The following was written by one of our members, Jim WA3DIT Gerhart, to our own members and other powers.  It speaks volumes of information not only what TARC was able to accomplish, but the fact that Amateur Radio operators were such key players for over a week straight.  I want to share this letter with all of you so that you might bring it or portions to your club members.  I feel it might help energize and awaken more to pitch in and get in there.

 

73 de N4ZXI – Bruce Orand

Director – Tampa Amateur Radio Club

 

 

      Ref:  Hurricane Charley - Thanks

Many thanks to all of you who took the time and personal expense to head down to Punta Gorda to assist in relief operations.  You know who you are so I'm not going to even try and list those of you in TARC.  Amazing work was accomplished which all started with a simple phone call from the Chicago office of the Salvation Army to Biff - K4LAW - which ended up not being so simple.  The Salvation Army needed help with communications between their canteens and their Base of Operations which was located in the parking lot of the Charlotte County Convention Center (or what remained of it).  The Base also needed to have the opportunity to contact its Tampa Warehouse.  Somewhere, someone, in the Salvation Army decided awhile back that communications between their units would be handled by use of the Nextel direct connect system.  All that "someone" in the Salvation Army needed to do was to ask any ham about cell phone capabilities in areas that are devastated.  We could have told them that cell phones are one of the first means of communications that goes down and that fact became evident quickly.

 

The Salvation Army unexpectedly threw an additional big request into the mix.  The people in the SATERN (ham radio division of the Salvation Army) was experimenting with the use of APRS.  Early into the relief operations we received 10 Kenwood D-700 dual banders from the Oklahoma Division.  We were called upon to deploy these units with the canteens and have a working unit at Base Camp and the Tampa Warehouse.  After the necessary power cords were built, antennas and mounts over nighted by priority early delivery, and some minor adjustments to the way that the units were digipeting their signals, we accomplished the goal set before us.  Anyone - Salvation Army big-wigs included - could see via the Internet where all the equipped canteens were located along with the Base of Operations and the Tampa Warehouse and see their locations within an accuracy of 40 feet.  The powers-that-be at the Salvation Army were very pleased.  My understanding is that previous use of APRS had never been utilized in actual disaster relief operating conditions.  We proved that it was not only feasible but could be an extremely valuable tool.  I think that it is safe to say that the Salvation Army will be expanding its use of APRS in the future.  I also know that there were many hams who are now adding the purchase of a Kenwood D-700 to their wish lists.

 

When the call was put out for assistance and hams responded.  Biff - K4LAW got a call from the Wellington Radio Club near West Palm Beach telling him that two hams were on their way over.  Those two hams proved to be a God-send.  Larry Lazar - KS4NB  and Lindy - KG4PQG have many years experience between them being involved in disaster relief.  Larry spent two years when he was younger in the Peace Corp setting up remote radio communications and most recently was called upon to set up emergency communications in Peru when they were devastated by an earthquake.

 

Because of our experience in Punta Gorda it has been decided that the Wellington Radio Club and the Tampa Amateur Radio Club are going to get together twice a year. The Clubs will alternate being hosts.  The purpose of this association will be to develop plans to fulfill the needs of communications that will be necessary in the future.  While I have not received any official word, I am sure that this association will be involved with the Salvation Army and their missions.  I think they liked us!

 

The Salvation Army has been doing what they do for a long time and because of that they do it very very well.  One of the problems whenever one group is called upon to assist another organization is to determine "whose on first" and "what's on second".  When William Booth first started the Salvation Army he structured it along military lines.  This made it quite easy to figure out the pecking order of their organization.  For example a Major will outrank a Captain.  It was very rewarding to have the Major in charge of Base Camp look over to the hams at least twice a day and say:  "I don't know what we'd do without you guys".  When we informed the Major that we were going to be relieved by members of the Sarasota Emergency Group  we had to assure him that they were hams like us and would fall into their system.  Larry - KS4NB gave him his cell phone number - just in case.

 

There is going to be a lot of debriefings in the next few weeks and I am excited.  We have a tremendous amount of "Lessons Learned" information.  We were called upon to help.  We responded to that call and went above and beyond and more than accomplished our mission.  The Salvation Army people that we worked with in Punta Gorda think that we can walk on water. We presented ham radio to people from all walks of life who used to think all we ever do is to invade their intercoms and wireless phones and put up towers that blot out the sun.  We have made friends with Salvation Army people that will remain for a long time.  We have responded to answers from many of them who said:  "This stuff if pretty neat.  How can I become a ham?" The Tampa Amateur Radio Club now knows what its direction is going to be.  Climb on the bus gang.  This is going to be a great ride !!!!!