International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Ad hoc networking protocols enable the formation of self-organizing networks with automatic selfhealing operation in dynamic environments. There are a number of existing or planned ad hoc implementations and a body of research on protocols and performance. Ad Hoc technologies promise significant impact in future communications architectures. This paper presents a general overview of ad hoc networking and presents specific examples, including a recent implementation of a prototype ad hoc networked sensor system. The protocols used have unique characteristics derived by tailoring particular protocols to the specific application requirements. The potential relevance of ad hoc networking to possible telemetry applications is discussed.