[CCCNFBW] from the columbian

[Robert Sellers]

Here is an article from the Columbian regarding a person with an amateur
radio reaching out to the blind andvi, as well as vets here in the area.

Maybe it is something we can participate in, use to promote the NFB. I'm
sure the ACB would like to take advantage of it. 

 

Bob

 

 

 

Orchards man's radio station aims to help blind, visually impaired, disabled
vets. Lauren Ellenbecker. A local up-and-coming amateur radio station for
blind and disabled veterans began airing every day from

6 a.m. to noon in December. VetNet was added to the Northwest Audio
Information Service and Community Growth Radio on Dec. 12 and is operated
from its creator's apartment in Orchards. There is no external money
supporting the station, just an internal passion to keep it alive. Gerald
Gaule is a one-man operation. He has three tables that function as a large
wrap-around desk, which has the right amount of surface area to hold all his
equipment and various books, papers 

and CDs. Numerous cords snake throughout the room, and all the electrical
sockets are full. Gaule created the VetNet radio station because he saw a
need that wasn't being met for blind, visually impaired and disabled
veterans in Southwest Washington and northern Oregon. It serves as an
accessible source of entertainment and information for vets, Gaule said, as
he draws programming from other stations that may be beneficial to
listeners. He was inspired 

by his brother who served in the Vietnam War, as well as others in the
military. It's for them. That's how it started, he said. It's just one
inspiration after another. The network also has musical elements that
deliver a sense of nostalgia to its listeners. Gaule incorporated tunes on
his station that were aired on the Armed Forces Radio during the late 1950s
to the mid-1970s during the Vietnam War. Listeners will also hear from
veterans who share their journeys navigating the world post-service, such as
repairing their mental health or beginning their own business. In the
future, Gaule hopes to include resources from local veteran organizations to
expand his reach. The network costs about 

$300 to cover internet and power usage, which Gaule sustains by using a
portion of his disability checks. Retirement is an option, he said, but the
station is a labor of love that he is willing to invest in. It's not about
the numbers or how many people listen, he said. I get satisfaction if I make
someone's day. VetNet can be accessed online at
station.voscast.com/5d9602575e504/. No stranger to the world of radio Gaule
worked at local commercial radio 

stations throughout his career and has been an amateur radio operator for 20
years. Bob Ancheta, who was Gaule's boss at Vancouver's KAR station during
its operation in the 1990s, said he is a natural radio operator and host who
lives and breathes radio. Gaule, who is self-taught, ran the control board
when there was special programming that didn't require a disc jockey, he
said. Eventually, Gaule worked his way on air. After Ancheta and Gaule
stopped working at the station, they kept in touch and stayed in the
fulfilling, albeit slowly diminishing, radio business. Gaule's persistence
to reach more listeners through his projects accompanied with his
consistently full workload impressed Ancheta. He feels for other people,
Ancheta said. He's just a compassionate guy all around.

 

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