In article , JJ
writes:

Len Over 21 wrote:

TAFKARJ claims that "CB" originated in 1946...except that
"11 meters" is not at 465 MHz. :-)

There was a band at that frequency that citizens could apply for and
use, thus a "citizens band" or "cb".

Only two of the original four Citizens Band Radio Service classes
survive.

"Class C" CB evolved into Radio Control as shown in Part 95,
Title 47 C.F.R. That Radio Control Radio Service also achieved
its own band in the 72 MHz region, now favored by modelers
instead of the 27 MHz fixed frequencies.

"Class D," originally only 23 fixed frequencies on the old amateur
11 meter band, was expanded to 40 fixed frequencies several
years ago. "CB radios" now are all considered to be THE CB.

"Class A" and "Class B" CB, both on UHF, were deallocated
and eliminated from U.S. regulations back before "CB" was
expanded from 23 to 40 channels.

"Class C" and "Class D" CB was created in 1958 by the FCC.
That was over 45 years ago. I read about that first in 1958 in
Popular Electronics magazine during lunchbreak at Ramo-
Wooldridge Corporation in El Segundo, CA.

Because if there were 100 million amateur licensees in America like
there are 100 million cellular telephone subscriptions, our bands
would be overloaded and useless.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW???

And that is exactly why the cell network is useless for official
emergency comms, every cell user wants to dial up twenty of their
closest friends and tell them to turn on the tee-vee, overloading the
network. The military and civil autorities do not consider the cell
network a viable means of emergency comms, they do for ham radio.

The military have their own radios. Those work very well and
in environments far harsher than most "emergencies."

Civil authorities have their own radios. Public Safety Radio
Services include police, fire department, and medical services.
Those are backed-up with emergency electrical power at
base stations and are already networked.

Real emergency organizations consider ALL forms of
communications to be viable and will use anything that survives
a real emergency. They plan for that, train for that, and work
with the infrastructure of existing radios and landlines.

The best source of what happened aboard the "fourth plane"
on 11 Sep 01 came from passengers' and crews' cell phones.
Hijackers had taken over regular aircraft communications
devices in the cockpit. No ham radio was on board to do
anything in that Very Real emergency.

In the Pentagon Attack area during 11 Sep 01, military and
civilian communications was handled by existing military
and civilian communications means...a part of that was by
cell phone although most of it was by VHF and UHF HTs.
No ham radio was used in fire control or rescue work then.

In the WTC Attack during 11 Sep 01, the NYC Emergency
Communications Center (in an adjacent building) was largely
destroyed by falling debris, also severing many trunk lines
of the telephone system. NYC police and fire units did work-
arounds using their own radios in a relay system to several
centrals, calling in other agencies as well as special units to
help. Some cell phone service did work, regardless of myth to
the contrary and some wired phone service still worked, used
by almost anyone on the WTC Attack scene. Amateur radio
did not play any significant part (if any at all) during the few
hours after the Attack on the WTC.


When the cellsite is down, unaccessable, or overloaded, HOW do you
communicate with your cellphone?

When your ham radio is broke, how do you communicate with it?

He THROWS it? :-)

Which one, I have several, what are the odds they are all down at the
same time? How many cell phones do you have?

Since neither you nor your equipment is identified and we don't
know the working status of your "several" radios, the above is
just a brag claim of no intrinsic value.

Your emergency plan scenario that you are acting out this weekend is
that cell phones won't be working.

Am I wrong?

As far as using the cell network for official emergency comms, you can
consider it not working. In times of a major emergency it becomes
useless for anything but attempting to make a call.

That is a popular myth but it remains only a myth.

The cellular telephone network is part of the telephone infrastructure
and is intimately connected with the local exchange's switching unit.
That switching unit is designed to handle only a fraction of installed
numbers, both wireline and cell phone. But the switch itself is also
backed up by battery supplies "riding on" the primary power; also
true for cell sites themselves.

During any sudden event there WILL be a flurry of telephone calls
made and that MAY overtax the limited number-handling capability
of the switch. The probability of overload is in inverse relationship
to the suddenness of the event. The overload, if any, does NOT
last indefinitely. Such an overload is also dependent on the
telephone exchange and subscriber services arrangement. Note:
Not all subscribers are routed through the switch but may be direct
to some PBX-equivalent.

The onset of an earthquake is sudden, as yet not predictable. That
will guarantee an overload of telephone switches as worried,
distraught subscribers seek information and reassurance.

The onset of the 11 Sep 01 Attack by four hijacked airliners was not
only sudden but unprecedented, without any possible warning. The
subsequent crash of two airliners into the WTC towers did destroy a
portion of the lower Manhattan telephone system wiring but did NOT
destroy or disable the entire Manhattan telephone infrastructure.

The onset of a fire storm, typically in dry open country, is not sudden
and may take literal days from ignition start to reaching fire storm
conditions. There is plenty of warning time using conventional
communications means to begin fighting that.

Hurricanes are known and predicted from NOAA tracking, allow days
for all in the path to prepare. Again, communications may be done
by conventional means. Tornados are more sudden but allow hours
of preparation from first sighting. Storm and flood conditions allow
hours to days of preparation, again using conventional
communications to effect that.

Whenever conventional communications means survive any
emergency, those will be used. If from nothing else, their availability
such as with cellular telephones (at least 100 Million in the USA).

Regardless of the popular myth, the telephone system in the USA
has remained viable and grown in two decades that include several
earthquakes, several hurricanes, several tornados, several fire
storms, several floodings and storms...and the 11 Sep 01 Attack
On America from three hijacked airliners deliberately crashed into
buildings. It remains working.

There is no reported evidence of amateur radio ever stopping an
earthquake, hurricane, tornado, flood, storm, or aircraft hijacking.

LHA / WMD