The Brakpan Herald is noting, in citizen.co.za, that the emergency communications division of the South Africa Radio League (SARL), HAMNET, is setting up a massive communications network to provide critical radio communications at the Ride for Sight cycle race on February 16, that’s today, to ensure the safe and efficient running of the event.

SARL HAMNET is part of the organizing committee of the Retina South Africa Dis-Chem Ride for Sight event to be held at Boksburg Stadium. HAMNET’s dedicated team of communications specialists will be responsible for establishing a venue operations centre (VOC) with three radio networks to manage communications for the event.

All resources on the road assisting the cyclists are tracked with a tracking system so that at all times the VOC personnel comprising of fire, medical, traffic, Road Angels and other organizations know exactly where everyone is and which resources are the closest to where an incident has taken place and where help is needed.

HAMNET also has their members monitoring the five water points along the route, ready to assist if supplies are getting low and are also supporting ten sweep vehicles which are manned by qualified and licensed radio amateurs and basic life support (BLS) first aiders who patrol the route, ready to assist any cyclist in need. All are tracked and in radio contact with the VOC.

It will also provide an emergency phone system making MySoS available to cyclists to call for assistance. When a cyclist pushes the help button on the MySoS app on his smartphone, a marker immediately appears on a large map at the VOC showing where the cyclist is and all the resources available closest to the cyclist.

I look forward to having a report perhaps, straight from the horses’ mouths, so to speak, in next week’s bulletin.

The science world is abuzz with a triple whammy observation from outer space picked up on Thursday the 6^th February. It very seldom happens that any astronomical or cosmological event is noticed using more than one type of electromagnetic, gravitational, or quantum technique at the same time.

I have written previously about observatories developed to watch for gravitational waves, which would distort space-time, and predicted by Albert Einstein at least 100 years ago. There are currently two Light Interferometry Gravitational Observatories, abbreviated to LIGO, one in America, and the other in Italy, and more on the way. If a cosmic event is big enough it will disturb the gravitational field of the universe, causing ripples like seen in a pond after you drop a stone in the water, but disturbing gravity, and able to be detected everywhere simultaneously.

Well, there was a major Gravitational Wave disturbance last Tuesday, measured in the LIGO experiments, and deemed to be coming from a specific spot about a billion light years away in the Universe.

Very shortly thereafter, a Neutrino detector buried deep under the ice in Antarctica detected a burst of Neutrinos coming from the same direction, but taking a minute or so longer to get here, and also measured to have come from the direction of the gravitational disturbance just felt.

This got scientists curious, and so they canvassed all observatories for anything unusual, and a radio observatory in Canada, dedicated to detecting Fast Radio Bursts (FRB’s) reported a similar observation, but about a day later, and also coming from the exact spot where the Gravity waves and the Neutrinos had come from.

Interesting that the gravitational disturbance was detected before the neutrinos arrived and also before the radio waves did. I thought radio waves travelled at the speed of light, and nothing travelled faster than that!

The source of Fast Radio Bursts is still not understood. Extremely massive magnetic sources, called Magnetars, are currently the chief suspects, but with gravity waves and extra unexpected Neutrinos to think about, all three types of astronomical observations may allow scientists to develop better explanations for their own phenomena. So watch this space – knowledge can only grow with these types of events.

Techxplore.com reports this week that engineers have enabled a drone to determine its position in the dark, and indoors. In the future, autonomous drones could be used to shuttle inventory between large warehouses. A drone might fly into a semi-dark structure the size of several football fields, zipping along hundreds of identical aisles before docking at the precise spot where its shipment is needed.

Most of today’s drones would likely struggle to complete this task, since drones typically navigate outdoors using GPS, which doesn’t work in indoor environments. For indoor navigation, some drones employ computer vision or LIDAR, but both techniques are unreliable in dark environments or rooms with plain walls or repetitive features.

MIT researchers have introduced a new approach that enables a drone to self-localize, or determine its position, in indoor, dark, and low-visibility environments. Self-localization is a key step in autonomous navigation. The researchers developed a system called MiFly, in which a drone uses radio frequency (RF) waves, reflected by a single (RF) tag placed in its environment, to autonomously self-localize.

Because MiFly enables self-localization with only one small tag, which could be affixed to a wall like a sticker, it would be cheaper and easier to implement than systems that require multiple tags. In addition, since the MiFly tag reflects signals sent by the drone, rather than generating its own signal, it can be operated with very low power.

Two off-the-shelf radars mounted on the drone enable it to localize in relation to the tag. Those measurements are fused with data from the drone’s onboard computer, which enables it to estimate its trajectory. The researchers conducted hundreds of flight experiments with real drones in indoor environments, and found that MiFly consistently localized the drone to within fewer than 7 centimetres.

“As our understanding of perception and computing improves, we often forget about signals that are beyond the visible spectrum. Here, we’ve looked beyond GPS and computer vision to millimeter waves, and by doing so, we’ve opened up new capabilities for drones in indoor environments that were not possible before,” says Fadel Adib, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, director of the Signal Kinetics group in the MIT Media Lab, and senior author of a paper on MiFly.

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

HAMNET, in the Western Cape was kept very busy all morning yesterday (8^th Feb), assisting and shepherding cyclists around 4 different cycle races out of Durbanville, on the occasion of this year’s 99er Cycle Tour.

Some 4300 participants took part, riding either a 95Km race to Malmesbury and back, this being a seeding race for the Cape Town Cycle Tour later in the year, or a 76km shorter race in the direction of Wellington and back, or a 45km short race round the outskirts of Durbanville, or finally an 80km off-road race, called the Trilogy, because most of it was on farm cycle tracks, some was on gravel road, and bit of it on tar.

The weather started off cool and cloudy, but rapidly cleared up, developing into a beautiful mild warm day with a bit of a cool breeze.

Thirteen separate stations were activated, 9 of them being mobile roving operators, all equipped with APRS  tracking, and 2 pairs of stationary mobiles supervising bikes going through narrow bridge constructions, and stopping oncoming traffic from the far side, while groups were crossing the bridges.

A good deal of experimentation with smart beaconing by the trackers to get an adequate number of position reports through to the JOC, was undertaken, as well as the successful addition of a second temporary digipeater beyond Malmesbury, where the Cape Town digipeaters do not receive tracking reports well, and the tracking went superlatively. We usually install a primary temporary digipeater on top of the Meerendal koppie which we hiked up on Friday afternoon to install, and had line-of-sight comms with the second digipeater outside Malmesbury. It is to be fetched again today, during a second hike up 440 metres of altitude.

The JOC was manned by our two directors, Michael ZS1MJT, and his deputy Sybrand ZS1L, with help from Sharon who very kindly kept the written log of all the comms on a spreadsheet. We now have this very swanky horse-box type HAMNET Comms Trailer with a side that can be lifted up to create an awning, and equipped with everything that opens and shuts, and batteries and solar power to run the whole event without being connected to anything.

