Tuesday, January 26, 2010

NOAA Weather Public Information Statement

For our neighbors in Asheville and the surrounding area
Statement as of 07:38 am EST on January 26, 2010

... NOAA Weather Radio for Asheville NC still off the air...

The NOAA Weather Radio all hazards transmitter... broadcasting from Mount Pisgah and serving the counties of the North Carolina mountains and foothills will continue to have broadcasting problems today. The signal is fuzzy and intermittently off the air. Equipment at the site has been damaged in a recent winter weather event and
repairs are scheduled. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause to our listeners.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

U.S. Military Delivers Self-powered Radios to Earthquake Survivors



AM Broadcast DXers should look for EC-130 transmissions on 1030 kHz AM. See our related story on the Commando Solo aircraft at
http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2010/01/193rd-special-operations-wing-to.html

HOMESTEAD ARB, Fla. - A U.S. Air Force C-130 is delivering 50,000 hand-held radios for distribution to Haitian earthquake survivors by the recent devastating earthquake.

The radios will be distributed by JTF-Haiti and are expected to arrive later this week.

The small emergency radios are both solar-powered and hand-cranked and do not require batteries.

Radios are being distributed in order for affected citizens to receive news and important information concerning international relief efforts.

In close coordination with the government of Haiti, JTF-Haiti is currently broadcasting news, public health, safety and information regarding relief efforts via a military aircraft equipped with FM and AM broadcasting capability.

Public safety messages are broadcasting in the following frequencies: 92.4 FM, 104.1 FM, 1030 AM.

The role of U.S. military forces during this humanitarian assistance and disaster relief effort is to rapidly respond with critically needed supplies and medical services in those areas the Haitian government deems necessary.

U.S. Department of Defense forces are part of a larger, unified United States federal response to the Government of Haiti's request for humanitarian aid. U.S. Southern Command is working with the Department of State, USAID, the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and others to aggressively provide life-sustaining services to the people of Haiti.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

193rd Special Operations Wing to provide disaster relief in Haiti


Editors Note: Based on the press release below, we expect to have some DoD broadcast into Haiti on AM, FM, TV or shortwave to the Haitian people from the EC-130J Commando Solo aircraft in the area. Any reports of Commando Solo transmissions would certainly be appreciated here or to our sister blog - the Shortwave Central at http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/

by Airman 1st Class Claire Behney, 193rd Special Operations Wing

HARRISBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Pa. - In an unprecedented humanitarian mission, some 50 Airmen and three C-130 aircraft from the 193rd Special Operations Wing have departed in support of relief efforts in Haiti. The aircraft will be staged at locations outside the devastated area.

Two of the aircraft are cargo aircraft. The third, named Commando Solo, is an airborne radio and television station that will provide important information to the Haitian people.

"Our National Guard is honored to extend a helping hand to the people of Haiti. I am proud of these dedicated Airmen who are always ready to answer the call of duty, whether it is for combat missions or to aid those in need," said Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright, commander, Pennsylvania National Guard.

One of the aircraft departed late Thursday evening, the other two aircraft left Middletown, Pa., today.

The 193rd was called to serve in Haiti more than a decade ago. In 1994, Commando Solo was used to broadcast radio and television messages to the citizens and leaders of Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy. This is, however, the first humanitarian mission of its type for the wing.

The duration of the mission is undetermined at this time.

Members of the 193rd recently returned home from a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Haiti Earthquake: "It's Chaos, I'm Telling You -- It's Real Chaos"

This post is courtesy of ARRL.org who wrote this piece.

On Tuesday, January 12 at 4:53 PM Haiti time (2153 UTC), a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince, the island nation's capital. Communications in and out of Haiti have been disrupted. The ARRL encourages US amateurs to be aware of the emergency operations on the following frequencies: 7.045 and 3.720 MHz (IARU Region 2 nets), 14.265, 7.265 and 3.977 MHz (SATERN nets), and 14.300 MHz (Intercontinental Assistance and Traffic Net); the International Radio Emergency Support Coalition (IRESC) is also active on EchoLink node 278173.

There was no firm estimate on how many people were killed by Tuesday's quake. Haitian President Rene Preval said the toll could be in the thousands: "Let's say that it's too early to give a number."

