EOC AUXCOMM gear

[kayn1n32008]

I’m having mood swings like a pregnant woman but I’m thinking that the ham community needs to up it’s game and that it is the real failure point not PS side of interop. Amateur radio needs to move into fighting the next war and develop and implement procedures for disaster response including their own infrastructure failure work arounds (Loss of power, repeaters, key personnel) as well as use conventional methods when available (cellphones, starlink, vehicles) and have a way to alert members (not easy) and assign tasks and become trained observers (Skywarn model).

This is an excellent point. You are right. 100%.

At that point create a liaison into PS for information exchange. PS should train a few paid employees on dealing with amateurs or even volunteers in general and not depend on a ham or three inside the EOC. In my county we have PS conventional repeaters that can be one of the paths between amateur and EOC with simple MOU. Qualified hams who are at key command positions can have PS radios and WebEOC logins as well.

Another excellent point and idea.

I’m going sour on inside EOC because of no easy access during non event times and the clash of cultures. The EOC will never feel like home to volunteers who do not go there on a frequent basis and are viewed as outsiders, which they are. I’m recklessly spitballing at this point so forgive me later when I sober up.

100%

Here is my oddball opinion from outside looking in as a ham, and it might surprise you. There is no reason to have vfo or even FPP capability in the EOC, none. If there isn't a set plan that can be programmed into a radio, there isn't any way the EOC will be of any benefit to the ham community. Sure, repeaters come and go, especially in a power failure, but that's why the list of repeaters usually includes everything in range. Just maintain the the programming as best as you can when one goes permanently off air, or when one a new one comes back online. Since every other ham has VFO, they can use it to meet the programmed plan, rather than the EOC programming on the fly to meet the whim of the ham group.

YOU GET IT!!!!!! Holy crap. You are few and far between.

The only thing I'd add is having two or more V/U stations for relay of information between the chosen simplex and primary repeater channel. That would be the only benefit to a ham radio in place, listening to one bank and relaying information to the other bank, but I don't think that justifies having ham equipment in place. I think you are on the right track with VM8000 stations. Same goes for HF, channelized. Anything more than change to channel 2 to sent a report out will confuse some volunteers,

BINGO.

KISS.

THIS!!!!

If it's not in a written plan, it's not a valid plan, and cannot be anticipated. I don't care what anyone else says, but ask 3 people 3 years in a row, and you will get 15 different answers, that's impossible to participate or plan for.

Again. HOLY ****. YOU need to be in charge of making AUXCOM plans. you are one of the very few people that actually understand.

 

[kayn1n32008]

I hear you.
I'm not anti-ham. I'm a ham myself, as are many in the public safety communications field.
I've seen quite a few ham repeaters, and I haven't run across one that was on the same level of any of the public safety systems I've been around. I'd not put a lot of reliance on them. I know there are some ham systems out there that are built to commercial specs, like @kayn1n32008 systems. But those are pretty few and far between.

While I appreciate the shout out, I had a small hand in it, there are others that have put in considerably more effort to our repeater and IT systems.

 

[mmckenna]

While I appreciate the shout out, I had a small hand in it, there are others that have put in considerably more effort to our repeater and IT systems.

Your site is what al good LMR sites should look like. Clean, well lit, wire management, proper equipment racks, grounding, lightning protection, etc.

Most of us have seen the ham repeater sites that look like rodents have been living inside the cabinet, no grounding, backup batteries that look like they were stolen from a junk yard, zero cable management, etc. If hams want to claim emergency communications, I'd expect the repeater sites to look the part.

