Personal Emergency Experience Last Night

[Jerry]

Last night, Sunday, 7/19/15, I was home and talking with some local hams on a 10-meter net when a friend of ours, Chad (KD7KJF), broke in with a call for help. He and his wife, daughter and puppy dog had been driving backroads in their Jeep Cherokee when they broke down with engine problems. They were on Manastash Ridge at the intersection of the Bald Mountain Road and the road to Funny Rocks where you overlook Manastash Lake, close to the gate between the National Forest and the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. They had been sightseeing and were on their way home.

They broke down at about 6:00 PM and were out of cell phone range so Chad used his 2-meter radio to call for help. Chad reached a local ham on 2m simplex who made some calls on his behalf including one to his insurance company to request a tow. It was two-and-a-half hours later when Chad checked into our net at 8:30 PM and told us of his dilemma. He had not heard anything about the tow truck at that time. Another friend, Don (KC7FEK), offered to drive up with his truck and trailer (all the way from Grandview) and I offered to go up with my pickup to tow him out with a strap. It was now almost 9:00 PM. Not knowing whether the tow truck driver would ever find them and after weighing his options, Chad decided to request the truck and trailer from Grandview. Wise choice.

I met Don with his truck and trailer in North Yakima and rode with him. While we were on the road we heard over the 2m radio that the towing company had phoned the the fellow who originally called for the tow truck and informed him that the driver would not take the tow truck that far off the road. Evidently he had driven from Yakima to the Bald Mountain Road, decided it was too much and turned around and drove back to town. It took nearly 4 hours to learn that he was NOT coming!

Don and I reached Chad and his family shortly after 11:00 PM. They were doing well and making the best of it on a warm night under a sky full of stars. Their 11 year old daughter was a little hungry, but that was handled by a Granola bar from a box my wife handed me before I left home. We loaded the Cherokee onto the trailer without event and slowly drove back to Highway 410 over the potholes and washboard of the Bald Mountain and Rock Creek Roads.

We reached Chad's house in Yakima sometime around 1:30 AM, unloaded the Cherokee without incident and Don drove me back to my car before both of us headed for home.

A BIG thanks to Don for saving the day!

Morals of the story: 1. Explore with at least one other vehicle. 2. Keep a ham radio handy for emergencies.

 

[stioc]

A great end to this story. Good on you and Don for jumping into action.

It's also one of my fears when exploring the backcountry solo- sometimes you just can't go with others but I try to drive easier and well traveled trails and try to bring extra water and food.

 

[cruxarche]

Great story. Wonderful how a simple tool can prevent things from escalating into a potentially life threatening situation. I just came back from a remote area here in California. I always research the nearest repeaters/nets before I go and put that info into a folder just in case. It's no guarantee you will get through to someone, but a good measure nonetheless.

 

[summerprophet]

Search and rescue had a call out for jeepers Sunday night that was cancelled 30 minutes later, was that your guys?

 

[Jerry]

Search and rescue had a call out for jeepers Sunday night that was cancelled 30 minutes later, was that your guys?

It's possible, you never know just how anxious a person might be under those circumstances. I know he tried calling for help on several repeaters, some of which were probably SAR machines, before he finally made contact with someone on 146.52. But, I haven't heard anything about SAR being involved.

 

[AFBronco235]

This is one reason why I want to get my license. It always makes me nervous being out of communication range. Of course, I always carry a full tool kit with patches and all kinds of repair hardware just in case. You never know what will happen, to your vehicle or someone else's.

So some areas have a ham net that a person can "check in" with for such situations? Kinda like filing a travel plan or just making sure someone will be able to respond in case of an emergency?

 

[Jerry]

...So some areas have a ham net that a person can "check in" with for such situations? Kinda like filing a travel plan or just making sure someone will be able to respond in case of an emergency?

Yes and no. There are several "nets" on various bands, each organized by local hams, some with a theme, some without. We don't have an emergency only net or frequency in this area, but I imagine there are some places that do, Moab and the Rubicon come to mind. I am only speculating and don't know what they've got. So, YES there may be such a thing and NO, most places don't have anything set up like that. However, all Amateur Radio Operators, must yield their conversations to an emergency no matter which band they are using. Emergency communications always have the right of way.

In our case we were just rag-chewing, BS'ing if you will, on a weekly 10-Meter net when our friend broke in and announced his problem. He had unsuccessfully tried earlier to find someone on some of the local repeaters before he went to the simplex mode and finally made contact with the fellow who called for the tow truck. We have no one in the Yakima area who is assigned to monitor any particular frequency, but there are usually several folks who listen 24/7 to the more popular repeaters. I imagine it was a coincidence that he missed them. Many times you have to try more than one frequency before you find someone.

No matter the hassle of reaching a third party ham radio is still the best form of emergency communication as far as I'm concerned. Even satellite phones cannot compete if you are in deep canyons or under a forest canopy - both likely situations in the western United States.

