FWIW, in the response to Gustav.... It was known that Region 4 Resources would be deploying into the area in support of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Organization. Days ahead, info was exchanged on formal net operations in that area to allow members from Region 4 to check propagation and effective communications into what was projected to be the effective area; region 6, which is a fairly big target area. Propagation, time of day and available frequencies were reviewed and a net plan was decided on to allow the best chance for reliable communications into the affected area for 24 hour operations to support the deployed members from region 4 as they traveled into the affected area, in-transit to their various support locations and to get them safely back home to region 4. NCS were lined up on 2 hour shifts, and a pool of 12 were scheduled to make sure each day was covered in every 2 hour slot with a minimum of operator fatigue. One member was appointed to gather status reports on the deployed teams and report up the chain of command Weather conditions were constantly given directly to the teams via voice to advise them what they were traveling into, as Gustav was leaving and they were traveling into the edges of the affected area. NVIS can be achieves with two 102" whips, one front and one back, joined in the center over the vehicle, but it is better to have a support team, trained and ready, to understand propagation, MUF, general band conditions and be in emergency net operation with as many members as possible making every attempt possible to shut and listen. The net can periodically be extended by NCS (Net Control Station) calling for only stations with Good Readable to Loud and Clear copy on NCS, and in turn having them make the same call to determine the relay path. An accurate region roster and some idea of geography helps NCS to determine effectives of net and who to use for relay from deployed team members, if NCS does not have directly copy. NCS always chooses an alternate NCS, the furthest distance possible with reliable copy. This allows them to work together and achieve the broadest working net, with just 2 members to start and direct the net. The net is closed at the end of the 2 hours, and a new net is established with each oncoming NCS, which allows maintenance of the most accurate net roster. One member is appointed to track weather conditions in the path of the deployed teams, as radio station coverage is minimal at best from local broadcast stations, Major media resources are monitored to keep abreast of the fuel and power situation along the route. Having plenty of fuel in the ground is no good if the station has no electricity to pump it out of the ground. An open fuel station may clog one lane of a 4 lane divided highway as vehicles line up for miles to exit and refuel. The deployed members need to be in the proper lane, before the traffic snarl happens. They also need to be in touch with federal resources in convoy to keep them abreast, as the federal response may not be as well organized. Cellular coverage is monitored. MCS and ANCS use Skype to coordinate the net via text chat. Deployed members use Echolink where cellular coverage allows use of their air card for wireless access to an ISP. Winlink is used via aircard telnet/internet connectivity to direct messages to a single or group address, giving a little privacy if they are the first to arrive to a delicate situation and wish not to be in the clear with their Sitrep.. SHARES stations are active in the net, or on standby for direct access to federal entities. Phone Patch operators are on hand, ready to provide first access into a developing situation that may involve hazmat, mass casualty, etc. While traveling, something like a TS-2000 in cross band mode could give all members of a amateur caravan access to the HF net, if each member had something useful to report; otherwise, VHF from car to car, and one vehicle contained the team leader from each deployment group to relay the Intel back into the net for distribution. OK, How am I doing so far? Point to ponder: Anyone who deploys "without prior notice" has a highly technical tactical designator assigned to them - "fool".... David KD4NUE
-----Original Message----- From: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Howard Z. Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 6:59 PM To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com Subject: [digitalradio] Re: How Can We Push HF Emcomm Messages to the Field? Is the volunteer out of VHF range? If the base station has a 100 watt VHF radio like the 746pro - you might be able to still reach the volunteer, but he may not have enough power to get back to you. Or he may be out of VHF range. HF is the way to go - but both ends of the conversation need NVIS antennas. HF antennas tend to be large, and NVIS needs to be horizontal. I'm not sure there exists an NVIS antenna for a car or truck. Maybe something horizontal can be setup in the bed of a pick up truck? In general HF antennas for vehicles do not perform very well - but they are better than nothing. There are portable NVIS HF antennas available that can be setup rather quickly. Perhaps this is something to be done when he arrives at his destination, and then call the base on HF? Also keep in mind that HF radios typically cost over a thousand dollars compared to maybe two hundred for a VHF radio. Howard N3ZH --- In digitalradio@ <mailto:digitalradio%40yahoogroups.com> yahoogroups.com, "expeditionradio" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The following questions are asked to the amateur > radio Emcomm community... how can we work together > on this? > > THE TYPICAL SCENARIO > It is a dark and stormy night... > You are an amateur radio operator, volunteering > with a relief organization, for communication > to set up shelters in a hurricane disaster. > > There has been no power in the area for 24 hours. > There is no mobile phone service, and all > the VHF/UHF repeaters and digipeaters in the > area are out of range or out of service. > > It is 3AM. You are driving in your vehicle, > half-way to your first shelter destination, > making your way on back roads. The > main highway is flooded. You use your > chain saw to pass a downed tree. The road > ahead looks worse. > > THE CALL > The relief organization wants to call you now. > They have new information since you left on > your mission, and they now want to change your > destination, to divert you to another shelter > location not far from your route. They want you > to give the workers at the other shelter a list > of supplies that are on the way. They want you > to check the shelter's status. They want to know > where you are, and if you can possibly divert > to the other shelter, so they won't need to > send out yet another expedition to the other > shelter. > > THE QUESTIONS > How will the relief organization call you? > How will they get the actual message to you? > How will they know where to route the message > to be sure it gets to you? > How will they get urgent feedback from you? > > THE BACKGROUND > In the past, Ham radio has generally been > very good at a "One Way Traffic" situation. > > We can initiate messages. > We can pull messages into the field using > automatic email systems. > > It is easy to send messages initiated from > the field. But, not as easy to call someone in the > field, unless the operator in the field decides > to actually initiate some sort of 2-way contact. > > CAN WE PUSH MESSAGES? > > What about pushing calls and messages to the field? > > What are the types of ham radio methods > presently in place to call hams in the field > when the ham in the field doesn't initiate > the contact? > > What are the existing techniques, and how > can these be improved? > > How is the ham in the field alerted to a call? > > Can we devise standard method(s) for routing > Emcomm "push messages" to the field? > > Is ham radio HF viable for pushing messages? > Can we make the call day or night, without > prior notice? > > Bonnie VR2/KQ6XA > > P.S. In case you are wondering, the scenario > above was taken from the Katrina Hurricane Disaster. > > . >
