An example of amateur radio transcending politics - as well it should: A donation of 14 mobile radios and simple designs for homebrew antennas have gone the distance from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to a humanitarian organization providing social support and medical care to displaced families in Ukraine.

The radios and the plans for antenna construction are a project of the Bosque Amateur Radio Club, N5BRC. When Joseph Nichols,the founder of Care4Ukraine.org, asked his brother Art Nichols, KI5GOL, if the hams could assist with the volunteers' communication needs as they address the sheltering, educational and social concerns of the families, Art decided to approach the club for ideas. Bill Kent, N5UJC, Larry Elkin, NY5L, Terry Zipes, W4RCN and club president, Jerry Aceto, K6LIE, have since established BARCnetUA, the program by which the hams are providing assistance.

Club members have donated $700 to the effort, which paid for the 14 handheld radios. Art told the Albuquerque Journal that by using the club's simple plans, the organization's volunteer team has been able to build and use 65 antennas.

Joseph Nichols, a former biomedical equipment engineer now living in Ukraine, writes on the GoFundMe page of Care4Ukraine that the hams' gifts have permitted the installation of small micro-networks of solar-powered radio equipment used by volunteers in rural areas for emergency, non-military purposes. He said that the equipment is shared freely with other volunteer aid groups as well.