>>>>> To quote Peter Gabriel..."I go swimming,swimming in the water...."
 >>>  JE> if you can get that zipped file down here to me, I can post 
hatever
 >>> needs to be in here, upon request.
 >>> Ok Jeff... E-mail and the phones are ok here,it is the AC that
 >>> is flakey as hell.
AC?  In the middle of a blizzard and you're worrying about AC?  (Perhaps that 
-VOLTAGE- and not "A"ir "C"onditioning ;-)
(gotta smile to keep from crying, y'know )
 >  JE> Been watching.  Didn't know exactly where you were, but got a better
 >  JE> now.  Hope it all 'blows over' soon.
 >  Jeff it blew over (for now....) but now we have snow
 > dumping on top of the frozen everything,making driving
 > in rural areas a mess. YUCK..
STarting to see some of the reports on TV, now.
Ain't it amazing that they can send a crew in such an area with camera and 
live links back to the stations, etc, and tell how that particular area is 
without communication!
What's wrong with this picture? (smirk)
 >  There are still many people with no hydro in some
 > parts of Eastern Ontario, the Ottawa Valley, and parts
 > of West and East Quebec.
Is there anyone who's taking those people water and whatever basics needed?
 >  This storm was one of the worst in Candian history so far.
So it's been reported.
 >  Amateur radio was and still is the only link out for
 > some communities,but it is getting better as phone
 > service is slowly restored.
Here's hoping that all gets much better, before it gets worse.
 >  Amateur radio has really proved itself to be the
 > community lifeline in many Ontario and Quebec towns
 > and cities that had their phone services and hydro
 > trashed.
Glad to hear that Ham Radio is well represented in that area, Rob.  If you 
get the chance, give a quick "Hi" to Barry and Kathy, VE3JF and VE3JFA in 
Ottawa (isn't that in the same geographical area?  My Canadian geography 
ain't so hot.)
 > A huge effort on the part of the amateur community in Ontario
 > and Quebec to provide communications for those who had none.
 >  I have never been through anything like this before Jeff
 > and it was a big eye-opener to see what could be done with what
 > little you had.
Necessity is the mother of invention, Rob.  I'm not the first to say it, but 
I certainly believe in it.
 >  The only antenna I lost out was the HF trapped dipole
 > when a trap broke last Friday so I count myself lucky.
 >  I guess all the long playing around on simplex
 > finally paid off when the repeaters all seems to go
 > fuzzy with ice on their antennas.
Given the situation, and the fact that you're still alive speaks well for 
preparedness.  Experience and good operating skills allowed for the best to 
be made from a bad situation.
I'm glad you sent the report/update.  Let's me know that things are, while 
not that good, aren't -that- bad up there. At least -you're- still alive :-)
(*privatly to myself:  Thank you, Lord, for answering my prayers for Rob and 
his father in Canada, during this terrible event.*)
 >  I'll send you a ZIP file by E-mail this week of those
 > file sI was posting now that the hydro has gotten a
 > bit more stable.
By all means, take your time.
 >>> What did we do to deserve all this mess?
Year after year, freakish weather events occur and records are continually 
broken.  As to teh WHY this is happening, one can only speculate.
After all, "Ours is not to question why..."
Let me know what kind of assistance I can be down here, if any H&W traffic 
need be passed in this area.
73 = Best Regards            -Jeff KA5THB
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