Fwd: The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 13

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Subject: The ARRL Letter, Vol 24, No 13
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2005 18:17:02 -0500
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: "ARRL" <@arrl.org>

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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 24, No. 13
April 1, 2005
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IN THIS EDITION:

--deleted--
* +Ham radio provides crucial communications in quake's wake
--deleted--

==>AMATEUR RADIO LINKS EARTHQUAKE-STRICKEN ISLAND WITH OUTSIDE WORLD

Working under harsh conditions, Indonesian Amateur Radio Emergency Service
(ARES) volunteers this week established VHF links between
earthquake-stricken Nias Island and northern Sumatra. Nias Island was hit
March 28 by nearby magnitude 8.2 and 8.7 underwater earthquakes. More than
1000 people are reported to have died as a result of the earthquakes. The
tremors affected some of the same areas still recovering from the December
earthquake and tsunami. Although officials and residents remained on alert
for tsunamis this week, none occurred. A magnitude 6.3 aftershock occurred
in the vicinity March 30.

Organization of Amateur Radio for Indonesia (ORARI) headquarters in Jakarta
this week called on its members to be ready to assist. An ORARI team
deployed by air to Nias Island March 29 set up "zulu" (emergency) station
YB6ZAH in Gunung Sitoli, the island's! largest city. YB6ZAH has been in
contact with the ORARI District 6 command post in Medan, North Sumatra. The
ORARI team already had experience supporting communication following the
December 2004 tsunami that claimed an estimated 300,000 lives in South Asia.

In the earthquake's immediate aftermath, ORARI ARES members reportedly were
on duty with little or no food to eat, although they did have drinking
water. At that point, many victims had not yet been evacuated, and some
remained trapped in the debris.

ORARI team members include Zulkarman Syafrin, YC6PLG, Herman Rangkuti,
YC6IQ, and Soejat Harto, YB6HB--a medical doctor. Syafrin reports that the
earthquake damaged the power, telecommunication and transportation
infrastructure or took them out altogether on Nias Island. Buildings in
Gunung Sitoli were reportedly flattened and roads severely damaged or
impassable.

In the early going, the team was using portable generators and ! had to
restrict operation to every two hours to conserve scarce fuel. TELKOM, the
Indonesian Department of Public Telecommunication, has since provided the
ORARI ARES team with a bigger generator, and the operation has relocated to
the TELKOM building, where fuel is no longer a problem. ORARI District 6
plans to supply more logistical and radio equipment, while Ady Susanto,
YB6VK, was preparing a set of solar cells for the ORARI ARES team's use in
Gunung Sitoli.

New Mexico radio amateur Earl Campbell, N8TV, now working with the
International Red Cross in Banda Aceh on post-tsunami relief, plans to set
up an emergency Amateur Radio station on Simeulue Island, which also was
affected by the earthquakes. Campbell's IT team reportedly is headed for
Nias Island to set up a satellite Internet connection and to support the
ARES team in Gunung Sitoli.

Updates on ham radio earthquake relief activity in Indonesia are available
on the A! B2QV Web site http://www.qsl.net/ab2qv/nias.htm .-- W. Purwinto, AB2QV

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