Last night, Sunday September 21, 2014, at approx. 21:00hrs PST VY1MAP (Terry) called on our local repeater-146.880-looking for VY1RF (Ray).

Terry wanted Ray to make a phone call for him as he was not in cell phone range. The situation was that Terry is a member of our Search and Rescue team and they were on a search for a missing teenager. The command center they had setup was approx 35kms north of Whitehorse at Lake Laberge. The satellite phone that they were to use, was not functioning so they had no way to call for assistance, additional resources or send status reports.

That’s where amateur radio comes in. Terry, being a ham, goes out to his truck and makes contact with Whitehorse via 2M amateur radio with VY1RF (Ray) and VY1RM (Ron).  They were able to pass important traffic to/from the command center.

The young man was found and all ended well.

This is the second time in as many months that amateur radio and in particular Yukon Amateur Radio Association’s members and infrastructure proved invaluable in an emergency situation. Good job guys!

Just remember-Keep calm and grab your radio!