[RTTY] RTTY Interference to Hurricane Rita Ops

[sjolin]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Glover" <psykey at okcforum.org>
To: <rtty at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2005 12:07 PM
Subject: Re: [RTTY] RTTY Interference to Hurricane Rita Ops


> It seems obvious to me that emergency communications should
> get the top priority on any band, at any time.  Dismissing
> the notion that emergency operations might be given some
> room where they need it, because, hey, they can always QSY
> to somewhere no one else cares to operate at the moment,
> strikes me as a little misguided.

Jim, how many frequencies do those supposedly handling emergency 
communications need? I've seen postings now of  two or three nets per band 
and these are just the SSB nets and don't even include the regular NTS 
system. I wouldn't doubt there are more. I thought WINLINK was supposed to 
handle all this..at least that was the ARRL's rationale for screwing up the 
bands with their new bandwidth proposal.

How much of this "emergency communications" is true emergency communications 
in support of local governments and charities as opposed to "health & 
welfare" messages for people who have probably evacuated anyway and are 
fully capable of making a phone call.

If after two or three weeks of hurricane emergencies SATERN or NTERN or 
whatever hasn't been able to communicate to the amateur community where 
these communications are taking place, then the haven't done their job. 
Assuming that QRL from a cw op when cw ops often intentionally interfere 
RTTY ops during contests because their space has been invaded is the height 
of arrogance.

I'm sorry they are having trouble with their net but emergency preparedness 
is about planning ahead and these folks haven't bothered to do that.

73 de Dave, N0IT