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.

techcentral.co.za this week is reporting that South Africans love radio. The shift to digital has had disruptive effects on audiences in other media such as print and television, but radio remains resilient – even as it faces revenue pressures.

This is according to the third annual State of Broadcasting Industry Report released by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) this week. “The radio industry in South Africa demonstrated resilience amid ongoing industry headwinds,” said the report.

While increasing penetration of smartphones and digital devices has facilitated increased access to online radio platforms, a shift was particularly evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdowns led to a rise in radio listenership as people sought companionship and information.”

Traditional broadcast radio has come under pressure despite listenership figures remaining robust, though the vast majority of South Africans continue to tune in at rates that surpass the global average.

According to the NAB’s report, radio has been impacted by changes in consumer behaviour towards the adoption of internet-based, on-demand broadcast services. Despite this, relatable content and innovative methods for driving listenership engagement – like the incorporation of social media – along with the continued growth of community radio stations are keeping radio relevant and mainstream.

December 2023 data from the Broadcast Research Council shows South Africa’s 334 radio stations – made up of 41 commercial and public broadcasting services and 293 community stations – attract a combined weekly audience of 31.6 million people. 

The NAB said the majority of listeners still tune in via standalone radio receivers, with car radios being the second most popular access medium. Smart speakers and streaming apps showed the strongest growth between the third quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, despite being fifth and sixth behind cell-phone FM receivers and DSTV’s audio bouquets.

Thanks to techcentral for this review.

Meanwhile, mybroadband.co.za reports that South Africa’s network operators have said that battery theft and vandalism at their base stations have declined since 2023, but MTN and Vodacom have noted that the crimes still cost them a combined R550 million this year.

Several years of severe load-shedding had necessitated that South Africa’s mobile operators install increased tower backup capacity to reduce the power cuts’ impact on customer connectivity.

Alongside copper cables and other valuable materials used in telecoms infrastructure, backup power equipment became a prime target for opportunistic thieves and organised syndicates.

“Battery theft and vandalism at our base stations continue to be a huge challenge for the telco sector,” says Vodacom Group chief risk officer Johan van Graan.

“The consequences go beyond the costs of repairing and restoring infrastructure. They have a significant impact on communities that depend on connectivity as a vital lifeline.”

According to Vodacom, base station vandalism and battery theft can leave hundreds of thousands of people without a means to communicate, as many rely on cell-phone networks for this.

However, it can also affect businesses and emergencies where communication can be a matter of life or death.

The operator said that KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Northern Gauteng accounted for 40% of all battery thefts.

MTN South Africa told MyBroadband that it also experienced high levels of theft and vandalism in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State.

The network said it had experienced close to 500 incidents of theft and vandalism, which ultimately cost R450 million to replace stolen batteries and damaged base stations in 2024.

This is more than a tenfold increase from 2023’s costs, which cost the network R33 million.

It explained that these incidents included cable theft, battery theft, and the vandalism of battery safe houses. Battery safe houses are vault-like structures built around base station batteries.

“In addition, MTN South Africa is replacing copper cables with aluminium, which has a lower scrap value, and securing batteries with epoxy while improving security structures and bunkers to delay potential breaches,” MTN South Africa said.

On another electronic tack, militaryaerospace.com says that Electronic Warfare transmitters will use gallium nitride (GaN) technology in the ALQ-99, which is an airborne integrated Electronic Warfare jammer, to provide an improved universal exciter upgrade that solves obsolescence problems with application-specific integrated circuit prototypes.

The ALQ-99 receiver and antennas are mounted in a fin-tip pod on an aircraft, while jamming transmitters and exciter equipment are located in under-wing pods.

The system is designed to intercept, automatically process, and jam enemy RF signals from radio communications and radar. It can also detect, identify, and locate radio waves in a signals intelligence mode.

The ALQ-99’s low-band transmitter has replaced the [previous generation] ALQ-99’s tactical jamming system in Electronic Warfare bands 1, 2, and 3, ranging from 20 MHz to 1 GHz. Building transmitters with GaN technology will enable the transmitters to include band 4, which operates from 1 to 3 GHz, and to consolidate several transmitters into one transmitter.

And in a story from telegrafi.com, I read about photographer and aviation enthusiast Ian Simpson who has lived in the East Anglia region all his life and one of whose favourite things to do is photograph aircraft at Royal Air Force bases.

But on the morning of July 13, he knew something was wrong when he was watching planes take off at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, about 100 kilometres north-east of London.

The base is operated by the US Air Force and is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, the only US Air Force F-15 fighter wing in Europe.

“This plane took off and just before it got to us … a lot of flames and sparks started coming out of the back,” Simpson told the CNN-in

Simpson, who previously worked for Boeing designing air traffic control procedures, listened to radio communications between pilot Major Grant Thompson and the base to see if any action would be taken, but to his surprise no one else appeared to have noticed.