Tuesday's quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and in Eastern Cuba, but no major damage was reported in either place. The January 13 edition of The Daily DX reported that the Rev John Henault, HH6JH, made contact late Wednesday morning with the Intercontinental Assistance and Traffic Net (IATN) on 14.300 MHz; this is the IARU Global Center of Activity frequency for emergency communications. He said that he was safe, but had no power and no phone service. He was operating on battery power and hoping to get a generator running later in the day. The edition also noted that Pierre Petry, HH2/HB9AMO -- who was in Cap Haitien (about 140 km north of Port-au-Prince) is safe; Petry is in Haiti working for the United Nations World Food Program.

On Wednesday afternoon, Fred Moore, W3ZU, assisted Jean-Robert Gaillard, HH2JR, with a phone patch to his friend Ariel in Miami. "It's bad, it literally is bad," Gaillard told Ariel. "We don't know how many people are dead. We do not know what to expect. It's chaos, I'm telling you -- it's real chaos. We are really in a disaster area. It's really a war zone. Many, many buildings in the downtown area are stripped from the ground with many people buried underneath them - you name it, it's bad." Gaillard, who lives in Port-au-Prince, was using his neighbor's generator to make the contact. "It's really chaotic. I've never been in a war, but this is what a war zone would be like. Dead bodies all over the place, dead bodies buried. All I can tell you is that I'm okay, my house is okay. We've had 30 aftershocks, the main one yesterday. We are expecting some more shocks, so I'm a bit nervous to be inside the house."

According to IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Chairman Jim Linton, VK3PC, members of the Radio Club Dominicano (RCD) -- the Dominican Republic's IARU Member-Society -- and Union Dominicana de Radio Aficionados (UDRA) are preparing to go to Port au Prince on the morning of Friday, January 15, where they will install HI8RCD/HH, an emergency radio communications station and a mobile station.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate advised that US assets should not self-deploy to affected areas. "Initial reports from Haiti in the wake of yesterday's earthquake are concerning and troubling," he said. "During times like these, the emergency response community always stands ready to assist those in need. The United States Department of State has the lead for foreign disaster assistance, and US assets should deploy only if tasked to do so by the State Department. The most urgent need that the response community can fulfill at this time is supporting ongoing disaster relief fund-raising efforts."

On Thursday, planes carrying teams from China and France, Spain and the United States landed at Port-au-Prince's airport with searchers and tons of water, food, medicine and other supplies -- with more promised from around the globe. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that "tens of thousands, we fear, are dead" and said United States and the world must do everything possible to help Haiti surmount its "cycle of hope and despair." The US Army said a detachment of more than 100 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division was heading out from Fort Bragg in North Carolina, looking for locations to set up tents and other essentials in preparation for the arrival of another 800 personnel on Friday. That's in addition to some 2200 Marines to be sent, as the military prepares to help with security, search and rescue missions and the delivery of humanitarian supplies. More than a half-dozen US military ships also are expected to help, with the largest, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, arriving later Thursday.

Calls to emergency services weren't getting through because systems that connect different phone networks were still not working, said officials from a telecommunications provider in Haiti. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is deploying 40 satellite terminals and 60 units with broadband facility to re-establish basic communication links, along with experts to operate them. The ITU will also set up "a reliable, responsive and complete cellular system designed to enable vital wireless communications aimed at strengthening response and recovery mechanisms in a disaster zone," said ITU Emergency Communications Division Chief Cosmas Zavazava. The ITU has allocated a budget of more than $1 million US dollars to strengthen the disaster response effort in Haiti.

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré, HB9EHT, expressed his solidarity with the people of Haiti and offered his condolences to the bereaved victims of the disaster. "The whole world is in shock following the devastation and untold misery caused by the earthquake in Haiti," Dr Touré said. "ITU will do everything possible to provide assistance to the people of Haiti by re-establishing telecommunication links which will be vital in the rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the days ahead."

"The scope of the disaster clearly shows that the response to this is going to be a long term effort," said ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP. "The ARRL has been in contact with communications leaders of the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, as well as other key Amateur Radio operators throughout the region. As teams from the hundreds of responding agencies worldwide are formed for deployment, many will have Amateur Radio components. ARRL is committed to providing communications aid to our served agencies and working with the international community in this time of crisis. At this time there are no known requests from agencies for amateurs to travel to Haiti, but this can change. If it develops that there are ARES® assignments for a deployment in Haiti, these will be vetted and processed through each Section's Section Emergency Coordinators."

The situation in Haiti is still chaotic. More information will be posted as soon as possible. Information is being validated and shared between many amateur groups and news sources as it unfolds.

