Greg Mossop G0DUB reports that a major magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) region of Indonesia early on Saturday morning. Preliminary reports indicate damage to buildings and disruption to normal communications infrastructure in several affected areas.

In support of ongoing emergency and disaster-response communications, amateur radio operators in Indonesia and throughout the Region are respectfully requested to keep the following frequencies clear and avoid causing interference to emergency traffic:

40 metres: 7.110 MHz

2 metres: 145.100 MHz

7.110 MHz is being used for HF emergency communications, while 145.100 MHz is being used for local VHF coordination in affected areas.

All amateur radio operators are requested to give absolute priority to emergency and disaster-relief traffic on these frequencies and to monitor without transmitting unless specifically requested to assist.

The IARU Region 3 Disaster Communication Committee, together with the relevant emergency communication coordinators and IARU Region 3 officials, remains on standby and is coordinating as necessary to support any requests for amateur radio emergency communication assistance.

We appreciate the cooperation and discipline of the amateur radio community during this emergency.

This report came via Greg from Ageng Aditya, YB1BTM, Disaster Communications Coordinator for IARU Region 3.

Redcross.org reports that, after their magnitude 7.4 earthquake of 10^th August, the Colombian Red Cross has been supporting the national response through coordinated emergency operations and specialized response teams. They have activated their National Crisis Room and telecommunications systems, mobilized 17 search and rescue teams – including 585 personnel and 19 canine units – coordinated with national authorities and remain prepared to deploy additional health and emergency response capacities as required.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has also activated its large-scale emergency readiness plan in Colombia and is coordinating closely with the Colombian Red Cross to assess needs, mobilize technical support and provide other assistance.

Meanwhile en.people.cn reports that China has released a five-year plan to spur the development of the safety and emergency equipment industry this week, stressing the role of leading enterprises in enhancing the country’s emergency response capabilities.

The plan, jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Emergency Management, aims significantly to raise the industry’s scale, technological capabilities, product quality and application levels by 2030, with output in key areas reaching 1.4 trillion yuan.

It also calls for breakthroughs in key technologies, the development of more application scenarios and the cultivation of internationally competitive leading enterprises by 2030.

China’s safety and emergency equipment industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with output in key areas surpassing 1 trillion yuan in 2025.

New technologies and equipment have been increasingly deployed in frontline rescue and relief operations. During this year’s flood season, drones and satellite communications systems were used to detect risks at dams and ensure communications during emergencies, making flood control and disaster response more precise and efficient.

In January, a guideline on promoting innovation in emergency management equipment set out targets for breakthroughs in more than 20 key technologies, the development of over 20 types of innovative equipment and the wider application of more than 30 types of advanced equipment by the end of 2027.

Popular Mechanics reports this week that, nestled between Hawaii and the western coast of Mexico, lies the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a 4.5 million-kilometer-square area of abyssal plain bordered by the Clarion and Clipperton Fracture Zones. Although this stretch of sea is a vibrant ecosystem filled with marine life, the CCZ is known best for its immense collection of potato-sized rocks known as polymetallic nodules.

These rocks, of which there are potentially trillions, are filled with rich deposits of nickel, manganese, copper, zinc, and cobalt. Those particular metals are vital for the batteries needed to power a green energy future, leading some mining companies to refer to the nodules as “batteries in a rock.”

However, a study reports that these nodules might be much more than simply a collection of valuable materials for electric cars—they also produce oxygen 4,000 meters below the surface where sunlight can’t reach.

This unexpected source of “dark oxygen,” as it’s called, redefines the role these nodules play in the CCZ. The rocks could also rewrite the script on not only how life began on this planet, but also its potential to take hold on other worlds within our Solar System, such as the moons Enceladus or Europa. The results of this study were first published in July 2024 in the journal Nature Geoscience.

“For aerobic life to begin on the planet,” Andrew Sweetman, deep-sea ecologist with the Scottish Association for Marine Science and lead author of the study said in a press statement, “there had to be oxygen and our understanding has been that Earth’s oxygen supply began with photosynthetic organisms. But we now know that there is oxygen produced in the deep sea, where there is no light. I think we therefore need to revisit questions like: where could aerobic life have begun?”

The journey toward this discovery began more than a decade ago when Sweetman began analyzing how oxygen levels decreased further into the depths of the ocean. So it came as a surprise in 2013 when sensors returned increased levels of oxygen in the CCZ. At the time, Sweetman dismissed the data as the result of faulty sensors, but future studies showed that this abyssal plain somehow produced oxygen.

Taking note of the nodule’s “battery in a rock” tagline, Sweetman wondered if the minerals found in these nodules were somehow acting as a kind of “geobattery” by separating hydrogen and oxygen via seawater electrolysis.

A 2023 study showed that various bacteria and archaea can create “dark oxygen,” so Sweetman and his team recreated the conditions of the CCZ in a laboratory and killed off any microorganisms with mercury chloride—surprisingly, oxygen levels continued rising.

This discovery adds more fuel to the already-fiery debate over what to do with these nodules. Mining outfits like the Metals Company, whose CEO coined the phrase “battery in a rock,” sees these nodules as the answer to our energy problems. However, 25 countries want the governing body—the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council—to implement a moratorium, or at the very least a precautionary pause, so more research can be conducted to see how mining these nodules could affect the ocean. This is especially vital considering that the world’s seas are already facing a litany of climate challenges, including acidification, deoxygenation, and pollution.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

First of all, Happy Women’s Day to all the girls out there! Thank you for all you do, to keep the world rotating.

The alert for Tropical Cyclone DOLPHIN in the NW pacific has been raised to an orange level, with further forecasts predicting it will move from the Marshall Islands in the general direction of China and Japan. Maximum wind speeds of 270km/h are still predicted, and the estimated population affected by category 1 (120 km/h) wind speeds or higher currently is 4.1 million.

The projected path of the storm seems to imply that DOLPHIN will travel in a NW direction between the Northern tip of the Philippines, and the Southern end of Japan’s South Island, bringing storms to Japan, but eventually smacking straight into the SE coast of China, where I expect the most damage to be done.

The planning meeting for the Koeberg Communications Exercise to take place on the 18^th August in Cape Town was held this week on the 7^th. A Disaster Ops Centre will be set up on the 18^th at Goodwood Disaster Risk Management Centre, once the start-of-exercise SMS is received from Disaster Management. HAMNET will be represented in the Strat Room downstairs with any extra ham onlookers upstairs in the overflow auditorium, which has audio and video connectivity to downstairs.

Danie ZS1OSS is our main liaison with DRM, and has suggested all ham attendees have handheld radios tuned to 145.250 MHz simplex, with earpieces, to minimize noise in either auditorium. In a real event HAMNET’s role could be to deploy members to the DOC, to the ZS1DCC radio room, and to vital locations with no communications such as at traffic roadblocks, a mass care centre location, or Koeberg itself. Our primary role is to help re-establish communications which may include taking MeshCore companion node with us.

