Originally Posted By: KG2V

Some hams/ares groups look for a reason NOT to do something, or do it "their way", and don't really bother to read what the guys at the FCC says is acceptable in an emergency.


I was a member of this group maybe 10 years ago, and I remember that they had this massive, wonderful interlinked repeater system, with 2M/440 and even some 6M cross-band links. You key down here and you're heard where you need to be heard.

However, the whole system was "locked down" and the ONLY time it was ever activated was when a designated control operator entered the secret codes to open the network - and that was done for 15 minutes for a weekly emergency net and then it was shut down. I know - I ran the weekly nets for a while and it was made very clear that this was a system that was never to be used without direct, hands on control, no matter what.

I'm just trying to get these guys in a place where they can help, but it seems that they have a lot of obstacles to work through. I'll let them work it out based on their own internal process.

As a quick aside - there was a hamfest a few weeks ago, I got an email back in Feb advertising it, so I replied - "Sure, I'll take a table - what's your paypal address so I can send you the money?" reply: "We don't do paypal". So much for a "high tech" hobby.