DX Engineering and Icom America recently turned an email from a concerned ham into a donation that will impact lives for years to come.
In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Dan Gitro, K2DMG, worked tirelessly to relay critical emergency messages from his shack in Mooresville, North Carolina, running the emergency net on the Mt. Mitchell repeater in Iredell County.
“We started calling family members all across the country for these folks and saying, ‘Hey, we talked to your loved one on ham radio, and they want you to know that they are alive and okay,’” K2DMG told WJZY Queen City News in Charlotte.
“It’s a humbling feeling being able to help somebody you’ve never met, you’ve never seen, you have no idea who they are,” K2DMG continued. “All you want to do is offer help to them, to let their loved ones know they’re okay, they’re alive.”
Icom America received an email from a ham in Kansas who had been listening to K2DMG on the internet through a repeater in North Carolina. He noted that K2DMG’s rig (an Icom IC-746 Pro) had been an “absolute workhorse” on the air but was cutting out every now and then when transmitting.
He asked Icom America if they could send K2DMG, who he did not personally know, an upgraded transceiver, explaining that K2DMG had said earlier on the air that “the latest and greatest Icom isn’t in my budget.”
After Icom asked DX Engineering if they would like to be part of the effort to give K2DMG the best tools available, DX Engineering’s Teri Grizer, K8MNJ, contacted K2DMG with the offer of an Icom transceiver as a thank you for his diligent work after the hurricane.
“To say I was shocked was an understatement,” K2DMG wrote on the Iredell Firewire Facebook page. “Anyone who knows me knows I am a humble man and I don’t like the spotlight on myself. I had difficulty even answering the question, what radio I may want.”
He opted for the Icom IC-9700 because it would provide him with 100 watts and USB/LSB like the 746 Pro, plus D-STAR capabilities for enhanced emergency communications.
On October 26, the IC-9700 arrived at K2DMG’s door.
“This morning, UPS delivered a brand new 9700 to my house. I am not sure how Icom or DX Engineering heard of me and what I was doing, but all I can say is ‘thank you.’”
A string of comments followed the post:
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“You provided desperately needed assistance to our neighbors in their time of need. I want to publicly express my thanks for the time, energy, and knowledge you provided. All of us Firewire followers enjoy your service every day. If you can’t pat your own back, let me do it!”
“That’s what happens when good people do good for our community and state. You deserve it and thank you for what you do for us.”
“I was listening a lot of the time while our power was out. You sir did an outstanding job! You made ham radio shine again and reminded many people of how important ham radio is.”
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Icom America reached out to the ham who sent the original email thanking him for letting the company know about K2DMG’s work after Helene.
“Your email from early October brought to our attention a remarkable story of generosity within our amateur radio community. I was delighted to hear that we were able to turn this into such a positive outcome. At Icom America, we deeply value our amateur radio community. While we cannot always extend special recognition to every deserving operator, occasions like this remind us of the extraordinary spirit of service that defines our hobby.”
“We were honored to play a part in recognizing Dan, K2DMG, for representing the selfless spirit of what it means to be an amateur radio operator,” said Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering CEO. “While we understand emergency operators don’t ask for glory, we felt honoring him with a new transceiver was a way to thank the legions of EMCOMM specialists who give so much of themselves when the worst happens.”