No mass care centre will be set up for this exercise, but will be for the planned National Exercise in September.

Brian Jacobs ZS6YZ sent me a report yesterday saying that HAMNET Gauteng participated in the 2nd African Rover Moot, providing camp communications and showing off some of the communications equipment that is used to provide emergency communications.

Brian ZS6YZ and Willem ZS6WIM set up the HAMNET Gauteng Emergency trailer and from there provided camp communications for the duration of the Moot.

Last Sunday and Monday they showcased the equipment and discussed the importance of amateur radio in emergencies when commercial telecommunications systems are vulnerable and often fail.

These discussions continued throughout the week with a number of delegates spending time individually with the team to find out more about amateur radio, whether there are Amateur Radio Societies in their countries and who they should contact either to become Radio Amateurs or to arrange for Radio Amateurs to assist with JOTA/JOTI. This is important in light of the fact that the African Telecommunications Union also has an initiative to develop Amateur Radio in Africa.

Fruitful discussions also took place at an international level with Scout leaders present as to how Scouts in general and Radio Amateurs can come together to serve the youth and so mutually benefit both organisations.

The week’s activities culminated in a cultural day where dignitaries and visitors met the scouts and experienced the cultures of all the countries that attended the Moot.

HAMNET also had the opportunity to talk to other Service organisations and build relations resulting in an invitation to present Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications to these organisations.

Thank you for the report, Brian.

You may have heard that a piece of one of Elon Musk’s rockets that launched two private lunar landers to the moon last year, crashed into the moon this week. Phys.org says that the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Danuri spacecraft flew over the impact site soon after the Falcon 9 upper stage inadvertently ploughed into the moon on Wednesday. Danuri made multiple passes, snapping photos from lunar orbit that were released by the space agency on Thursday.

The terrain is noticeably darker where the rocket hit and carved out a crater, sending dust and rock everywhere. Korean space officials said Danuri gathered before and after shots. Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched Danuri from Cape Canaveral in 2022.

NASA expects its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to fly over the crash site next week to view the aftermath.

SpaceX sent the pair of private lunar landers to the moon last year. The upper stage from that launch is what crashed into the moon this week at 8,700 km/h, placed on an accidental collision course by solar activity and gravity, according to SpaceX.

This is the second manmade crater created on the moon. In 2022, a stage of a Chinese Moon mission crashed into the moon, but on the far side, and thus not visible to earth.

Hot of the press, so to speak, and received last night at 18h15, Ian Bradley ZS1BR sent me a report of the All Tar Rally held in Cape Town yesterday. He says:

“Reporting live from Killarney:

“Radio amateurs were again requested to assist at the annual All Tar Rally held at the Killarney Raceway where rally cars and track cars, or “challengers”, fight it out in unconventional stages.

“The initial two stages went off without a hitch, although several cars were knocked out with mechanical failures. A crash in the fourth stage required a recovery team as the car was blocking the track, but thankfully there were no injuries.

“Due to the large field of competitors, as well as a few minor incidents on the track and other delays, the final stage began just as the rain started. Thankfully this did not cause any additional issues and the final car crossed the line just after 17:00.

“This year we were assisted by three new amateur operators, namely George ZS1GLH, Jean ZR1JT, and Justin ZR1JJ, who filled in at the last minute. Special thanks to them and their ability to learn fast and under extreme pressure. We hope they weren’t intimidated or scared off, because not all rallies are quite as challenging!

“Thanks also go to Johann ZS1JM and Andre ZS1ATX at the track, as well as Davy ZR1FR and the rest of the team working in the background.”

And thanks to you Ian, for so conscientiously writing the report in your car, and still at Killarney.

This is Dave Reece, writing from an icy and wet Cape Town, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

GDACS is reporting that the death toll from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the southern tip of Japan on 28^th July has now reached more than 35. Raillynews.com says that entire neighbourhoods lie in ruins, infrastructure has crumbled, and people are still missing.

80000 households are without water, over 4500 are without electricity, and transportation modes and routes are totally disrupted. Sniffer dogs helped rescuers to make a sweep of a shopping mall wrecked by an explosion after the earthquake, causing collapse of the 1^st floor killing several and wounding even more.

It appears the Marshall Islands in the south China Seas are again being threatened by a strong tropical cyclone, this one called DOLPHIN, with potential wind speeds of 270km/h, and approaching the islands from the south east. On Friday, projections suggested that about 4500 people at that stage were in the path of 120km/h winds, or higher.

As part of the report mentioned in the HQ bulletin earlier about HAMNET members successfully tracking the intruders on UHF, Brian ZS6YZ, HAMNET National Director reminds us that the use of radio equipment, be they receivers or transmitters (or both) is regulated by law and ICASA. Most two-way radio equipment and its use is subject to strict licensing control.

On the internet, it is very easy to buy virtually anything online, and unfortunately, two-way radio equipment, which is controlled apparatus, is easily obtained and used in ways that infringe on other licensed users’ spectrum / frequencies.

The purchase of handheld VHF/UHF radios over Temu, Bangood and other Chinese retailers, without the right license (Amateur Radio ONLY), is highly illegal and will land you a date with the men with hand-cuffs. A R700 illegal radio will certainly lead to an expensive fine later on in Court if it is found in the hands of a person without the appropriate license. It is also illegal for any person/company to sell or program a two-way radio to anyone without the required ICASA dealers’ license.

He notes further that there is a massive problem in South Africa regarding unregulated imports of controlled equipment which pose risks to other licensed users and which enable criminals and syndicates, as they can use Amateur Radio equipment to illegally jam or listen in on other people’s radio networks.

Brian thanks ICASA and the volunteers from the Amateur Radio fraternity and SARL HAMNET Gauteng who led the operation to crack down on illegal use of Amateur Radio spectrum by commercial and private entities and who cause interference to other licensed users.

Thank you, Brian, for that news and important warning.

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, there will be a total Solar Eclipse on Wednesday the 12^th August, visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small corner of Portugal.

During the eclipse, NASA will conduct several experiments along the path of totality. To study the Sun’s corona, a NASA-funded science team will chase the Moon’s shadow with a WB 57 high altitude research aircraft. At the same time, students participating in the NASA-supported Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project will launch scientific balloons in Iceland and Spain before, during, and after the eclipse to explore how temporary darkness affects Earth’s atmosphere.

Sfgate.com from British Columbia reports that a group of teenagers set out to hike the famed Howe Sound Crest Trail in early July, Google Maps suggesting the trek would take about five hours. Instead, the hike stretched deep into the night, leaving the group exhausted, dehydrated, injured and in need of a helicopter rescue.

