[Lowfer] Lowfer Digest, Vol 90, Issue 13

[John Rabson]

> Message: 16
> Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:51:35 -0400
> From: "K2ORS" <k2ors at verizon.net>
> Subject: Re: [Lowfer] Western Updates
> To: <k5wms at centurytel.net>,	"Discussion of the Lowfer \(US, European,
> 	&amp; UK\) and MedFer bands"	<lowfer at mailman.qth.net>
> Message-ID: <687A1EF3DE4E479CACD6261002080889 at whz119d5825538>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
> 	reply-type=original
> 
> Hi Paul,
>       I agree 100% with your comments. Unfortunately the focus on disaster 
> relief is misplaced, when there is a natural disaster the wireless companies 
> have mobile cell phone units complete with generators and telescoping towers 
> that they bring in so everyone can keep using their phones.

Provided they can. At the Lockerbie incident (aka Pan Am Flight 103) the news people came in faster than the wireless companies could provide alternative base stations. It could take up to 30 minutes to get a “line”. 

That was some time ago so perhaps things are easier now, but it is my understanding that, in the UK, emergency services (both official and volunteer) assume that the mobile telephone network will not be available in the area of the incident. That was just as well at Lockerbie. I did not participate in that operation, but was on standby in case there should be a second incident. One of my colleagues who did go reported that Raynet contributed 7000 hours of effort including the tidying up process.

Sometimes it is necessary to have longer-distance communications from the incident to somewhere well outside the area. See for example http://arsi.info/ham-radio-in-emergencies 

Finally, the official description of the amateur radio service makes much of technical investigations and self-training.  Radio amateurs are not supposed to be just a bunch of appliance operators.

John G3PAI/F5VLF