Dear ODV Members:

While I applaud our efforts to have reconsideration by the FCC for Amateur
Radio access to the 3 GHz band, I believe we have undersold the importance
of EmCOMM and public service capabilities with mesh networks in the 3 and 5
GHz ranges. Rick Palm, K1CE, ARRL's editor of the monthly ARES E-letter, had
the following editorial in his October 22 issue.  He highlights examples of
mesh networks being used as a tax-free resource to served agencies (and the
public).  Here in my bailiwick of hurricane alley in coastal North Carolina,
there are mesh network nodes on several barrier islands which relay data
during disasters to county EOCs located on the mainland.  Mesh networking
through Amateur Radio is in its infancy, but it will be unfortunate to lose
this EmCOMM and public service response capability, especially at higher
data rates than through HF and VHF nodes.  


K1CE for a Final: Use or Lose the SHF Bands; Increase Data Speed, Modes for
Keeping Up with Needs of Served Partner Agencies
The FCC's decision to delete the amateur service from the 3.3 - 3.5 GHz
allocation sent a chill down my spine. The message is clear: we must use our
super high frequencies (SHF) or risk losing even more access. There is
ever-increasing demand by our served partner agencies for higher speed data,
digital voice and image transfer, the kinds of data rates that are made
possible by the greater bandwidth afforded by our access to the SHF
spectrum. There are many forward-thinking amateur groups around the country
that are exemplary.
The 5 cm amateur band was recently used for filing a wildfire report - on
September 8, 2020, two hams in the Puget Sound region of Washington State
were watching the live camera feed from the Mt. Baldy HamWAN site and
spotted and reported a wildfire in the surrounding forest. The Ham Wide Area
Network is a system of commercial microwave radios tuned to the 5.65-5.925
GHz amateur radio band. Data speeds between the link sites vary depending on
the path, but speeds four orders of magnitude faster than 9600 baud packet
is common. Video cameras with PTZ control have been added to many of the
link sites.
The use of HamWAN as a backup emergency communications system throughout the
Interstate-5 corridor in Washington is growing. The Washington Emergency
Management Division EOC, the Washington State Department of Transportation
Southwest Region EOC, two county and four city EOCs, three hospitals, and
one Red Cross office already have permanent connections (so far).
The Northwest Ohio Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) Mesh
Steering Committee (Lucas County ARES) conducted a drill focused on setting
up individually-owned AREDN Mesh gear, troubleshooting and operating the
ancillary gear (phones, cameras, laptops, self-contained power boxes) on an
individual basis. Numerous law enforcement officers from Wood County as well
as from Lucas and Monroe counties in Michigan were enthusiastic about the
Mesh Networking capabilities.
In Colorado, the Boulder ATV club installed its new 5.9 GHz, FM-TV beacon
transmitter on a government building for the purposes of encouraging
microwave experimentation; to get hams to try ATV, especially with the
really low cost FM-TV gear now available for drones; to be used as a known
signal source for testing antennas and receivers; and to increase usage of
our microwave bands, to help prevent their being taken away from us.
Use it or lose it. Add microwave apps to your ARES toolkits. There is a
wealth of information from ARRL to get you started. A quick click on any
search engine will lend more.

73 de Bill Morine, N2COP
Vice Director - Roanoke Division
Representing ARRL members in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and
West Virginia
www.arrl-roanoke.org
Facebook Page: ARRL Roanoke Division
ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio

-----Original Message-----
From: arrl-odv <arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org> On Behalf Of
rjairam@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2020 9:43 PM
To: ODV <arrl-odv@arrl.org>
Subject: [arrl-odv:31325] 3GHz reconsideration

Great write up on the petition for reconsideration.

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-petitions-fcc-for-reconsideration-of-order-rem
oving-3-4-ghz-amateur-allocation

I'm hoping that at the very least it brings some confidence from membership
that we are not giving up, even if the outcome is negative.

I hope that future efforts are as proactive and forceful like this one (the
reconsideration).

73
Ria, N2RJ
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