Maria Masiar, training officer and search manager with Lions Bay Search and Rescue, said that the group was listening to a source that was inaccurate, and which led them along a series of poor decision points.

The Howe Sound Crest Trail is one of British Columbia’s most iconic alpine trails, following a rugged ridgeline overlooking Howe Sound just north of Vancouver. Although the approximately 32km route with a 2000 metre elevation gain can be completed by experienced trail runners in a day, search and rescue officials generally recommend hikers treat it as a two-day backpacking trip.

The teenagers, all 17 years old, believed Google Maps’ estimate that the route would take about five hours. The printed directions they were carrying, which were shared publicly by Lions Bay Search and Rescue, gave simple instructions for two legs of the trail, but didn’t account for the terrain or elevation.

“[Google Maps] was calculating the time that you’re walking a straight road on pavement,” Masiar said. “When you get into outdoor terrain that calculation no longer holds true.”

Expecting only a short outing, each hiker carried about half a liter of water and limited food. There are no reliable water sources along the trail, meaning hikers must carry enough supplies for the entire route. As the group climbed, they began suffering from dehydration and muscle cramps but continued onward despite falling dramatically behind schedule.

Eventually, the group made the decision to turn back and abandon making it to the end of the trail — and as the sun began to set and the group started to descend, fatigue took its toll.

According to Masiar, members of the group had already stumbled and fallen several times while trying to race the coming darkness and only one hiker had a headlamp. Eventually, another hiker slipped about 3 metres off a boulder, injuring his coccyx badly enough that he could no longer continue. Search and rescue crews responded, ultimately evacuating him by helicopter.

While headlines about the rescue focused on Google Maps, Masiar said the bigger issue is that many inexperienced hikers don’t realize the app was never intended to be a backcountry navigation tool.

Thank you to sfgate.com for that alarming story.

Those of you who appreciate pets will be happy to know that International Cat Day falls on the 8^th of August, and International Dog Day on 26^th August. The ARRL Letter of 30^th July says that an international group of operators from Latvia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Netherlands, India, and Germany, will be on the air throughout the month in a mutual celebration of International Cat Day and International Dog Day.

The combined special event stations will be active from 1^st to 31^st August 2026 to call attention to the needs of abandoned, abused and homeless pets around the world.

In the United States, a team of operators will be on the air as KØDOG, operating throughout the country at different times. Additional dog-station call signs will include YL1DOG, GB4DOG, VU2MGS, DLØDOG and PDØØDOG. Cat stations will be calling CQ as DLØCAT, GB4CAT and DAØCAT. All operators will be on the HF bands using CW and SSB. Please honour your furbabies by looking for these stations on the air during August.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR, hastily teaching my dog to send CQ by CW, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

Newsreel.com.au says that Disaster communications and response in Far North Queensland have been boosted by a doubling of satellite communication capabilities and the acquisition of an industrial drone.

The State Emergency Service has taken possession of three new Airbridge Resilient Network Infrastructure (ARNI) communications trailers and a DJI Flycart 100 Drone, one of the first of its kind available to emergency services in Australia.

Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner for Disaster and Emergency Management Chris Stream said the ARNI trailers provided reliable satellite communication access to isolated communities during emergencies.

Deputy Commissioner Stream said the self-contained, self-powered units feature high-capacity battery storage, advanced satellite equipment, and self-managed WiFi systems, ensuring critical communication links remained operational when traditional networks were unavailable.

He said the three new trailers were in addition to two already deployed to the region in November last year.

“The Far North is no stranger to severe weather, and the communication impacts it brings,” Deputy Commissioner Stream said.

“The value of the ARNI trailers has been demonstrated during the past higher risk weather season, particularly during Tropical Cyclones Koji and Narelle.

“The trailers were able to be deployed to remote communities of Cooktown and Wujal Wujal, to support multiple activations.”

The State Emergency Service Far Northern Regional Director, Wayne Coutts said the Flycart 100 drone was a state-of-the-art, heavy-duty industrial drone and, complete with a winch, would be used for deliveries during disasters.

“We will now be able to fly more supplies into communities isolated during disasters,” Regional Director Coutts said.

“Whether it’s food, water, equipment or other supplies, this is a game changer for disaster response in Queensland.

“The Flycart and ARNI units are a major boost in our ability to keep Queenslanders safe during some of their toughest times.”

And thank you to newsreel.com.au for the report.

Related to the World Cup in America, insidetowers.com reports that The FCC played a critical role in ensuring the communications that support public safety, broadcasting, and the fan experience remained reliable throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As the agency that oversees the nation’s wireless networks, the Commission conducted advanced planning, testing and coordination activities with stakeholders across the federal government, including law enforcement officials, in all 11 host cities to make sure that on-site public safety communications were seamless and reliable. That’s according to FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Zenji Nakazawa and Enforcement Bureau Chief Patrick Webre.

The agency purchased sensors that were used to monitor and geo-locate sources of wireless interference. If anyone or anything tampered with public safety communications in or around any World Cup matches, the Commission would know about it and work to fix it quickly, they said in a blog.

Nakazawa and Webre have seen these tools make a difference during FCC support for the Super Bowls. “Three days before kickoff in 2023, an illegal transmission disrupted the radio communications of police and fire officials across a 400 square mile area,” they said. Local officials said it once took over a month to fix a similar problem. The FCC’s detection equipment identified and resolved this 2023 problem in two hours. At another Super Bowl, the FCC team identified public safety dead spots inadvertently caused by broadcasting equipment used during the halftime show and helped to develop a work-around.

Fans expect strong, reliable wireless service no matter how crowded the stadium gets. “World Cup-sized crowds will put our networks to the ultimate test,” they said. To make sure that fans can reliably use their devices when and where they want, the agency worked with industry to support high-capacity wireless and 5G connectivity in and around host venues. It also granted a number of temporary authorizations to allow for the “substantially increased” spectrum use for these events.

The FCC also plays a role in mitigating risks associated with unauthorized drone operations at sporting events. The FAA along with DHS and DOJ instituted “No Drone Zones” over and around the arenas, Inside Towers reported.

Thanks to Leslie Stimson of Inside Towers for the report.

Daily.hamweekly.com reports that HAMgpt, a new AI assistant created specifically for amateur radio operators, is now open to the public at hamgpt.co.

Unlike a general-purpose chatbot, HAMgpt is built around the real operating situation of each ham. It can take into account the operator’s license class, country, grid square, radios, antennas and operating history, then combine that station profile with live propagation, space weather, DX activity and current on-air conditions.

Its main purpose is to answer one deceptively simple question: What can I do with my radio today?

