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Big Island Amateur Radio Club Newsletter June 2018 Photo courtesy of Paradise Helicopters S. Army A fun on duty talk, full Majors John of tips and Lani Chamness Hank, updated us on KH6HAK, at Salvation Army left, coordination of entertains food, supplies and and shelter for enlightens the many the hundreds of membership, Puna lava flow below, at the victims. May 12 meeting held at Puna BIARC to meet at PCC, Covenant with Field Day on tap Church. His BIARC will meet at 2 p.m. Saturday, topic: June 9, at Puna Covenant Church. Microbit X. The meeting will be devoted to planning BIARC for the BIARC Field Day, to be staged photos by June 23­24 at Reed's Bay Hotel, thanks to Linda Darrell Asuka, KH6RDO, who secured the Quarberg, venue for us. WH6LQ WELCOME: New licensee Mark Watanabe, WH6FSA, gets a round of applause as he attends his first BIARC meeting. NOW, HEAR THIS: Gary Schwiter, WH6EPS, BIARC repeater chair, discusses the current BIARC photos by status of units in the field and plans for future Linda Quarberg, WH6LQ work on our islandwide repeater network. Paragraphs from the President These have certainly been interesting times proud of the actions of the ham community that we have been living through since the first standing up to do what has needed to be done. of May. It is a challenge to live on and with an Providing updates, sharing observations and active volcano. All of us have been riveted with experiences, and coordinating actions: these are interest in the daily happenings. Some of us the things that we have done as individuals and have been facing real hardships and loss, as as groups networking together. the lava flows into our neighborhoods, across There is still an uncertain future ahead of us. our highways, and maybe even causes No­one knows when Madame Pele will settle destruction to our houses and properties. down again and leave us with our sense Others, like me and my neighbors near the (illusions) of normalcy. We all hope it is soon. summit of Kilauea, have been shaking and Until then, let’s keep our ears open, and our rattling much too frequently and sometimes too radios close, and render whatever aide that we roughly. can. Sometimes the best thing is a friendly voice This has been an emergency situation, to let someone know that we are with them in though often in slow motion. I have been very the midst of the turmoil. There are many people in our community who have suffered real losses. Especially those who are displaced from their homes ­ and some who have tragically lost their homes to the lava flows. The Pahoa and Keaau Community Centers are still being used to serve the displaced. We plan to have our meeting at the Puna Covenant Church where we have met a couple of times recently. The June meeting will be dedicated to talking story as needed, and preparation for upcoming Field Day operations by the BIARC team. Hope to see The view at the top you at the meeting on Doug Wilson, KH7DQ, snapped this action shot on May 4 on the 18th hole at the June 9th. Volcano Golf Course, following the first big earthquake of the day and just a few minutes before the 6.9­on­the­Richter Scale event that whapped the island. Here Aloha and 73, are a couple of websites to access updated related info: http://www.ivhhn.org/vog/ Pascal, AC7N and https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanic_ash/ Big Island Amateur Radio Club Meeting Minutes Saturday, May 12, 2018 The meeting was called to order by President Pascal Nelson, AC7N, at 1400. Pascal stated that he was changing the meeting format slightly in order to reduce overall meeting time. Introductions were made only of new members and attendees and of those who had not been to BIARC meetings for a long period of time. New members and guests, and people who had been away for a long period of time introduced themselves. Treasurer’s Report (End of month – March 2018): Bank: $ 2410,04 – up from $2250.04 as reported in April. One check to renew the club’s insurance policy is outstanding. Additional funds are being received today from Two excellent ¼ wave filters were built by Hank, new and renewing members. KH6HAK, and presented to the club for Announcements: installation at the Pepeekeo repeater site Doug Wilson, KH7DQ: We are in the second (146.28/88). week of a licensing class being held in Oceanview. The next class will begin in Kea’au on November 1, 2018. Observatory. More will be known about this in Gary, WH6EPS: Gary is still looking for a Field the next few months. (c) Two excellent ¼ wave Day coordinator to set up and coordinate the filters were built by Hank, KH6HAK, and operation at the Reed’s Bay Hotel covered patio presented to the club for