Ham Operators Assists in Locating Missing Hiker (California)

A man from Palmdale who went missing while hiking in the Angeles National Forest has been found safe and is in good condition, according to authorities.

Rene Compean was found near the Chilao Campgrounds and was set to be airlifted to safety. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Compean will not need to be hospitalized.

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According to the sheriff’s department, a Twitter user recognized the area where the photo was taken and that allowed crews to narrow their search.

“We found one particular Twitter user that we’d seen in the past. He seemed extremely knowledgeable, in regards to mapping and terrain, through lots of his other endeavors,” said LASD Sgt. John Gilbert. “We started looking at the information that he gathered.”

They connected with Ben Kuo, a well-known ham radio operator.

“I started going through the process of looking at the photo, figuring out where it was,” Kuo said. “I do a lot of hiking as well, so I’m a little familiar with the area. And I said, ‘Oh, I think I know where this guy is,’ and found some GPS locations, and gave it to the search and rescue guy.”

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