Our JOC was positioned next to the METRO Disaster Bus, which is always used as a medical JOC, where a doctor fields calls, and dispatches medics or ambulances, an ambulance dispatch officer, a road traffic official, as well as the dispatch manager for the sweep vehicles with trailers to pick up drop out cyclists.

There was one pile up, of a large group on the medium race to the R44 to Wellington, where a lot of bicycles went down, and there were quite a lot of minor injuries, and then one other unfortunate cyclist who hit a cat’s eye in the road and overturned, breaking his collarbone and wrist of the same arm, as well as sustaining a huge gash on the forearm, that required hospitalization to be cleaned up and stitched closed. Otherwise, no serious trauma was reported, and most riders made it home by the cut-off time of 12h30 CAT.

Our thanks go to ZR1JL, and ZS1’s MJT, L, ATX, LED, JFK, YT, JM, TAF, REY, CO, S, OSK, NOS, EZ, UP, OSS, BR, and DFR, the latter supervising the additional digipeater just off the N7 beyond Malmesbury.

I think we all slept very well last night after an early start to the day!

Countryandpolitics.in reports from India that The Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) Diamond Jubilee Jamboree, held in Manapparai, Tamilnadu, from January 28th to February 3rd, 2025, witnessed a surge of interest in amateur radio.

The event, which brought together approximately 20,000 Scouts and Guides from across India and beyond, featured a Ham Radio Pavilion that proved a major attraction, particularly among students. The Rajapalayam International Radio Communicators Club (RIRCOM), VU2IRD, was invited by the BSG National Headquarters to set up and operate the Ham Radio stations.

RIRCOM provided HF, VHF, and even LEO Satellite Communication demonstrations, showcasing the diverse capabilities of this fascinating hobby and service. A special call sign, “AU75BSG,” was issued by the Ministry of Telecommunications, WPC Wing, New Delhi, to Mr. Ramesh Kumar, VU2JFF, Trustee of RIRCOM, for the event.

The Ham Radio Pavilion became a hub of activity as Scouts and Guides engaged with the demonstrations. Many students were captivated by the operations, learning about radio technology, communication protocols, and the potential of ham radio for both recreation and emergency communication.

Participating in the ham radio activities allowed Scouts to earn an intellectual-based activity award, further incentivizing their involvement.

The scout movement in India recognizes the value of ham radio and encourages scouts to explore it. Ham radio offers scouts opportunities to:

Develop communication skills;

Learn about radio technology, protocols, and morse code;

Enhance problem-solving abilities: set up and operate a station requiring technical skills and troubleshooting;

Serve the community, as ham radio skills can be invaluable during emergencies and community projects; and

Promote global citizenship, connecting with scouts and hams worldwide, which in turn fosters understanding.

Bharat Scouts and Guides organize training courses and events, including basic courses, practical training, jamboree on the air (jota), and disaster preparedness training.

These activities offer scouts numerous benefits, including skills development, personal growth, community engagement, and global awareness.

RIRCOM has been providing voluntary service activities since 1993, including disaster communication, crowd management, ham radio training and awareness, and technical workshops in schools and colleges.

Their presence at the BSG diamond jubilee jamboree highlighted the importance of amateur radio within the scout movement and its potential to inspire the next generation of communicators and community leaders.

Finally spaceweather.com notes that what goes up, must come down – which could be a problem when you’re launching thousands of satellites. Since 2018, SpaceX has placed more than 7,000 Starlink satellites into Earth orbit, and now they are starting to come down. In January alone, more than 120 Starlinks deorbited, creating a shower of fireballs.

“The sustained rate of daily reentries is unprecedented,” says Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics who tracks satellites. “They are retiring and incinerating about 4 or 5 Starlinks every day.”

Planners have long known this would happen. First generation (gen1) Starlink satellites are being retired to make way for newer models. “More than 500 of the 4700 gen1 Starlinks have now reentered,” says McDowell.

When Starlinks reenter, they disintegrate before hitting the ground, adding metallic vapours to the atmosphere. A study published in 2023 found evidence of the lingering debris. In February 2023, NASA flew a wb-57 aircraft 60,000 feet over Alaska to collect aerosols. 10% of the particles contained aluminum and other metals from the “burn-up” of satellites.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR, probably more concerned about the pollution of our atmosphere than are the satellite builders, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

Brian Jacobs ZS6YZ has sent me news of the Fast One cycle race held in Midvaal over the weekend of the 25^th and 26^th January. He says:

”It was a late night and early morning for the members of the Sasolburg Amateur Radio Club and HAMNET, but their hard work at the 2025 Midvaal Fast One is appreciated.

“Think of the Midvaal Fast One and you immediately think of hundreds of cyclists taking the long route. However, there are also the organizers, the volunteers and the emergency services who all have a task or six for the day.

“Who keeps all the people in touch with each other? On Sunday, it was once again the men and women of Sasolburg Amateur Radio Club and HAMNET who ensured that all racing vehicles could be followed on the computer. They also had volunteers at the water points who were in radio contact with the radio club’s temporary operations centre.

“We know where everyone is on the road at all times and can provide assistance immediately. This gives peace of mind for the cyclists and the organizers.

“This year we also provided the front vehicle, you know the one that rode out before the first riders in the 100km. We view cycle races and marathons as training sessions should a disaster occur somewhere,” said Gideon Jannasch.

“On Sunday, we again ensured that the nearest ambulance and emergency vehicle were informed of the exact location of a cyclist in need. On a previous occasion, we even had to get the helicopter out for a cyclist who had suffered a skull fracture.”

“Sasolburg Amateur Radio Club celebrates their 60th anniversary this year and is part of the SA Radio League, which is celebrating its centenary this year.

The team offers their services free of charge and most of the time uses their own equipment. A big day like the Midvaal Fast One keeps them busy for at least two full days: the first to equip all the emergency vehicles and then the full-time service during the race.

“Yet the men and women enjoy their unique, diverse hobby and are always ready to provide the necessary support through radio communication in any emergency operation.”

Thank you to Brian for sending me the report and the team of 15 volunteers who took part! And Happy Birthday to you Brian for yesterday!

Here’s some intriguing technology for you.

When astronomers detected the first long-predicted gravitational waves in 2015, it opened a whole new window into the Universe. Before that, astronomy depended on observations of light in all its wavelengths. We also use light to communicate, but mostly radio waves. Could we use gravitational waves to communicate?

The idea is intriguing, though beyond our capabilities right now. Still, there’s value in exploring the hypothetical, as the future has a way of arriving sooner than we sometimes think.

New research examines the idea and how it could be applied in the future. It’s titled “Gravitational Communication: Fundamentals, State-of-the-Art and Future Vision,” and it’s available on the pre-press site arxiv.org. The authors are Houtianfu Wang and Ozgur B. Akan. Wang and Akan are both with the Internet of Everything Group, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK.

