Ham Radio/Ham Radio CD-ROM (Emerald Software) (1995).ISO/news/inham01/776

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INFO-HAMS Digest            Thu, 19 Oct 89       Volume 89 : Issue 776

Today's Topics:
                        Good PR for Hams Again
  Jamming during earthquake (was Re: Phonepatches to San Fransisco)
                    Phone Patches and Them Jammers
                Phonepatches to San Fransisco (7 msgs)
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Date: Thu, 19 Oct 89 14:42:30 CDT
From: Will Martin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Good PR for Hams Again

Just like during Hugo, the local St. Louis media is giving positive coverage
to local ham radio operators who are involved in relaying traffic and
information from the earthquake zone. I've seen several TV-news segments
and at least one newspaper article already. Somebody here is doing
something right, with good media relationships.

Will

------------------------------

Date: 19 Oct 89 05:16:32 GMT
From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!merlin.usc.edu!girtab.usc.edu![e-mail]  (Biff Henderson)
Subject: Jamming during earthquake (was Re: Phonepatches to San Fransisco)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] () writes:
>The main reason for posting here is just to say how upset I was to hear
>some of the emergency ham nets getting jammed last night. These jammers
>are very sick individuals!!
>[...]
>Anyway, I was curious if this kind of activity accompanied the emergency
>ham activities of Hurricane Hugo on the east coast, or are all the fruits
>and nuts out here in California?

The local NBC affiliate (KNBC, Los Angeles) only showed one interview
(that I saw) with a local ham operator.  The majority of time the
operator talked he was complaining about the jammers and he switched
on one frequency that was being jammed for the benefit of the TV audience.
I don't want to criticize the operator (didn't catch his name), but it
certainly wasn't a very good picture of hams to be portrayed to a large
TV audience!

After Hugo hit a few weeks ago, there were a number of posts in this
newsgroup from East Coasterners complaining about all the irresponsible
use of frequencies that took place there.

I would also like to see an answer to Gordon Banks' question: "Why can't
these people be caught?"  The three answers that come immediately to mind
are: 1. they're mobile and can't easily be triangulated, 2. they only
transmit briefly, or 3. during the emergency situation no one wants
to waste any time tracking down idiots rather than working on the
emergency; maybe our state Office of Emergency Services and the
Federal Emergency Management Administration (if not the FCC) should have a
few people dedicated to the task of catching such rogues during emergencies.

To the question of who would do such a thing, the only two answers that
come to mind are: 1. people with mental trouble (either psychotic or they
have a sick sense of humor), or 2. (not wanting to start any paranoia
threads here) people who do not want to see emergency relief work done;
something like revolutionary Maoists who thrive on chaos.

In any case, they certainly need to be tracked down and punished.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 19 Oct 89 17:08:06 EDT
From: Doug Theriault <[e-mail]>
Subject: Phone Patches and Them Jammers

I have listened to many disaster communications over HAM radio
in the last few years.  I have been ashamed to be called a HAM
after listening to these "Sick Individuals" who seem to love
jamming Emergency Nets.

This problem seems to be getting worse and worse.  The Hugo
disaster brought out a few sick one's.  One night listening
to 4U1UN and three stations (St. Croix, St. Thomas, San Juan)
attempting to get information passed to the athorities on
Looting and a prison break, ONE individual just constantly
harrassed all 4 stations.  There were bigotry statements
which were said which not only did not belong on HAM radio
but did not belong in the USA.  This guy was so bad that the
stations had to work out of band on a secret frequency just
to get traffic passed.

As we all know it only takes a few rotten apples to ruin
the barrel.  Hams have been granted slices of a very nice
communications spectrum, which can be taken back by our
government quite easily.  It's hard for us to justify our
spectrum needs when we have incidents such as the jamming
on HF/VHF bands; especially during Emergencies.

Many of the Emergency Nets followed the priority of outgoing
traffic instead of incomming.  But it was interesting how
many HAMs receivers were not working; Nets would say over and
over that they were not taking health and welfare traffic
but stations would still attempt to break in.  LISTEN before
TRANSMITTING.

