[LEARC] Fwd: IESMA SYNTOR-X Packet Program

[Mark A Garrett]

I thought I would pass this out to our reflector to see if there is any interest in this project and possibly discuss at the next meeting along with Heritage Days Parade. 

Mark Garrett 
KA9SZX 







----- Forwarded Message ----- 
From: Mark Thompson <wb9qzb_groups at yahoo.com> 
To: "IllinoisPacketRadio at yahoogroups.com" <IllinoisPacketRadio at yahoogroups.com> 
Cc: "ILACS-EMERGSVC at yahoogroups.com" <ILACS-EMERGSVC at yahoogroups.com>; "CIARESMAG at yahoogroups.com" <CIARESMAG at yahoogroups.com> 
Sent: Monday, May 6, 2013 1:20 AM 
Subject: [IllinoisPacketRadio] Fwd: IESMA SYNTOR-X Packet Program 













----- Forwarded Message ----- 
From: Brad Pioveson W9FX <brad at w9fx.net> 
To: Illinois_ARES at yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Sunday, May 5, 2013 6:07 PM 
Subject: [Illinois_ARES] ARES HF Net Comments 05 MAY 2013 








SYNTOR-X Packet Program 

As many of you who have connections in or with the public service communications world know, the FCC mandated that all the FM rigs on VHF and UHF channels in the U.S. had to comply with narrowband emission requirements on 01 JAN of this year. Some of the newer radios were capable of being reprogrammed to meet the new deviation and frequency standards. Others, including the Illinois State Police fleet of VHF Motorola Syntor-X transceivers were not, and, they became surplus to the State of Illinois. All of these radios, about 925 of them, were headed for recyclers. I heard about this and started an initiative to get them repurposed for ARES and RACES use. With the help of others, including Jim Pitchford, N9LQF, and Charlie Richey, K9DUE, we have successfully managed to stay the virtual execution of these fine, 110 watt transceivers. There are currently 15 pallets of them at the Illinois’ Central Management System’s warehouse in Springfield. 
What we’re going to do with these transceivers is to have a team of ISP radio techs – hams, volunteering their expertise and time – modify these rigs to become single channel transceivers. This single channel will be 145.610 MHz, our Illinois Packet Network frequency. The radios will have connections for audio in, audio out, push-to-talk (PTT) and DC power connections. We plan, thru the auspices of the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA), to offer two, each, of these transceivers to every emergency management agency in the State of Illinois. That’s all the county EMA’s, and all the home rule community EMA’s. What we will ask in return for the transceivers is an agreement from these EMA’s that they will provide a packet radio 1200 baud TNC, power supply, antenna, feedling, PC and, hopefully, a 24/7 Internet connection, so that these transceivers can become part of a statewide Winlink 2000 VHF packet system. The Illinois RACES program (state level) will oversee management of the network. Obviously, each EMA will have to establish a working relationship with local hams in order to legally bring these systems up on amateur radio frequencies. That’s where ARES comes in. Y’all will have an opportunity to have a hand in the building, operation, and, maintenance of this network, and, you will have a ready resource for your ARES (or, RACES) group’s digital communications needs. Running the Winlink Development Teams’ RMS Relay program will allow traffic to continue to flow across the network even when the Internet is not available. 
I am also going to be contacting the Illinois Dept of Public Health in an effort to initiate a similar Syntor-X radio program for EVERY hospital in Illinois. That is, at this point, however, not something that has been accomplished. 
More on the Syntor-X Packet radio program as it develops and we get the kinks worked out. Trying to find storage space for 925 radios, plus arranging for transportation and a production line of techs to work on them requires more than a little time and finesse. Stay tuned for more! 

Brad Pioveson, W9FX 
Illinois Emergency Management Agency State RACES Officer 
ARRL Illinois Section Emergency Coordinator 
ARRL Emergency Communications Advisory Committee Central Division Representative 
Hurricane Watch Net, Inc., President and Chairman