“The discovery of gravitational waves has opened a new observational window for astronomy and physics, offering a unique approach to exploring the depths of the universe and extreme astrophysical phenomena. Beyond its impact on astronomical research, gravitational waves have also garnered widespread attention as a new communication paradigm,” the authors explain.

Traditional electromagnetic communications have definite drawbacks and limitations. Signals get weaker with distance, which restricts range. Atmospheric effects can interfere with radio communications and diffuse and distort them. There are also line-of-sight restrictions, and solar weather and space activity can also interfere.

What’s promising about gravitational wave communication (GWC) is that it could overcome these challenges. GWC is robust in extreme environments and loses minimal energy over extremely long distances. It also overcomes problems that plague electromagnetic communication (EMC), like diffusion, distortion, and reflection. There’s also the intriguing possibility of harnessing naturally created GWs, which means reducing the energy needed to create them.

“Gravitational communication, also known as gravitational wave communication, holds the promise of overcoming the limitations of traditional electromagnetic communication, enabling robust transmission across extreme environments and vast distances,” the authors point out.

Definitely food for thought! Now, how to get a gravitational wave generator to fit in the handheld I’m currently carrying?

Thank you to Evan Gough, reporting in universetoday.com.

Thejournal.ie reports that the secure communications network used by Ireland’s Emergency Services “went down for a period” during Storm Éowyn, according to the HSE’s CEO.

TETRA, which stands for “Terrestrial Trunked Radio”, is the secure radio network used by the likes of Ambulance Services, gardaí, the Coast Guard, and the Civil Defence.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said that the TETRA radio communications system used by the Ambulance Service “went down for a period” during Storm Éowyn.

“That’s now, in the majority, restored and the service is functioning well,” added Gloster.

The Journal has obtained radio traffic from a Coast Guard station struggling to reach islanders off the West Coast during the storm via Tetra.

Gloster also said all of the HSE’s services have been restored following significant disruptions due to Storm Éowyn.

“There was a lot of concern last weekend,” said Gloster.

“And I know there have been anecdotal stories of concern about people who have experienced loss of power and water and heat, and of their dependency on electric items for things like home dialysis, for pressure relief in mattresses and so on.

“All of our high dependency patients were contacted pre and post the storm and no adverse events have been reported.

“That’s not to underestimate the difficulty and challenge people are experiencing now where they’re without heat, power, water, and the communications network has affected us all.”

The usual fix for an outage would be personal mobile phones but these were unavailable because of power outages. The other issue is that they no longer have analogue services available except in marine units. 

It is understood that more than 180 base locations which broadcast the system were hit.

It seems that this was one wild storm..

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

Popular Mechanics has an article this week suggesting that for millennia, defining consciousness—both what it is and when it emerges—has been the tricky business of scientists and philosophers (and more recently, AI experts). And one of the biggest black holes in our knowledge, even though every human has experienced it, is exploring consciousness when we’re young – like, newborn young.

To explore this confounding gap in our understanding, neuroscientists and philosophers from Australia’s Monash University, Germany’s University of Tübingen, Ireland’s Trinity College Dublin, and the University of Minnesota in the U.S. conducted a widespread review of the literature surrounding prenatal and newborn consciousness.

Although the prevailing theory throughout the 20th century was that consciousness didn’t develop until many months after birth, this new research argues that consciousness could occur much earlier and even possibly in the final month of pregnancy. The researchers published their findings in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

“Nearly everyone who has held a newborn infant has wondered what, if anything, it is like to be a baby,” Tim Bayne, co-author and professor of Philosophy at Monash University, said in a press statement. “But of course we cannot remember our infancy, and consciousness researchers have disagreed on whether consciousness arises ‘early’ (at birth or shortly after) or ‘late’—by one year of age, or even much later.”

This study tracked consciousness across four key markers: functional connectivity, frontal brain networks, multisensory integration, and neural markers of perceptual consciousness. While these four markers possibly begin at different times—multisensory integration, for example, shows up last in the lineup—it nonetheless shows the dynamic process through which human consciousness could arise.

“Our findings suggest that newborns can integrate sensory and developing cognitive responses into coherent conscious experiences to understand the actions of others and plan their own responses,” Lorina Naci, co-author and associate professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, said in the press statement.

The study admits that this is only the tip of the consciousness iceberg, but confidently claims that the idea of newborns as mostly unconscious beings can be safely laid to rest. To further analyze the early days of human understanding, innovations in foetal magnetoencephalography (MEG), as well as improved methods in analyzing fMRI readings in awake infants, could yield even richer data.

So, while the philosophical debate that’s raged for thousands of years continues (and likely will, far into the future), science is slowly providing some clarity as to what it means to be a brand-new, conscious being.

Thanks to popularmechanics.com/science for that thought-provoking insight.

Focustaiwan.tw reports that Taiwan has donated two unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command vehicles to the Turkish city of Istanbul to help boost its disaster preparedness.

At a donation ceremony on Tuesday, Taiwan’s representative to Turkey Huang Chih-yang said it was important to strengthen Istanbul’s disaster response capabilities, given the high risk of earthquakes in the region and the city’s dense population of over 16 million.

The two drone command vehicles, which carry high-tech equipment, support a new disaster relief model that uses the latest drone technology, Huang said.

The new model incorporates the experience of drone operators who have worked in disaster relief in both Turkey and Taiwan, he said. In response, Ergun Cebeci, head of the Istanbul disaster coordination center (AKOM), expressed thanks to Taiwan on behalf of the city government.

Cebeci said Istanbul is spread across mountains, forests, straits, and dense residential areas, which makes disaster response a diverse and complex operation.

The two UAV command vehicles, with their pioneering equipment, will enhance the city’s search and rescue capabilities, he said. Cebeci also voiced concern about the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck southern Taiwan on Tuesday and said he was pleased to hear that there were no fatalities.

In that Ethiopia’s Afar and Oromia regions have been hit by several earthquakes and tremors since the beginning of 2025, the strongest, with a magnitude of 5.7, striking on 4 January, theconversation.com notes that earthquakes and volcanic activity are both common in Ethiopia. The country is located in a geologically active region, the East African Rift System. But it’s rare for earthquakes to directly trigger volcanic eruptions in Ethiopia.

The current episode of earthquake activity is being caused by magmatic activity in Oromia and Afar region. Magma (molten rock) is intruding into the subsurface beneath two volcanoes, Fentale and Dofen, which are geographically close to each other.

Ethiopia has around 50 active volcanoes. Most are in the Ethiopian Rift, the northern segment of the East African Rift System. An active volcano has magma stored deep within its crust that could potentially erupt in the future. There’s evidence of past eruptions at many of these active volcanoes. Some date back hundreds of years. In contrast, a dormant volcano has not erupted for thousands of years and shows no immediate signs of reactivation or imminent eruption.

