[HamWAN PSDR] [Netops] Oregon and Washington HamWAN

[Rob Salsgiver]

Scott,

I see as I’m nearing the end of writing this that Nigel has also responded, so take this with a grain of salt <g>.  Rather than re-write, I’ll simply finish and contribute to the discussion.

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There have always been plans to carry HamWAN from Oregon to B.C., and the current map shows the progression to date, with coverage from Larch Mtn (near Portland) to Triangle in Victoria.

The efforts of the first 3-5 years have largely been geared toward establishing a footprint to operate from, get the HamWAN “brand” and concept established, and encourage use and participation.  As you likely know, getting “in” to key sites to build such a network doesn’t happen overnight.   Some sites have literally been years in the “making”.

The primary “hands on” work of building HamWAN to date has largely been done by its primary creators, who in the last 12-18 months have each had other facets of their lives take front seat.  In the last 6-8 months we’ve seen an influx of new Board members and admins who have stepped forward to help continue HamWAN forward into its next phase.  In the last couple of months things have started to move again, but it has taken some time for new folks to get familiar with things, learn from their mistakes, and to absorb what they can from the “old guard” when they have time to share their wisdom.

As far as a “master plan” to integrate Oregon and Washington, I am not aware of any such plan per-se.  I know there have been sidebar conversations between folks here and there about getting across the river, but I don’t know who with or how far they’ve gone.

That said, there is nothing to keep Oregon folks from setting up a HamWAN of their own, separate from what is being done here in Puget Sound, and similar to the efforts you’ve noted in Memphis, Tampa Bay, etc.  There are some aspects that might benefit from a combined effort, but it can proceed independently.  HamWAN is a set of standards, and the various HamWAN implementations around the country share those connectivity and design standards.

You are right that IRC is not much used for strategic planning.  It is mostly used for day to day support, brainstorming, and problem solving.  In the last year or two there hasn’t been as much on the strategic planning aspects as the primary movers of the effort simply haven’t had the time.  With new board members and admins, there have been several conversations about revising documentation, planning new sites, and essentially those elements you would expect to happen to help continue the program’s development.

Your message is timely and it fits well with some of the similar discussions going on between the new and old admins and board members.  We are at the stage where we have some good new folks involved, but we are moving through the process of getting new up to speed with the “old”, getting new people to take over tasks no longer able to be supported by the creators, etc, etc.   We have 8+ additional sites we are looking to implement at this time, and numerous client sites as well. 

Where we are today is a necessary step in both the development and continuation of HamWAN.  The steps we take today to get the current generation of admins and Board members up to speed should help “round out” the documentation and processes for bringing the next generation(s) on as well. 

Congrats on the interest and securing the funding.  I look forward to working with you and seen how things go forward.  I won’t have all of the answers, but I’ll do my best to help things along.

Cheers,

Rob Salsgiver – NR3O

 

From: Netops [mailto:netops-bounces at hamwan.org] On Behalf Of Scott J. Burrows
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2018 6:32 PM
To: Hamwan Network Ops Operations; Nigel Vander Houwen; PSDR; Tom Hayward
Subject: [Netops] Oregon and Washington HamWAN

 

Hello, 

 

I'm curious, do the PSDR folks in Seattle have a plan for integrating both Oregon and Washington into their existing HamWAN network?   I have talked to folks within Washington State about their costing estimates and deployment strategies of their HamWAN initiative.  The proposed effort discussed deploying HamWAN technology both for the Northern and Southern routes of the state.  Earlier this month, the Clark County ARES/RACES group submitted a "2019 Grant Request Proposal" to the Clark Regional Emergency Service Agency to build out a prototype client station at the county EOC.  Also, the folks in Oregon have secured a large grant (possibly $30,000 dollar) for HamWAN and will be discussing HamWAN deployments this year.  They are organizing teams for fund raising, network administration, site installation, mentorship, and strategic planning.

 

Much of the talk in the IRC group has been about technical suggestions for minor technical problems.  I have not encountered any serious discussions about large implementation efforts in expanding the HamWAN network, although perhaps that is occurring via another method.  The Memphis, Tampa Bay, and British Columbia seem to be small regional implementations in distant states/provinces.  However, I have not seen any serious discussions about statewide strategic and tactical implementations of HamWAN (i.e. Washington and Oregon). 

 

In my experience, technology folks get fixated on the nuts-and-bolts of the network technology and forget about strategic leadership, management, and formal documentation.  Much of the PSDR website has not been updated in years.  I regularly hear comments at digital meetings where folks are interested in HamWAN, but are waiting for more specific information.  This makes large scale deployments extremely difficult if you have to email the HamWAN Network Operations folks every day, assuming they have time to respond.  

 

I understand that the HamWAN folks in Seattle are busy with day jobs and unable to respond immediately to all questions.  However, if the PSDR leadership team was to reach out to the larger audience, I am sure they will find many talented folks to help with most aspect of HamWAN.   

 

Hopefully this message will not be considered slamming the HamWAN folks in Seattle.  Please don't shoot the messenger.  The technical folks (Tom Hayward and Nigel Vander Houwen) have been extremely responsive and helpful.  I respect the vision and work that PSDR volunteers have done to date.  If you talk to your customer base, you might be surprised the help you may get.

 

Thanks

 

Scott, N7DOD  

  

 

 

 

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