In case anyone didn't see this (as I hadn't until it was forwarded to me). Jim Weaver, K8JE Director, Great Lakes Division ARRL; http://www.arrl.org/ 5065 Bethany Rd., Mason, OH 45040 Tel.: 513-459-0142; E-mail: k8je@arrl.org ARRL: The reason Amateur Radio Is! MEMBERS: The reason ARRL Is! -----Original Message----- From: Cecil Crider [mailto:we8d@pasty.com] Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2005 11:00 AM To: Jim Weaver Subject: Hurricane Katrina item Jim: The PCMag web site did not have article so I am retyping it for you. PC Magazine November 8 2005 Page 93 Inside Track by John C. Dvorak Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina, it was reported that over 100 internet networks were still down in Louisiana, as well as another dozen elsewhere that had been in the path of the hurricane. So much for the notion that the Web is impossible to kill. Hard to have an Internet with no power! WiMAX and other solutions are useless, too, though I suppose a generator would be useful for WiMAX. Whatever the case, the most overlooked participants in the Katrina relief effort were the ham radio folks, who were doing whatever they could as ad hoc emergency dispatchers, creating their own network within the system. These dedicated persons pride themselves on their ability to do worldwide communications under adverse conditions, and the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League) and its members, as well as others, were a big part of the aid effort. Of course, since amateur radio is anything but trendy in today's Xbox, gene-splicing world, there was zero coverage of its contributions in the mainstream press, and these people are not the greatest self--promoters. At least some of us are paying attention. Good work, guys! Bush should be giving medals to you all. Cecil, WE8D PC Magazine has a permissions, reprints item in magazine. Contact Ziff Davis Media's director of rights and permissions, Olga Gonopolsky at <mailto:permissions@ziffdavis.com> permissions@ziffdavis.com or phone 212 503 5438 or by fax at 212 503 5420. Note: I have two email addresses for John C. Dvorak. john@dvorak.org and pcmag@dvorak.org You may want to contact John and see if he would allow you to relay his thoughts to the FCC (BPL guru's) and congress/representatives.