CQ CQ CQ .. calling all amateur radio operators

[linuxgeek]

Field Day Fun Leads to ISS Ragchews

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/07/06/100/?nc=1

Astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, enjoyed his time operating during the 2004 ARRL Field Day so much that during the July 4 holiday he got on the air for ragchews. ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, at Johnson Space Center, said Mike called CQ on 2 meters, using the call sign NA1SS.

"He logged 8 contacts with stations in Canada, the US and Costa Rica. He said he had such a good time during Field Day that he hopes to get on the air more often in his spare time. He also hopes word will get out to hams that he will be more active," Ransom commented.

South Carolina AMSAT Area Coordinator Al Lark, KD4SFF, heard Mike speaking with US and Canadian hams. Al called Mike, and after they exchanged signal reports, Al wished him and Russian Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, a happy Fourth of July.

Al said: "I asked Mike to pass along my good morning (in Russian) to Gennady and to tell him about 17-year-old Russian-born, Maria Sharapova's win at Wimbleton. I thanked them for operating during Field Day, and mentioned that it was a big hit."

 

[linuxgeek]

The Maritime Mobile Service Network

Maritime Mobile Services Network holds a daily net starting at 12pm EST on 14.300MHz. On their website (http://mmsn.org/), they have added the ability to listen to the net as streaming audio.


The following is from 'About The MMSN':

The Mobile Service Network (MMSN) was founded in January 1968 by Chaplain A.W. Robertson, KB5YX, USN Retired. The nets original purpose was to "serve those who serve" in the United States military during the Vietnam crisis. Since that time, the net's hours and format have evolved with operational requirements.

The MMSN is composed of a dedicated group of radio amateurs who unselfishly volunteer their time, equipment and efforts to serve and assist those in need of communications from foreign countries and the high seas.

The primary purpose of the net is for handling traffic from maritime mobiles, both pleasure and commercial, and overseas deployed service personnel. We also help missionaries in foreign countries as well.

The Maritime Mobile Service Net is operational every day from 12:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and from 12:00 p.m. until 10:00 Eastern Time during Daylight Savings, on a frequency of 14.300 MHz., in the 20-meter amateur band. The network also operates on the alternate frequency of 14.313 MHz., should the primary frequency be inoperable. The Maritime Mobile Service Network immediately follows The Intercontinental Traffic Net.

Over 60 volunteer net control stations from throughout North America and the Caribbean maintain the network. Further, the net control stations are assisted by relay stations. This assures virtually total coverage of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The network is recognized by the United States Coast Guard and has been instrumental in handling hundreds of incidents involving vessels in distress. The network also acts as a weather beacon for ships during periods of severe weather and regularly repeats weather warnings and bulletins from the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center.

Any and all amateur radio operators are invited to join the network, simply by checking in. If you have a phone patch at your station, please tell the net control station and he/she will certainly try to put you to work!

 

[linuxgeek]

Museum ships and submarines taking to the airwaves

The 2004 Museum Ships Special Event weekend Saturday and Sunday, July 17-18 (UTC), offers operators a chance to work some rare and unusual stations and collect unique QSL cards and certificates. More than 80 museum ships and subs worldwide are expected to take part in the event, which is sponsored by the USS Salem Radio Club. Club members will operate K1USN aboard the USS Salem (CA-139), the world's only preserved heavy cruiser, and WW2MAN from the Seehund U boat (U-5075) from their moorings at the US Naval Shipbuilding Museum in Quincy, Massachusetts. There's more information, including a listing of vessels planning to participate, on the K1USN Web site (http://www.qsl.net/k1usn/event.html). Stations working 10 participating vessels are elegible for a certificate by sending a copy of log pages showing these contacts and a self-addressed, stamped envelope large enough to hold an 8-1/2 x 11-inch certificate (or send $2) to Bob Callahan, W1QWT, 56 Acorn St, Scituate, MA 02066.

 

[rjohns86us]

Re: Museum ships and submarines taking to the airwaves

I worked the USS Salem on the 7th, as they were testing the gear and antennas preparing for the Museum Ships Special event. I worked them on 6 meters, and they will be operating on 6 meters (50.160) during the event.

This is a fun special event and their certificates and QSL cards are something you want to add to your collection.

Ed

The 2004 Museum Ships Special Event weekend Saturday and Sunday, July 17-18 (UTC), offers operators a chance to work some rare and unusual stations and collect unique QSL cards and certificates. More than 80 museum ships and subs worldwide are expected to take part in the event, which is sponsored by the USS Salem Radio Club. Club members will operate K1USN aboard the USS Salem (CA-139), the world's only preserved heavy cruiser, and WW2MAN from the Seehund U boat (U-5075) from their moorings at the US Naval Shipbuilding Museum in Quincy, Massachusetts. There's more information, including a listing of vessels planning to participate, on the K1USN Web site (http://www.qsl.net/k1usn/event.html). Stations working 10 participating vessels are elegible for a certificate by sending a copy of log pages showing these contacts and a self-addressed, stamped envelope large enough to hold an 8-1/2 x 11-inch certificate (or send $2) to Bob Callahan, W1QWT, 56 Acorn St, Scituate, MA 02066.

 

[linuxgeek]

The Miracle Whip--an interesting little toy. Wonder if it works with a TS-50S.


http://www.miracleantenna.com/

 

[linuxgeek]

Happy geek, happy geek. *bounce* *bounce*

I now have AM/SSB ears on 20m & 10m. Didn't try talking out since there was an IOTA sponsored contest going on today, but the contest did prove useful for letting me see how well my ears hear. Picked up a Belgium call and a South American one 5x9.

Now I just have to wait for the next local hamfest so I can pickup more of the Hamstick Ironhorse mini HF antennas. I figure it is worth the wait to get each stick for half the retail price.

I love that all of their mini Ironhorses but 75m & 80m come from the factor pre-tuned.


