>
>What follows is a copy/paste from a piece written by Gary Krakow...a 
>writer for MSN news
>
>
>        ACCORDING TO THE national membership association for amateur 
> radio, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), ham radio volunteers are 
> currently assisting federal, state and local officials and relief 
> organizations in Texas in their search for shuttle Columbia debris and 
> the remains of the crew members. Amateur radio operators must pass 
> rigorous tests to receive a license and a call sign from the Federal 
> Communications Commission — clearing them to broadcast radio, TV or data 
> signals on frequencies set aside for their use.
>       ARRL officials say local efforts following the Columbia disaster 
> have been a great success.
>       “Ham radio has proven to be the only reliable communications 
> options during the recovery effort,” according to Tim Lewallen (call sign 
> KD5ING) of the Nacogdoches, Texas, Amateur Radio Club.
>       “The communications systems used by other federal and state 
> organizations cannot penetrate ‘The Pine Curtain’ as we know it in East 
> Texas,” he said. “The dense forests and hilly terrain just swallow up 
> most radio traffic, and even county sheriff and county fire department 
> radio systems have serious blind spots.” According to Lewallen, federal 
> authorities have requested that every survey team have at least one 
> amateur radio operator along to help keep the recovery efforts 
> coordinated and organized.
>  In South Texas, there are requests for hams that are still needed to 
> assist in the search effort — with an urgent need for operators in the 
> San Augustine County, where substantial debris remains to be recovered. 
> Local coordinators say two-to-four dozen operators are needed each day 
> and they expect the need to continue for the next three weeks.
>       Hams are using local amateur radio clubs’ repeaters — which are 
> receiver-transmitter combinations, usually installed on top of tall 
> buildings that take low power radio signals and re-broadcast them at 
> elevated power to a large area. Dallas County volunteers are being told 
> they should use high-powered radios in the recovery effort because 
> handheld “walkie-talkies” don’t have the necessary range. It’s also 
> recommended they bring four-wheel drive vehicles, portable GPS (global 
> positioning systems) and even laptop computers with mapping programs if 
> they’re not familiar with the area.
>       Area residents with VHF scanners can listen in on the recovery 
> effort. In the Dallas area, activities can be monitored on 146.96 MHz; in 
> Nagodoches on 147.32 MHz, in St. Augustine on 146.74 MHz, and on a 
> portable repeater in East Texas on 146.66 MHz. Yesterday, a Dallas 
> resident who’s been listening told MSNBC.com there were several reports 
> of “hazardous materials” being found and that “demolition experts” were 
> called in to assist in the recovery.
>       Public service communication has been a traditional responsibility 
> of the Amateur Radio Service since 1913. Today, disaster work is highly 
> organized and implemented principally through a number of different ARRL 
> groups including the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, or R.A.C.E.S. 
> — an organization of ham radio operators who volunteer their time and 
> equipment to provide supplemental communication to local, county or state 
> agencies during times of crisis or disaster.
>  Three of the Columbia astronauts were licensed amateur radio operators: 
> Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla, KD5ESI; David Brown, KC5ZTC; Laurel 
> Clark, KC5ZSU. They aren’t alone — many people associated with the space 
> program have been active in amateur radio, including businessmen Dennis 
> Tito, KG6FZX, and the three astronauts still circling the earth in the 
> International Space Station — Commander Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP, Don Pettit, 
> KD5MDT and Nikolai Budarin, RV3FB. Even astronaut hopeful Lance Bass of 
> ‘N Sync is a ham — KG4UYY.
>       The three current space station astronauts are manning NA1SS. the 
> first permanent amateur radio station in space. Use of NA1SS has been 
> temporarily curtailed. Last week, the astronauts were scheduled to make 
> radio contact with high school students in Germany. The session was 
> postponed. But, according to the ISS governing group, space station 
> contacts are expected to resume later this month.
>
>       Gary Krakow is licensed ham radio operator W2GSK

Keith-WA9DRO
God gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.
Hudson Taylor