LS and SD opinions required please

[Lightspeed]

(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.

[Skean Dhude]

LS, Consider yourself promoted to Communications Liaison. 10% salary increase. 1 extra day holiday pa plus a beer when we next meet. Your objectives remain the same as before with the additional task of;
1) Initiating contact with the Raynet community.
2) Identifying their mission and current status.
3) Identifying where SUK and Raynet have or could have common ground.
4) Report back with advantages/disadvantages of a relationship. What we would get from them and what they would get from us. What the costs would be? Would they be interested in us? Would there be potential for some influence in their objectives towards our needs if they are not fully aligned?
5) If they are interested then creating interest within SUK as well as defining the equipment and involvement that we would have to sign up to and what exactly this would mean for preppers who sign up as well as preppers who don't.

Think I have missed anything?

[NorthernRaider]

(4 July 2012, 09:05)Skean Dhude Wrote: LS, Consider yourself promoted to Communications Liaison. 10% salary increase. 1 extra day holiday pa plus a beer when we next meet. Your objectives remain the same as before with the additional task of;
1) Initiating contact with the Raynet community.
2) Identifying their mission and current status.
3) Identifying where SUK and Raynet have or could have common ground.
4) Report back with advantages/disadvantages of a relationship. What we would get from them and what they would get from us. What the costs would be? Would they be interested in us? Would there be potential for some influence in their objectives towards our needs if they are not fully aligned?
5) If they are interested then creating interest within SUK as well as defining the equipment and involvement that we would have to sign up to and what exactly this would mean for preppers who sign up as well as preppers who don't.

Think I have missed anything?

(1) Yeah would they like some assistance from us on helping their teams develop basic essential prepping skills?
(2) Have they got any good looking women ?

[Skean Dhude]

(4 July 2012, 09:10)NorthernRaider Wrote: (1) Yeah would they like some assistance from us on helping their teams develop basic essential prepping skills?
(2) Have they got any good looking women ?

1) Perhaps less related to communications but Yes.
2) I'm sure if they have they will be looking after them and not letting us anywhere near them.

[NorthernRaider]

(4 July 2012, 09:44)Skean Dhude Wrote:

(4 July 2012, 09:10)NorthernRaider Wrote: (1) Yeah would they like some assistance from us on helping their teams develop basic essential prepping skills?
(2) Have they got any good looking women ?

1) Perhaps less related to communications but Yes.
2) I'm sure if they have they will be looking after them and not letting us anywhere near them.

(1) OK
(2) Bugger

[Lightspeed]

NR
If option 2 is your response to no good looking women, I don't thik I'll be bugging out with you any time soon!!!

[NorthernRaider]

(4 July 2012, 11:19)Lightspeed Wrote: NR
If option 2 is your response to no good looking women, I don't thik I'll be bugging out with you any time soon!!!

ROTFLMBO

[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.

[NorthernRaider]

I'd like to add to that point, and I'll point out I have no axe to grind wikth RAYNET, I admire what they do. But I too remember incidents up here in bad winter when CB clubs did enormous amounts of helping people stuck cos of the snow and ice, they even teamed up with 4x4 clubs to deliver hot meals etc, and Raynet was not involved at all. In all fairness though at that time Raynet tended to focus on providing comms for events, shows etc.

---

Secondly and again in agreement with Paul I phoned the loca lAmateur radio club on Tuesday to ask about licence courses and i proudly told him I had just bought some new CB gear until I was qualilified, He described CB gear as "silly toys for chavs".

I politely told him not to bother looking for me and hung up.

[Skean Dhude]

Let's see how they repond to one of their own. If they don't fit in then they don't. We will find out.

I have the same concerns but let's see what goes on. Our solution could very well be ham radio but we may very well decide not to get involved in their system. Let's not jump to conclusions.

Remember that LS is offline as well. He may not have seen his well deserved promotion. Therefore I would not expect that component to be part of the initial design results next week.