From the location of the KIM vehicle, I doubt they would have been able to get out with a HT (portable) radio to the local ham repeater. They may have had some limited success if using a mobile (shoulda..coulda..woulda..)

From my point (near the upper end of the Big Windy Creek drainage) I was not able to get out with a portable to the repeater. Some local search crews were using the repeater for coordination (along with local public safety channels). Almost all of the search crews were using portable radios for coordination and of course, mobile radios.

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