SAROF/SATERN Relationship
by Major Pat McPherson

People often wonder about the SAROF net. I'd like to tell you a little about what it is and who founded it.

Lt. Colonel Carl J. Lindstrom, W9JSF, was the Founder and Coordinator of SAROF.
The original name was "Salvationist Amateur Radio Operator's Fellowship." Years later that was changed to "Salvation Army Radio Operator's Fellowship," which seemed an easier acronym for the uninitiated in The Salvation Army fraternity. Colonel Lindstrom was the Community Relations and Development Director for the Central Territory and part of his responsibility was disaster services. He was an avid amateur radio afficionado.

The program began with the common purpose of "Strengthening those bonds of Faith and Common Interest which link us together as Salvationists and Amateur Radio Operators." While the term "Salvationist" in strict interpretation in The Salvation Army refers to those who are members or soldiers in the organization, in SAROF, it meant all those in The Salvation Army fraternity, including Soldiers, adherents, volunteers, advisory board members, disaster workers, supporters, etc. In short, all those who were interested in The Salvation Army could be part of the
world-wide SAROF Net.

Today there are three major SAROF Nets:

Saturday 14265 MHZ - 1530Z Combined SATERN/SAROF Net
Saturday 7265 MHZ - 1600Z SAROF Forty Meter Net
Monday 3740 MHZ - 0200Z Canadian SAROF Net

The early SATERN nets began as an adjunct to SAROF. Harold Gibson, VE3NKU, and Ernie Reid, VE3BIX (now deceased) hung around after the SAROF Net along with Art Evans, KA9KLZ
(the first National Net Director of SATERN), and me, for the first SATERN net.

SAROF has continued to grow the last decade, partially due to the impact of the SATERN emergency network's membership and their participation .It has been an important part of the lives of many Salvationists throughout the world for the past 43 years.

Carl, my friend, it is still here.