[HamWAN PSDR] [Netops] Oregon and Washington HamWAN

[Scott J. Burrows]

Awesome … thanks!!





----- Original Message -----
From: Rob Salsgiver <rob at nr3o.com>
To: 'Scott J. Burrows' <sburrows97211 at comcast.net>, 
'Hamwan Network Ops Operations' <netops at hamwan.org>, 'Nigel Vander Houwen' 
<nigel at nigelvh.com>, 'PSDR' <PSDR at hamwan.org>, 'Tom Hayward' <tom at tomh.us>
Sent: 10/29/2018 8:56:28 PM
Subject: RE: [Netops] Oregon and Washington HamWAN



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.
-------------------------------------------------
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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