Ham Radio Saves The Day

[kg4rpe]

A couple of weeks back about nine o'clock on a Monday night my wife and I were returning home from town. Just as we got outside of the city limits the altenator on my truck went out on me and the truck at that point went dead. The first thing we did after getting the truck safely pushed to the side of the road was pick up our cell phone and begin a call for help. According to the recorded message that we got, the first two numbers which we tried did not go through due to the fact that there was some type of congestion on the cell phone lines. The third number which we tried to call gave us a recording that the person was on the internet.

As my wife kept trying to get someone on the cell phone I reached down and picked up my hand held and proceeded to put out a call for a friend of ours (KF4TOV Jason) who I knew would be passing by where we were on his way home from his fiance's house. Upon hearing the call W4ET Ron answered and managed to get ahold of Jason and his fiance K4AJH April. They both gladly came out and helped my wife and I get our truck someplace a little safer and helped us get home.

What is the true Lesson which we learn? Ham Radio is not dead, it is still just as needful today as it was in the days of yesteryear. The more advance that our world has with technology, the more we need to keep in mind the simple basics for one day they will come in handy.

A lesson which my wife (who really was not very interrested in our little hobby) learned is that sometimes a hobby can be very useful. I hope this will help in encouraging her to study and get her license. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

73 an Merry Christmas to all
Tim kg4rpe

[ac5ta]

Sure glad you had ham radio. Cell phone are not the all sure communication they would have us belive. Had a an experience with a house fire in boone county arkansas several years ago. It shows the importance of keeping a rig with you. while we are at it those who have repeaters in there area monitor them at all times you never know when a life or death situation may come up.
fred http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[kc2kfw]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

I'm glad to hear that all is well, after your eventfull trip. This was definately a situation which should be published to the masses! And, I agree 100% with you that (perhaps) technology leaps are not always what they are 'cracked' up to be. Albeit has helped in the hobby, but on it's own, especially when it's needed, technology sometimes folds - leaving people out in the cold! God Bless and be safe! 73!

Chris KC2KFW

[ne5b]

Another at-a-boy for Amateur Radio!

We live in a rural area about half way between Houston and Austin, just a couple of years ago, with 15 miles of your house cell phone coverage was so spotty you had to litterally stop to make a phone call.

I suspect there are other areas that are still like that in other states as well as in West Texas. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[VE3LEG]

sounds alot like trying to use a cellphone in North&South Glengarry counties in Ontario, Canada. Almost impossible.

[KG4VQR]

glad to hear your fellow hams were willing to help out i recently had a similar problem i aleady had help on the way but enjoyed the offers of help and the people on the other end of the air waves talking to me (to help me keep warm) while i was waiting fo the gas can to arrive


73
david (kg4vqr)

[KC2JCA]

I too, am glad that things went well for you and no one was allowed to remain in danger.

However, turning away from well being and good health, just because you are in a position that is nonfunctional for a cell phone and completely functional for an Amateur Radio Handheld, you can't say it would be inconceivable for the roles to be reversed.

People who overall support one type of communication over another, will always have something to say to show their support for that mode of communication. And vice versa.

I think more and more Hams are beginning to see that any form of communication is worthy of investigation, and that to say one is better than the other is like trying to figure out which act in the carnival was better, the juggler or the magician. While each has a value associated with entertainment value, charisma, pace, showmanship, etc., the root skills of juggling and magic are two different planes of art and cannot be compared one to the other.


73, Jim - kc2jca
http://www.ocsparc.org

[kb7uxe]

Greetings from Dan kb7uxe.
A few years back here in Washington state, we had a pretty good earth quake.. I was at work on the 4th floor.
Our office was ruined. terminals and folks on the floor.. what a mess. We quickly evacuated the building. and needless to say, NO telecommunications were working.NONE!!!. However, I went directly to my car and brought up the 145.33 machine. within minuets,WSU sizemology lab was online and we knew where and how big. Then the dammage reports and mobilization of the emergency nets etc went into action. Even the Seattle coast guard was reduced to using ham radios because their equipment had apperently failed. ( sure glad some of their folks were hams !http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif All I can say is God bless the nets that run EVERY DAY at the same time. I guess some take our hobby for granted, that is until something happens. Dan kb7uxe. 3.696cw or 3.965ssb most evenings. P.S. What ever happened to Jim Wicks at the Alamo KFT7580?

[n8ary]

We had a pretty good snowstorm here in Michigan last month (go figure). I was running out to the auto parts store to get a part for one of the cars and there was a car that had slid into the ditch.

I stopped and the driver asked if I had a cell phone. I pulled out my nextel and tried to dial her home number for her, but there was a service problem (go figure again).

I used my mobile radio to dial the autopatch and she was able to get her husband to come get her.

It's a minor thing because I could have just given her a ride, but the radio helped solve the problem in a better way.

