News covering Ham operations on Katrina damage...

[Rick Commo]

Well, CW or Phone, to the recipients of help it doesn’t matter.  So in that
light I would like to pass along the following URLs and also an article that
a ham from my former club sent to the club’s reflector.  Hope you enjoy
these.  The main page of the AARL site has a nice list of stories to follow
up on as well.

Cheers,
-rick, K7LOG

>From Computer_World_Wrapup
* Ham Radio Volunteers Help Re-establish Communications After Katrina
http://www.computerworld.com/newsletter/0,4902,104418,00.html?nlid=PM

>From a posting to the local VHF reflector up here.  A nice story about a ham
in Portland saving 15 lives.
http://easylink.playstream.com/katu/050831ham_operator_530pm.wvx 

>From another mailing of Computer_World_Wrapup a story of Dennis
Motschenbacher, Marketing Manager (I think) for the ARRL.
* Ham Radio Operator Heads South To Aid Post-Katrina Communications
http://www.computerworld.com/newsletter/0,4902,104446,00.html?nlid=PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highlights from a story in today's Wall Street Journal, As Telecom Reels
>From Storm Damage, Ham Radios Hum:

>>>
With Hurricane Katrina having knocked out nearly all the high-end emergency
communications gear, 911 centers, cellphone towers and normal fixed phone
lines in its path, ham-radio operators have begun to fill the information
vacuum. . . .

In an age of high-tech, real-time gadgetry, it's the decidedly unsexy ham
radio -- whose technology has changed little since World War II -- that is
in high demand in ravaged New Orleans and environs. The Red Cross issued a
request for about 500 amateur radio operators -- known as "hams" -- for the
260 shelters it is erecting in the area. The American Radio Relay League, a
national association of ham-radio operators, has been deluged with requests
to find people in the region. The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for hams to
help with its relief efforts.

Ham radios, battery operated, work well when others don't in part because
they are simple. Each operator acts as his own base station, requiring only
his radio and about 50 feet of fence wire to transmit messages thousands of
miles. Ham radios can send messages on multiple channels and in myriad ways,
including Morse code, microwave frequencies and even email.

Then there are the ham-radio operators themselves, a band of radio
enthusiasts who spend hours jabbering with each other even during normal
times. They are often the first to get messages in and out of disaster
areas, in part because they are everywhere. (The ARRL estimates there are
250,000 licensed hams in the U.S.) Sometimes they are the only source of
information in the first hours following a disaster. "No matter how good the
homeland-security system is, it will be overwhelmed," says Thomas Leggett, a
retired mill worker manning a ham radio in the operations center here. "You
don't hear about us, but we are there."
<<<

While the Wall Street Journal Web site is by subscription only, the article
is also posted on Boston.com at

http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2005/09/06/as_telecom_
reels_from_storm_damage_ham_radios_hum/

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[EricJ-2]

Your post didn't include this quote from Mr. James Screeden who is a Vice
President at Motorola working in the field, drawing a salary, and tending to
the needs of his commercial accounts, NOT the suffering people of New
Orleans.

"The hams also get little respect from telecommunications-equipment
companies, such as Motorola Inc. "Something is better than nothing, that's
right," says Jim Screeden, who runs all of Motorola's repair teams in the
field for its emergency-response business. "But ham radios are pretty close
to nothing." Mr. Screeden says ham radios can take a long time to relay
messages and work essentially as "party lines," with multiple parties
talking at once.

I think Mr. Screeden owes an apology for demeaning the hard work and
dedication of those hams who go unpaid and unreimbursed to help in this and
other disasters. Mr. Screeden should be ashamed, Motorola should be ashamed,
and this mean-spirited insult should not go unanswered.

You can contact the following person to let your views be known:

Media Center
Steve Gorecki
Motorola, Inc.
847-538-0368
[hidden email]

I think the ARRL should demand a formal apology from Mr. Screeden and his
superiors at Motorola, but I think every amateur radio operator should
contact Mr. Gorecki and express your own thoughts.

Eric
KE6US

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Rick Commo
Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 7:23 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] News covering Ham operations on Katrina damage...

Highlights from a story in today's Wall Street Journal, As Telecom Reels
>From Storm Damage, Ham Radios Hum:
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[Jack Brindle]

Guys, realize that Motorola is taking a lot of heat from this  
article, especially from in-house hams. There are many. Ham radio has  
been important to Motorola for many, many years. There are quite a  
few hams at Motorola - a few years ago the list even included the CEO  
(George Fisher). Motorola has made many excellent technical  
contributions to ham radio and I know that ham radio technology has  
flowed in to Motorola on many occasions. So, they are well aware of  
the importance of hams and the things we are quite capable of doing,  
and how much we have contributed to the success of the company.

I understand that the article's author took the Screeden quote out of  
context, which seems par for the course, especially in the coverage  
of this disaster. Motorola has already issued an apology and correction.

So give Motorola a break. They really are good guys, trying to do the  
right thing.


On Sep 7, 2005, at 9:51 PM, EricJ wrote:

> Your post didn't include this quote from Mr. James Screeden who is  
> a Vice
> President at Motorola working in the field, drawing a salary, and  
> tending to
> the needs of his commercial accounts, NOT the suffering people of New
> Orleans.
>
> "The hams also get little respect from telecommunications-equipment
> companies, such as Motorola Inc. "Something is better than nothing,  
> that's
> right," says Jim Screeden, who runs all of Motorola's repair teams  
> in the
> field for its emergency-response business. "But ham radios are  
> pretty close
> to nothing." Mr. Screeden says ham radios can take a long time to  
> relay
> messages and work essentially as "party lines," with multiple parties
> talking at once.
>
> I think Mr. Screeden owes an apology for demeaning the hard work and
> dedication of those hams who go unpaid and unreimbursed to help in  
> this and
> other disasters. Mr. Screeden should be ashamed, Motorola should be  
> ashamed,
> and this mean-spirited insult should not go unanswered.
>
> You can contact the following person to let your views be known:
>
> Media Center
> Steve Gorecki
> Motorola, Inc.
> 847-538-0368
> [hidden email]
>
> I think the ARRL should demand a formal apology from Mr. Screeden  
> and his
> superiors at Motorola, but I think every amateur radio operator should
> contact Mr. Gorecki and express your own thoughts.
>
> Eric
> KE6US

- Jack Brindle, W6FB
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------


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[Jim Brown-10]

On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 22:12:47 -0700, Jack Brindle wrote:

>So give Motorola a break.

