The keen and practiced eye of ARRL member Ben Kuo, AI6YR, helped to guide rescuers to a hiker stranded on a mountainside on April 12. Hiker Rene Compean, 45, had spent the night in a remote region of the Angeles National Forest after getting in a tough spot. After a concerned friend reported Compean missing on Monday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department dispatched search-and-rescue (SAR) teams. Although amateur radio played no direct role in the rescue, Kuo cited his enthusiasm for technology and ham radio satellites and for Summits on the Air (SOTA) for helping him to develop the skills he needed to guide searchers to the most appropriate area.
“This is actually very applicable to being a SOTA activator — map, navigation skills,” Kuo told ARRL. “Also, understanding RF propagation was key to this. The SAR teams were searching the other side of the mountain, where there is no cell signal.” Kuo knew that from having hiked there before. As Kuo described it, Compean was found between four SOTA peaks.
SAR teams were deployed in the Mount Waterman area of the San Gabriel Mountains to find the hiker. According to the LA Sheriff’s Department, a low-flying helicopter team spotted him Tuesday afternoon between Triplet Rocks and the east bump of Twin Peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, and he was airlifted to safety with no serious injuries. Kuo pointed the rescuers to the likely search area by matching satellite images with what Compean had transmitted over Twitter.
Kuo told the Los Angeles Times that he has an odd hobby of looking at photos and determining where they had been taken. He was able to employ his skill to determine the hiker’s likely location using the tiny photo the hiker posted on Twitter that shows his legs and the valley below. As the newspaper reported on April 15, “When [Kuo] saw the photo posted by the Sheriff’s Department, he set to work pulling publicly available satellite images and matching them to the vegetation and terrain below the hiker’s legs.”
Kuo’s eye was good. He sent authorities the GPS coordinates of the most likely area, and the rescue team found Compean less than a mile from that location.
As the LA Times reported, the area where Compean was located on steep slopes and very difficult to access, requiring advanced climbing skills. The Sheriff’s Department credited Kuo with saving them hours of fruitless searching. Kuo said this was the first time he’d been involved in a rescue like this one.
source:ARRL
Antenna
HF Mobile Autotune Whip Antenna 1.8-30 MHz 200W
Stealth 9310 antenna is a budget version within 9300-series Automatic Tuning Whip HF Mobile Antennas family designed for military and professional app... Read more
Solid Delta loop for 20m band
Delta loop Antenna Boom length: about 7m, projection on the ground 4m per arm Mounts on mast from 40 to 50mm, 60mm optional. suggested height at least... Read more
RQ-84 – The classic “Quad” full-size has ten elements for 10m, eight – 15 m, six – 20 m, and four full-size elements on 40m band
RQ-84 – the classic “Quad” full-size has ten elements for 10m, eight – 15 m, six – 20 m, and four full-size elements on... Read more
20′ DX Flagpole Antenna | OCF HF Vertical Dipole | 3.5 to 50 MHz No Radials, Stealth, Portable
OCF HF Vertical Dipole Higher performance, HF Multiband DX Flagpole Antenna covering 3.5 to 50MHz with NO radials sound like relief for your CC&R... Read more
New! 40m Rotating Dipole by G0KSC
G0KSC has again broken from tradition and introduced a new design, this time a 40m rotating dipole. The Delta C-140 is under 12m wide and despi... Read more
Review
Comparing the MD2017 & RT82 DMR HTs, DMRTrack Firmware Info
“I’ve been wanting to do a comparison video for a while between the TYT MD2017 and the Retevis RT-82 dual band DMR HTs, which are essentia... Read more
Dipole Antenna Center Insulator – Ham Radio Basics by W6LG
Jim, W6LG shows the PVC plumbing parts, coax connector and screw eyes to make a dipole center insulator. Read more
Review and Tutorial on Radioddity/Baofeng RD-5R DMR Dualbander
“Two Chinese companies, Radioddity and Baofeng, have teamed up to bring you the US$75 dual-band FM/DMR radio housed in the old UV-5R package. Th... Read more
![Tips on using Coaxial Cable [ ARRL So Now What? ]](https://qrznow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/HTB1l28nHFXXXXaVaXXXq6xXFXXXs-1-265x168.jpg)
Tips on using Coaxial Cable [ ARRL So Now What? ]
Here you can find further information on topics discussed in this episode: ARRL on Feed Lines Coaxial Cable info Read more
Equipment
RIGblaster Pro
Capabilities Compatible with All Manufacturers’ Radios Can be used with almost any make or model microphone and most model radios no matter what... Read more
![160-6 Meter Solid State Linear Amplifier [ TEN-TEC ]](https://qrznow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/JW_004_134_12418frontgreensmall__99762.1405450156.1280.1280-265x168.jpg)
160-6 Meter Solid State Linear Amplifier [ TEN-TEC ]
Generating 100 Watts of output from as little as 5 Watts of input, the Model 418 Amplifier raises the bar for reliable and effici... Read more
![Yaesu FT-DX101D/MP [ English Brochure ]](https://qrznow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/FT-DX101mp_u-265x168.jpg)
Yaesu FT-DX101D/MP [ English Brochure ]
Yaesu FT-DX101D/MP The new FTDX101D is utilizing the latest SDR Technology and classified as our High-End HF line, the FTDX series, which amateurs hav... Read more
New tinySA is here!
The tinySA is a small spectrum analyzer, primarily intended for 0.1MHz to 350MHz input but it has some nice other capabilities: Spectrum Analyzer with... Read more
RF-KIT RF2K-S Amplifier – Legal Limit Solid State PA
General Features: Output Power 1.8 – 30 MHz 2K+, 6m 1K+ Device: 2x BLF189XR Auto Band Selection ICOM®; YAESU® Band data Interface CAT Connectivity LAN... Read more
News
URE satellite telecommand station automated
Spain’s national amateur radio society URE has announced their satellite ground station has been automated and is ready for the launch of GE... Read more
WiMo takes over the manufacture and distribution of the well-known products of InnovAntennas Europe worldwide
“InnovAntennas Ltd. and WiMo Antennas and Elektronik GmbH, Herxheim / Germany, enter into closer cooperationIn 2018, UK production of all short... Read more
Andromeda SDR -Apache Labs
Andromeda SDR -Apache Labs Read more
Ultimate Motorcycling’s Ham on a Hog 3 Review of the Icom IC-705 Amateur Radio Transceiver and more
“We take Icom’s IC-705 transceiver on a ride with the Harley-Davidson Road King Limited and review it along with Icom’s AL-705 Magne... Read more
IEEE Committee Webinar “RF Exposure in the Time of Conspiracies” Set for May 12
The IEEE Committee on Man and Radiation (COMAR) has issued an invitation to its webinar, “RF Exposure in the Time of Conspiracies.” The 1-hour event i... Read more
