[Ham-80211] Re: Emergency Wireless Internet (Mark Miller)

[Larry Cerney]

-----Original Message-----
From: ham-80211-bounces at lists.tapr.org
[mailto:ham-80211-bounces at lists.tapr.org] On Behalf Of Alex Fraser
Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2005 11:29 AM
To: TAPR Mailing List for Ham Radio Use of 802.11
Subject: Re: [Ham-80211] Re: Emergency Wireless Internet (Mark Miller)

We hams should just do what we do best with out the huge bureaucracy and
it's culture of restrictions and control.
Hams could be so much more agile and the country would be much better 
served too.


[Larry Cerney] A group of Hams from the Colorado DRT (Disaster Response
Team) came back from N.O., LA. and Miss. with some valuable lessons learned.
The one that really stands out is the cellular phone companies were climbing
all over one another to restore cell service when the Colorado DRT was
finally asked to come down and help out two weeks after the K event.  They
were given assignments in both states and each time they arrived at a
location after a long and hazardous drive, they were told "Thanks, but cell
service is back."  

The DRT spent a great deal of time and effort to get in to the affected area
and didn't do a heck of a lot of good.(their words, not mine) The suggestion
was made that the Hams (ARES & RACES, but less so RACES who are
pseudo-governmental) should make all possible effort to provide the initial
response to event like hurricanes and earthquakes and not wait for the
governmental agencies to get it together long enough to think "Oh yeah, Ham
radio operators."  

I would suggest that the ORGANIZED Ham radio groups (ARES, RACES, Red Cross
and SA communications and others) start to move to staging areas outside the
effected areas, but with in a 8 hour drive, and contact the Section
Coordinator for the area and notify them of the assets they have available.
Use those assets outside the effected area to set up resource nets on HF and
stand by to move in early and keep an eye out behind you for Cell companies
and their herd of COWs!

 73...

Larry  K0ANI
Former East Slope of Colorado EC