Volcanoes and earthquakes are both natural phenomena driven by the dynamic processes that shape Earth’s interior and surface.

The outermost layer of Earth, the lithosphere, is composed of solid rock and is broken into large sections called tectonic plates. These plates fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They move slowly on the more fluid layer beneath them, the asthenosphere. Convection currents in Earth’s mantle drive the movement of tectonic plates.

Tectonic plates interact at their boundaries in three primary ways: they move apart, they collide, or they slide past one another. These interactions produce geological activity, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Most volcanoes and earthquakes occur along these plate boundaries, where the stress and movement of the plates cause the lithosphere to fracture.

Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes pose risks to human lives, infrastructure and the environment. These events cannot be prevented. But their effects can be mitigated by planning and acting ahead of time.

The authors quote monitoring and early warning systems as being critical, detailed maps that identify areas at risk essential, the establishment of efficient and trustworthy communications channels with clear comms protocols crucial, community preparedness and education being important, educating communities about the signs of volcanic activity and evacuation protocols important, and reserves of emergency supplies such as water, food, medical kit and shelter materials also being essential.

The qualification of specialized response teams with expertise in volcanology, seismology and disaster management can result in swift and coordinated action during these emergencies.

Thanks to theconversation.com for presenting this synopsis.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR, transmitting on what would have been my Mother’s 114^th birthday, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

The ARRL has reported extensively on the ham volunteers who have been helping with communications during the devastating Los Angeles fires. In their newsletter of the 16th January, they say that trained amateur radio operators are serving critical volunteer roles to help officials spot fires before they get out of control. Dry conditions and wind gusts of up to 160km/h have fuelled days of devastating wildfires. Entire neighbourhoods have been levelled by infernos.

The Eaton fire burned to the top of Mount Wilson, a critical logistical post for broadcast radio and television stations, as well as communications across the Southland. Federal agencies, air traffic control, local emergency responders, radio amateurs, and others all share tower space on the mountain.

During severe fire weather, volunteers go to preassigned locations within parks and open spaces to report conditions. Many of them are hams, using the amateur radio bands to fill in mobile network weak zones. Radio amateurs are also ready and able to serve at evacuation centres, providing support as needed.

Members of ARRL Headquarters staff have been in touch with ARRL volunteers and other ham radio groups around the affected area, and are offering material support for any activations.

Thanks to the ARRL for these paragraphs from their newsletter. When I last heard, the death toll from the fires had reached at least 27.

In a press release on Thursday, the New Zealand Government says that it has delivered a funding boost to upgrade critical communication networks for Maritime New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand, ensuring frontline search and rescue services can save lives and keep Kiwis safe on the water, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. 

“New Zealand has one of the largest maritime search and rescue zones in the world. To coordinate search and rescue teams across vast distances, Maritime New Zealand rely upon the National Maritime Distress and Safety Communications Service (NMDSCS). Our Government is proud to announce we will be upgrading this vital piece of communications infrastructure to make it easier for Maritime New Zealand to undertake their lifesaving work,” Mr Brown says. 

“Modernising the NMDSCS will save lives. This funding will ensure the new system aligns with international standards and will enable Maritime New Zealand to handle high traffic on our waters effectively. Without this funding, there is a real risk to safety on the water as the existing system nears the end of its operational life.”

The Government is also supporting Coastguard New Zealand in upgrading its critical Very High Frequency (VHF) maritime radio network, replacing outdated infrastructure with modern and reliable technology.

“The VHF maritime radio network plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between vessels in need and rescue teams. However, the current system is outdated and in need of an upgrade to meet the increasing demands of our recreational and commercial maritime sectors,” Mr Brown says.

“This urgently needed investment will provide Coastguard with the reliable infrastructure required to respond to emergencies. The upgraded network will futureproof communications, providing a lifeline to those in distress and helping ensure Kiwis on the water make it home safely.” End quote.

The upgrades to both the NMDSCS and Coastguard’s VHF network come at a time when New Zealand’s maritime activities are growing, placing greater pressure on communication networks.

“Our Government’s upgrade of these core pieces of communication infrastructure will ensure that search and rescue operations on our waters are better resourced and prepared, particularly for busy summer seasons when the demand for these life-saving services is at its peak,” Mr Doocey says.

He said further that “Maritime New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand do an incredible job saving lives, and our Government is committed to strengthening their ability to respond to emergencies swiftly and effectively. This investment will strengthen New Zealand’s rescue resilience and improve safety on our waters.” 

Thanks to scoop.co.nz for this report.

Writing in reviewtimes.com/news/ Bonnie Jean Feldkamp notes that we’re living in divisive times. It’s something said so often that it’s become cliché. But collaboration across divides still happens, and the International Space Station is a great place to witness this in action. The ISS is entering its 25th year with crews on board modelling scientific collaboration on global research projects. Crew members also take time to share their enthusiasm for their work with kids across the globe using ham radio, also known as amateur radio.

Will Marchant is a retired aerospace engineer who now volunteers with Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), an organization that helps students worldwide experience the excitement of talking directly with ISS crew members. Marchant’s wife Anne emailed me after reading a previous column, thinking I might like to talk to her husband. She was right.

Marchant first got involved with amateur radio when working at the University of California’s Space Sciences Lab at Berkeley in the early 1990s. He helped work on the Extreme-Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), which was a spinning spacecraft designed to rotate about the earth/sun line. “It was Berkeley’s first satellite,” he said.

It was there that Marchant learned about SAREX, the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, which placed ham radio stations aboard space shuttles. Owen K. Garriott was the first astronaut to chat with ham-radio enthusiasts on Earth while aboard the Columbia STS-9 mission in 1983.

Marchant, along with who he called his “fellow professional space geek engineers,” had the idea to connect school groups with astronauts. Luckily, right down the hill from the Space Sciences Lab is the Lawrence Hall of Science, which is a hands-on children’s museum that the university runs. There, they set up equipment for kids to talk to astronaut Brian Duffy aboard the STS-57 mission.

Thanks to SAREX, NASA figured out that amateur radio was actually a useful thing to have on board. Marchant said, “It was good emergency communications back up, and the crews enjoyed it, and it was a good stem outreach activity for them.”

When Marchant moved back to Virginia to help build autonomous aircraft for NASA Science purposes, he was invited to be part of the SAREX team.

Then, when the International Space Station became a reality, NASA decided that amateur radio should be a part of it [too]. These days the ISS has an internet phone for crew members to talk to loved ones, but in the early days, amateur radio was a much-appreciated resource for connecting to people on the ground.

No matter where they are from, no matter what the race, religion or political ideology, people come together every day to study our world, participate in science and solve problems. “That gives me hope for humanity”, says Bonnie.

Thank you to her for these excerpts from her commentary.

