On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:27:44 -0400,
Ari Silversteinn wrote:
On 4 Oct 2005 14:12:19 GMT, Allodoxaphobia wrote:

On Mon, 3 Oct 2005 17:19:42 -0400, Ari Silversteinn wrote:
DHS has proposed a change in scenario. They want an on locomotive alerting
system that could be commandeered and driven at, near or about a disaster
site. Everything else stays more or less the same, overbroadcasting on
local AM/FM, power off the locomotive, selective or full frequency
broadcasting, train (s) to be in motion at all times. 20-30 second messages
that would also combine a message to be aware that a locomotive (at speed)
will be flying by the at grade crossings.

Comments?

And what are these messages suppose to convey?

Primarily two things, alerting pre-evac and at grade crossing alerts that a
high speed locomotive is approaching.



they'd be better off with bells and lights at the crossing for the
latter...


We all (outside the screwed zone) saw the blizzard of useless
"messages" the government(s) issued during and after Katrina.

And a blizzard of useful ones as well.


wheat from chaff?


--
Jim Richardson http://www.eskimo.com/~warlock
"The three principal virtues of a programmer are Laziness, Impatience, and
Hubris."
-- Larry Wall in den Perl5-Manpages

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 13:06:27 -0700, Jim Richardson wrote:

Primarily two things, alerting pre-evac and at grade crossing alerts that a
high speed locomotive is approaching.


they'd be better off with bells and lights at the crossing for the
latter...

Many crossings have none.

We all (outside the screwed zone) saw the blizzard of useless
"messages" the government(s) issued during and after Katrina.

And a blizzard of useful ones as well.


wheat from chaff?

Yep, that's the strategy for now.
--
Drop the alphabet for email

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 18:33:00 -0400,
Ari Silversteinn wrote:
On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 13:06:27 -0700, Jim Richardson wrote:

Primarily two things, alerting pre-evac and at grade crossing alerts that a
high speed locomotive is approaching.


they'd be better off with bells and lights at the crossing for the
latter...

Many crossings have none.


I was thinking of putting the bells and lights on the train...


More people have ears, than radios. Few of the ones without ears, use
radios


--
Jim Richardson http://www.eskimo.com/~warlock
The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer.
--Ancient Egyptian Wisdom, 2200 B.C.

Allodoxaphobia wrote:
On Mon, 3 Oct 2005 17:19:42 -0400, Ari Silversteinn wrote:

DHS has proposed a change in scenario. They want an on locomotive alerting
system that could be commandeered and driven at, near or about a disaster
site. Everything else stays more or less the same, overbroadcasting on
local AM/FM, power off the locomotive, selective or full frequency
broadcasting, train (s) to be in motion at all times. 20-30 second messages
that would also combine a message to be aware that a locomotive (at speed)
will be flying by the at grade crossings.

Comments?


And what are these messages suppose to convey?

The target audience already knows it's screwed.

We all (outside the screwed zone) saw the blizzard of useless
"messages" the government(s) issued during and after Katrina.

Just what I need to hear from a locomotive blowing by at 50 mph:

"Hi! We're the government and we are here to help you."

The best that came out of post-Katrina was from self-help and
assistance from non-government organizations. And, the
government even thwarted some of that.

The inmates are running the asylum:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/02/news/storm.php

Ninety-one thousand tons of ice melting in idling 14-wheelers.


The Republicans are going to take care of all those problems! Darned
Democrats anyhow!

- Mike KB3EIA -

On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 19:40:18 -0400, Mike Coslo wrote:

The Republicans are going to take care of all those problems! Darned
Democrats anyhow!

- Mike KB3EIA -

Now look who is the troll.
--
Drop the alphabet for email

Ari Silversteinn wrote:
On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 19:40:18 -0400, Mike Coslo wrote:


The Republicans are going to take care of all those problems! Darned
Democrats anyhow!

- Mike KB3EIA -


I won't deny it!

Now, if you want my honest assessment, I find the whole thing fraught
with ethical questions.

What if someone isn't listening to the radio when the message is
broadcast? What about the people who don't live near railroad tracks?

If this thing is to *actually* work, it would have to be space based.
Work with a database of the frequencies in use in the affected areas.
broadcast on them as the need arises. FM will be easy. AM will be some
more work. Of course you'll still have to deal with the people who
aren't listening at the moment!

Of course if it just a research project to burn up some money, then
*that* is a different subject altogether!

- Mike KB3EIA -

I've got an idea.
How about installing flashing lights at rail road crossing, and maybe some
bells.
Ace - WH2T


"Mike Coslo" wrote in message
...
Ari Silversteinn wrote:
On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 19:40:18 -0400, Mike Coslo wrote:


The Republicans are going to take care of all those problems! Darned
Democrats anyhow!

- Mike KB3EIA -


I won't deny it!

Now, if you want my honest assessment, I find the whole thing fraught with
ethical questions.

What if someone isn't listening to the radio when the message is
broadcast? What about the people who don't live near railroad tracks?

If this thing is to *actually* work, it would have to be space based. Work
with a database of the frequencies in use in the affected areas. broadcast
on them as the need arises. FM will be easy. AM will be some more work. Of
course you'll still have to deal with the people who aren't listening at
the moment!

Of course if it just a research project to burn up some money, then *that*
is a different subject altogether!

- Mike KB3EIA -

"Mike Coslo" wrote in message
...
Ari Silversteinn wrote:
On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 19:40:18 -0400, Mike Coslo wrote:


The Republicans are going to take care of all those problems! Darned
Democrats anyhow!

- Mike KB3EIA -


I won't deny it!

Now, if you want my honest assessment, I find the whole thing fraught with
ethical questions.

What if someone isn't listening to the radio when the message is
broadcast? What about the people who don't live near railroad tracks?

If this thing is to *actually* work, it would have to be space based. Work
with a database of the frequencies in use in the affected areas. broadcast
on them as the need arises. FM will be easy. AM will be some more work. Of
course you'll still have to deal with the people who aren't listening at
the moment!

Of course if it just a research project to burn up some money, then *that*
is a different subject altogether!

- Mike KB3EIA -

Space-based wouldn't work. You can't get a spot footprint small enough on
the earth's surface to make this do-able. Iridium comes about the closest,
but would you put up a constellation to provide the footprints and not use
it 99.999999999% of the time? :-)

Cheers.

Ken

Like I said in another thread, "Emergency" implies IMMEDIATE (not planned)
danger to life, limb, or property. It seems that, in your proposal, you are
PLANNING to use these frequencies instead of more appropriate ones. I would
think that you need to create (and supply) a system that is isolated from
broadcast frequencies.

Wayne-
(KC8UIO)
"Ari Silversteinn" wrote in message
...
DHS has proposed a change in scenario. They want an on locomotive alerting
system that could be commandeered and driven at, near or about a disaster
site. Everything else stays more or less the same, overbroadcasting on
local AM/FM, power off the locomotive, selective or full frequency
broadcasting, train (s) to be in motion at all times. 20-30 second
messages
that would also combine a message to be aware that a locomotive (at speed)
will be flying by the at grade crossings.

Comments?
--
Drop the alphabet for email

On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 14:33:52 GMT, Wayne P. Muckleroy wrote:

Like I said in another thread, "Emergency" implies IMMEDIATE (not planned)
danger to life, limb, or property. It seems that, in your proposal, you are
PLANNING to use these frequencies instead of more appropriate ones. I would
think that you need to create (and supply) a system that is isolated from
broadcast frequencies.

Wayne-
(KC8UIO)

It's not my call, Wayne, it's the client driving the systems.
--
Drop the alphabet for email