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<div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(142,124,195)"><font size="2"><strong>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. <br></strong></font></span></div><div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(142,124,195)"><font size="2"><strong><br></strong></font></span></div><div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(142,124,195)"><font size="2"><strong>I have also asked Jim Stewart for his input. <br></strong></font></span></div><div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:left"><font size="2" color="#fb0a0a"><strong><span style="color:rgb(142,124,195)">Bill</span><br></strong></font></div><div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:center"><font size="2" color="#fb0a0a"><strong><br></strong></font></div><div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:center"><font size="6" color="#fb0a0a"><strong><br></strong></font></div><div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:center"><font size="6" color="#fb0a0a"><strong>SARNET: Statewide Amateur Radio Networking in Florida</strong></font></div>
<div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:left"><strong><font size="5"><font color="#2a2a2a">August 22, 2019</font></font></strong><br><strong><font color="#2a2a2a"><font size="5">"Florida SARNET Receives Hytera Donation to Better Prepare for Hurricane Season." </font><font size="4">Hytera
donated some radios to improve SARNET, including a new repeater for the
National Hurricane Center link into SARNET. Read yesterday's press
release</font></font><font size="4"> <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/florida-sarnet-receives-hytera-donation-to-better-prepare-for-hurricane-season-300904857.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</font></strong><br><br><strong><font size="5"><font color="#2a2a2a">August 21, 2019<br>FDOT has sent an official response to some of you who sent in letters to their chief engineer. Here it is:</font></font></strong><br><br><strong><font size="3">"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.</font><br><font size="3"> </font><br><font size="3">We are
currently evaluating several options available to the Department
concerning the future of the SARNET devices and no decision has yet been
made.</font><br><font size="3"> </font><br><font size="3">Thanks again for your input."</font></strong><br><br><strong><font size="5"><font color="#2a2a2a">August 20, 2019<br>SAVE SARNET!!!</font><br><font color="#2a2a2a">SARNET NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!</font></font><br><br><font color="#2a2a2a">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.</font><br><br><font color="#2a2a2a">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.</font><br><br><font color="#2a2a2a">Please get the word out and thank you for your help!</font><br><br><font color="#2a2a2a"><a href="https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/william_watts.docx">Link to Letter in Word Format</a></font><br><font color="#2a2a2a"><a href="https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/william_watts.pdf">Link to Letter in PDF Format</a></font></strong><br></div>
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<div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:left"><br><u><font size="3"><strong><font color="#000">PLEASE BE ADVISED:<br>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.<br><br>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.</font></strong></font><br><br><strong><font color="#da4444">SARnet is a stand alone repeater system. Do not link any crossband repeaters, echolink, etc. equipment to it!</font><br><br><font color="#2a2a2a">THERE IS AN EXCELLENT NEW SARNET VIDEO ON YOUTUBE PRODUCED BY HAMRADIOCONCEPTS VIDEO BLOGGER ERIC! HERE IS THE <a href="https://youtu.be/ua2gD0ZDkvY" target="_blank">LINK</a>.</font></strong></u></div>
<div class="gmail-paragraph" style="text-align:justify"><font color="#050000"><strong><u><strong><span><font size="5">WHAT IS SARNET?</font></span></strong></u><br>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 <a href="https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/ntia_440.pdf">discussion </a>on the government use of the band.<br><br>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.<br><br><u><strong><font size="5">WHY WAS SARNET STARTED?</font></strong></u><br>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.<br><br><u><strong><font size="5">IS SARNET ONLY FOR EMCOMM?</font></strong></u><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br><u><strong><font size="5">CAN I ADD MY REPEATER TO SARNET?</font></strong></u><br>Thanks but no. Going forward, the FDOT, as a rule, is only installing new repeaters at strategic sites available to FDOT.<br><br>Copyright 2019 SARnet. All rights reserved.</strong></font><br></div>
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