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Wireless Networking United States Hardware

Amateur Radio Braces for Hurricane Isabel 239

Posted by michael from the get-a-snorkel dept.
TaxSlave writes "Amateur Radio operators in North Carolina and elsewhere in the projected track of Hurricane Isabel are getting ready for action. ARES has been activated in many areas, and hams are recommended to be ready. NC ARES has an information page for the storm and Hurricane Watch Net has a good info page as well. Even outside the major storm area, hams are posted at shelters which are filling up with storm refugees."
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Amateur Radio Braces for Hurricane Isabel More

Amateur Radio Braces for Hurricane Isabel

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  • Hams (Score:3, Funny)

    by pheared ( 446683 ) <kevin@p[ ]red.net ['hea' in gap]> on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:15AM (#6994216) Homepage
    Mmmm... Ham.

  • Yum! (Score:2, Funny)

    by jargoone ( 166102 )
    hams are posted at shelters which are filling up with storm refugees

    Good thing too. All this evacuating is making me hungry!

  • Good luck (Score:2, Redundant)

    by CharlieG ( 34950 )
    Good luck to those in the hurricane zone. We are in tropical storm warning

    73 de KC2IXE
    Queens County (NY) ARES EC
    Queens County Radio Officer - RACES

  • Go hams go! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:15AM (#6994222)
    My boyfriend is in his 20s and is a ham. People might think hams are a bunch of old farts, but that's not entirely true. When the grid is down, you can always count on hams to be there to help!
    • People might think hams are a bunch of old farts, but that's not entirely true.
      Perhaps it's not entirely true ... but it's *mostly* true.

      I'm 34. I just got into ham radio. I'm often the youngest guy around :)

    • A woman on Slashdot who has a clue about ham radio?

      May I ask you what your gridsquare is?

      • Re:Go hams go! (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Ho-Lee-Cow! ( 173978 ) *
        Well this woman also has a clue about ham radio and my grid square is FM19.
      • A woman on Slashdot who has a clue about ham radio?

        Who said it was a woman?

        • LOL I am a woman (Score:3, Funny)

          by Anonymous Coward
          > Who said it was a woman?

          My BF and I actually met on Slashdot three years ago...we're engaged. I had a Slashdot account, but lost the password and the email address associated with the account was long gone...so I haven't bothered to re-register. I suppose I could provide you with some proof of my gender, but as they say on the Internet, those could be anyone's breasts :-)

    • Re:Go hams go! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by theflea ( 585612 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:32AM (#6994971)
      I have much respect for hams and librarians. These mediums are the earlier "information superhighways", and the people who run them have a genuine desire to connect people with information.

      They're definitely OG (original geek).

  • Attention Michael (Score:5, Insightful)

    by illsorted ( 12593 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:16AM (#6994228)
    It's good to see that the Hams are in action and all, but do you think it's very responsible to be slashdotting the servers of organizations providing emergency services in a disaster?

    Eh?
    • As usual it's extremely difficult to decide on what is "The Right Thing (tm)": On one hand you're supposed to get the word out (and I don't think /. is the worst location, given the technology in question isn't really mainstream), whilst you shouldn't be accessing the ressources mentioned if you don't have to.

      The sensitive thing to do is probably to add a comment in the story that pointing out the criticality; better even if it is accompagnied by link-scrambling (something like http://slashdot.org/www.ares

    • Re:Attention Michael (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Tom ( 822 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:32AM (#6994366) Homepage Journal
      Don't you think that their website is not really the critical element of the emergency service?

  • Blatant anti-vegetarianism (Score:5, Funny)

    by kinnell ( 607819 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:16AM (#6994236)
    hams are posted at shelters which are filling up with storm refugees

    That's all very well, but what about vegetarians? Are we going to just let them starve to death?

  • These ppl do a nice job... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by fox2mike ( 706370 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:18AM (#6994246) Homepage Journal
    Even though we have had so many advances in technology over the years, its the good ole HAMs that come to our rescue during times of trouble or disaster. Even during the recent blackouts in NYC, they kept in touch & relayed messages back & forth. Often there's just one link who keeps the messages going up & down.

    Hats off to you people & thanks for the wonderful job you do!

    • Re:These ppl do a nice job... (Score:5, Informative)

      by DF5JT ( 589002 ) <slashdot@bloatware.de> on Thursday September 18, 2003 @12:01PM (#6995283) Homepage
      "Hats off to you people & thanks for the wonderful job you do!"

