I wrote this for another group but it applies to the many hams that populate this forum. The intended audience is ham radio folks so it is loaded with "geekspeak". If you are a ham, or technically inclined and willing to learn, perhaps this will interest you.
A lot is a repeat from previous posts here, but it was easier to just post the whole thing rather than edit out the repeated parts.
Nomad
----------------------- Recruiting blurb follows ----------------
I am a Red Cross Volunteer. As a ham, my function with the Red Cross
has a decidedly ham radio flavor. For the past 3 weeks I have been in
the thick of the "action" in and around New Orleans LA. My role with
the Red Cross is to drive and operate a $300,000 communications
vehicle. We need more help. I hope to interest a few of you in
joining the Red Cross.
As a ham, you will use your technical skills. During the past weeks,
I have set up several low band portable base units, relocated a
satellite tracking system, fixed quite a number of radios in ERV's
(food and supply transportation vehicles), helped users with computer
problems and in general functioned like I was at an extended field
day. Not to mention, running the ECRV or Emergency Communications
Response Vehicle. Some field day.......
First a bit about the vehicle I operate. It is a Ford Explorer,
4wheel drive, diesel that has been extensively modified for
communications use. There are 16 mobile radios covering all of the
public service, military, amateur and business frequencies. There are
also 10 UHF multi-channel portable radios on Red Cross frequencies as
well as several low-band Red Cross portables as well.
There are three HF radios. In the forward console is an Icom 706m2g.
In the rear panel is a Kenwood TS-2000 and a commercial HF radio. We
have a SGC tuner and 500watt amplifier that can be connected to any of
the HF rigs. There is also a KAM for digital amateur communication.
The tuner and amp feed a SGC whip or the whip can be removed and a
wire antenna attached.
On the roof is a 50' extendable tower capable of supporting our
TA-33-jr tri-band beam, as well as several UHF/VHF/Low band antennas.
Oh, there is also a remotely controlled video camera mounted there as
well.
Audio and control from all voice radios are routed to a voice switch,
which allows us to cross connect any number of radios into individual
nets, or interconnect the various nets. Any or all can also be routed
out via normal phone lines or sent via satellite to the Red Cross
telephone system in VA, and from there to anywhere. Sort of like a
giant cross-band repeater with phone patch.
Also mounted on the roof is a V-sat, a high capacity satellite system
that links a T1 grade circuit with the Red Cross Headquarters in
Virginia. I can (and often do) deploy 10 wireless laptops and 10 VOIP
(voice over internet ) phones. This allows Red Cross teams to
communicate world wide without passing thru the local communications
systems, which are usually non-existent during a disaster like Katrina.
There is more.... much more, a weather station, Low orbit satellite
phone, analog cell, digital cell....but you get the idea. Oh, for
power we have an 8 KW alternator driven off the diesel engine. We ran
it for almost 2 weeks straight, 24 hours a day.
I was in California when we were told to deploy. 4 hours notice. It
is 2225 miles from Sacramento to Baton Rouge. Lets just say that we
moved right along.
For the next 3 weeks we stayed at the forward edge of Red Cross
deployment. There were 3 other ECRV's along the coast. One in Baton
Rouge, supporting the Red Cross Operations Center. As soon as we
could get a "fly away" kit (portable satellite system) installed, this
ECRV re-deployed to Lafayette supporting the Cajun Dome until it could
get its communications in order.
To the east, was another ECRV at Covington LA, supporting the local
government (police, fire, rescue and Red Cross).
We were at Abita Springs supporting a forward kitchen. This kitchen,
a large semi-trailer owned by the Red Cross, can make 40,000 meals a
day. Abita Springs was also a forward dispersal area for material and
supplies. Abita Springs is at the north end of the bridge across the
lake. This made a natural re-supply point for New Orleans as soon as
the bridge was opened.
To our east in Slidel was another ECRV supporting local government.
A typical day for me was to get to the ECRV about 6am and make sure it
was still running ok. I would make arrangements to have fuel
delivered and then check our e-mail and do the routine stuff, reports
and logging.
Usually there was a base station to be set-up at a forward shelter.
We did several of these and it allowed me to get out and around .
Setting up a base station meant finding some way to put a collinear
antenna up about 20 or 30'. Usually we used PVC pipe and rope guys,
frequently attaching the whole thing to a building or tree. Sometimes
the hardest part was getting the coax into the building. Like most
modern buildings, these schools, churches or whatever had no gaps or
opening windows. The base station is usually in a large pelican box.
It has about 100' of coax, a transceiver and A/C power supply. Most
shelters have some sort of AC, either from the mains, or from a generator.
We also did a lot of "forward observing". This means we would travel
with a team of medical and food providers into areas that had not yet
seen the Red Cross. Our task was to scout for suitable radio
locations and try to get a sense of coverage from existing and planned
locations. I went to most of the affected area and saw first hand
what a force 5 hurricane does to a city.
I also did a lot of repairs to the other vehicle radios. Driving thru
downed trees, wires and building parts is rough on antennas and gear
in general. Mostly we would just replace the mounted radio with
another that is packaged in a small pelican box. The mobile box
contains a low-band radio, mag mount and power cord. The radio is
bolted into the case and we just tape it to the truck someplace. Duct
tape rules....
A typical large scale equipment deployment is a call center. We went
into a very devastated area and used our truck to link about 17 phones
via the Internet. People could come into the call center and place
calls that, because of our satellite line, jumped over the ruined
local telephone system and entered the public switched telephone
network in Virginia. Many of these phones are Ethernet connected to a
local hub and then to a hub in the truck, then to the IP router and
out the V-sat to Red Cross Headquarters in Virginia. Some network
and computer experience is helpful as we are always making cables,
replacing routers and all the normal things that are required to
maintain a network. We can also do the same thing using wireless
access points (WAP's), but Ethernet links are easier to maintain.
We carried a few cases of MRE's and two cases of water. Most of the
time we found supper in a shelter or Red Cross kitchen, but I ate a
lot of MRE's in that 3 weeks. At night we would find a Red Cross
shelter someplace (sometimes a 40 mile drive thru uncertain territory
at night). Accommodations were sparse. Usually a clear spot on a
concrete floor with a couple hundred of your friends. But I never had
a problem sleeping.
To support me, there is the NOC, or network operations center in
Virginia. If I have a problem or don't remember how to run a
particular device, or need to fine tune the Internet satellite
connection, I call the NOC.
I will leave my personal observations about the hurricane for another
time. What I want to convey here is the need for hams that have hands
on experience with radio and computers. This is not a "communicator"
type job. You will do very little "traffic handling". But if you
enjoy the technical challenges of maintaining, deploying and operating
a very sophisticated and complex communications system, then this may
interest you.
Take a look at the following URL.
http://ecrv4712.orgIt has a better description of the vehicle and information about
training. I think there are about 30 or so qualified operators (those
who can operate the vehicle independently) and 9 vehicles. At two
people per vehicle after 3 weeks, we are running short of skilled
people. You won't be trained in time for Rita, but there is next
year, and the year after that. We deploy for fires, terrorist
attacks, large public gatherings and a whole bunch of other events.
Blinky lights, a billion switches and wires, lotsa radios, computers
and assorted other toys. What more could a ham want?
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