 

[otobmark]

Finally I was asked for a minimum spec setup. At first I was irritated but thinking further I realized this will be another dust collector at taxpayer expense. Even so I don’t want it to fail if needed. Truly minimum is just antennas if you are not planning on having paid employees capable of using the equipment since if you bring in amateurs for rare events they can bring their own gear. My minimum for radio equipped loadout is: 1 vhf xpr, 1 uhf xpr, 1 dual band icom id 5100 (mars/cap mod) and 1 icom ic 7300. DMR around here is uhf including PS and hospital system trs. No vhf DMR yet but xpr is a very capable FM part 90 (NIFOG & Ham) radio and matches uhf radio (simplified support and training). The xpr uhf can run on healthcare DMR trs system if needed (healthcare has offered ID’s on their system to even hams willing to help in emergency). It can handle DMR & Fm for part 90 and ham. The vhf is the same even though no DMR in use presently. The icom duplicates ham fm function on vhf/uhf. I’m sure everyone caught the mars/cap mod (available for $44 from dealer) and are wondering like I am what does that mean? There is no mention of part 90 certification and if it somehow only works on “military” frequencies then not under fcc jurisdiction. I’m not counting on this mod for station planning, it’s only a curiosity at this point. The HF IC 7300 with built in sound card is becoming a standard at EOC’s or so I’ve been told.

I will spec power supplies and external modems (pactor hf) and sound cards (vhf/UHF for whatever- aprs, vara-fm winlink). Computer(s), displays, printer/scanner and IT side is up to them. The HF will need its own pc for winlink, ale, selcal, MT-63 and so on.

I can source the xpr’s used or maybe donated if needed. No idea if any of it will ever be used…
I know this post is getting long but I had AI scan CISA documents for AUXCOMM mission and expectations. If AI is to be believed, AUXCOMM people are to show up self sustaining including radios and support gear (power, antennas etc.). This is a heavy lift physically and financially as well as being a failure point (crap Chinese gear). Only benefit to EM I see is free labor.

 

[mmckenna]

1 dual band icom id 5100 (mars/cap mod) and ...I’m sure everyone caught the mars/cap mod (available for $44 from dealer) and are wondering like I am what does that mean? There is no mention of part 90 certification and if it somehow only works on “military” frequencies then not under fcc jurisdiction. I’m not counting on this mod for station planning, it’s only a curiosity at this point.

I would not do that.

Get the right Part 90 gear if that's what the need is.

As for working with CAP, they use P25 now.
MARS is pointless on VHF/UHF. If the EOC needs to interoperate with the military, it'll happen on the DHS frequencies.
There is zero reason to have a hacked amateur radio in an EOC when there are plenty of part 90 radios available. Keep hams in their lane.

I will spec power supplies

One big power supply is a good idea. Add in power distribution like a fuse or breaker panel. Hams seem to love Anderson Power poles, so a panel with those might make some good sense. I know you didn't say battery backup, but I would avoid a battery backup if your EOC is on a generator.

A big 110vac power strip mounted on the table would be a good idea to allow plugging in other items. That'll allow plugging in more stuff without someone showing up with their 100 foot extension cord to create a trip hazard.

Also, a proper ground buss. You want all the equipment properly grounded, and give room for additions.

I know this post is getting long but I had AI scan CISA documents for AUXCOMM mission and expectations. If AI is to be believed, AUXCOMM people are to show up self sustaining including radios and support gear (power, antennas etc.). This is a heavy lift physically and financially as well as being a failure point (crap Chinese gear). Only benefit to EM I see is free labor.

The idea is that hams are supposed to be self sufficient. They mostly are, but will benefit from some support. Having permanent antennas up high will be beneficial. Having power, space, grounding will make things easier. Having radios already installed and programmed will make it easier for someone to walk in and just start working.
But I'd also expect that some will show up withe their own radios. They'll be more comfortable with their own gear. Best thing you can do is to make it easy for them to temporarily install their own radios safely.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

This is actually one of the topics we've been discussing within my local ARES group (let me take my state agency hat off and put my local volunteer hat on which I never get to wear because work).

