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HAMNET SARL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION DIVISION 
 HAMNET
AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION NETWORK
IN HAMNET ARMI NEWS THIS WEEK:WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) ran an operation at Matroosberg on the 12th and 13th of August in an attempt to recover the remains of Elaine Abrahams who fell over the edge of Groothoek Canyon at the end of June. Members of Delta Search and Rescue, EMS and Hamnet provided communications support for the operation. Scroll down to read more
WHEN ALL FAILS AMATEUR RADIO SUCCEEDS Something has gone terribly wrong. Normal ways of doing things are not working. The fastest way to turn an emergency into a full disaster is to lose communications. Radio Amateurs understand emergencies. For over 70 years they have provided emergency communications for organisations. When normal ways of communication fail or get overloaded Radio Amateurs will be there.
HAMNET, the National Emergency Communications division of the South African Radio League (SARL), provides communications for emergencies and can mobilise experienced communicators who with their own radio equipment will back up official channels or take over when all else fails.
Listen to the weekly Hamnet report transmitted on Amateur Radio Mirror International 29 August 2010
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The SARL represents all Radio Amateurs in South Africa at all levels of Government and through the IARU at the International telecommunications Union.Radio Amateurs or "Hams" use two-way radio communication to make contact with other radio amateurs all over the world. They are even able to use satellites and on occasion speak with astronauts. Radio Hams can do this from home or while mobile in cars, boats or on foot.
Radio Hams have a full range or communication modes at their disposal. These include plain voice, Morse code, numerous digital computer modes and even graphical modes like television. A licensed radio amateur is able to join in experiments using all these modes.
HAMNET REPORT 29 AUGUST 2010
This report was first broacast on Amateur Radio Mirror (ARMI) on 29 August 2010
WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) ran an operation at Matroosberg on the 12th and 13th of August in an attempt to recover the remains of Elaine Abrahams who fell over the edge of Groothoek Canyon at the end of June. Members of Delta Search and Rescue, EMS and Hamnet provided communications support for the operation. This report from Paul van Spronsen ZS1PVS – Provincial Director of Hamnet Western Cape!
Members of Cape Nature, EMS and The Off Road Rescue Unit provided logistical support in the form of transport up and down the four wheel drive track that rises approximately 800m. Members from High Angle Rescue, MCSA and TMR were involved in the technical aspects of the operation.
The original communications plan involved placing a relay station at Matroosberg peak, but communications between the base established at the farm and the base established at conical peak turned out to be sufficiently good that the relay was cancelled. This simplified the logistics somewhat as the team originally intended to operate the relay were now able to operate in a base communications capacity.
Communications were done principally on three frequencies: the WSAR channel for in base communications and communications between ORRU, EMS and Cape Nature while in convoy; an EMS simplex channel near 155 MHz for communication between the farm base and the conical peak base; and the Cruiser channel between members of ORRU when the convoy did not include vehicles from other organisations.
Paul, ZS1PVS was stationed at the farm base with the incident commander. Good communication was established using only 10W on the inter-base channel. 5W was workable, but not with full quieting. I made use of cross band repeat to 433.500MHz to a handheld, which I could then operate on 50mW. This enabled me to man the radio while performing other functions to assist where possible. An EMS member handled most of the farm base communications and helped by keeping the log and answering calls from conical base. This served to re-enforce the idea that it takes two people to properly man a radio point. This has been suggested several times during debriefings after events and exercises.
The operation was eventually called off due to safety concerns. Pieces of ice 'the size of tents' were breaking off and falling in the area where the operation was to take place. It is unknown at the moment how long it will be before it is safe to proceed. Reporting on Hamnet, this is Francois Botha ZS6BUU
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