Port au Prince Amateur Radio Activity Report de AI2C

Courtesy of Norm Styer - AI2C

It's 2222 hours local on Thursday, January 14, 2010. As far as I know, there was no or very little amateur radio voice traffic handled today on any of the nets that I monitored. The two or three local Haiti stations that we know of seem to be struggling and I'm sure they have no eclectic power. One station reportedly came up on 14.300 MHz this morning for a very short time on his 4th radio and powered on by a weak 12-volt battery; he was reportedly connected to family via a stateside phone patch. As time permits I listen to stateside nets calling into the affected area.

Today they backed off taking stateside check-ins since there is no listed traffic. Communications propagation conditions are not all that good and most of these nets are using several control stations to communicate throughout the States. I would expect these nets will eventually be able to handle "Heath and Welfare" type traffic between families and in support of some deployed support personnel; I would not expect "priority or higher" messages to find their way to these nets. In summary, no or very little amateur radio activity from the affected area heard to date.

A radio club from Dom Rep is preparing to go in and set up an emergency amateur radio station on Friday. This is summarized below and you should check their Internet site if you are interested in updates.
Following is information from http://aren. ie/news/ about a Dom Rep amateur radio team going to Haiti on January 15:

"RCD and URDA en route to Haiti
Victor Baez, HI8VB, Secretary of the Radio Club Dominicano (RCD) reports that the RCD with UDRA, Unión Dominicana de Radio Aficionados, are preparing to go to Port au Prince early morning of Friday January 15 to install an emergency radio Communications stastion, HI8RCD/HH, and a mobile station. Victor has a blog which hopefully he will update with more news from Haiti: www.hi8vb.tk "

Check their blog - Internet site at: http://www.hi8vb. tk/ USE BING TO TRANSLATE IT. I right click on my Windows 7 machine to get to the Bing Translate Tab.
I haven't found any amateur radio digital traffic nets but suspect this will be the best mode once things build out - particularly, automatic amateur radio digital forwarding message systems.

Amateur radio frequencies monitored here as time permits are:
14332.0 kHz - YL International SSB Communications System
14300.0 kHz - International Assistance & Traffic Net
14265.0 kHz - Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Net (SATERN)
7697.0 kHz - American Red Cross on USB (Not an amateur radio frequency)
7265.0 kHz - SATERN
7201.0 kHz - YL International SSB Communications System
7087.0 kHz - Reported to be used in the local affected area.
7045.0 kHz - IARU Region II - Emergency Net on LSB
3977.7 kHz - SATERN
3720. kHz - IARU Region II - Emergency Net on LSB

Norm Styer - AI2C
Canby - Clarkes Gap - Loudoun - Virginia

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Haiti Ham Net Live Feed

From Mike, N4QLB via the Feld Held Club:

Just a note to let you know that I have been managing an internet feed of the SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) to allow Media outlets and others to monitor Ham Radio Traffic into and out of Haiti. CNN and many other media are monitoring via my link. We have had over 2500 listeners in the last 2 days from around the world. So, all my equipment is tied up with this endeavor. The lack of power and fuel for the few generators in Haiti has made contact slow but several operators are in route to Port Au Prince so the activity will pickup soon. I plan to keep the link up 24/7 for the duration of the recovery effort.

The Live feed is http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shackfeed. You can also follow announcements from my channel via twitter at www.twitter.com/n4qlb and the CNN Haiti News at www.twitter.com/cnnbrk/Haiti

Mike
N4QLB
Technical Manager FHC

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Haiti: Streaming de Haiti 13 enero 2010 [Archivo adjunto 1]

Courtesy of Gayle Van Horn and the PlayDX2003:

[Más abajo se incluyen archivos adjuntos de Yimber Gaviria]

Hola Amigos,

Como sabran hoy en Haiti hubo un terremoto de magnitud de 7,0 en la escala de Richter, aunque en ese momento estaba descansando, me di cuenta al levantarme a la 1600z. Emprendi una busqueda del streaming de Haiti. En algunos casos positivos, otros con problemas. Bueno, quiero compartir con ustedes como me fue. Bajo la salvedad de que se mejore la conexion. o en su defecto, continue sin novedad. Algunas emisoras el audio era desde EE.UU (me imagino que eran las que se escuchaban) las que salia de Haiti tenian problemas

Muchos 73 de Yimber

...Esten pendientes de los enlaces

Radio Television Caraibes Ch. 22 /94.5 FM St
Caraibes FM http://caraibesfm.com/

Escuchar http://caraibesfm.com/caraibes3.asx

Siendo las 1623z con charlas en Frances, emitiendo noticias en frances de RFI

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Radio Métropole. http://www.metropolehaiti.com/

Escuchar http://www.metropolehaiti.com/metropole/live.php

Message: Suite au séisme, nous rencontrons actuellement un problème de liaison entre haïti et nos serveurs de streaming, nous travaillons à régler le problème.

