eHam.net News for Sunday 31 July 2016
 

eHam.net News

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Squawking Ham Radios and Adventure Race Repeaters:

Posted: 30 Jul 2016 06:30 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37288


Mike Larsen crashed hard during the High Cascades 100. He snapped a
collarbone, hit his head and tore a ligament in his shoulder. Despite his
injuries, the 48-year-old kept going. Perseverance pushed the
national-level masters cyclist and endurance coach from mile 25 to mile 42,
where he was examined by a medic. Despite the medic's advice, Larsen rode
off. Seeing the injured rider, a Deschutes County Amateur Radio Emergency
Service radio operator, stationed at the aid station, called the next radio
spotter to look out for the banged-up rider. Ham radio operators are often
the unsung links between medics and those requiring attention in
competitions like the High Cascades 100 that take place in remote areas
where cell phones have zero service. During the race, a high-altitude radio
repeater -- a transmitter-receiver attached to an antenna permanently
situated in the Oregon Department of Transportation maintenance yard on
Mount Bachelor -- broadcasts open-channel transmissions to eight radios
manned by operators and their coordinator, Andrew Johnson, who stood in the
Deschutes Sheriff's command trailer parked in southwest Bend. All knew of
Larsen's wobbly state. Somewhere around the 46th mile, Larsen abandoned the
race and rode off course to a water station between the first and second
aid stations. He crashed several more times. Max Vaughn, a ham radio
spotter at the second aid station, received word and radioed down to the
ARES headquarters, which they call net control. "A rider is injured, he's
down. The sheriff is on site," he said. Several race-goers had previously
tried to call for medical help, but their cell phones didn't work; two
insisted Larsen let them drive him to the hospital. If they hadn't jumped
in, a medic would have likely asked a ham operator to request Johnson to
call -- or radio, if he had been stationed remotely -- 911 for an
ambulance. "The ham guys were necessary, and they did a great job
communicating between the stations," said Larsen, who has competed in other
remote locations. "It's not the first time a ham operator has helped me
out."


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Ham Radio Buffs in Blaine Dedicate Themselves to Community Service:

Posted: 30 Jul 2016 06:30 PM PDT
http://www.eham.net/articles/37287


When the deadliest landslide in American history swept Oso two years ago,
amateur ham radio operators from Blaine volunteered their skills to save
lives. Members of Blaine's Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) spent 172
hours on duty at the Snohomish County Emergency Operations Center and
Darrington Command Vehicle. They reported safety issues, injuries and work
stoppages on the scene and created a backup communications network where
the landslide had cut Internet and phone service, said Scott Honaker, the
Snohomish County communications coordinator. Each amateur radio operator
who participated in the Highway 530 response was awarded for his or her
volunteer service, and about half of them came from Whatcom County, Honaker
said. Each operator received a pin embossed with a view of the landslide
and memorial tree at the 2015 communications academy. The Oso tragedy
revealed a sobering truth: ordinary communication networks can fail in
crises -- and when they do, ham radio operators are an invaluable asset.
But for most, ham radio is a hobby -- testing the limits of the technology,
communicating with other amateur radio operators around the globe or even
racking up their number of contacts to score titles in contests. Then there
are the "hams," as they call themselves, who utilize the technology for
community service. "Every ham isn't an emergency services guy, but many
emergency services communicators are ham operators," ACS member Bill
Bullock said.