News from the Echolink Tsunami Relief Net indicates that a limited amount of
health and welfare traffic is now flowing via amateur routes, although there
is still a lack of information from some locations. News of the amateur
operation in the Andaman Islands demonstrates the value of amateurs
providing emergency communications.

Electricity and landlines are yet to be restored in Little Andaman, where
there is heavy damage. Amateur radio volunteers have been providing a
helping hand to the Andaman and Nicobar administration and assisting
governmental and non-governmental agencies by coordinating the rescue and
relief operations locally, and passing third-party welfare messages. From
the original small DXpedition team of five Indian amateurs on the Andaman
Islands at the time of the earthquake, there are now between 25 and 30
amateurs there. They have been operating from various parts of the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, including a relief camp housing 2500 tsunami victims.
Amateurs involved on the islands include VU2JOS, VU2LIC and a team of eight
volunteers from Gujarat headed by VU2CPV, who is also a police official.
Many of the amateurs are using VHF hand portables for local coordination.

Whenever they have messages for the mainland, these are relayed through
their HF base stations located in different parts of the Andamans, generally
on 7095kHz. There is also emergency traffic on 14190 and 21245kHz.

Please keep these - and any other frequencies heard to be carrying emergency
or health and welfare traffic - clear. Thanks to RSGB Radio Communications
Voluntary Services coordinator Paul Gaskell, G4MWO, for this report, which
was compiled with information supplied by VU2MUE and G4HPE.

According to The Daily DX, compiled by Bernie McClenny, W3UR, all Indian
amateurs were authorised to operate from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
from 29 December in order to "assist the Civil Authorities in handling the
messages pertaining to the disaster". Prior to December, there had been a
17-year ban on amateur radio operations from the Andamans and Nicobars.

A detailed report on the involvement of radio amateurs in the tsunami
disaster relief operation can be found on the RSGB website at www.rsgb.org

For a more detailed report on the involvement of radio amateurs in the
tsunami disaster relief operation please click
http://www.rsgb.org/news/tsunami.htm