My next grand mission will be to pick the MFJ tuner I want so I can also have the faked ground.

 

[rjohns86us]

Museum Ships was fun....even worked 5 of them on 6 meters , so another new piece of wallpaper should be on it's way..total of 14 ships worked. Not a new record, but fun.

I use the Hamstick Iron horse antennas, and love them. I have even take two of them and made a dipole....for special event station at Tybee Island....and it worked well...My latest project is the SlickPole 20 meter rotatable dipole....really neat...the two sections of the dipole collapse down to 4 ft....nice bag to keep it in....and very light, with the carbon fiber construction...


Ok, next stop is the International Lighthouse QSO party in August...check it out on the ARLHS website

Happy geek, happy geek. *bounce* *bounce*

I now have AM/SSB ears on 20m & 10m. Didn't try talking out since there was an IOTA sponsored contest going on today, but the contest did prove useful for letting me see how well my ears hear. Picked up a Belgium call and a South American one 5x9.

Now I just have to wait for the next local hamfest so I can pickup more of the Hamstick Ironhorse mini HF antennas. I figure it is worth the wait to get each stick for half the retail price.

I love that all of their mini Ironhorses but 75m & 80m come from the factor pre-tuned.


My next grand mission will be to pick the MFJ tuner I want so I can also have the faked ground.

 

[linuxgeek]

If it's on 20m I'll have to give it a shot. Maybe I'll see if I can do it from the top of one of the local 4 story parking garages so I can make sure I don't have any RF shadows. Put the dipole on the end of PVC pipe for high pressure water, so with a coupler or two I can put the antenna another 15 to 20 feet in the air.

With luck, 7/31, I'll get to borrow the MFJ antenna analyser and verify if I need to change the rod lengths when I go to either end of the band.

Museum Ships was fun....even worked 5 of them on 6 meters , so another new piece of wallpaper should be on it's way..total of 14 ships worked. Not a new record, but fun.

I use the Hamstick Iron horse antennas, and love them. I have even take two of them and made a dipole....for special event station at Tybee Island....and it worked well...My latest project is the SlickPole 20 meter rotatable dipole....really neat...the two sections of the dipole collapse down to 4 ft....nice bag to keep it in....and very light, with the carbon fiber construction...


Ok, next stop is the International Lighthouse QSO party in August...check it out on the ARLHS website

 

[linuxgeek]

APRS

I've always through APRS was a cool things, but I've become even more amused since I have discovered there are TCP/IP gateways I can use to connect to it. I don't need no stinking weather channel, just pull the data directly that NWS is gathering for their reports.

Now to get a TNC so I can be one of those ICONs zipping around the map.

 

[linuxgeek]

woo hoo

At last, after having my general for almost 6 months, I finally was able to set up so I could transmit and make an HF contact under my own call.

Got on 20m and was able to contact two of the lighthouses doing the International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend. One on E. Long Island, NY and one in Tuckerton, NJ. I heard one 5x9 from Moose Island, Maine, but never could get through the pileup to be heard and I wasn't able to find him when he changed frequency. Third contact was a special event station in Warminster, PA for a fair.

Then the thunderstorms started rolling in, so I shutdown since I was running the station outside via a powercord run through a window of our 2nd floor apt.

May try to do some more tonight depending on how long the storms are around. Maybe I can get a couple of lighthouses in Europe.

 

[rjohns86us]

Re: woo hoo

Just a reminder! The annual SET (Simulated Emergency Test) is just around the corner (October 2, 2004)! I know your group will be participating. Watch out about reminding your group members, you may get appointed coordinator for the event ....I did...that's what you get when you miss a club meeting..
So you worked Tuckerton? good deal. That was one of the ones I worked on my very first lighthouse event.....Ohh, and Christmas Lights QSO party is in December....last week and into New Year's Day. It is an international event, so you can probably work some of those European lighthouses..


Hey, join the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society and get some of those awards during the Christmas Lights event.

At last, after having my general for almost 6 months, I finally was able to set up so I could transmit and make an HF contact under my own call.

Got on 20m and was able to contact two of the lighthouses doing the International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend. One on E. Long Island, NY and one in Tuckerton, NJ. I heard one 5x9 from Moose Island, Maine, but never could get through the pileup to be heard and I wasn't able to find him when he changed frequency. Third contact was a special event station in Warminster, PA for a fair.

Then the thunderstorms started rolling in, so I shutdown since I was running the station outside via a powercord run through a window of our 2nd floor apt.

May try to do some more tonight depending on how long the storms are around. Maybe I can get a couple of lighthouses in Europe.

 

[linuxgeek]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/local_news/epaper/2004/08/28/w1c_ham_0828.html

Ham radio buffs relayed messages in Charley chaos

By Rochelle Brenner

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, August 28, 2004

An 84-year-old woman was stuck inside her crumbling home. She needed food and water but couldn't move around for fear of her roof collapsing. So she dropped a handwritten note out the window to a neighbor, who flagged down a passerby, who drove it to the nearest food truck. There, the person found an amateur ham radio operator, who got the message to another ham at a law enforcement command center, who walked over to tell the National Guard unit that ended up responding to the woman.

That's communication in a hurricane zone.

It's just one way a critical message got out in the Charlotte County area after Hurricane Charley hit, said Wellington's Rob Pease, better known as "KS4EC" as a member of the Palms West Amateur Radio Club.

"That's kind of what hams do — whatever it takes," he said. "There wasn't really any other way to communicate."

Pease, 41, was among dozens of volunteer ham radio operators who drove out to the hurricane-torn area with antennas and scanners to ensure lines of communication remained, even when most modern methods failed. They served as the mouthpiece for residents, the Salvation Army, meteorologists, police and more who were silenced without e-mail, land-line phones or cellphones.

One of the basic needs of emergency responders — communication — is often the most fragile and fractured in a disaster.