      Do it as long as you can, because the very existence of ham radio is endangered. Powerline communication uses the entire shortwave spectrum and is being hailed as the only way to ensure a nationwide coverage of internet access. The telco and energy industry pushes the issue with the FCC right now and as things stand, the entire shortwave spectrum will be completely useless for any wireless service, be it ham radio, shortwave broadcast or other emergency service that need the shortwave frequency range.

      Take a look at:

      http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/08/08/2/?n c= 1//

      Same, by the way, in Europe:

      http://europa.eu.int/information_society/topics/ te lecoms/regulatory/publiconsult/powerline_communica tions/text_en.htm

      It's been a nice hobby for me during the last 25 years, but as things stand it won't last another 25 years.

      You might want to inform your congressman about the issue and tell him that in a couple of years hams might be unwilling to provide emergency services when ham radio as a hobby has systematically been sacrificed for the industry's greed for a useless technology.

  • storm + aerials (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    How likely is it that their monsterous huge aerials will survive the winds ?

    • Re:storm + aerials (Score:3, Interesting)

      by N2UX ( 237223 )
      Most Hams ( myself included ) have probably already lowered their "monstrously huge" aerials and put up the 'emergency' antennae. My emergency kit consists of a handheld VHF radio, a backpack HF radio ( 20 watts, about the size 5 CD jewel cases stacked on top of each other ), a folded dipole antenna which is made of 300 ohm tv antenna cable, a 12 V gel cell, and a Solar Panel for recharging the gel cel when the sun does come out. It all fits in a small ruck sack and can be setup anywhere in minutes.

    • Look at the bands (Score:5, Informative)

      by The Tyro ( 247333 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:49AM (#6994520)
      Depends on what kind of aerial you're talking about... if you mean 2meter, 440, etc, then yes... a tall tower (typically for a repeater, and that might not survive the hurricaine) facilitates communications, since these bands tend to be line-of-sight.

      However, if you read the article, you'll notice they are using the 80-meter band, which is NOT line-of-sight. Tall antennas are not as critical... you can rig up a dipole with some wire after the storm passes, and get passable reception.

      aerials, schmaerials... a true ham is a master at jury-rigging stuff, including antennas.

    • Not to be unnecessarily duplicative, but (Score:5, Informative)

      by Spamalamadingdong ( 323207 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:52AM (#6994539) Homepage Journal
      How likely is it that their monsterous huge aerials will survive the winds ?
      Doesn't matter to the V/UHF people very much, nor is it crippling to the HF operators. If the beam on the tower comes down, any decent piece of wire and an antenna tuner become a usable "long wire" antenna. Hams have "Field Day" every year where they go off in a field somewhere, operate from tents and trailers and see how many stations they can contact; this is practice for communications during emergencies.

  • PLEASE DON'T FOLLOW THE LINKS . . . (Score:3, Insightful)

    by a_timid_mouse ( 607237 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:18AM (#6994254)
    ... unless you really need to. The last thing the HAM radio folks in NC need is the slashdot effect.

  • 14.325 Hurricane net (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ch-chuck ( 9622 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:20AM (#6994273) Homepage
    get real time reports on condition in the affected area. Net control is actually in Austin TX.

  • Great stuff, I can just see Tony hancock [durlstoncourt.co.uk] doing the Radio ham [phespirit.info] sketch.. If you have never heard it, tune into BBC7 [bbc.co.uk] on a tues and you may catch the original radio broadcast.. :-)

  • They'll also be standing by. . . (Score:5, Informative)

    by bplipschitz ( 265300 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:33AM (#6994371)
    around the rest of the country, to relay Health & Welfare traffic during the aftermath.

    Some other frequencies of interest:

    14.265 MHz [USB] Salvation Army SATERN net.
    7.232 MHz [LSB] Tarheel net [daytime]
    3.923 MHz [LSB] Tarheel net [after 7:30 pm]
    3.907 MHz [LSB] Coastal Carolina net.

    The nice thing about radio is, as long as you're only listening, it doesn't suffer from the ./ effect!

  • radio braces! (Score:4, Funny)

    by happyfrogcow ( 708359 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:33AM (#6994376)
    Amateur Radio Braces for Hurricane Isabel


    When I was young I always wished my braces could play the radio. Now a stinkin hurricane gets radio braces. Feh!

