From our friends at "100 Watts and a Wire" ...
Using the power of simultaneous livestreams on both their YouTube channels and a special event station on the ham bands, two amateur radio operators are raising public awareness on behalf of a Detroit area ham who has been diagnosed with end stage renal failure. Phil Ross, AB8PR, has been told that unless a matching kidney can be located from a living donor soon, he will require dialysis, a time-consuming intervention that is not considered a cure.
Christian Cudnik, K0STH, and Alexander Valladares, W7HU, are turning their respective channels on YouTube into venues for the “Papa Phil Challenge” in the hopes a compatible donor can be found in time.
Cudnik’s You Tube Channel, "100 Watts and a Wire," presents a weekly amateur radio talk show that reflects on the intersection of life and ham radio. Mr. Valladares’ You Tube Channel, W7HU Alex, livestreams the amateur radio contacts he makes -- many of them international -- from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
After much discussion on ways to get the word out to the public on the immediacy of Phil’s health crisis, Cudnik, in Missouri, and Valladares, in Florida, realized they had just the right tools. “I started sharing ideas on how to help ‘Papa Phil’ find a living kidney donor,” said Cudnik, “and that is how this campaign came to fruition.” Cudnik calls his weekly Wednesday program “The Spirit of Radio,” a nod to the prominent role ham radio plays in public service.
Valladares said: “The only thing we ask in return is those who watch our live streams post the link to Papa Phil’s video from his website on their social media pages.” For more information, please visit the “Papa Phil” website at http://www.papaphilcan.com.
Meanwhile, amateur radio operators around the country are joining Cudnik and Valladares to further amplify the urgent need facing the Michigan grandfather: They will be on the amateur radio bands (17, 20, 40 and 80 meters) from March 13 to March 20, sharing Phil’s story and using the special-event callsign K4P. The hams will be calling for contacts on single sideband and the digital mode FT8. Special event QSL cards and a downloadable digital certificate will be available for confirmed contacts.