That's where hams come in.

Ham operators from West Palm Beach assisted the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Fort Myers. Others responded from Fort Pierce, Stuart, Royal Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie. A couple of hams even handled emergency calls.

"They couldn't communicate with ambulances any other way, and they needed an ambulance for a heart attack (victim)," Pease said.

Hams also help in nonemergency matters. Pease's mission was personal calls. He sent out 80 in two days: to Jamaica, Haiti, Ohio, California and elsewhere.

"It was amazing how many people we found that had totally forgotten to let anyone know they were alive," Pease said. "Their house is destroyed, they were totally wrapped up with what they were doing."

Hams work at their own expense and practice in drills. They completed a drill last month in Loxahatchee.

Pease was able to respond to Hurricane Charley because his boss gave him time off as the manager of information services at Alpert Jewish Family & Children's Services.

"Hams will do whatever they can to get the message through," he said.

 

[linuxgeek]

http://www.qrz.com/ib-bin/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=3;t=69930

EOC In Punta Gorda Stands Down
A Job Well Done
by Ray Sabb, W4TAI

North Port, FL - August 26, 2004 - Hurricane Charley came and went, but in his path he left destruction and mayhem. But true to the moniker of ham operations, hundreds of hams converged on the area to assist in providing vital communications to the stricken area.

The HAM that was based at the EOC sent a broadcast that the area is now secure enough for all the volunteer HAM's to secure from their emergency operations and at 1700 hrs EDT, the EOC officially stood down from amateur operations.

Thank you all for your help and participation in this event.
--------------------------------------------------------------

THE EXPERIENCE OF CHARLEY

With 130 MPH winds whipping through my backyard, rain and trees bending from North to coming at me from the west it was scary. But because I am a ham I am, I am, I kept my HF on, kept my VHF on and after it was safe, went out to assess evacuations at the local hospitals. It was a war zone. It was nightfall, and you could not drive more than 15 or 20 mph. When I got to one of the hospitals, the whole top floor was destroyed. People were lining up in the ER and there was total calm in there. And there was a HAM.

As the hours of realty started setting in, the HAM's were your First Responders. The HAM's were the link to the world. FEMA needed us, Law Enforcement needed us, Mothers, Fathers, Grand Parents, visitors and kids needed us.

We do not need PR or a medal or any other recognition for doing what we do best, we got our recognition when we provided that vital transmission to a doctor, an EMS team, a Nurse, a Shelter to save a life.

Don't think for a minute that the victims of this storm don't appreciate us. They know who and what we did for them and they thank us from the bottom of their hearts. And don't think for a minute that FEMA and all the other Responders don't appreciate us. They do. We were their link to the community and surrounding communities.

For those of you who did survive Charley and participated in helping, THANK YOU, GOD BLESS YOU AND SEE YOU ON HF.

73 to all and to all a Good Day.
W4TAI

--------------
Ray Sabb
PO Box 8042
North Port, Fl 34287

 

[linuxgeek]

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/06/100/?nc=1

More Amateur Radio Volunteers Needed in Hurricane's Wake

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 6, 2004--Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) teams all along Florida's eastern coast--in place in advance of Hurricane Frances' holiday weekend arrival--continue to aid the response and recovery effort. The Category 2 storm made landfall Saturday in the vicinity of Stuart. After diminishing to a tropical storm, Frances traversed the peninsula, exited into the Gulf of Mexico, and--as the National Hurricane Center reported at 1800 UTC--was coming ashore near St Marks in the Florida panhandle packing 65 MPH winds. Palm Beach County Emergency Coordinator Dave Messinger, N4QPM, today issued a call for relief operators for his and other affected coastal counties.

"We've had several people on duty for two or three days now without relief," Messinger said. "We could use another 6 to 12 folks." Messinger said he needs at least two operators with HF privileges to help in the Palm Beach County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), where he's working with Southern Florida Assistant Section Manager Jeff Beals, WA4AW, and RACES Officer Mark Filla, KS4VT. Messinger said other counties hit by the wide-ranging and punishing storm may have additional needs.

Volunteers may call the County Warning Point, 561-712-6428 or contact him directly, 561-315-9161. Messinger said he's in contact with the other affected counties via HF and VHF.

Messinger said power remains out to approximately 90 percent of Palm Beach County, and more than half of the shelters already have been closed. But shelter communicators still are needed at those still open. He said ARES also has been working with the American Red Cross, which is starting to set up distribution points to aid hurricane victims.

The Salvation Army also has mounted a huge response and relief effort in Florida and has been making use of Amateur Radio as well. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN)--active for the past three days on 14.265 MHz--has been handling emergency and health-and-welfare traffic. SATERN also accepts H&W inquiries via its Web site.

Messinger anticipates the ARES/RACES activation in Palm Beach County could last another three or four days, but he said those in the EOC already have begun keeping a close eye on the progress of Hurricane Ivan, which appears poised to blow into Florida this weekend.

Long Week for Hurricane Watch Net

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) secured operations after a brief activation this morning, said Assistant Net Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. But, the HWN plans to resume operation at 1530 UTC today on 14.325 MHz in anticipation of Hurricane Ivan. After closing for the night, the HWN will resume operations September 7 at 1200 UTC. The HWN has been working with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center to relay measured ground-level weather data and damage reports from Amateur Radio volunteers in the storm's track.

"September has gotten of to a busy start for the Hurricane Watch Net when Frances became a threat to land, and we had to activate on Wednesday, September 1," Graves said over the weekend. "HWN has been in nearly constant service since [then]."

Over the past six days, the HWN received reports from the Turks and Caicos Islands, most of the Bahamas and Florida, Graves said. "Some stations were operating on makeshift antennas, some barely off the ground and running low power to conserve energy as they were on battery backup," he recounted. "We had one station whose dipole broke and had one leg on the ground. With our thanks to the many people monitoring and helping to keep a clear frequency, this stations were able to heard, receive their weather information, plus give them updated weather for their area and to give them some sort of moral support." Graves said Amateur Radio provided a critical communication mainstay for the Bahamas as Hurricane Frances blasted through the islands.

