Subj : Amateur Radio Newsline (A To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Jan 10 2020 01:53 pm Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2202, for Friday, January 10th, 2020 Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2202, with a release date of Friday, January 10th, 2020, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1. The following is a QST. An earthquake rattles Puerto Rico. Floods besiege Indonesia - and SOTA operators scale new heights of public service in Australia. All this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2202, comes your way right now. ** BILLBOARD CART ** EARTHQUAKE RATTLES PUERTO RICO PAUL/ANCHOR: We begin this week with the latest earthquake to strike Puerto Rico. Christian Cudnik, K0STH, brings us the details. CHRISTIAN: As Newsline went to production, the American Red Cross had deployed disaster workers to the areas hardest hit by the 6.4 magnitude quake that struck Puerto Rico early Tuesday, January 7. Power was slowly being restored islandwide after a blackout was undertaken for safety reasons. Government-run shelters were housing hundreds of victims and received support from the Red Cross. The Red Cross was also seeking amateur radio operators to step up and volunteer. Angel Santana, WP3GW, the ARRL's public information officer in Puerto Rico, said the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency's EOC had been activated. Newsline will continue to follow this developing story. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Christian Cudnik, K0STH. PAUL/ANCHOR: Late Thursday, Oscar Resto KP4RF, the League's Puerto Rico Section Manager, told the ARRL that full power restoration was at least several days away. (CNN, RED CROSS WEBSITE, ANGEL SANTANA WP3GW) ** FLOOD-STRICKEN INDONESIA RELIES ON HAMS PAUL/ANCHOR: Hams have also been active since floods struck the Indonesian capital on New Years Day. Robert Broomhead, VK3DN, has those details. ROBERT: In Indonesia, amateur radio operators in the flood-besieged area of Greater Jakarta, have been providing support in a variety of ways afflicted residents, including some of their own members of ORARI, the Indonesian Organisation of Amateur Radio Operators. According to accounts from Dani YB2TJV, Disaster Communication Coordinator for IARU Region 3 and Irsan YC0OST (YC ZERO OST) of ORARI, ORARI South Jakarta was among the regional centres throughout Indonesia to receive a Radiogram from the Central ORARI office seeking Disaster Management Communication Support. Hams were asked to assist in the evacuation of local residents to emergency shelters. The flooding had begun on the first of the year with power outages and mudslides in the capital region hampering the search for missing persons. In addition to emergency communications detail, hams also assisted with fundraising on the 3rd and 4th of the month to help victims, some of whom were their own fellow hams. Hams helped distribute the cash contributions along with household necessities. According to media accounts, officials were calling the floods the area's worst since 2007. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Robert Broomhead, VK3DN. (THE GUARDIAN, DANI YB2TJV, Irsan YC0OST) ** SOTA OPERATORS TURN TALENTS TOWARD BUSH FIRE CRISIS PAUL/ANCHOR: As the bush fire crisis worsens in Australia, groups of highly specialized amateurs turn their talents toward the crisis. Jason Daniels, VK2LAW, tells us about these operators who are normally found on high summits. JASON: In Australia, they're familiar to one another largely as activators and chasers on SOTA summits. Now they are part of the burgeoning roll call of well-known hams supporting emergency response agencies battling the historic bush fires: WADE: So we've got the two Andrews, VK1DA, and VK1AD. We've got Compton VK2HRX, Matt, VK1MA, Tony VK1VIC/VK2VIC as well. And Graham, VK1GVC, who has been helping us out in the Fire Control centres as well and myself, Wade, VK1MIC. JASON: That was SOTA activator Wade Smith, VK1MIC, a volunteer in the Australian Capital Territory VK1, and on the local committee for the state WICEN Group. He and so many other summit chasers and activators are supporting emergency responders by harnessing the creative problem-solving they use on the summits, along with stamina, topographic acumen and the ability to communicate concisely. WADE: It's a credit to the relationships and to the friendships born through this section of the hobby that we were able to not only step up but we were asked. I think a lot of skills that come through SOTA were seen and recognized for what they were - an asset to the emergency services that we were supporting. JASON: They are volunteers of all ages, deployed in rotation to sit with Rural Fire Service communicators, or assist with logging, relaying weather and welfare, restoring repeaters - even cooking meals. If they weren't part of the emergency services before, they are now - and it puts them on a very different kind of summit. WADE: It's a horrific tragedy, but we're also seeing the very best. For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Jason Daniels, VK2LAW. --- SBBSecho 3.10-Win32 * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (801:1/2) þ Synchronet þ Temple of Doom BBS - tod.eothnet.com .