Hi, all.
I guess I am fortunate. ... My situation here in west-central lower
Michigan is similar to that which John describes for his part of the
country.
If it were different, I would not have agreed to take over the EC position
again.
ARES needs to be a co-operative venture, in which our role is first and
foremost communicators.
Anything else, in my view, compromises the meaning of, and importance of,
what we try to do for the agencies we serve.
I'm sorry to hear of Colin's experiences, but, unfortunately, his is not the
first negative experience I have heard about.
73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 5:46 PM
Subject: Re: packet radio
We're lucky around me, the ARES group around here is great. I know some
places they're not and some think they are emergency responders and run the
show but around here, the leadership preaches not to be that way and will
turn people away for it, they actually keep it what it is but unfortunately
not everywhere is that way. Basically we're taught to know our place as a
communicator, not leading the show and never self deploy or take anything
else upon themselves above and beyond what they're supposed to be doing.
It's too bad your area's group is that way. It has potential to be a great
thing but sometimes, the wrong leadership can really take the fun out of it
and get away from what it's supposed to be and then it looks bad for us all.
----- Original Message -----
From: "colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 3:02 PM
Subject: Re: packet radio
> so again, ARES, the Asshole radio executive society rears it's ugly head
> hi
> hi.
> Sorry, that was my bitter scinisism coming out.
> As I've said before, the ares group around here thinks they are god's gift
> to communications and they are trying to take all the fun, and amateur out
> of our hobby and promote it exclusively as a volunteer emergency service.
> They, the ARES membership, seem to think that we are emergency responders
> first, professional radio operators second, and just happen to have a ham
> license to make it all possible as third.
> I'm particularly annoyed lately because a local ham was given a UHF
> repeater
> pair by the district frequency coordinator, and had his cans and boxes set
> up for that frequency, and then an ARES guy came along and started
> buegelling that the frequency was a national ARES repeater pair and had
> been
> set aside for ARES use only etc.
> There was some contraversy around this, and I'm happy to say, that ARES
> didn't win the arguement at the end of the day.
> I know ARES and similar amateur radio bassed organizations in other places
> are probably great and wonderful, but the local one is plum full of wanna
> be
> cops, and real big ego's and arrogant attitudes towards other hams.
> They barely talk to anyone who isn't an ARES member or who hasn't taken
> all
> the appropriate "training" to be an ARES member.
>
> I just find it vastly irritating that so much of the hobby is now being
> overwhelmed by this kind of thing. Yes, we should be availible in the
> event
> of a real emergency, and hams can offer some excellent resources when
> needed. But that is only one small aspect of the hobby/service, it is not
> the be all and end all of being an amateur in my mind.
> We're there to be a service when needed, but the rest of the time, it's a
> hobby.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BS
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 8:23 AM
> Subject: Re: packet radio
>
>
>> The NTS keeps packet active. It's good in an emergency for passing info
>> you
>> really don't want passed over voice. Win link falls in that same category
>> so
>> there is still a use for it and I'm noticing a growing popularity over
>> the
>> last 6 months or so again of people using it back like they used to when
>> I
>> got started in ham radio, it appears to be making a come back. There was
>> a
>> time when I'd see maybe 5 people and 4 BBS's in my area and while the
>> BBS's
>> haven't changed, I'd say the number of users is at least 10 times that,
>> just
>> that I can see from where I am on the frequency I'm on.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 1:25 AM
>> Subject: Re: packet radio
>>
>>
>>>I didn't read the first couple posts on this sorry.
>>> what precisely is packet used for these days? bulletins? messages? how
>>> does
>>> it compare to other faster and more reliable methods of text
>>> handling...like
>>> the internet or cell phones?
>>> Seems a redundant mode now....unlike voice or digital vice radio which
>>> still
>>> stands on it's own marrits.
>>> 73
>>> Colin, V A6BS
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 10:41 PM
>>> Subject: Re: packet radio
>>>
>>>
>>>> outpost is totally accessible, I use it daily, winpack is as well, I
>>>> used
>>>> to
>>>> use that b since moving to windows vista and now windows 7, no I don't
>>>> consider either an upgrade, just the opposite, but anyway, outpost is
>>>> the
>>>> best bet with those OS's. You can find Cam's, KPC-3"s, various other
>>>> TNC's
>>>> for good prices on the used market, I got my KPC-3 I use on a 24/7
>>>> packet
>>>> station for about $75, and no one had even opened the box until I got
>>>> it,
>>>> the person I got it from bought it and it sat on a shelf for a couple
>>>> years.
>>>> Now I've had it up, other than a month it was down while I moved, but
>>>> other
>>>> than that, it's been running 6 years now and still going. If the TM-V7A
>>>> ahs
>>>> the 6 pin mini din connector for packet, there is a setting in the tnc
>>>> you'd
>>>> have to change to use it with that, no big deal but if you go ahead
>>>> with
>>>> it,
>>>> let me know and I can talk you through changing it, it's not a big deal
>>>> I'm
>>>> just too worn out to think about it now. I was helping my uncle with
>>>> his
>>>> racecar all day and it was a long hot day and the heat and other things
>>>> worked against us all the way. I'm checking email quick and going to
>>>> bed.
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "tom behler" <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 11:06 PM
>>>> Subject: packet radio
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Hi, all.
>>>>>
>>>>> I recently have been re-appointed as Emergency Co-ordinator and RACES
>>>>> Officer for my county in Michigan.
>>>>>
>>>>> One of the things our section leadership would like us to work on is
>>>>> improving our capabilities in the packet radio area.
>>>>>
>>>>> Apparently, our section leadership likes the idea of getting certain
>>>>> printed
>>>>> material in times of emergency, and they also like the idea that
>>>>> packet
>>>>> can
>>>>> work when all other communications systems are down.
>>>>>
>>>>> I would like to pursue the possibility of getting a packet system up
>>>>> and
>>>>> running here at the home QTH, but don't want to spend money
>>>>> unnecessarily,
>>>>> especially if the resulting system will not be blind friendly.
>>>>>
>>>>> Here's what I have so far:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. I have an old TMV7A that I can dedicate to packet if needed;
>>>>>
>>>>> 2. I have an outdoor antenna for 2 meters that is ready to go; and
>>>>>
>>>>> 3. I have a computer that I can load any needed packet software onto.
>>>>>
>>>>> My questions are these:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. What kind of packet softwre works best with Jaws? Outpost,
>>>>> Windows
>>>>> Hyperterm, or something else?
>>>>> 2. What kind of TNC would be relatively inexpensive to acquire, and
>>>>> would
>>>>> be blind friendly?
>>>>>
>>>>> Any help with these questions would be appreciated.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'll collect all responses, and put them into a folder for future
>>>>> reference.
>>>>>
>>>>> 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
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