Articles praising Amateur Radio
To: wl2kemcomm@yahoogroups.com
From: Jerry Reimer
Subject: [wl2kemcomm] Articles praising Amateur Radio
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1867997,00.asp
PC Magazine
November 8 2005
Inside Track v24n19
By John C. Dvorak
The most overlooked participants in Katrina relief were the ham radio
folks. Bush should give them all medals.
Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina, it was reported that over 100 Internet
networks were still down in Louisiana, as well as another dozen elsewhere
that had been in the path of the hurricane. So much for the notion that the
Web is impossible to kill. Hard to have an Internet with no power! WiMAX
and other solutions are useless, too, though I suppose a generator would be
useful for WiMAX. Whatever the case, the most overlooked participants in
the Katrina relief effort were the ham radio folks, who were doing whatever
they could as ad hoc emergency dispatchers, creating their own network
within the system. These dedicated persons pride themselves on their
ability to do worldwide communications under adverse conditions, and the
ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League) and its members, as well as others, were
a big part of the aid effort. Of course, since amateur radio is anything
but trendy in today’s XBox, gene-splicing world, there was zero coverage of
its contribution in the mainstream press, and these people are not the
world’s greatest self-promoters. At least some of us are paying attention.
Good work, guys! Bush should be giving medals to you all.
http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/Print.cfm?ArticleID=11136
In Katrina’s Wake, Ham Radio Triumphs
By David Maliniak, AD2A
David Maliniak
ED Online ID #11136
September 19, 2005
Copyright © 2004 Penton Media, Inc., All rights reserved.
A few months ago, NBC’s Tonight Show staged a race between a pair of
ham-radio operators with Morse-code keys and a couple of kids with
text-messaging cellphones to see who could communicate faster. The hams won
hands down, proving, in the minds of some, that old technology could hold
its own against new. In recent days, ham radio was put to the test again by
Hurricane Katrina. This time, however, lives were at stake.
In the world of design engineers and electronics in general, change is
essential. Designers work diligently to make the fruits of their labors
obsolete almost before they see daylight. The turnover in technology is
sometimes like a flood, with old being washed away by new over and over.
Often, the new beats the heck out of the old. But there are times when old
isn’t necessarily bad; in fact, sometimes old works when new doesn’t. And
then we’re glad that old is still around, or at least we should be.
Wireless technology, while relatively new to many consumers, is of course
not new at all. A few (very) old-timers remember the original “wireless” of
radio. The revolution wrought by the pioneers of wireless changed the world
then, and the technology behind that revolution has been re-invented and
re-applied time and again. Its pre-eminent incarnation today is our
near-ubiquitous wireless communications infrastructure, which has freed us
from the shackles of landlines and made our mobile lifestyles possible.
Technology truly is great stuff.
Until, of course, a monster hurricane comes along to render it nearly
useless. Here we see a scenario in which a flood literally swept away the
new. As Hurricane Katrina’s fury hammered the Gulf states on August 29, the
communications infrastructure took a devastating hit. Telephone service,
including wireless, became at first intermittent and then unusable in many
localities. Where there was phone service, 911 switchboards were often
unreachable due to the massive volume of calls. The response of local
authorities, now termed “confused” by deposed FEMA chief Michael Brown,
wasn’t helping much. The Gulf Coast was about to descend into darkness,
chaos, and, worst of all for many, silence.
But proponents of the old were at the ready. The “old,” in this case, is
ham radio. In the eyes of the “man on the street,” ham radio has a pretty
stodgy reputation. Aren’t hams still using Morse code? Don’t some of them
use radios with tubes, for goodness sake? What the “man in the street”
probably doesn’t know is that it was amateurs who advanced the radio arts
early in the 20th century. Down through the decades, amateurs have embraced
(and often driven) all of the innovations in wireless technology, up to and
including all digital modes and the Internet. But many have stayed in touch
with their roots, which is good old-fashioned analog HF operation. And
while amateurs have a long-standing tradition as innovators and
experimenters, they also have a mandate that comes with their licenses: to
be ready, willing, and able to provide emergency communications whenever
and wherever they’re needed.
As Katrina bore down on the Gulf region, amateur radio operators, under the
aegis of the American Radio Relay League’s (ARRL’s) Amateur Radio Emergency
Service (ARES), prepared to swing into action with emergency networks that
would run health-and-welfare traffic into and out of the disaster zone. As
early as the Monday following the storm, hams throughout the hurricane zone
were putting emergency stations on the air. In one instance, hams were
instrumental in the rescue of 15 people clinging for life to a New Orleans
rooftop. Meanwhile, in Alabama, amateur SKYWARN weather nets kept the
National Weather Service apprised of conditions throughout the state. In
hard-hit sections of Mississippi, hams running off generators and with
makeshift antennas were the only means of communication, getting word to
out-of-state friends and relatives concerning their loved ones.
There were numerous other instances of hams helping those who were not
simply inconvenienced by the storm, but whose lives were in imminent
danger. Now that things have calmed down in the Gulf region, many of the
emergency nets have stood down. But hams continue to serve the public in
the many areas that are still without power or phone service.
As our nation collects itself in the aftermath of the Katrina disaster,
President Bush has promised federal reviews of what went right and what
went wrong. One of the findings of those inquiries should be that the
federally-instituted Amateur Radio Service, which functions under the
licensing authority of the FCC, stood tall when the country needed it.
Amateur radio currently faces various threats to its existence. Chief among
those is the advent of broadband-over-powerline (BPL) technology, which, if
broadly adopted, has the potential to cause widespread interference to HF
communications, not just for amateurs but for other services that use the
HF spectrum.
