State media praise Chinese radio amateurs

The Chinese Radio Sports Association is quietly very pleased that radio amateurs in its country have been a key part of the rapid government-led response to the big Sichuan earthquake.
 
The death toll climbs daily with many thousands still missing and five million left homeless following the 12th of May quake. The extensive disaster recovery work that includes disease prevention measures, providing food and shelter will continue for some considerable time yet.

What is now emerging are more details of how radio amateurs swung into immediate action to provide emergency communications.
 
Clearly, when the IARU national radio society CRSA asked in the early days for three designated HF frequencies to be kept clear, those frequencies were being used for urgent traffic.
 
Fan Bin, BA1RB, on behalf of CRSA, said the society expresses sincere thanks for the cooperation around the world to free up those frequencies, and acknowledges having received inquiries and ‘warm concerns’ of amateur radio societies worldwide.
  
As the disaster response begins to lessen in intensity, government officials and the news media such as the China Central Television have given recognition that amateur radio amateurs stepped in to provide vital links.

The TV service in a news report said that when all other communication means failed, amateur radio operators came out to provide valuable first hand information from the centre of the earthquake disaster.

This included an HF link for the Red Cross from the disaster area back to the nation’s capital city of Beijing, enabling that aid agency to do its essential humanitarian work.
 
In other action, Luo BY8AA continuously coordinated VHF/UHF communications for a 100 km radius from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's province of Sichuan.

More repeaters were set up in two other cities that are among the worst hit areas outside the epicentre, to form an effective amateur radio communication network.
 
In another report two ham radio operators drove to the centre of the earthquake area and had a repeater set up by the morning of 13 May just hours after the disaster hit.

Their repeater enabled the transmission of rescue instructions, status reports and was a main communication channel for public use when telephone services were down.
 
Among the traffic that repeater carried were communications for the Mayor of a city, who gave his orders to those on the front line rescue and recovery activity, and to receive up to date situation reports.

A fuller story on the  role amateur radio played in China’s worst earthquake disaster in 58 years is expected later this month – but there’s no doubt the individuals involved did their very best under extreme conditions – that included hundreds of after-shocks.

 
Thanks to WIA News, Fan Bin BA1RB, and Jim Linton VK3PC, Chairman of the IARU Region 3 Disaster Communications Committee