TEXT IS FROM NOVEMBER 2001 QST PAGES 96 AND 97 ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ ‰ NOW 35 WPM ‰ THE RED CROSS ROLE THE RED CROSS OPENED A COMMAND CENTER IN ITS BROOKLYN HEADQUARTERS, WHICH BECAME A STAGING AREA FOR THE RED CROSS EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLES OR ERVS AS WELL AS FOR VOLUNTEER PERSONNEL AND SUPPLIES. A DOZEN RED CROSS SHELTERS SOON WERE UP AND RUNNING AROUND THE CLOCK, WITH AMATEUR RADIO PROVIDING OPERATORS, EQUIPMENT AND EXPERTISE. IN THE EARLY HOURS AND DAYS OF THE RESPONSE, FINDING VICTIMS TRAPPED IN THE RUBBLE WAS FOREMOST ON EVERYONES MIND. HAMS WERE ASSIGNED TO RED CROSS HEADQUARTERS, THE VARIOUS SHELTERS AND OTHER SUBSIDIARY RED CROSS SITES AROUND THE AREA, INCLUDING THE FIVE NEW YORK CITY BOROUGHS MANHATTAN, QUEENS, BROOKLYN, STATEN ISLAND AND THE BRONX PLUS NEW YORKS WESTCHESTER, NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTIES AND ACROSS THE HUDSON RIVER IN NEW JERSEY. ARES STAFFED NETS PROVIDED THE NEEDED COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT, COORDINATING SHELTER HEALTH AND WELFARE TRAFFIC AND LOGISTICS. CARRUBBA SAID THE HIGH CALL VOLUME CONTINUED TO TAX THE TELEPHONE SYSTEM IN LOWER MANHATTAN. TELEPHONE SERVICE WAS AVAILABLE, BUT IT OFTEN TOOK 15 OR 20 TRIES TO GET A CALL THROUGH, SO HAM RADIO WAS BRIDGING THE GAP. AMERICAN RED CROSS ‰ FROM PAGE 96 ‰ Connecticut W1CTN 1,154,844 1156 333 B KM5YL 278,208 483 192 B W1AZT 114,210 282 135 B W1TS 90,480 232 130 B W3TB 71,508 202 118 B KA1SZP 16,632 84 66 B KQ2M 5,467,770 3945 462 C K1VDF 1,065,216 1387 256 C W1WEF ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ COMMUNICATIONS ARE OVERLOADED, AND TRAFFIC FROM THE SHELTERS IS COMING INTO THE NEW YORK CITY NET AT A RAPID PACE, HE SAID ON DAY TWO OF THE RESPONSE. THE AMATEUR RADIO OPS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB UNDER VERY DIFFICULT AND STRANGE CONDITIONS, BUT THIS IS WHAT THEY HAVE TRAINED FOR THEY ARE GETTING IT DONE WELL. SM TRANOS MADE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND HELPED COORDINATE THE EFFORTS OF THE ARES STAFF. KEY PLAYERS IN ADDITION TO TRANOS, CARRUBBA AND HARGROVE, INCLUDED MANHATTAN ARES EMERGENCY COORDINATOR JOHN KIERNAN, KE2UN, AND THE RED CROSSS JAY FERRON, N4GAA. OTHER HAM RADIO VOLUNTEERS WERE DISPATCHED TO STAFF, ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN COMMUNICATIONS AMONG THE WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER SITE, RED CROSS ON AMSTERDAM AVENUE IN NEW YORK, RED CROSS QUEENS CHAPTER, THE MULTIPLE RED CROSS SHELTERS IN MANHATTAN AND SHEA STADIUM HOME OF THE NEW YORK METS WHERE A STAGING AND RELIEF AREA FOR THE THOUSANDS OF EMERGENCY WORKERS HAD BEEN SET UP. AT LEAST IN THE EARLY GOING, HAM VOLUNTEERS BEING TRANSPORTED FROM THE ‰ FROM PAGE 96 ‰ 1,004,484 1222 274 C NT1N 335,670 334 335 C N1JW 167,238 342 163 C KA1VMG 79,704 216 123 C W1DAR 68,742 201 114 C K1RO 21,528 104 69 C W1AW N1ND, op INGLY MOST OF MY CQS WENT UNANSWERED AND ONLY OCCASIONALLY WAS I TAIL ENDED. THIS WAS DUE FOR THE MOST PART TO THE SIMPLE WIRE ANTENNAS I USED. I FOUND THERE ARE TWO GOOD DX WINDOWS OR OPENINGS FROM CHINA, FROM ABOUT 1100 TO 1700 UTC, AND ABOUT 2100 TO 0400 UTC. 2100 UTC IS 5 AM LOCAL TIME ‰ FROM PAGE 97 ‰ W8TWA 108,810 403 90 C 20 W8UD 155,325 545 ‰ END OF 40 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