Well, the storm is past now and I must commend the Governors of the affected states for their judgment calls on evacuations and preparations in advance of the storm. The death toll is very low considering the population of the region affected and even injuries are lower than anticipated. The damage to personal property in North Carolina, Virginia and the peninsula are about what was expected. The real blessing was when the storm pooped out before hitting New Jersey and NYC.

This was an event where Amateur Radio was a key factor with storm data real time reporting. The Hurricane Watch Net which operates on 14.325 MHz has been around some 40 years and provides an invaluable service to the Hurricane Center in Miami, Fl. Now we will find the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network in action on 14.265 MHz with handling health and welfare traffic. I have had the pleasure of being a part of both the HWN and SATERN organizations for many years.

Amateur Radio also has a host of Christian based groups that meet up on the air from all around America and the world. Many foreign missionaries depend on Amateur operators worldwide for many of their needs as well as fellowship. Many other hobbies are represented as well like amateur astronomy, SETI (search for extra terrestrial intelligence, you know them, Congress, Senate, the President), scanner listeners and the list goes on and on.

If you are interested in the Amateur Radio Service there is no longer any Morse code requirement and license exams are very inexpensive and in many areas free. Licenses are valid for 10 years and you are only examined for licenses upgrades not renewals. It is no longer a rich man’s game; it is affordable for even the tightest budgets. It is also a great interest getter for the youth at church. Today’s young people love technology and computer based toys. Just something to think about next time you’re considering "how can I serve God to help a greater number of people".