Amateur radio offers an enormous range of possibilities: local repeaters, HF DX, satellites, digital modes, POTA, emergency communications, antenna building, contesting and experimentation. For many newly licensed operators, however, the first experience is much less exciting. They pass the exam, buy an HT or an entry-level rig, turn it on, hear static or silence, and do not know what to try next.

HAMgpt was built to help with that exact moment.

“Many new hams do not leave the hobby because they lack information,” said Rodrigo Vazquez, AK6FP / LU6ERV, creator of HAMgpt. “They leave because nobody tells them what actually to do with the radio in their hand. HAMgpt is not trying to out-explain a general chatbot. It is trying to be the reason someone gets on the air instead of putting the radio back in the box.”

In amateur radio, an experienced operator who helps others learn the hobby is traditionally known as an Elmer. HAMgpt is designed to work like a personal digital Elmer that already knows the operator’s station.

Users can save their license class, location, exact radio models and antennas. HAMgpt reuses that information across conversations, so the operator does not need to explain the same setup every time. That context changes the quality of the answer.

For example, HAMgpt can help:

1. Identify repeaters that may realistically be worked with a particular HT or mobile rig.
2. Suggest HF bands based on live conditions and the antennas installed at the station.
3. Recommend satellite passes that fit the operator’s equipment.
4. Find nearby POTA parks to activate.
5. Explain how to configure a specific rig for FT8, Winlink, APRS or satellite work.
6. Provide antenna dimensions and construction guidance for the operator’s target band and available space.

This is what separates HAMgpt from a generic ham-radio Q&A system. The goal is not merely to answer, “What is a repeater?” or “What is an inverted-V?” The goal is to answer, “What should I try with my station right now?”

Very enterprising! Rodrigo’s chatbot is to be congratulated.

This is Dave Reece, ZS1DFR, hoping that HAMgpt will never be able to pick up my mike and call CQ for me, rendering me unnecessary at my station, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

GDACS continues to report on Tropical Cyclone BAVI, a category 5 Hurricane, which damaged islands in the North Mariana group on Sunday and Monday, and has since been forecast to affect Taiwan, China and Japan, threatening 63 million people in its path with winds of greater than 120km/h. Maximum wind speeds of 280km/h have already been recorded.

The Taipei Times says that the Taiwanese government has mobilized disaster relief personnel nationwide and concluded preparations in areas vulnerable to isolation during severe weather, according to Premier Cho Jung-tai.

Nationwide, authorities have ensured 6,662 disaster response personnel, 4,497 rescue vehicles, 1,254 boats and 24 helicopters are on standby, Cho wrote on Facebook. Preparations completed in 173 locations considered at risk of becoming isolated during the storm include stockpiling supplies, ensuring communications capabilities and arranging evacuation shelters, said the premier. He said the military has also placed 28,922 troops on standby for potential disaster response operations.

As of the end of last month, the Ministry of the Interior had trained more than 150,000 certified disaster prevention volunteers, enhancing Taiwan’s disaster resilience, he added.

Cho urged local governments to make full use of the remaining time before the typhoon’s arrival to accelerate drainage ditch clearing and reduce the risk of flooding and other storm-related disasters.

In the meantime China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region has experienced heavy rainfall from a typhoon named MAYSAK. News.cgtn.com says that the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) has coordinated with multiple agencies, including the China Meteorological Administration and the ministries of Water Resources, Natural Resources, Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Transport. National-level emergency command operations have been activated.

Typhoon MAYSAK, the 10th typhoon of the year and the first to make landfall in China in 2026, struck the southern island province of Hainan on the 3^rd of July before moving inland and unleashing torrential rains across south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Record-breaking rainfall triggered severe flooding in multiple cities. More than 375,000 people in Guangxi have been affected, and at least 130,000 residents have been evacuated from flooded areas.

In the hardest-hit town of Yunbiao, Hengzhou County, Guangxi, a massive flood left more than 15,000 residents stranded and the entire town submerged, making roads impassable for traditional ground rescue vehicles. A drone rescue team drove over 1,700 kilometers and traveled for 18 hours to reach the disaster zone.

The team deployed two heavy-lift drones, each with a wingspan of over three meters and a carrying capacity of 100 kilograms, along with three smaller reconnaissance drones. Using drones equipped with ropes, the team successfully hoisted two stranded residents off a flooded rooftop and transported them to safety via inflatable boats.

At Guangxi authorities’ request, the MEM deployed two Wing Loong UAVs for emergency communications and, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, allocated relief supplies.

The UAVs flew continuously over the affected regions, restoring mobile phone connectivity for residents cut off by the floods. Alongside the drone deployment, the ministry also sent 1,372 personnel from the China National Comprehensive Fire and Rescue Team, 270 vehicles and 140 boats, as well as 350 specialized rescuers with equipment.

The National Development and Reform Commission has allocated 100 million Yuan ($14.7 million) from the central budget to rebuild damaged infrastructure, including roads, water conservancy facilities, schools and hospitals, to help restore normal life.

As the storm continues to bring heavy rainfall to parts of southern and central China, authorities are closely monitoring river levels and flood risks. The Ministry of Water Resources is using satellites, ground-based radar and digital simulation models to track rain clouds and predict how floodwaters may spread, helping identify high-risk areas earlier and issue faster warnings.

By Friday, the death toll in all the flooding, tornadoes and also a landslide, had amounted to 39, with 130000 people evacuated from their homes. Remember they still face Cyclone BAVI, which is approaching from the South East.

Here’s an interesting concept from hackster.io.com/news. They note that invisible radio waves are bouncing around everywhere, carrying everything from Wi-Fi traffic and drone video feeds to satellite transmissions. Engineers have long relied on spectrum analyzers and software-defined radios to listen to these signals, but actually seeing where they originate is another matter entirely — and doing it typically requires complex and expensive laboratory equipment well beyond the reach of most hobbyists and educators.

QuadRF was designed to change that by packaging a complete 4×4 MIMO software-defined radio, phased-array antenna system, Raspberry Pi 5, and open source software into a single development kit. The result is what its creators describe as a real-time RF camera, capable of displaying nearby wireless transmitters as augmented reality overlays while also serving as a platform for beamforming, wireless research, robotics, and advanced SDR development.

At the core of the system is a coherent four-antenna array capable of measuring tiny differences in the arrival time of radio signals. Those measurements are transformed into a live, 30 frames per second augmented reality display that overlays wireless transmissions onto the real world through a smartphone or laptop. Instead of simply showing signal strength on a graph, QuadRF can identify the physical location of Wi-Fi access points, wireless cameras, drones, beacons, and other transmitters, with each source color-coded by frequency.

The visualization is only one part of the package. Users can tap on an identified signal source and route it into SDR software for decoding, or transmit a beam-formed signal back toward the device. The included Raspberry Pi 5 runs the web interface, calibration software, and many SDR applications locally, while heavier signal processing workloads can be offloaded over Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, or Wi-Fi to external software such as GNU Radio, SDRangel, or Pothos.

