Dan/W4NTI wrote:
"an_old_friend" wrote in message
oups.com...
In the discussion of the ARS work during Katrina there is a distintion
being lost, the difference between Valuable and Vital.
cut
This isn't to trash the ARS but someone not freindly to our interests
will be asking these questions, we would be better if we had thought
about em first


With your attitude and age you don't know of how Ham Radio used to be with
the agencies. Right up there with "gotta have it".

I point out of the critical part of your sentence ..."used to be.."

Over the years the agencies like Red Cross, Civil Defense (Now Emergency
Management), etc. depended on hams for commo. These type of agencies went
for the sales pitches of the high tech big buck computer driven systems you
see today. You know the ones like the NY Trade Center had and no one could
talk to each other with. Same Same in this fiasco.

and sometimes the agencies were simply not satified with the degree of
control they had over us in those ops. and example I can point to is
Sprifnfield IL, where the IEMa director got ****ed that a ham operator
cut him off, when he want to rip one of his subordinates a new one with
many "colorfull metaphors", the ham control op cut the radio and tried
to explain that he can't say stuff like that on Ham radio

Hams have been largely excluded in Illinois from emergency planing
since that event)things may have been patched up by now Todd might know
more about that than I anymore

Thus for various reason the served agencies have been wanting more
contol over what they depend on and are willing to spend the bucks to
try and get it. Indeed with as much as I understand the cell phones
continued to pass text messages I wonder if they will a real chance to
spend more money on enhancing the towers and back up power supplies
hope to achieve a system within there control, and perhaps look at
geting the govt to sell off some of oour VHF and UHF spectrum to pay
for it

KISS.....keep it simple stupid is a time proven technique. And hams have
that perfected.

HOPEFULLY someone in power will pay attention before the next disaster
strikes. In the mean time dedicated Amateur Radio operators will practice
and train. At their own expense and not ask a dang thing for it.



Dan/W4NTI