In terms of what equipment to get, DMR is more or less the common digital mode most of the amateur radio operators have in the area. There are zero DMR repeaters currently a System Fusion repeater and then my P25 repeater. I get the desire to push a common digital mode but I've still been steering the group to remain analog though they like the idea of using an air-gapped IP network to link sites together (the appeal of DMR) but luckily one of the board members also knows how to do that over analog as well (been told he's a smart guy and a youngin at under 35 still but have to keep that info from going to his head). So the proposal is a multi-site analog system with a DMR site that is fully interoperable using 100% duty cycle DMR repeaters. The main goal for the group is to have a standard codeplug for deployable situations thus standardizing on a single mobile and portable makes sense. The idea is that the go-boxes also use these standardized radios. In this case, keeping things strictly amateur in terms of equipment. Yes, I can do a lot more and interoperate with a lot more stuff but would you expect any less from a state credentialed COML/COMT who also does radio as a hobby?

In terms of the EOC, we've more or less established multiple EOCs (last July, lessons were learned about how flooding can effectively cut the region into quadrants) and instead of actively acquiring equipment for each one simply utilizing EOC go-boxes with pre-installed antennas is the route we've decided to go with and that's also partially due to the "official" EOC in the county not being the actual EOC in an incident (usually one gets stood up at each PSAP and is staffed appropriately).

 

[kayn1n32008]

My minimum for radio equipped loadout is: 1 vhf xpr, 1 uhf xpr, 1 dual band icom id 5100 (mars/cap mod)

NO MODIFIED HAM GEAR. JFC, there is zero reason or situation it is the right solution.

You rejected Motorola due to single ID only on DMR, and are now going to use it.

We have offered you real solutions, and now you're ignoring them.

 

[speedway_navigator]

A big 110vac power strip mounted on the table would be a good idea to allow plugging in other items. That'll allow plugging in more stuff without someone showing up with their 100 foot extension cord to create a trip hazard.

Put them on their own circuit breaker and know where the panel is in case too much other stuff gets plugged in. I was in an federal CP for the July 4th celebration a few years ago and counted 17 Dell laptop chargers at 1.5A each into a series of power strips all in 1 outlet, plus a few portable printers.

 

[mmckenna]

counted 17 Dell laptop chargers at 1.5A each into a series of power strips all in 1 outlet, plus a few portable printers.

The electrical equivalent of "how can I be out of money, I still have checks left!"

 

[otobmark]

NO MODIFIED HAM GEAR. JFC, there is zero reason or situation it is the right solution.

The backbone of the SHARES public system (State and local government) is being run on modified HF ham gear. It’s legal and effective. I run Barrett and Codan but they are $20k to $35K radios and are awkward to use in a ham role which is also part of the auxcomm mission. I run APX XPR KW-NX and EFJ for all my line of sight personal radios except for marine and airband which are ICOM.

I’m not counting on this mod for station planning, it’s only a curiosity at this point.

As I said, the 5100 is not being used in a part 90 role. It is used in a ham radio role and the XPR’s handle part 90 and ham.

You rejected Motorola due to single ID only on DMR, and are now going to use it.

Economics/logistics. They are cheap and available and my county is motorola and is what our radio shop is trained on. The healthcare system is a major partner in EM and they use motorola trs. I didn’t say I liked it. I would like 2 VM8000 and a Codan HF. Probably add a dual band ham radio for no reason in particular. I’m evolving...

We have offered you real solutions, and now you're ignoring them.

I know this is a common complaint on forums, especially since this is a “hobby” forum. Ignoring and evaluating are not the same and I obviously have not bored everyone (well a little) with all the details of my technical/political/economic challenges. mmckenna’s comment about a distributed 13.8v DC system rather than a bunch of noisy switching supplies was an idea I had never considered but is now a part of my evolving proposal. The discussion on AC power design has very much got my attention to the point of planning a survey of what’s there (total power to room and number of circuits) and how hard to improve (breaking load into more circuits and running outlets—speedway!).
The room is now grounded and a buss bar installed (per recommendations here) at inside entry point to host polyphasers (short tower). My surprise was that they did not bond to the short tower which as far as i can tell is only “grounded” by virtue of being concreted in the ground. I was thinking it should be bonded to 3 rods either separate or shared with radio room. Not my area of expertise.

