Amateur radio call helps save mom and son

[speedway_navigator]

Mother lost with son in dense California forest uses trail of notes to point rescuers their way

A volunteer search and rescue team in Calaveras County was able to locate a mother and her son in a 'labyrinth-like' forest area because of notes the mother had left on their trail.

www.latimes.com

The team wanted to communicate as quickly as possible that the missing boy and his mom had been found and what their next steps were. But dense forest and tree canopies made cellphones and conventional radio frequencies useless. They resorted to a frequency used for amateur radio — commonly known as ham radio — to broadcast an emergency alert.

 

[bubbablitz]

The article doesn't mention if she was licensed or just using a Baofeng she just might have toted along with her for a situation such as this. In any event...A happy ending. Also, it's not clear to me if it was the lost party or law enforcement calling out "Emergency Traffic" on a Ham frequency.

https://ktla.com/news/california/handwritten-notes-ham-radio-help-rescue-mother-son-lost-in-california-forest/

 

[AK9R]

“They utilized an amateur radio frequency, commonly known as HAM radio, to establish communication,” officials said. “After broadcasting ’emergency traffic’ on the HAM radio, their call was immediately answered by a retired El Dorado County Communications Supervisor who was a HAM operator monitoring frequencies from his home. This HAM operator then contacted the El Dorado 911 center, which provided the information to Calaveras Dispatch, and the SAR command post was notified.”

Interesting story, but I have questions.

These people just happened to be carrying a radio capable of transmitting on amateur radio frequencies? And, it was charged and they knew which buttons to push? And, they just happened to transmit on a frequency that an amateur radio operator was monitoring?

Is this a thing now with people who go hiking/camping in remote areas? Do they buy a cheap handheld radio and carry it just in case? Do they do this with little to no prior education or training in amateur radio?

My brow is furrowed.

Edit: My brow is less furrowed now that I know it was the rescue team who made radio contact, not the hikers.

 

[hypersight]

It was the search team who had the radios. Not the missing people.

 

[MTS2000des]

Sounds like an appropriate use of amateur radio volunteers who also coordinated with public safety officials who were also licensed hams.

 

[ladn]

Interesting story, but I have questions.

As I read the KTLA story and the Calveras Sheriff's post, it was the SAR team that used ham radio.

I'm interested if the SAR team used HF or VHF/UHF (repeater or simplex) to establish comms.

In this case, the ARRL mantra of "When All Else Fails" proved accurate.

 

[mmckenna]

As I read the KTLA story and the Calveras Sheriff's post, it was the SAR team that used ham radio.

Yeah, sounded like they used amateur radio frequencies to announce the missing party had been found. Doesn't sound like ham radio really played a role in the rescue itself.

I've ridden ATV's out that way and it can be really rugged terrain. Likely the couldn't reach the repeater they were using and hopped on a local VHF machine. Not sure these guys would be carrying HF out there on a job like this.

 

[ladn]

Likely the couldn't reach the repeater they were using and hopped on a local VHF machine. Not sure these guys would be carrying HF out there on a job like this.

I agree. I'm not familiar with their particular SAR setup, but a lot of teams use the NATSAR (155.16000 or 155.22000) frequencies. Sometimes they are paired with another frequency for a repeater, other times they're simplex (maybe to a remote base).

 

[AK9R]

I'm interested if the SAR team used HF or VHF/UHF (repeater or simplex) to establish comms.

Indiana is not California, but we still have parts that are very hilly with deep ravines. The bedrock is mostly limestone. Our ridges and valleys are an impediment to 2m or 70cm two-way communications.

An outdoors club regularly conducts orienteering events in this part of Indiana. These events are supported by amateur radio. We have found that 6m FM simplex seems to work better in this terrain than higher frequencies.

 

[speedway_navigator]

I talked to a scout camp about a repeater, they tried FRS simplex but the terrain was too hilly. I proposed a Hytera mobile with the single freq repeater option, they were going to call me back in early spring for a test but I never heard anymore from them.
There are spots in our county where AK9R and I live that are dead to our public safety system.

The town marshal for a town west of us was aware of those spots, told me he never made a traffic stop there.

 

[GlobalNorth]

The town marshal for a town west of us was aware of those spots, told me he never made a traffic stop there.

One may be able to pick a spot for a traffic stop, but I hope that the good Marshal knows that he/she cannot pick and choose where his/her crime scenes occur.