[ADXA] A SALUTE TO HAM RADIO OPERATORS

[Lenny]

February 8, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Extensions of Remarks E105 A SALUTE TO 
HAM RADIO OPERATORS

HON. MIKE ROSS OF ARKANSAS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, February 8, 2006 Mr. ROSS.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of American 
citizens who are members of the Amateur Radio Relay League, known as HAM 
radio operators. Citizens throughout America dedicated to this hobby-a hobby 
that some people consider old fashioned or obsolete-were true heroes in the 
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as they were often the only line of 
communication available into the storm ravaged areas. Amateur radio 
operators are often overlooked in favor of flashier means of communication. 
As communities across the gulf coast and America learned this year, 
technology can be highly vulnerable. HAM radios, entirely selfcontained 
transmitters, require no cell towers or satellites, simply a battery and a 
strip of wire as an antenna. Just as after major earthquakes, tornadoes, and 
the terrorist attacks of 9/11, HAM operators around the country received an 
alert to stand by their radios to listen for calls for assistance. Following 
Hurricane Katrina, when cell phones and e-mail were useless, a HAM operator 
located in Connecticut alerted authorities about a woman trapped for 4 days 
without food or water and a Coast Guard Auxiliary in Cleveland arranged for 
a medevac for a woman in labor in New Orleans. These are just a few examples 
of the many lives that were saved with the critical intervention of HAM 
operators throughout the country. Now more than ever, I am proud to be a 
licensed amateur radio operator. It is important to realize that every HAM 
radio operator in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service is a volunteer. This 
year, when disaster struck, hundreds of HAMs moved to the gulf coast to help 
in every way they could. Every one of which did so on a volunteer basis and 
their only goal was to assist in what became one of the worst natural 
disasters in America. The dedication displayed by HAM radio operators in the 
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina sets a tremendous example for us all. The 
people whose lives were rescued as a result of the tireless dedication of 
HAM radio operators will forever be grateful to these selfless public 
servants.