Mensaje: Tras el terremoto, actualmente estamos experimentando un problema de vinculación entre Haití y nuestros servidores de streaming, trabajamos para resolver el problema

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Radio Soleil D´Haiti
The 24 hour Haitian Radio station in New York!
http://www.radiosoleil.com/radiosoleil.htm

Escuchar
http://www.streamaudio.com/Player/Player.aspx?Station=WRSH_IR&filename=&Optin=#
_con locutores en Creole

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Radio Lumiere - Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
http://winstreams.net/radiolumiere2.htm

Escuchar
mms://74.208.7.100/winstreams

Sin audio

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Signal Fm 90.5 Live from Haiti
http://www.signalfmhaiti.com/

Escuchar
http://www.signalfmhaiti.com/webplayer.html

http://www.server79.sitegenial.com/tunein.php/signalfmhaiti/playlist.asx

No dio audio

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Radyo Ginen Haiti
http://www.radyoginen.com/

Escuchar
mms://64.71.145.131/radioginen

No dio audio

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Radio 4VEH
http://radio4veh.org/
Desde 1950 al servicio del pueblo Haitiano.

Escuchar:
Atraves de este enlace se escucha sin problema
http://www.radio4veh.org/radio_plus/radio_4veh.html

En este otro enlace no quiso funcionar
http://www.barnabasroad.com/wfrn_dial-up-3.m3u

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Radio Leve Kanpe Haiti
100.3 FM en Hinche, Haiti
94.7 FM en New Jersey, USA
La Radio favorita de todos los Haitianos
http://www.radiolevekanpehaiti.com/index.php

Escuchar
http://www.sitegenial.com/player_radio_levekanpe_b/?stream.sitegenial.6408=true

http://server79.sitegenial.com/tunein.php/levekanpenj64/playlist.asx

No funciono el audio por ninguno de los dos enlaces.

COTHEN HF Net and Haiti Relief

I have received dozens of reports this afternoon that Haiti related traffic is being heard on the COTHEN Net. One of the major players on this net is the US Coast Guard. I have extensively covered this net in the pages of MT and on this blog for years. For a complete profile of this service check out a link to our profile at
http://monitor-post.blogspot.com/2007/08/cothen-panther-net-and-tiscom-ale.html

In brief here are the major freqs:

COTHEN Net
Freqs: 5732.0 7527.0 8912.0 10242.0 11494.0 13907.0 15867.0 18594.0 20890.0 23214.0 25350.0 kHz

Note - 11494 kHz is also a USDA frequency which accounts for occasional USDA/Fedcom traffic

10-16-08 - CAMSLANT was logged using ALE in comms with an HH-60 on 20662.0 kHz.
12-08 - Numerous COTHEN stations logged using ALE in comms on 5250.0 kHz.
1-09 - COTHEN activity logged on 6709.0 and 12222.0 kHz.

In order to get a better picture who is on the net, download one of the ALE decoding programs and you will get a lot more than just monitoring the comms straight. I highly recommend also scanning the freqs above for the best results.

More as it develops. Thanks to Bill Wilstrom and several others for the heads up.

CQ News: At least one Haitian Ham station active

From the CQ / WorldRadio Online Newsroom:

Some ham radio activity from Haiti is beginning to be heard, following yesterday's devastating earthquake.

Father John Henault, HH6JH, in Port-au-Prince, made contact late Wednesday morning with the Intercontinental Assistance and Traffic Net (IATN) on 14.300 MHz, the IARU Global Centre of Activity frequency for emergency communications. Based on relays monitored at W2VU, Father John reported that he and those with him were safe, but
had no power and no phone service. He was operating on battery power and hoping to get a generator running later in the day. He asked the station copying him, William Sturridge, KI4MMZ, in Flagler Beach, Florida, to telephone relatives with information that he was OK.