Amateurs and the ARRL have made a lot of noise about BPL, asserting that it
could seriously hamper their efforts and those of relief agencies such as
the Red Cross and Salvation Army, in the event of a disaster such as
Katrina. It’s rumored, though, that the same FCC commissioners who have
given their blessing to BPL field trials will now take a much harder look
at the technical issues concerning BPL and its interference potential in
the HF spectrum. Let’s face it: The federal government didn’t handle the
emergency in the Gulf very well; it’d be prudent for it not to sanction a
technology that could impede one of the few things that actually worked.
Many readers of this newsletter are amateur radio enthusiasts. If you are,
and if you haven’t already done so, consider writing your congressman to
express your concern about the future of the Amateur Radio Service,
especially in light of its outstanding efforts in recent days. Remind your
elected representatives that a vibrant and unimpeded Amateur service can
and will be a lifesaver when disaster strikes. Also, consider how you
yourself might help. What if a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake ravages
your area? Are you prepared to get on the air without relying on the mains
to handle emergency traffic? Get in touch with your local amateur-radio
club and find out how you can pitch in.
Your cell phones and wireless routers are indeed great stuff, but so is a
good old HF transceiver. We shouldn’t always be in such a hurry to let the
flood of new technology wash away the old. The geek down the block with all
the antennas on his property could turn out to be your best friend someday.
Because sometimes, old trumps new.
http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/Print.cfm?ArticleID=11164
[Editorial]
ARRL’s Role In Rescue Offers Lessons For Future
Mark David
ED Online ID #11164
October 13, 2005
Copyright © 2004 Penton Media, Inc., All rights reserved.
Investigations into the communications breakdowns in our national emergency
response systems continue. Yet I’m struck by the contrast between the hue
and cry for upgraded infrastructure solutions and the much quieter
revelation that old-school ham radio provided the only trustworthy
communication during Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans emergency departments’ radios were wiped out when broadcast
towers lost backup power generators. Police and fire departments only had
citizen-band radios, offering inadequate bandwidth. Emergency responders
lacked coordinated frequencies.
The National Guard cited antiquated communications technology-as a
contributor to its delayed response. Lt. Gen. Steven Blum told USA Today
that there was a shortage of high-tech radios and satellite communications
gear. “We were under-equipped,” Blum told USA Today. “We don’t need tanks
and attack helicopters… but we must have state-of-the-art radios and
communications.”
The Guard has historically gotten “hand-me-down” equipment from active-duty
military. It now uses “Vietnam-era radios while it needs 37,000 newer
radios,” according to Guard budget briefings.
Meanwhile, ham radio operators proved that older technology can be the most
reliable technology. Our EDA Editor (and ham) David Maliniak wrote an
online column on the subject, pointing out that sometimes “old works when
new doesn’t.” During and after Katrina, hams running on generators
(sometimes with makeshift antennas) worked throughout the hurricane zone to
put emergency stations on the air. They guided rescuers to stranded victims
and updated weather services via the Hurricane Watch Net.
Amateur radio was the primary means of contact with the outside world for
many shelters. It’s estimated that some 1000 amateur radio volunteers
helped serve the hurricane-ravaged communities and shelters, even providing
communications for the Red Cross.
Still, the real lesson of the ham radio successes isn’t that old sometimes
trumps new. Upgraded, reliable hardware is vital for adequate emergency
response. Amateur radio has continued to upgrade too. Hams use satellites,
digital systems, cross-band repeaters, and more. As the American Radio
Relay League (ARRL) puts it, the Morse code key may still be on the desk,
but generally it’s next to a modern system operable under extreme emergency
conditions.
DISTRIBUTED NETWORKS
Katrina taught two key lessons. First, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service
(ARES) organization proved effective because hams don’t depend on a
centralized infrastructure. When cell towers, phone switching centers, or
other central communications networks are down, hams aren’t. Many operators
have their own generators and are ready to fire them up to get on the air
when there’s no power. National disaster response plans must assume that
the centralized communications infrastructure likely will be crippled, so the
emergency system must include a distributed or “mesh” networking scheme.
Second, ARRL succeeded because operators subscribe to a mission that comes
with their licensesto be ready to provide emergency communications
whenever and wherever they’re needed. ARES has a well-conceived action plan
coordinated through the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). ARES
is part of the ARRL, and RACES is coordinated through the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA). But like the broadcast system, the emergency
plan is decentralized. Radio operators can work independently to serve
their community as circumstances require.
A decentralized emergency plan requires deputized people who truly
understand and care about their responsibilities. The best emergency
response relies on distributed manpower, with first responders empowered to
make decisions at the scene of the crisis.
It doesn’t take a federal investigation to realize that the government’s
emergency-response debacle was caused by centralizing the decision-making
with politically appointed bureaucrats who didn’t have a personal mission
or a true sense of ownership in ensuring preparedness. The fiasco with
now-deposed FEMA leader Michael Brown exemplifies the folly of appointments
based on cronyism, rather than the recruitment of people who have a
passion, understanding, and commitment for the responsibilities they
shoulder.
In this issue’s cover story, Ron Schneiderman looks at government programs
and the new technologies tackling our homeland security problems. But will
the right people get those technologies? Too often, homeland security
appointments and dollars are doled out according to political favoritism.
As we saw in the recent emergency response, technologies are only effective
when managed by peoplelike the hamswho take their responsibilities to heart.
Hats off to all of you who care about the quality of the security and
emergency communications technologies you’re engineering. Let’s hope they
end up controlled by people who care just as much.