Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A)
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Fri Jun 09 2017 09:24 am
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2067 for Friday, June 9, 2017
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2067, with a release date of
Friday, June 9, 2017, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams face the tough challenge of a deadly
monsoon in Sri Lanka. Two federal agencies help amateurs put tower
safety first -- and radio helps those of us on land track a ship's
epic journey through Canada's Northwest Passage. All this and more,
as Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2067 comes your way right now.
**
BILLBOARD CART
**
HAMS BRAVE SRI LANKAN MONSOON
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: This week's top story shows the courage that hams
can have, even in the face of the most extreme obstacles. It takes
more than carrying an HT -- it takes a special kind of heart -- to
fly into dangerous conditions following devastation of a storm.
But, that's what radio amateurs did in southwestern Sri Lanka,
where dozens of people died in a monsoon, and hundreds more were
left in need of critical assistance. We turn, for that story, to
Amateur Radio Newsline's Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.
JASON: During a torrent of monsoon rains that battered southwestern
Sri Lanka in late May, hams responded to some greater challenges --
namely, how to get in there, and respond to the government's requests
for help. The siege that left nearly 200 people dead amid landslides
and flooding presented few options. With communications down, and
roads impassable, the Sri Lankan Air Force was called upon to help
by providing air rescue support, which included the airlift during
challenging weather conditions, of radio amateurs who could establish
communications links. One of the hardest hit areas was remote Kalawana
village, which had been cut off from Ratnapura, the base of one of the
government's main coordinating centers.
The president of the Radio Society of Sri Lanka, Jaliya Lokeshwara,
4S7JL, was among the two teams of hams flying in on the MI-17 military
helicopters. He worked with other hams, establishing an HF link on 40
and 75 meters within 30 minutes of landing. Another link was set up on
2 meters. This enabled communications support for patients' transport
for medical care, as well as other rescue flights, and food drops.
The radio society's website noted that it was the first time this kind
of mission has been undertaken by the hams in Sri Lanka. Emergency
radio communications stayed intact until mobile phone services were
operational again, and the roads were open. By May 30th, the hams were
safely on their way home.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW.
(RADIO SOCIETY OF SRI LANKA, IARU)
---
� Synchronet � The Thunderbolt BBS - wx1der.dyndns.org
