[HIham] KARS solar array stolen

[Robert Schneider]

In May and June there were intense electrical storms around the Big Island
of Hawaii.  The news media reported the UH88 telescope on Mauna Kea was
damaged.  At about the same time the Mauna Loa Amateur Radio repeater and
the Hualalai Amateur Radio repeater failed. The natural assumption was that
all three had lightning damage.  Several years ago the Hualalai repeater had
indeed been destroyed by lightning. 

 

The trip to Hualalai is quite difficult.  It involves getting keys and
permission from Bishop Estate, going through four locked gates and a
difficult 4WD road followed by a steep hike to reach the site.  Because of
the difficulty of getting to the site, it took several weeks to assemble a
crew from the Kona Amateur Radio Society with proper vehicles and equipment
to respond.  

 

Imagine the surprise when the repair crew finally got there and found three
solar panels, two 80 pound batteries and the charge controller removed.  It
was devastating to say the least.

 

A police report C11020797 was made.  Bishop Estate, the land owner, was
notified and an insurance claim was made.  The police officer in charge of
this investigation is Officer Bryan Ellis with badge #181794 and the
Supervising Officer is William Souther with badge #187978.  KARS Vice
President, Tom Daniel,   AH6KW, is the contact person for the Kona Amateur
Radio Society at 808-989-0171.  The KARS website is:
http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/~veillet/hwars.html.  The website shows a picture
of the repeater before the theft.  Two batteries model VRB-31, three solar
panels model M75 and one charge controller and the associated fuse block
were all stolen.  

 

This was one of the main sites for the Big Island Wide Area Repeater Network
(BIWARN) system.  It has been used many times in emergencies in the past and
provides communications even when power fails, since it is solar powered.
The BIWARN system is part of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and
supports many government and non-government emergency responders such as
Hawaii County CD, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, CERT teams and the
many organizations that are part of the Volunteer Organizations Active in
disasters (VOAD).   It is also the only site covering most of West Hawaii
and South East Maui for normal two meter band amateur communications and
emergency preparedness exercises.  

 

This theft had to have been well planned and carried out by a well-equipped
gang.  The equipment is most likely not going to be replaced at the same
location until the perpetrators are caught and put out of circulations.
Obviously, the fear is that if it is rebuilt, the same unthinking creeps
will only do it again. Of course the high cost of replacement is also a
factor.   It puts everyone on the West side of Hawaii Island at greater risk
in times of emergency because this vital communications link has been
disabled.  

 

Anyone with knowledge of this crime is asked to report it to the Hawaii
County Police Department.