>From my 15+ years experience with emergency comm here 90% of those who show up >to help NEVER come to meetings. How you going to put them in a training >class? You are not.
Also I can train Hams on a radio right down to the nitty griddy details and 2 years later when they come in for a real operation they will swear they have never seen the radio, hi. The process is to set up the rigs so all one has to do is turn on, set to memory 1, 2 or 3 (which given on a well displayed info sheet), pick up the mike and communicate. Hams do a pretty good job of talking. If there are complex issues one needs a central one, two or three person "expert" on the equipment. The Military has done this for decades. A troop can go from CA to TN and operate the rigs in the TOC. The tactics will differ, but the radios are not the problem. We should strive for this simplicity in Ham emergency commo. 73, ron, n9ee/r >From: Nate Duehr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: 2008/03/26 Wed AM 04:36:47 CDT >To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com >Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Off Topic, trying not to re-invent the wheel... > > >On Mar 25, 2008, at 4:28 PM, Mike Morris WA6ILQ wrote: >> (card 1 face) >> Operating Instructions using preprogrammed memory channels: >> >> 1. Turn on radio, adjust volume and squelch > >Step 1... > >Turn off odd-ball rig you've never seen before, and pull the one >you're used to using out of your go kit. Hook it to the powerpoles >and antenna connection so graciously already provided behind the rig >on the desk, and operate. (GRIN) > >Just kidding Mike -- kinda. Sorry, no cheat sheets for the Yaesu's >here. > >The real confusion for most modern rigs is that they expect people to >think in terms of "modes" or "menus" and making up cheat sheets that >cover any possible odd-ball menu or mode the rig could get left in, is >difficult. An operator can also go into a deep menu somewhere and set >a setting that drives everyone else bonkers trying to figure out why >the rig is "misbehaving". (A good example would be turning off the >ALC on an SSB rig... down in a menu somewhere, and then walking away. >Will drive the next op bananas and they'll never find it if they're >unfamiliar with the rig, without a menu by menu search for the >problem. You might even see a frustrated operator do a soft-reset on >the rig, thus blowing away all the memories and other stuff someone >worked hard on.) > >Want some realistic training and some fun? Get some duplicates of all >the radio types (even if borrowed) and set them up the same as the >rigs currently being used. Hook 'em to power and dummy loads in a >training room, then hand people 4 X 5 cards with their tactical >callsigns, a message to pass to another stations, and tell them they >have to set up a net on a particular frequency and pass the traffic. >Go. > >Randomly assign operators to the radios in the training room, and then >start a stopwatch. (GRIN) > >No cheat sheets, no laminated cards... all you get is the grey >matter in your skull and your eyeballs to read the tiny little labels >on the buttons on the rig. No matter if you've used that rig before >or not. Have an instructor or two monitor over their shoulders who >know that rig, to catch them and stop them if they do anything that >might damage the rig or otherwise leave it badly misconfigured. > >As a bonus, you would quickly find out what radio is a complete pain >in the ass for the operators, and you can pull it out and mandate it >not be installed at any EOC. (BIGGER GRIN) > >-- >Nate Duehr, WY0X >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Ron Wright, N9EE 727-376-6575 MICRO COMPUTER CONCEPTS Owner 146.64 repeater Tampa Bay, FL No tone, all are welcome.