He said the HWN also got valuable reports from EOCs and stations up and down the Florida coast line and as for inland as Orlando.

The Hurricane Watch Net Web site offers access to the latest weather forecasts as well as storm graphics.

 

[linuxgeek]

County public safety radio system crashes

Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2004/09/06/radio_system.html

County public safety radio system crashes

By J. Christopher Hain

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Monday, September 06, 2004

It made it through the worst of the hurricane with no problem, but Palm Beach County's public safety radio system crashed Sunday night and remained down for 11 hours.

The outage forced fire rescue and emergency medical dispatchers to use a hodgepodge of HAM radio, cell phones, telephones and computers to send out firefighters and paramedics. The sheriff's office had to switch to a shared radio channel and limit its response to major incidents.

Sheriff Ed Bieluch said the county's 800 Megahertz radio system used by firefighters, paramedics and sheriff's deputies went down around 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Bieluch said deputies shifted to channel shared by several agencies, allowing them to send out officers to incidents but avoided responding to minor calls.

"All routine calls and routine radio traffic was stopped," he said.

County Fire Rescue Capt. Don Delucia said fire dispatchers would take emergency calls from 911 operators and give the information to a nearby HAM radio operator. The HAM operator radioed one of the fire department's eight battalion headquarters, he said. From there, people in the battalions would use whatever means they could to dispatch crews from individual fire stations, contacting them with telephones, cell phones, computers or short-range radios, Delucia said.

The most serious fire rescue call during the radio outage was a 7:30 a.m. fire, which was quickly extinguished, he said. Other calls, he said, were mostly routine medical incidents, such as falls, chest pain, or shortness of breath "It delayed things, obviously, but nothing was missed," Delucia said.

In general, fire rescue officials reported fewer calls than normal. But Delucia said he didn't know if that was because fewer people had problems while living under widespread curfews or if many people simply couldn't make 911 calls.

Bieluch said the county's Motorola 800 Megahertz system is generally more reliable than the previous VHF radio system. But at 2 a.m. Monday, he said, deputies were considering breaking out the old VHF radios.

 

[linuxgeek]

ARES Holds Communications Together in Florida:
David B. Hale (WA4BWO) on September 7, 2004

A.R.E.S. holds communications together during Charley and Frances.

Highlands County A.R.E.S. members as well as many other participating hams are to be congratulated for their unswerving devotion and dedication to the public good during the two hurricanes that hit Central Florida in a three week period of time. Many of our workers pulled 24 hour shifts during the Charley hurricane, followed by 12 hour shifts for 6 days during the cleanup while shelters in the county remained open. The only means of communication for 80% of time were 2 meter ham repeaters on battery or generator power. A mere 5 days later, ARES was activated here again and the same workers, (we have a very small ham pool in this county) pulled another 36 - 48 hour shift as Frances slug-paced its way through the central Florida area as all shelters were locked down. A total of 10 shelters were open during Frances and 5 during Charley. Among the shining events attributed to Ham Radio during these events was the APRS station located at the EOC delivering instant weather information about the storm track from Ham stations about Charley and Frances while EOC officials looked on. All decisions for operations such as EMS response and Police patrol for city and county were made based on this APRS information as well as public information dissemination to the local radio stations still on the air. The relationship between Emergency Operation Officials and Ham Radio Operators and ARES in particular has been proven and sealed in Highlands County and I, for one, am proud to be a part of it. As my first EC assignment, my first and SECOND emergency event, I have experienced, firsthand, the 30 plus years I've spent as a ham as having finally paid off. My deepest thanks go out also to all the hams who have maintained operational decorum, courtesy, patience and professionalism on the air while this EC was learning the ropes from Novice to Extra. It all has paid off in lives saved and important messages getting through when ALL other communications DIDN'T, and a renewed sense of pride in Amateur Radio. I salute, as well, the many hams that played a very serious part in all the devastated counties surrounding Highlands County and the many hams that were generous enough to leave their families and help those in desperate need in Central Florida. We truly communicated during this emergency, not only radio communication but good will and human kindness. Let's all strive to keep this kind of communication going. After all, that's what being a ham is all about!

David Hale WA4BWO

Highlands County Emergency Coordinator

 

[linuxgeek]

Astronaut Completes WAC+ from NA1SS

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/17/2/?nc=1

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 17, 2004--On Saturday, September 11, astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, became the first International Space Station crew member to contact all seven of the world's continents via Amateur Radio. Fincke worked KC4AAC at Antarctica's Palmer Research Station for his last contact--a bonus continent not required to earn the International Amateur Radio Union's Worked All Continents award. Fincke spoke with ARRL Life Member Chuck Kimball, N0NHJ, of Colorado and a packed radio room during an 8-degree maximum pass over that part of the globe.

"I think the contact caught the interest of most everyone here, and raised everyone's spirits a bit," Kimball remarked afterward, calling it "the highlight of the day."

During their QSO, Fincke and Kimball compared and contrasted life in the two stations, discussed time zone differences and Fincke's ISS fluids experiments. There are several similarities between being aboard the ISS and wintering over in Antarctica. Like Fincke, Kimball and most of his team at Palmer arrived at their station in April and will be leaving in late October.

Kimball says Palmer is the smallest of the three US year-round Antarctic stations. "Most of the activity goes on during the austral summer, with the main thrust starting in October," he said. "For the winter, we have a couple of science support people to monitor and maintain the year-round experiments. The largest research activity here is biology related, so very little goes on during the winter once most of the animals have fled north."

Fincke is believed to be only the third astronaut to work the world's seven continents from space. In 1992, astronauts David Leestma, N5WQC, and Kathryn Sullivan aboard the space shuttle were the most recent when they also worked Palmer Station to complete their list.

