[amsat-bb] RE: [bod] New Mexico funds amateur radio network

["Rick Hambly \(W2GPS\)" <w2gps@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Drew,

 

I have been a strong supporter of using Ham Radio in support of emergency
communications.  One of my motivators for getting a Ham license over 40
years ago was my involvement in Civil Defense. I immediately became a member
of ARES and RACES. I was deployed to two cities in the aftermath of
Hurricane Agnes in 1972 that caused devastation in south-central New York
State and Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

 

Over the past few years I have had many casual conversations with AMSAT
members and officials about the applicability of satellites to emergency
communications. A number of problems always come up that make the use of
existing AMSAT satellites less that practical for large scale disasters (the
ones that get us the big grants). These problems include the weak signals
from HEO satellites and the short duration of a LEO pass (not to mention
antenna steering, Doppler, etc.). 

 

It is worth noting that AMSAT has had some modest successes in this area.
As stated on a NASA Web site, "OSCAR satellites have also been used to
transmit medical data and were employed in early tests of the concept that
led to the joint US/Soviet Search And Rescue Satellite, or SARSat, system.
Amateur satellites have also proven useful in a variety of emergencies from
hurricanes to earthquakes." See
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio/amsat.html. 

 

One technology that AMSAT is developing which could improve the
applicability of AMSAT satellites to emergency communications is C-C Rider,
a high frequency transponder (above 1GHz) with a high speed digital backbone
that is based on proposals by Tom Clark K3IO (ex W3IWI) and Phil Karn KA9Q.
C-C Rider can theoretically support multiple users in multiple modes (voice,
data, video, etc.) simultaneously with minimal concern over Doppler, antenna
steering and signal strength.  The equipment would be small and easily set
up from the trunk of a car, similar to the Inmarsat terminals that the
commercial press uses in remote areas of the world. We may not fully achieve
these goals with the very first experimental C-C Rider implementation, but
we are trying hard.

 

Of particular note is AMSAT's new mission and vision statements that were
developed in early 2004. They say nothing about emergency communications.
(See www.amsat.org/amsat-new/AboutAmsat/mission.php). I think this is a
reflection of the issues I mentioned above. I hope that with the evolution
of C-C Rider and other new concepts in Amateur Radio satellite
communications we will be better equipped to provide reliable emergency
communication and that we will be able to add emergency communications
support into AMSAT's mission statement.

 

Rick

W2GPS

AMSAT President

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-BOD@amsat.org [mailto:owner-BOD@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Andrew
Glasbrenner
Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 11:38 AM
To: amsat-bb; officers@amsat.org; bod@amsat.org
Subject: [bod] New Mexico funds amateur radio network

 

Think what daily HEO access with high speed data ability would do for
emergency communications, and what $500k would do for Eagle...

 

I hope the AMSAT leadership is working this approach too.

 

73, Drew KO4MA

 

> 

>New Mexico funds emergency communication network (Mar 24, 2006)

> 

>http://www.arrl.org/

> 

>New Mexico has allocated $500,000 to design, construct and install a 

>statewide Amateur Radio emergency communication network. The money will be 

>allocated to the state Department of Public Safety to buy equipment for 

>Amateur Radio volunteers to use in disasters and emergencies. All of the 

>equipment will be state-owned.

> 

>Early plans call for the installation of strategically located, interlinked


>VHF and UHF repeaters to handle both voice and digital communication. Rep 

>Tom Anderson (R-Bernalillo), KB5YSG, sponsored the funding bill in the 2006


>New Mexico legislative session. "After hurricane Katrina, we've seen 

>firsthand just how valuable Amateur Radio can be in a disaster," Anderson
said.

> 

>"The Gulf Coast hurricanes destroyed communications infrastructure and 

>overwhelmed government resources. It was Amateur Radio operators who helped


>to save the day." In New Mexico, the potential exists for disastrous 

>wildfires, tornadoes and floods.

> 

>This year, when range fires broke out near Hobbs, Amateur Radio Emergency 

>Service (ARES) volunteers provided communication support. Over the past 

>several years, radio amateurs in New Mexico have been called upon to 

>support communication during fires, for severe weather spotting (SKYWARN) 

>and during public service events, and to assist Albuquerque with Hurricane 

>Katrina refugees.--Charlie Christmann, K5CEC

> 

 

 

 

----

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