When he heard that the plane was set to refuel over the North Sea, Simpson realized that the pilot was unaware of potential problems with the plane, reports the Telegraph.

“They had no idea what was going on,” said the 56-year-old observer. “So at that point, I called the base – Googled the phone number.”

The panel operator connected him to the flight operations centre, which then contacted air traffic control and the pilot. After Thompson had his wingman confirm damage to the right engine of his F15-E Strike Eagle, the pilot returned safely to base.

I just love it when a plan comes together!

This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR, for the A TEAM, reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.

Writing in downtoearth.org.in, Kiran Pandey says that, while internal displacement in Africa has tripled in 15 years amid a spate of conflict and violence, there’s a six-fold increase in the number of internally displaced people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters, according to a new report.

The report, released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) noted that the number of people living in internal displacement as a result of conflict and violence in Africa has increased from 10.2 million in 2009 to 32.5 million in 2023. 

However, in comparison, the displacements caused by disasters have risen more sharply, increasing nearly six-fold between 2009 and 2023. The number of times people were forced to flee disasters each year increased from 1.1 million displacements in 2009 to 6.3 million in 2023. 

This surge in 15 years is largely driven by climate-related events such as floods and droughts, highlighting the growing impact of environmental disasters on displacement patterns across the continent.

Flooding, which impacts every region of the continent, is responsible for over 75 per cent of these displacements, while droughts contribute to an additional 11 per cent. 

For example, 69 per cent of the disaster-displacements in eastern Africa were due to floods. 

Most of those have taken place during the Gu season between March and May, and the Deyr season between October and December.

In western Africa, floods accounted for 99 per cent of disaster-displacements. Most of such displacements occurred between June and September. Such trends revealed in the report call for an effective preparedness plan to deal with such events, during the rainy season. These include early warning, land use planning and water management. 

Climate change is making weather-related hazards more frequent and more intense, acknowledged the IDMC. 

This has also been evident from the climate attribution studies published by the World Weather Attribution in recent years. It is also amplifying other factors that make communities more vulnerable to disaster displacement, increasing the risk of future movements. 

Nigeria reported the highest number of displaced people, totalling 8.7 million, with nearly three-quarters affected by two significant floods in 2012 and 2022. These events accounted for over 70 per cent of all flood-related displacements in the country.

According to the report, two cyclones—IDAI and FREDDY—were the most significant disaster-related displacement events in Africa over the past 15 years, impacting communities in Southern Africa.

The displacement trends over the past 15 years highlight the urgent need for effective implementation of conventions and policies at the regional level. 

In 2009, the African Union adopted the Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa which is also known as the Kampala Convention. 

This was the first—and remains the only—legally binding regional instrument that addresses all causes and phases of displacement. It demonstrates the commitment of African nations to tackle the issue and set international standards for its management. 

Sobering thoughts indeed concerning our continent and climate change.

For those of you who may have heard of, and been wondering about the bugs in the encryption algorithms used to secure emergency radio communications, urgentcomm.com says that the algorithms will now soon be released to the public domain, with the aim of encouraging code review and bug hunting.

The news comes after multiple vulnerabilities were found in TETRA, short for Terrestrial Trunked Radio, which is a radio voice and data standard mainly used by emergency services, such as police, fire brigade, and military, as well as in some industrial environments. The bugs were found by Midnight Blue Labs earlier this year, and the research was presented at Black Hat USA, showcasing additional zero-day vulnerabilities that could allow anyone to spy on or manipulate transmissions.

This decision to go public is a complete 180-degree turn for standard-maintainer ETSI, which originally pushed back against any claims of vulnerabilities within TETRA when they were initially found, claiming that the work to enhance the standard was already underway.

Since then, a technical committee overseeing the TETRA standard met in October to decide on making the algorithms open to the public. Ultimately, the group came to a unanimous decision to make all of the TETRA Air Interface cryptographic algorithms open-source.

With a bit of luck, the clever fellows or girls will find the bugs, fix them, and thereafter ensure safe and intact emergency comms using TETRA!

Writing on his own blog, gadgeteer.co.za, Danie ZS1OSS refers to the FCC authorization to be given to a wireless cell carrier to connect directly with Starlink satellites, and says that satellite connectivity on smartphones can be an incredibly important safety feature, and both phone makers and carriers are working to expand its availability. Now, Starlink’s direct-to-cell service that will be used by T-Mobile has FCC approval.

Danie says further: “The big promise of direct-to-cell satellite service is that you will be able to connect to a satellite just like you currently connect to a cell tower, with your current smartphone, whenever you find yourself in a dead spot. It’s like putting a cell tower in space that you can access at all times.