    Atleast they're the amateur model..

  • WiFi and Hurricanes (Score:4, Interesting)

    by G4from128k ( 686170 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:36AM (#6994399)
    It will be interesting to see if any building-to-building WiFi links or other wireless networking tech can operate in a hurricane. I'd bet that high rain, very wet vegitation, and the odd flying bit of sheet metal will kill reception or reduce reliability. Also, external high gain antennas will be prone to wind-induced misaligment and damage.

    Isabel should be an interesting test of any mesh networks in the area -- assuming that they have independent power sources, of course.

    • It will be interesting to see if any building-to-building WiFi links or other wireless networking tech can operate in a hurricane.

      It'll be more interesting to see if there's anybody at work to even care if the network is up :)

      After a hurricane, I imagine that people are more concerned that the windows didn't break and that the place didn't flood than if the database (backup, porn, whatever) copy succeeded to the other across the microwave link :)

      • Why care about WiFi and Hurricanes (Score:4, Insightful)

        by G4from128k ( 686170 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:00AM (#6994614)
        I agree that current casual applications of wireless networking mean that few will care about the reliability of these networks. Yet proponents of the technology would have us use wireless in more intensive and all-encompassing ways.

        Today, nobody really cares if the laptop in an empty and dark executive office becomes disconnected during a hurricane. Tomorrow, we may care a great deal if our phone/data networks or municipal services control systems are knocked offline because an underlying wireless network failed.

        Personally, I suspect that wireless is more robust than wireline because physical wires are so prone to flooding or downed trees. But I would like to see examples, like those provided by Isabel, on how these systems operate during and survive natural disasters.

        • Re:Why care about WiFi and Hurricanes (Score:4, Informative)

          by dougmc ( 70836 ) <dougmc+slashdot@frenzied.us> on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:48AM (#6995136) Homepage
          Tomorrow, we may care a great deal if our phone/data networks or municipal services control systems are knocked offline because an underlying wireless network failed.
          Actually, I was going to continue along these lines, but got distracted and forgot to finish my post.

          People care if their cell phones work during a crisis *today*. This is nothing new, and it's not likely to stop being important tomorrow.

          We (as in the human race) have been using microwave links to transmit phone data for decades now. How they handle bad weather is very well known, and I'll bet a few minutes of google searching will find you lots of data on that.

          (From what I've found, the error rate goes up in very heavy rain, but the links continue to work. Of course, if the wind knocks the tower over, pulls the dish off or knocks out power, it's going to break.)

          WiFi does use microwaves to transmit it's data, but the name `WiFi' itself limits you to networks based on IEEE 802.11 specifications. If you're not using 802.11 specifications, it's not WiFi ... it's something else.

          Cell phone data is not routed over WiFi networks to any signifigant degree now, and this isn't likely to change in the future. Phone companies do use similar technologies, but they don't call it WiFi.

          And that's why what happens to WiFi during a storm isn't *that* important in the grand scheme of things.

    • Well, after the equipment is blown here, I'll let you know if it still works.
    • I ran a WIFI link between my apartment and my office for a year and a half. Wind was OK. Rain was OK. Blustery rain completely frelled the signal.

      Recall, 2.4Ghz is in the microwave region. Your cup of coffee is warmed up in the microwave oven because water absorbs microwave energy like a sponge.

      Now, an infared LASER. That might work...

      • Now, an infared LASER. That might work...

        The problem with a laser is that it is inherently unidirectional. You get great signal propagation at low power, but you have to aim it really carefully to get anything at all.

        In the rain, infrared lasers would be in a bit of trouble--raindrops will readily scatter infrared light (coherent and otherwise). Most IR wavelengths are also easily absorbed by water--one of the reasons why infrared telescopes have to be located in space.

  • Better hope the interference from the power line carriers will be low enough for the hams to do their job.
  • As long as this doesn't result in more man-made disasters like Twister [imdb.com], I'm not complaining.

  • Get into amateur radio yourself - here's how ... (Score:5, Informative)

    by wherley ( 42799 ) * on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:47AM (#6994503)
    First, here [arrl.org] is some background info.

    Second, study up [arrl.org] for the 35 question multiple choice exam using the Now You're Talking book.

    Third, take your test [arrl.org].

    Then get some gear - you'll be the one helping out in the next disaster in your area!