This is Dave Reece, amazed by the quality of some of the SSTV pictures recently downloaded from the ISS by the HAMSAT fraternity, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

A few earthquakes have shaken our start to the new year. The first was a magnitude 5.8 quake in Ethiopia on the 4th of January at a depth of 10km, an hour or so after midnight UTC, and affecting a local population of 11500 people.

A second earthquake, measuring 7.1 in magnitude, struck China on 7th January at 01h05 UTC, also at a depth of 10km, and threatening a population of 10750 people nearby.

And another M 4.7 earthquake struck Ethiopia on Friday the 10th, at 09h57 UTC, and a fourth on Saturday 11^th, at 00h19 UTC, an M 5.2, yet again at a depth of 10km, and threatening different groups of about 10000 people.

No reports of loss of life or severe injury have been received in the general media.

Meanwhile, the north eastern half of our country has been battered this week by thunderstorms, continuous rains, and even a tornado in Welkom on the 5th, which caused huge devastation and loss to businesses as well as private property. Damage to emergency service facilities crippled the town’s ability to provide immediate assistance, making the rescue and revival attempts after the disaster very challenging.

KwaZulu Natal was not spared, and disaster management teams were braced for severe weather, forecast from Monday to about Wednesday. Disruptive rainfall threatening low-water bridges and major travel routes during the end of the holiday period, were forecast, and accompanying accident statistics have been higher as a result. The rain had still not abated in parts of the province by Thursday, and disaster teams remained on alert.

By Friday, suddenly, a new Tropical Cyclone, named DIKELEDI, was announced, coming out of the central Indian Ocean, and bearing down on the northern tip of Madagascar, expected to arrive there today, Sunday the 12th, with wind speeds of up to 180km/h forecast. A RED alert level was posted, with the storm expected to cross Madagascar and then head for Mozambique, turning South-west, and travelling down the coastline in the general direction of the northern coast of KwaZulu Natal, hopefully just veering away from our border by the 15th. Let’s hope its impact on Madagascar, and then Mozambique is not as bad as forecast.

A visiting family’s near-drowning ordeal at Jongensfontein was miraculously averted thanks to the rapid response of local lifeguards, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), and two courageous surfers, reports capetownetc.com.

The life-threatening incident unfolded on the afternoon of Friday as a mother, father and their teenage daughter were swept out to sea by powerful rip currents at Sandstrand Beach.

At approximately 1:49pm, the NSRI Stilbaai duty crew received urgent reports of the drowning in progress. Eyewitnesses described the family of three struggling against the violent currents, rapidly being carried away from the shore. With the situation quickly escalating, every second counted.

In response, NSRI Stilbaai rescue swimmers immediately mobilised and made their way to the scene. Meanwhile, NSRI lifeguards stationed at the nearby swimming beach, 800 metres away at the caravan park, also rushed to assist. Upon arriving, the team encountered two surfers – Good Samaritans – who were already paddling toward the family, which was now approximately 800 metres off the shore.

With no time to spare, NSRI rescue swimmers and a lifeguard equipped with torpedo rescue buoys plunged into the surf. Alongside the surfers, they reached the family and found the mother unconscious but still breathing. Her condition was critical, and the rescuers acted swiftly to stabilise her.

The mother was carefully placed on one of the surfers’ boards, while the father and daughter clung to the second board. The group worked together to keep the family afloat as they awaited the arrival of the NSRI rescue craft.

After reaching the family, the NSRI rescue boat, Breede Rescuer, was launched from the Stilbaai rescue base, covering the 1-kilometre distance to reach the stranded group. The rescue boat successfully evacuated the family, as well as two NSRI rescue swimmers, and brought them on board to safety.

Meanwhile, the two surfers and the NSRI lifeguard returned to the beach, ensuring the family was well cared for until the rescue craft arrived.

During the journey back to the NSRI rescue base, the mother regained consciousness on board the vessel. Medical personnel immediately administered treatment for non-fatal drowning symptoms, and she was stabilised.

The family, who had travelled from Brits in Gauteng for a holiday in Stilbaai, were taken to local doctors for further evaluation and care. They are now recovering under the attentive care of medical professionals.

In sadder news capetownetc.com also remarks on the stark reminder the Cape Of Good Hope SPCA faced of the devastation fireworks can cause to animals. Their report of 3^rd January shows blood-spattered window blinds, wooden gates and other furnishings caused by terrified dogs frightened to death by the noises which they can hear, and which we can’t.

The SPCA fielded call after call on 1^st January early, regarding frightened, injured and displaced animals. The SPCA team worked tirelessly through the night and early hours, responding to distress calls. And by Friday the 3^rd, calls were still coming in, indicating the far-reaching impact fireworks have on animals. For the innocent animals, fireworks are not a celebratory display – they are a nightmare.

But of course, we humans are far too self-centred to think of the effect our actions have on other creatures, having little insight in to the nature and personalities of our pets, or wildlife in general.

I have to confess I get despondent when I think of how inconsiderate we can really be.

HAMNET Western Cape, and HAMNET Gauteng are preparing for cycle tours coming up.

The first is the Fast One Cycle race at the Meyerton Race Track, between the 25^th and 26^th January, and due to keep HAMNET Gauteng busy for at least 24 hours.

The second is the 99er cycle tour on the 8^th February, taking place between Durbanville and Malmesbury in the Western Cape. HAMNET provides rover duties and stationary-mobile observers at a variety of points to provide extra eyes to the organisers, of problems as they arise.

Volunteers for the 99er are still sought, so if any of you rabid communicators are available that Saturday morning and haven’t volunteered yet, please contact Michael ZS1MJT via the usual channels.

Then the third is the HAMNET Ride for Sight in Gauteng on the 16^th February, with organization and set-up taking place on the 15^th. All Gauteng members are heartily encouraged to offer their services for these two cycle tours in Division six.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR, far too lazy to attempt to ride a bicycle without falling off, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

Oh gosh, a new year to get used to in our writings, and I believe we are technically already in the 2^nd quarter of the 21^st Century. Time certainly does fly when you’re having fun! Sadly, most of the fun of the Christmas holidays is coming to an end, with schools due to start up round about the 15^th January.

Meanwhile there is a group of hams still having great fun, and I’m talking about the HamSat enthusiasts. The International Space Station is in the middle of a season of transmitting SSTV images, and the South African group is having a field day downloading and displaying the full colour pictures sent by the ISS. All happening on 145.800 MHz FM, I believe, and all you need is a simple VHF handheld, and a smartphone, as the most basic of equipment, to display the pictures. Of course you can do it the professional way, with base receivers, circularly polarized VHF antennas tracking the ISS using software to control the rotators, and real-time full-screen pictures on your desktop as they are received. So time really can fly when you’re having fun.

