Having spent nearly 30 years in the IT industry, I’ve experienced my fair share of all-nighters and multi-day outages. Whether it’s been frantically repairing dead hardware, fixing corrupted databases, or resolving perplexing network issues, these stressful situations have taught me a lot. One of the most critical lessons I’ve learned is the importance of communication during an outage. While the technical team works tirelessly behind the scenes to resolve the issue, it’s equally vital to have a team dedicated to keeping customers and stakeholders informed.

Currently, there’s a lot of speculation surrounding the multi-day ARRL LOTW outage. Without insight into the system architecture or the specifics of the outage, speculating about the root cause or assigning blame is futile. However, one area where ARRL is undeniably falling short is in their communication about the outage.

The ARRL often faces criticism, sometimes unjustly, but frequently due to its own actions. The LOTW outage is a prime example of a situation where effective communication could mitigate criticism and even garner support. Regular, sincere updates with technical details would go a long way in keeping their stakeholders informed and engaged. Given that many of these stakeholders have technical backgrounds, they would appreciate and understand the specifics.

Moreover, humanizing the recovery effort by showcasing the dedication and hard work of the personnel involved could foster empathy and support. Highlighting the individuals and the tremendous effort they are putting into resolving the issue can turn a frustrating situation into an opportunity to build trust and rapport.

In summary, effective communication during IT outages is not just about transparency, but also about building and maintaining trust. The ARRL’s current communication strategy regarding the LOTW outage is lacking, but there is a clear path to improve it. By providing regular updates and humanizing the effort, ARRL can turn this challenge into an opportunity.

This article was originally posted on Radio Artisan.

In this episode, we join  Martin Butler M1MRB, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and the episode's feature is Your Feedback.

We would like to thank Fadel Derry (M0SFD) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

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Remembering the amateur radio
account by Gerry Martin W7WFP

On Sunday, March 27, 1980, a series of volcanic explosions and pyroclastic flows began at Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington, United States. A series of phreatic blasts occurred from the summit and escalated until a major explosive eruption took place 44 years ago today, on Sunday, May 18, 1980, at 8:32 am. The eruption, which had a volcanic explosivity index of 5, was the first to occur in the contiguous United States since the much smaller 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California. It has often been declared the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history.

The Role of Amateur Radio - Gerry Martin W7WFP

Gerry, 64, was a volunteer ham radio operator who was monitoring the mountain for the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. The day before the eruption, he drove his motor home onto a ridge a couple miles north and slightly higher than the geologists’ observation post. When the mountain erupted, he reported to the other ham operators monitoring the volcano, “Gentlemen, the camper and car that’s sitting over to the south of me is covered. It’s going to hit me, too.” As with Dave Johnston, no trace of Martin or his motor home was ever found. The audio account of his observations as the mountain erupted is in an Oregon Public Broadcasting article. The article also has a link to a video of the event.

The eruption claimed the lives of 57 people, mostly through the effects of ash asphyxiation.

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Hello and welcome to the 543rd episode of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this episode, the hosts discuss open-source retro gaming. Topics include operating systems for retro games, emulators, hardware options, building game cabinets, retro game hardware, handheld retro game consoles and much more. Thanks for listening and have a great week.

73 de The LHS Crew

Unfortunately, a few days after Carl W3HC (ex-W3HCW) celebrated his 100th birthday, he fell ill, declined rapidly, and passed away. We can’t complain as he lived a full life and got to enjoy a beer at his birthday party.

Photo credit: Karen Vibert-Kennedy, Williamsport Sun Gazette

Carl was an avid photographer all his life. The Williamsport Sun Gazette featured an article and video on his time in Berlin during World War II, taking photographs. While in a bombed out home, he found a roll of film which he took home and later developed. He was shocked to discover the photos were taken by a German photographer and even included pictures of Himler, who was the #2 in Germany at the time. Many of his photos are featured on his Flickr site.

I owe my grandfather a lot of gratitude as he’s the one who got me into amateur radio which led to me getting my first two jobs in wireless and communications, and laid the foundation for a rather successful career. I continue to be active in amateur radio, with QRP, field operation, circuit design, open source software development, and homebrewing equipment being my favorite activities.

Carl was first licensed in 1956 as WN3HCW, back when Novice calls had the WN prefix. After upgrading to Technician, the FCC dropped the N and he became W3HCW. Later in the 90s when he upgraded to Extra he shortened his call to W3HC. During my time with him as a youngster and teenager, he operated nearly all HF phone and enjoyed DXing, but he also did a lot of 6 meter AM work in the 60s. He operated theW3HCW QSL Fund which funded QSL cards for DX stations, and he was a QSL manager for about 130 stations over the years.

Carl McDaniel, W3HC, SK at 100 years and 6 days. dit dit

This article was originally published on Radio Artisan.