On a late fall afternoon in 2004 I sat at my desk putting together a proposal   
   for a potential client.  The local jazz station played on my studio monitors   
   competing with the activities on 14300 khz. I had a couple of messages pending   
   to hopefully move on the section traffic net which I'd picked up on the late   
   session of region five. IN other words, just a normal day.  My phone rings.    
   IT's the local emergency management guy from University hospital.  We talk   
   about a few other things, projects in progress, etc.  Then as a quick aside he   
   says "I thought we might need to call you guys in this afternoon."  He then   
   proceeds to tell me about the loss of a crucial link between many elements of   
   the LSU health services staff, including University and Charity hospitals in   
   New Orleans.   
      
      
   IT seems that the link to its controlling hardware and software had gone down   
   for the NExtel system, which was used extensively by their personnel to   
   communicate among themselves.    
      
   Before Nextel LSU health services utilized many vhf and uhf   
   frequencies for on the go comms for staff.  As part of helping them plan for   
   the inevitable big hurricane we'd talked about those frequencies, and their   
   continued capability to use them.  A good friend of mine with the know-how had   
   done quite a bit of research in FCC data to find me information on what   
   systems they had at that hospital.    
      
   Armed with this data, I asked my friend in emergency management at the   
   hospital if they still had portable equipment to get on those frequencies, and   
   if they still had the repeaters that some depended on.  His answer was that   
   when they'd signed the contract putting those little Nextel beep beep push to   
   talk pcs devices in pockets they'd considered those radios surplus, and no   
   longer had them.   
      
   Some of their potables of course depended on repeaters.  There were numerous   
   antennas on the Charity hospital campus.  There were some equipment racks   
   still in a room on the top floor, but my colleague couldn't tell me what was   
   in them, or whether it even functioned. We planned to work on finding out.    
      
   When Katrina struck, we were ready with fresh batteries in a dozen or so frs   
   radios to distribute to key staff elements that would need comms once the   
   internal telephone network went out.    But, supplies  of both alkaline   
   batteries to replace their soon to be dead nicads was short as well as the   
   radios themselves.   
      
   But, before Nextel every key department had its  dedicated radio frequency,   
   those that would need them had repeater systems.  Those repeater systems could   
   have easily been connected to electrical power which automatically switched to   
   generator as were many other important systems.  They could have been further   
   backed up by batteries.    
      
   OF course, Nextel didn't fare any better than most communications systems in   
   New Orleans during Katrina.  The trouble was, too many crucial communication   
   systems had put all their trust in complex systems easily lost during such an   
   event.  New Orleans police and fire lost their local trunked system, and by   
   necessity switched some operations to the state trunked system, which was   
   already overloaded.    
      
   Meanwhile, according to a guy whose information I trust, these folks still had   
   conventional repeater systems on tall buildings throughout the city.  These   
   systems had backup power.  Some of them even retained antennas.    
      
   According to my associate, he did some checking, and found many of these   
   machines still operational.  So, the next logical question would be why they   
   didn't switch to them when the trunked system became unavailable.  We know the   
   answer of course, they didn't have any radios.    
      
   AS I type this, I'm looking at a MOtorolla portable which probably spent a   
   good part of its life being available for a New Orleans firefighter to use.  I   
   bought it at a nearby hamfest, because the seller had the programming software   
   and cable and I could put a rugged radio of this type to good use.  The price   
   was quite   
   reasonable.    
      
   These good folks spent a lot of time in the past designing those systems.    
   They provided for backup power for the equipment, and no doubt considered the   
   likelihood of strong winds and the impact those winds would have on these   
   antennas.    
      
   But, the new technology was attractive, spectrum efficient, and the latest   
   greatest.  This would surely translate into lower   
   maintenance costs.    
      
   Back at the hospital campuses, the same applies.  NO need for social services   
   and maintenance to each have a radio frequency. Program your personal   
   communicators with one button contact with anybody else in that department.    
   Let Nextel handle the maintenance of a system.  Even better, if the department   
   head went out of town as long as her destination offered Nextel service the   
   staff could reach her there.  Better than a local repeater, lower maintenance.   
   Somebody drops their Nextel communicator and doesn't realize it until the   
   truck has backed over it, no problem.  Go to the store, get another Nextel   
   handheld communicator device.  They're cheap, and they're around the corner at   
   the local store.    
      
   Yes they are available, until this cellular system can't   
   communicate.  Now you're out of touch.  But, with a conventional radio, even   
   if you normally depend on a repeater system, if you've planned ahead you can   
   utilize simplex on the repeater's output frequency.    
      
   A lot of our tax money has been spent in just such a manner.  We're told that   
   our hf circuits are dinosaurs, that all this beautiful technology is so robust   
   that it's virtually guaranteed not to fail. After all, the sales rep talked   
   about the generator backups at the tower cites, the multiple cites available   
   in your area.  HE told you that they've got these systems all over the   
   country, and they just work.    
      
   I'll grant that folks at various locations within our hospital complexes were   
   able to take advantage of some band openings to at least send text messages,   
   and even connect an actual call now and then.  This was especially true for   
   folks on upper floors.    
      
   Meanwhile we have people rolling the dice, taking a chance on making a   
   connection when they've got a pressing need for   
   reliability.  To use the one satellite phone available our   
   emergency managers at the hospital had to go up onto the damaged roof, and   
   hope he could get on, as many others were utilizing the available capacity of   
   the system.  the state trunked system was often loaded to capacity, or   
   exceeding it as well.    
      
   A lot of your money and mine has been spent for these systems, and perfectly   
   good equipment and systems have not been properly   
   retained or maintained to be available when needed.    
      
   Yes, I got a great deal on a Motorolla radio rugged enough to be type accepted   
   for firefighter duty.  When we lived in center city New Orleans, it got   
   regular use.  Now I live out in the sticks.  It maybe sees use three or four   
   days a year now.  I'm sure some rescue worker would have been exceedingly glad   
   to have it on his belt during the aftermath of Katrina, especially had he   
   known that there were repeater systems for his agency still functioning.    
      
   I'm also sure that when the critical patient was evacuated from our   
   institution thanks to hf radio that an emergency room physician breathed a   
   sigh of relief, and gave prayers of thanks according to the tenets of her   
   faith.  Many weren't so lucky.   
      
   we've allowed our tax dollars to be spent in a similar manner to that which   
   goes into the pockets of the cocaine dealers.  AT first just a hit or two,   
   it's "recreational" then it's recreational every weekend, then ...   
      
   The salesmen are good at what they do.  Heck we can even get Federal grant   
   money to hand to the  sales rep.  IT's all great, the portable units aren't   
   those big bricks of yesterday that weighed down your belt.  NO reason to   
   worry, the sales rep assured you they've got contingency plans for disasters,   
   and everything's going to be just fine.    
      
   I'll not argue that there are many benefits to these modern   
   systems.  However, I will argue until I draw my last breath that failure to   
   provide real robust communications systems or to plan for the use  of them   
   when needed is dereliction of duty on the part of our emergency management   
   professionals.  How many people have to die because of this shortsightedness   
   before they figure it out? Ask yourself that question, and then, ask them!    
   Remind them that they're spending, and have spent your tax dollars!   
      
   Failing to plan is planning to fail.  IN this  case, failing to plan to take   
   advantage of any and all resources is tantamount to going armed with intent.    
      
      
   Regards,   
              Richard   
   ... 10% of everything isn't crap, watch closely or you'll miss it!   
   --- timEd 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin:  (1:116/901)