[ubuntu-np-discuss] [FOSS Nepal] Ham radios

[Sam Frantz]

Hi all,

There is a handful of licensed ham operators in Nepal but this number is set
to grow after Dashain.  For the past several years, the government has not
held any license examinations because the syllabus has been "under
revision."  Well, it's now revised and published, and I'm told that up to 20
Nepalis plan to take the exam!  (Foreigners can obtain a temporary license
in Nepal without difficulty, as long as they hold a valid license from
another country).

I used to be involved in emergency communications in the U.S. and would be
glad to speak with any of you who are interested in learning more about how
it works.  You could also help think through what applies and what might not
apply in the context of Nepal.  Just one immediate note:

In the U.S. and presumably also elsewhere, the power of ham radio as an
emergency communications tool comes partly from the ***good coordination
with government and NGO emergency services providers*.  For example, in my
county in Minnesota, the emergency operations center has desks for law
enforcement, fire officials, the weather service, the National Guard, the
Red Cross, and for two ham radio operators (one VHF/UHF radio for local
communications, one HF radio for regional).  We already have agreements with
each of these organizations that specify how we facilitate their
communications in certain circumstances. To give one example, during a flood
disaster some years ago, ham operators were present at each of the sandbag
filling locations as well as at the temporary dikes that were being built;
we passed information on how many bags were needed where.  To give another
example, I spent an afternoon at the Red Cross in Arlington, Virginia two
days after 9/11 passing information from various aid stations at the
Pentagon about which supplies needed restocking.  Simple stuff, but the
point is that all involved agencies had agreed in advance of a disaster
about what role ham operators could play in various scenarios, and we
practiced regularly.

If there is interest from a large enough group in Nepal in setting up some
kind of ham-based emergency communications network, it would certainly be
possible.  But you would face different challenges from your counterparts in
the U.S., in terms of building numbers, building relationships with other
responders, and in the fact that you won't be able to call in support from
elsewhere (in major disasters, hams from outside the disaster area often
shoulder much of the burden to allow local hams to tend to their families
and property).  Again, if you'd like to do a thought exercise about this,
I'd be glad to meet.

With best regards,

Sam

K0YAK/9N7AK




On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 9:58 PM, Jitendra kumar <jitendra.harlalka at gmail.com
> wrote:

> +1 - Training/Awareness about Ham Radio would be an important step in
> disaster preparedness.
>
> As a measure of disaster preparedness, *Cellular broadcast* <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_Broadcast>
> may be another important tool. It is a part of GSM standard but I am not
> sure if NTC/NCell are equipped with this technology. Can anyone get
> information from them about this? This can be effective tool for a govt/NGO
> wanting to broadcast some important updates/alerts in a specific area during
> such disasters.
>
> - Jitendra
>
>
> On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 11:47 AM, Bibek Paudel <eternalyouth at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> +1- we could even set up some emergency network for the future.
>>
>> bibek
>>
>> On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 5:45 PM, Jwalanta Shrestha <jwalanta at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > Adding to the thread two prominent Ham radio operators I know in Nepal.
>> >
>> > ~jwalanta
>> >
>> >
>> > On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 8:59 PM, Ishwor Gurung <ishwor.gurung at gmail.com
>> >wrote:
>> >
>> >> Are there any ham radio operators in Nepal? It seems that it's an
>> >> immensely powerful tool to communicate when internet, mobile and land
>> >> lines don't work during earthquakes or some such.
>> >>
>> >> I hope there are ham radio operators in and around Nepal that are
>> >> willing to conduct training session/s after everything settles down.
>> >> For future of course;
>> >>
>> >> I will not be able to engage as I live outside Nepal but I hope I did
>> >> bring up an issue that is important for the society to sustain during
>> >> natural calamities and confusion.
>> >>
>> >> Cheers
>> >> --
>> >> Regards
>> >> Ishwor Gurung
>> >> Key id:0xa98db35e
>> >> Key fingerprint:FBEF 0D69 6DE1 C72B A5A8  35FE 5A9B F3BB 4E5E 17B5
>> >>
>> >> --
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