Fierce Homeland Security, a website for domestic security leaders, reports:

In a paper (.pdf) dated Jan. 24, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology says unlicensed spectrum in the 2.4 gigahertz to 5 GHz spectrum, television white space and possibly even 60-100 GHz spectrum could augment the planned national broadband network….In addition, the network should incorporate Internet protocol packet switching technology to permit ad hoc network formation, the paper says. “Use of the Internet Protocols does NOT necessarily imply use of the public Internet,” it emphasizes.

This is just what amateur radio operators do when we set up nets in response to an emergency, although are networks are usually voice-only.  Why aren’t we doing any digital networking? Well, for one thing, there’s currently no commercial equipment available for purchase, and many of those involved in ham radio emergency communications are just not interested in investing the time and money required to get a digital network like this up and running.

I’ll say again what I’ve said before. We need a group like AMSAT that’s devoted to advancing the state-of-the-art in emergency communications. Unless someone really takes the bull by the horns, amateur radio is going to fall farther and farther behind in this area.

People get involved in amateur radio for many different reasons. Some of us enjoy experimenting with radio, others are interested in public service. Still others see amateur radio as part of their preparation for a catastrophic event. These latter folks are sometimes know as “preppers.”

I became aware of them several years ago, when one of the students in my Tech class told me that he was a Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraging many of their members to get amateur radio licenses.

I recently decided to do a little more digging when an “amateur radio” Google Alert that I get contained a link to the article, “The Skinny on Ham Radio” on the blog The Survival Mom. This is a very good introduction to our hobby.

Here are some more links:

• Radio Survivalist. This site contains links to many different online amateur radio resources for preppers, including information about rigs and antennas.
• Catastrophe Network. This site claims to be the creator of the Standardized Amateur Radio Communication Plan. This plan is downloadable from this site.
• The American Radio Preparedness Net (TAPRN). These folks are the co-creators of the Standardized Amateur Radio Communication Plan. In addition to a number of pages to help preppers set up and operate amateur radio stations, TAPRN conducts several regularly-scheduled on-air nets.

According to the Catastrophe Network website, the plan “outlines a standard set of frequencies that should be used by all preppers following a catastrophic disaster. These frequencies will serve as a meeting point where information about the event can be shared and actions between like minded preppers can be communicated.”

Googling will undoubtedly point you towards more websites, but this should get you started if you’re interested in this aspect of ham radio.

A very nice article appeared yesterday on the Red Cross website describing how hams helped the Red Cross provide emergency services in New York:

As Irene neared landfall in late August, both the ARES and the New York City/Long Island American Radio Relay League (ARRL) supported the Red Cross by staffing the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and supporting shelters in Queens, Nassau County and Suffolk County. While not all shelters required onsite Amateur Radio Operators—a.k.a. HAMS—volunteers were on standby to move their equipment at a moment’s notice.

I especially liked the comment in the last paragraph about fire departments having only one or two frequencies to use.  That seems kind of short-sighted, doesn’t it?

From NIST Tech Beat: September 13, 2011

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking advice on possible key features of a new broadband communications network for the nation’s emergency services agencies. The network will use a portion of the 700 megahertz (MHz) radio frequency spectrum.

In a Sept. 12, 2011, Federal Register notice, NIST proposed four characteristics critical to the success of the future network—resiliency, reliability and availability, security, and affordability and compatibility with commercial systems—and asked for comments, suggestions and other input to help realize them. Among other things, NIST seeks to understand the extent to which these features and requirements can be satisfied, either with existing technology or with technology that could become available in the relatively near future.

This request for information coincides with the ongoing development of a demonstration testbed of the network by the joint NIST-National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program. The testbed will provide a common site for manufacturers, carriers and public safety agencies to evaluate advanced broadband communications equipment and software tailored specifically to the needs of emergency first responders.

Comments are requested by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Oct. 12, 2011, to Dereck Orr at dereck.orr@nist.gov. The complete Federal Register notice, detailing the four key features and the specific traits desired for achieving each one, may be retrieved from www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/retrieve.html. Select “2011 Federal Register, Vol. 76″ and then enter “56165″ in the search box.

The PSCR program is a partnership of the NIST Law Enforcement Standards Office and NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences. PSCR provides objective technical support—research, development, testing and evaluation—in order to foster nationwide public safety communications interoperability. More information is available on the PSCR web site at www.pscr.gov.