[ARRL-OK] Ref: Hurricane Charley - Thanks

[Mark D. Conklin N7XYO]

The following was written by one of our members, Jim WA3DIT Gerhart, to
members of the Tampa Amateur Radio Club and other powers.  It speaks volumes
of information not only what Tampa Amateur Radio Club was able to
accomplish, but the fact that Amateur Radio operators were such key players
for over a week straight.  I want to share this letter with all of you so
that you might bring it or portions to your club members.  I feel it might
help energize and awaken more to pitch in and get in there.

 73 de N4ZXI - Bruce Orand

Director - Tampa Amateur Radio Club

       Ref:  Hurricane Charley - Thanks

Many thanks to all of you who took the time and personal expense to head
down to Punta Gorda to assist in relief operations.  You know who you are so
I'm not going to even try and list those of you in Tampa Amateur Radio Club.
Amazing work was accomplished which all started with a simple phone call
from the Chicago office of the Salvation Army to Biff - K4LAW - which ended
up not being so simple.  The Salvation Army needed help with communications
between their canteens and their Base of Operations which was located in the
parking lot of the Charlotte County Convention Center (or what remained of
it).  The Base also needed to have the opportunity to contact its Tampa
Warehouse.  Somewhere, someone, in the Salvation Army decided awhile back
that communications between their units would be handled by use of the
Nextel direct connect system.  All that "someone" in the Salvation Army
needed to do was to ask any ham about cell phone capabilities in areas that
are devastated.  We could have told them that cell phones are one of the
first means of communications that goes down and that fact became evident
quickly.

 The Salvation Army unexpectedly threw an additional big request into the
mix.  The people in the SATURN (ham radio division of the Salvation Army)
was experimenting with the use of APRS.  Early into the relief operations we
received 10 Kenwood D-700 dual banders from the Oklahoma Division.  We were
called upon to deploy these units with the canteens and have a working unit
at Base Camp and the Tampa Warehouse.  After the necessary power cords were
built, antennas and mounts over nighted by priority early delivery, and some
minor adjustments to the way that the units were digipeting their signals,
we accomplished the goal set before us.  Anyone - Salvation Army big-wigs
included - could see via the Internet where all the equipped canteens were
located along with the Base of Operations and the Tampa Warehouse and see
their locations within an accuracy of 40 feet.  The powers-that-be at the
Salvation Army were very pleased.  My understanding is that previous use of
APRS had never been utilized in actual disaster relief operating conditions.
We proved that it was not only feasible but could be an extremely valuable
tool.  I think that it is safe to say that the Salvation Army will be
expanding its use of APRS in the future.  I also know that there were many
hams who are now adding the purchase of a Kenwood D-700 to their wish lists.

 When the call was put out for assistance and hams responded.  Biff - K4LAW
got a call from the Wellington Radio Club near West Palm Beach telling him
that two hams were on their way over.  Those two hams proved to be a
God-send.  Larry Lazar - KS4NB  and Lindy - KG4PQG have many years
experience between them being involved in disaster relief.  Larry spent two
years when he was younger in the Peace Corp setting up remote radio
communications and most recently was called upon to set up emergency
communications in Peru when they were devastated by an earthquake.

 Because of our experience in Punta Gorda it has been decided that the
Wellington Radio Club and the Tampa Amateur Radio Club are going to get
together twice a year. The Clubs will alternate being hosts.  The purpose of
this association will be to develop plans to fulfill the needs of
communications that will be necessary in the future.  While I have not
received any official word, I am sure that this association will be involved
with the Salvation Army and their missions.  I think they liked us!
 The Salvation Army has been doing what they do for a long time and because
of that they do it very very well.  One of the problems whenever one group
is called upon to assist another organization is to determine "whose on
first" and "what's on second".  When William Booth first started the
Salvation Army he structured it along military lines.  This made it quite
easy to figure out the pecking order of their organization.  For example a
Major will outrank a Captain.  It was very rewarding to have the Major in
charge of Base Camp look over to the hams at least twice a day and say:  "I
don't know what we'd do without you guys".  When we informed the Major that
we were going to be relieved by members of the Sarasota Emergency Group  we
had to assure him that they were hams like us and would fall into their
system.  Larry - KS4NB gave him his cell phone number - just in case.

 There is going to be a lot of debriefings in the next few weeks and I am
excited.  We have a tremendous amount of "Lessons Learned" information.  We
were called upon to help.  We responded to that call and went above and
beyond and more than accomplished our mission.  The Salvation Army people
that we worked with in Punta Gorda think that we can walk on water. We
presented ham radio to people from all walks of life who used to think all
we ever do is to invade their intercoms and wireless phones and put up
towers that blot out the sun.  We have made friends with Salvation Army
people that will remain for a long time.  We have responded to answers from
many of them who said:  "This stuff if pretty neat.  How can I become a
ham?"


The following is from From the ARRL Oklahoma Section Managers Report Aug.
19, 2004

The Oklahoma Section has responded to be of help with people and equipment.
Mark Hamblin-AE5MH and Tom Webb-WA9AFM have prepared a very impressive
narrative of this process.   Their narrative describes the process of
planning,  served agency networking, and emergency service efforts over
several years which resulted in a grant to acquire dual band radio's APRS
equipped  and  all needed accessories. Be looking for the narrative to show
up
on a web site near you.  The OKC Autopatch Association completed the hooking
up and wiring needed for the equipment to be operational.  Timing is
everything!  This equipment arrived just in time to be shipped to the
affected
areas in Florida and is currently in use   Be on lookout for W5MEL-1
thru -10
on your APRS station.   Alton Gardiner-KD5KVQ and the Salvation Army have
been
huge in the in the preparation and deployment process. Tremendous efforts
gang!

Submitted by John Thomason WB5SYT