Re: [CASILIST] New Spotter Frequency!

Duane Reece (duanereece{at}alltel.net)
14 Jun 1999 11:49:40 -0000

I'm not so sure we should axe the messenger here. While hams have for the
most part grown pretty much dependent on 2M repeaters lets remember things
happen. In Cherokee County Georgia hurricane Opal roared through a few
years back. When it came through a large amount of widespread damage
occurred due to the eighty to ninety mph winds and torrential rainfall. As
we all know repeaters are largely located atop mountains and access is
difficult sometimes even in excellent weather. As luck would have it
electricity to both local repeaters was lost and backup power failed. We
were able to accomplish our mission of relaying traffic from shelters to
the E.M.A. in Canton Georgia and at times from F.E.M.A. to The Georgia
Emergency Agency in Atlanta some thirty miles away. We carried out our
mission by using simplex mode and relay through one operator to another. I
admit one of the shortfalls of this was it took a few minutes to get the
message to its destination. However, each message got through.
One of the problems we had was not having a pre recognized frequency to go
to when the repeater's source of power failed. Through chance a lot of
operators went to the output frequency of the Cartersville, Ga repeater
owned by Jim N4GIS, Glenda KB4GDS
Smith and Dave W4UWH and operated simplex. Had we had a prerecognized
simplex frequency in hand a lot of time and numerous telephone calls would
have been saved.

After 25 years in the field operating as an Emergency Medical Technician in
Atlanta I learned a few lessons.
#1. Equipment that is designed to never fail will.
#2. Disasters planning is set up for the disaster to occur at 2:00 P.M. on
Wednesday when all available resources are readily at hand. Rarely do these
events occur during this time frame.
The third and final: #3. You never,never, never ever waste a resource
during a disaster.

I think a lot of thought has gone into this idea by the persons who have
created it.
By not wasting a resource we would use the repeater if available to relay
pertinent information to Emergency management authorities or the National
Weather Service. If others need to communicate and are within simplex
range, I feel the traffic should be handled here. By allowing a designated
net control operator to be gateway or traffic light to radio traffic is
imperative if available.

I was not a developer of this nationwide simplex frequency, but I ask
consideration for those who developed it. It may very well be an idea whose
time has arrived. I feel itb has strong merits.

I will shut up now. Sorry for the long winded narrative. Thank you for your
consideration to my response.

Duane Reece, KE4RST
411 Burma Court
P.O. Box 195
Lebanon, ga 30146-0195
(H) 770-704-0325
(O) 770-517-5221
(fax) 770-517-5222
Monitoring 147.015 downshift

At 01:39 AM 6/14/99 -0000, you wrote:
>Good to see you here Dee...
>
>The view from WA2AAB....
>(Pike County Pa.)
>
>Unless your on TOP of the mountain here
>you can't even hit a repeater (with a beam??!!)
>
>In other words, I have to be at my house
>to hit the Monroe or Wayne Skywarn
>(Pike doesn't have Skywarn...ugh...or a repeater)
>
>Welcome to Tropical Season everybody
>
>Charlie Anzman
>http://www.sbccomputer.com/Pikeweather.html
>The Pike Weather Station
>http://www.pikepennsylvania.com
>http://www.tristatenews.com
>Tri-State News
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Dee Hall <dhall{at}gabn.net>
>To: <casilist{at}lists.weatherwatchers.org>; <lrboyce{at}ibm.net>
>Cc: <casilist{at}lists.weatherwatchers.org>
>Sent: Sunday, June 13, 1999 8:49 PM
>Subject: Re: [CASILIST] New Spotter Frequency!
>
>
>> Good reply Powell. It doesn't make since to ask the net control operator
>> to go simplex when they are already talking on a repeater. (By the way I'm
>> from August for anybodys information. My late husband ran a privately
>owned
>> weather station out of Augusta and there is no way that we could ever hit
>> Columbia without a repeater.) So Powell I back you 100% on what you are
>> saying. I have seen how hard it was for you guys at the NWS to get to us
>> when the repeater was down. You guys at the NWS do a great job keep it up.
>>
>> Your Friend,
>> "D"
>>
>> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
>>
>> On 6/13/99, at 8:07 PM, Powell E. Way III wrote:
>>
>> >> On the surface, this sounds just fine, but in the Augusta, GA area, as
>> >> in many areas, we depend on the range of our repeater for coverage.
>The
>> >> NWS guy is in Columbia, SC and there's no way in bloody blue blazes for
>> >> him to hear us if we go to simplex. If all we were doing was having a
>> >> group chase, it would be OK, but that's not how we normally handle our
>> >> skywarn nets.
>> >
>> >Well I'd be the one that she'd be calling into. In stormy weather
>> >(Augusta is 65 miles away) it's VERY hard to hear the repeater, and I
>> >sure wish they would raise the antenna another 50 feet and double the
>> >power!
>> >
>> >> "Gregory S. Williams" wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> > Well this is news to a great many HAMs who are on several SKYWARN
>> mailing
>> >> > lists. Looks like these multitudes of HAMs who voted on this never
>> >> > bothered to fill any EC's in.
>> >
>> >Well I think it was a very SMALL handfull of hams that came up with
>> >this scheme.
>> >
>> >> > I sure as heck havent heard anyhting about it until recently. I knew
>> >> > several areas were going to 147.420 simplex to coincide with Red
>Cross
>> lo
>> >> > band (47.42) but this is a first for me...and a *LOT* of others.
>> >> > Greg
>> >I haven't heard about this either. BUT I digress....
>> >
>> >
>> >> > At 01:33 AM 6/8/99 -0000, Jason Breakiron wrote:
>> >> > >For those of you who are Spotters and are HAM Radio operators or if
>> you
>> >> > >have a scanner: There is a new frequency set up for
>> spotters/chasers/HAM
>> >> > >Radio Operators to share weather information during severe weather.
>> The new
>> >> > >frequency is: 146.550 It will be used all over the nation. for
>> more
>> >> > >information go to: http://www.hamsnet.net/kc5trr/simplex.htm This
>> New
>> >> > >frequency was created by Steve Miller KC5TRR, My administrator
>> partner in
>> >> > >Chasers digest. It was created so that everyone across the country
>> could
>> >> > >report severe weather
>> >
>> >
>> >It's my idea that this was the[ NOT DALLAS TX ] Steve Miller's idea.
>> >Jason got rather [and deservedly so] flamed for this in WX-CHASE. He
>> >claimed the old frequency was 146.52 which is the NATIONAL simplex
>> >frequency. Nope. NOPE N O P E!! It would be OK to call and move off
>> >to a simplex frequency of your choice, but don't bother ME at the
>> >NWS when I'm on 2 radios (maybe my on HT on another local repeater)
>> >and get me to go simplex when you can give it to me on a repeater. I
>> >could miss something important. Now if lets say John wants to ask
>> >Bill something and not tie up the repeater they can ask net control
>> >to let them go to a simplex frequency for a short while so as not to
>> >tie up the net for more important stuff. I just think it was someone
>> >wanting themselves to be deemed important. Even in SC running a
>> >Skywarn net can be baptism by fire. Ask the Augusta Folks....
>> >
>> >Powell
>> >
>> >---------------------------------------------
>> >powell{at}conterra.com
>> >http://www.qsl.net/w4opw
>> >---------------------------------------------
>>
>> 73's de KD4AHR
>> Dee dhall{at}gabn.net
>> ICQ # 784308
>>
>
>
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