Integrated Asterisk VoIP & Amateur Radio
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:01 am
Let's brainstorm the hypothetical feasibility of creating a reasonably portable box or kit that integrates a number of widely varying technologies and tools into a single easily useable, robust networked platform that is ideally suitable for disaster recovery and emergency response communication efforts. Such a box would automatically discover and communicate with other identical boxes to form a coordinated and united response network through whatever means of communication is available between each node.
I was reading about a project to integrate the Asterisk VoIP software-based phone PBX switching platform with amateur radio equipment:
http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Radio
Now this has pretty impressive potential. Imagine if we had a rig that could be easily hauled in the cargo area of a minivan with a telescoping antenna mast lying beneath the seats, so as not to reduce seating capacity. A response team could arrive on the scene with two guys setting up the equipment while the others begin preliminary search & rescue efforts, or begin sizing up the situation and making a plan.
The “kit” could include a PC with voice & data communications equipment all integrated together in one carry tote ready to go. It could run software to keep track of what resources members have in the area, using a pretty spiffy mapping system, such as this really cool Emergency Preparedness Database for starts:
http://beta.tech.lds.org/forum/showthre ... 8#post2148http://beta.tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?p=2148#post2148
Additionally there could be a networked database for church members and their families to “check in” to update their status, needs, and where-abouts. This information could get compiled either through a temporary national call center (for those who made it to safety and were able to call an 800 number), or through local nodes on this network. These status updates would be propagated through whatever means available, whether it be IP, amateur packet radio, or even an encrypted data stream received via satellite downlink carried with the church’s satellite channels or perhaps even BYU-TV’s secondary closed captioning signal. (Setting up a DSS dish can be done in less than 3 minutes if you know what you’re doing. I’ve seen my uncle do so when parking his RV all over the place.)
http://beta.tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=297http://beta.tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=297
Asterisk could be running on the PC at each node, to act as a dynamic telephone switching platform. With some customization, it could be rigged to automatically discover all available communications links and route calls between nodes accordingly. Imagine for example being able to call any node by merely dialing a church unit number. Or, rescue teams could have two way radios with built in DTMF touch tone keypads. They would of course talk to the nearest node rig, but from there Asterisk could figure out who they are trying to reach and how to route their call. With some customization it could query the membership status check-in database to determine the location of the member who’s phone number was dialed. If the database indicates they are staying at another member’s house, then it would forward their call accordingly through the PTSN. If the membership status database says they are in the field serving in relief efforts, it would automatically route their call to the node—or even remote two-way radio that they are nearest to. Calls could hop from node to node either through temporary wifi networks using VoIP, or through amateur radio channels.
There’s a huge potential for this integration of radio communications with VoIP because it reduces the complication factor down to about ziltch. Everybody already knows how to use a telephone, and already knows how to dial a phone number on their ward list. The human interface, with the mere addition of perhaps a push to talk button, would be the same as everyone already is familiar with.
Certainly there are tons of other applications for such a kit.
-Jeff Phillips
I was reading about a project to integrate the Asterisk VoIP software-based phone PBX switching platform with amateur radio equipment:
http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Radio
Now this has pretty impressive potential. Imagine if we had a rig that could be easily hauled in the cargo area of a minivan with a telescoping antenna mast lying beneath the seats, so as not to reduce seating capacity. A response team could arrive on the scene with two guys setting up the equipment while the others begin preliminary search & rescue efforts, or begin sizing up the situation and making a plan.
The “kit” could include a PC with voice & data communications equipment all integrated together in one carry tote ready to go. It could run software to keep track of what resources members have in the area, using a pretty spiffy mapping system, such as this really cool Emergency Preparedness Database for starts:
http://beta.tech.lds.org/forum/showthre ... 8#post2148http://beta.tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?p=2148#post2148
Additionally there could be a networked database for church members and their families to “check in” to update their status, needs, and where-abouts. This information could get compiled either through a temporary national call center (for those who made it to safety and were able to call an 800 number), or through local nodes on this network. These status updates would be propagated through whatever means available, whether it be IP, amateur packet radio, or even an encrypted data stream received via satellite downlink carried with the church’s satellite channels or perhaps even BYU-TV’s secondary closed captioning signal. (Setting up a DSS dish can be done in less than 3 minutes if you know what you’re doing. I’ve seen my uncle do so when parking his RV all over the place.)
http://beta.tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=297http://beta.tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.php?t=297
Asterisk could be running on the PC at each node, to act as a dynamic telephone switching platform. With some customization, it could be rigged to automatically discover all available communications links and route calls between nodes accordingly. Imagine for example being able to call any node by merely dialing a church unit number. Or, rescue teams could have two way radios with built in DTMF touch tone keypads. They would of course talk to the nearest node rig, but from there Asterisk could figure out who they are trying to reach and how to route their call. With some customization it could query the membership status check-in database to determine the location of the member who’s phone number was dialed. If the database indicates they are staying at another member’s house, then it would forward their call accordingly through the PTSN. If the membership status database says they are in the field serving in relief efforts, it would automatically route their call to the node—or even remote two-way radio that they are nearest to. Calls could hop from node to node either through temporary wifi networks using VoIP, or through amateur radio channels.
There’s a huge potential for this integration of radio communications with VoIP because it reduces the complication factor down to about ziltch. Everybody already knows how to use a telephone, and already knows how to dial a phone number on their ward list. The human interface, with the mere addition of perhaps a push to talk button, would be the same as everyone already is familiar with.
Certainly there are tons of other applications for such a kit.
-Jeff Phillips