MARS addsWinlink to e-comm arsenal

Lee,

Why not report your concern to the federal authorities along with your statement below.

Ed

 

Well, im not prepared to question Ed as a father...that usually strikes nerves in and of itself.

The question i DO have for Ed, what sort of preparations did you ensure before going out into that enviroment? I dont have a problem with you taking your child out there, i would do it too. but did you bring all the provisions one would need for survival in a desert enviroment?

I ask this because i come from a survivalist backround (not the gun-toting political kind, mind you), im from Alaska and i currently live in the desert. its a given with anyone who ventures out into these areas to be prepared for any contingency. plenty of water, food, knowledge of the terrain and its wildlife, knife, rope, blankets, etc...

You can survive out there without a radio or cellphone if you are aptly prepared. what did you have with you?

(i know this is off topic but so is winlink, so its ok)

73...Adam, N7YA

 

First of all my son is much older than 6 and near the age of some troops in Iraq.

Getting to your question Adam, we carry 15 gallons H2O, 7 days extra food, two extra tires, two extra 12V automobile batteries, plus a DVNP ranger in the event our single SCS PTC-II modem fails-all for a planned weekend trip!

Ed

 

Aaah, ok...i was still thinking the 6 year old range that was stated before. thats a little different.

Well, that sounds like plenty of supplies...between two men, maybe i missed something. i know its definately dangerous out here in the desert. theres usually a solution for these types of situations.

Well, anyway, you guys made it out ok and thats the important part.

73...Adam, N7YA

 

So am I OM

73,
Chip N1IR

 

While Winlink MAY have been the only way that Dr. Ed got help,I remind everyone that the FCC has held that any available radio may be used in life-threatening situations.
But what MAY be necessary in a few isolated incidents is not what we want in everyday operation.
People who CHOOSE to participate in high-risk adventures and then expect the kind of emergency response you get from the fire station down the block annoy me.(And run up your taxes).

 

I think I have just seen the sequel to the movie

Grumpy Old Men

 

Apparently, Dr. Ed wishes to use keyboards in lieu of microphones. He didn't share what his transceiver that he uses when out in the desert, or climbing the rocky crags.

Its very clear, though, that your point, I think, is similar to mine. If it was truly an emergency, the fastest means to summon aid should have been used. And, the reason for my question, that still remains unanswered:

Funny, that Ed's son has aged so quickly. The children he mentioned to me in various emails seemed much younger. Oh, well.

Actually, its kind of funny about what Ed shared with respect to his communications accessories. I think most of us would have mentioned the radio equipment, not just a modem appliance or two. And, frankly, most of us would have some RF redundancy with us too. In the form of two working transceivers, if our lives were potentially in jeopardy. Multiple modems and batteries are hardly enough.

Since Ed doesn't seem to want to use a microphone, perhaps he brought along two laptops and extra batteries for those too, just to be sure he could get his email.


Lee
W6EM

 

Lee,

I forgot to mention that I also carry along two spare CW keyers just in case.



Ed

 

The only thing NOT ham radio in the quoted post is the author.

 

If it makes so much sense... Then move it off of our HAM RADIO HF frequencies and move it  all over to MARS...

Been clobered to death on several  of our ARRL Skipnets One inparticularly sufferering a lot of QRM is our NET140A (10.140) Lately.. By Pactor III Stations...

Working with a few hams who have SCS Modems to get an ID on these yahoos.. (not yet sure if they are Winlinkers or just PIII Good Buddies..)

Jerry N9LYA

 

Seems like there's always some ya-hoo who can't work out how to size an image properly for display here at QRZ...

I have been monitoring the PACTOR III interference on 10.140 for a few days.
It is obviously deliberate inteference, precisely centrered up on the ARRL Skipnet frequency.

Typical of the "To heck with the ARRL and my fellow hams" attitude that drives WinLink in the first place.
WinLinkers are currently the worst Lid problem on the ham bands, by far.

They are about as intelligent and considerate on the ham bands as they are here on QRZ.  

It's a shame to see MARS commo infected with that attititude too.

 

Now it has been said and MARS and their group is doing it... but it still gives no reason for the ARRL to push the heck out of this mode like they have been doing, first through the front door, then the back and now through the cracks in the walls around the windows. I think they called it whatever the newest name in RM 11306. Oh my friends in the FCC, kill the proposal now that they have again come out with their bandplan which effectively trims the CW portion of the band ever further. Actually, if any of the league members in Newington need to pass the code so they too can practice real HAM radio remember, I live but a scant 7 miles from your location, and, even on my worst health day when my wife needs to drive me to my destinations I could make it there to teach any or all of you about real amateur radio on HF, you know morse code, no PACTOR, no WINLINK just good old modes including the narrow band PSK31 and 63.. K1HAH John Callaghan

 

If you think its bad now just wait for all the hams with the "I need my own e-mail system" attitude and crank up there own private systems where ever and when ever they please. This was a problem in the early packet days and these people moved to Pactor I mail systems that are still a problem today. They're the stations that pop up out of nowhere around the PSK and other mode frequencies and QRM everyone with there private mail systems. Wide band modes like Pactor III and god knows what else WILL proliferate in the current phone sections of the bands and not just under the Winlink umbrella. Current digital operators know this problem well. It's ongoing and pervasive. Not only will these privateers move into the phone bands they will leave there Pactor I systems in place as well. What's worse is the tendency of these stations to use multiple scanned frequencies in each band they operate in taking even more valuable space. Phone operators will be pushed out rather quickly if/when the ARRL gets it's way.

 

WinLink2000 is NOT a dirty word and it does NOT mark the end of ham radio. The Amateur Radio Service was created and predicated upon, in part, providing emergency communications and advancing the technology. I would say that WL2K and everything it embraces has done so very well. What is it that everyone is so afraid about? Anything that advances our cause and helps save our frequencies should be welcomed by our entire community. Interoperability is more than a buzzword. As our ranks continue to push beyond the advancing age of 60 years, who will be left to turn out the lights? WinLink is NOT the nail in any coffins. Negative attitudes are.
Ham Radio is a hobby. EmComm is a Commitment. Lets all move forward and try to focus on some really important issues that translate into attracting young, technically-oriented people into the ARS. Now THAT would be something worthy of discussion!