installation at the near the beach. Peggy, KE6TIS, and Leigh, Pepeekeo repeater site (146.28/88). WH6LC, agreed to deal with food and Darrell, There being no further business, Pascal KH6RDO, agreed to deal with the site adjourned the meeting at 1456. preparation. Now we need someone to coordinate the actual Field Day operation itself. Following a brief break for pupus, an open Otherwise it will become just a club picnic. The “show and tell” discussion was held. June meeting will be dedicated to Field Day organization and planning. Major John Chamness, of the Salvation Army, Debbie, WH6DN: Described the new sign­in was introduced and he described the activities sheet that is being used for meeting registration. of the Salvation Army relating to emergency Reports: response in general and their activities in Gary, WH6EPS: (a) Recent volcanic activity support of the current emergency situation in has delayed all planned repeater work. (b) As a lower Puna. result of discussion at the HPP Radio Day event, Gary is seriously looking at the possibility Respectfully Submitted, of repeater site at or near the Mauna Loa Leslie D. Hittner, Secretary Commentary It's vital we work together to develop organized communications network were not able to donate our time to Salvation By Les Hittner, K0BAD Army that day. While we were there, I saw no evidence that On Wednesday, May 23 my wife and I went there was any organized communications as Kiwanians to the Pahoa Community Center network between this support site and Hawai’i to volunteer with the Salvation Army. County Civil Defense. Three days prior to that, the Salvation Army The Amateur Radio clubs on Hawai’i Island had contacted our Kiwanis club Secretary have an excellent system of installed equipment seeking volunteer help in Pahoa. They needed and infrastructure. More amateur radio facilities people from 8:30 Wednesday morning to 5:00 are coming on line every year. What we lack is, pm in the afternoon. We volunteered to work in however, organization. the afternoon and arrived at 1:00 pm. We do not have working agreements with We were stopped at the entrance to the Civil Defense. parking lots and told the woman at the gate why We do not have working agreements with Red we were there. She directed us “over there” and Cross. said that the Salvation Army was “there.” The We do not have working agreements with security people at the entrance to the complex other involved agencies. did not confirm that we were on any sort of In some cases, we may have written access list. They merely took our word that we agreements – but those agreements certainly were with Kiwanis and directed us “over there.” are not working! We went “over there” and found two shipping Instead, we argue amongst ourselves about containers marked with Salvation Army ARES, the roles of CERT radio operators, ACS, banners. There were no people around, etc. however. We then went up to the shelter itself Instead, we hold numerous nets and talk and looked for the Salvation Army. We found story about what’s happening. the canteen – but no people from Salvation Sometimes, we have actually helped Army. someone, but it has usually been another We were referred to a Red Cross table near amateur and not organized assistance as a part the entrance. The woman in charge told us that of a communications network that benefits the the Salvation Army people came around meal commons. time and then left and that they were gone right If we had had effective working agreements, now and she didn’t know where they were. She we would have had hams shadowing the further stated that they had taken “their book” principles of serving agencies as soon as the with them so she did not have access to their ICS was established by Civil Defense. phone numbers. We would have had a communications In short, THERE WAS NO network connecting the Red Cross, Salvation COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN RED CROSS Army, Security personnel, and other serving AND SALVATION ARMY. agencies with the Civil Defense ICS and with My wife and I returned to Hilo. Because of each other. inadequate inter­agency communications, we We would have had a repeater designated for direct control over) and that when it meets, the these communications. If we showed up on that Amateur Radio Service should have a seat at repeater to talk story, we would have been the table. That Amateur Radio Service member directed elsewhere. should represent BIARC and other radio clubs But none of that has happened. I venture to with extensive infrastructure responsibilities, say that many of us do not know where the ICS and ARES,n itself, which is the “personnel” arm is located.

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