Hams Link Missionaries
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Three Kosciusko County ham radio operators are keeping the lines of communication open between Winona Lake and missionaries in the Central African Republic.
Dr. William Walker and Roger Peugh, both of Winona Lake, and Tom Buchan of Warsaw recently helped connect Jim Hocking, a former Warsaw resident and a missionary with Grace Brethren International Missions in CAR, with the outside world.
Hocking, serving in CAR, recently moved from the capital city of Bangui 'up country' to Yaloke because of political unrest in the area. The move left him without phone service, fax or e-mail.
To keep in touch with Hocking and the other GBIM missionaries in Africa, mission director Tom Julien turned to Kosciusko County's ham radio community, including Walker, who served in medical missions in the CAR and used ham radio to keep in touch with home. Walker now contacts his former colleagues by radio twice weekly, with the help and backup of Peugh and Buchan.
On Dec. 16, Peugh called Hocking on schedule in Yaloke, but his repeated calls brought no answer. Finally, Roger, a ham radio operator in Johannesburg, South Africa, contacted Peugh, saying he could hear Peugh and Hocking; Hocking could hear Roger in South Africa but not Peugh in Warsaw.
With Julien sitting in Peugh's radio room, the men relayed messages sentence by sentence to Roger in Johannesburg, who then spoke to Hocking in the CAR; information was received back from Hocking through Roger. With Roger's help, Julien was able to stay informed of the precautionary measures being taken by the missionary team during the political crisis.
Anyone interested in learning more about ham radios or how to become part of this hobby may contact the Hoosier Lakes Radio Club, Box 981, Warsaw, IN 46580-0981. Regular meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Kosciusko County Amateur Radio Center, 221 South Union, Warsaw.
All area hams and those interested in the hobby are invited to the club's annual banquet at 6 p.m. Jan. 2 at the Grace College dining commons, followed by a demonstration of the Internet. The cost is $8, and advance reservations must be made by contacting Roger Peugh (W9JAC) or 269-1957. [[In-content Ad]]
Three Kosciusko County ham radio operators are keeping the lines of communication open between Winona Lake and missionaries in the Central African Republic.
Dr. William Walker and Roger Peugh, both of Winona Lake, and Tom Buchan of Warsaw recently helped connect Jim Hocking, a former Warsaw resident and a missionary with Grace Brethren International Missions in CAR, with the outside world.
Hocking, serving in CAR, recently moved from the capital city of Bangui 'up country' to Yaloke because of political unrest in the area. The move left him without phone service, fax or e-mail.
To keep in touch with Hocking and the other GBIM missionaries in Africa, mission director Tom Julien turned to Kosciusko County's ham radio community, including Walker, who served in medical missions in the CAR and used ham radio to keep in touch with home. Walker now contacts his former colleagues by radio twice weekly, with the help and backup of Peugh and Buchan.
On Dec. 16, Peugh called Hocking on schedule in Yaloke, but his repeated calls brought no answer. Finally, Roger, a ham radio operator in Johannesburg, South Africa, contacted Peugh, saying he could hear Peugh and Hocking; Hocking could hear Roger in South Africa but not Peugh in Warsaw.
With Julien sitting in Peugh's radio room, the men relayed messages sentence by sentence to Roger in Johannesburg, who then spoke to Hocking in the CAR; information was received back from Hocking through Roger. With Roger's help, Julien was able to stay informed of the precautionary measures being taken by the missionary team during the political crisis.
Anyone interested in learning more about ham radios or how to become part of this hobby may contact the Hoosier Lakes Radio Club, Box 981, Warsaw, IN 46580-0981. Regular meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Kosciusko County Amateur Radio Center, 221 South Union, Warsaw.
All area hams and those interested in the hobby are invited to the club's annual banquet at 6 p.m. Jan. 2 at the Grace College dining commons, followed by a demonstration of the Internet. The cost is $8, and advance reservations must be made by contacting Roger Peugh (W9JAC) or 269-1957. [[In-content Ad]]