HAMNET SARL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION DIVISION 
HAMNET
AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION NETWORK
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 28 June 2009 |
Listen to monthly Hamnet bulletin
JUNE 2009 |
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 28 JUNE 2009
There is a saying that in South Africa, when the winter solstice has passed, that is when winter really sets in! If morning temperatures around South Africa on Friday morning were anything to go by, I would say that saying is correct.
Craig Dalgleish ZS5CID of the Underberg Disaster Management phoned me on Friday morning indicating that the snow is yet to arrive – which could be over the weekend, but that the early morning temperature had plummeted to minus 6 degrees!
Strong winds over the past few days caused havoc in many areas with power lines and telephone lines down and the main artery road to Gauteng, the N3 over van Reenen pass being closed to traffic due to winds exceeding 100 km per hour at the pass itself.
On Thursday, two trucks with trailers, actually being escorted through the pass, were blown on their sides by the strong wind – hence the decision to divert traffic via Oliviershoek Pass – which very soon became congested.
Although no snow has reached high lying areas, Craig did indicate that one pass had already been closed due to snow beginning to fall and we anticipate that although this may not be a very heavy fall, that many more roads and smaller passes over the weekend will be closed.
People returning from KZN earlier in the week indicated they saw snow on the Drakensberg, but only on the peaks. We believe that will change this weekend and will in all probability also affect Eastern Cape roads and passes.
Cold snaps and high winds produce problems with communication to both landline and cell phone networks.
Hamnet operators around the Eastern Cape and KZN are on alert and will also be monitoring our HF frequency of 7,110 MHz in the 40 m band as well as 3,760 MHz late afternoon and early evening in the 80 m band.
Finally, the Confederations Cup draws to a close today with the play-off for 3rd and 4th taking place at 3pm local time and the final tonight at Ellis Park at 8:30pm. Hamnet was on full alert during the tournament but in the end it turned out to be just a good event and exercise in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Reporting for Hamnet, this is Francois Botha ZS6BUU.