Fincke will wrap up his ISS tour in mid-October when the Expedition 10 crew of astronaut Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, and cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov will relieve them.

 

[linuxgeek]

Amateur Radio Swings into Action in Storm-Stricken Gulf Region:

from The ARRL Letter, Vol 23, No 37
Website: http://www.arrl.org/ on September 18, 2004

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams were ready and waiting as Hurricane Ivan devastated entire sections of the US Gulf Coast early September 16. Packing 115 MPH winds as it made landfall, Ivan zeroed in on the Mobile Bay area of Alabama, but because of its huge girth, the storm wrought widespread death and destruction in the Florida Panhandle and also affected Mississippi. Below-sea-level New Orleans was spared major flooding, however. Alabama Section Emergency Coordinator Jay Isbell, KA4KUN, said ham radio has been helping relief agencies, especially in the hard-hit southernmost counties.

"Right now the adrenaline's still up," he said September 16 of volunteers staffing a statewide ARES communication network--an HF net with liaisons to local repeaters and including all of the state's emergency operations centers. "Most everybody south of us is operating on emergency power."

In Baldwin and Mobile counties--which straddle Mobile Bay--telephone service was out, so ham radio was providing a substantial communication link, Isbell said. "We're giving their messages priority." Most traffic has been logistical--requests for shelter cots, tarpaulins and generators--"but they've also asked for three four-wheel drive vehicles and a helicopter for search and rescue as well as damage assessment," he said.

ARES teams along the Gulf have been providing communication support for the Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organization. ARES already is assisting with damage assessment activity, for the first time using Global Positioning System units and computerized mapping as an aid.

ARRL Alabama SM Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, praised Isbell's efforts and said he's proud of Alabama's radio amateurs. "Many amateurs stepped up to provide communications and assistance," he said. "Several amateurs traveled to Southern Alabama before Ivan to help get ready for the hurricane." He said others traveled to the Mobile area to help emergency managers "and people they don't even know."

In Northern Florida, Western Panhandle ARES District Emergency Coordinator Bill Hayden, WY8O, reported damage assessment was under way in Okaloosa County, where the storm took out several repeaters and telephone service. In southern Santa Rosa County, massive flooding and several fatalities were reported, and refugees were forced to take shelter. In Escambia County, five shelters and four hospitals sustained storm damage, and several people died. The hurricane destroyed the Interstate 10 bridge connecting Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, cutting off residents and relief workers alike.

At week's end, Northern Florida Section Traffic Manager Dale Sewell, N4SGQ, was working up a list of relief personnel and waiting on how to get them into the affected area. "Having lived in Pensacola for 35 years, I know the complications of being surrounded on so many sides by water," Sewell said. "I just never imagined that all the routes would be cut off simultaneously." He said Escambia County was left virtually without power, which utilities say could take three weeks to restore.

In Mississippi, ARRL SM Malcolm Keown, W5XX, reported that outside of some "significant interference" the West Gulf ARES Net operation went smoothly. Most traffic was tactical, he said, to help the Red Cross with needed equipment and supplies. The net, on 7285 and 3873 kHz, operates in accordance with a memorandum of understanding among the ARRL Louisiana, Mississippi and South Texas sections.

Keown says ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, stepped in to restore the fallen dipole antenna of West Gulf ARES Net National Traffic System Coordinator Carolyn Womack, KC5OZT, who's also North Texas Section Traffic Manager. "He went over and fixed it, and by 4 o'clock she was back on the air, so chalk one up for the ARRL president!" Keown said.

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) http://www.hwn.org on 14.325 MHz secured operations for Hurricane Ivan September 16, but only to take another breather before an anticipated reactivation for Hurricane Jeanne in a few days. The nearly continuous activations over the past four weeks have taken a toll on HWN members, HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, told ARRL, and several were affected by storm-related damage.

The HWN coordinates its activities with WX4NHC http://www.wx4nhc.org at the National Hurricane Center to gather real-time ground-level weather data and damage reports from Amateur Radio volunteers in a storm's path and relay these to forecasters. This hurricane season WX4NHC has been taking advantage of IRLP and EchoLink via the new VOIPWX Net http://www.voipwx.net/, which also provides streaming audio.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) http://www.satern.org on 14.265 MHz has been handling health-and-welfare inquiries in the wake of the recent round of hurricanes. The net also handles emergency communications from storm-affected areas. SATERN also takes health-and-welfare inquiries via its Web site.

The National Weather Service was warning areas still in the path of the remnants of Hurricane Ivan that they could be in for heavy rainfall and possible tornadoes.

 

[linuxgeek]

Source: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/20/100/?nc=1

Hams Continue to Aid Hurricane Ivan Recovery and Cleanup

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 20, 2004--Amateur Radio operators in two of the worst-hit counties in the Florida Panhandle are into their fourth day of supporting Hurricane Ivan relief and recovery operations. Escambia County ARES Emergency Coordinator Gene Bannon, KB4HAH, said today that he has enough operators for the moment at the county emergency operations center (EOC) and in the field. Telephone service is still spotty, and power is out over most of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. ARES has been supporting American Red Cross and The Salvation Army relief operations as well as food distribution centers, evacuation shelters and even the US military.

"This has all been one big day to me," said Bannon of the time since the hurricane hit. Bannon not only is the county's EC, he works for telephone provider Bell South. "If I'm not working for Bell South, I'm working down at the EOC." Bannon says the same group of radio amateurs has been taking turns handling emergency traffic since the hurricane struck September 17.

A mandatory evacuation order remains in effect in Escambia county, and schools and government offices in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are closed until further notice.

Problems continue to crop up for the ARES operation as a result of the storm's widespread devastation. "They're not brush fires, they're forest fires," Bannon said. "This morning, the repeater died."

