Nate, hear hear. In fact, I'd take it a step further. We only stay "checked out" on a piece of equipment if we use it regularly. For that matter, equipment which sits and gathers dust for years doesn't stay reliable. Is buying radios for permanent installation at an EOC really smart? Back in the 1980s, after the Teton Dam Disaster in Idaho, there was awareness within the LDS church that its facilities should be "ham-friendly," because that had turned out to be the only reliable form of communications in the aftermath of the event. For a while, it was possible to get church funding for ham stations, especially where relief supplies were stored. Not any more. I'm told the reason is that hams would show up to operate church-owned equipment and be too unfamiliar with it to be useful. When hams had to bring their own gear, they were much more likely to arrive knowing how to use it immediately. I wonder if the best solution for EOCs would not be to provide 12V power, antennas, adapters for SO-238 and BNC chained down so they couldn't walk away, and require the hams to show up with their own radios as part of their "go-kits." It's a blast to have a grant application approved, but getting institutional radios has a down-side. Retired commercial radios could be a good choice, and easy for county governments to come by, but make sure some of the channels on that "cheat sheet" are simplex, and you train to operate a net that way. Storms and floods often leave many repeaters operational, but I'm not sure an earthquake or volcanic event would be so considerate. I've also heard repeaters jammed by miscreants when they're needed most. Sad, but it happens. 73, Paul, AE4KR
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nate Duehr Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 1:18 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Off Topic, trying not to re-invent the wheel... [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:no6b%40no6b.com> wrote: > OK, that will work. Then again, many amateur transceivers have a > "simpleton mode" that only allows volume, squelch & memory channel > adjustment. Might be a cheaper & more flexible solution since the radio > can still be easily reprogrammed by anyone who does know the radio. > > Bob NO6B I hear there's a channelized service with 40 channels AM (and SSB too) down around the 11 meter portion of the spectrum. Perhaps hams that can't figure out a VFO and a couple of menu options might like one of those rigs in the emergency comm station because they're "so easy to operate". (Sorry... had to poke fun at this silliness.) Here's the reality of it... for emergency comms, just handle it like anything else. If you're not "checked out" on the gear, you don't operate it. Just like anyone else with lives on the line... pilots, commercial drivers, etc. If you were "checked out" and you blow something up, both you AND the guy that signed you off are responsible until the cause of the accident is determined. Sounds a lot like aviation, doesn't it? Guess what... it works. With a radio it takes 5 minutes... someone stands there and says, "Tune to X, standard repeater offset, and set a X Hz CTCSS tone."... and waits to see if the person can do it. Do a few more. If they can't operate the rig, it'll be obvious. And if they're not signed off, they're not authorized to use the community gear, because they'll blow it up. If the emergency station is configured with other tools, like a PC and sound-card HF software or similar, those would have separate "check-rides". Nate WY0X
