No, we don't need D STAR, since there's no D Star activity anywhere near 
us.

And, yes, you can believe I'll get with whomever I can about the lack of 
consultation.

It's not just the voice access issue I'm concerned about;  it's the 
all-rounc lack of consultation that troubles me as a volunteer who willingly 
gives of my time and sometimes financial and other resources to serve ARES 
and RACES in my area.

Tom Behler: KB8TYJ

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jed Barton" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2012 11:15 PM
Subject: Re: In a state of disbelief here


> Hey Tom,
>
> Let's back up a minute.  Did you guys need dstar?
> I would get with this person immediately and find out why you weren't
> consulted.
> Neither one has a voice synthesizer, and unless you need dstar, waste of
> time
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Ed Malmgren
> Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2012 8:33 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: In a state of disbelief here
>
> Sounds like something that the Gov. would do.  That's the way they 
> operate.
> I know because I worked for them for many years.  Ed   K7UC
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Pat Byrne" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2012 6:17 PM
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: In a state of disbelief here
>
>> Can you imagine that things were ordered by someone who doesn't know
>> what the  hell he/she is doing without asking the people using the
>> items what they want?  That would never happen!
>> Am I cynical?  Afraid so.
>> Pat, K9JAUAt 06:15 PM 12/15/2012, you wrote:
>>>Hi, all
>>>
>>>Recently, in my region of west-central lower Michigan, the power that
>>>be obtained an equipment grant to purchase all new equipment for our
>>>county EOC's.  Sounds great, right???
>>>
>>>Well, for one thing, none of us as EC's were consulted on the rig and
>>>other equipment choices, so we ended up with rigs with which none of
>>>us were familiar.
>>>
>>>But, here's the real kicker:
>>>
>>>Two of the rigs are the Icom IC2820 VHF/UHF dual-band radio, and the
>>>Icom IC2200 2-meter radio.  Upon checking in the AES catalog, and
>>>calling AES for confirmation, it seems that these radios do not have a
>>>voice synthesizer chip option.  If this is true, of course, the rigs
>>>will be of limited use to me as EC in the Emergency Operations Center,
>>>unless I have sighted assistance with me at all times.
>>>
>>>Can someone verify for me that these rigs actually do not have a voice
>>>chip option??
>>>
>>>Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>