Electronics360.globalspec.com has noted this week that rapid changes are taking place in the space economy, and at its forefront are nanosatellites — miniature, agile and cost-effective satellites reshaping global connectivity. As society becomes increasingly dependent on space-based technologies for communication, resource management and environmental monitoring, the demand for versatile, small-scale solutions grows.

Nanosatellites, which typically weigh between 1 kg and 10 kg, offer a new way of responding to this demand. They democratize space access, lowering the entry barrier for commercial start-ups, academia and non-profit organizations, and making satellite technology accessible to more entities than ever.

This shift is driven by urgent global challenges:

• Connectivity gaps that limit economic development.
• The need for resilient communications in crisis situations.
• An intensified focus on environmental protection.

Today, about 40% of the global population lacks internet access, with remote and underserved areas bearing the brunt of this digital divide. Nanosatellites, by delivering scalable and affordable connectivity, present a promising avenue for bridging this gap. Their potential extends beyond connectivity alone, as they increasingly support environmental monitoring, defence applications and crisis response, creating a comprehensive tool for addressing society’s pressing needs.

Nanosatellites bring high-powered capabilities in compact forms, allowing for a range of applications traditionally reserved for larger satellites. Some of these include:

• Telecommunication
• Internet of things
• Earth observation
• Environmental monitoring
• Defence and security
• Disaster management
• Scientific research and education

The article concludes by saying that, as demand for real-time data and reliable communication grows, nanosatellites are positioned to complement, and in some cases replace, traditional infrastructure. Their rapid deployment capabilities and adaptable constellations make them valuable assets for addressing specific connectivity needs, especially in underserved regions. The future of global SATCOM will likely be one that is inclusive and resilient, driving meaningful change and enabling a more connected, sustainable world.

Thanks to electronics360 for these excerpts from their article.

In a quick report back about Cyclone CHIDO in Mayotte, today.rtl.lu notes that, after the devastating cyclone on the French island, two satellite communication systems from Luxembourg will be deployed in Mayotte to help restore communication.

The satellite communication systems from “emergency.lu” were sent to the island in the Indian Ocean at the request of the French government through the European Union’s civil protection, to restore communication after the devastating cyclone.

As stated in a joint statement from the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and CGDIS, the systems were transported from Luxembourg to Paris on Monday, 30 December, from where they will be forwarded to the island of Mayotte. The operation of the devices is being supervised by two French technicians who were trained in Luxembourg in the field of humanitarian connectivity.

“Emergency.lu” is a mobile satellite communication platform aimed at rebuilding communication infrastructure after a disaster, supporting the coordination of humanitarian organisations on-site, and contributing to the rescue of people in humanitarian emergencies.

Now, with a huge amount of foresight, the European Union announced rules requiring all new smartphones, tablets and cameras to use the same charger, which came into force on Saturday, in a change Brussels said will cut costs and waste.

Manufacturers are now obliged to fit devices sold in the 27-nation bloc with a USB-C connector, the port chosen by the European Union as the common standard for charging electronic tools.

“Starting today, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, speakers, keyboards and many other electronics sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port,” the EU Parliament wrote on social media X.

The EU has said the single charger rule will simplify the life of Europeans and slash costs for consumers. By allowing consumers to purchase a new device without a new charger, it will also reduce the mountain of obsolete chargers, the bloc has argued.

Makers of laptops will have extra time, from early 2026, also to follow suit.

Most devices already use these cables, but Apple was more than a little reluctant.

The firm said in 2021 that such regulation “stifles innovation”, but by September last year it had begun shipping phones with the new port.

Makers of electronic consumer items in Europe had agreed on a single charging norm from dozens on the market a decade ago under a voluntary agreement with the European Commission.

USB-C ports can charge at up to 100 Watts, transfer data at up to 40 gigabits per second, and can serve to hook up to external displays.

At the time of its approval, the commission said the law was expected to save at least 200 million euros per year and cut more than a thousand tonnes of EU electronic waste every year.

“It’s time for THE charger,” the European Commission wrote on X on Saturday.

“It means better-charging technology, reduced e-waste, and less fuss to find the chargers you need.”

And there you have it, Folks – USB-C will become the way to go.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR, with an old enough phone still to be using some other connector, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

Brian Jacobs ZS6YZ, has sent me a newsy letter of the recent activities in HAMNET Gauteng, and the plans for the first few months of 2025. He writes:

”HAMNET Gauteng has events that they are participating in for the first three months of the new year and preparations have already started to get all the cache equipment used serviceable for these events. On Saturday 14 and 21 December a team of dedicated members gathered at the container at Arrowe Park and started testing antennas, coax cables, radios and repeaters. Some members took radios with them, to test at home and to reprogram according to a standard list of frequencies that are used by HAMNET Gauteng for events, returning them the next weekend. Good progress is being made.

“There is still some equipment that needs to be addressed in the trailer that is parked at the Brakpan Airfield. This includes the emergency generator and antennas in the trailer and all the long coaxial cables. These items will be tested over the weekend of 11 and 18 January 2025.

“The first event, The Fast One Cycle Race, will take place over the weekend of 25 and 26 January 2025 at the Mid Vaal Raceway in Meyerton. This event will be attended to by members from both HAMNET Gauteng and the Vaal members who are the HAMNET members in the Vaal Triangle of Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark and Sasolburg, under the leadership of Riaan ZS4PR the Provincial Director for the Free State.

The next event will be the Ride for Sight event which will be on 16 and 17 February at the Boksburg Stadium followed by the Sasol Marathon in Sasolburg.

“HAMNET Gauteng and Free State operate seamlessly together and always help each other out on events either side of the Vaal river.

“December was not uneventful as members of HAMNET Gauteng responded to one aircraft incident near Springs Airfield and an ELT at Lanseria International Airport. While at Lanseria, Brian ZS6YZ and Leon ZS6LMG took time out to talk to the fire fighters who wanted to know more about HAMNET and what we do. It was an informative session and the fire fighters were pleased that they had the opportunity to get to know more about HAMNET and how HAMNET can assist with some of their communications challenges that they periodically experience when they attend to an off airfield incident.

“Andre van Tonder ZS6HE who is one of our older long serving members was diagnosed with a life threatening illness earlier in the year. Andre was not doing well and was taken by his niece who is a medical doctor to Klerksdorp where she practises and she saw to it that he received the necessary treatment.

“Willem ZS6WIM and Maud who are Andre’s closest friends kept the rest of HAMNET Gauteng up to date regarding the progress of Andre’s treatment. When Andre was ready to return home Willem and Maud went to fetch him in Klerksdorp.

“Andre returned home on 19 December and the HAMNET members arranged a quick impromptu welcoming home party for Andre on the afternoon of 21 December. The party was not only to welcome Andre home again, but Brian ZS6YZ had put the wheels in motion to nominate Andre for a Jack Twine Merit Award and due to Andre’s illness the SARL Council and Awards Manager got the award delivered to Brian as quick as possible and Brian had the pleasure of pinning the award on the chest of a very surprised, emotional and thankful Andre. 