Any Idea's on How to Stop this type of activity?  Do Hams
ever get PINK slips anymore?  Are these people HAMS or Illegals?
Are any of them ever caught?  I've heard the NSA/FCC monitoring
stations are quite efficient at locating transmissions.  Can
we hire them to help police HAM bands?

Thanks for listening to my soapbox.

73 - NO1D - Doug Theriault - Wellfleet Communications

    [e-mail]   or  harvard!talcott!wellflt!no1d


------------------------------

Date: 19 Oct 89 03:52:00 GMT
From: ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Phonepatches to San Fransisco

From: [e-mail]
> The main reason for posting here is just to say how upset I was to hear
> some of the emergency ham nets getting jammed last night. These jammers
> are very sick individuals!! I felt that if they could be caught that their
> necks should be ringed and their equipment destroyed. These are probably
> feeble little insecure twirps with nothing better to do!

From: [e-mail]
> Has anyone caught one of these jammers to find out what they are all
> about?  Surely they aren't hams.  Are they just nuts that buy equipment
> to create mischief?  Can't someone go out with a triangulation set
> and find the bastards?

I do believe we are going to have to do something about this problem.
A crack down is surely in order.  I was hearing it last night on at least
two frequencies on 20m.

--Phil Howard KA9WGN--
[e-mail]

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Date: 19 Oct 89 00:40:50 GMT
From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Phonepatches to San Fransisco

One of the problems in a situation like this is that the long distance phone
lines of all the carriers become totally clogged with telephone calls.  News
reports I've heard indicate at least one company has controlled their call
routing so that no calls except placed by an operator will go through so that
the phone lines remain open for the important calls.

Because phone service IN THE AFFECTED AREA is spotty, it is more prudent to
allow those who do have working phone service to call OUT to inform friends
and relatives that they are ok, than it is to allow outsiders to call IN to
find out, when a large portion of these calls will be wasted to dead service
areas.

Ham radio traffic can be of great value to the general public by forwarding
messages of this ("we are all ok") type.  Even so, outbound messages should
have higher priority than inbound ones.

I personally would like to hear about what INTRA Bay Area ham radio activity
is taking place.  I suspect that we will hear about this, but not immediately.

--Phil howard--  <[e-mail]>
-.-- . ...   - .... .. ...   .. ...   -- -.--
.-.-.- ... .. --. -. .- - ..- .-. .   ..-. .. .-.. .

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Date: 18 Oct 89 19:55:56 GMT
From: henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!forsight!robotics.jpl.nasa.gov![e-mail]
Subject: Phonepatches to San Fransisco

I was one of those concerned about family members in the bay area. In
particular my 81 year old grandfather in Concord, Ca. So about an hour
after the quake I asked a ham in the area to give him a call to see
if he was alright. Everything was fine luckily. This was not a phone
patch, it was a simple one-way message transfered with the aid of ham radio.

The main reason for posting here is just to say how upset I was to hear
some of the emergency ham nets getting jammed last night. These jammers
are very sick individuals!! I felt that if they could be caught that their
necks should be ringed and their equipment destroyed. These are probably
feeble little insecure twirps with nothing better to do!

Anyway, I was curious if this kind of activity accompanied the emergency
ham activities of Hurricane Hugo on the east coast, or are all the fruits
and nuts out here in California?


steve - WA6MUO

------------------------------

Date: 18 Oct 89 06:07:11 GMT
From: fluke![e-mail]  (Jim Ehrmin)
Subject: Phonepatches to San Fransisco

As I write this note it has been approximately 5 1/2 hours since the
tragic earthquake in San Fransisco.  I have been monitoring the news
on my television all evening and have heard repeated requests on the
3 major networks requesting that people should NOT try to call the San
Fransisco area.

However, as I listen to my shortware radio I have heard several hams
collecting phone numbers from other hams around the country who were
trying to get in touch with relatives and loved ones.

We certainly all understand how anxious we would be to try and confirm
the safety of relatives and loved ones but isn't this taking advantage
of the situation?  Somehow this struck me as being inappropriate.  Am I
missing something here?  Is this part of normal emergency operations?

