The Way forward for Emcomm – The KØNR Radio Web site

Right here comes Starlink!

I’ve been studying various reviews from the areas affected by the 2 main hurricanes (Helene and Milton). The North Carolina expertise is especially attention-grabbing as a result of folks have skilled the lack of communication and electrical service for a number of weeks. I can think about this identical factor occurring in different components of the nation, together with my space.

There are two essential expertise disruptions exhibiting up in North Carolina: satellite-based web (Starlink) and mobile-phone-to-satellite (SMS) textual content messaging. Starlink is having a major affect throughout this incident, whereas cell phone satellite tv for pc messaging continues to be rising. Steve N8GNJ has some worthy ideas on these subjects in Zero Retires 173. Though I’ve served in lots of ARES/RACES deployments through the years, I don’t contemplate myself an knowledgeable on this space. I’d recognize feedback from Emcomm people who’ve spent extra time fascinated with this.

Sorts of Emergency Communication

Most related emergency comms lump into 1) short-range comms (< 5 miles) between household, associates, and neighbors. 2) medium-range comms (50 miles) to acquire data and sources. 3) long-range comms (past 50 miles) to attach with distant household, associates, and sources.

1. Brief-Vary Comms: That is the kind of communication that’s nicely served by cell phones, besides when the cellular networks are down. That is occurring lots in North Carolina. Calmly licensed VHF/UHF radios corresponding to FRS and GMRS can be utilized to exchange your cell phone. Assume: eager to name your neighbor 3 miles away to see if they’re OK or can present one thing you want. (I’ve a number of FRS/GMRS radios in my stash to share with neighbors. See TIDRadio TD-H3) VHF/UHF ham radio is, in fact, even higher for this, besides the events concerned must be licensed. (OK, you possibly can function unlicensed in a real emergency, however that has different points. See The Talisman Radio.)
2. Medium-Vary Comms: This can be a nice match for VHF/UHF ham radio utilizing repeaters or highly-capable base stations. GMRS repeaters can even serve this want. These communications will usually be about situational consciousness and useful resource availability within the surrounding space. For instance, somebody on the native ham repeater might know whether or not the freeway is open to the place you need to drive.
3. Lengthy-Vary Comms: Traditionally, this has been performed by HF ham radio and lots of emergency visitors continues to be dealt with this fashion. The shift that’s occurring is that organising a Starlink earth station feeding a neighborhood WiFi community might help lots of people in a really efficient method.  Examine passing a proper piece of health-and-welfare visitors by way of ham radio to letting a non-licensed particular person merely get Wi-Fi entry to their e mail or textual content messaging app. Hams are doing this, however many unlicensed techie people have arrange these methods and freely shared them with the general public.

Cell Satellite tv for pc Messaging

Varied suppliers now supply a fundamental textual content messaging functionality utilizing smartphones speaking to satellites. At this time, this functionality is usually restricted to emergencies (“SOS”), and it’s comparatively sluggish. With time, this functionality will definitely enhance and fundamental satellite tv for pc texting can be ubiquitous on smartphones. This can be nice for checking in with distant associates and households, however it will not be that helpful for Brief Vary and Medium Vary comms. Sometime, it’d embrace voice comms, however within the close to time period, it’s in all probability simply text-based.

Evan K2EJT offers some helpful ideas primarily based on his expertise right here on this video. Nonetheless, he doesn’t tackle the Starlink functionality.

Abstract

Whereas a lot of the general public appreciates the usefulness of ham radio throughout emergencies, I’m already listening to questions like “Doesn’t Starlink cowl this want?” My view is that Starlink (and comparable business sats) may be very helpful and can play an essential emcomm function, however it doesn’t cowl all the communication wants throughout incidents corresponding to hurricanes, blizzards, wildfires, earthquakes, and many others. Emcomm people (ARES and RACES) might want to adapt their strategy to take this into consideration.

These are my ideas. What do you assume?

73 Bob K0NR