Big Island ARRL News, 07 August 2017, 20:40 hrs, UTC, Post #282.
Source:
Accessed on 07 August 2017, 20:40 hrs, UTC.
Reporter: Nicole Williams.
Please click link to read the full story.
Comment:
This well-written article by correspondent Nicole Williams should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone living in a remote or isolated community. Usually reliable public services, such as telephone, gas, and water, can sometimes be interrupted, causing great inconvenience to communities. Last Friday, 04 August 2017, Canadian towns along the Atlantic coast were cut off from phone service when fiber optic lines went down. Canadian radio amateurs, such as Chris Vessey (VY2CRV), were standing by to help maintain communications if they were asked. Vessey added that he and his fellow radio amateurs are “capable of taking our equipment out, setting it up and helping authorities to communicate.”
Vessey described the incident in this way:
“For several hours on Friday, Bell Aliant landline and cell services, as well as Telus, Virgin and Koodo users, were cut off after damage to two fibre lines. ”
“People from retailers to emergency responders across the region experienced a disruption in connectivity.”
“I was on standby,” said Vessey. “If necessary, we would have rolled out some resources, some personnel to assist with communications.”
‘This is a wake-up call’
“Vessey said all homes should have a conventional radio that doesn’t rely on an Internet connection to be able to tune into news channels in the event of power disruption.”
“He also said he hopes more people consider getting a license to operate amateur radio, so that people have the means to communicate in all scenarios.”
“This is a wake-up call … It shows us what could happen, so I think it’s a good idea for everybody to consider being ready for disaster,” said Vessey.
This message resonates well with radio amateurs living in Hawaii–a state prone to such natural disasters as tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. If you’re a licensed Amateur Radio operator, please consider joining the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).
For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit these websites:
https://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com.
https://atomic-temporary-116934757.wpcomstaging.com (this site).
https://kh6jrm.blogspot.com (Simple Ham Radio Antennas).
http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news (a weekly podcast updated each Friday afternoon).
https://paper.li/kh6jrm/1430289353 (Amateur Radio News & Information).
Please send your Hawaii Island Amateur Radio news items to kh6jrm@arrl.net at least two weeks prior to your event so I can notify our local print and broadcast media in a timely manner.
Opinions expressed in this blog are mine unless otherwise stated.
Thanks for joining us today.
Aloha es 73 de
Russell Roberts (KH6JRM)
Public Information Coordinator
Hawaii County, ARRL Pacific Section