Ham Radio in the 21st Century

I had the privilege today of serving on the communications team for the RAPSody bike tour through Kitsap County (http://www.rapsodybikeride.com/) I had the easy job, as these hearty souls biked 165 miles over two days.

In our discussions, and as I waited for the bikes to go by, I began reflecting on what role ham radio plays in our new "digital world". I realized that, much like other venues, it's not about the technology. It's about a committed group of people willing to give up their Saturday (and beyond) to help others by using their specialized skill sets. Oh sure, my wife still limits me to one antenna per vehicle so it doesn't look like a "porcupine", and there are many hams that reallylove their gear, but it's more than that.

Really, very few of us build radios in the basement anymore. We purchase (expensive) gear for voice communications, but also find innovative uses. (I've not blogged about it before, but Automatic Position Reporting System - APRS - uses ham radio and GPS technology to track station movement. VERY cool, IMHO) Many hams participate in field day activities to further demonstrate they can go anywhere, set up quickly and be on the air in a flash.

So is there still a place for amateur radio? You bet! There was a discussion today about part of the route "just using cell phones instead of radios". True, almost everybody has a cell phone... but nobody has party lines anymore. Cell phones are great if (a) you have coverage and (b) you only want to talk to one person at a time. During events, there is a net control (similar to a dispatcher) that keeps the information flowing and making sure stations are all on the same page. We all hear the same info: "Watch for rider 294... he's had a flat and may need help" "Is there a unit with more tools that can come to station 302" etc... I can't imagine doing that with a dozen cell phones.

Kitsap County has a very active emergency communications team, and the bike ride today was an opportunity to give everyone practice both with equipment and the process for using net control. Had this been a real emergency, the process would have scaled up and been joined by the few dozen hams who weren't at the event, interfaced with Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management, and I'm confident would have run like clockwork.

Yeah, we probably do look funny standing on the side of the road with radios and antennas, but it's gratifying when somebody has just ridden a bicycle 50 miles and uses the precious few breaths after climbing the hill to say "Thanks for being here".

(Shout out to the folks who helped out today: Merv N7IZ for pulling it together, Montie K2MLS for being net control, Bernie KC7RQV, Craig AD7CX, Barry AC7MD, Rich KD7TOV, and Jim KE7JMY)