The radio equipment order is up in the air at the moment so I hope to proceed on what can be done. Replacing and installing antennas and verifying hardline (vhf/uhf/800) as well as coax used on HF antennas and scanner antennas. Given my statement above I’m going to “try" create the work stations and supply them with power (AC and DC), lighting, as well as phone system and Ethernet Jacks. The winlink station will probably be a go given it is so heavily associated with auxcomm and state often passes out radios and modems. Someone mentioned having a go box system type setup which I personally like. Being able to snatch enough gear to relocate base is a major force multiplier. Not sure how to design a kit that packs tight but expands to multiple work stations when in use. I’m sure it could be done by clever people. I’m not ignoring anything— to the contrary I absorb everything, too much in fact.

 

[mmckenna]

The backbone of the SHARES public system (State and local government) is being run on modified HF ham gear. It’s legal and effective. I run Barrett and Codan but they are $20k to $35K radios and are awkward to use in a ham role which is also part of the auxcomm mission. I run APX XPR KW-NX and EFJ for all my line of sight personal radios except for marine and airband which are ICOM.

You might want to confirm that with your state OES.
For us, some of what we do is on a statewide network, different from SHARES. One of the requirements for the state system is that all radios -must- be Part 90. This is specifically mentioned in the documents.

Plus, I've never seen an amateur HF radio that supports ALE, which is something you'll probably want.

One of these days, I'll spend some time digging into the NTIA redbook and see what it says about amateur gear on SHARES. I know we've had some calls where local OES's were quite proud that they were running modified amateur radio gear, and we know that some hams like to ignore rules. I'd just make sure you are CYA'ing your OES guys by not putting modified amateur radio gear in an EOC and telling them it's for SHARES or your state use if it's not allowed.

But, yeah, I know the part 90 HF gear is expensive. Check with your state to see if they have grant funding, that's how I got ours.

The discussion on AC power design has very much got my attention to the point of planning a survey of what’s there (total power to room and number of circuits) and how hard to improve (breaking load into more circuits and running outlets—speedway!).

I agree with Jay. A couple of 20 amp circuits at minimum. Should't need an HF linear amp, but might be something to consider, adding a 220v outlet while all the other wiring is being done is going to be easier/cheaper than trying to do it later.

If you have a backup generator, make sure that at least some of the outlets are on that.

The room is now grounded and a buss bar installed (per recommendations here) at inside entry point to host polyphasers (short tower). My surprise was that they did not bond to the short tower which as far as i can tell is only “grounded” by virtue of being concreted in the ground. I was thinking it should be bonded to 3 rods either separate or shared with radio room. Not my area of expertise.

The tower needs to be grounded. I'd be surprised if whoever installed it didn't ground it properly, but I've seen some weird stuff.

Ideally, a connection from each tower leg to its own ground rod, and all three ground rods bonded in a ring. Bonding that to the facility ground might be required depending on location.

Often, you'll see a ground buss/bar at the bottom of the tower where your coax grounding kits get attached. You want to give any energy a way to get straight down the tower to a ground rod, not finding a path all the way back to your protectors.

I could send you some photos, if you want.

Someone mentioned having a go box system type setup which I personally like. Being able to snatch enough gear to relocate base is a major force multiplier. Not sure how to design a kit that packs tight but expands to multiple work stations when in use. I’m sure it could be done by clever people. I’m not ignoring anything— to the contrary I absorb everything, too much in fact.

Always figure on evacuating the EOC and taking the show on the road. We came close once, and we didn't have the resources we needed. We cooperated with others and I was able to toss up a few radios, phone lines and some network connections. Luckily they got a fire line cut big enough to stop the fire from getting closer than about a mile away. I never want to go through that again.

