Immature and asinine bs for anyone to say amateur radio is not an emergency service. Obviously you've never been to a ravaged and demolished neighborhood where all coms were down and ARES members and volunteers coordinated rescues and evacuations and mutual aid. I have volunteered for Hurricane Andrew in '92, and Katrina in 2005. Where do you get off saying such a thing.... There is really no need for trunking on amateur radio repeaters, other than for personal experimentation and recreational use. See how your trunking repeater works in a real world emergency situation where simplicity is needed for coordinating communications. Not needed when you need clear repeaters for hams with basic gear to expedite things such as welfare checks, water truck deliveries and medical personnel. Stop thinking with your joysticks.
I'm sure trunking repeaters might find a place in your communications world, right next to your X-box and Play Stations.
I have been doing this hobby for almost 26 years now. I am not the x-box/PlayStation generation.
I have also been involved in ARES both in the field and in an EOC. I do know the value the organization can bring in a disaster.
Digital technologies are well suited to this task as well.
With the upcoming 5GHz/10GHz Geostationary ham satellite under development, DMR NXDN, DStar and Fusion could be deployed and linked out of the disaster zone, while also supporting Email, Winlink, IP telephony and video conferencing.
For portable repeaters, a small trailer, with a 50’ crank up tower, large battery bank, some solar charging, a diesel generator w/ 40 gallons of gas/diesel could be deployed by a 2 man team just about anywhere, and even, if built right, be slung by a helicopter tinto any location.
IMHO DMR utilizing LCP or even XPT trunking protocols would be ideal for these kinds of situations. As would NXDN Type D(but lose the 2 slot efficiency)
You would be able to run multiple, isolated nets, and not be limited to having talk groups strapped to timeslots.
-Tactical net
-Logistics net
-Admin net
-GPS asset tracking
-Low speed data/messaging.
As some examples.
2 LCP repeaters could handle hundreds of radios in a distaste zone, and using the 5&dime geostationary satellite could link multiple sites together, Sky is the limit.
All it takes is to stop the old skool ‘5KHz analogue FM is the best’
That insults every ham who has ever volunteered in an emergency situation.
To a degree.
More and more public safety comm systems are being built and hardened to with stand natural disasters. My provincial system, every single site has a back up generator, and redundant network paths. Some sites use VSat as their secondary link to the network. The role of hamradio in disasters is changing, and the reliance is also changing. Even 30 years ago satellite phones were rare. Now they can be carried in a pocket.
An ARES repeater is used for emergency coms when needed, other times it is a common repeater for casual conversation for real hams with a respect for tradition.
Oh please. Because I don’t subscribe to your view of what ‘real’ ham radio is I don’t respect the ‘tradition?’ What ever guy.
It's always been that way and it always will be. The X-Box generation will never change that. It's fine to hypothetically discuss progress and new ideas, but there is no need to insult and disrespect a volunteer service that has been a tradition in amateur radio for decades, and certainly before you ever picked up a walkie-talkie.
It only ‘never changes’ because people like you refuse to apply new technologies, and are stuck in the ‘5KHz analogue is best’ past.
I helped bring DMR kicking and screaming into Alberta. The club I used to belong to has 302600, the first DMR repeater in Alberta. I also had a DMR radio, with others, and was using it simplex, before we had a repeater to use.
Live stuck in the past, I am looking to the future.
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