[FedCom] FRS radio use by gov't

[A10382]

Ahhh... the government procurement process.  I was part of this =
'establishment' years ago, having managed a number of communications =
projects.

The procurement officer collects the needs of all the potential user.  =
This turns into a wish list for every conceivable feature.  The users, =
despite being asked not to, pass around with everyone ADDING their =
needs, but generally not tabulating the percentage of users that need a =
particular feature.  for ht's - Included is usually the need for the =
unit to be intrinsically safe, droppable from 9 ft to the flight deck, =
AND resistant to a nuclear EMP pulse!

Then it's put out for bid, and a manufacturer figures what the =
engineering costs divided by the potential one-time purchase are.  =
That's why when you order 100 unique toilet seats for a transport  =
aircraft, they cost $600 each.

A much larger factor of late is a better informed =
soldier/sailor/airman/marine who brings their personal civilian =
experiences to the field.  In a previous age, the command structure =
would have clamped down on personal comm sets.  In the current =
all-volunteer service, a LOT of personal latitude is granted.  We DO =
want folks to re-enlist.

-------------------
During the late 80's and early 90's, many hams brought their ht's to the =
Middle East.  This was verboten in the 60's and 70's in SE Asia, but =
overlooked in the Middle East.  A number of hams continue to bring their =
base station rigs with them, running MARS stations from far away places. =
  It brings a new meaning to the definition of 'Field Day'!   It lets =
them get news from home much quicker than the typical military family =
message systems or the Red Cross can provide for. =20

My wife, on a few occasions, was able to talk to both my son and myself =
while we were in out-of-the-way places the Middle East in 1989, 90, & =
91.  The rest of the time ?  It was AT&T to the rescue.

73
Frank
=20
 ._._.


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