The hardware is built around a full-duplex 4×4 MIMO architecture with four transmit and four receive chains operating across the 4.9 to 6.0 GHz C-band. Each antenna supports up to 40 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth and up to 1 W of transmit power. Signal processing is handled by a Lattice ECP5 FPGA working alongside the Raspberry Pi 5, with a completely open source software stack released under GPL licenses.

The platform can be used to study RF reflections and material absorption, develop beamforming algorithms, build high-bandwidth mesh networks, improve long-range wireless communications, characterize antennas, or provide robots with a new method of sensing their environment using radio signals. The creators also envision it as an educational platform for teaching phased arrays, MIMO communications, and spatial RF concepts without requiring professional laboratory equipment.

While a single QuadRF functions as a standalone phased-array SDR, multiple units can be combined into much larger antenna arrays. The developers envision everything from 240-element amateur radio arrays capable of Earth-Moon-Earth communications to backyard radio telescopes.

Thank you to hackster.io.com for that fascinating description.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

Sadly, Venezuela is still in the news. Because the epicenter of the twin quakes occurred in a densely populated area with lots of multi-storey buildings, the devastation has been far worse than a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in a rural area might have been. Aerial views of the areas around Caracas and la Guaira show complete destruction with mounds of rubble lying everywhere.

Original posts of casualties took off very quickly, and the last figure I saw yesterday was a death toll of at least 2645, more than 12000 injured and with thousands seemingly still unaccounted for. Good news stories have been posted of a 3 year old child surviving for 3 days before being rescued, and a security guard stuck in his little cubicle being rescued after 8 days, but the “golden window” I spoke about last week has seemingly closed, and not many more survivors will still be found.

Rescue crews from many countries, not only from the Caribbean area, are still present, and the clearing of urban rubble continues. It may take weeks before the final casualty total is revealed.

Carlos CO2JC of IARU region 2, has requested that their emergency frequency of 7135 kHz LSB still be avoided, in case dramatic events occur. Greg G0DUB says he will notify us in IARU region 1 once 7135 is freed up.

On Wednesday, news.sky.com reported that 59000 buildings had been destroyed, that more than 43000 people were still unaccounted for, over 15000 were homeless and that diseases were starting to spread in the disaster zone because of lack of clean water, food supplies, and sufficient medical supplies to deal with the open wounds of the survivors. The United Nations was preparing to provide at least 10000 body bags.

And on Wednesday morning early, our time, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck a fairly sparsely populated region in China at a depth of 10km, exposing a small population of about 8000 to severe shaking. China does not usually report on casualties in these situations, so we must hope that damage was minimal, and injuries few and far between

Also on Wednesday, first mention was made by GDACS of an RED Alert for a  Tropical Cyclone, first named NINE, but later formerly named BAVI, threatening the Northern Mariana Islands including Guam from an east-south-easterly direction, with maximum wind speeds of up to 275km/h, as a category 5 cyclone. About 141000 people are in the path of winds of up to 120km/h. The storm will cross the islands today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Monday).

By Monday of this week al, reports were already starting to emerge in the local newspapers from counties and states in the US after the Field Day weekend. I think we must wait for the ARRL to report formally on the success or otherwise of the weekend, but it certainly looks as though thousands of radio operators had a very good time.

Scott Buchanan, writing in economistwritingeveryday.com has a cheerful and fresh way of telling the story. I’ll quote most of it here, perhaps to intrigue the fringe listeners to this bulletin who don’t know what this is all about. He writes:

“When visiting a large county park the other day, I noticed a sign for “Amateur Radio Field Day, Public Welcome.” I have always had great respect for amateur radio operators, for their technical prowess and for their service in emergencies when other forms of communication fail. So, I wandered over to see what was happening.

“There were maybe half a dozen large screened in gazebo type tents. In each gazebo there were one or two men seated before some radio apparatus on a table, with a couple other guys sitting in more of a spectator role, chatting away. Someone had used a potato-cannon to shoot a fishing line over the top of a tall tree, which was then used to pull up a rope, which was then used to pull up a long antenna wire. There was also a tall standalone antenna mast, held erect by three guy wires staked to the ground.

“What were these guys doing? They were mainly doing what hams mainly do, which is reaching out across the continent and across the globe, to make contact via radio with other amateur radio operators. Some were doing it by voice communication, using single side band (SSB) technology for more efficient transmissions. Some were using a computer interface to turn their transmissions into a digital format, which could be transmitted and received more effectively. The guy on the other end would have matching software to turn the numbers back into words.

“And there was one guy doing it the old-fashioned way, listening to “beep, beep, beedily beep” Morse code coming in, and transcribing that to letters and numbers. The Morse code beeps can cut through radio clutter more strongly than voice signals, allowing more distant contacts with relatively low power, which is kind of a bragging point.

“The special thing about so-called short waves used by hams is that they can reflect or refract from the underside of charged layers high up in the atmosphere. Your signal can bounce off those layers and come back to earth hundreds or thousands of miles away. Before the Internet, this was actually a big deal. The only other ways to communicate back then with distant people were snail mail, telegraph, or long-distance telephone, which was super expensive and grid dependent. I put together a short-wave radio kit around 1970, and it was pretty amazing to hear a station broadcasting from Ecuador, not to mention Radio Moscow. Voice of America and BBC short wave broadcasts helped to keep the ideal of freedom alive in Soviet occupied Europe for many decades.

“I am something of a techie myself, with a professional career in chemical engineering. But I found myself far out-geeked by these gentlemen. They would be certainly eager to help in the event of emergency, but that’s actually a very rare thing. It seems much of the thrill is simply the technology itself. To truly understand antenna theory, and even to design and build your own radio, are marks of distinguishment in that crowd.”

Thank you Scott for letting me borrow those paragraphs from your blog. The amazement of an “outsider” is evident in your writings.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

Venezuela is in the spotlight this weekend, after two massive 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck within a minute of each other on the night of Wednesday, at midnight our time. The epicenters were about 13km below ground, in the province of Yaracuy, and exposed at least 790000 people to severe shaking. As of the next morning, casualty numbers were not reported as high but that number has changed as the days go by.

On Friday night, CNN was reporting at least 920 fatalities, and over 3000 injured souls. Many thousands are still missing. Rescuers were racing to reach survivors beneath the rubble before the so-called “golden” window of time closes. Thousands are displaced and homeless in Caracas, La Guaira and surrounding areas. Residents are calling for civilian volunteers to help clear debris, saying that the emergency response is insufficient. The building damage and destruction is apparently massive.

Many countries have reacted via diplomatic channels, and rescue teams from surrounding countries are pouring in to aid in the search for survivors.