No way. Hit them hard. If the in-house hams have sounded off and we
don't raise hell, they look bad. The Motorola comments were very
bad, and a strong reaction is in order.

Jim Brown  K9YC


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[Jack Brindle]

Then gripe at the writer who misquoted the guy. It is the press who  
are creating a LOT of misinformation about what is (and has)  
happening down there. This includes information about a Governor that  
doesn't know what she is doing and a mayor who is committing criminal  
acts and pointing fingers at others for his wrongdoings...


OK, maybe we can get back to Elecraft issues?


On Sep 7, 2005, at 10:18 PM, Jim Brown wrote:

> On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 22:12:47 -0700, Jack Brindle wrote:
>
>
>> So give Motorola a break.
>>
>
> No way. Hit them hard. If the in-house hams have sounded off and we
> don't raise hell, they look bad. The Motorola comments were very
> bad, and a strong reaction is in order.
>
> Jim Brown  K9YC
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>

- Jack Brindle, W6FB
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------


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[Jason Hissong-2]

I normally don't chime in on these things... My initial reaction after
reading Mr. Screeden's comments was "what a pompous jerk!"  But after
re-reading the article, I think Mr.Screeden is referring to Ham radio is
all you got left when he is stating "pretty close to nothing" and not
being demeaning. I think the reporter put his comments out of context
which they do to stir up the pot and keep their ratings up so that
people come back for more.  Motorola should not be apologizing (because
I don't think his intentions were what the article leads us to
believe).  I think the media needs to apologize.  The media is a joke.

I know that this whole disaster has motivated me to take the ARES
courses from the ARRL and get involved in our local ARES organization.  
My wife is even thinking of participating (She would make an awesome net
controller!!!)

Going back to lurking...

Jason N8XE

EricJ wrote:

>Your post didn't include this quote from Mr. James Screeden who is a Vice
>President at Motorola working in the field, drawing a salary, and tending to
>the needs of his commercial accounts, NOT the suffering people of New
>Orleans.
>
>"The hams also get little respect from telecommunications-equipment
>companies, such as Motorola Inc. "Something is better than nothing, that's
>right," says Jim Screeden, who runs all of Motorola's repair teams in the
>field for its emergency-response business. "But ham radios are pretty close
>to nothing." Mr. Screeden says ham radios can take a long time to relay
>messages and work essentially as "party lines," with multiple parties
>talking at once.
>
>I think Mr. Screeden owes an apology for demeaning the hard work and
>dedication of those hams who go unpaid and unreimbursed to help in this and
>other disasters. Mr. Screeden should be ashamed, Motorola should be ashamed,
>and this mean-spirited insult should not go unanswered.
>
>You can contact the following person to let your views be known:
>
>Media Center
>Steve Gorecki
>Motorola, Inc.
>847-538-0368
>[hidden email]
>
>I think the ARRL should demand a formal apology from Mr. Screeden and his
>superiors at Motorola, but I think every amateur radio operator should
>contact Mr. Gorecki and express your own thoughts.
>
>Eric
>KE6US
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [hidden email]
>[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Rick Commo
>Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 7:23 PM
>To: [hidden email]
>Subject: [Elecraft] News covering Ham operations on Katrina damage...
>
>Highlights from a story in today's Wall Street Journal, As Telecom Reels
>>From Storm Damage, Ham Radios Hum:
>_______________________________________________
>Elecraft mailing list
>Post to: [hidden email]
>You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
>Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft   
>
>Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
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>
>  
>

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[Stephen W. Kercel]

Jason:

Re: "The media is a joke." Amen.

Having worked for several highly visible Government agencies, I was always
amazed at media accounts of our activities. They were nothing like the real
story.

Thomas Jefferson once said that while he believed in freedom of the press,
he thought that the media should be in four clearly marked sections, Truth,
Probabilities, Possibilities, and Lies.

73,

Steve
AA4AK


At 08:44 AM 9/8/2005 -0400, Jason Hissong wrote:

>I normally don't chime in on these things... My initial reaction after
>reading Mr. Screeden's comments was "what a pompous jerk!"  But after
>re-reading the article, I think Mr.Screeden is referring to Ham radio is
>all you got left when he is stating "pretty close to nothing" and not
>being demeaning. I think the reporter put his comments out of context
>which they do to stir up the pot and keep their ratings up so that people
>come back for more.  Motorola should not be apologizing (because I don't
>think his intentions were what the article leads us to believe).  I think
>the media needs to apologize.  The media is a joke.
>
>I know that this whole disaster has motivated me to take the ARES courses
>from the ARRL and get involved in our local ARES organization.
>My wife is even thinking of participating (She would make an awesome net
>controller!!!)
>
>Going back to lurking...
>
>Jason N8XE

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[EricJ-2]

Well, someone else said the quote was taken out of context, though nobody
has provided the context so I don't understand the basis for that claim.

Here's the quote that we have from the WSJ:
"Something is better than nothing, that's right. But ham radios are pretty
close to nothing."

If you read other quotes from Mr. Screeden (google Screeden+Motorola), you
will see that the quote is certainly in character if not in context. His job
is to make sure Motorola customers are satisfied with their equipment, and
that it is working. If emergency services are depending on ham radio, Mr.
Screeden may think it reflects poorly on him. Lives are at stake. This is
not a competition.

