Communications Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

[Brad]

Reg Change means end of an era--Member owned equipment -- those legacy Taits, vertex's, ht-1000's soon gone --VHF nets to p-25.

Sad day for a guy who learned to solder building his first CAP radio from an Allied Radio Knight Kit. (It was on 26.620)

The Vertex 4204s were dropped way back in 2006 after the narrow band transition...which is weird because they can do narrowband, I wiped all mine that I was retiring and saw that option. So yay for me, radios go back to the state as state-owned property, no DRMO, then I turn around and ask them if I can keep one for Part 90/97 work with the fire department and ham use. Yay free stuff!

[Spaceman3750]

P25 != encryption.

Encryption is brought up, and wings are required to be prepared to use encryption based on customer requirements, but that's it.

[helper]

Reg Change means end of an era--Member owned equipment -- those legacy Taits, vertex's, ht-1000's soon gone --VHF nets to p-25.

Sad day for a guy who learned to solder building his first CAP radio from an Allied Radio Knight Kit. (It was on 26.620)

I remember when CB radios used crystals. A set for CB ch10 could be swapped (use the receive crystal) to transmit on 26.620.

[Storm Chaser]

Staff officers direct all the time.

It is called functional authority.

Because that's what we need; more "directing" from the staff. Staff officers should only "direct" on behalf of their commander.

15. Discharge of Responsibilities:

a. Unit commanders are responsible for compliance with all directives from higher headquarters. They are authorized a staff to assist in the accomplishment of the various assigned tasks and should delegate appropriate authority to staff members in discharging the unit's mission. Commanders retain full responsibility for the actions of their staff.

b. Commanders must ensure that all members of their staff understand the chain of command, that is, who they report to and who reports to them. Individuals should have only one supervisor.

Since Communications Plans are policy-level document and must be approve by the respective commander, any Communications Officer "directing" subordinate units must do so on behalf and with the concurrence of their commander.

2-4. Plan Approval.  Communications plans are policy-level documents, approved by the respective Commander, with input from the respective Operations staff.

In this case the functional authority is granted to the communications managers by the national commander when he approves the regulation.

Sorry.   That dog don't bite.

Next.

Sorry, but the fact that the National Commander approved this regulation doesn't mean he's giving comm officers authorization to circumvent other regulations regarding command authority, policies, and duty assignments.

[SarDragon]

Call sign update:

Communicators,

We have posted a blog entry today addressing the changes that are happening with CAP tactical call signs. To read the entry, click on the link below and select "Big Changes for CAP Call Signs."

http://www.capmembers.com/emergency_services/communications-blog/

Blog posts are not directive in nature, of course, but this post will give you a feel for how the national communications staff sees us moving forward on call signs and advice on how to proceed.

[Eclipse]

I can't begin to imagine why anyone cares, beyond knowing what they are assigned, what their call sign is.

This isn't CB radio, they aren't vanity plates, and they are supposed to fulfill a mission purpose.

Whether it's Georgina Pearlymussel 7-5, or Reticulation Amoeba 3-9(er), what difference does it make?

As to personally-owned / analog equipment.  If CAP wants me on a radio, they will issue or loan me one, if they don't, they won't.
Again, it's not personal, it mission-focused.

If CAP can accomplish the mission using my POR, I'll put it on the charger.  If they don't want me to use it anymore, I'll drop it on eBay.

[Luis R. Ramos]

But there are advantages to owning your own as opposed to waiting for a training or real mission to get hands on one.

You can participate in more actively in communications. You can actually learn better how it works...

[arajca]

But there are advantages to owning your own as opposed to waiting for a training or real mission to get hands on one.

You can participate in more actively in communications. You can actually learn better how it works...

Not to mention you'll actually have one when you need it. Few if any wings have enough portables to meet their critical needs, let alone essential or necessary needs.

[Eclipse]

Not to mention you'll actually have one when you need it. Few if any wings have enough portables to meet their critical needs, let alone essential or necessary needs.

Then they won't accomplish the mission until that is fixed, whatever the fix is, be it relaxing the requirements or more funding.

You can't have it both ways, even though CAP tries to, and well-intentioned members don't help by "helping".  NHQ has decided
who gets radios based on the TOA, and because of lack of a strategic plan, the distribution is random.

Members showing up to missions with cases full of HT1000s bought off eBay with their own dime are an expedient fix "today",
but don't address the longer term issues, and if / when those benevolent members leave CAP, so do the toys, making the problem
potentially both worse and less visible, because the radios CAP depended on for a decade are suddenly gone with nothing to
fill the vacuum, because you don't know you need them until game-day.  BTDT.

Let's not kid ourselves, a lot of members with PORs have them because they can't get CORs issued as they do not
participate in ES.  The only time you hear their calls is on the nets, with no traffic, because they can't / aren't interested in
doing anything else. Issuing them radios, or exposing encryption keys for a POR serves no purpose to CAP's mission, and
potentially compromises the encryption as there is no control over that device.

And while it's not something I could do myself, I'm sure given the right cable and software, cloning the codeplugs is not a big deal, especially to
the motivated, and just like the myriad "extra" unlicensed / non-compliant radios in the field today, this isn't really an
impediment in anything but the academic sense.