RadioBanter - View Single Post - What Amateur Radio Emergency Communications?

October 25th 05, 01:14 AM

From: on Mon 24 Oct 2005 03:08

wrote:
From: "Dee Flint" on Sun 23 Oct 2005 10:19
wrote in message
Cmdr Buzz Corey wrote:
Mike Coslo wrote:

I think the idea is that person 1 transmits to the end of his block,
then person 2 transmits to the end of their block. And so on and so on.
Be just like the olde days when the "relay" meant something in ARRL.
They will need every one of those "millions" of FRS radio owners.

When a kid did you ever play the party game 'pass it on'? You know where
you whisper something in someone's ear, they then pass it on to the next
person, then the next, then the next, ect. By the time it gets to the
last person it isn't anything like the orginal message. You don't need
that when you are trying to get critical information to a destination.

So the "Relay" in ARRL is a useless construct?

Wunnerful in theory, useless in practice?

No it simply means that without a structured format, message training, means
of checking the message (such as word count), etc that the system breaks
down.

Perhaps that is why the first two trans-continental attempts at
early messaging across the USA broke down? They were "sponsored"
by the ARRL. History. The ARRL doesn't like to talk of those
early days much, though, so you have to go to Thomas White's
Early US Radio History site to find out. :-)

The formal message handling systems have these.

Tell us all about it, Dee. I worked in that a mere 52 years ago.
Professionally. On HF. We can compare notes...

Tell us how the GMDSS works and all the "formality" and "word
counts" apply to SOLAS.

The FRS system does not.

The Family Radio Service was NEVER envisioned as some kind of
"message system." :-) The average pair of FRS transceivers
(handheld) sold across the counter will reach out 1 to 5 miles
(depending on terrain, etc.), ideal to keep track of family
members at a large outing. Or a small one. :-)

Did you think FRS handhelds have little "text" screens or
sockets for keyboards, printers, etc.? :-)

It must be on amateur frequencies or nothing will work. With enough
amateurs involved, they'll make sure it doesn't work.

Halloween arrived early this year. All these "first responder"
ham heroes have been boo-boo-boosting ham radio emergency
efforts as if they had really been ON the scene! :-)

So far, I've NOT seen any news video or newspaper accounts of
all the waterproof ham gear AT WORK in any block of any parish
in New Orleans (dry or flooded) or even any of the neighboring
communities. I HAVE seen some rather standard handhelds in the
hands of the REAL first responders and the various NG units
with their military-issue radios wading around getting folks
(alive or not) out of the Big Easy.

Coslonaut thinks that FRS handie-talkies only work out to a
block away. Apparently he got a bad pair of them at K-Mart?
Dee, with all those years of professional years of message
relay behind her, is ready to lecture all on How It Is Done
(but hasn't said anything but vague generalities she read in
some ARRL softcover). Buzz Corey apparently ran out of super
rocket fuel for his old ship and never made it to Nyorleans.
Danger Dan was in his Command Track busy tawkin' ta da
Heinie repeaters to carry health and welfares to Yurp and
cussin' up a storm (to replace Katrina). Everyone seems to have
SO MANY stories about "what they did" as First Responders and
the absolutely vital role played by ONLY amateur radio. Gonna
be a dent in the federal budget to pay for all those Medals of
Valor awarded to the NTS members for saving everyone's lives.
Jimmie Noserve, spending far too much time negatively critiquing
his dastardly newsgroup enemies, has not yet Responded to the
NPRM to toss out code testing nor has he boo-boo-boosted His
part in saving all those lives by dilligent morse codings.

It's beginning to sound like a big Trick or Treat thing in
words in here. Eye candy of gratuitous praise to fill the
empty bags of the first responders with their waterproof,
hurrican-proof radio gear. yawn