Eric
KE6US
www.ke6us.com
 

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Jason Hissong
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 5:45 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] News covering Ham operations on Katrina damage...

But after re-reading the article, I think Mr.Screeden is referring to Ham
radio is all you got left when he is stating "pretty close to nothing" and
not being demeaning.
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[Craig Rairdin]

> Well, someone else said the quote was taken out of context, though
> nobody has provided the context so I don't understand the basis for
> that claim.

Furthermore, I spent several minutes searching for a retraction or apology
on the Motorola site and across the Internet and found no reference to it.
I'm not saying there isn't one; just saying I couldn't find it.

I sent a brief email to Jennifer Weyrauch, Director, Corporate
Communications in which I commented on the irony of Motorola sending in
repair teams to get its communication technology up and running while
complaining above the the technology that was standing in its stead in the
meantime. :-)

Craig
NZ0R
K1 #1966
K2/100 #4941

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[Thom LaCosta]

On Wed, 7 Sep 2005, EricJ wrote:

> Your post didn't include this quote from Mr. James Screeden who is a Vice
> President at Motorola working in the field, drawing a salary, and tending to
> the needs of his commercial accounts, NOT the suffering people of New
> Orleans.

A well meaning member of the list, sent me a copy of the Motorola PR response to
the article,,,,and seemed to have a real hard time understanding that the PR
guy's response wasn;t the same as the actual quote from Mr. Screeden.

So, I would think that until the actual quote, in total of Mr. Screeden is
known, then it's real difficult to prove the reporter misquoted him.

If we are suspect of reporters, we should also be suspect of PR people.


73,Thom-k3hrn
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[Kenneth E. Harker]

This is the original WSJ article:

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB112597561578132422-u6wVATR7vnguM__uPJ3YNkKhKcw_20060906,00.html?mod=blogs

-----
HURRICANE KATRINA
       
As Telecom Reels
>From Storm Damage,
Ham Radios Hum

By CHRISTOPHER RHOADS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 6, 2005; Page A19

MONROE, La. -- In a shelter here, 300 miles north of New Orleans, Theo
McDaniel took his plight to a young man fiddling with a clunky,
outdated-looking radio.

Mr. McDaniel, a 25-year-old barber, had evacuated New Orleans with his
wife and two small children more than a week ago and since then had had
no contact with his brother or his aunt. The last he heard, his 42-year-old
aunt was clinging to her roof.

"We've got to get a message down there to help them," he said. The man at
the radio sent the information to the emergency-operations center across
town, which relayed it to rescue units in New Orleans. Later in the
weekend, Mr. McDaniel learned that food and water were on the way to
his trapped brother and his brother's young family. He had heard nothing
about his aunt.

With Hurricane Katrina having knocked out nearly all the high-end
emergency communications gear, 911 centers, cellphone towers and normal
fixed phone lines in its path, ham-radio operators have begun to fill
the information vacuum. "Right now, 99.9% of normal communications in
the affected region is nonexistent," says David Gore, the man operating
the ham radio in the Monroe shelter. "That's where we come in."

In an age of high-tech, real-time gadgetry, it's the decidedly unsexy
ham radio -- whose technology has changed little since World War II --
that is in high demand in ravaged New Orleans and environs. The Red
Cross issued a request for about 500 amateur radio operators -- known
as "hams" -- for the 260 shelters it is erecting in the area. The
American Radio Relay League, a national association of ham-radio
operators, has been deluged with requests to find people in the
region. The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for hams to help with its
relief efforts.

Ham radios, battery operated, work well when others don't in part
because they are simple. Each operator acts as his own base station,
requiring only his radio and about 50 feet of fence wire to transmit
messages thousands of miles. Ham radios can send messages on multiple
channels and in myriad ways, including Morse code, microwave frequencies
and even email.

Then there are the ham-radio operators themselves, a band of radio
enthusiasts who spend hours jabbering with each other even during
normal times. They are often the first to get messages in and out
of disaster areas, in part because they are everywhere. (The ARRL
estimates there are 250,000 licensed hams in the U.S.) Sometimes
they are the only source of information in the first hours following
a disaster. "No matter how good the homeland-security system is, it
will be overwhelmed," says Thomas Leggett, a retired mill worker
manning a ham radio in the operations center here. "You don't hear
about us, but we are there."

Slidell, a town 30 miles northeast of New Orleans, was directly hit
by the hurricane and remains virtually cut off from the outside world.
One of the few, if not the only, communications links is Michael King,
a retired Navy captain, operating a ham radio out of a Slidell hospital.

"How are you holding up, Mike?" asked Sharon Riviere into a ham-radio
microphone at Monroe's operations center. She and her husband, Ron,
who is the president of the Slidell ham-radio club, had evacuated
before the storm to the home of some fellow ham-radio enthusiasts in
Monroe. She said Mr. King had been working 20-hour days since the storm
hit.

Crackling static and odd, garbled sounds followed her question to Mr.
King. Then he replied: "It's total devastation here. I've got 18 feet
of water at my house. Johnny's Cafe down there has water up to its roof."

Ms. Riviere asked about her own home, which is not far from Mr. King's.
"It's full of mud," King replied. "Looks like someone's been slugging it
out in there."

Ham radios are often most effective as one link in a chain of communication
devices. Early last week, someone trapped with 15 people on a roof of
a New Orleans home tried unsuccessfully to get through to a 911 center
on his cellphone. He was able to call a relative in Baton Rouge, who in
turn called another relative, Sybil Hayes, in Broken Arrow, Okla. Ms.
Hayes, whose 81-year-old aunt was among those stranded on the New
Orleans roof, then called the Red Cross in Broken Arrow, which handed
the message to its affiliated ham-radio operator, Ben Joplin.

Via stations in Oregon, Idaho and Louisiana, Mr. Joplin got the message
to rescue workers who were able to save the 15 people on the roof,
according to the ARRL, based in Newington, Conn. "We are like the
Pony Express," says the 26-year-old Mr. Gore, wearing black cowboy
boots. "One way or the other, even by hand, we will get you the message."

Mr. Gore, who is in charge of the northeastern district of Louisiana
for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, has spent a lot of time the
past week at the Monroe shelter, helping evacuees try to track missing
friends and relatives.

Last Monday, Danita Alexander of Violet, La., came to a ham operator
in the Monroe shelter asking about her 96-year-old grandfather, Willie
Bright, who had been in a nursing home in New Orleans. The next day,
she got word back from a ham operator that he had been safely
transferred to a shelter near New Orleans. "We can't do enough of
these," says Mark Ketchell, who runs the ARES branch in Monroe.

Nevertheless, the ham-radio community feels under threat. Telecom
companies want to deliver broadband Internet connections over power
lines, which ham-radio operators say distorts communications in the
surrounding area. Since hams are "amateurs," there is little lobbying
money to fight such changes, they add.

The hams also get little respect from telecommunications-equipment
companies, such as Motorola Inc. "Something is better than nothing,
that's right," says Jim Screeden, who runs all of Motorola's repair
teams in the field for its emergency-response business. "But ham
radios are pretty close to nothing." Mr. Screeden says ham radios
can take a long time to relay messages and work essentially as
"party lines," with multiple parties talking at once. Says Mr.
Leggett at the Monroe operations center: "We are the unwanted
stepchild. But when the s- hits the fan, who are you going to call?"

Write to Christopher Rhoads at [hidden email]
-----



 Thu, Sep 08, 2005 at 03:36:50PM -0400, Thom R LaCosta wrote:

> On Wed, 7 Sep 2005, EricJ wrote:
>
> >Your post didn't include this quote from Mr. James Screeden who is a Vice
> >President at Motorola working in the field, drawing a salary, and tending
> >to
> >the needs of his commercial accounts, NOT the suffering people of New
> >Orleans.
>
> A well meaning member of the list, sent me a copy of the Motorola PR
> response to the article,,,,and seemed to have a real hard time
> understanding that the PR guy's response wasn;t the same as the actual
> quote from Mr. Screeden.
>
> So, I would think that until the actual quote, in total of Mr. Screeden is
> known, then it's real difficult to prove the reporter misquoted him.
>
> If we are suspect of reporters, we should also be suspect of PR people.
>
>
> 73,Thom-k3hrn
> www.zerobeat.net Home of QRP Web Ring, Drakelist home page,
> Free Classified Ads for amateur radio, QRP IRC channel
> Elecraft Owners Database
> www.tlchost.net/hosting/  ***  Web Hosting as low as 3.49/month
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--
Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
[hidden email]
http://www.kenharker.com/

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[Milt -- N5IA]

Thanks, Ken, for posting the entire article.  To me it is a very well
written, complimentary article.  The final paragraph points out that in
telecom it is no different than any other business sector.

Just look what the Walmart Super Stores and the Home Depot's have done to
the local grocery stores and hardware/lumber yards.  And what Mc Garbage has
done to the local burger joint.  It's the power of advertising.

In our area it affects even the smaller towns out to 40-50 miles from the
larger towns and cities.  Everyone is in hog heaven until the big boys go
down and then people wonder why the home folks don't have what they need.

My two bits.

Milt, N5IA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth E. Harker" <[hidden email]>
To: "Thom R LaCosta" <[hidden email]>
Cc: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 1:01 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] WSJ article


> This is the original WSJ article:
>
>
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB112597561578132422-u6wVATR7vnguM__uPJ3YNkKhKcw_20060906,00.html?mod=blogs

>
> -----
> HURRICANE KATRINA
>
> As Telecom Reels
> >From Storm Damage,
> Ham Radios Hum
>
> By CHRISTOPHER RHOADS
> Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
> September 6, 2005; Page A19
>
> MONROE, La. -- In a shelter here, 300 miles north of New Orleans, Theo
> McDaniel took his plight to a young man fiddling with a clunky,
> outdated-looking radio.
>
> Mr. McDaniel, a 25-year-old barber, had evacuated New Orleans with his
> wife and two small children more than a week ago and since then had had
> no contact with his brother or his aunt. The last he heard, his

