RE: [digitalradio] ALE in Emergency HF use (Re: Another look at A LE)

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 06:24:07 -0800

Hi Andy et. al.
 
Please see my comments below.
 
Walt/K5YFW
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Andrew O'Brien
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 6:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [digitalradio] ALE in Emergency HF use (Re: Another look at A LE)



I should add here that offcial enegency organisations can easiliy cover the cost of an HF rig, PC, and antenna...even an ALE tranceiver.  Various Homeland Secuirty grants are availble, in fact one organisation I am employed with has had difficulty spending all the $$$$ that has been thrown our way.  Ameteur Radio groups affiliated with RACES/ARES, Hospitals, etc, will find it quite easy to get additional equipment via the host agency (not directly).  Repeatedly,  Federal offcials have emphsized that local disaster officals need to have affiliations with ameteur radio groups.  If fact I was just contacted by a hospital with $$$$ for amateur radios but no amateur radio ops in their community!  
 
This may be true for a number of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) but not all of them.  To date, few faith bases organizations can obtain grants from DHS/FEMA or other governmental sources without radical changes to their charters which most are unwilling to make.  While is is simple to say just change the organizations charter, what if the requirement on the ARRL or Red Cross was to make sure that the NGO had a percent of their members with a General Class and higher licenses who could copy 10 WPM.  Would the ARRL change its charter so they could receive a grant?  Of course not.  You will find some independent for faith based affiliated hospitals who cannot qualify for federal grants because they will not change their charters.
 
Additionally, unless the NGO or even local government agency "know how" to get a government grant or has someone write one for them, they won't get a grant.  I've seen it happen even in larger communities...they write a grant proposal and the federal government denies it or rejects it because it wasn't written correctly.
 
Perhaps the ARRL or some other NGO could assist NGOs involved in Incident communications with applying for government grants.
 
 
So, ARES/RACES/Red Cross/SATERN groups will likely have all the abilities required of a good emergency communications group.  These agencies will then depend on lone hams to fill in the network where needed.  A $350 amateur transceiver (used), an old PC with a soundcard, and a free copy of PC-ALE  will make for a good "make-do" emergency system.  My clunky 17 year obsolete radio will scan 3-4 channels fairly efficiently, not really great but will do in a pinch.  
 
Our organization has found that the MTBF for used radios low enough that we do not want to depend on old or used radio equipment...or computer equipment unless we know the original source and the unit has been thoroughly checked out AND you have spares and spare parts AND someone on-site who knows how to repair the computers.
 
Another problem today is that used computers many times come with no OS loaded.  This can be expensive if you purchase an MS OS and some of the new MS OS' won't run on older slower computers.
 
But...to heck with emergency communications (important though it may be).  What about plain on "fun" radio ?  It seems to me that ALE is the only current system where one can scan known/designated HF frequencies , pause when it hears a signal, locate a specific call sign, and eventually learn where on the spectrum they are most likely to locate an individual call sign.

I am sure you statement above is correct...but I only work one digital mode on one frequency on 40 and one on 80 with several individuals on an informal net or a formal net on the 40M frequency once a week.  Not much need for ALE there.  Even during Incident Communications I would only be working one frequency on 40 and one on 80 and not at the same time.
 
73,
 
Walt/K5YFW
 
--
Andy K3UK
Fredonia, New York.
Skype Me :  callto://andyobrien73
Also available via Echolink


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