Chattanooga hams check on one another during pandemic
After two recent deaths, Chattanooga-area ham radio operators decided to close ranks. Many of the amateur radio hobbyists live alone, so a system of nightly radio checks has been put in place to signal if anyone needs help. At their core, that’s what “hams” do, they take care of one another, members of the so-called Lone Ranger Net said.
Hams hit the heights (Outside magazine)
On a gray Friday afternoon last spring, Steve Galchutt sat high atop Chief Mountain, an 11,700-foot peak along Colorado’s Front Range. An epic panorama of pristine alpine landscape stretched in almost every direction, with Pikes Peak standing off to the south and Mount Evan towering just to the west.
It was an arresting view, and the perfect backdrop for a summit selfie. But instead of reaching for his smartphone, Galchutt was absorbed by another device: a portable transceiver. Sitting on a small patch of rock and snow, his head bent down and cocked to one side, he listened as it sent out a steady stream of staticky beeps: dah-dah-di-dah dah di-di-di-dit. “This is Scotty in Philadelphia,” Galchutt said, translating the Morse code. Then, tapping at two silver paddles attached to the side of the radio, he sent his own message, first with some details about his location, then his call sign, WG0AT.
Hams help out in Malaysia
The voice from the incoming signal was scratchy at best as the battery in the caller’s walkie-talkie was about to die. But amateur radio hobbyist Zanirul Akhmal Zanirun, then a volunteer at the National Emergency Communication Centre set up in Angkasapuri, Kuala Lumpur during the 2014 to 2015 floods, heard the message that was coming in from Pahang loud and clear.
“The floodwaters are rising. We are trapped in our house. Get help quick, ” said the caller. There was no time to waste, recalled Zanirul. He and the team immediately conveyed the message to the communication centre in Pahang, who in turn alerted the rescue team at the stricken location. To his relief, an update later revealed that the caller had made it to an evacuation centre safely.