42-year-old

> aunt was clinging to her roof.
>
> "We've got to get a message down there to help them," he said. The man at
> the radio sent the information to the emergency-operations center across
> town, which relayed it to rescue units in New Orleans. Later in the
> weekend, Mr. McDaniel learned that food and water were on the way to
> his trapped brother and his brother's young family. He had heard nothing
> about his aunt.
>
> With Hurricane Katrina having knocked out nearly all the high-end
> emergency communications gear, 911 centers, cellphone towers and normal
> fixed phone lines in its path, ham-radio operators have begun to fill
> the information vacuum. "Right now, 99.9% of normal communications in
> the affected region is nonexistent," says David Gore, the man operating
> the ham radio in the Monroe shelter. "That's where we come in."
>
> In an age of high-tech, real-time gadgetry, it's the decidedly unsexy
> ham radio -- whose technology has changed little since World War II --
> that is in high demand in ravaged New Orleans and environs. The Red
> Cross issued a request for about 500 amateur radio operators -- known
> as "hams" -- for the 260 shelters it is erecting in the area. The
> American Radio Relay League, a national association of ham-radio
> operators, has been deluged with requests to find people in the
> region. The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for hams to help with its
> relief efforts.
>
> Ham radios, battery operated, work well when others don't in part
> because they are simple. Each operator acts as his own base station,
> requiring only his radio and about 50 feet of fence wire to transmit
> messages thousands of miles. Ham radios can send messages on multiple
> channels and in myriad ways, including Morse code, microwave frequencies
> and even email.
>
> Then there are the ham-radio operators themselves, a band of radio
> enthusiasts who spend hours jabbering with each other even during
> normal times. They are often the first to get messages in and out
> of disaster areas, in part because they are everywhere. (The ARRL
> estimates there are 250,000 licensed hams in the U.S.) Sometimes
> they are the only source of information in the first hours following
> a disaster. "No matter how good the homeland-security system is, it
> will be overwhelmed," says Thomas Leggett, a retired mill worker
> manning a ham radio in the operations center here. "You don't hear
> about us, but we are there."
>
> Slidell, a town 30 miles northeast of New Orleans, was directly hit
> by the hurricane and remains virtually cut off from the outside world.
> One of the few, if not the only, communications links is Michael King,
> a retired Navy captain, operating a ham radio out of a Slidell hospital.
>
> "How are you holding up, Mike?" asked Sharon Riviere into a ham-radio
> microphone at Monroe's operations center. She and her husband, Ron,
> who is the president of the Slidell ham-radio club, had evacuated
> before the storm to the home of some fellow ham-radio enthusiasts in
> Monroe. She said Mr. King had been working 20-hour days since the storm
> hit.
>
> Crackling static and odd, garbled sounds followed her question to Mr.
> King. Then he replied: "It's total devastation here. I've got 18 feet
> of water at my house. Johnny's Cafe down there has water up to its roof."
>
> Ms. Riviere asked about her own home, which is not far from Mr. King's.
> "It's full of mud," King replied. "Looks like someone's been slugging it
> out in there."
>
> Ham radios are often most effective as one link in a chain of

communication

> devices. Early last week, someone trapped with 15 people on a roof of
> a New Orleans home tried unsuccessfully to get through to a 911 center
> on his cellphone. He was able to call a relative in Baton Rouge, who in
> turn called another relative, Sybil Hayes, in Broken Arrow, Okla. Ms.
> Hayes, whose 81-year-old aunt was among those stranded on the New
> Orleans roof, then called the Red Cross in Broken Arrow, which handed
> the message to its affiliated ham-radio operator, Ben Joplin.
>
> Via stations in Oregon, Idaho and Louisiana, Mr. Joplin got the message
> to rescue workers who were able to save the 15 people on the roof,
> according to the ARRL, based in Newington, Conn. "We are like the
> Pony Express," says the 26-year-old Mr. Gore, wearing black cowboy
> boots. "One way or the other, even by hand, we will get you the message."
>
> Mr. Gore, who is in charge of the northeastern district of Louisiana
> for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, has spent a lot of time the
> past week at the Monroe shelter, helping evacuees try to track missing
> friends and relatives.
>
> Last Monday, Danita Alexander of Violet, La., came to a ham operator
> in the Monroe shelter asking about her 96-year-old grandfather, Willie
> Bright, who had been in a nursing home in New Orleans. The next day,
> she got word back from a ham operator that he had been safely
> transferred to a shelter near New Orleans. "We can't do enough of
> these," says Mark Ketchell, who runs the ARES branch in Monroe.
>
> Nevertheless, the ham-radio community feels under threat. Telecom
> companies want to deliver broadband Internet connections over power
> lines, which ham-radio operators say distorts communications in the
> surrounding area. Since hams are "amateurs," there is little lobbying
> money to fight such changes, they add.
>
> The hams also get little respect from telecommunications-equipment
> companies, such as Motorola Inc. "Something is better than nothing,
> that's right," says Jim Screeden, who runs all of Motorola's repair
> teams in the field for its emergency-response business. "But ham
> radios are pretty close to nothing." Mr. Screeden says ham radios
> can take a long time to relay messages and work essentially as
> "party lines," with multiple parties talking at once. Says Mr.
> Leggett at the Monroe operations center: "We are the unwanted
> stepchild. But when the s- hits the fan, who are you going to call?"
>
> Write to Christopher Rhoads at [hidden email]
> -----
>
>
>
>  Thu, Sep 08, 2005 at 03:36:50PM -0400, Thom R LaCosta wrote:
> > On Wed, 7 Sep 2005, EricJ wrote:
> >
> > >Your post didn't include this quote from Mr. James Screeden who is a

Vice
> > >President at Motorola working in the field, drawing a salary, and
tending

> > >to
> > >the needs of his commercial accounts, NOT the suffering people of New
> > >Orleans.
> >
> > A well meaning member of the list, sent me a copy of the Motorola PR
> > response to the article,,,,and seemed to have a real hard time
> > understanding that the PR guy's response wasn;t the same as the actual
> > quote from Mr. Screeden.
> >
> > So, I would think that until the actual quote, in total of Mr. Screeden

is

> > known, then it's real difficult to prove the reporter misquoted him.
> >
> > If we are suspect of reporters, we should also be suspect of PR people.
> >
> >
> > 73,Thom-k3hrn
> > www.zerobeat.net Home of QRP Web Ring, Drakelist home page,
> > Free Classified Ads for amateur radio, QRP IRC channel
> > Elecraft Owners Database
> > www.tlchost.net/hosting/  ***  Web Hosting as low as 3.49/month
> > _______________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Post to: [hidden email]
> > You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> >
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>
> --
> Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
> [hidden email]
> http://www.kenharker.com/
>
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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>
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>

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[Jason Hissong-2]

Point well taken and it appears that he may have been taken in the
appropriate context.  I find it ironic that he is stating this stuff
while their equipment is of course not working anymore :-)

This whole tragedy is really allowing ham radio operators to shine.  It
makes me proud of being a part of a hobby that can contribute to the
health and welfare of those in need.  There are those that would not be
alive today if it were not for ham radio.

