A unique project is underway Friday night in Pointe Coupee parish. Officials there are putting together a program to keep communications up and running in case of an emergency. Officials are turning to old reliable amateur radio to do just that.

Fordoche mayor Justin Cox says it’s going to be the Pointe Coupee back up. “What this is going to do is a parishwide effort that will provide communications ability for ourselves as well as for the volunteer groups.” And how’s that going to be done? Well, with the old reliable ham radio. “You know, people on the surface think ham radio is just a hobby. But when disaster hits, it’s much more than a hobby, it’s a life saving tool.” said Mayor Cox.

[Read and/or Watch](http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=9962410&nav=menu57_2 “Read the Article / Watch the Story”) (WAFB Channel 9)

The FCC has acted to drop the Morse code requirement for all Amateur Radio license classes. The Commission adopted, but hasn’t yet released, the long-awaited Report and Order (R&O) in WT Docket 05-235, the “Morse code” proceeding.

The FCC’s action **appears to put all Technician licensees on an equal footing: Once the Report and Order goes into effect, holders of Technician class licenses will have equivalent HF privileges, whether or not they’ve passed the 5 WPM Element 1 Morse examination.** The FCC said the R&O in the Morse code docket would eliminate a disparity in the operating privileges for the Technician and Technician Plus class licensees.

It wasn’t clear when the Report and Order would go into effect.

[Read](http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/12/15/104/?nc=1 “Read the Story”) (ARRL)

While listening to the Dan Patrick Show yesterday, I heard an ad for Ham Radio. It was unusual, because I never hear ads for ham radio. The ad, which is part of the ARRL’s “Hello” Campaign, refers listeners to the Hello Radio.org website, a site where people can learn more about ham radio and find out how to become a ham. You can listen to the ad here (mp3).

They have been dubbed “the Pumpkin Patrol,” and they were out in full force Halloween night. Ham-radio operators from throughout New York state were monitoring bridges along the Thruway on Halloween night, as they have for about 20 years. They were looking for people who toss pumpkins, rocks or other objects from overpasses onto vehicles below. If any suspicious activity occurs, they call state police and the state police respond immediately.

Read (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

For years, whenever a disaster struck, Rick Johnson and David Kleber would volunteer their expertise as longtime amateur radio operators to keep the lines of communication open.

When Hurricane Katrina ravaged parts of Louisiana and Mississippi last month, the ham operators pitched in to help again, but this time their hobby had become a business, RemComm Inc.

Read (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Seemingly anytime there’s been a major disaster in the world, amateur radios have been used by emergency officials to communicate and coordinate response. Because of that, the Logan, UT Police Department and Logan City School District are teaming up to install ham radios in each of the city’s nine schools.

Read (The Herald Journal)

Computer World has a 3-part series about how Ham Radio is being used to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

[Part 1](http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/technology/story/0,10801,104446,00.html): Ham radio operator heads south to aid post-Katrina communications

[Part 2](http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/recovery/story/0,10801,104476,00.html?SKC=recovery-104476): Volunteer radio op coordinates equipment donations

[Part 3](http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/technology/story/0,10801,104536,00.html?SKC=technology-104536): One volunteer sleeps next to his radio

Read

With Hurricane Katrina having knocked out nearly all the high-end emergency communications gear, 911 centers, cellphone towers and normal fixed phone lines in its path, ham-radio operators have begun to fill the information vacuum. In an age of high-tech gadgetry, it’s the decidedly unsexy ham radio that is in high demand in ravaged New Orleans and environs.

Read (Wall Street Journal)

With phone lines and most other communication down in badly affected areas, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) is trying to help hundreds of people who are wondering if family members or friends have survived the storm.

SATERN is a HAM radio team that not only helps its onsite volunteers be in touch with the national office, but they also help families find each other when a disaster wipes out all other forms of communication.

Read (Disaster News Network)

While cell phones and other communication networks were demolished by Hurricane Katrina, a group of radio operators volunteering with the Red Cross have been instrumental in assistance and relief efforts.

Read (NPR)

When tsunami waves broke all communication lines across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, ham radio came to the rescue.

Read

The Washington Post has additional details.

Originally from The Economic Times of India

Via Common Sense Technology

Dotted around the globe are shadowy, short-range transmitters beaming strange radio messages across the planet. The messages are indecipherable, and often unlistenable. Nonetheless, they have their fans. By Jason Walsh.

In 1985-1986, my job would often require me to spend part of my days and/or nights finding and intercepting numbers broadcasts that had 5-character words. The 4-character word broadcasts were ignored.

Originally from Wired News