Jim Hampton wrote:
"an_old_friend" wrote in message
oups.com...

Michael Coslo wrote:

wrote:


KØHB wrote:


Responders' lack of spectrum 'cost lives'
By Shaun Waterman
UPI Homeland and National Security Editor

Published 9/12/2005 11:40 AM

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Former Sept. 11 commission Chairman Tom
Kean says first responders in Louisiana not having had access to
radio spectrum needed for interoperable communications "cost lives,"
as it did at the World Trade Center.

"On the ground, the people that get there first can't talk to each
other because the radio communications don't work," Kean told CNN
Sunday. "They haven't got enough what's called spectrum."


. . . and on and on and on . .

My ongoing understanding has been that there is already gobs of wide
open UHF spectrum space already available via all the unused UHF TV
channels. Even in very large metropolitan areas. Each one of those
channels is 4 Mhz wide or something like that, how many emergency
services NBFM channels can be squeezed into 4 Mhz? A *bunch*! I realize
that some of those TV-free channels are already being used by non-TV
comms here and there but in every locale it seems to me that there's
gotta be at least a few TV channels still wide open and available.
Beats me . .

Lotta nonsense in this article, bunch of clueless politicians going at
it as usual.

That is because it is monumentally easier to blame the problem on the
bandwidth used by Television than it is to blame those actually
responsible.


No you are roughly half right below


Fact is, if the trained communicators who can use the conditions of the
various VHF/UHF, and HF bands to their advantage are called in at early
notice, the emergency conditions can be handled quite proficiently. No
extra bandwidth needed.

Just trained and competent operators.


the other thing needed is inteligent planing and prediection of what
may be needed , but then I suppose you could say that was part of
having trained and competent operators

- Mike KB3EIA -


What counts is what happens when things *don't* go according to plan and one
has to change mode, bands, or whatever. This may include, but not be
limited to, mf, hf, vhf, uhf, fm, ssb, or digital modes (even including
*gasp* cw). That separates the men from the boys.

Let us face it, the firemen, police and rescue workers are not trained
in operating radios, save for mashing the PTT button. their training
lies elsewhere, and they do a *lot* of training already. The idea that
these non-RF oriented folks would know that say, it is 2000 hours, so
they should switch to a different frequency, or that they need to get a
message to someone 1000 miles away, but not 50 miles away, and at 3 in
the afternoon, so they should use yet another frequency is just a
little much to expect.

So here we have the Hams, many of whom are trained and competent
operators, and who are willing to volunteer their time and sometimes
health, to helping others, not unlike volunteer firefighters. It isn't
as dramatic in most cases, yet it is still volunteerism. Perhaps the Ham
haters can focus their sharp wit on the volunteer fire fighters?

- Mike KB3EIA -