Fortunately, he said, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has a new replacement repeater on the way, but Bannon remains concerned about the rest of the system, including the antennas. Another local repeater was lost to the storm, and the EOC communicators have been working with a secondary backup repeater.

Bannon also was uncertain Monday about how members of the ARES team were holding up or how long they would be able to stay at their volunteer posts before having to return to their jobs or their homes and families. He has a request on file for another 20 operators (call 850-595-3341). His son-in-law John Krantz, KG4GGL, lost essentially everything in the storm and has been working at the EOC since the hurricane came ashore. He says the 15 or 16 operators now on duty at the EOC and in the field had been working 16-hour shifts but have since dropped back to 8-hour shifts. The homes of many other county amateurs also were lost--although Bannon's was spared serious damage--and nearly all lost antenna systems.

Bannon says a ham radio couple from Texas on their honeymoon "showed up on our doorstep and said, 'We're ready to operate. Where do you want us?'" He said the couple--Dale Walker, AA5DW, and Chanda Bartlett, AD5IQ--arrived with their RV loaded with a month's worth of food and two weeks of fuel, and he's been taking advantage of their largesse in the ARES activation. The RV, he said, is equipped for everything from HF on up. The couple had been handling shelter communications but now is providing communication between a Red Cross feeding station and the EOC.

Krantz said there were not enough ARES operators to deal with health-and-welfare traffic at this point. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz has been handling some H&W traffic as it is able, on the air and via its Web site.

Northern Florida Section Traffic Manager Dale Sewell, N4SGQ, says he understands that supply distribution lines are very long for the local community, and stress levels are running high.

"Travel routes continue to be cut off and rerouted by National Guard personnel," he added. "Fuel availability is scarce, and amateurs are reporting that the only reasonable gas lines are over 50 miles from Pensacola in Walton County."

He said amateur operations continue to utilize incoming operator support in both counties. "The response from amateurs throughout the country is outstanding," he said. He anticipated another two dozen or so radio amateurs might be needed this week in both Escambia County and Pensacola as well as in Santa Rosa County, where he said District Emergency Coordinator Bill Hayden, WY8O, has been "performing tirelessly under merciless conditions" in coordinating ARES operations.

Hayden has a request on file for another 16 radio amateurs to report to the Santa Rosa County EOC (850-983-5360; 4499 Pine Forest Road, Milton). Operators should be equipped for VHF communication, and HF capability would be a plus. The operation could last for the next week. ARRL was unable to reach Hayden on September 20.

Amateurs this week also have been keeping an ear on HF emergency nets on 3950 and 7254 kHz. Nets are being called up at 1300, 1600, 1900 and 2330 UTC daily.

ARES Team Activates for Delaware River Flooding

Much farther north, in Mercer County, New Jersey, ARES/RACES activated over the weekend to staff the radio room at the Mercer County EOC after emergency managers found themselves dealing with flooding. The high water was a result of heavy rainfall from remnants of Hurricane Ivan in the Catskill and Pocono Mountains, causing the Delaware River to reach its highest flood levels in 50 years.

Southern New Jersey Section Emergency Coordinator Gary Wilson, K2GW, reported that debris in the river, which included a 1000-gallon propane tank, caused periodic bridge closures over the weekend. Some 1500 people had to evacuate September 19 to three shelters, area hotels and other sites. Wilson said the river was expected to recede below flood stage by this evening.

Mercer County radio amateurs staffed the EOC's W2MER Amateur Radio station continuously in four-hour shifts until this morning. Additional amateurs were on call via the W2ZQ Mercer County ARES/RACES repeater.

"The hams used the NJOEM statewide 220 MHz NJ2EM repeater and the statewide 2 meter APRS digital messaging network to maintain links with the Hunterdon County and Warren County EOCs farther up the river," Wilson said. "Per the Mercer County EOC protocol, the hams also were the operators of the public safety radios in the EOC to maintain contact with the sheriff officers coordinating the evacuations along the river." Seven ARES/RACES members took part in the activation.

 

[linuxgeek]

SRC: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/22/2/?nc=1

Hams' Role in Hurricane Ivan Recovery Winding Down

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 22, 2004--Amateur Radio's role in the Hurricane Ivan relief and recovery effort is winding down as conventional telecommunications systems are slowly being restored throughout the stricken regions--primarily the Florida Panhandle and South Alabama. ARRL Northern Florida Section Traffic Manager Dale Sewell, N4SGQ, this week said Amateur Radio communication support operations are expected to stand down by this weekend.

"The request for additional operators for assistance in the Hurricane Ivan affected area is discontinued," he said. "Thanks to all who have helped in this critical operation."

Sewell told ARRL that he was gratified and inspired by the response to the calls for assistance over the past week since Hurricane Ivan struck. He noted that several of the radio amateurs who turned out to assist in Northern Florida were from the ARRL West Central Florida and Southern Florida sections. Among them were some of the same individuals and groups that had helped after hurricanes Charley and Frances.

Escambia and Santa Rosa counties were among the most severely affected in Northern Florida. Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteers there have been supporting American Red Cross and The Salvation Army relief operations as well as food distribution centers and evacuation centers.

Alabama Section Manager Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, says Hurricane Ivan reports continue to trickle in from South Alabama, where the cleanup and recovery continue, although Alabama Emergency Net Manager Chris Sells, AC4CS, says parts of Mobile and Baldwin counties remain flooded and inaccessible. He says devastation was nearly total in some areas.

"A lot of places that were there are not," he told ARRL. "For example, Gulf Shores is there, but it's not Gulf Shores anymore."

Sells said HF nets aided local Amateur Radio relief and recovery communication by providing a link from the hard-hit areas to the state emergency operations center near Birmingham. He said net members have stood down from continuous operation but are still monitoring 3965 kHz in case anything comes up.

