This may have been a 1 in 1000 year event but we can anticipate that there will be some sort of event much more frequently where amateur radio communications can be helpful. It can start with simple things as planning frequencies, schedules, and points of contact.
The weather alert radio was not used to its fullest extent possible. Does your grandma know the world just crashed and to put a white sheet on the door/roof for medical emergency.
Just wanted to comment that if western N. Carolina/E. Tennessee had an APRS network of digipeaters and igates and if that girl who went up the mountain had been loaned an APRS-capable HT y'all could have found out a lot, lot sooner that she was OK by tracking the location of the calllsign of the ham who gave her the radio.
Three categories of welfare traffic I Am Safe (outgoing) probably the easiest to handle by local operators Local reunification. More effort, but pretty important. Welfare check-messages from the outside, but the benefit is to people outside the affected area, not to those who need help. Also, labor intensive, people to go find people. As has been shown, not tenable days into an event when looting is a problem. Strangers looking for people are not immediately welcome.
Thank you for this discussion.
This may have been a 1 in 1000 year event but we can anticipate that there will be some sort of event much more frequently where amateur radio communications can be helpful. It can start with simple things as planning frequencies, schedules, and points of contact.
If there are heros of thie event. The Net Controllers of the Mt Mitchell repeater are such.
I hope that someone was recording the repeater. I would pay to have it on a thumb drive 👍.
Good to see you Gary...
The weather alert radio was not used to its fullest extent possible. Does your grandma know the world just crashed and to put a white sheet on the door/roof for medical emergency.
Just wanted to comment that if western N. Carolina/E. Tennessee had an APRS network of digipeaters and igates and if that girl who went up the mountain had been loaned an APRS-capable HT y'all could have found out a lot, lot sooner that she was OK by tracking the location of the calllsign of the ham who gave her the radio.
Hi guys. Was Winìink an option? for mailing?
Yes. The AUXc operator in the western region pushed out a Winlink several times.
let me get this straight. we are out there and the governemnt has more fund and wasnt ready>
Three categories of welfare traffic
I Am Safe (outgoing) probably the easiest to handle by local operators
Local reunification. More effort, but pretty important.
Welfare check-messages from the outside, but the benefit is to people outside the affected area, not to those who need help. Also, labor intensive, people to go find people. As has been shown, not tenable days into an event when looting is a problem. Strangers looking for people are not immediately welcome.
Hear all 3