Ham Operators Stymied by Static, Lack of Quake Information

The urgency in the Los Angeles ham radio operator’s voice was tinged with frustration from the hours he had spent futilely appealing for information about his parents and sister in El Salvador. He repeatedly pleaded in Spanish to keep the radio frequency between El Salvador and Los Angeles open.

“Both of my parents are in San Salvador,” he shouted. “So is my sister. If anyone can get any information, please pass it along.”

He was broadcasting to fellow ham radio operators belonging to emergency networks around the world. When telephone lines and electrical power are out, or when airports are closed and mail can’t get through, these networks are often the only link between an area hit by natural disaster and the outside world.

Helped in Mexico

Ham operators devote years to honing their skills for the disaster they hope will never come. But when it does, they respond quickly, transmitting those messages that simply cannot get through any other way.

When a devastating earthquake hit Mexico City in September, 1985, ham operators were virtually the only link to that stricken capital and were kept busy conducting inquiries for relatives and coordinating relief efforts.

On Friday, however, ham operators struggled all day with weak signals and high static levels, reflecting atmospheric conditions that are hard to predict. And those who did get through more often than not found that their colleagues in El Salvador had precious little specific information to relay.

The Los Angeles ham finally made contact with an operator in the Salvadoran town of San Miguel, who explained that communication with the capital, San Salvador, was practically impossible.

“This is a town of only 1,000, and there are not many radios here,” the San Miguel operator said. “There’s no electricity in the capital, power lines are down, and not that many operators have generators.”

He took the names of the Los Angeles ham’s relatives, nonetheless, but cautioned that there might not be any information before today. He was able to pass along the word that the areas most affected by Friday’s earthquakes included the National University and neighborhoods called San Jacinto and Mexicanos.

Red Cross Swamped

And at least one ham who broke in to ask about his relatives in a town called Santa Ana was relieved to learn that “everything’s all right there.”

Ham operators in Los Angeles, Florida and Utah and Texas were besieged by individuals and agencies seeking whatever information they could glean.

American Red Cross officials in Los Angeles, swamped by calls from the city’s burgeoning Salvadoran community, were also monitoring ham transmissions, hoping to learn any news that could relieve anxious relatives.

“Things started popping here around 1 p.m. with people concerned about relatives and friends calling,” Red Cross spokeswoman Barbara Wilks said. “Unfortunately, there is very little we can tell them.”

“Phone service is out in San Salvador,” one ham relayed to a concerned operator with a long list of names and telephone numbers that he wanted checked.

“Right now we don’t have very much information,” said Orestes Falcon of Hialeah, Fla., a ham who had been in contact with El Salvador since 3 p.m. PDT. “There is very much damage, and everything is very confused.”