This is the slide show and audio from a presentation I gave at the August 2012 Alexandria Radio Club meeting. This presentation is based on information I hav…
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Amateur Radio To The Rescue: Ham Radio Saved New Orleans?

An amateur Radio Repeater (kb5avy) on 444.150 MHZ, following Hurricane Katrina, became one of the few link between New Orleans and the outside world. Old fas…
Video Rating: 4 / 5

20 replies
  1. jjovereats
    jjovereats says:

    AM + repeater = what I will do if I get an Intermediate license. Trying to
    cajole mum to let me try for Foundation, so I may use a digital K2K mode,
    or a weather map SSTV mode.

    Reply
  2. Howard3S
    Howard3S says:

    FM voice isn’t just nice. It is what is used over 95% of the time in
    emergencies and public service events It’s used for tactical nets, which
    are the backbone of any emergency – first to activate and last to close.
    The NTS, morse code are nice,as a last resort, if ever used for
    emergencies. they are nice, but a rusty tool that folks like yourself
    overemphasize. Read the latest ARRL PS book and update yourself…Maybe
    we’ll get some young experimenters and rebuild this old fart hobby.

    Reply
  3. tony stokes
    tony stokes says:

    FM voice is nice, but remember you can get a CW siganl through with a lot
    less power and a much simpler and lower antennna. If you ask me, i want any
    option that is available, any chance of survival is better than no chance!

    Reply
  4. Gabriel Sierra
    Gabriel Sierra says:

    If you read the description, it says they used a repeater on 444.150 MHz.
    It is not Morse code, it was VOICE. FM voice communications FYI. If you
    take the time to check out modern Ham gear, you will notice it is quite
    advanced, and coming lower in price everyday. The video covers many faces
    of Ham radio modes used. There are times when voice can not pass and CW or
    digital modes are needed. By using NVIS techniques, you can work a 300 mile
    area with very little power. This is what military do.

    Reply
  5. Howard3S
    Howard3S says:

    Using morse code?. Watch “katrina, the untold story. Use those paddles, By
    the time you Morse code that a woman is in labor, need a boat, need a
    chopper after that, and have officials talk to eachother, tactical (short
    and time critical) comms to coordiate, good luck. The traditions of ham
    radio are nice. Give me at least voice on FM for starters. AM and CW are
    nice but lets cathc up with what we are now not inventing anymore and we
    wait for commercial radio mfgrs. to “give us”.

    Reply
  6. Jamie Dean
    Jamie Dean says:

    TS-590 Current Draw Measurements

    The 30A shunt arrived today and I quickly rigged it up with a small (7.5Ah)
    gel-cel to measure actual current draw.

    One thing I learned: the radio’s Power control has no affect upon the
    output power in Tune mode (you’re probably saying ‘well duh!’). So I found
    an 1/8 inch phone plug in my junk box, shorted the two contacts and plugged
    it into the Key jack. Here’s what I measured/calculated:

    5W 8.4A
    10W 9.0A
    15W 10.2A
    20W 11.4A
    25W 13.2A
    30W 13.8A
    35W 14.4A
    40W 15A
    45W 16.2A
    50W 17.4
    Using the table in this video:

    Portable Solar Power – a Primer for the Radio Amateur

    So if I’m going to operate the TS-590 ‘picnic portable’ I calculate that
    I’ll need a battery with about 10Ah of capacity for each hour of operation,
    assuming 50% transmit and 50% rcv.

    Reply
  7. Matthew Archibald
    Matthew Archibald says:

    I have been thinking about this since my first Field Day, 2012. This was
    incredibility interesting and answered a lot of my questions! I enjoyed the
    breakdown of the charge controllers. At least at first with my budget I’m
    probably going with PWM, but it’s good to know other options are there for
    when it’s time to upgrade and improve. Thanks so much!! k4eqm 73

    Reply
  8. KF7IJZ
    KF7IJZ says:

    I didn’t make a specific recommendation on panels because at the end of
    the day, they pretty much all do the same thing. You should look for the
    size, output, and efficiency rating that you can afford for your
    application. Some brands I like are Sharp, LG, and Keyocera.

    Reply
  9. MeanStreaker592
    MeanStreaker592 says:

    Excellent info. Thanks! What do you recommend for brands/sources of panels
    to buy? I appreciate your recommendations on specific Charge Controllers,
    but didn’t hear anything about panels (except the mention of Harbor
    Freight).

    Reply
  10. DoctorRennie
    DoctorRennie says:

    Hey there, Where did you get the adapter plugs that go from the Goal Zero
    4.7mm plug to Anderson Power Pole? Thanks!

    Reply
  11. KF7IJZ
    KF7IJZ says:

    You have three options: 1). Buy one of the GZ adapter cables and cut the
    end off 2). Buy the 4.7mm plugs from Digikey and make one 3). Utilize the
    female cigarette lighter socket and purchase a male cig to PP adapter from
    Powerwerx.

    Reply
  12. SM6YZC
    SM6YZC says:

    Great video! I am thinking of building myself a solarpanel to charge
    batteries while doing QRP at my summerhouse. This information gave me a lot
    more on my feet! 73 de SM6YZC

    Reply
  13. Mark Abreu
    Mark Abreu says:

    I hesitated when I saw how long this was but well worth it. I’ve just
    started thinking about this for some field work with something other than
    an HT. Thanks!

    Reply

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