Whoo Hoo! It’s now a Base Station!

Got the G5RV up in Inverted V fashion, and made a contact on a net to prove it works.  Listened to some Digital Mode talking.  Actually, I caught so far two nets, and checked into one.  One was an 80 meter net in Texas, a little far to be expected to reach it, but they was able to hear me.  Then the Maritime Net on 20 meters early this morning.  I didn’t check into the Maritime Net because I wasn’t sure what it was.  I listened to it though, and come to find out they’d been happy to have me check in.  They was hunting for 4 sail boats that have been lost at sea for 6 months.  Pretty much they’re about to give up on them.  They expect 3 of them might have fallen captive to the Pirates of that island that always takes US ships.  The fourth, they hope stopped to make repairs and is busy and hasn’t been able to establish communication.  They send out a list of any ships that they’ve lost communications with and ask if anyone else is trying to contact a ship, then if any hams hear them, they pass on the information to the net.  One of the ham’s did have information on a ship, and the net controller said that’s why he feels the ham’s that just monitor the net are actually the most important part of that network.  It’s a sort of sad memory as to why ham radio operators are given the privileges they get.  Sadly, most ham’s tend to not realize it’s more than just being able to talk to people all over the world, it’s about saving lives and relaying information as well.  If you know someone who may be traveling on a ship, and you haven’t heard from them in a while, it’d be a welcomed relief to receive a phone call from someone telling you that a ham operator contacted them and got their coordinates, eta on when they will be at their next stop, and that they are all healthy.