Yesterday at work a guy came up and asked me if I was still doing ham
radio.  I told them "you betcha!"  He told me that there are folks at
his church looking for ham radio ops to assist in communications for
something.  He may be referring to ARES or the Salvation Army or
whatever.  He gave me a contact to get in touch with to help out and I
plan to call them tonight and find out how I can assist.  I have spoken
to other coworkers and friends and they already knew that ham radio was
playing a vital role in communications.  I also sent a request to SATERN
to join up an help in some way.  They may have all the help they need,
but if they need it, I can make phone calls or fire up the rig.

73,
Jason Hissong N8XE

EricJ wrote:

>Well, someone else said the quote was taken out of context, though nobody
>has provided the context so I don't understand the basis for that claim.
>
>Here's the quote that we have from the WSJ:
>"Something is better than nothing, that's right. But ham radios are pretty
>close to nothing."
>
>If you read other quotes from Mr. Screeden (google Screeden+Motorola), you
>will see that the quote is certainly in character if not in context. His job
>is to make sure Motorola customers are satisfied with their equipment, and
>that it is working. If emergency services are depending on ham radio, Mr.
>Screeden may think it reflects poorly on him. Lives are at stake. This is
>not a competition.
>
>Eric
>KE6US
>www.ke6us.com
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [hidden email]
>[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Jason Hissong
>Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 5:45 AM
>To: [hidden email]
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] News covering Ham operations on Katrina damage...
>
>But after re-reading the article, I think Mr.Screeden is referring to Ham
>radio is all you got left when he is stating "pretty close to nothing" and
>not being demeaning.
>
>  
>

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[EricJ-2]

 Just got my K1 Backlight Kit, and installed it. It took maybe an hour. More
details on my website:

www.ke6us.com

The only problem I had was with the length of the LED backlight. Page 4
shows an illustration that says to cut it to 1-1/4", but doesn't say
anything about having to cut it in the directions. Mine had obviously
already been cut...poorly. It was cut at an angle and was about 1-1/2" long.
This is a little too long for the space it fits in, but probably would work.
I recut it squarely to 1-1/4" with a razor saw before removing the masking
tape used during the original cutting.

I used the 200 ohm resistor for the brightest display, which is none to
bright.  It's nowhere near as bright as the K2 if that's what you are
expecting. However, I think it will be just fine in a campsite where you
want to see the display, but not light up the campsite. Besides, if it isn't
bright enough, it will take 10 minutes to open the radio and change the
resistor later. I'm going to live with it and see how it is in the field.

I measured total current drain at 68ma with a K1-4 with ATU. I can certainly
live with that.

I'm happy with the mod.

Eric
KE6US
www.ke6us.com
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[Larry Makoski W2LJ]

Fellow Elecrafters,

Since Katrina unleashed her wrath upon the Gulf states; there has been a
lot of discussion on this list and others about the value of Ham Radio
and emergency communications.  This post is not intended to stir up any
controversy or debate; it's purpose is, however, to get you to think.

We are ALL vulnerable to natural disaster, whether it be a hurricane on
the south or east coasts.  Blizzards in the temperature appropriate
areas of our country, earthquakes and brush fires out west; flooding in
the Midwest; or a tornado just about anywhere.  When these things happen
and devastation is widespread; your help is needed!  We are seeing that
this week more than ever.

Please consider volunteering your time and talents.  There are many ways
you can do this.  Hook up with your local Office of Emergency Management
and see if there is a CERT program (Community Emergency Response Team)
in your area.  If there is none; then maybe there's a ARES or RACES
group in existence.  Where these do not exist contact your local branch
of the Red Cross or Salvation Army as both of these organizations have
"letters of understanding" with many local Ham radio Emcomm groups.

The point is that Ham Radio is as valid and valuable as it has ever
been.  Maybe it's not done by Morse Code or maybe not even HF SSB
anymore.  Maybe it will all be done in your area with VHF/UHF FM
communications or packet. Maybe Amateur Radio  doesn't get the press
that it deserves and maybe it's not as valued as it ought to be.  But
when all is said and done with Katrina, the stories WILL come out.  You
will hear instances of where communications systems failed and how
Amateur Radio was the only way that rescues were performed, services
delivered, families reunited.  The ARRL had a slogan on their T-shirts
for Field Day a few years ago, "Amateur Radio - When All Else Fails".  
That has never been more true.

But all that said, YOUR help is needed.  Volunteer communicators are
needed on a nationwide basis, starting with your own local communities.  
Get trained and be prepared.  The best side benefit gained is the
knowledge that you will receive that will not only help keep your
community safe; but your own family safe as well.  You folks who
subscribe to this list and other QRP and Homebrew lists are among the
most knowledgeable, brightest, most versatile, most adaptable, best
trained Hams we have out there.  You build, test and repair equipment.  
You set up and operate stations from fields, forests, oceansides,
backyards, parking lots and even from inside EOCs. You are an asset to
this country and its communities.

For more information about CERT - please visit:  
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/CERT/certfaq.asp

Thanks for the bandwidth; and for allowing me to go off topic for a bit.

73 de Larry W2LJ



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[Tom Hammond-3]

Eric:

>The only problem I had was with the length of the LED backlight. Page 4
>shows an illustration that says to cut it to 1-1/4", but doesn't say
>anything about having to cut it in the directions. Mine had obviously
>already been cut...poorly. It was cut at an angle and was about 1-1/2" long.
>This is a little too long for the space it fits in, but probably would work.
>I recut it squarely to 1-1/4" with a razor saw before removing the masking
>tape used during the original cutting.

The mis-cutting is MY FAULT! And for that I sincerely apologize. Elecraft
was anxious to get this mod out to users and I volunteered to cut the (K2)
backlights into K1-sized pieces for them on my desk-top bandsaw. Apparently
I must have mis-measured when I placed the center point on your backlight.

