At 08:28 AM 1/21/2010, you wrote: >What many of us do is to utilize every means possible to provide >communications. There are times when atmospheric conditions make it >impossible to use HF. There are times when any repeater will go off >the air for some reason. What makes Amateur Radio reliable is the >large toolbox that we have available to us.
I agree totally Ed. The more tools we have, the more able we are able to conduct our operations. Today, Internet assisted modes enable us to do things that were not feasible with HF, such as running nets with reliable global reach. As you say, the last mile (or as in the case of major disasters, the last 100 miles) is always the biggest challenge. Because of the low density of IRLP, Echolink and especially D-STAR here (compared to sheer land area - coverage here in town is good), I'm always interested in new ways of using these newer modes in conjunction with HF, which is usually the best choice for regional coverage down here, to extend the usefulness of HF into areas where large antennas are not feasible, or where high noise levels affect reception. The current crop of remote bases help, but I'm looking even bigger. :) Where does D-STAR fit? It's still too early for us down here to tell. The emergency communicators don't yet see D-STAR as a priority, though several of us are keeping a close eye on its development, for possible future use. > >As to the Internet being the first thing lost, that indeed is >evidently, since you say, your experience, but it isn't my >experience. During the LA earthquakes, Internet access existed. >During Katrina, there was Internet access in downtown New Orleans. >I'm suspecting that there's still Internet access in Haiti. There has been the odd snippet that suggests Haiti still has some Internet access in places. >At the worse, a D-STAR repeater without Internet is just as >functional as a FM repeater. At its best, a D-STAR repeater is a >mechanism by which we can remotely talk into disaster areas. Inded, a good summary. :) 73 de VK3JED / VK3IRL http://vkradio.com