    K9JRW
    • A simple handheld 2 meter radio (for local area use) is available for under $100 new. If you're really cheap you can get a used rig (or if you want someting better than the 2meter HT I'm mentioning). Mobile (read car-mounted) radios with somewhat longer range start at about $150. It isn't that expensive, but if you still can't afford it, see if there is a club in your area, if so there might be somebody willing to loan or sell you some of their old gear. If you STILL can't afford it, well, you CAN alway
    • Thanks for the info. I've been wanting to get my license but just haven't gotten around to it. These links are what I need.

    • Re:Get into amateur radio yourself - here's how .. (Score:5, Informative)

      by Rorschach1 ( 174480 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:16AM (#6994799) Homepage
      And don't let the test scare you off. Any self respecting geek ought to be able to learn the test material in a couple afternoons.

      I got my Novice license at about age 11. I'd stayed with Technician class for years, then they dropped the 20 wpm code requirement for Extra. It took me about 8 hours of studying to prepare for the test and I passed with a 96%.

      If you're reading slashdot, and you already use things like FRS radios, there's no excuse for not getting a license and earning the ability to use REAL equipment.

      Plus, you can run higher power 802.11b. =]

      N1VG
      • I've always heard this thing about running higher 802.11b. How much can we pump it up if we're licensed?
        • Well the written rule is that you're never supposed to use more power than you need to get the intended communication through.

          That said, I believe the 2ghz range limits are 1500w. Its been a while since I had to memorize those charts, though, so it might be less than that. Most frequencies seem to be 1500w, though.

          Thats twice the power and nearly the same frequency as your microwave oven, though. You probably don't really want to be doing that.
      • My girlfriend and 11 year old daughter passed their novice/tech tests without effort.

        cince they basically eliminated the code it's no effort to get in.

        Problem is that many of the repeaters are choked with idiots.. "Dave can you hear me?" "yeah! cool we're 20 feet apart!" and yack on for 20 minutes as they drive down the road hogging the repeater for no reason. Espically on a state wide linked repeater system.

        Get off the repeater and talk simplex!!!! Courtesy and using your brain are required in this hobb
      • And don't let the test scare you off. Any self respecting geek ought to be able to learn the test material in a couple afternoons.

        Basically, when I decided to upgrade from Advanced to Extra, I found about four different sites that supplied online practice tests. Here's one of them [aa9pw.com]; here's another [qrz.com]; and here's a third. [eham.net] Basically, about three times a day I took a practice test and made notes on the stuff I missed. Then, I went back and studied up on those topics. Did I memorize the answers? Well, yeah . . .

    • Re:Get into amateur radio yourself - here's how .. (Score:5, Informative)

      by kc9biw ( 659719 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:19AM (#6994826)
      Here is some quick general info I normally hand out.

      There are 4 current classes you could get. To get one, you need to one
      before it, ie if you want general, you need to have tech and tech + morse
      first.

      Technician
      Technician + Plus morse code
      General
      Extra

      The test is only $10 and lasts for 10 years. to renew, you just have
      to fill in some paper work and send it into the FCC.

      The test is 35 multiple choice questions.

      The Technician class Syllabus is here
      http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/tech-syllabus.ht ml

      To find a testing center in your area.
      http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtm l

      Question pool for Technician class (I printed these out and read over them twice and was able to pass the test)

      http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/tech2003.txt
      http:/ /www.arrl.org/arrlvec/2003Technician_graphic s.pdf

      Online Practice test
      http://www.qrz.com/testing.html

    • Re:Get into amateur radio yourself - here's how .. (Score:4, Informative)

      by Our Man In Redmond ( 63094 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:36AM (#6995019)
      I would like to point out that getting the gear needn't be expensive. These people [gigaparts.com] have handheld 2-meter sets that cost less than most gamer-grade video cards. My 2-meter handheld, a Yaesu VX-5R, retails for $250 and Yaesu often has it on sale for around $200. It puts out 5 watts (sufficient for all the local repeaters), will do 6 meters and 440 as well, has a wide-ranging receiver, and isn't all that much bigger or heavier than my cell phone.

      That will be sufficient for you to get into your local ARES net to prepare for emergencies in your area.

      • I would like to point out that getting the gear needn't be expensive.