Carlos CO2JC, IARU Region 2 Emergency Comms Coordinator issued a message on Thursday, saying he had been in communication with Domingo L. Hernández Lima, YV5IZE, director of the Venezuelan Radio Club’s National Emergency Network, and learned that a large part of the capital was without electricity, and communication systems were operating on battery power. They were already activating their emergency shortwave (HF) frequency and also using digital frequencies and communication modes.

For this reason, Carlos requested that all amateur radio colleagues in the Americas and the rest of the world protect the following frequency used by Venezuelan amateur radio operators, namely:

40 m: 7135 kHz  Lower Side Band.

At the same time, the emergency communications coordinators of amateur radio operators from Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and other countries in the region, as well as members of the Board of Directors of the International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2), remain on standby to provide any assistance that may be needed.

The above message was conveyed to Region 1 of the IARU by Greg Mossop G0DUB, even as he convened the emcomm workshop at Friedrichshafen, where the second biggest Hamvention in the world is taking place this weekend.

All radio operators are strongly advised to avoid this frequency until the emergency is over. There are local VHF frequencies being safeguarded as well, but they won’t be trampled on or heard by South Africans.

Philippines has also experienced a magnitude 6.5 earthquake, this one on Friday the 26^th at 13h34 our time, and at the very bottom of the province of Central Mindanao, and at a depth of 42km. About 36000 people experienced severe shaking, and news of any casualties is awaited.

As I’m sure all radio amateurs are aware, this weekend is seeing the American Field Day exercise taking place. Since 20h00 hours our time last night (Saturday) thousands of hams in the Americas have gone off line and off grid to use their radios, mobile power sources and temporary antennas out in the countryside, to test their ability to make contact with, and transmit information between, similar setups in other parts of the country, and even of the world, if propagation conditions permit. Local weather and solar weather either contributes to, or spoils, the fun, until 23h00 our time tonight (Sunday). Amateurs will use the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10 and 6 metre bands, as well as VHF bands above 6 metres, and see what they can achieve.

The American press has been full of advisory reports from every county in every state, telling us who is doing what and where, and the next few weeks will see countless “post mortems”, as people report on what did or didn’t happen, and why. In the middle of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, this event is hugely looked forward to, and much will be written before the excitement dies down. I’ll try to put together some sort of short report after it’s all over.

Local news in the Western Cape is that one of our local repeaters started behaving peculiarly a few days after our most recent storm, at the beginning of June. This repeater is sited on the top of Sir Lowry’s Pass, on the N2 out of the Peninsula, direction George. Users noted they could access it with high power and at close range, but not with average or low power or at a distance. It was speculated that water had got into the coax, and reduced the efficiency of the antenna system.

The actual cause was far worse. Someone was able to get up to the site (there are many, many radio repeaters on the site), and sent down a picture of the mast torn out of its concrete base, snapped in  half about halfway up, and lying on the ground, as a result of the wind experienced during that storm! Luckily the coaxial cable between VHF repeater and antenna had survived, and the repeater was trying its best to operate in a horizontal orientation on the ground, instead of a vertical one, and usually about 10-15 metres off the ground.

Repairs were very hastily made to get our antenna on a short 6 metre galvanised pole and bracketed to the repeater building at the site, and it is responding more normally again today (Saturday). Our grateful thanks are due to the members of the repeater working group team, who did a hurried MacGyver on the thing. This repeater forms an important link in the chain from Cape Town central all the way to George.

It is interesting to note that such towers on high sites are getting loaded more and more these days with microwave dishes, used for internet, or commercial or industrial links, and in fairness, the resistance to the wind created by all the dishes, which didn’t used to be there, probably makes the tower construction inadequate. I wonder how one calculates the effect of the dishes added to the wind resistance of the tower and radio dipoles. Should there not be a limit to the number of microwave dishes permitted on such a structure, or perhaps a revision of the minimum structural strength of these towers to cope with the wind load buffeting the dishes? Definitely food for thought! I hope they put up a stronger structure when this one is repaired.

This is Dave Reece, ZS1DFR, grateful that my miserable little 9 metre mast system is down at about 30 metres above sea level, and not on the top of a mountain, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

May I start by wishing all the fathers out there a happy Father’s Day? I hope you enjoy this day, and realize how lucky you are to have children who appreciate you, as much as you love them. And if you still have fathers, tell them how special they are to you.

In a report from westerncape.gov.za, premier Alan Winde and members of his Cabinet have provided an update on the Western Cape Government’s ongoing response to the severe weather disasters that have affected the province and the assessment of the damage.

Premier Winde has welcomed the progress made so far, while emphasising that significant recovery and reconstruction work still lies ahead.

“In an extreme weather event like this, our immediate reactions are always about saving lives. We have now turned our attention to the recovery efforts. Since the devastating storms struck our province, all spheres of government, municipalities, emergency services, and our partners have worked tirelessly to restore access to affected communities and critical infrastructure. Through these coordinated interventions, about 70% of the roads that were closed have since been reopened in some form, restoring vital connectivity for residents, businesses and emergency services,” said the Premier.

While emergency access has largely been restored, extensive damage to road infrastructure remains a major challenge.

Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, said, “Many roads, bridges and related structures have sustained significant damage and will require major repairs or, in some cases, complete reconstruction. These are complex projects that require detailed assessments, engineering investigations and design work before construction can commence.”

To support longer-term recovery efforts, the Western Cape Government has identified 19 emergency provincial road repair projects at critical locations across the province. Contractors have already been mobilised, and work has commenced on a number of these priority projects.

Premier Winde noted that recovery work will be prioritised and implemented in a phased manner, subject to the availability of funding. The cost of the damage caused by the storms currently stands at over R9 billion.

“We are focused on restoring infrastructure as quickly and safely as possible, but the scale of the damage means that recovery will take time. Our approach is to prioritise the most critical routes and infrastructure while ensuring that all work is properly planned and executed to build greater resilience against future disasters,” continued the Premier.

The Premier also highlighted ongoing efforts to restore electricity supply. In daily briefings with Eskom Western Cape management, the Premier and members of the provincial Cabinet have been informed that 97% of residents who were left without electricity due to the adverse weather have now been reconnected, with restoration operations being intensified across affected regions.

The Western Cape Government has further supported response and recovery operations through the provision of plant and equipment to assist with access restoration and infrastructure repair efforts.

Provincial Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, said, “We cannot ignore the impact of climate change in our province. To recover properly from and avoid disasters in the future, a business-as-usual approach’ will not work and indeed is likely to erode our development progress. Together we need to find adaptive strategies that minimise risks and enhance benefits to people and the economy.”

Premier Winde concluded, “We remain committed to working closely with municipalities, Eskom, national government and all stakeholders to ensure that affected communities receive the support they need. While considerable progress has been made, we recognise that many residents continue to face hardship, and we will continue driving recovery efforts with urgency.”

