[GreenKeys] Subject: RE telecommunication infrastructure vulnerabilities

[Linger, Mike]

Dang, ....watching all these comments, valid on both sides for the most part, brings to mind what happened to us back in the mid 60's as a member of the W5AC club radio station (I was a student) at Texas A&M University.  There was a staged overthrow of the govt. in the Dominican Republic and Texas A&M University had agricultural advisors down there caught (literally) in the crossfire.  There was little communications between the US and there because every phone line, routed through Florida was plugged up.  Amateur radio stepped up to the task and our club station (among many) others operated around the clock getting health and welfare traffic as well as phone patches in and out of that country.  The University was so impressed afterwards that they footed a very large bill to buy the very best radio equipment that money could buy at that time.  I should add that the old model 19 worked quite well during that time as well.  As a matter of fact, that old model 19 is still at the station with a bunch of young "geeky" hams that want it back on the air (surprised me!).

So my conclusion in general is that we need it ALL and it needs work reliably in all types of emergencies whether it's geeky computers driving "geeky" hi-tech radio transceivers or diehard well lubed teletype machines driving old tube-type TU's that feed the old junky tube-type radios (Collins, Drake, National, Galaxy, etc.).   And if you're hung up on using old radios and TU's let's not forget the fact that much of the old equipment used a solid state diode or transistor hidden in them somewhere too.  You want emergency communications,  ......better have some spare parts and backup for any of it.   Also, set aside a good old-style telephone  (non solid-state)  like the phone maintenance guys carried around back then.  You'd be surprised where it might work, especially if you have 2 of them and a 5000 ft. roll of military WD-1A "twisted pair" wire that you can still find on the military surplus market.  I have a couple of these reels and have used some of it for remote phone use, antennas, clothes lines, my teletype lines for remote operation, you name it.

Also for you EMP'ers, don't forget that your generators probably have that nasty solid state stuff in the control circuitry as well.  No juice, no RYRYRYRYRY !!  ......................Mike