Shacktopus: Behemoth in a Pack

Chanc_Gorkon writes "Anyone remember the guy who built the Winnebikeo and the Behemoth bikes and kayaks? Well, he's at it again, but this time it's packable. He's taking lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, a Yaesu FT-817 HF radio, a Yaesu VX-6R HT, a Zodiac PDA, Linksys WET-11(older version) retrofitted with a Senao Long Range WiFi Card, cellphone and whatnot, and putting it all into something you can wear on your back. Basically, it's Behemoth in a pack. His website is up for the Shacktopus."

Comments

The question is: Who you gonna call?

[pongo000]

With the continuing death throes of ham radio, who exactly are you going to communicate with other than other hams on a pre-determined schedule (yes, I RTFA, and this is exactly what was done)? Who will be listening when an emergency comes around? In case one hasn't noticed, there is really nothing going on new and innovative in digital modes these days. And if you do find the occasional renegade website that talks about high-speed digital communications on the ham bands, good luck in actually finding another ham locally who is interested.

Where were the ham radio operators during the London blasts, when the telephone/cell networks were reportedly overloaded and in some cases unusable? In fact, when was the last time ham radio was used in an emergency situation because other modes of communications were down? (If you doubt the death of ham radio, you might want to peruse this.)

These are just some observations from a long-time ham...one of the reasons I became inactive was because I could not find other hams interested in pushing the digital envelope. That was 10 years ago...and now, I'm afraid it's too late to catch up.

This article was a good read from a nostalgic standpoint, but I don't see anything very innovative, at least innovative enough to spark my interests (again).

Re:The question is: Who you gonna call?

[Ratbert42]

I've met Joe, AB2M, and he's being an idiot and sharing some bitter grapes with his article. He came to Punta Gorda / Port Charlotte a week after landfall when major services were getting restored. He went to the idle "section manager" (Dave Armbrust, AE4MR) who was such an idiot that he's since been voted out (part of the reason Joe's so bitter). The post-Charley response was a clusterf-ck. Essentially all of the "leaders" yahoo-ed it down to the affected area and made a mess. Without coordination there were a lot of wasted ham resources. Their mismanagement had a lot to do with changes in the ham radio emergency structure in Florida.

I was in Punta Gorda 8 hours after landfall and hams were plenty busy for the first 72 hours. I later found out I was literally operating within half a mile of Dave, who was camped out on some air-conditioned communications trailer, turning hams away because he didn't have any tasks for them. Meanwhile, I have Red Cross and Salvation Army operating with no communications except volunteers driving between locations.

I know the hams that set up the Forestry trailer and Joe's again full of it. Those hams got a sheriff's department back on the air and kept them working. Those particular hams and others train and practice setting up those communication trailers. Sure emergency services folks could have set it up, but they were a little busy and short-handed at the time. It freed up at least an extra battalion chief and an engine company.

As Jeanne passed, a local ambulance company (not fire-rescue but BLS) lost their repeater for about an hour. I personally know two of about five hams that worked together to pass messages and dispatch some of ambulances from the shelters they were located at.

I'll agree that the subsequent hurricanes left little for hams to do because of all the resources that had swarmed to Florida by then. I hope a lot of those resources stayed. Personally, I'd love it if a hurricane could come through and hams are never needed.