Emergency Radio Communication in Greater Yogyakarta

Subject: The ARRL Letter, Vol 25, No 22
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 2006 17:59:44 -0400
From: "n1rl@ A R R L"

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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 25, No. 22,
June 2, 2006
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IN THIS EDITION:

* +Ham radio provides emergency communication following earthquake
{deleted}
* +Available on ARRL Audio News

==>AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS RESPOND FOLLOWING INDONESIAN EARTHQUAKE

Amateur Radio operators in Indonesia are providing emergency communication for relief operations in the wake of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake May 27 affecting Yogyakarta and surrounding area. The quake has left more than 6200 people dead, injured more than 30,000 and leveled entire communities. Some 650,000 people are reported homeless. Indonesia's International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-society, the Organization of Amateur Radio for Indonesia (ORARI) has been coordinating an emergency communication network comprised of so-called "Zulu Stations" and individual volunteer radio amateurs. As is the practice in Indonesia, ORARI has designated several zulu-suffix emergency communication stations to handle disaster-related traffic on HF and VHF.

"Beside several local emergency zulu stations and operators, there is an emergency zulu station portable from Jakarta, YC0ZRA, operated by Achmad Sanusi, YCOLJH, and Budi Sabara, YCOCSR," reports Wyn Purwinto, AB2QV. A native of Indonesia, Purwinto has been gathering information on the disaster response from his home in New York. He says the portable station also supports the Indonesian Offroad Federation (IOF) with its heavy-duty all wheel drive vehicles. IOF volunteers transported food and supplies following the 2004 tsunami.

Purwinto reports that several radio amateurs and their families in the Yogyakarta area were among the thousands affected by the earthquake, hindering their ability to help with any emergency operations. "But more hams coming from other districts day by day," he said this week.

Soejat Harto, YB6HB, a physician, has joined a ham radio emergency medical team in Yogyakarta. Purwinto notes that Dr Harto was among the Amateur Radio volunteers who helped in the tsunami disaster relief effort in Aceh and North Sumatra.

Praharto, YB2BFZ, of the ORARI branch in Banyumas, 200 km west of Yogyakarta, has deployed his emergency radio communicator (ERC) team to Yogyakarta with generators. Several ERC teams from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, Bekasi and the W Java provincial capital of Bandung headed to Yogyakarta this week to offer additional support.

Deta, YB2VTO, just back from Bantul to check on family and friends, reports that local emergency communication is taking place on two ORARI VHF repeaters that cover the whole disaster area. Zulu stations YC2ZEB in Bantul, YC2ZEJ in Yogyakarta and YC2ZES are handling whatever traffic there is. Zulu station YC2ZEB is on HF from Bantul, where local radio amateurs installed an 80-meter dipole.

Purwinto is updating his "Emergency Communication in Yogyakarta" Web page with information he's compiled on the Indonesian ARES response to the earthquake.

Relief volunteers still in Indonesia since the 2004 tsunami have shifted their efforts to aiding earthquake victims. The United Nations and various relief agencies, including the Red Cross and the Global Rescue Network, have begun transporting food, water and other basic supplies to the affected region. Electrical power and telecommunication services are said to be still erratic.


Source: http://www.qsl.net/ab2qv/yogya.htm/
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