Hi Bob:
I have been actively tracking the storm and involved
directly in activities with ARES and the NTS since this
started and will share with you what I can:
We are presently sending operators via aircraft into the
affected area and establishing stations as we can. At this
time these are not H&W operations, but are targeting
search and rescue, and helping to coordinate operations.
We are also coordinating evacuation efforts out of the
area.
Due to very poor propagation in the last 2-3 days we are
in presently in need of relay stations who are serious and
familiar with or willing to stand by and learn proper
protocol before transmitting. *Always* deferring
operations to the NCS (Net Control Station) on duty at the
time your helping with. Net Control Officers have been
relying heavily on relay stations lately.
We have already begun passing traffic into and out of the
area. Cell phone service is coming up in some areas and in
some areas where regular landline telephone service is not
available.
Operators in and from the affected area are bringing up
stations on a daily basis although it is a slow process.
They are utilizing generators, solar power and other means
for powering their stations. Sometimes standing in gas
lines 4-5 hours at a time to get fuel for their
generators.
Echo link has established a net work into the area.
Satellite phones don't seem to be having a problem at
all.
Some area codes can only receive incoming and others
outgoing, and vice versa depending on the area affected.
Which areas those are to which this applies changes on a
daily and sometimes hourly basis while others have been
able to maintain communications for relatively extended
periods.
There are still many areas *no-one* but coast guard and
other such entities are being allowed into because they
are still not "safe areas".
For anyone wanting to volunteer, ARRL website has
established a sign up form on their website that a Ham can
go to sign up to go in.
There will be exhaustive confirmation that the individual
applying is in fact a Ham and is associated with a
recognized club then they will go through the appropriate
briefings on the area and on operational readiness issues
and called into duty as ability and need arises.
At this time a person must be *self-supportive* for at
least two weeks before being allowed in.
Other information available particular to your area via
your ARES section managers emergency coordinators,
Salvation Army, Red Cross, ect.
- God Bless America -
73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET
(old calls KE5CTY - WB5ZQU - WY5L)
10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.qsl.net/ke5cty/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
Bob
> Naumann - W5OV
> Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 6:38 PM
> To: cq-contest@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Contests during Katrina
recovery
>
>
>
> Larry,
>
> I heard some traffic being passed last night on 3935,
3900,
> and 3873 into and out of parts of Louisiana and
Mississippi.
> Apparently, some local phone service is available, but
long
> distance is cut off in most areas.
>
> However, it seems that most of the information is being
> handled by non-radio people as many of those bringing
health
> & welfare inquiries were being directed to web sites
> (www.nola.com, www.westgulfnews.com and
> messageboards.weather.com) to get information.
>
> Since the majority of the affected area is without
power, and
> little if any fuel, few are able to operate (at least
> yesterday) with the exception of K5AH who was running on
a
> generator. He is in Slidell, LA which is on the North
side
> of Lake Ponchartrain - across from New Orleans. N5PA in
> Laurel, MS reported in an email earlier today that he
has
> gotten a generator, but has only one gallon of gas. He
> reported that no utility poles are left standing within
a
> mile of his QTH. He's busy with survival issues and is
not
> going to think about doing radio for a while.
>
> The infrastructure in many of those areas will take
months to
> rebuild. If operators can be established in those
areas, I
> would think it would be likely that H&W traffic will
ramp up
> as time goes by if anything.
>
> The Salvation Army SATERN net runs on 14265, which
certainly
> could be impacted since it's not one of those perpetual
> ownership 14300 and up nets.
>
> The question I have is could we get global cooperation
in
> keeping contest activity away from these emergency nets?
I'm
> not against the idea, I'm just not sure the effort will
be effective.
>
> 73,
> Bob W5OV
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larry Schimelpfenig [mailto:k7sv@adelphia.net]
> Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 11:33 AM
> To: cq-contest@contesting.com
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Contests during Katrina recovery
>
> (K1PX)
> "I don't want to open a can of worms but I think that it
> would be a good idea to suspend contests for the time
being
> while the recovery efforts are getting underway."
>
> Probably not a bad idea. Based on the frequencies to
avoid
> that were provided by Ward, it appears that all the
traffic
> is being handled by SSB nets, so suspension could be
limited
> to phone contests.
>
> Looking at the month of September, the next contest and
one
> that could be very disruptive is WAE Phone the weekend
of the
> 11th. Then through the end of the month there are 4 or 5
> state QSO parties, Scandinavian Activity SSB, and the
SSB
> Sprint. The very beginnng and end of Oct have fone
contests
> that could be very disruptive as well.
>
> One has to wonder how quickly the health and welfare
traffic
> in and out of the Gulf will taper off.
>
> 73 de Lar K7SV
>
> _______________________________________________
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> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
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>
>
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