[MilCom] Responders' lack of spectrum 'cost lives'

[Russell Adams]

It's funny (sad) how the way things get worded can make all the difference
in the world.  The real problem here and with interoperability in general is

"The inability to access spectrum already available is costing lives and
making manufactures rich."

Russell


-----Original Message-----
From: milcom-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:milcom-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
On Behalf Of MC
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2005 23:41
To: MILCOM
Subject: Re: [MilCom] Responders' lack of spectrum 'cost lives'

Mac,

You couldn't have hit the bullseye any closer.  Once
everyone starts moving to the gee-wiss digital
"interoperable" 700 band, watch a repeat of what
happened when agencies all over the country abandoned
VHF/UHF and moved to 800.  Before 800, in the
Dallas/Fort Worth area for instance, everyone was able
to talk to each other on Intercity/DPS 3 and 4
(154.950 and 155.340) when the merde' hit the fan. 
When 800 systems were installed, dispatch centers all
over the metroplex ripped out their old VHF equipment,
and now we have a situation where agencies that border
each other can't communicate via radio.  Hard to
believe four years after 9-11...  Its frustrating and
sad, and now they want to introduce a new public
safety band bringing the total to five.  Most
municipalities today can barely make payroll let alone
purchase 50 million dollar digital comm systems.  The
newest layer of bureaucracy, the Department of
Homeland Insecurity, is so busy bleeding funds from
subserviant agencies (the agencies who actually do all
the work of protecting us, not just sit around all day
in air conditioned GS-14 offices in DC and work on
security studies), that grants that were promised in
wreckless abandon four years ago still are not
forthcoming.   The situation would be laughable if it
wasn't so serious.  

I'm not worried about 700 for at least 10 more years,
but the 800 rebanding issue is going to leave lots of
radio and scanner owners with expensive paperweights.
And the interoperability issue is not going to be any
closer to being solved than it is now.

The only thing that caused the loss of life in New
Orleans was the "lack of spectrum" between the ears of
the mayor and the governor!  Sadly, we all saw who had
to fall on their sword, and it was the later.

73's

Mark
KD5ELF   

--- Mac McCormick III <kf4lmt at comcast.net> wrote:
> Let's utilize what we have and train people to use
what we have instead of giving them more that is going
to be used improperly!  How often are there ways to
interop that don't get used?
> 
> Everytime there is a tragedy like this, you are
going to have politicians and lobbyists throwing
digital TV and digital radio on the table along with
spectrum (as we see in this article). The motivation
behind it is not the safety and security of the
nation, the motivation is pure and simple greed.
>  They use tragedy as the justification of doing
things that force the public and government into
buying new equipment, lining the pockets of the
manufacturers, lobbyists, policiticians, and
bureaucrats who are promoting the changes.
> 
> 
> Mac McCormick                      "Green Comms
> Suck"
> Savannah, GA
> http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kf4lmt/index.html 


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