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@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. > > . >
