[LARC-CQ] SARNET

Lakeland Radio lakelandarc at gmail.com
Thu Aug 22 07:19:26 PDT 2019


*Robert Young asked me to post this on the blog. I think it might be more
useful to send it out as an email. I would like to remind everyone that
they have the ability to do the same, as long as they sign up for CQ Lists.
This is a very appropriate use for CQ lists. *


*I have also asked Jim Stewart for his input. *

*Bill*


*SARNET: Statewide Amateur Radio Networking in Florida*
*August 22, 2019*
*"Florida SARNET Receives Hytera Donation to Better Prepare for Hurricane
Season." Hytera donated some radios to improve SARNET, including a new
repeater for the National Hurricane Center link into SARNET. Read
yesterday's press release here
<https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/florida-sarnet-receives-hytera-donation-to-better-prepare-for-hurricane-season-300904857.html>.*


*August 21, 2019FDOT has sent an official response to some of you who sent
in letters to their chief engineer. Here it is:*





*"Thank you for your input regarding the Statewide Amateur Radio Network
(SARNET) devices on the Florida Department of Transportation (Department)
communications infrastructure used by amateur radio operators. We are
currently evaluating several options available to the Department concerning
the future of the SARNET devices and no decision has yet been made. Thanks
again for your input."*












*August 20, 2019SAVE SARNET!!!SARNET NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!Florida Department
of Transportation (FDOT) management decided on Thursday August 15, 2019 to
end all support for SARNET.  This is NOT the SARNET Administrator.  This
action will have an immediate affect on SARNET since ongoing maintenance
activities have also been stopped.  In addition, it will lead to the
slow-death of SARNET as problems occur that are not addressed. It is
particularly disturbing that this decision was made in the middle of
hurricane season.If you are willing, we need you to send a letter or email
to the chief engineer of the FDOT. We have prepared a form letter for you
to print, sign, and mail to the FDOT. A link to it is below. You can also
cut and paste the letter into an email if you prefer. Of course you are
free to write your own letter.  We only ask that you be courteous and
professional in your comments so we can move FDOT back to a supporting
position for this important communications resource.Please get the word out
and thank you for your help!Link to Letter in Word Format
<https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/william_watts.docx>Link
to Letter in PDF Format
<https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/william_watts.pdf>*
------------------------------








*PLEASE BE ADVISED:Unauthorized use of SARnet by persons who are not
licensed by the United States (US) federal government to operate amateur
radio equipment is a direct violation of US federal law under Title 47,
Part 97, of the US Code of Federal Regulations.IN ADDITION, under Florida
Statute 877.27, unauthorized use of SARnet resulting in interference to
authorized users is illegal and considered a third degree felony,
punishable by up to 5 years in jail and up to a $5,000 fine. If found
guilty of a felony in the state of Florida you will lose your right to sit
on a jury, hold public office, and own a gun.SARnet is a stand alone
repeater system. Do not link any crossband repeaters, echolink, etc.
equipment to it!THERE IS AN EXCELLENT NEW SARNET VIDEO ON YOUTUBE PRODUCED
BY HAMRADIOCONCEPTS VIDEO BLOGGER ERIC! HERE IS THE LINK
<https://youtu.be/ua2gD0ZDkvY>.*
















*WHAT IS SARNET?The Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet) is a network
of linked UHF voice repeaters that serves the State of Florida. The
repeaters are operated by their local trustees and the network that
connects them together does not interfere with the local use of the
repeaters. These UHF repeaters were specifically chosen in part because the
voice traffic on them is light. This helps ensure that long conversations
and rag-chews are rare on SARnet since any SARnet traffic brings up ALL of
the repeaters on the network. But always remember when using these UHF
frequencies that the government has primary use of the amateur spectrum
near 440MHz. See this discussion
<https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/ntia_440.pdf>on the
government use of the band.The key to what makes SARnet work so well is
that this network uses dedicated bandwidth that is separate from the
internet. Statewide connectivity is achieved without the use of any
commercial telecommunications services. SARnet does not use the internet,
cellular telephones, or land lines.WHY WAS SARNET STARTED?The state of
Florida Department of Transportation  is continually investigating new IP
technologies for use in improving its own voice radio network and to meet
its mandate to provide inter-operable communications with other state
agencies and public safety entities. Instead of using their live voice
radio network as an ongoing test bed for these new IP technologies, the
FDOT has partnered with the amateur radio community to use their radio
systems throughout the state as part of a test bed to support the FDOT's
research. The benefit for the FDOT is that they gain valuable knowledge
about how to install, operate, troubleshoot, expand, upgrade, and maintain
a sophisticated IP radio network. With SARnet, the FDOT can conduct their
research without jeopardizing their live voice radio system and creating
potentially unsafe and counter productive conditions for the FDOT personnel
who work on the state's highways every day. In exchange for supporting this
research, the amateur radio community can talk across the state using the
same amateur radio equipment they use everyday. The fact that the FDOT
network that connects these amateur radio repeaters together is a
stand-alone carrier class microwave network means that SARnet is much more
likely to remain operational during a severe weather event like a hurricane
that might cause disruptions to the internet, cellular telephone and other
commercial communication services.IS SARNET ONLY FOR EMCOMM?No. SARnet is a
network of amateur repeaters owned mostly by non-emcomm affiliated hams. So
it is not just for emergency communications. That being said, the creators
of the network behind SARnet are active in public safety communications,
both commercial and amateur, and they have an understanding of what SARnet
can do for emergency communications in the state of Florida.During a
significant emergency event, SARnet may be called upon for support, through
an official state emergency request, and radio traffic in and out of an
affected area may become heavy. Under such a scenario, It is hoped that all
of the local repeater trustees in the affected area will agree to let their
repeaters continue to be used as part of SARnet. During such an emergency,
if a controlled net is called, it will be by hams working with the county
and state EOCs, not SARnet personnel. We have enough to do keeping the
network running.CAN I ADD MY REPEATER TO SARNET?Thanks but no. Going
forward, the FDOT, as a rule, is only installing new repeaters at strategic
sites available to FDOT.Copyright 2019 SARnet. All rights reserved.*

<http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail>
Virus-free.
www.avg.com
<http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail>
<#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.lakelandarc.org/pipermail/cq-lakelandarc.org/attachments/20190822/c28662c4/attachment.html>


More information about the CQ mailing list