Hi Pete:
I talked to an ARRL guy who was forming this early after Katrina.
I think it is a great idea and am glad they are doing it.
One sad thing. A friend of mine WD5BJT lost everything is Katrina. No insurance and his house was rubble. So I asked the ARRL about any donations to him(radios or books). They said no!
So my club and I gathered donations and bought him a new station for his FEMA trailer. I will continue to buy him little things as time goes on. We are planning on going to Dayton.
73
Dan
W1DAN
Unfortunately a lot of hams lost everything during the various storms in the Gulf area this past year. To some degree, I can understand ARRL’s position on not making individual donations to amateurs. Brings to mind the issues the Red Cross and FEMA had when they tried to issue those $2K initial recovery checks to “people in need”. Some were issued multiple payments, some payments went to people who really didn’t need them but tried to take advantage of the situation, etc. I think the best course of action is what you and you club did and what a lot of other individuals and clubs did to help get at least some of the hams back up and running to some degree. A whole bunch of those laminated quick reference guides that I offer are included in those “Go Kits”.
Since you're going to Dayton, don't forget the theme of this year's convention:
Dayton Hamvention® announces theme for 2006 show (Feb 14, 2006) -- "Ham Radio is Public Service" is the theme for Dayton Hamvention 2006--reflecting the renewed awareness by the public of the service Amateur Radio operators provided after the Gulf Coast hurricanes and other disasters. In announcing the theme, Hamvention 2006 General Chairman Jim Nies, WX8F, said that it serves to remind the public and the ham radio community that one of the reasons ham radio exists is to provide communication in emergencies when all else fails. Several forum sessions are expected to deal with emergency communication-related topics, including how Amateur Radio performed after the hurricanes wiped out communications in a wide segment of the south. For more information, visit the Dayton Hamvention Web site. More than 25,000 visitors are expected to attend the three-day event Friday through Sunday, May 19-21. The ARRL has announced that it will present ARRL EXPO 2006 during Hamvention.
Don't forget to check out ARRL EXPO. Last year it was jammed with people and all your favorite ARRL executives and representatives:
ARRL EXPO 2006Main floor area photo:
