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
Wireless Loop Antenna Amplifier
The Loop Antenna Amplifier contains all the electronics needed for home DIY construction of an active loop (magnetic loop) low noise receiving antenna... Read more
TORNADO TUNER 80D – MOTOR TUNE DOUBLE COIL FOR 80 METER ROTATABLE DIPOLES
Tornado Tuner 80D being fitted onto a Force 12 Magnum 80 meter rotatable dipole as seen from underneath Price 659,95 – USD See More : Lin... Read more
LOOP RX 160/80/40
LOOP RX 160/80/40 Technical specifications 160m Gain – 29dbi 80m Gain –18dbi 40m Gain- 10dbi Weight 7Kg Price 420 Eu... Read more
NEW PRODUCT – CHA SPIDER ASB
The CHA SPIDER ASB is an octagon-shaped Antenna Spoke Base designed to allow mounting of four dipole antennas that use the standard 3/8” x 24 stud ant... Read more
Build the Pennyloop UHF Antenna
by Pennyloop The Pennyloop UHF antenna offers high performance in a very simple and cost effective design. It is also a very compact design lending it... Read more
Review
POWER POLE DC OUTLET – MFJ 1124 , 1106 , 1126, 1128, 1129, 1104
POWER POLE DC OUTLET – MFJ Read more
Luiton LT-898UV FM Mobile Transceiver – Ham Radio Q&A
“Watch my product look and unboxing of the Luiton LT-898UV FM Dual Band transceiver. The radio is part of the new generation of mobile/base radi... Read more
How To Install Powerpole Connectors
“I introduce you to Anderson Powerpole connectors and how to solder and crimp the connector pins. This connector has become a standard among Ama... Read more
Chameleon F-Loop TOTAL! Kit and CHA Single Loop
Chameleon F-Loop TOTAL! Kit and CHA Single Loop The CHA F-LOOP 2.0 was designed with portability, ease of use simplicity, ruggedness and high performa... Read more
Equipment
First Videos CRT 2000 !
CRT 2000 Videos – 40 AM / FM channel multistandard European – Power: 4 Watts AM / FM – Supply voltage: 12/24 Volt – 4 storable... Read more
FLEX-1500 – Software Defined Radio
The Entry Level QRP Software Defined Radio and Ideal IF Deck for VHF-Microwave Operation The FLEX-1500™ is a low-cost, low-wattage SDR that is... Read more
uBITX – A Compact HF Transceiver
uBITX – A Compact HF Transceiver 10 watts pep on lower HF bands, dips to 5 watts on 28 MHz SSB and CW Simple to build and align Minimal controls... Read more
bladeRF 2.0 micro
OVERVIEW bladeRF 2.0 micro The bladeRF 2.0 micro is the next-generation 2×2 MIMO, 47MHz to 6GHz frequency range, off-the-shelf USB 3.0 Software D... Read more
Ampleon announces the industry’s most rugged 2KW RF power LDMOS transistor for ISM applications
Ampleon has released the first of a family of RF power devices based upon its Advanced Rugged Technology (ART) derivative of the proven 9th generation... Read more
News
New at ICOM Hamvention 2022!
ICOM Hamvention 2022! Take your contesting experience to the next level with the latest LDMOS power device with features supporting a SO2R operation i... Read more
AMSAT-UK announce the 2022 International Space Colloquium
AMSAT-UK is very happy to announce the 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as part of the RSGB Convention on October 8-9 at the... Read more
ICOM will announce news at Hamvention
This morning Icom announced that it will have “new and exciting is on the horizon” during Dayton Hamvention 2022 Will it be a new HF or VH... Read more
Annual Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Exercise Set for May 14
The US Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test on Saturday, May 14. While Armed Forces Day is May 21, the A... Read more
Global Radio Guide: Summer 2022
Global Radio Guide During times of crisis, radio hobbyists turn on their radios and tune to the shortwave “Global Radio” bands for context, perspectiv... Read more