WA6ITF

08-13-2013, 09:58 PM

When we produced the video "The DIY MAgic of Amateur Radio" (available for viewing on YouTube) we spent several days in the Dallas Texas area video recording with the Texas-based HSMM-MESH group which has pioneered this overall concept in the USA. While a few minutes of what was demonstrated to us was included in the show, I likely have enough material to produce a good 15 to 30 minutes on the subject. That said, the thing that hit me as we were working with these truly forward looking hams was that they have likely developed the hardware and software that in this writers opinion will eventually replace the FM (and all digital voice/data relay modes) repeaters as the backbone of ham radio "utility communications." If noting else, the concepts of a self-discovering and self healing network totally eliminate the need for any form of coordination committees and the like and in doing so also remove much of the politics associated with repeaters. Maybe one of these days I can find a way to take all the footage I have and turn it into a "This Is HSMM-MESH" video. All it will take is getting permission from the ARRL (that owns the actual video footage) and several thousand dollars to do post-production (editing). In my view, it would be well worth the effort because HSMM-MESH is truly the door to the future in our hobby.

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Jim,

Please feel free to quote my quote.  Except for the heat and humidity, it was truly a fun 3 days in Plano and I hope one day to get there again.  I was totally taken by the future of Amateur Radio utility communications as espoused by those working HSSM-MESH and wish I had the time to help get it going here in SoCal.  Theres a bit of activity, but not all that much and none in the area where I live.