Thanks to westerncape.gov.za for the report.

Lexology.com reports that High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (HAPS) are emerging as a promising technology positioned between conventional aircraft and orbiting satellites. Operating in the stratosphere at altitudes of 20 to 50 kilometres, HAPS are typically unmanned aircraft or airships designed to remain airborne for extended periods while delivering communications, surveillance, environmental monitoring, and data services. As demand grows for persistent connectivity and lower-cost aerial infrastructure, HAPS technology is attracting increasing attention from governments, aerospace companies, and telecommunications providers.

Unlike satellites orbiting the Earth, HAPS remain within the atmosphere and maintain relatively fixed positions over a target area. Most concepts rely on lightweight structures powered by solar energy, supported by high-efficiency batteries or fuel cells to sustain night-time operation. The appeal of HAPS lies in their ability to combine some of the coverage advantages of satellites with the flexibility and accessibility of aircraft. A single platform can potentially provide broadband connectivity, remote sensing, disaster response support, or border surveillance across large geographical regions.

Advances in materials science, solar panel efficiency, battery storage, and autonomous flight systems have significantly improved the feasibility of long-duration stratospheric flight Several aerospace and telecommunications companies have conducted successful test flights demonstrating impressive endurance, including a recent 12-day, 6,400-mile stratospheric flight from New Mexico to waters off Brazil. Modern HAPS designs increasingly focus on ultra-light composite airframes, intelligent energy management systems, and autonomous navigation capabilities capable of handling challenging stratospheric conditions.

The growth of 5G and future 6G communications networks has also accelerated interest in HAPS as a complementary infrastructure layer. In remote or underserved regions where terrestrial towers are impractical, HAPS may offer a faster and less expensive alternative to laying extensive ground infrastructure. Governments are likewise exploring military and civil applications, particularly for intelligence gathering, maritime monitoring, wildfire detection, and emergency communications during natural disasters.

HAPS technology is steadily moving from experimental demonstration toward commercial and governmental deployment. Continued improvements in battery density, autonomous systems, and lightweight materials are likely to enhance endurance and operational efficiency.

Rather than replacing satellites or terrestrial networks, HAPS are more likely to serve as part of a hybrid communications and monitoring ecosystem. Their unique position in the aerospace landscape allows them to fill capability gaps where conventional solutions are either too expensive, inflexible, or technically unsuitable.

As the sector matures, companies developing HAPS technologies may increasingly focus on protecting innovations relating to energy systems, autonomous control, communications architecture, and platform design. Patent protection for such innovations is therefore expected to become an increasingly important aspect of competition within this rapidly evolving field.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

GDACS reported on Friday a GREEN notification for Tropical Cyclone JANGMI, active in the North West Pacific, with maximum wind speeds of up to 150km/h, threatening up to 8 million people in Japan with wind speeds of at least 120km/h. It is not over the land yet, but is expected to track parallel to Japan’s South Island at its most damaging stage.

Techxplore.com says that a popular sodium-ion battery designed by the company HINA and used in cars and large-scale energy storage systems in China matches performance parameters and production quality of Tesla’s lithium-ion batteries, according to new research published in Cell Reports Physical Science.

Once the Hina battery is tweaked to charge more effectively at low temperatures and function better at high energy densities, it could provide a cost-effective alternative for future electric vehicle batteries that depend on sodium—an abundant and easily sourced material—instead of lithium.

“The combination of good uniformity, high power capability, and strong low-temperature performance makes these cells attractive for stationary storage, grid services, and shorter-range or commercial vehicles where potential lower cost and resource availability matter more than maximum driving range,” says Moritz Schütte, a battery researcher at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

To assess how Hina batteries compare to more advanced Tesla batteries, Schütte’s team used a non-destructive technique called impedance spectroscopy to measure the uniformity of 120 sodium-ion battery cells.

Next, to map out the power and energy performances of individual cells under real-life conditions, the team tested the batteries at varying currents and at temperatures from −20 °C to +45 °C. They also used X-rays to see the battery’s internal structure, then opened up the cells to measure their electrode dimensions, compositions, and microstructures.

They found that the battery uses a tab-less double-aluminum current collector design that reduces resistance and ensures a uniform temperature distribution—and also mirrors the current design of Tesla batteries.

“We were positively surprised by how uniform the cells are,” says Schütte.

However, the sodium-ion battery has some limitations when it comes to energy density and charging at low temperatures. “The high-power performance was better than one might expect from an early commercial sodium-ion product,” says Schütte.

“However, for applications that require frequent charging at low ambient temperatures, appropriate thermal management or operating strategies will be important because low-temperature charging remains a clear weakness.”

Since sodium is much more abundant and widely available than lithium, using it for batteries could cut raw material costs for manufacturers and reduce long-term supply chain risks. Sodium-ion batteries also perform well under load at low temperatures, making them an appealing option for both stationary power storage and mobile applications in cold climates.

Thank you to techxplore.com for these notes.

Here’s something that I know has been keeping you folk awake at night for decades. How pigeons fly hundreds of kilometers and still find their way home has long fascinated people. Now, researchers say a surprising answer may be hidden, not in the brain or eyes of birds, but in the liver.

A study published in Science suggests that special cells in the liver of pigeons can sense Earth’s magnetic field, giving the birds an internal compass.

The special cells, known as “macrophages“, are immune cells that break down old red blood cells. As part of this process, they accumulate iron, giving them quantum properties that may allow them to respond to magnetic fields. Without these cells intact, pigeons could not navigate home, the study shows.

“What looks like a ‘gut feeling’ in bird navigation may actually have a physical basis,” adds Prof. Martin Wikelski, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and a co-senior author of the study.

For decades, scientists have known that migratory birds and homing pigeons rely in part on Earth’s magnetic field to navigate. But exactly how they detect it remains one of biology’s unsolved mysteries.

Competing theories have suggested that birds might “see” magnetic fields through light-sensitive molecules in the eye, or detect them using tiny magnetic particles in the beak. None has come up with convincing experimental support. The new study proposes a different mechanism for magnetic sensing, supported by a combination of lab tests and behavioral experiments.

To identify where magnetic cells are found in pigeons, the researchers used techniques known as “vibrating sample magnetometry” and “magnetic cell separation” to screen organs thought to be involved in magnetic sensing, including the eyes, beak, and brain. They also examined the liver and spleen.

“We had some clues that the liver and spleen have magnetic properties, because they break down red blood cells and so store much iron in the body,” says first author Dr. Clivia Lisowski, from the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn, who led the immunological work.

The results supported that idea. Of all the tissues examined, the liver showed the highest concentration of iron.