[k7cop]

This last week, my wife and I were in Boise, Idaho taking our son to the airport for a flight. While driving through the city, my pickup gave up the ghost, just quit with no warning.
I used the cellphone to call for a tow. The insurance company "operator" was located over 500 miles away and had no absolute idea where we were. The end result was that it was over 2 hour wait with "no results". A subsequent call had the same results.The weather was bad, heavy snow,cold and high wind. Not life threatening, but uncomfortable for my xyl.
A quick call on the 2 meter radio brought up several hams in the area that I know. One of them, Dave, W7VT, a school teacher who lived very close by, came right away.The end result was that we had the truck at a repair shop and as it turned out, the electronic brain in the distributor was bad. I would like to thank Dave, W7VT and his wife, who is also a ham for thier hospitality and the use of one of thier vehicles to get us back home until our truck was repaired.

This is not the first time that I have used ham radio for
emergencies, and it continues to be there even when the
other services are not.

Larry K7COP

[W5HTW]

It is excellent that hams are frequently around to help out in a tight situation. #There have been several occasions in my own ham years when ham radio helped me - or helped me to help someone else - out of #a bind. #The original poster on this thread, and the rermaining ones as well, have shown a good sense of responsibility toward the use of ham radio in helping out, and even in a real emergency.

When I come across a vehicle accident or a stalled car, or a crime in progress, I reach for the cell phone. #Doing so puts me directly in touch with a trained professional, who can make judgements about the kind of help needed, and eliminates any middle-manham #who may have to relay information. #And any time info is relayed, it stands the chance of getting corrupted. # After all, we aren't called "amateurs" for nuttin'! #I would never reach for an amateur anything when a professional is readily available, in times of emergency. #The time wasted trying to "prove to the world" that we hams are "vital" can cost a life. #The autopatch can time out while critical information is being relayed, resulting in further delays. #We must never assume we hams are the first line of emergency communication, for we are not, by any twist of imagination. #

Having said that!! ... Here in the west, there are vast areas where cell phone coverage simply is non-existent. #In many of those areas, amateur repeaters can be reached, and if not, HF (provided you have it) is an option. #So may be CB, though finding something intelligent there willing to help is an extreme rarity. #In an emergency one must use the available means. #If the available means includes a rapid and professional route, that is the one that should be chosen. #When such a route isn't available, it's "any port in a storm." #

I have, though, found myself in situations regarding an accident I came across when no ham would answer any of the repeaters in the area, and my cell phone was out of range. #But I tried the cell phone first. # The third resort is to flag someone down and have them go where their cell phone works, or to drive to #a pay phone and make an emergency call. # I've even had to leave the scene of an accident and drive to a store where I could call for help. #That despite having a cell phone and a 2-meter rig in the car. #Neither worked.

It is neat to use ham radio to support a non-emergency, also, such as advising the spouse I've been delayed due to a flat tire, or heavy traffic. #In non-emergency situations, using the radio can be convenient. #But as a long time ham, I will still reach for the cell phone first, rather than make a two-meter "cell call" to advise I'm bringing home the loaf of bread.

The point I choose to try to make here, though, is, when-ever possible, if injuries are involved, or a life is in danger, I hope whomever stops to help me is equipped with a working cell phone and uses it first. Grab the cell phone and speak with the police dispatcher, the doctor, the fireman, directly. #If that doesn't work, try ham radio. # We are sorely misguided if we start to consider ourselves the first line of emergency communications. #

And no-one here did, so there is no accusatory finger being pointed! #A good rational thread. #

73
Ed

[KB8EFD]

I've used my radios to call for help for others - many times. I also used to carve notches in my VHF mobile phone - for every drunk I reported and followed until pulled over. I thought I'd share a couple of the most interesting stories.

A dozen years ago, I broke down outside of Hazard, Kentucky in the afternoon. (Yes, it's a real place.) I had a VHF commercial telephone - couldn't get the local VHF system up - and there was no cell-phone service within miles in that terrain. Nobody was on 2 meters. I made a call on 40 meters, and a ham in Welch, WV called a tow truck operator in Hazard. The guy who drove the tow truck almost didn't respond - thought it was a prank. He'd had a lot of CB operators send him on wild goose chases. If his interest in ham radio was an indicator, it would not surprise me if he now has his license.

I can assure anyone that in any communications emergency, the cell-sites are the first to get overloaded, or go down. From my experiences in commercial 2-way radio, the biggest batteries at repeater sites - are the batteries on the ham repeaters.

About a decade ago, there was a single car accident near Cedar Bluff, VA. No cell-phone service, nobody on 2 meters, and my VHF phone wouldn't reach out and touch anything. I called for help on a commercial frequency that I knew was active. I gave them the details of the accident. I told them who I was, name, address, and my commercial license number. They called for help.

I later received a letter from them, in which they told me that I was 'in violation of the law' by using their radio system - that they had bought their radio system for their use, nobody else's. I wrote back and sent them a reminder that their license required that they pass any emergency communications, and if they refused to do this - they could lose that precious license. I told them that if they wanted to pursue the matter, I would gladly bring the issue to the attention of the FCC. I heard nothing back from them.

In this era of self-serving commercial (and sometimes government) entities, I think we're one of the few groups of people who honestly care enough to contribute - without compensation except for what we get in our hearts. Carry on - even if they throw rocks at you when you do the right thing.

73s - Jim - AB8PX - formerly KB8EFD