Please don't regard my question as a flame.  I am very greatful for the
service that ham radio can and does provide during emergency situations.
How nice it would be if the American public would understand the importance
of ham radio.

Jim Ehrmin
aka tenspeed




--
Tenspeed aka Jim Ehrmin

------------------------------

Date: 18 Oct 89 20:58:49 GMT
From: cadre.dsl.pitt.edu![e-mail]  (Gordon E. Banks)
Subject: Phonepatches to San Fransisco

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] () writes:
>
>The main reason for posting here is just to say how upset I was to hear
>some of the emergency ham nets getting jammed last night. These jammers
>are very sick individuals!! I felt that if they could be caught that their
>necks should be ringed and their equipment destroyed. These are probably
>feeble little insecure twirps with nothing better to do!
>
Has anyone caught one of these jammers to find out what they are all
about?  Surely they aren't hams.  Are they just nuts that buy equipment
to create mischief?  Can't someone go out with a triangulation set
and find the bastards?

------------------------------

Date: 19 Oct 89 08:49:55 GMT
From: jarthur![e-mail]  (John J. Lulejian)
Subject: Phonepatches to San Fransisco

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Ehrmin) writes:

>However, as I listen to my shortware radio I have heard several hams
>collecting phone numbers from other hams around the country who were
>trying to get in touch with relatives and loved ones.
>
>We certainly all understand how anxious we would be to try and confirm
>the safety of relatives and loved ones but isn't this taking advantage
>of the situation?  Somehow this struck me as being inappropriate.  Am I
>missing something here?  Is this part of normal emergency operations?


Jim, last night I received several requests by my fellow students
to try to attempt contacting their immediate families in Northern
California.  One young woman was particularly shaken up about the
situation, especially since her sister lived in Santa Cruz.
Although we did not go on the air (partly because of all the traffic)
she was grateful that we tried.

This brings up an interesting point.  Was she taking advantage of
us because we had a radio and the phones were down?  I don't think
so.  If she was, I think she would have demanded that we put the
call through.  I believe that what she and the other Northern
California students was someone to tell and show them that everything
was going to be okay.  Believe it or not, this is part of the
responsibility of being a ham radio operator.  We have acquired a
skill and we must not only use it to further our own knowledge, but
we must be willing to help others.

Finally, I must ask whether or not taking messages for people in
the time of crisis is a bad thing.  Well, it is a bad thing if
this is slowing up emergency communication.  I am convinced though
that in this case most of the relief efforts were coordinated on
VHF and UHF instead of HF.  In this case, I think it was justifiable
to take message requests over the air.  Also, the hams I heard
on the air, knew the phones were down and were holding the messages
until such time that the phones were up.

I realize that this is a long answer to your question, but I hope
that it provides you some insight into another aspect of hams
helping the public.

Best Regards,

John Lulejian, KA6TCY
President, Claremont Colleges ARC

------------------------------

Date: 19 Oct 89 18:38:41 GMT
From: sparkyfs!milkfs.istc.sri.com![e-mail]  (Greg DesBrisay)
Subject: Phonepatches to San Fransisco

Well, the day of the quake all telephone communication was difficult,
in many areas it often took several minutes to get a dial tone, and
lines to areas outside of the bay area were so overloaded that I was
unable to place an out-of-area call until nearly midnight (the
earthquake occured at 5:04 PM).  By the next day (yesterday,
Wednesday) telephone service within the bay area seemed to be back to
normal, although I hear on the radio that telephone traffic to areas
outside of the bay area was still heavy, and the only people having
difficulties were people trying call INTO the bay area.  A friend in
Japan was only able to complete a call to me this morning.  So, I
would have to agree that handling health and welfare type calls on the
day of the quake would have been irresponsible, but as of yesterday
the system seems to be able to handle such calls since they would
enter the telephone system locally.

I am not associated with the telephone companies however, so if anyone
KNOWS differently please say so!

greg

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End of INFO-HAMS Digest V89 Issue #776
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