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VK7AX > WIA 02.08.20 02:27l 36 Lines 1732 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 43608_VK7AX
Read: GUEST
Subj: Ham radio and emergency comms: Filling the USGS ‘donut hole
Path: IW8PGT<I3XTY<GB7COW<PE1RRR<W8EDU<N3HYM<CX2SA<VK7AX
Sent: 200802/0122Z @:VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC #:43608 [Ulverstone] $:43608_VK7AX
From: VK7AX@VK7AX.#ULV.TAS.AUS.OC
To : WIA@WW
Ham radio and emergency comms: Filling the USGS ‘donut hole’
Date : 02 / 08 / 2020
Author : Oscar Reyes - VK3TX as published in ITU News
On July 2nd, shortly before midnight local time in Hawaii, a dozen amateur radio operators did something
nobody had ever done before—something that shows the best in amateur radio and could herald a
transformation in the role hams can play in emergencies.
The Hawaii hams felt an earthquake and sent detailed reports that were immediately used by the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) to assess the magnitude and damage done by this latest tremor.
Their reports used a special email program, Winlink Express, that operates through high frequency radio
even when normal communication channels are down.
It wasn’t the biggest earthquake. At M4.6, it woke a lot of people up, gave them a startle, but did minimal damage.
The significance of the event was that it proved—once again—that amateur radio operators had found yet another
way to play a crucial role in identifying and responding to emergencies.
In the best ham tradition, it all came about through volunteer operators solving problems for an agency in need.
It’s easy to see how this solution will save lives when there is—as there will be—more devastating earthquakes
and responders are operating blind because of something called ‘the donut hole.’
Read the full story here via this Link >> https://news.itu.int/ham-radio-emergency-comms-usgs-donut-hole/
(Sourced from https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2020/20200802-1/index.php)
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(Posted to the packet network courtesy Tony VK7AX)
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