Friday fragments - comms news from around the web for 2 May 2014

A round-up of the week's critical communications and public safety radio news for Friday, 2 May 2014.

Browned off by brown-out. In Texas, a dust storm blew open the door of a building housing repeaters and other gear used by PANCOM, the Panhandle Regional Interoperable Communication System. While there was no physical damage, the system went down, forcing regional emergency communications coordinator Reeves Easley-McPherson to drive to the site to get it back online.

The growth of hams. The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) is now one of the biggest in the US, gaining more than 1700 members in just three years. TALARC is involved with disaster preparedness and emergency communications, with many of its members involved with local Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Emergency Management offices.

LTE up in the air. AT&T has announced plans to provide high-speed 4G LTE services for aircraft in flight. The service “will be capable of providing in-flight broadband for customers including fast, reliable Wi-Fi and onboard entertainment. Following launch, aviation customers can also expect improved connectivity solutions such as cockpit communications, maintenance operations and crew services."

Anonymous to take over airwaves? Online 'hacktivist' group Anonymous has turned to amateur radio to let people chat over ham bands used Fldigi software. “So far we have played interactive chess games with people at 180 miles away. We (sic) have shared pictures and established encrypted low bandwidth digital voice chats."

iPad video assists emergency managers. Emergency managers in Muskogee Country, Oklahoma, are using video chatting to see what's happening in the field during severe weather events such as tornados. “That makes a big difference because when you're talking, 'OK this is what I'm looking at now', they don't have to picture it in their minds," Muskogee County Emergency Management director Jeff Smith told FOX23.

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