Many because of Michael (BD4AAQ) who shares the next visitor put up which was additionally cross-published on the SWLing Put up:
by Michael (BD4AAQ)
On third October 2024, the forty eighth SEANET Conference was lastly convened in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The SEANET conference, a gathering of a bunch of novice radio operators, was final held in Johor Bahru Malaysia, in 2019, simply earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic. The Sri Lanka convention was attended by solely 25 folks. Nonetheless, it was hailed as a triumph, because it was the primary ever assembly of novice radio operators for SEANET following the tip of the pandemic and upon in depth discussions on WhatsApp teams.
Tharanga, 4S6TMP, and different organisers, did an amazing job internet hosting the conference. Regardless of its modest measurement, the conference featured all the everyday components: displays, discussions, dinners, a bonfire, a particular occasion station (4S7SEA), and extra. Above all, the organisers stunned the attendees with the primary day cowl of the occasion organized by the Sri Lanka Put up Service. The primary day cowl, with postage stamps containing pictures of SEANET members, had been prepared in the identical morning when the pictures had been taken! Lightning pace!
The low attendance of the conference was partially attributed to the altered schedule. It was initially scheduled for 19 – 22 September however needed to be modified at brief discover to three – 6 October on account of Sri Lanka’s presidential election on 23 September. The altered timetable prevented lots of the Seanetters who had signed up from attending as scheduled.
SEANET has seen a lot increased attendance amid wonderful photo voltaic circumstances. The 18th SEANET conference, held in Kuching, Malaysia in 1990, was attended by as many as 320 folks! The thirty eighth Conference passed off in 2010 in Shanghai, China, with over 100 attendees.
SEANET, the South East Asia Beginner Radio Community, was established in 1964 and is operated on 20 metres (14.320 MHz plus or minus QRM). The target of the web is to advertise worldwide understanding and fellowship amongst hams and to relay emergency, medical, pressing or precedence visitors. The on-the-air assembly, which has taken place at 1200 UTC each day with out fail during times of fine photo voltaic circumstances, has strengthened unity and co-operation amongst hams world wide, particularly these throughout the area. The web additionally supplies hams with a facility for testing their gear and propagation circumstances on the 20 metres band. Over time, members then agreed to have yearly gatherings for eyeball encounters and exchanges, which is how SEANET conventions got here to be.
[Regarding the] worth of the SEANET as an Emergency communications community…
There have been many a personal Yacht within the Indian Ocean that had been helped by way of the SEANET and Beginner Radio. As soon as there was this small Tri-maran which had exhausted all its gasoline, meals and water and had been drifting helpless. Radio Hams and SEANET alerted rescue companies and succeeded in getting an Ocean liner to divert and drop off gasoline, meals and water.
There have been different spectacular achievements to the credit score of SEANET. There was the case of a younger mom in Sri Lanka whose child of some days had a critical situation which may solely be handled by a particular drug not accessible regionally. SEANET members seemed within the doubtless locations in Australia and Singapore however failed. They then contacted their mates within the U
.S.A. and succeeded in getting the drug flown out from California the infant was saved. There was additionally the case of the frantic father who couldn’t be close to at hand when his spouse was supply their first child in a Singapore hospital, over a thousand miles away from his jungle location. He saved in contact by way of Ham radio and SEANET. The spouse, in hospital, had mates from SEANET go to on daily basis.
On one other event, when catastrophe struck Darwin, Australia just lately, wiping off all communications amenities, a member of the SEANET group residing in Darwin arrange his station and was one of many first to contact the Nationwide Authorities with information and requests. One other SEANET member in Sri Lanka was capable of get hold of particulars of the whereabouts and well being and so on. of his countrymen residing in Darwin and so reassure their close to and pricey in Sri Lanka.
There was as soon as additionally the group of Himalayan climbers who attacked Mt. Everest from a brand new course and when success was first conveyed by way of Beginner Radio and SEANET.
Within the early 2000s, I began to pay attention to SEANET. I sometimes heard different shortwave networks and internet controls, however SEANET was one which was loud and clear and was virtually all the time there at 14320 MHz at or shortly after 12:00 Zulu. Ah, the great previous days! Web controls took turns and labored from international locations together with Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Australia. Among the many internet controls had been Gary (VK8GW), Ben (VK6XC), Barry (VK6ADI), Kim (VK6UO), Roy (DU9/G4UNL) and Ray (HS0ZDZ).
In Shanghai, I might examine in to the web quickly after I obtained again from work. John (BD4AAV) would additionally be part of the web occasionally. In Taiwan, Tim (BV2A) was a frequenter of SEANET. He was very blissful when he first realized that John and I had been from mainland China. Sooner or later he really helpful that we QRY to a distinct frequency and there we three chatted like previous mates for a really very long time. Subsequent we exchanged QSL playing cards. Tim was the primary particular person to be issued a ham radio license for the reason that KMT authorities moved from the mainland to Taiwan. He handed away in 2006.
If we discuss SEANET, there may be one particular person we should additionally discuss. Dr Singh, a Malaysian Indian. SEANET conventions have developed and now have survived the pandemic largely because of his efforts. He has many roles: physician, hospital proprietor, philanthropist, Sikh, and final however not least, ham radio operator (9M2KN). He himself has hosted quite a lot of SEANET conventions in Malaysia and has devoted to the event of SEANET and ham radio generally. Though SEANET is a unfastened organisation with no everlasting secretariat and every host nation decides for itself easy methods to organise a conference, Dr Singh’s charisma, management and coordination capabilities have been important and have drastically inspired and impressed the organisers. We must always meet repeatedly earlier than we develop too previous to maneuver and we should always usher in new, youthful members to the large household, he stated, the ham spirit and the camaraderie should be nurtured.
Hans (DF5UG) is a veteran Seanetter with very in depth ham radio experiences. He has been to many international locations and operated below in all probability probably the most callsigns. He was an EC member of IARU. He enjoys establishing antennas and novice stations on the spot wherever he goes.
Fred (K3ZO) was a legend. He was an enthusiastic novice radio operator and actively participated in novice radio contests. Fred was well-known and extensively revered across the globe. He had labored many stations in China as effectively. Earlier in his profession, he was a US Info Officer. In 1974, he was kidnapped by a guerrilla group in Córdoba, Argentina and critically shot. As he was an novice radio operator and owned a considerable amount of radio gear, he was suspected of being a CIA agent. Upon a behind-the-scenes offensive in Washington and with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger categorically denying spy speculations, he was launched. He later acknowledged in a message: “Beginner Radio is a superb passion however it may be harmful as a result of folks misread what it’s. I actually was kidnapped and shot in Argentina, however thankfully I’ve lived to inform about it.”
Fred additionally attended the thirty eighth SEANET Conference in China. He grew to become a Silent Key in 2023.
Value particular mentioning are Turid and Mimis who’re 82 and 91 years previous now. The couple is initially from Yugoslavia (Serbia) (Turid was the Yugoslavian Ambassador to Germany within the 1970’s). They’ve now settled with their daughter in Australia. They attended many SEANET occasions and are nice contributors to SEANET. Only a few days in the past, they wrote to Dr. Singh asking when and the place the following conference can be held.
Gladly, Ramesh (VU2LU) has taken the following slot for SEANET. We anticipate it to be a giant occasion like what we have now had in previous instances. The devoted web site for SEANET occasions is https://seanetasia.internet. So, keep tuned for extra data for the following SEANET Conference. 73!