The following frequencies are in use for earthquake-related traffic and should be kept clear unless you are able to provide requested assistance: 14300 (IATN), 14265 (SATERN); 7045 (IARU Region II) and 3720 (IARU Region II) kHz. Additional frequencies may be activated on different bands at different times of day, so be sure to listen carefully before transmitting to make sure you are not interfering with emergency traffic.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

-- The editors

IARU Region 2 Requests Frequencies Be Kept Clear After Massive Earthquake Strikes Haiti

On Tuesday, January 12 at 4:53 PM Haiti time (2153 UTC), a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince, the island nation's capital. Communications in and out of Haiti have been disrupted. No word has been received as of yet from any of Haitian Amateur Radio operators. The ARRL encourages US amateurs to be aware of the emergency operations on the following frequencies: 7.045 and 3.720 MHz (IARU Region 2 nets), 14.265, 7.265 and 3.977 MHz (SATERN nets), and 14.300 MHz (Intercontinental Assistance and Traffic Net); the International Radio Emergency Support Coalition (IRESC) is also active on EchoLink node 278173.

IARU Region 2 Area C Emergency Coordinator, Arnie Coro, CO2KK, is coordinating a multi-national response by hams. There are organized nets on 7.045 and 3.720 MHz; amateurs are asked to monitor the frequencies, but to also keep them clear of non-essential traffic. Amateur Radio operators should also be aware that emergency traffic pertaining to the Haitian earthquake is expected on the SATERN frequencies of 14.265 MHz, 7.265 MHz and 3977 MHz, according to SATERN's leader, Major Pat McPherson. The Salvation Army is accepting health and welfare traffic requests on its Web site.

"As late as 9:45 PM local time (0245 UTC), we have not been able to contact any amateur or emergency services stations in Haiti," Coro said in an e-mail. "Amateurs from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela are monitoring the 40 meter band frequency. We are still keeping watch on 7.045 MHz, hoping that someone in Haiti may have access to a transceiver and at least a car battery to run it," but so far, no HH stations have checked in. Tuesday's quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and in Eastern Cuba, but no major damage was reported in either place.

The January 13 edition of The Daily DX reported that the Rev John Henault, HH6JH, made contact late Wednesday morning with the Intercontinental Assistance and Traffic Net (IATN) on 14.300 MHz; this is the IARU Global Center of Activity frequency for emergency communications. He said that he was safe, but had no power and no phone service. He was operating on battery power and hoping to get a generator running later in the day. The edition also noted that Pierre Petry, HH2/HB9AMO -- who was in Cap Haitien (about 140 km north of Port-au-Prince) is "okay"; Petry is in Haiti working for the United Nations World Food Program. Later today, he will be traveling to the capital.

The UN's 9000 peacekeepers in Haiti -- many of whom are from Brazil -- were distracted from aid efforts by their own tragedy: Many spent the night hunting for survivors in the ruins of their headquarters. "It would appear that everyone who was in the building, including my friend Hedi Annabi, the United Nations' Secretary General's special envoy, and everyone with him and around him, are dead," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Wednesday, speaking on French radio. UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy would not confirm that Annabi was dead, but said he was among more than 100 people missing in the rubble of its headquarters. He said only about 10 people had been pulled out, many of them badly injured. Fewer than five bodies had been pulled from the rubble, he said. The United Nations said the capital's main airport was "fully operational" and that relief flights would begin on Wednesday, January 13.

The situation in Haiti is still chaotic. More information will be posted as soon as possible. Information is being validated and shared between many amateur groups and news sources as it unfolds.

7045 kHz Haiti Ham Net feed on Teamspeak 2 Server

Our good friend Mark Knowlton is sending an audio feed of the 7045.0 kHz ham net supporting the Haiti disaster relief on the Teamspeak 2 server. His server IP is 206.40.113.111. Thanks Mark for sharing that with us via the UDXF newsgroup.

WJCC-1700 Miami Florida OTA for Haiti Disaster?

Presumed WJCC-1700 Miami 0625 EST with Creole teletalk, no doubt on full 10kw day power and discussing the situation in Haiti following yesterday's massive earthquake.

Courtesy of Marc DeLorenzo, South Dennis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts and the NRC DX-tip newsgroup.

ALE High Frequency Network Alert: Haiti Earthquake EMCOMM

Global ALE High Frequency Network (HFN) is now on ALERT for Haiti earthquake Emergency / Disaster Relief Communications (EMCOMM)

====HFLINK SPECIAL BULLETIN==== 13 JAN 2010
Alert: Haiti Earthquake EMCOMM

HFN Pilot Stations are active and ready 24/7 for ALE calling, relay, and internet messages.

