All communication circuits have a backhaul … Amateur Radio does NOT

5. February 2010 by admin.

In the light 0f hurricanes and earthquakes and all sorts of mobile and incidental activity one thing rings strong … everyone talks about infrastructure and that just means one thing generally … backhaul …

 *ALMOST* every circuit or communications method, I don’t care if its satellite, cellular, wifi, wimax, or whatever you are talking about. If there is no Internet behind that signal you might as well be talking to the MOON. If they lose their Infrastructure meaning that they lose their Internet then all your fancy VOIP - Voice over Internet Protocol and any thing else that goes over internet … goes right out the window.

 One thing that d0es not go out the window though is SSB / HF  or low band communications. Assuming it was not something nuclear that damaged common solid sate equipment then SSB / HF communications can still get through,. Sailmail and such things for HF email might just work, assuming nothing happened to the infrastructure of Sailmail and the shore stations for that.

But you might consider becoming more familiar with your SSB / HF equipment on your boat - and on land as well if you can. And Ham Radio / Amateur Radio is one such way to do that. But not the only way in the marine environment. You might however try checking into or listening to area SSB / HF marine networks to be ready for any such occurance and be ready to communicate by SSB/HF radio if that ever becomes the only way to go.

If the INTERNET ever goes … even if by satellite … you might want to be ready and able to use SSB / HF radi0 to communicate if your have to.

—

Alan Spicer - KA4UDX

http://www.marinetelecom.net

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