        Even cheaper: buy a used radio on EBay [ebay.com], or visit a local ham store or ham swap meet. The gear you find may not be the latest and fanciest, but there is a lot of good, serviceable gear out there. My 2m handheld is a Radio Shack HTX-202 - big (by modern standards), heavy (ditto) and ugly (in the eye of the beholder... :-), but it's built like a tank and it works very well.

        Unlike other radio services, we hams can build our own radios. H

        • Yeah, I got one of those 202's too. I use it and a 2 amp power supply as a "base" rig.

          Actually, if you get involved with the local ham community, you can often find someone who doesn't mind donating a hand-me-down to a new ham. I wouldn't count on it, but others have been kind enough to help me with equipment in the past.

  • so hopefully we learned from the last blackout? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by *weasel ( 174362 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:48AM (#6994514)
    and 50 million people won't be shafted again when Isabel knocks out power across the eastern seaboard, tripping power grids thousands of miles away?

    because i'm in detroit, and I don't exactly have the utmost faith that they've corrected the problem already. particularly since they haven't even identified it yet.

    at least i'm all stocked up again.
    unfortunately my generator hasn't arrived yet.

  • Never mind hams , what about CB? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Viol8 ( 599362 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @10:49AM (#6994522) Homepage
    Does anyone (apart from truckers naturally) use CB radio anymore? Is it ever used in these sorts of scenarios?
    • CB is limited by FCC regs to 4 watts (I think) whereas licensed hams are limited to 1500 watts. We have dozens of bands to choose from and are able to pick a band with local, regional, or national/worldwide characteristics that will work best for situation. Many Hams are volunteers and train for emergencies, allowing them to work right alongside FEMA, Red Cross, National Guard, local government and local emergency management. Hams are usually the first communications on the scene of an emergency and often t

  • hey (Score:2, Funny)

    by dj_paulgibbs ( 619622 )
    I'm a vegetarian you insensitive clod!!!
  • Check out:

    here [nasa.gov], here [nasa.gov] and here [nasa.gov]

    This one is my favorite [nasa.gov].

    "Your comment has too few characters per line (currently 6.1)" blah blah blah...

    S

  • Suspicious of those ham radio guys (Score:5, Funny)

    by British ( 51765 ) <british1500@gmail.com> on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:11AM (#6994723) Homepage Journal
    You ever notice when disaster strikes(weather, blackouts, etc), those ham radio people are always there? Hmmm..

  • Obligitory Simpsons Quote... (Score:3, Funny)

    by GeneralEmergency ( 240687 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:14AM (#6994776) Journal
    <HOMER>
    "Marge, prepare the emergency ham!"
    </HOMER>
  • some hams, does that count?

    *Not really true, I do have standards.

  • Skywarn comes up at 2pm for LWX (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Ho-Lee-Cow! ( 173978 ) * on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:36AM (#6995020)
    I've never done an extended or widespread Skywarn activation before. All of the auxillary nets are coming up along with the main net out of LWX. It's kind of exciting to see everyone lining up to go down to NWS and getting their systems on backup power--it's really the kind of thing that we do all this tinkering for.

  • Possible Flooding as result of Isabel (Score:3, Interesting)

    by r3mdh ( 113054 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:44AM (#6995091)
    The last thing we need in Ohio is more rain (we're already over 9 inches above normal for the year), and Isabel threatens to add more precipitation to our area. Since we're so over saturated, nearly every time it rains, our areas go into automatic flood watch. As amateur radio operators, my wife and I provided communications for the American Red Cross for flood victims in the Stark County area in late July. Looks like we might be called to action again.

    73 de KC8WVJ (and KC8WVK - my wife)

  • Forget Ham radio (Score:3, Funny)

    by QuackQuack ( 550293 ) on Thursday September 18, 2003 @11:55AM (#6995219) Journal
    Why use Ham radio when you can have SPAM radio! It's the radio that comes in a can to protect from the worst weather conditions.

    Not only will Spam Radio keep you updated on the latest conditions in Nigeria, you will also learn how you can take advantage of offers that will let you achieve, erm, "personal growth", (wink wink, nudge nudge)
  • That part about "posting hams at shelters" sure has flushed out all the turkeys at Slashdot.

  • IRLP Hurricane Net (Score:2, Interesting)

    by cryptec ( 630849 )
    Check out the hams at work on the east coast. They are currently reporting weather and assisting FEMA; Live shoutcast broadcast is available here: http://live.irlp.net:8080/

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