 

[otobmark]

NTIA focus is on License of station and mission. Part 90 radios are not legal on NTIA because they are part 90 either. Radios have never been challenged by NTIA. Many States have FCC assigned HF channels which is where the situation mmckenna mentioned comes into play. Ion2g is ALE program in wide use on SHARES and works with many ham radios. Post 911 interop is top trump card — don’t ask don’t tell. Task force has Codan gear which as far as I know I’m the only one to fire it up.
As I said, unless there is a paradigm shift I will content myself to create the bones of a station and leave provisioning to others. I feel able to do that in part due to this thread and to separate the task of provisioning until later. I worked a major event (Helene) and saw the amateur component of auxcomm fail. Auxcomm did lots of COMT work and fill in the gap jobs, so they absolutely performed. The ham community interface did not work. The main fail was the ham community not having a working emergency plan to stay on the air and connected. They sat on their favorite repeater until it went down and then nothing. The one working component was Mt. Mitchell ad hoc net which got off to a rocky start and would have been far better with very basic planning. This EOC Auxcomm station will likely experience the same failure and for the same reasons under similar conditions. I’m not overly stoked….

 

[mmckenna]

Laying the foundation is the right thing to do, and it does sound like you are well on your way with that.
From my experience, you are already way ahead of many by having good power, grounding, antenna systems, and did I say grounding?

 

[Flyham]

You might want to confirm that with your state OES.
For us, some of what we do is on a statewide network, different from SHARES. One of the requirements for the state system is that all radios -must- be Part 90. This is specifically mentioned in the documents.

Plus, I've never seen an amateur HF radio that supports ALE, which is something you'll probably want.

One of these days, I'll spend some time digging into the NTIA redbook and see what it says about amateur gear on SHARES. I know we've had some calls where local OES's were quite proud that they were running modified amateur radio gear, and we know that some hams like to ignore rules. I'd just make sure you are CYA'ing your OES guys by not putting modified amateur radio gear in an EOC and telling them it's for SHARES or your state use if it's not allowed.

Google pointed towards this:

https://www.ntia.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/full_complete_manual_2023_revision_of_the_2021_edition.pdf

MANUAL OF REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES FOR FEDERAL RADIO FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT January 2023 Revision of the January 2021 Edition

12.11 USE OF AMATEUR RADIO HIGH FREQUENCY EQUIPMENT FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

Use of Amateur High Frequency (HF) radio equipment meeting the standards for unwanted emissions specified in 47 CFR, Section 97.307 is permitted on Federal SHARES or Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) network frequencies when authorized by the National Coordinating Center for Communications (NCC) or Department of Defense, respectively, as part of either the SHARES or MARS networks. The use of such equipment will be limited to national security or emergency preparedness events as well as DOD sponsored MARS operations.

MANUAL OF REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES FOR FEDERAL RADIO FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT. (2023, January). U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Retrieved June 6, 2026, from https://www.ntia.gov/sites/default/..._manual_2023_revision_of_the_2021_edition.pdf

 

[mmckenna]

Thanks, I'll need to read that section in more detail.

MANUAL OF REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES FOR FEDERAL RADIO FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT January 2023 Revision of the January 2021 Edition

12.11 USE OF AMATEUR RADIO HIGH FREQUENCY EQUIPMENT FOR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

Use of Amateur High Frequency (HF) radio equipment meeting the standards for unwanted emissions specified in 47 CFR, Section 97.307 is permitted on Federal SHARES or Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) network frequencies when authorized by the National Coordinating Center for Communications (NCC) or Department of Defense, respectively, as part of either the SHARES or MARS networks. The use of such equipment will be limited to national security or emergency preparedness events as well as DOD sponsored MARS operations.

But it still comes back to state run networks that are not part of CISA/SHARES. Those do require Part 90 radios, and what we were required to purchase with our grant funds. Modified amateur radio equipment was strictly prohibited.
So since we use both networks, using Part 90 radios was necessary.