“Iron is crystallized in oxide nanoparticles, making the cells superparamagnetic and reactive to magnetic fields. We found by far the strongest magnetic response in liver tissue,” adds Prof. Ulf Wiedwald, from the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Further analysis identified macrophages in the liver as the cells responsible. To test if liver macrophages played a role in navigation, the ornithological team conducted experiments on pigeons that were trained to return from distances over twenty kilometers back to their aviary at the MPI-AB in Konstanz, Germany.

After the macrophages were removed, pigeons lost their sense of direction on overcast days when the sun was obscured. When the sun was visible, however, the pigeons successfully navigated home, likely using solar cues. Together, these results illustrate the mechanism behind how birds use magnetic sensing, in addition to the sun’s orientation, for navigation.

With evidence that these cells influence navigation, the researchers then looked for how signals from the liver might be relayed. Electron microscopy showed that the iron-rich macrophages sit close to nerve fibers, suggesting a pathway for magnetic information to reach the brain.

Lisowski says, “These findings provide the first concrete evidence of how Earth’s magnetic field can be perceived within the body and passed on to the brain to guide movement.”

Thanks to Phys.org for this interesting study.

I don’t know about you fellows, but I’m wondering who will be the first radio amateur to bounce signals off homing pigeons livers as they fly home during a race, thereby demonstrating the first evidence of “pigeon-scatter”, after “meteor-scatter” and “aeroplane-scatter!

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR, wondering if I can propagate a better signal, by bouncing it off all the scrap metal in my garden shed, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) newsletter of 20^th May reports that more than 100 Southern California hams mobilized to support public safety and medical functions during an Earthquake Full Scale Exercise (FSE) and Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE) on 15^th April, in San Diego County, California, the fifth-most populated county in the United States.

Hams deployed to over 40 locations to provide communications support to hospitals, law enforcement, military bases, city and county emergency operations centres (EOCs), tribal communities, and evacuation shelters for the magnitude 6.9 earthquake exercise scenario. Damage was simulated along the busy north-south Interstate 5 corridor, in downtown San Diego, and in northern Mexico, knocking out key bridges, other infrastructure, and the San Diego International Airport. The exercise was planned by the California and San Diego County Offices of Emergency Services (OES).

Amateur radio organizations participating included the San Diego Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), San Diego Sheriff’s Office Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS), American Red Cross Disaster Support Team (DST), and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) groups such as the Poway Auxiliary Communication Team (PACT).

Radio amateurs were stretched thin to cover 40 locations, from hospital trauma centers in beach cities along the populated coast to rural mountain towns in the backcountry. With simultaneous activation of several amateur radio organizations, hams with membership in more than one group had to decide which organization to support, resulting in less-than-full staffing at some locations. Consequently, hams had to step up to fill roles that were vacant due to these challenges.

In the same newsletter, I read that an ARRL Mississippi Section ARES Simulated Emergency Test (SET), code-named “Operation Undead,” took place on Saturday, March 14, running for twelve hours from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The scenario was a severe disruption of commercial communications infrastructure coupled with a localized biological threat—a novel pathogen outbreak mimicking an “undead” scenario requiring specialized public health coordination for quarantine and resource allocation.

The primary mission for Mississippi ARES was to coordinate amateur radio operators supporting overflow and emergency communications for public safety, public service, and state and local government entities, focusing specifically on the public health sector. ARES members were instructed to deploy from home stations, mobile units, and portable setups, often strategically positioned at emergency operations centers (EOCs) and public health agency locations.

The purpose of the drill was to evaluate emergency preparedness strengths and weaknesses, and demonstrate ARES capabilities to served agencies and the public. After-action summaries will show operational insights and provide guidance for future preparation efforts. All participants have been requested to submit online reports post-event, including Emergency Coordinator and Net Manager reports, as well as narrative After-Action Reports (AARs). Additionally, preparations for the 2026 SET included Mikah Crochet, K5WZL, EC for Pearl River County, coordinating with Mississippi State Guard communications assets, confirming their active participation and necessitating further meetings to ensure coordination and interoperability.

Thanks to the ARES newsletter for both these reports.

At the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre monthly meeting yesterday afternoon, and on behalf of the President of the SARL, awards were handed out as announced at the AGM on 2^nd May. The four recipients of the HAMNET Shield for their services to HAMNET communications in the Western Cape (Danie, ZS1OSS, Shawn ZS1LED, Ian ZS1BR and Michael ZS1MJT) were gratefully thanked for their services to HAMNET in the Peninsula. Christo ZS1CBY, David ZS1GA and Neil ZR1ABO had previously received Jack Twine awards at the AGM, for their services to HAMNET in the Winelands area, with particular reference to the establishment of a linked system of Raspberry PI APRS digipeaters, which have increased the range of visible moving vehicles and beacons to as far as Touws River on the N1. With one more digipeater still to be installed at Langeberg, the system should cover the far side of the Hottentots Holland Mountains from Worcester down to Swellendam and along the N2. These digipeaters are linked to the Peninsula APRS system over the mountains by a very high digipeater running on solar power only on the very top of du Toit’s Kloof, which was installed by helicopter before Pierre ZS1HF’s key went silent. This ZS0DZ digipeater is currently working flawlessly and I hope I haven’t cast a spell on it by saying so!

Hamvention has come and gone. Of course, the American Press is full of aspects of the exhibits, the forums, and the markets. We, unluckily, won’t get much exposure to the forums, which are usually the most valuable part of the convention. And, as far as I can see, the new products by the big manufacturers are few and far between. It looks to me like a new repeater from YAESU, a new tunable vertical telescopic HF antenna from ELECRAFT, a new antenna tuner from ICOM, and an update to the dualband FM and D-star radio also by ICOM. It may take a while for these items to appear on the market, so don’t hold your breath

Belganewsagency.eu says that The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch the SMILE mission on Tuesday the 26th, in collaboration with China, to study the Sun’s influence on Earth. Belgium is making a significant contribution to the mission, the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) announced.

What’s with a GPS that suddenly stops working, radio communications that cut out, or blocked electricity grids? The potential source of disruption in all these scenarios is the phenomenon of the solar wind. The Sun emits charged particles that can collide with the Earth’s magnetic field, thereby disrupting technology on Earth and in space. This can, for example, put astronauts in serious danger.

The SMILE mission aims precisely to map this phenomenon better. “Thanks to the new data collected by the satellite, scientists will be able to analyze when and why so-called space weather causes problems,” stated Belspo in a press release. In this way, scientists will in the future be able to predict where disruptions will occur.

Belgium plays a role in both the satellite’s instruments and the research. The Liège Space Centre, for example, contributed to the development of SMILE’s ultraviolet instrument. The University of Liège will help examine the data from that instrument. The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy is also a co-investigator, but specifically focusing on the properties of the solar wind.

The SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) will launch on Tuesday from French Guiana, heading for an orbit around the Earth for at least three years.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.