[TWIAR] Local Ham Radio Operator Communicates With American Overseas

[Greg Williams]

http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?s=%20%201192721

Reporter: Silvia Castaneda

A Nashville ham radio operator gets a first-hand account of U.S. military
activity in the Persian Gulf. The contact was made earlier Friday in
Bahrain. It's a small island sitting in the Persian Gulf, just south of
Kuwait.

You may remember back during the Gulf War, Bahrain was attacked by Iraqi
scud missiles. Thankfully, that has not happened now.

Nashvillian Tom Delker talked to Tom Wright, an American satellite and
communications engineer supporting the American military in the Middle East.

Tom Wright is in Bahrain, a tiny island in the Persian gulf. The audio from
Bahrain is poor, in part because of how the two are communicating, for
security reasons.

"Apparently in 1991, Saddam's troops would lock on to the radio signals, any
radio transmissions, and target them. So they would fear for their life just
by turning the transmitter on and being a target for a scud missile," Delker
said.

Thus, Wright is using satellite and internet technology to get his signal to
London, then between London and Boston he stays on the internet. Once
reaching London, his audio is then transmitted to us in Nashville through a
radio signal.

Through this audio link, we learn people in Bahrain are experiencing the
aftermath of oil fields burning in southern Iraq.

"They were able to smell the oil fields, and of course the smoke, it was
visible and they could smell the oil fields burning."

Those in Bahrain can't see U.S. naval carriers in the gulf, but can see
action coming from there.

"He did not indicate any sightings of missiles, but there is considerable
air activity."

Tom Delker hopes once war ends, his next conversation may be with Iraqis.

"It'll be some of the more details that you may not hear over the news - the
human aspect, the personal aspect of it."

Delker said what people may not realize is the power of ham radio. He said
back in 1991, ham radio operators were the first to report Kuwait was under
attack by Saddam Hussein's forces.

Greg Williams
k4hsm@lock-net.com

Tis often better to be silent and thought a fool rather than to speak and
remove all doubt.
No trees were destroyed in the sending of this contaminant-free message
We do concede, a significant number of electrons may have been
inconvenienced.