 

[Flyham]

Thanks, I'll need to read that section in more detail.



But it still comes back to state run networks that are not part of CISA/SHARES. Those do require Part 90 radios, and what we were required to purchase with our grant funds. Modified amateur radio equipment was strictly prohibited.
So since we use both networks, using Part 90 radios was necessary.

Oh, I certainly agree. When grant funds are involved, compliance with the established requirements is simply part of the process. The restrictions on equipment eligibility are among those clear, non-negotiables, that exist and should be followed as written.

 

[Flyham]

Oh, I certainly agree. When grant funds are involved, compliance with the established requirements is simply part of the process. The restrictions on equipment eligibility are among those clear, non-negotiables, that exist and should be followed as written.

Ran out of time during the editing process. But meant to add in a little more...

Now not to derail the thread to terribly far, but we could really have some fun if we went down the rabbit whole of how the emergency management realm plays with Title 10 and Title 32 (particularly when working with state and local Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), emergency managers, and public safety agencies.)

 

[AK9R]

I'm late to this thread and have only skimmed it. I do not have a professional communications or public safety background. But, I've been involved in many public service events that were supported by amateur radio over 35 years as a ham. I've also been assigned as an amateur radio operator to EOCs and I've worked with EMA leadership on amateur radio communications plans.

Setting up an ICS 217 is paramount. Spend some time on this. Engage multiple parties from various disciplines. Figure out what frequencies the amateur radio station needs and stick to it. If the ICS 217 proves to be inadequate, note that in the AAR and get the parties together after the event to revise the 217. Yes, my thinking is to steer away from radios with VFOs.

But, before you get to the ICS 217 step, figure out what the EOC might expect the amateur radio operators to do. What tasks can amateur radio perform and how will the EOC expect that to happen? This line of thinking reinforces the idea of having amateur radio liaisons inside the EOC communicating with amateur radio teams outside the EOC that have more freedom.

The amateur radio operators working inside the EOC need to understand who the customer is...and that customer is not amateur radio. I see this regularly with local severe weather spotters. Some of them get their panties in a twist if a severe weather net isn't activated for every storm that blows through the area. They forget that the National Weather Service is the customer and NWS will decide when they need spotters. Stroking the egos of amateur radio operators is not the point of a severe weather net.

1 dual band icom id 5100 (mars/cap mod)

Why? Aside from the useless "MARS/CAP mod", why do you need this radio? What does this radio do for you that your prescribed LMR radios don't do? Yes, it has a VFO, which you don't need if you have a good ICS 217. It has D-STAR, which you may or may not need. If your amateur radio team and your EOC management think there's a benefit to digital voice, then I might see the point. But, I'm not convinced that digital voice in amateur radio solves any existing problems within amateur radio (which is why I'm not going to debate D-STAR vs DMR vs System Fusion vs whatever).

The MARS/CAP mod is useless because this radio is not FCC authorized to transmit outside the amateur radio bands. Period.

and 1 icom ic 7300

Again, why? Are you going to invest in a functional and effective HF antenna? For what bands? Keep in mind that, generally, the lower HF bands, 80m and 40m, are sometimes useful for regional (100-1000 miles) comms depending on the time of day. But, they need bigger antennas. The higher HF bands, 20m and above, are primarily useful for distant communications. Will your EOC need to talk to Slovakia? If so, install an effective 20m or 15m antenna.

As for Winlink...Yes, there's an argument that if you have satellite comms, you don't need Winlink. Might be nice to have it as a backup. But, maybe having primary and backup sat comms would be a better idea. Keep in mind, that unless you are using Telnet (Internet), no Winlink station talks directly to Winlink's servers over the air. Access to Winlink is through RMS stations which could be operated by EOCs or could be operated by the same amateur radio operators that build sloppy repeaters and don't understand grounding.

I think it's good that you are taking the time to discuss and plan this installation. I still go back a few paragraphs...work with your amateur radio team to clearly define the customer, the needs, and the expectations.