“Thanks to everyone who made it possible for us to bring some joy to Andre who has always been a very dedicated HAMNET member,” said Brian.

Thank you Brian for the letter, and sincere good wishes to Andre, as he recovers as quickly as possible.

And in an interesting piece of RF news, army-technology.com reported this week that the British Army has conducted “successful” trials of a radio frequency directed-energy weapon (RFDEW), which can neutralise drone swarms using radio waves.  

The system is designed to detect, track, and engage various threats on land, air, and sea.  With an effective range of up to 1km and a cost of [R2] per engagement, the system presents an economical alternative to conventional missile-based air defence systems. 

The RFDEW disrupts hostile threats by using high-frequency radio waves to damage or interfere with the electronic components of devices such as drones, rendering them inoperative.  

The system’s automation allows for single-operator use and can be mounted on military vehicles for enhanced mobility. The Royal Artillery Trials and Development Unit and seven Air Defence Group have recently completed live firing trials in West Wales, marking the first successful engagement of un-crewed aerial systems (UAS) by the British Armed Forces. 

These user trials have allowed air defence personnel to assess the capability’s potential in various configurations, threat types, and engagement scenarios. 

I note too that the Malaysian Government has announced plans to resume the search for Flight MH370, more than a decade after it disappeared off the radar,   while flying from Kuala Lumpur supposedly to Beijing. The underwater search of the west coast of Australia had been called off in 2017, but a new deal by the underwater exploration firm Ocean Infinity has been struck, and enthusiasm has increased as a result of the work done by a physicist, using the disturbances in Weak Signal Propagation Reporter transmissions, known as WSPR to the ham fraternity, caused by a plane flying though them.

Richard Godfrey, a retired Aerospace engineer has done multiple calculations using WSPR signals perturbed by something travelling through them at the exact time of the disappearance of the aircraft. By his reckoning the aircraft’s final resting place is not very far from the areas covered in previous searches.

This is such flimsy evidence that large numbers of radio engineers, including Professor Joe Taylor, who invented  WSPR, don’t have much faith in the chances of finding the aircraft. Others say that as long as your research reduces the total possible seabed area that needs to be searched, it is worth giving it a shot.

The families of the huge number of casualties deserve to be given closure, as does the reputation of the pilot deserve to be vouched for, if indeed he was not responsible for the crash. Let us hope that finding the aeroplane solves all the puzzles surrounding its disappearance.

Finally, on behalf of HAMNET South Africa, may I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2025, with good health and fine signals, as the solar cycle cruises at maximum next year.

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET South Africa.

Well, Tropical Cyclone CHIDO certainly packed a punch when it hit the Island of Mayotte last weekend. Slightly conflicting reports were issued suggesting the death toll was small or possibly as many as a thousand and clarity has not been achieved as far as I can see.

The problem is that there may be as many as 100000 unregistered or illegal inhabitants on the island, and they are certainly not going to report their dead for fear of being booted off the island. The majority of the inhabitants are of the Muslim Faith, who, by custom, wish to bury their dead on the same day, and so keeping track of casualties may prove to be difficult.

The storm hit Mayotte on December 14 with winds exceeding 220 km/h, causing damage described as catastrophic by local authorities, including disruptions to electricity, water, and communications, while key infrastructures like hospitals, the airport, and roads were severely affected. The peak of the phenomenon occurred at 9.00 AM (local time), accompanied by heavy rainfall and destructive swells.

Very soon after the storm, a message went out requesting certain HF frequencies to be kept clear. Greg Mossop G0DUB of IARU Region One repeated the call, but later rescinded it, because the source of the request was not confirmed as official, and in any case, there are no radio amateurs on Mayotte.

Later, French assistance groups brought two radio amateurs to the island, with the aim of keeping VHF and UHF frequency communications going and providing WiFi coverage for the island, but no mention of HF was made. Apparently Jef, call-sign F5FS, reported that before the cyclone hit the island the authorities had deployed a large number of satellite phones so they were still able to maintain contact with Paris.

Anyway, having left Mayotte in disaster, CHIDO ploughed on into Mozambique, bringing torrential rains and powerful winds that devastated communities in Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa provinces. The storm destroyed homes and public infrastructure, displaced thousands, and severely damaged roads and communication networks, hampering relief efforts in areas that were already hosting approximately 300,000 forcibly displaced persons by conflict.

While the full extent of the damage remains unclear, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) estimates a total of 181,554 people impacted, as of 17 December 2024. More than 36,000 houses were completely or partially destroyed. In some villages, very few houses remain standing. Years of conflict, forced displacement, and economic hardship have left communities in the region increasingly vulnerable. For many displaced families, the cyclone has caused renewed hardship, washing away what little they had managed to rebuild.

And on Tuesday the 17^th a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck just off the coast of Vanuata, threatening the lives of 116000 people on the island. Reliefweb.int says that preliminary reports indicate observed damages to buildings and infrastructure in Port Vila, with six unconfirmed casualties and injuries reported. Telecommunications remain disrupted and this is affecting the timeliness of field reports from remote areas. Access to the airport and water port is severely limited due to road damage.

As of 18th December, NDMO confirmed 14 fatalities either from collapsed buildings or landslides. The numbers may rise as search and rescue operations intensify and expand. Over 200 are reported injured while many are still missing. According to UNICEF staff on the ground, most injuries are fractures, cuts and trauma related to falling objects and sharp items. According to NDMO, two major water reservoirs in Port Vila are severely damaged and the airport is currently closed to all commercial flights. 

I have received some more happy news from Keith Lowes ZS5WFD, of KZN, reporting on the Upper Highway Trail Marathon, which took place on 7^th December. He writes that HAMNET KZN once again partnered with S.T.A.R.T Rescue to assist with communications for this annual event. S.T.A.R.T (Specialised Tactical Accident Rescue Team) and 9 HAMNET KZN members were deployed, 2 of whom are active members of the S.T.A.R.T Rescue team anyway, being Chris ZS5W and Justin ZS5JW. They were pleased to be joined by Alan ZS5AJA from Port Edward who was undertaking his first event with HAMNET KZN.

A Joint Operations Centre (JOC) was established at the beautiful finish venue of Camp Orchards in Hillcrest which was manned by Provincial Director Keith Lowes ZS5WFD for HAMNET and Jason Putter for the S.T.A.R.T Rescue team members.  HAMNET made use of the Highway Amateur Radio Club’s 145.7625 repeater situated in Kloof and 145.550 Simplex which gave them excellent coverage of the whole route. This took runners through 7 nature conservancies, 6 river eco-systems, 3 waterfalls and some of the most beautiful trails in the area.