The National Traffic System in South Alabama still was not taking any health-and-welfare inquiries, Sells said, because "they're just not equipped to do it." Inquiries now in the system are being held until the situation settles down and they can be passed, and with emergency traffic now slowing, Sells thinks the H&W traffic will start to flow. The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz has been handling some H&W traffic as it is able, on the air and via its Web site.

Significant damage also occurred in central and northern Alabama, where high winds felled trees and power lines, and heavy rains caused flooding. The storm also spawned some tornadoes.

Sarratt reports that a federal disaster declaration covers nearly half of the state's 67 counties. More than 14,000 Alabamans took refuge in the nearly 150 shelters, and many remain there. More than 1 million households were left without electrical power, and dozens of roads had to be closed to traffic.

Sells said he believes that storm damage and a lack of available power at Amateur Radio stations in South Alabama has inhibited traffic from that region. "Alabama has not seen a major hurricane of this magnitude in about 25 years--not since Hurricane Frederick in 1979," he said.

 

[linuxgeek]

SRC: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/27/1/?nc=1

Storm-Weary Amateur Radio Volunteers Confront Hurricane's Aftermath

NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 27, 2004--Amateur Radio is part of the relief and recovery effort in the wake of the fourth hurricane in six weeks to hit Florida. The latest, Hurricane Jeanne (click link for latest forecast)--now a tropical depression--made landfall over the weekend as a Category 3 storm with 120 MPH winds some 5 miles southeast of Stuart--not far from where Hurricane Frances struck September 5. Authorities are blaming the storm for at least six deaths, and the state has been declared a major disaster area. Hams were at the ready before Hurricane Jeanne arrived, supplementing communication at emergency operations centers and shelters set up for those who evacuated ahead of the storm. ARRL Southern Florida Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Goldsberry, KD4GR, says Indian River County "again seem to be the hardest hit." He's been attempting to marshal additional Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in the hardest-hit counties to assess their needs for relief operators to spell those on duty over the weekend.

"Those of you who are in counties that did not suffer a lot of damage please consider volunteering your help," he said today in a message to Southern Florida Section members. "Those in the harder-hit counties will need relief soon. If you can help, please contact your EC and he will coordinate the effort from you county."

Goldsberry said preliminary reports from Palm Beach, Martin, St Lucie and Indian River counties indicate that ARES members have their EOCs covered for the time being. Brevard County also was affected, but Goldsberry says that's one of the counties he hasn't heard from yet. He asked SFL members having information about affected counties needing Amateur Radio communication support to get in touch with him anytime via e-mail or telephone (954-605-3863).

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN)--whose members tracked the storm up through the Caribbean--wrapped up three full days of communication support at 1815 UTC on September 26.

"Since the wind field was much larger than Frances', Jeanne knocked out recently restored power to much of east and central Florida quite early and easily," said HWN Assistant Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. He noted that since debris cleaned up after Hurricane Frances had not yet been picked up, Hurricane Jeanne had an "abundance of projectiles" at her disposal.

Other reports indicated that after Frances denuded much of the region's vegetation, Jeanne came along and tore off roofs, then dumped heavy rain into the vulnerable houses and buildings. The storm has disrupted conventional telecommunications and left some 2.5 million homes without electrical power.

Graves says HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, who lives in Boca Raton, lost power Saturday evening, but he's got all utilities back as of this morning. Over the storm's course, HWN members received reports throughout the northwestern Bahamas and eastern and central Florida. Many areas of the Bahamas also were still recovering from Hurricane Frances earlier this month. As Marti Brown, KF4TRG/C6A, reported to the HWN: "Let me tell you that this storm was virtual hell."

The HWN works hand-in-hand with WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center in Miami to gather ground-level weather data and damage reports from Amateur Radio volunteers in a storm's path. The net relays these to forecasters via WX4NHC, which regularly checks into the net and also disseminates weather updates. The HWN Web site contains forecasts and storm graphics.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) on 14.265 MHz has been handling health-and-welfare traffic in the aftermath of the storm on the air and via its Web site.

Special sessions of the Southern Florida ARES Net were called up throughout the weekend on 7242 kHz.

Northern Florida SEC Nils Millergren, WA4NDA, reported that operators were lined up to handle shelter duty over the weekend in Flagler, Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties.

In West Central Florida--which took the brunt of Hurricane Charley in August--shelters were emptying, and ARES was able to handle any communication needs with available volunteers.

Georgia is the next state in the path of Jeanne, now a tropical storm and soon to be downgraded to a tropical depression. As of 1500 UTC, the storm was 35 miles south of Macon, Georgia, and heading on a path that would take it back out to sea along the North Carolina/Virginia coast early Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center predicts that storm surge flooding along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts should gradually subside today. Additional rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches--with isolated higher amounts--are possible in association with the storm. Isolated tornadoes are possible from extreme eastern Georgia northeastward through Southern North Carolina today.

Georgia Gov Sonny Purdue declared a state of emergency, and schools systems from Savannah to Augusta and as far west as Macon canceled classes today. Media reports indicate that thousands of Florida-bound airline passengers have been stranded at other airports because of the air traffic backup and closed airports in Florida.

August and September have seen unprecedented activity, said the HWN's Graves, who thanked all stations that participated in the recent activation. Unless Tropical Storm Lisa "changes her mind and track," he added, HWN members could get a well-deserved rest. Four major storms have not struck the same state in the same year since 1886. "Let us hope and pray that record is not broken this year," Graves said.

The official end of the hurricane season is November 30.