 

[AA1PR]

glad all was well

I broke down years ago in the green mtn national forest

broke into a net asking for help, they told me to wait until after the net, thought OK I cant go anywhere

net control closed net & everyone disappeared, no one would answer my call for assistant

never understood the mentality, but did I voice my concerns after that to the repeater group

so sadly I have to say we as overlanders need an alternative to ham like a spot device

 

[Jerry]

Good grief! What kind of dopes were participating in that net? It's hard to imagine anyone being that crass, ham or no ham. Probably a bunch of old guys (like me) who completely forgot about you. So what did you finally do to get help?
.
We always carry a SPOT Satellite Messenger. Ours is the old style, but it still works great for our needs. Of course I bought it for the May Day aspect that I hope to never use, but really like to send location messages to family and friends on my email list. I also like to receive SPOT email messages from friends who are traveling.

 

[unseenone]

glad all was well

I broke down years ago in the green mtn national forest
broke into a net asking for help, they told me to wait until after the net, thought OK I cant go anywhere
net control closed net & everyone disappeared, no one would answer my call for assistant
never understood the mentality, but did I voice my concerns after that to the repeater group
so sadly I have to say we as overlanders need an alternative to ham like a spot device

At that stage I would have gotten on HF and found someone in the US to make a phone call for you or something. What you describe is exactly the opposite of everything I learned. Emergency traffic always has priority above anything else at any time. Those folks were idiots. Luckily most of the time, that is not what happens.

Thanks for sharing the story Jerry, well done.

 

[Airmapper]

This story, not entirely but in part, rekindled my interest in HAM. I've been on the fence for years to pursue getting my license, obtaining/installing a radio, and so forth. I just didn't see a practical application. I did install a CB just so I'd have some way to talk with other rigs if I was part of a group, but that is a rare occurrence for me most times, and while CB is great at short range, I can't see it being useful for much else.

This story gives HAM purpose. Maybe no one was going to immediately die, but someone needed some support. I rarely if ever find myself in a position to lend a hand, but in a situation like that where I could, I'd be glad to. Sadly I doubt getting my license and HAM gear will lead to that, especially in this part of the country, but at least it's a possibility. Also I find myself traveling as a lone rig quite often, being able to reach out from an area with no cell service is attractive. Usually if I do have problems, all I'd need is for someone to make a quick phone call for me and relay info to people I know who could help.

I get my ARRL book tomorrow to study for Tech, I guess I didn't NEED the book but I'd rather learn the info than memorize questions. Guess I'll see where that leads.

 

[Jerry]

This story, not entirely but in part, rekindled my interest in HAM. I've been on the fence for years to pursue getting my license, obtaining/installing a radio, and so forth. I just didn't see a practical application. I did install a CB just so I'd have some way to talk with other rigs if I was part of a group, but that is a rare occurrence for me most times, and while CB is great at short range, I can't see it being useful for much else.

This story gives HAM purpose. Maybe no one was going to immediately die, but someone needed some support. I rarely if ever find myself in a position to lend a hand, but in a situation like that where I could, I'd be glad to. Sadly I doubt getting my license and HAM gear will lead to that, especially in this part of the country, but at least it's a possibility. Also I find myself traveling as a lone rig quite often, being able to reach out from an area with no cell service is attractive. Usually if I do have problems, all I'd need is for someone to make a quick phone call for me and relay info to people I know who could help.

I get my ARRL book tomorrow to study for Tech, I guess I didn't NEED the book but I'd rather learn the info than memorize questions. Guess I'll see where that leads.

That's great! Your story sounds like mine. I was on the fence over Ham Radio for years, but when we started exploring in SW Idaho, SE Oregon and N Nevada, miles and miles of sagebrush country and up to 100 miles from civilization, I decided it was time to improve things in the communications department. Again, like you, we have been using CB radio for car to car communications for years and we have learned it is even more useful that that. We have talked with log truck drivers on several occasions to give them our location and to ask them to look out for us. After they know our location they usually suggest a place for us to pull of and wait for them to go by. Around here they nail a board on a tree at the entrance to active logging roads with the CB channel. And during hunting season we have talked with hunters, mostly asking directions and road information. And once we talked with a Sheriff Deputy to report something that we thought important at the time. I can't say that all law enforcement vehicles have CB's, but most Sheriff's cars and Washington State Patrol cars carried them, at least until a few years ago. And we have talked with Jeep clubs and other backroad groups who we have encountered on the trail. Admittedly, those contacts were not frequent, but if it were not for the CB radio we may have missed talking to those folks completely. I must say that it is a good feeling to know the location of a loaded log truck when I am driving up the hill.

So, hurrah for CB radio. And Ham Radio is even better. As you mentioned it is capable of saving a life!

And I am really happy to know that you were inspired enough to check further into becoming a licensed Amateur Radio Operator!

 

[Rbertalotto]

There is a place in Heaven for folks like you! Well played!!

 

[Jerry]

Well, thanks, but it was Don (KC7FFK), who drove up from Grandview, WA with his 1 ton truck and car trailer, about 100 miles each way, who saved the day and did all the work. I was just along for the ride and documented the event for the forum.

 

[Mtn Mike]

Great story and good to see you on THIS forum Jerry. What repeater was this on? Don't be a stranger, check in on our repeater system sometime. It's always good to hear you.
K7EHT