Ham Radio SAVES LIVES in Death Valley on 10-Meters!

This is a story about a POTA Activation where a Ham Radio operator got stranded in Death Valley and used Ham Radio to communicate outside of the area and ask for help.
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Thanks for watching!
#Hamradio #kc5hwb #parksontheair

[@jimmcfall7769]

One of the biggest highlights of my amateur radio career happened when I was first licensed. It wasn't a terrible emergency but an amateur operator was flying his private plane from New York back home to Chicago. He was running about 2 hours late because he had to fly around some bad storms in Pennsylvania and Ohio. I was monitoring 10 meters on 28.400 and heard a general call from that aeronautical mobile and replied back to him. He was doing ok but didn't have communication with his wife back home. He asked me if I could call her through land-line to let her know that him and his son were fine and the situation of the delay. I relayed messages back and forth for them for about 20 minutes. It was great to be able to help and assist someone in their time of need and doing it on amateur radio was a huge bonus. 73 Jim

[@HamRadio2]

That's great, I've heard similar stories like this

[@K1STG-Fred]

Death valley averages 2” of rain per year. So far this year DV has gotten 5”. Makes the desert floor a soupy mess.

[@chrissewell1608]

If people knew that, why would they venture in there?

[@victorcharlie7491]

Adventure!

[@Packhorse-bh8qn]

@@chrissewell1608 "If people knew that, why would they venture in there?" People die in Death Valley every year. The cause of death is typically listed as, "stupidity".

[@Ross401]

I've been in rain, heavy snow, mud, ice, deep sand and 120 degree weather in Death Valley. So many ways to get stuck and die there. Flash flooding is super common and has closed sections of the park for multiple years. One of my favorite places to go off roading...with multiple radios.

[@MrTommy001]

Hence the name "Death Valley".

[@Niteskate1]

I didn't hear the signal, but this is a nice example that Ham Radio is still very relevant, and shows that when called upon hams jump into action when called upon, very much in the spirit of our hobby.

[@dustyroaddestinations]

There has been a lot of rain in there the last few months. There is still a lot of damage out there and some roads are closed. The “lake” actually had water in it and people We’re kayaking in it until the NPS had people stop. Earlier this year the entire park was closed because all the roads into the park had washed away. You definitely should make a trip out there it is a surreal place!

[@DarkShadowCustoms]

I saw the post about an hour after it was made. I saw people in the POTA group had made contact with the stranded operator's local police department and the park. Even though I wasn't able to hear the operator I am thankful others did and were able to contact someone who was able to help. Also yes the desert gets hot during the day and cold at night. I have seen it go from 120 to 130 during the day to 60 at night while I was in Iraq 19 years ago.

[@billhartig4805]

Extremely cool. Love to hear stories like this.

[@victorcharlie7491]

Facebook doesn't deserve You, great story tnx Man!

[@DePalma.]

That’s awesome. I’d be calling out on my 70cm HT & probably would still be there lol

[@West-PAC]

Not if you put it on GMRS, where other off-roaders in the area would hear you. You have to read the room (your area) and know your audience.

[@DePalma.]

@@West-PAC I’d be trying on 70cm & Gmrs channels lol. I just figured it wouldn’t reach far enough to get out of Death Valley lol

[@DePalma.]

@@West-PAC does Gmrs have a dedicated off road or emergency channel?

[@josephcooksley3219]

Great Commentary ... thankyou

[@mattstosh6960]

Been to DV many - many times and once you are in some of the more remote areas, you can definitely get yourself into trouble. Oak Canyon or The Racetrack area for example. Kudos to the Good Ham who was monitoring and called for help.

[@dazeguru7326]

whats so hard to believe it rains in a desert, just not very much

[@aqdrobert]

I live in Phoenix, where too many drivers think, "ROAD CLOSED" is a suggestion.

