About DRCF

The DRCF is a very small registered charity, established in 1989. It's Half Dozen or so members are private individuals, unpaid volunteers, who put their professional communications skills to use for the benifit of the Humanitarian Aid community. The DRCF was formed in the UK, but some of its members operate from other places. All DRCF members are professionally qualified and experienced emergency communicators, who hold both Amateur and professional radio licences.

Our current projects are:-

• To provide information to other small NGO's on the state of telecommunications technology as applied to humanitarian aid needs in the field. The current project to achieve this is the book "Disaster Communications", by Mark Wood, G4HLZ,a DRCF member. To order a hadrcopy version, follow the 'How to order a hardcopy' links on the book's homepage, or phone the publishers in Florida USA, +1 904 322 2500, quoting your credit card number. You can receive a copy by return of post. The cost is USD 40.00 plus postage. In the future more use will be made of electronic publishing methods such as the World Wide Web. You can read the Web Version by following the 'read the book now' links.

• Project PuLPiTT, (Plain Language, Plain Text Tutorials) This is an electronic database of essays on technical themes related to Humanitarian Aid. It is intended as a refresher for non-technical managers and other technology users. The aim is to build a library of up to date tutorials written by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in order to explain the use of present and emerging technologies. The project is in its prestudy phase at the moment and DRCF are now looking for SMEs to oversee the subjects. We invite comments as to what subjects should be presented in the essays.

• Project LOw Volume Environment (LOVE), now known as Fieldweb,. Promotes websites with low data volume so that field units may find information without downloading graphics. Data in the field can cost USD1 per 1K, so a user may have to pay up to USD 100 just to read one page, and take a very long time into the bargin.

• (inactive at this time),To provide telecommunications equipment for loan to small NGO's who need this equipment for field communications. We currently hold in our store near Heathrow airport in London; one HF radio kit plus antennas, and one generator set. And in storage at the INMARSAT HQ in the city of London; One kit of INMARSAT standard C equipment. In addition to which we also hold a living kit for a two man team, such as a tent and other sundry items intended to make the communications team self sufficient.

• To represent the interest of the small NGO's to the international Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications, to ensure that the future Convention on the Provision of Emergency Telecommunications, will allow the fullest contribution from the 'small NGO' community. And to do our part in explaining and encouraging the convention.

• (Inactive at this time) To provide, on short tearm loan, typically 2-3 weeks, trained Disaster Communications personel in order either to operate the equipment loaned from DRCF, or to install and operate equipment provided by the requesting party. The reason for the short availability is that members have full time professional responsibilites and the DRCF work is only possible with the kind permission of their employers. Or we can use our network of contacts in the industry to find a non-member who is more appropriate. In either case we have insufficient funding to finance the expenses of the engineers, so we expect the requesting party to meet all the expenses that arise including travel. However we do not charge consultancy fees.

The Members of DRCF are private individuals who operate from home. Normally we ask that you only call us during the daytime and early evening (local time), however we obviously make an exception for emergencies.

• Lieutenant Commander David Row, RN (G0EUE), Honorary Director DRCF, Bridge End, Elm Grove road, Topsham, Exeter, England. Phone and FAX +44 1392 873 644 (local daytime only except in emergency please)

• Mark Wood (G4HLZ),Tel +1 972 423 6154. Internet mark.wood@engineer.com.