 

[linuxgeek]

SRC: http://www.arrl.org/

MARS members asked to assist in hurricane health-and-welfare traffic

(Sep 28, 2004) Army MARS Eastern Area Coordinator Robert Hollister, AAA9E/N7INK, is asking Military Affiliate Radio System stations and nets to assist in handling health-and-welfare traffic related to the recent hurricanes. “MARS stations in Florida and other affected areas should coordinate with ARES/RACES and local ham radio operators and see if MARS can help handle some of this workload for them,” Hollister said in a message to MARS members in the Eastern US. “This is another opportunity for MARS to demonstrate our capabilities and provide a service to the people stricken by these storms.” Hollister said that Army MARS stations not supporting the disaster response in the stricken areas should continue to monitor regional net frequencies and remain available to assist as needed in handling traffic. He also encouraged Army MARS members to work with their Air Force and Navy counterparts “to get the traffic out of the affected area.”

 

[linuxgeek]

SRC: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/28/4/?nc=1

Radio Amateur to Spearhead DERA Relief Mission to Haiti

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/09/28/4/DERA-logo.gifNEWINGTON, CT, Sep 28, 2004--An ARRL member from Florida, Catherine Lawhun, KG4UKI, is heading to Haiti with a small team to provide communication support for the relief effort in the flood-ravaged city of Gonaives. The Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Association (DERA) is sponsoring the project. During the recent spate of hurricanes affecting Florida and the Caribbean, she's been active in the field in Florida on behalf of DERA and also has assisted numerous organizations including The Salvation Army. Lawhun says she recognizes that while storm-stricken communities in the US also need help in recovering, the need in Haiti is especially urgent.

"Haiti is really in trouble," Lawhun said recounting DERA's rationale for making Haiti a priority. "The US is probably going to recover. We have the resources. Haiti might not."

While plans remain in flux, Lawhun says she'll fly to Haiti October 5 with an Icom IC-706MkIIG HF/VHF/UHF transceiver to establish an HF link to the US from Gonaives. The project still needs donations of General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) portables--which Lawhun's small team will transport to Haiti--and Amateur Radio operators to serve as HF liaison stations. Transport from Cap Haitian, where the team will arrive, still could prove problematic. Lawhun says that since all gasoline to Cap Haitian must come from Port au Prince through Gonaives, the price reportedly has shot up to as much as $50 per gallon.

Relief workers and medical personnel in the still-flooded city and at a newly opened health center will use the GMRS transceivers to keep in touch with her and with each other. The HF link will permit Lawhun to communicate back to the US regarding the situation and any equipment or supply needs. Doctors Without Borders is part of the relief effort in Haiti.

"As many handheld devices as we can carry in can be given out to doctors on the ground in the affected city," Lawhun said in an appeal for both radios and cash donations on the DERA Special Projects Web site. "The need is huge. Please get involved!"

Many Waters Resource Network will provide free FedEx shipment of GMRS units and batteries, she said, and donors can email teams@many-waters.com to request the shipping information. The Special Projects Web site includes plan details and a "Make a Donation" button for cash contributions. Donors also may send checks to DERA c/o Haiti Relief Support, 11445 Honey Jordan Pt, Inglis, FL 34449.

A Web signup form is available for anyone wishing to volunteer for daily HF monitoring shifts (likely 20 meters with some possibility of 40 or 80 meters during evening hours). Particular frequencies have not yet been established, she said, and she anticipates the operation will take place primarily during daylight hours.

"When recovery is completed for the current disaster, the communications station will remain on the island," said Lawhun, a radio amateur for about five years. "This will give the entire island a leg up in the event of any future catastrophes and establish a working relationship between DERA and the entire network of missions currently active on the island."

Lawhun says the Foundation for International Radio Service (FAIRS)--headed by Dave and Gaynell Larsen, KK4WW and KK4WWW--provided some inspiration for the Haiti project. FAIRS has had extensive experience in establishing an Amateur Radio presence in countries around the world. Dave Larsen, a longtime DERA member, has been lending his expertise to the project, said Lawhun, who called him "a wonderful resource."

Lawhun, who edits DERA's newsletter, also is a member of The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) and serves as DERA's SATERN liaison.

While the DERA project initially had hoped to use local Amateur Radio operators with VHF handhelds, Lawhun says she found few ham radio operators in Haiti who were willing to risk entering the city, which not only is ravaged by floodwaters but by disease and looting. She still hopes that Amateur Radio emergency communication resources can be developed in Haiti for future disasters.

A wall of water and mud resulting from then-Tropical Storm Jeanne inundated much of Gonaives September 18 as it lingered over the island of Hispaniola for more than a day, dumping heavy rain. A densely populated city of about 200,000, Gonaives was the most severely affected region in Haiti. As of this week, the death toll was nearly 1300, and hundreds more are still missing.

The flooding in northeastern Haiti wiped out much of the region's farms, which could lead to a crisis of another kind. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization is said to be assessing the extent of the damage there.

This will not be the first trip to Haiti for Lawhun, who was there about six years ago on a mission trip with Engineering Ministries International to help design and build a community there. An engineer by training, Lawhun spent some 20 years in the water and wastewater engineering field.

Living Hope Missions out of Cap Haitian will provide support for the DERA team on the ground. MFI of West Palm Beach, Florida, will handle passenger and cargo transport, and DERA will provide the necessary HF radio equipment.

"I'm one of those people who has just enough faith to get me in trouble," Lawhun quipped. "So, I decided that I would pursue this as long as doors would open, and, lo and behold, they are, so here I am."

 

[linuxgeek]

Finally motivated myself to grab the HF gear and head to the top of one of the parking garages. Heard decent signals from Alaska & the Yukon on 20 meters. Unfortunately, their main interest was contacting CA stations. Apparently this weekend is the CA QSO party.

*pout* Called CQ for 1/2 hour with no response. Thought I was going to get one because I heard a station tuning up. Maybe it was looking for CA too.

 

[linuxgeek]

Apparently the CA QSO party had died down by the time I was lurking on the airwaves last night. This morning they were steping all over themselves over almost all the phone section of the 20m band.

Did get to check in with the International Traffic Net. Net Control was in Michigan at the time, so I was coming through decently up to there. Listened on 10m band for a bit, but all I heard was static.