95 runners started the 42Km race at 05H30 with 5 Water Points, whilst 248 runners started the 21Km event at 06H00 with 2 Water Points on route. Weather was ideal with cloudy/overcast conditions and light rain for the duration.

Only 2 incidents were reported, the first being a pedestrian knocked down in the vicinity of the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve Picnic Site. The patient was stabilised and transported to hospital by Red Line Ambulance Services. The second involved a runner who was suffering from dehydration and severe muscle cramps and needed to be extracted by START Rescue using a Stokes basket stretcher and rope rescue system as he was not able to climb the steep wooden trail ladder to reach the road level. The patient was successfully brought out in just under an hour and transported to hospital for further treatment.

This was their final sporting event for the year, and Keith says thank you to his HAMNET KZN team for their dedication and loyal support during the year. He ends by saying “You may take a well-earned break with your families but please remain vigilant and be available should a call for HAMNET’S assistance be received during the festive period.”

Keith’s greetings to his team are echoed by me, as I take the opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas, if appropriate, with your families, and a prosperous and healthy 2025. Let’s all remain radio-active, and aware of our commitment to assist where needed in disaster, accident or happy event, when asked to do so. Let’s not confine the spirit of giving only to physical presents to our nearest and dearest, but also to acts of kindness and comradeship to our fellow creatures, human or otherwise, without desire for recognition or compensation.

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

Just when we thought the risk of tropical storms may be leaving us for another year, the Global Disaster Alert Coordination System (GDACS) has started warning Southern Africa of the pending arrival of Severe Tropical Storm CHIDO, in the Indian Ocean and to the East of Madagascar. Early warnings were issued on Tuesday the 10^th.

Maximum wind speeds of about 170 km/h were forecast, with Madagascar  to be first in line, coastal Mozambique next, then Zimbabwe, and the far northeast of
South Africa and Eswatini possibly also affected.

On Thursday the warnings were upped to maximum wind speeds of 240km.h, with a million and a half people directly exposed to winds of at least 120km/h, a RED ALERT had been issued by GDACS, with the Comoros islands and Mozambique especially targeted. CHIDO is expected to cross the Mozambique coastline today (Sunday), and possibly reach Eastern Zimbabwe on the 17^th.

England and Wales has just weathered Storm DARRAGH, which came out of nowhere, and robbed large parts of the British Isles of power. Writing in The Guardian, Gaby Hinsliff noted that power lines were down, central heating was absent, and all digital methods of receiving media, or sending messages were missing. Life, as she says, went analogue.

It took up to 48 hours to re-establish power in the early winter, no joke at all for the old, frail, or unprepared.

Apparently, Emma Pinchbeck, the chief executive of the independent Climate Change Committee, which advises government, warned that Britain is nowhere near ready for the chaos that shifting weather patterns could bring. Too much of their essential infrastructure wasn’t built to withstand the conditions seen last weekend, which implies more power outages and more disrupted travel. They’re behind on flood defences, and are still inexplicably building houses on flood plains despite the clue being very much in the name. They’re also unprepared for freak hot summers leaving city dwellers sweltering in overheated flats. The government’s most recent climate risk assessment talks ominously of cascading failures, where one bit of toppling infrastructure crashes into the next: a power cut affecting water treatment facilities knocking out fresh water supplies for days, say, as happened in East Sussex two years ago during Storm Eunice.

Gaby ends by saying “Though the capacity to stay warm, fed and vaguely aware of what’s happening in the outside world is never a bad thing in a crisis, dragging some ancient camping gear down from the loft isn’t really about being physically prepared. It’s more about mentally adjusting to the idea that the world is once again more precarious than it looks, and that even the most boring aspects of everyday life can’t simply be taken for granted. I just hope that in the parts of government that are meant to be listening to the likes of Emma Pinchbeck, the same penny has dropped.”

And if the British Isles is ill-prepared, what chances have we non-first-world countries got of managing similar disasters.

A nice story from hackaday.com tells us of a group of radio hams who modified a radio telescope in the Netherlands, and successfully detected signals from Voyager 1. Bryan Cockfield, writing in Hackaday this week says:

“At the time of its construction in the 1950s, the Dwingeloo Radio Observatory was the largest rotatable telescope in the world with a dish diameter of 25 meters. It was quickly overtaken in the rankings but was used by astronomers for decades until it slowly fell into disuse in the early 2000s. After a restoration project the telescope is now a national heritage site in the Netherlands where it is also available for use by radio amateurs. Recently this group was able to receive signals from Voyager 1.

“Famously, Voyager 1 is the furthest manmade object from Earth, having been launched on a trajectory out of the solar system in 1977. As a result of distance and age, the signals it sends out are incredibly faint. The team first had to mount a new antenna to the dish, which was not originally designed for signals in this frequency, which added to the challenge. They then needed to use orbital predictions of the spacecraft in order to target the telescope and also make the correct adjustments to the received signal given that there is significant Doppler shift now as well. But with that all out of the way, the team was successfully able to receive the Voyager 1 signal on this telescope.

“Only a few [radio] telescopes in the world have ever been able to accomplish this feat, making it all the more impressive. Normally Voyager 1 is received using the Deep Space Network, a fleet of much larger dishes stationed around the world and designed for those frequencies. But this team is used to taking on unique challenges. They also decoded the first ham radio station on the moon and made a radar image of the moon using LoRa.”

Thanks to Brian for the story, and congratulations to the team of enterprising hams!

I note with interest news in the international ham press, of stations set up to receive signals from children operating ham stations under supervision of radio amateurs, who pass them on to the North Pole where Santa Claus or Father Christmas has been very busy preparing for his mad Christmas Eve dash around the world. The receiving station doing the relaying to the North Pole discusses the wishes of the children for Christmas presents with them, and undertakes to see that Santa gets the messages.

Apparently this process has been repeated each year for the last 19 years already, and I’m wondering why we aren’t running a relay to Father Christmas’ North Pole headquarters here in South Africa too. It seems to me we need a station with a good 20 or 40 metre signal from somewhere central to the country, likely to be heard in all provinces during the day, and with a good booming voice that will be easily heard by youngsters not really used to SSB signals. The ability to go along with the children’s trains of thought, and willingness at least to relay the messages at a time when the bands are open to the North Pole, would also be an advantage. A schedule to talk to the children could be set up at a time when propagation is likely to be good.

The children of Hams, or the next-door neighbour’s children may be excited to talk on the radio to someone who can quickly get a message to Santa before Christmas, and may have an interest in matters technical instilled in them at an early age. And who knows, one or two of those reach-for-a-dream-type stories might unfold, which can be brought to fruition by the kindness of South African Radio Amateurs, long known for their willingness to help their fellow (junior) citizens. That good feeling one gets from making someone else’s dreams come true, with no thought of compensation to oneself, is just simply the best!

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR, hoping that perfect person will take up the challenge and be the Relaying Santa station, and reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.