The Philip B. Petersen Collection Broadcast July 27, 1989

     There are over 430,000 licensed radio amateurs in the United States and at least one million around the world.  Many of them provide all kinds of voluntary radio communication service, especially in meeting the needs of people.
     Almost everyone knows that radio amateurs often provide the only means of radio communications in times of emergency and natural disasters.  However, there are hundreds, yes thousands, of radio amateurs who also provide daily public service using their radio set to participate in many types of special radio communications known as nets.  These nets include the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service Net, the American Radio Relay League Traffic Nets, the Military Affiliate Radio Service Nets, the Hurricane Watch Net, the Maritime Net, the Mobile Service Net, the Medical Service Net and many others.  One of these is the International Mission Radio Association Net.  It was formally organized in 1963 and grew rapidly.  In a few years, there were more than 900 clergymen missionaries and lay persons of all faiths in 40 countries who belonged to this "people helping people" net.  This net has two main purposes.  The first is to establish amateur radio communication links for missionaries to keep in touch with their families, friends and colleagues.  The second purpose is to provide radio equipment for the missionaries.
     The net is the primary means of daily communications for missionaries stationed in many remote locations in foreign countries.  Herb Adkins, KA4JWS/6Y5 is a director of the Bethel Christian School in a remote village back in the hills on the island of Jamaica where he often needs information and assistance.  Herb says, "There are no telephones, no telegraph, no neighbors and very slow mail service."  He heavily depends upon the net.
     As a local missionary of long standing, Herb says, "I have, out of necessity, become the local undertaker, dentist, midwife, school bus driver, pastor and teacher along with some other things I shouldn't mention."  Before moving to Jamaica, Herb and his wife Vivian, a schoolteacher, lived in Winter Haven, Florida where he was in the auto repair business.  They came to Jamaica in 1973 intending to work at the school for only one year.
     Another missionary is Brother Bob Walsh, YN4RC who is in Bluefields, Nicaragua.  He checks into this net almost every day.  In this way, he lets his mother, brothers and sisters in the Midwest know that he is safe in that politically unstable region.  Brother Bob says if he is not on the air, they get worried and try to find out what is the matter.
     Walter Walker, WA4LEX is the manager of the net and lives in Nokomis, Florida.  He says that the net sends about 12,000 messages for the missionaries each year.  This missionary net maintains a close relationship with the Medical Amateur Radio Council.  Together they have supplied various mission stations with medical supplies and equipment worth thousands of dollars.
     Many of the missionary radio amateurs are working under very difficult and primitive conditions helping people.  Radio amateurs on the home front are fortunate that we can help them with radio communications so that their daily burden helping people will be a little lighter.

July 27, 1989

** Broadcasts recordings preserved and presented here by Mr. Robert Buss and Mr. Bernie Ricciardi, Phil's friends and fellow Marconi Chapter 138 QCWA members **

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