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by Tom Brouard, KB2VNB

Tom Brouard, KB2VNB, and his son, Austin, pose in the
cab of their truck. Tom was by himself on the night of
the "Blizzard of '96'" , but he was far from alone, as his
fellow hams kept him company on his five-hour trip home.

        The Blizzard of '96' is long gone remembered by some in the North-east as a time off from school, by others as days of backbreaking shoveling, and by a few as a time to sip cocoa and marvel at the winter wonderland. But for me, it was a time to make friends on the Northeast Connect. The hams I met on this 2-meter and 70-centimeter repeater network helped me make my way home on a very snowy, blowy night.
        I started out from Manhattan on that Sunday evening, after eight inches of snow had already fallen, and headed 65 miles north to my home in Orange County, New York (click here to see map). Purely by habit, I headed toward the Palisades Interstate Parkway, a lovely road in nice weather that can turn treacherous in snow and ice. Looking back, I probably should have stayed in New York City; but, nonetheless, I started on my way.
        I pulled out of the parking garage, turned on my radio, gave my callsign and Brian, WA2FWM, responded. Brian and I had talked earlier that day and he remembered that I was planning to travel home during the storm. He was concerned about my well-being and decided to monitor the frequency just in case I needed help. The reason he gave was simple: "Hams just do that". This was the first true lesson I learned as a new ham.
        I received the callsign KB2VNB on August 14, 1995, but it was well into December before I made my first transmission. After getting one or two QSOs under my belt, I stumbled on the Northeast Connect and met Brian. He was friendly, patient, helpful, and he made me feel welcome on the repeater network. (A good example for the rest of us.--ed.)

        As I drove, we began our QSO with the topic du jour, the weather, and I maneuvered through the medium-sized snow-drifts that were forming in the middle of the road. I knew, all along that this idea was not the ripest banana of the bunch and I should have gotten a hotel room, but by now I was committed. Brian offered several times to call my home and update my wife of my progress. I couldn�t believe that he was willing to make a long-distance call for me. And he wasn�t the only one to offer.
        Soon after my adventure began, Dave, N3QCK, joined the QSO and was willing to call my wife. I was finally convinced when a third station near my QTH, John, N2TTM, offered to telephone my wife. These guys wanted one thing and that was to help. "Hams just do that".
        The four of us talked about almost everything. I don�t remember much of the content but I do remember that it felt as if I had these guys in the car with me. In actuality, Brian was transmitting from the Albany, New York, area, 100 miles to my north; Dave from Scranton, Pennsylvania, about the same distance to the west; John from Monroe, New York, not far from my destination, and I was treading snow somewhere alongside the Hudson River on the Palisades Parkway. What made it all possible was the linked repeater network known as the Northeast Connect (click here to read sidebar information)

        There were plenty of times when I just drove and didn�t talk. Each time my voice was absent for more than 10 minutes, Dave would call me. He was very adamant about getting me home (I�m convinced he used a stopwatch). "Hams just do that."
        In all of the storms I�ve driven through on this particular road, this was the first that there was no other vehicle of any kind on it, from beginning to end. But I had plenty of company. The trip took over five hours and all three stations stayed with me through it all. They wanted to hear me safely home--and I did.

        A few days later I spoke to Brian again and he told me that, to him, "HAM" means Helping All Mankind. Lesson #2. I now have regular QSOs with Brian and Dave. I haven�t spoken to John since and would like to extend my appreciation for his help. The unsung heroes of all this are the people of the Northeast Connect, who work hard to make the network function in time of need and demand only excellence from the stations that operate on it. My sincere thanks to all.