Yes, a ground-based control station is required for access to a
geosynchronous satellite. One could build such a station around an
SUV, with appropriate off-grid power sources: generator, solar,
and/or deployable wind turbine. WIFI under part 97 with a mesh
topology would make for a flexible, resilient, rapidly-deployable
WAN. As for health and welfare traffic, a picocell would be
convenient, but cellphones won't stay powered for more than a day.
Offering public access to laptops around the SUV would support voice
(VOIP), email, and IM traffic.
73,
Dave, AA6YQ
--- In [email protected], "dshults" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I assume this was a single point occurrence? Or... were there 200
> such stations set up? If a single point, did it satisfactorily
> support the needs of the entire region? If as many satellite
uplinks
> were provided as were required, the initial and on-going costs
> necessary to support such a response just might be beyond the
scope
> of reasonable planning.
>
> I'm not sure about military satellites, but I believe commercial
> sats require operational ground-based control stations. It's not
> simply point-to-point communications.
>
> ... Duane N7QDN
>
>
> --- In [email protected], DuBose Walt Civ AETC
CONS/LGCA
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > Here are some excerpts from E-Mail between individuals deeply
> involved in
> > FEMA and NDMS communications.
> >
> > From a FEMA Incident Commander who is an active amateur radio
> operator...
> >
> > "The subject of this email is Communications and it is from the
> > Southern Mississippi FEMA Incident Manager. He was without cell
> phone,
> > and Internet capability. He cornered a State Police Car and
asked
> them
> > to be his commo. They said fine but they had no commo too. Jim
was
> at
> > wits end when an Army Captain came to him and asked if he had
any
> commo.
> > Jim said no commo and it's a big problem. The Captain said no
> problem,
> > and got on his radio and ordered an Army Communications Van to
be
> placed
> > at Jim's disposal. Two hours later a van arrived and it had 4
guys
> that
> > set up a big dish antenna and then asked Jim how many telephones
he
> > needed and what computers needed the Internet? Jim ordered 5
> telephones
> > and the Internet for his laptop. Soon Jim was on the phone to
FEMA
> > letting them know about the situation and giving them his
telephone
> > number. Jim was found by the Salvation Army. They said they can
> set up
> > 85 soup kitchens but needed $560,000 fast to stock the kitchens.
> Jim
> > called FEMA requesting the funding and the Salvation Army had
the
> money
> > in 3 hours."
> >
> > "Due to this success story from Katrina, we are all told to use
the
> > Army for communications support and I have the phone number to
> call when
> > needed. I fear that what we can do with Ham Radio is too little
> and far
> > too late. We can help with Health and Welfare traffic which is
not
> done
> > by the official part of an Incident."
> >
> > From an amateur radio operator who works closely with NDMS and
on
> a DMAT
> > (Disaster Medical Assistance Team)...
> >
> > "Your posting this morning was most timely and coincided with a
> FL3-DMAT
> > team meeting I was attending. To underscore the points you
made,
> members
> > of the Comms unit, all of whom hold an Amateur Radio license,
were
> advised
> > this morning that NO Amateur Radio, FRS or GMRS gear may be
> brought to a
> > deployment, effective immediately. If any of the above is
> observed by FEMA,
> >
> > the DMAT unit will lose its funding for the next twelve months!"
> >
> > "It is becoming more and more apparent the Feds are doing what
> they can,
> > short of taking our frequency allocations and licenses away, to
> push Amateur
> >
> > Radio out of the picture. I fear once they have achieved
success
> doing to,
> > they will use it to justify a revocation of spectrum and license
> > privileges."
> >
> > This should be a wake-up call...amateur radio has less and less
to
> offer
> > emergency and disaster relief communications.
> >
> > While I like nothing more than a good rag chew on 40 or 75 with
my
> amateur
> > radio friends of 40+ years,
> > I believe that those days of me being able to do so are rapidly
> coming to
> > and end.
> >
> > Today ones community service is evaluated as "value to the
> community, state,
> > nations." Funding for groups is based on that.
> >
> > With the money set aside for Katrina and Rita relief, you should
> have been
> > able to purchase complete new HF dual band stations of every ham
> in Texas,
> > Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida...plus a few other
> states. But
> > that is hardly the amount given to the ARRL.
> >
> > The more value you bring to the table, the better your position
of
> survival
> > is. This doesn't make it right or anything else...it is just
the
> way it is.
> >
> > Survival of the "righteous and just" is not assured. Survival
of
> the
> > "performers" is.
> >
> > What can amateur radio being to the table?
> >
> > No quick answers or answers at all...we just need to think long
> and hard
> > about how we can be of significant value to emergency and
disaster
> relief
> > operations.
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Walt/K5YFW
> >
>
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