LS and SD opinions required please

[Paul]

(4 July 2012, 08:22)Lightspeed Wrote:

(4 July 2012, 07:40)Skean Dhude Wrote: LS,

What do you mean by us? I would envisage from what I have read here about Raynet that they will have all the preppers in their group already and thus any who want to go the ham route from here and sign up for licenses would likely join that group as well. I do see them as being more than complimentary.

I'm not sure that someone from this group who won't be going for a ham license would be interested in talking just about ham radio. Now maybe as a widen discussion on communications, power, etc. but certainly not just ham stuff.

I would be interested in others views here.

By Us I was thinking SUK, and reason is not to talk Ham radio but to understand Raynets plans for interfacing with PMR and CB in emergency situations. We (SUK) need to understand their plans.

Also we can learn a lot from Raynet, especially with regard to operating protocols that WE might need to adopt in order to interface with them.

This is not diverting from our aim to be self sufficient. More I am looking to learn ways of reinforcing the usability of our systems in emergency amd post SHTF scenarios.

I follow your thinking regarding Raynet but you'll be dealing with some harderned hams there.
Most of them regard CB'ers, and especially freebanders with utter contempt.

As for interfacing, internationally channel 9 on a CB is historically and practically recognised as the emergency contact channel.
The USA, Canada, France, Holland, Italy and Germany all used to accept it as such.
Funny bit about it was the international language of distress was always English with the 10 code allowing non English speaking users to communicate.

Back to REACT.
They used to moniter Ch 9 in the US. They used to understand that CB Ch 9 was used by truckers and other mobile users let alone by people who lived in the sticks and had no other form of communications.
In the states I have heard whole rescues run on it as well as the police, state troopers, and fire services interfacing through it.

In the 70's and 80's our Worcestershire based club had a rota to run a Ch 9 watch and a phone tree to call on if people needed assistance.

Never once did I hear of REACT (UK) joining in despite some of the coldest winters in memory, people being trapped in their homes with no water, and when whole CB clubs mobilized to search for missing people whilst being coordinated by the local police using someones base station.

You'll probably say I'm biased against React but I'm not. It works, it's international, it's organised.
In the UK though it's the attitude of some it's 'seniors' and members who regard CB'ers and freebanders with contempt where groups like us preppers may find their advances rejected.

Ultimately when TSHTF, the phones die, the commercial and government stations go off air, what will be left will be the little guy and there is more chance that he will use a CB set that a complicated Ham rig and strict operating procedures.
Besides going 10:10 is a lot quicker than signing off.