Sorry about my error. Though I'm glad to hear you were able to recover cleanly.

I'll be much more diligent in the future when cutting the next batch of
backlight.

73,

Tom Hammond    N0SS

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[N2EY]

In a message dated 9/8/05 5:14:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[hidden email] writes:


> Just look what the Walmart Super Stores and the Home Depot's have done to
> the local grocery stores and hardware/lumber yards.  And what Mc Garbage has
> done to the local burger joint.  It's the power of advertising.
>
>

I disagree!

It's the power of people's buying habits, plus the economies of scale, plus
competition.

Wally World et al survive and flourish because people - customers - take
their business from the established stores and bring it to WW.

The short-term gain is that WW can offer lower prices and a bigger selection.
The
long-term consequence is that local businesses are wiped out.

And it's not just local businesses. The big chains dominate the
manufacturers,
forcing them to cut costs or lose the contract. (Look what WW did to
Rubbermaid). They go "overseas" for products, forcing US manufacturers out of
business.
And then folks wonder where the good jobs went...

Also in order to keep costs down, quality is sacrificed. Also serviceability,
so that you have to buy a new one because the old one wasn't meant to be
fixable.

--

We saw a version of this happen in amateur radio 30-odd years ago. The
old-line US ham radio manufacturers were mostly pushed off the shelves by imported
rigs from Japan. The same happened in "consumer electronics".

Fortunately a few US ham mfrs. survive, like TenTec. The success of Elecraft
is
proff that at least part of the market looks beyond the price tag, at things
like simplicity, performance, serviceability, etc.

We don't just vote at the polls - we "vote" economically every time we buy
something.

73 de Jim, N2EY
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[David Mitchell-14]

To all,

I took the CERT training course last fall.  I was the only ham from my town
in attendance, but there were a number of hams from a nearby town (with a
very active ARES and EMS community)there as well.  I had a great time and
learned a few things, but most importantly it confirmed for me that there
are some EMS folks out there who recognize the contribution that we can
make.

The gentleman who taught the course is also the CERT coordinator in his
town.  He is very proactive with his volunteers in many respects.  In
particular, many in his group were newly licensed hams as a result of a
course he ran after a presentation on ham radio by some local volunteers.

After we finished the course, we were told to get in touch with the CERT
coordinators in our towns and about the opportunities for additional
training, and of course I did so.  I'm still waiting for someone to return
my phone calls and emails <g>.

My point is not to discourage anyone, but if you can't get something going
in your town, don't give up - some neighboring town can use someone with
your skills.  In my case, I think the CERT training was worth my time and I
was surprised at how happy they were to have hams in their group.  Every
towns' emergency services have their own culture - some welcome hams, others
don't.  Don't be discouraged and keep looking until you find a good place.

Dave
WB2PJH

>From: Larry Makoski W2LJ <[hidden email]>
>Reply-To: [hidden email]
>CC: [hidden email]
>Subject: [Elecraft] OT: Public Service Radio
>Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2005 20:12:39 -0400
>
>Fellow Elecrafters,
>
>Since Katrina unleashed her wrath upon the Gulf states; there has been a
>lot of discussion on this list and others about the value of Ham Radio and
>emergency communications.  This post is not intended to stir up any
>controversy or debate; it's purpose is, however, to get you to think.
>
>We are ALL vulnerable to natural disaster, whether it be a hurricane on the
>south or east coasts.  Blizzards in the temperature appropriate areas of
>our country, earthquakes and brush fires out west; flooding in the Midwest;
>or a tornado just about anywhere.  When these things happen and devastation
>is widespread; your help is needed!  We are seeing that this week more than
>ever.
>
>Please consider volunteering your time and talents.  There are many ways
>you can do this.  Hook up with your local Office of Emergency Management
>and see if there is a CERT program (Community Emergency Response Team) in
>your area.  If there is none; then maybe there's a ARES or RACES group in
>existence.  Where these do not exist contact your local branch of the Red
>Cross or Salvation Army as both of these organizations have "letters of
>understanding" with many local Ham radio Emcomm groups.
>
>The point is that Ham Radio is as valid and valuable as it has ever been.  
>Maybe it's not done by Morse Code or maybe not even HF SSB anymore.  Maybe
>it will all be done in your area with VHF/UHF FM communications or packet.
>Maybe Amateur Radio  doesn't get the press that it deserves and maybe it's
>not as valued as it ought to be.  But when all is said and done with
>Katrina, the stories WILL come out.  You will hear instances of where
>communications systems failed and how Amateur Radio was the only way that
>rescues were performed, services delivered, families reunited.  The ARRL
>had a slogan on their T-shirts for Field Day a few years ago, "Amateur
>Radio - When All Else Fails".  That has never been more true.
>
>But all that said, YOUR help is needed.  Volunteer communicators are needed
>on a nationwide basis, starting with your own local communities.  Get
>trained and be prepared.  The best side benefit gained is the knowledge
>that you will receive that will not only help keep your community safe; but
>your own family safe as well.  You folks who subscribe to this list and
>other QRP and Homebrew lists are among the most knowledgeable, brightest,
>most versatile, most adaptable, best trained Hams we have out there.  You
>build, test and repair equipment.  You set up and operate stations from
>fields, forests, oceansides, backyards, parking lots and even from inside
>EOCs. You are an asset to this country and its communities.
>
>For more information about CERT - please visit:  
>http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/CERT/certfaq.asp
>
>Thanks for the bandwidth; and for allowing me to go off topic for a bit.
>
>73 de Larry W2LJ
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
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>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>
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[Dave Balla]

   There's enough blame to go around, but I'm blaming 1's and 0's.  In my
   opinion,  it's  the  root cause of the world changing.  Some call this
   process  Globalization. I know. I was there. I laid off hundreds. Then
   I got laid off.

