topic Re: Emergency Communications in Tech Talk

Emergency Communications

Caute_cautim — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 19:25:54 GMT

Well, that was an eventful weekend, go rough, set up a communications stations in a bare field, erect aerials, and put life skills into practice and then communicate without a normal source of power on generators and solar power with batteries. Under canvas, in the rain and wind and communicate worldwide using low RF power on dual frequencies. Good team sport and collaboration all weekend in the wind and rain, in shifts over the weekend with little sleep - like a real emergency situation. How many people, in this day and age, have practiced these skills and put them into practice and proven they can survive, when all else fails?

Even had to put up lights, to reduce the likelihood of unwanted visitors wanting to sneak a view of activities and pinch equipment, so even had to put up light sensors to switch on the lights on night to detract them.

Regards

Caute_cautim

Re: Emergency Communications

Early_Adopter — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 16:31:32 GMT

Dipole Antennas?

Re: Emergency Communications

ed_williams — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 17:17:43 GMT

I have a caravan. I do this every weekend over Summer. What fun 😉

Re: Emergency Communications

rslade — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 19:50:17 GMT

Sounds like a gas. I'm not on the radio team, but I am a volunteer with emergency services, and we have regular exercises of various types. (These days I mostly try to get a spot as a "victim" 🙂

Re: Emergency Communications

Caute_cautim — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 20:02:01 GMT

Yes, in an emergency quickest means of slinging up an antenna or aerial, between two points, chose the centre frequency of coverage, for resonance - do the calculation - cut to length, attach to portable masts or trees with insulators, attach some coaxial cable and away you go.

Regards

Caute_cautim

Re: Emergency Communications

Caute_cautim — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 20:03:02 GMT

It is fun, some in fact climb mountains and put out a signal, just for fun as well. But, we are all a little crazy from time to time.

Regards

Caute_cautim

Re: Emergency Communications

Caute_cautim — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 20:05:08 GMT

Yes, it is good to volunteer for the community. Technically P25 digital radio has no redundancy, if a node fails, and the encryption fails, if the signal is too far away from a node - drops out. So back to basics, Marconi and Samuel Morse.

Regards

Caute_cautim

Re: Emergency Communications

vt100 — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 02:47:09 GMT

Perhaps something like this could be employed for emergency communication:

https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/rf-lora-the-50km-radio-module

It wouldn't handle the voice, but would work for the text and limited data.

In my youth and on the other side of the Iron Curtain this was my workplace during compulsory military service (https://www.cryptomuseum.com/radio/ussr/r142/index.htm😞

Re: Emergency Communications

Caute_cautim — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 00:26:15 GMT

Very nice, looks like the inside of a communications truck. One of my colleagues from the UK, had a Russian Communications truck, with Left Hand Drive and 4WD, but the New Zealand authorities stated it would cost too much, to convert it for our roads. It had a large foldable Log Periodic antenna and a 2 Kilowatt transmitter. Everything inside was written in the Russian language.

Regards

Caute_cautim

Re: Emergency Communications

vt100 — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 01:26:18 GMT

I do not really recall the power rating on these units, but the track itself was GAZ 66 and it was quite handy in a muddy and mountainous terrain.

Re: Emergency Communications

Caute_cautim — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 05:36:47 GMT

@vt100Yes, they were really built for hazardous duties and rough terrain. Ideal for emergency purposes.

Regards

Caute_cautim

Re: Emergency Communications

Early_Adopter — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 12:14:21 GMT

Chunky sets.

Usually this kind of setup is used for rebroadcast stations for VHF, or sometimes even linking HF to VHF(to folks who’ve not played with radios think about making the WiFi coverage work in your apartment house - but your house is a circle with an 80 kilometre radius. Lost of fun, because you get to slink away from every one else’s and you and your mate(or mates) can just brew up and listen to the nets - ok not all that great, but very probably better than actually fighting.

i wonder in practic practice how many would still use this kind of setup? It would seem that drones or autominous vehicles could do the same for less cost, either in war or disaster and of course one thing about a node like this if it’s war they are very visible via RF, so it’s probably a good thing for everyone If there are no people in them.

Re: Emergency Communications

Caute_cautim — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 19:17:35 GMT

Well there has been examples used by the International Red Cross, for reusing old Mobile Phones as instant relays for communications purposes using voice and TXT facilities - within the Pacific Islands.

However, drones - land based ones could also be used to set up analogue or digital communications networks in the battlefield, and perhaps the same in Civil Defence emergencies as well.

Regards

Caute_cautim