[FADCA] Above the Fold - Orlando Sentinel March 5 2003

[bud thompson]

Deltona
Wednesday March 5 1005 EST

Today's Volusia Section (Section H) of the Orlando Sentinel had my picture
in my ham shack (with WL2K on the comptuer screen) above the fold.  (Any ham
who thinks my shack is always that clean has a sick mind.)

Susan Daker's central article is one of the most accurate accounts of ham
radio I've ever seen.  She researched her topic in good detail, apparently
having talked with folks at ARRL Hq.  She visited my shack for about two
hours on February 20, and attended the Simulated Emergency Drill at the
Sanford Airport on Feb 25.  The photographer visited me on February 27.

The following is the text of the article from OrlandoSentinel.com There is
more in the paper (sidbars, ect.) including the picture of of the most
handsome ham you'll ever know. (Well at least the most humble.)

bud Thompson N0IA


--------------------
Amateur radio keeps lines open when needed
--------------------

By Susan Daker
Sentinel Staff Writer

March 5, 2003, 12:00 AM EST

SANFORD -- At a card table set up alongside an airport runway, Don Everett
worked the hand-held radio, trying to get word from those closest to the
scene about the condition of the victims of a plane crash.

By his side, Charlie Crook quickly pecked at the keyboard of a laptop
computer, dashing off e-mail to relay the information to a nearby hospital.

Crook and Everett could have played a critical role in helping rescuers --
if the emergency had been real.

The exercise at Orlando Sanford International Airport last week gave the two
volunteers with the American Radio Emergency Service a chance to test their
ability to bridge "the last mile" -- the area where conventional
communications, especially phone lines, have been totally disrupted or
overloaded by the emergency situation.

The laptop Crook used sent his e-mail through a ham radio powered by a
12-volt marine battery that can last for two days. Another ham radio hooked
to a server received the signal and converted it to e-mail.

This technology can be used to send messages to any e-mail account, said Bud
Thompson, a Deltona volunteer who was stationed at Florida Hospital
Altamonte Springs during the exercise to receive the e-mails Crook sent.

The technology originated as a way for recreational sailors at sea to read
their e-mail without needing a phone connection to the Internet. Now, it is
being explored as way to help respond to disasters.

For decades, amateur radio operators have used radio-to-radio communications
to help during emergencies, said Mary Hobart, chief development officer for
the American Radio Relay League. The FCC-licensed radio operators can talk
with people all over the world and even astronauts.

When communications around the World Trade Center were knocked out after the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, amateur radio operators helped the American
Red Cross and other agencies whose communication systems were overloaded.

The American Radio Relay League received $181,900 in federal money to boost
homeland security, partly because of ham radio's role in Sept. 11, Hobart
said.

The grant was used to start classes, available online, to teach ham
operators how to deal with emergency situations.

"The consciousness was raised by 9-11," said Hobart, who helped the group
apply for the grant.

Thompson said that he was happy with the ham volunteers' performance at the
airport on Tuesday, but he said there is always room for improvement.

A ham radio operator for more than 50 years, Thompson said things have
changed since he received his license as a 14-year-old boy. Now 65, he ends
his e-mails with 73 -- radio code for best regards.

"I'm really personally caught between the old and new way," he said.

Jay Shanley, fire chief at the Sanford airport, said he was impressed with
the ham radio operators' ability to send e-mail.

"I heard that they were Johnny on the spot," Shanley said.

Susan Daker can be reached at sdaker@orlandosentinel.com.



Copyright (c) 2003, Orlando Sentinel



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