[@chrischristopher36]

It rained here alot recently. There can be muddy puddles in a desert believe it or not

[@Rusted_Link]

I did hear about this. Could have sworn it was here on Ham Radio Crash Course.... 😝 But the high desert does get snow and consequently mud. It may have been on Ham Radio Concepts. Anyway, yes, very cool. Every Hams wet dream come true.

[@jeclark2006]

Yes, during the winter, deserts can have various water danger situations. There are 'direct' rain issues, where the powder of a dry lake becomes wet, and slick deep mud is the result. Last years Burning Man event, held on a 'dry' lake bed, was rained on, and the news carried many stories of problematic exodus of the attendees. The other major danger in the desert is flash floods. This usually is due to rain in some distant area, and while it may a bright sun, cloudless sky, being in the wash, aka dry 'river' bed, can result in loss of life, or damage/loss of one's vehicle or other camping equipment. And of course for Death Valley in particular, the winter has the flash floods, dry lakes becoming wet lakes, during the summer the temperatures can set records for the hottest place on earth. During the western expansion period, most settler paths took a 'high' route passing through Utah, Idaho, Oregon, southwest from Idaho towards central California. Or the far southern route through New Mexico, southern Arizona, tracking the US/Mexico Border 'sort of'. Death Valley was too be avoided, learned by experience...

[@MattCoversTech]

Death Valley has had record rainfall this year. It’s a spectacular scene.

[@DK5ONV]

Carls Jr. saves Lives too.... "1 Double Decker 6$ Burger with large Fries and large Coke to gooooooooooo" 😍👍

[@Packhorse-bh8qn]

When that desert floor gets wet, it's a very greasy, slippery mess.

[@its_Mr.Rogers]

Great Video! Death Valley is experiencing unusual weather, which would be a cause for the mud. A lot of articles have been written about a lake that has shown up, and hasnt been documented in hundreds of years.

[@KD2HJP]

Awesome

[@barnmichael]

A couple points. As I understand it, this was not an experienced off roader, it was a family outing, he was not with a group. Also, this fellow had only had his license a couple weeks and had only used his radio a few times prior to this. Compare this with a German family who experienced a similar situation in the same general area. It was several years before their vehicle and remains were found. There is no question ham radio saved lives in this instance.

[@HamRadio2]

Yep

[@fosterb0320]

I saw the Facebook post & began monitoring the frequency, but could not hear his call.

[@johnstephenson165]

Because of the heavy rains over the last months, area in Death Valley were under water. One of the areas was Lake Manly, normally a dry lake, became a flooded area. There was advertisement for kayaking. Because it's a desert doesn't mean always dty

[@bobinmontana777]

Garmin Instinct or SOS device would have brought immediate assistance without all the 10m kerfuffle. I get the point, it demonstrates that the HAM community is alive and can assist in some emergencies. I only mention the Garmin because an immediate contact could be made with a known person explaining what happened, with a map and location, so either a private or professional rescue could be initiated quicker that in this story.

[@HamRadio2]

While that's true about the Garmin, it also requires a satellite to work, where radio does not. Radio requires no infrastructure at all, which makes it most convenient. Also radio requires no subscription

[@Notjordan1206]

Guy coulda called 911 himself if he’d had cell reception. Shoot, he could’ve unstuck his car if he were driving convoy with a tow truck. If he were in a helicopter he would hardly have had to worry about mud!

[@davenewmyer3735]

Speaking of facebook, I got put into a 30 minute timeout this morning. The only thing I had been doing was looking at other people's posts and clicking 'Like' on some of them. Go figure

[@HamRadio2]

Not surprised

[@davenewmyer3735]

@@HamRadio2 I tried liking a couple more items and got suspended for 24 hours!

[@lowrangeoverland9013]

Flash floods are the threat they were afraid of and probably where they got stuck at

[@AA7WI-Mike]

I have a package from PCBWay being delivered today. Great job on 10 meters rescue !!!

