From: "Jim Hampton" on Wed 14 Sep 2005 00:51


"an_old_friend" wrote in message
Michael Coslo wrote:
wrote:
K=D8=88B 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.

Everyone so far has been only partly right but mostly WRONG.

There is considerable spectrum space on UHF and VHF and low
microwaves to handle more than enough voice communications
within LOS in any locale. Anyone who has been tracking the
FCC allocations above 30 MHz for the last decade will know that
and will also know that the move to DTV caused a massive re-
alignment of broadcast TV channels, enough to free considerable
spectrum at UHF.

What reporter Waterman didn't get into involves other factors:

1. The vast majority of VHF-UHF radios used by public
safety, utility, and businesses are one to four-channel
fixed-frequency types. That is quite fine for ordinary
operations.

2. The frequencies assigned to these PLMRS radios is decided
by the frequency coordinating groups for the various land
mobile radio services. Some searching around at the FCC
site will uncover the names and address of all those
frequency coordinators.

3. Only the Public Safety radio groups bother to get into
so-called "emergency" (non-ordinary) frequencies which are
not involved in their public safety real-emergency day-to-
day operations. Some locales don't have such, others do.

Those that NEED spectrum ALREADY have it. They do NOT have
the capability to tune to every single channel possible; public
safety agencies seldom NEED such capability in regular 24/7
day-to-day emergency communications.


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 available equipment needs to be able to RE-tune to all-out-
emergency channels.

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

What "training" and "competency" is needed with a single-channel
push-to-talk handheld transceiver? That "training and competency"
gets settled within a single day on nearly every police force and
fire department in the USA.


What counts is what happens when things *don't* go according to plan and o=
ne
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.

Some of the "men" in authority in New Orleans didn't have their
brains in right on the "planning" or the execution of any "plan."
Plain simple fact was that the severity of hurrican Katrina and
the breaching of dike/canal walls that caused all the flooding.
[no comment on the idiocy of expanding a city in areas which are
already BELOW lake and Gulf water levels]

NO government agency radio base station is going to function UNDER
water unless built for that; the operators of same can't be expected
to work them. NO AMATEUR RADIO EQUIPMENT WILL WORK UNDER WATER
EITHER. Don't anyone kid themselves or break arms patting each
other
on the back. Underwater training and competency is NOT in any ham
radio disaster plan, classes, or certificates-of-completion.

It's obvious that New Orleans city government needed to have MOBILE
base stations for emergencies caused by such extensive flooding.
Ask yourself if the New Orleans radio amateurs had anything like
that or had ham equipment that would work under water. It should
also be obvious that everyone concerned should have prepared for
Force Five winds insofar as keeping radio antennas up and
functioning. Few were. Mainly, those government antennas that
did survive did so in greater numbers than ham antennas.

If NOBODY can get through flooded areas to interior non-flooded
areas by land vehicle, the only other possibility is by air. The
most competent, trained, knowledgeable amateurs couldn't do it
unless they also had access to helicopters. Any RICH hams in
New Orleans? Ones rich enough to afford their own private helo?

It's patently obvious that NO ONE in the New Orleans area had any
remotely valid "plans" for much surviving 120 MPH and greater winds.
Government, commercial, amateur, doesn't matter. Some COULD have
had spare antennas and masts stowed in a robust shelter, antennas
that could be erected reasonably quickly to get back "on the air."
Some COULD have had spare electrical generators that would NOT be
under water for the worst possible flood level rise. Then there
would have to be spare radio equipment that would NOT be flooded
or perhaps the base stations moved either to higher-than-flood-
level ground or on upper stories. For the latter there would have
to be emergency rations and accommodations for base station crews
who might be stuck in their base operations whatever.

New Orleans sits practically on the Gulf of Mexico and is exposed
to hurricanes and tsunamis. That over half the city area is UNDER
average adjacent water levels is remarkable in itself...if not
stupid planning. In their growth they could have looked to the
Netherlands for some ideas, Holland having centuries of experience
in keeping out the sea. Did they? I don't know.

Radio MODE or even Frequency discussions are DUMB and pointless if
nearly everything of the equipment is under water or doesn't have
good antenna structures.