A futher note from an operator
What they will do is work out the party
line for any press enquiries, put up a lot of spin about they know best
etc etc. But the truth like oil in water will surface.
There are more than one group responsible for the mess that the
vehicular HF is in, but the principle group are Defence Procurement
Agency (DPA). Who have allowed the contractors to get away with
supplying cheap old hat technology antennas when high tech
antennas were specified.
The Bowman team leader and the Signals officer in chief for not
getting off their hands and insisting on the correct antennas, but
there is a problem here, senior officers within the Bowman team
and the Signal Corps knew little about vehicular loop antennas,
so instead of evaluating them, they chose to ignore them. Which
probably means that those who turned a blind eye are probably
going to be working for the contractors in the near future.
The contractors both British and American for putting their own
bottom line profits before the technical requirement. Then having
the nerve to ask for more money to solve the problem, and finally
to spend that additional money not on the new technology but by
supplying a cheap plastic mast and a piece of wire for the vehicles.
This is like giving a highly qualified sniper a blunderbus. absolutely
useless. Then back to the DPA for allowing this to happen. Then
back to the Royal Signals for pressing their hands once again under
their thighs.
Now that the facts are beginning to emerge, they are all in the
trenches, tin hats on, shouting not me guv to whoever will listen
whilst their publicity machines are at full roar singing the praises of
Bowmen HF in Iraq, but they were doing this even before it was
deployed.
I find that very strange, though it was obviously publicity designed
to deflect future critiscm.
One very senior "communications" officer must know how to break the
laws of physics, not bend them, break them as he has been busy
briefing that the Bowman HF radio will get into any corner of Iraq.
Well I have to inform him that it will, but only if it has the right
antennas, with the antennas supplied it will be lucky to work 16 miles.
I have informed him that the propaganda being pushed out is
based on having the correct antennas.
Without which the HF element of Bowman is money poured away
as the two basic benefits of Bowman Automatic Link Establishment
(ALE) and Frequency Hopping (FH) are not available with the cheap
NVIS antenna solution being promoted by the contractor.
More importantly British soldiers are being placed in unnecessary
danger from Friendly fire due to the current shortfall of the Bowman
HF vehicular system. I do hope that the commanders are starting to
ask questions, because I feel like I am a voice in the wilderness.
I keep looking around to see if I can spot any of those taurags from
the MOD or the DPA. A forlorn hope,
the desert is far to close for
comfort for them.
One wonders why the requirement to patrol the Iran border
against the insurgent supply routes is being strongly opposed, it is
probably because the HF comms will not work between 16 and 300
miles using the current antennas on the vehicles. But this is another
story.