[@HamRadio2]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@geoffmoody7809]

Deserts have flash floods and get muddy due to the high clay content of the ground

[@johnstevens2163]

‘Stuck in the mud in a desert’ is reasonably common in Australia. Always tell someone of your plans and set a time that you expect to be back. Carry enough water for each person. Carry an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. These are available fairly cheaply now. These precautions almost guarantee you will be rescued. Amateur radio all well and good but is too ‘hit and miss’ unless you make pre arrangements. De VK4VT

[@FriendBears]

Same sort of thing that REACT has been doing for years. 73

[@HamRadio2]

Hams have been doing this for 100 years, but yes you are correct - in areas where REACT actually exists.

[@FriendBears]

You are correct 2.0, REACT has largely fallen out. Many REACTers have gone into GMRS & Ham. 73

[@sc20910]

Imagine if the POTA ham was using varac or js8call - perfect for emcomm on noisy airwaves

[@HamRadio2]

True!

[@Pimporly]

11 Meters you can do exactly the same thing. That when you got really good Conditions talk to people From Miami to California to North East etc.. 10 and 11 Meters it almost the same thing Except for 10 Meters you need a License but not for 11 Meters

[@HamRadio2]

Correct

[@investigator6203]

Is there a radio that could reach from Illinois to the Philippines, is it possible

[@HamRadio2]

Yes, HF radio can do that

[@SocialistDistancing]

I deleted FB 13 years ago. I don't miss it. You aren't missing anything.

[@HamRadio2]

The only thing I really miss is my Page

[@SocialistDistancing]

@@HamRadio2 that makes sense. Why did they delete you? How did you offend the Facebook overlords?

[@HamRadio2]

No clue

[@SocialistDistancing]

@@HamRadio2 the only thing I could see is, you must've been spreading the truth. That seems to be an act of revolution now.

[@stuffyourhandle]

pota sod it

[@NickFrom1228]

You were not kicked off Facebook for no reason. You almost certainly posted some kind of truth that the overlords at FB did not like and decided to silence you. It's happening to a lot of people. Some never even hear why. They are just told they violated terms of service.

[@HamRadio2]

I haven't posted anything on my Facebook profile or any groups for over 2 years. Watch my Livestream for more info. The "reason" was because they allowed my account to be hacked

[@NickFrom1228]

@@HamRadio2 Ah, hacking. I hate that, especially when it appears to be by design.

[@chris537a]

I cant use FT8 on a commodore 64. so i dont use it

[@HamRadio2]

This ^

[@major__kong]

Did ham radio really save the day, or did they mess up before then? Did they let anyone know where they were going including route and time expected back? This was Death Valley after all. There are better options than ham radio for distress calls. Get a PLB or Garmin InReach. Or, if you insist on voice, an air band HT set to 121.5 MHz is going to hit airplanes flying nearby, especially airliners flying overhead. Also, I think Apple iPhones can send emergency text messages via satellite now. At the end of the day, ham radio only saved the day because that's all they took with them. It sounds like they didn't set themselves up for success.

[@HamRadio2]

Nearly all of those systems you named require an infrastructure, where radio does not. Sounds like they planned pretty well to me, since they were able to make contact with someone

[@chrissewell1608]

"Muddy desert"?... I call Horse Shit, already! 🐎💩

[@CajonLiving]

Maybe you want to watch some of the Black Rock Burning man festival videos from 2023. Isn't that a desert?

[@West-PAC]

Are these people alive because of ham radio?..No. The off-road community is very tight knit vand helps each other, mainly because it could be you who has a disabled vehicle next time. There are more off-road people who become disabled on a daily basis and find ways to summon help, than just this story. There are plenty of Off-Road Recovery You-Tube channels to watch, to see how often people have to summon help without a 10/11 meter radio.

[@HamRadio2]

A 10/11 meter radio is still... A RADIO. And it would fit the narrative here. This happens alot with Ham Radio because generally those radios will reach farther and there are less jackasses than on the 11M band, but ALL radios are off-grid and don't require infrastructure, so this could happen with any radio service that exists.