 

[otobmark]

The amateur radio operators working inside the EOC need to understand who the customer is...and that customer is not amateur radio.

This is absolutely true and also very important. This is also why the amateur radio side needs to do its own thing and not be controlled by EM or Auxcomm in particular. It should liaison in a practical planned way. Bringing the bureaucracy of govenment to amateur radio is a crushing weight and anathema to the hobby in general. Can “some” auxcomm principles add efficiency to ham emergency execution— definitely! Some EOC’s bring amateur operators inside the building to be amateurs and to represent amateur community to EOC. Just as when Verizon sends people to EOC during an event they are not government employees but represent Verizon to EOC. Auxcomm is confusing because most of the volunteers come from amateur radio. Auxcomm is to support AHJ and does not “represent” amateur radio. Auxcomm does reach out to amateur radio and provide a contact for amateur radio inside EOC when requested. A 911 operator does not work for the public it works for the PSAP who in turn “serves” the public. Same with auxcomm. If you find yourself working in your home area in an auxcomm role it is difficult to quit being a part of your own community to serve instead a government entity in which you are effectively an outsider (Non paid professional). If it is too difficult then auxcomm is not your match but instead get involved with amateur radio emergency response side.

Why? Aside from the useless "MARS/CAP mod", why do you need this radio? What does this radio do for you that your prescribed LMR radios don't do?

Cheap redundancy and familiarity. You said you just skimmed the previous posts but if you had read carefully the radio was to be deployed solely in an amateur radio role not a part 90 role. The mod was mentioned as being a “curiosity” not a needed or used function. Also the EOC can use non auxcomm amateurs who may be more comfortable with programming ham gear. (Feature wise an AnyTone 578 would be the radio to use being part 90 and doing DMR, dual band, APRS, cross band etc. but this may be my blind spot - I don’t like chinese radios nor do I trust them or their support chain. The EFJ Viking is the nearest LMR approximation but expensive for a radio which may never be used)
The IC-7300’s are being given to counties by our state EM. They fulfill at minimum a contact to the ham community and it’s assets which is a mission role of our EOC. The ham HF community as a whole is not channelized— we cannot force them to speak our language, we must speak theirs. SHARES winlink is the primary non ham HF function at EOC’s across our state at present. No FCC frequencies (except ham). Icom is a $1,000 dollar radio, not $30,000. (Look up “Saving life and property” in the rules sometime for amusement) The best cannot be the enemy of the good or none at all. HF antennas are NVIS T2FD’s, Quads and verticals. We are ALE capable re antennas.

As to ICS 217’s and 205’s while a good idea and advantage hitting the ground running they are not invulnerable.
"No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first contact with the main hostile force.” Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (Prussian field marshal) was the first but has been quoted endlessly in varying forms. I believe that quote and Auxcomm itself is predicated on flexibility and adaptability. Frequency/mode agility is part of that.

I’m still in phase 1 : workstations with power, phones, data, displays and connectivity to our antenna farm. The last phase will be radios, modems and computers. This radio discussion is mostly theoretical at this point and could be shaped by gear i can repurpose. This radio room could also be the main NIFOG resource for EOC. We are a 800 TRS county except for paging which is being decommissioned presently.

Everyone here is putting more thought into this than I expected. Also surprised at how many have been down this rather niche path before as well. I’m sorry I’m not always as clear as I should be. Maybe if you factor in a bit of “smart ass” or non conformist into your reading of my stuff it might help.

 

[mmckenna]

Everyone here is putting more thought into this than I expected. Also surprised at how many have been down this rather niche path before as well. I’m sorry I’m not always as clear as I should be. Maybe if you factor in a bit of “smart ass” or non conformist into your reading of my stuff it might help.

I think this is all a really good discussion.
Often we only see this discussed from the amateur radio point of view. It's good to talk about this from the public safety/EOC side.