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The importance of HF

Submitted: Sunday, Jan 02, 2005 at 11:00

Mad Dog (Victoria)

After all the talk recently about BPL and HF I thought this was rather interesting.

From a Ham in Sri Lanka:

The situation is terrible. I feel more than 50,000 may have perished. I am a
Radio Amateur/Ham, the President of the National Organization of Radio
Hams. We set up emergency communications via HF and VHF with 2 teams going
into very bad disaster areas and gave the Sri Lanka's Prime Minister's
Office communications with the coordinating Government Officer, which had
NO communication until we went in to establish HF links.. Our control centre
was inside the Prime Minister's Official house in his operational room. Will
show how they valued our services.

The moment we got a message there was a team to handle the request for
Medicine, Doctors and so many things. We will continue until such time as
the PM needs our help. After that we will try humanitarian help, like
tracing missing people in hospitals and setting up communication centres in
disaster areas where there is no land lines working and mobile towers,
repeaters are down. Even Satellite phone failed and only HF link was
possible. Our batteries were running out and no generators to charge, no
electricity, lights etc. in those regions where Telephone exchanges,
powerlines and everything for communications was down. Even satellite phone
let down. No way to charge batteries was another problem. Just plain
uncomplicated Short Wave saved lives. Ham Radio played an important part and
will continue to do so. Pray for the People of South and S.East Asia.

Thanks again.

Victor




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AnswerID: 91101   Submitted: Monday, Jan 03, 2005 at 13:27

Willem replied:

Says it all, doesn't it, Ray?

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FollowupID: 349679   Submitted: Monday, Jan 03, 2005 at 14:09

geocacher (djcache) posted:

Wasn't first news out of Darwin 25 Dec 74 from a HAM operator on HF? I'm pretty sure it was.

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FollowupID: 349690   Submitted: Monday, Jan 03, 2005 at 15:50

Mad Dog (Victoria) posted:

Apparently HF has been flat out passing emergency communciations, the volume of traffic is huge. Sat phones are unreliable because of the shear volume of traffic just like the Newcastle earthquake many years ago when the phone system had a hernia.

I think you are correct Dave, HF and Ham operators played a major communciations role.




FollowUp 2 of 2
AnswerID: 91132   Submitted: Monday, Jan 03, 2005 at 17:37

Footloose replied:

Dave, it sure was. He was operating out of a police station and co ordinated the first Herc into Darwin. They had to stop the plane before take off and re load some medical supplies that had just turned up. There was a link with D24 in Melbourne and later with Canberra. That was some Christmas Day for many people.
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