon phase, sunrise, and sunset charts. 
• Section 11 is Maps.  A map of each county or parish surrounding our home and remote areas is included to complement our Garmin and GMC Intellilink systems.  State maps are included in case we have to relocate or travel out of state.
• The final section, Section 12 is for Miscellaneous information.

A channel list for Sirius/XM has not been included due to the often changing programs and channels.  

The following pages are the current index of documents we keep on-hand.  The actual documents contained in the notebook will not be useful to anyone unless you live and go where we go, but is supplied as a good starting template to use in creating your own TSHTF Plan B notebook:

KC5DOV PLAN B RF BOOK (with other info & maps)

Index, Confidential Info & Documents, AM/FM, Amateur (Ham), NOAA/NWS (Wx), CB/SSB/Prepper/Militia, SW & Pirate Stations, TV/Air/ Maritime/FRS/GMRSS/MURS, Scanner, Time Conversion & Astro charts, Maps, & Misc

In addition, twenty (20) sheets of writing and graph paper (10 each) is kept in the back inside pocket for notes and diagrams.  A stocked plastic pen/pencil zippered holder is in the front of the book (L.E.D. pens, pencils, Sharpie markers, highlighters, etc.).  Also included in the pencil/pen bag is a flash drive with numerous books, documents, etc. too big for printing and carrying in the field.

The bulk of our equipment is labeled with my Ham radio callsign (KC5DOV) and is unique to me.  If there is any question of ownership of our equipment and gear, an Internet search of KC5DOV, the copy of my Amateur (Ham) Radio, and current LADL will aid in identifying it as ours.

Any comments or suggestions for more information to add is welcome, appreciated, and will be added as warranted.

©2021 Jim Jones – KC5DOV                    

Editor’s Notes: We would like to thank Jim for sharing his Plan B RF Book with us. We keep a number of similar plans with our bugout gear, and we recommend that all of our readers have a personalized plan similar to what Jim has put together above. For further information on some of the topics shared above, we recommend checking out our sister site, hamradioprepper.com – as a side note, we also keep a digital version of our plan on a portable laptop and use chirp, excel, and a number of other programs that allow us to easily update all of our radios based on our region and where we may be bugging out.