All operators are encouraged to participate in the ALE Comm Centre live operator chat room http://hflink.net and activate ALE radios on the ALE channels:

HFN net (text/internet/sounding/calling)
3596.0 USB
7102.0 USB
10145.5 USB
14109.0 USB
18106.0 USB
21096.0 USB
24926.0 USB
28146.0 USB

HFL net (emcomm/voice/calling)
3791.0 USB
7185.5 USB
14346.0 USB
18117.5 USB
21437.5 USB
24932.0 USB
28312.5 USB

===========================
END OF BULLETIN
===========================
Bonnie Crystal, KQ6XA
International Emcomm Coordinator - Global ALE High Frequency Network http://hflink.net/

Earthquake Net Frequencies - 7045,3720 kHz - Please keep clear

From the CQ / WorldRadio Online Newsroom:

All radio amateurs are requested to keep 7045 kHz and 3720 kHz clear for possible emergency traffic related to today's major earthquake in Haiti.

International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region II Area C Emergency Coordinator Arnie Coro, CO2KK, reports that as of 0245 UTC on January 13, nothing had been heard from radio amateurs in Haiti, but that the above frequencies were being kept active in case any Haitian hams manage to get on the air, and in case of other related events in surrounding areas, including aftershocks and a possible tsunami.

The following is from an e-mail from CO2KK:

A few minutes after the earthquake was felt in eastern Cuba's cities, the Cuban Federation of Radio Amateurs Emergency Net was activated, with net control stations CO8WM and CO8RP located in the city of Santiago de Cuba, and in permanent contact with the National Seismology Center of Cuba located in that city.

Stations in the city of Baracoa, in Guantanamo province, were also activated immediately as the earth movements were felt even stronger there, due to its proximity to Haiti. CO8AZ and CO8AW went on the air immediately , with CM8WAL following. At the early phase of the emergency, the population of the city of Baracoa was evacuated far away from the coast, as there was a primary alert of a possible tsunami event or of a heavy wave trains sequence impacting the coast line at the city's sea wall ...

Baracoa could not contact Santiago de Cuba stations on 40 meters due to long skip after 5 PM local time, so several stations in western Cuba and one in the US State of Florida provided relays. CO2KK, as IARU Region II Area C Emergency Coordinator, helped to organize the nets, on 7045 kHz and also on 3720 kHz, while local nets in Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa operated on 2 meters.

As late as 9,45 PM local time 0245 UTC we have not been able to contact any amateur or emergency services stations in Haiti.

Amateurs from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela were monitoring the 40 meter band frequency, that I notified to the IARU Region II executive Ramon Santoyo XE1KK as in use for the emergency, requesting that 7045 kHz be kept as clear as possible ...

We are still keeping watch on 7045 kHz hoping that someone in Haiti may have access to a transceiver and at least a car battery to run it.

All information that has so far come from the Cuban seismologists tell us of a very intense earthquake, and also of the possibility of other events following.

Following the advice of the geophysicists, we are keeping the 7045 and 3720 kiloHertz frequencies active until further notice.

------------------
The editors of CQ and WorldRadio will keep these lists updated with additional information as circumstances warrant.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Coast Guard announces decision to end LORAN-C

By Susan Schept - Navy Times Staff writer

The Coast Guard officially published its decision last Thursday to discontinue its radio navigation tool, known as LORAN-C, after 66 years of operation.

The decision to decommission the Long Range Aids to Navigation program was published in the Federal Register. The Coast Guard will begin shutting off the North American signal Feb. 8 and finish the process by Oct. 1. The Coast Guard operates 24 LORAN-C stations.

You can read the rest of the copyrighted story at http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/01/coastguard_LORAN_010710w/

Friday, January 08, 2010

GRE unveils their iScan scanner under their own label

Radio Shack Pro-107 iScan

GRE has unveiled their new PRS-700 ez at the CES show in Las Vegas. According to several folks who have seen it at the show it appears to be a repackaged Radio Shack Pro-107 iScan. That is the iPod looking radio that GRE made for Radio Shack.
It will be interesting to see how the 700 compares to the 107.

We (MT) are suppose that have one in hand shortly and I will be able to speak more about it very soon.

Larry aka Jefe
MT Review Editor