Ham radio's roll expanding in Haiti

Amateur radio’s effort to assist in earthquake ravaged Haiti continues to expand.

Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has more:

The role being played by radio amateurs in post quake relief efforts is far from over. This with word through the ARRL that Doug Lapin, K1OY, and the Dominican Radio Club’s team returned there earlier this past week to install another repeater which will serve as a major upgrade to the
system.

There are two fixed sites at the Dominican Embassy and the UN Logistics Base. The system is used primarily by the Dominican Red Cross. Lapin and the Dominican group were to be in Haiti for two days and hoped come back the following week to upgrade the power plant.

Lapin says that he attended a recent United Nations weekly status meeting where was deluged with requests by the UN and others to use the network. He notes that there are still severe communications problems in Haiti, especially as more aid organizations get organized.

Meantime, Julio Ripoll, WD4R, reports that the University of Miami Hospital’s Amateur Radio teams have been very busy passing messages between Florida, the hospital ship Comfort, and around the airport in Haiti. He notes that the University of Miami Hospital’s hams have also been put to
work repairing radio and medical equipment for other relief groups.

Ripoll says that landline communications are still down and that cell phone service is “only about 80%. And says Ripoll, the latter is only in the immediate area of Haiti's main airport.

Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF
Amateur Radio Newsline

With Haiti's communications infrastructure still in a state of disarray, it appears that ham radio will play an important role in rescue radio efforts for months to come.

Source: ARNewsline, ARRL