The book is now on general release. It can be obtained from the Association of public Safety Communications Officals (APCO) for the cost of USD 40 plus shipping. Call +1.904.322.2500 or FAX +1.904.322.9766
Latest..The pilot training course, based on the book, has now been conducted at the U of Wisconsin at Madison USA. As a result, further one day courses are planned as well as a distance learning version.
Due to the placing of the book on the web, there has been a very bad impact on the sales of the hard copy of the book. If I am not able to sell all remaining copies of revision one, I cant print revision two. I cannot get any donations from the web versions, neither has anyone so far made a donation to DRCF on reading the web version. We need some money if we are to fund the printing of edition two. If you have enjoyed using revision one then please buy a hard bound copy in order to support the printing of revision two. Thank you.
The book has been favourably reviewed in the October 1997 issue of Radio Communications magazine, the official members magzine of the Radio Society of Great Britain, RSGB. The book review is on page 64.
In collaboration with University of Madison, Wisconsin, The contents of the book has now been adapted as part of a training course for the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs. It is proposed that the pilot course should be conducted in December, with a proposal that Mark Wood could co-teach the Telecom Related Parts.
It is expected that the book will be reviewed in a forthcomming eddition of QST magazine, the official organ of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).
The book is now on general release! Copies can be purchased from APCO. Just follow the links for 'Order a copy' and you will be taken to the APCO institute. You can order over the 'phone with a credit card. A first draft of the HTML version of the book is available for viewing. It is on the reliefweb system but not yet announced pending further proofing.
The Cost per copy is $40 plus distribution costs. This very low cost is made possible by the generous production of this book on a cost plus basis. There is also a donation to the DRCF for every copy sold.
The book has been converted to HTML format so that it can be read by browsers such as netscape and mosaic. It is still being proofed at this time and has a few small bugs. The contents of the appendix will be added asap.
The book is aimed at, 1)Managers of Humanitarian aid organisations, 2)Humanitarian aid workers 3) Disaster and Emergency communications planners 4)students of telecommunications interested in studying the effects of failure of the bearer network. We aim to give a balanced look and the pro's and con's of each system. We do not recommend any system, we leave conclusions to you.
The book is arranged into seven chapters. Chapter one covers a general introduction to the problems faced by users of telecommunications systems in emergency situations. Chapter 2 introduced satellite based systems concentrating on the INMARSAT system and also explaining the Regional and LEOsat systems. Chapter 3 covers short wave radio (HFradio) systems and their associated coast stations. Chapter 4 covers the thorny matter of providing power where the mains has failed. Chapter 5 covers legal issues such as the matter of importing equipment and obtaining licences to operate telecommunications equipment at short notice. The Resolution 640, covering the use of amateur radio, the Tampere Declaration from the Working Group on EmergencyTelecommunications (ITU) and the draft of the future Convention on Emergency Telecoms is also mentioned. Chapter 6 discusses the different short range communications systems and some of the factors which may influence you to choose the right one for you. This chapter also covers mobile data systems. Chapter 7 is a summary.
The book is now on general release. It can be obtained from the Association of public Safety Communications Officals (APCO) for the cost of USD 40 plus shipping. Follow the links on this page for the apco homepage or call +1.904.322.2500 or FAX +1.904.322.9766