Last weekend PB2T visited Senegal and used the oportunity to meet with the Senegalese regulatory and telecom authorities and the national amateur society. ARAS kindly hosted a dinner. The participants can be seen on the photo. (standing: 6W1QL, 6W1OO, 6W1OM, 6W7JX, 6W1GF, sitting: 6W1HM, 6W1FJ, PB2T, 6W1KI, 6W1PZ)

In the beginning of January 2010 from 1300 to 1400 UTC Wolf DK2OM heard a BC station on 14000,0 kHz. Wolf contacted OM Wolf Bueschel DF5SX, is a dedicated BC listener with a lot of expercience and the latest BC skeds and QRGs in his private library. Wolf DF5SX wrote to Wolf DK2OM: "The BC signal is probably an IM product of two BC transmitters of "Kashi Radio" from Xinjian Province, PR China. Here is the knitting pattern:

*** 13710 kHz 1300 - 1400 UTC 27 SE KAS 500 308 px: French CHN CRI RTC
*** 13855 kZ 1300 - 1400 UTC 27-29 KAD 500 308 px; Chinese CHN CRI RTC

Mixture: (13855 x 2) - 137120 = 14000

From 1800UTC 22 January the HF frequencies used to respond to the immediate needs of the Haiti Earthquake, 14.300MHz, 14.265MHz , 7.045MHz, 7.065MHz, 7.265MHz, 3.720MHz,  3.977MHz will return to normal use. The groups who have been passing messages on those frequencies will revert to monitoring mode or their normal operations.

There are still a number of radio amateurs in the country attached to various relief groups who may still be heard on the amateur bands on a number of frequencies according to their particular needs to maintain contact with their home countries.

Please maintain the normal procedures of:

• Listen before transmitting
• If you hear any station passing emergency traffic then leave the frequency clear and avoid causing QRM.

Thanks to everyone for their assistance during this emergency.

One week after the earthquake in Haiti the number of amateur radio operators in the country is growing in support of the relief effort. Radio Amateurs are reminded that the following frequencies appear to remain in use, 14.300MHz, 14.265MHz , 7.045MHz, 7.065MHz, 7.265MHz, 3.720MHz,  3.977MHz. Radio Club Dominicano have also established a repeater in Jimaní (Dominican Republic) repeater 146.880 -600kHz tone 100Hz covering Dominican Republic Border and Haiti (including Port-Au-Prince). This system is linked with 146.970 -600kHz tone 100Hz covering 85% of the Dominican Republic and the west of Puerto Rico.

Individual groups may be operating on other frequencies apart from the Emergency Centre of Activity frequencies due to national requirements to link back to their home organisations. Emergency traffic is most likely on the frequencies listed above but please listen carefully before transmitting and if you hear a station passing emergency traffic then leave the frequency clear and avoid causing QRM.

News of Amateur radio activities from Haiti is starting to appear in the mainstream media such as this link from CNN.

The eight amateurs from Radio Club Dominicano (RCD) who were operating under the callsign HI8RCD/HH have had to abort their operations after the convoy they were travelling in was fired on. News is also being received of two new stations which it is hoped will become active soon.

Frequencies in use from Haiti are now believed to be: 14.300MHz, 14.265MHz, 7.045MHz , 7.065MHz, 7.265MHz, 3.720MHz,  3.977MHz and a 2m repeated on 147.970MHz. The International Radio Emergency Support Coalition (IRESC) is also active on EchoLink node 278173 Please keep clear of these frequencies even if you cannot hear any emergency traffic - stations in the area are low powered and may suffer interference. Interesting news from the Radio Club Dominicano (RCD) group in Facebook ( Translation by Ismael EA4FSI ):

Some status reports are now coming from Haiti but at the moment , no data regarding survivors or any other 'Health and Welfare' traffic is currently being passed. Anyone trying to trace family or friends in Haiti should register their details with the International Federation of the Red Cross at;

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/web/doc/siterfl0.nsf/htmlall/familylinks-haiti-eng?opendocument

The ICRC are co-operating with the Haitian Red Cross Society and other Red Cross/ Red Crescent societies around the world to accelerate the process of restoring contact between separated family members. Further amateur radio support is on its way to the island, Victor Baez, HI8VB, Secretary of the Radio Club Dominicano (RCD) reports that the RCD with UDRA, Unión Dominicana de Radio Aficionados, are preparing to go to Port au Prince early morning of Friday January 15 to install an emergency radio Communications stastion, HI8RCD/HH, and a mobile station. Victor has a blog which hopefully he will update with more news from Haiti: www.hi8vb.tk