   We can jam a lot of 1's and o's into a digital pipe and transfer it in
   nanoseconds.  We call it bandwidth. It's much easier now for a digital
   receiver to read a signal sqare wave that goes up for a 1 and down for
   a  0.  Now  we  have  digital video and satellite T.V.  And so can the
   poorest of nations around the world.

   Satellite  T.V.  for the economically poor-the 'have-nots'-opened up a
   window  on  the  world.   Now  they  saw  for  the first time what the
   "have's"  really  had,  how they lived, their freedom and culture, and
   the  cars  and  trucks  they drove.  Then the 'have-nots' decided they
   wanted  some of this and a better life.  So they decided to work for a
   meager  wage  and change.  American companies liked this because their
   stock  holders  wanted  the  stock  to  rise and pay bigger dividends.
   Reduce  labor  costs  was  the  mantra of the 90's.  Send it to Mexico
   where  a  welder  makes  2.50  an hour versus 23.50 in the U.S.  In 15
   years  Thailand  went from a rice producer to being the second largest
   producer   of   pick   up   trucks,   and   the   fourth   largest  of
   motorcycles.......in  the  world!  We know where GM and Ford are right
   now, don't we? One night while watching National Geographic Explorer a
   shoeless  peasant  in  the  Amazon digging in the mud for gold nuggets
   walked  to  his  grass  hut to check the spot price of gold on the New
   York Stock exchange via the Bloomberg channel.

   Many  of the 'have-not' countries can't get all the jobs from the U.S.
   or  elsewhere,  so  are  starting  to  get frustrated and mad at their
   leaders.  The  Middle  East is a good example.  Amy Chua calls it "The
   World  on  Fire."   Who would have imagined that a lousy 1 and 0 would
   have this impact on jobs and raw emotions.

   Demand is up for these developing countries because they was big shiny
   cars  and  maybe  a pickup truck.  Just like the millions in China are
   buying  right now.  If Wal-Mart where a country, it would be the third
   largest trading country in the world with China.  The Chinese want oil
   from  the same place we get ours. And the other have-not countries are
   going  to  want  it some day too.  More politics.  See how 1's and 0's
   got us into this?  Who would have thunk it?

   Then  we  hooked  our  computers  to  the  Internet.  More 1's and 0's
   running  around the world.  Instant post offices.  Instant transfer of
   money  to the have-not countries and withdrawl from failing countries.
   Instant  drawing  transfers  and  engineering  changes.  Take software
   development:   In  1977  IBM was developing the same piece of software
   AROUND  THE  WORLD.  Programmers from Beijing sent their work over the
   Internet  at the end of each day to Seattle.  Then they zapped it over
   the  net  5,200  miles  to  Belarus  in Latvia.  From there it went to
   Bangalore,  India  who  passed  it back to Beijing by morning, back to
   Seattle  and so on 24/7 in a global relay that never stopped until the
   project   was   completed.    Think  Ten  Tec  does  this????  Have  a
   manufacturing  problem  in  a foreign plant these days?  Just get on a
   video conference  call.  Sell your airline stock.  NOW.

   Globalization,  exporting  of jobs, foreign investment, huge increases
   in  demand,  pressure  from stock holders, Iraq, Afghanistan, the rise
   and  fall of ham radio manufacturers in the U.S.:  I'm blaming 1's and
   0's.

   73's DAve, KW4N
     _________________________________________________________________

     From:  [hidden email]
     To:  [hidden email],
     [hidden email],[hidden email]
     CC:  [hidden email]
     Subject:  Re: [Elecraft] WSJ article
     Date:  Fri, 9 Sep 2005 06:18:56 EDT
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     (mail_out_v38_r5.3.)  id  z.1e6.436c1583  (4222);Fri,  9  Sep  2005
     06:18:56 -0400 (EDT)
     >In a message dated 9/8/05 5:14:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
     >[hidden email] writes:
     >
     >
     >  >  Just  look what the Walmart Super Stores and the Home Depot's
     have done to
     >  >  the local grocery stores and hardware/lumber yards.  And what
     Mc Garbage has
     > > done to the local burger joint.  It's the power of advertising.
     > >
     > >
     >
     >I disagree!
     >
     >It's  the  power  of people's buying habits, plus the economies of
     scale, plus
     >competition.
     >
     >Wally  World et al survive and flourish because people - customers
     - take
     >their business from the established stores and bring it to WW.
     >
     >The short-term gain is that WW can offer lower prices and a bigger
     selection.
     >The
     >long-term consequence is that local businesses are wiped out.
     >
     >And it's not just local businesses. The big chains dominate the
     >manufacturers,
     >forcing  them to cut costs or lose the contract. (Look what WW did
     to
     >Rubbermaid).   They   go   "overseas"  for  products,  forcing  US
     manufacturers out of
     >business.
     >And then folks wonder where the good jobs went...
     >
     >Also  in  order  to  keep  costs down, quality is sacrificed. Also
     serviceability,
     >so that you have to buy a new one because the old one wasn't meant
     to be
     >fixable.
     >
     >--
     >
     >We saw a version of this happen in amateur radio 30-odd years ago.
     The
     >old-line  US  ham  radio  manufacturers were mostly pushed off the
     shelves by imported
     >rigs from Japan. The same happened in "consumer electronics".
     >
     >Fortunately  a  few US ham mfrs. survive, like TenTec. The success
     of Elecraft
     >is
     >proff that at least part of the market looks beyond the price tag,
     at things
     >like simplicity, performance, serviceability, etc.
     >
     >We  don't  just  vote  at the polls - we "vote" economically every
     time we buy
     >something.
     >
     >73 de Jim, N2EY
     >_______________________________________________
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[wayne burdick]

This thread is fascinating, but it has deviated well beyond ham radio
in general and Elecraft in particular. Let's take it off-line.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

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