“So, this is actually a huge event. Any ordinary cell-phone user, stuck in some rural area (or at sea) where these satellites have coverage, could establish communications as if there was a cell-phone tower in range.

“It will be very interesting to see how these pan out in terms of more congested areas, and how operating costs compare. I’m thinking too here of some of the extreme electricity load shedding that South Africa experienced, where cell towers had no grid power for up to 6 hours at a time. South African operators have also had very expensive backup batteries stolen on a regular basis from their terrestrial sites.

“When one factors all this in, how do a few satellite units compare? Even for rural communications, due to the reach of the towers, how many towers and interconnectivity infrastructures are required to cover a 200 square kilometre area vs by satellite?”  Good Question!

Thanks for the comments, Danie, and for permission to use the report.

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

I start this bulletin with the sad news that Francois Botha, originally ZS6BUU and now ZS4X, has said farewell to his wife Estelle, after a long and difficult battle with cancer. HAMNET salutes you Francois, and hopes you will weather this storm, comforted by the thought that you left no stone unturned in your care for your wife.

Francois was the originator of this weekly HAMNET report, and for many years the National Director of HAMNET, before he stood down to care for his wife. Our deepest sympathies to you, Francois.

I’m also able to report this week that the Hurricanes and Typhoons are quietening down a bit. Hurricane SARA resulted in 7 deaths and countless people displaced in the Caribbean, but was destined to settle down by Wednesday past. Typhoon MANYI has crossed the Philippines and has dissipated in the sea south of Hainan island, leaving injury but luckily no deaths.

A smaller storm called BHEKI, approached Mauritius and Reunion, with wind speeds of about 75km/h, and was due to pass by the islands, dissipating on Friday the 22^nd.

Let’s hope lots of mopping up can be done before any more storms arise.

Writing in airport-technology.com, Steve Giroux, of Barrett Communications notes that Africa’s diverse environments present significant challenges for long-distance communications technologies. Spanning vast deserts, dense forests, and mountainous regions, the continent’s varied environments can present major obstacles to the deployment of traditional communications infrastructure and can result in limited connectivity, particularly in remote areas.

High-frequency (HF) radio offers a reliable solution to maintain effective communications in such conditions. HF radio systems do not require extensive infrastructure, making them ideal for emergency services, armed forces, logistics and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in potentially adverse environments with limited accessibility. Additionally, HF radios allow communications across vast distances, which is crucial in emergency scenarios where rapid coordination is necessary.

HF radio has advantages over satellite communication systems, as it does not require extensive ground infrastructure and is “free to air”. In addition, HF radio is ideal for remote environments and can be integrated into existing infrastructure to enhance communications capabilities.

Countries in Africa with high quality and reliable power infrastructure obviously are more able to guarantee quality HF communications, while it is a lot more challenging in countries with unreliable power. However, HF is still the most efficient way to carry out long distance communications in Africa.

Thanks to airport-technology.com for this summary.

Businesstech.co.za says that The National Disaster Management Centre in South Africa has declared another National Disaster.

Dr Bongani Elias Sithole, the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, declared the national disaster due to the loss of life from poor food safety practices in the country.

Sithole received reports from several organs of state and made his decision after assessing the magnitude and severity of the foodborne illness that emanates from or may still emanate from poor food safety practices in the country.

These poor food safety practices have led to deaths and serious illnesses across the country, which resulted in the classification as a National Disaster. As per legislation, the primary responsibility to coordinate and manage this disaster lies with the National Executive.

The classification of a National Disaster follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on Friday, 15 November, where he outlined the plans to get all spaza shops in the country registered within 21 days.

Unregistered spaza shops that do not meet health standards are set to be closed.

Ramaphosa’s plan comes after 890 incidents of food-borne illnesses have been reported nationwide, with Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal (the two most populated provinces) reporting the most.

I have received a report from Brain Jacobs ZS6YZ, deputy National Director of HAMNET, telling me of the search that was conducted on Wednesday of this week for an ELT beacon that had been detected in the region of the Wonderboom Airport.

Brian ZS6YZ and Anja ZS6SJC live close to the Airport, but were unable to hear the beacon from their home, so they then drove to the airport, where the signal was audible but not very strong. It seemed to be coming from the Technical Area on the West side of the airport. Brian and Anja obtained permits of entry and started a systematic search for the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT).

Brian and his daughter followed the signal and narrowed it down to the South West corner of the Technical Area, so split up and proceeded down either side of a row of hangars, where suddenly it was clear that the signal was very strong. Both Brian on one side and Anja on the other side of the hangar confirmed a building as the source of the signal.

They found one of the hangar doors to be open, and proceeded into the building, removing the antennas from their handhelds to attenuate the signals. There they found an aircraft where the beacon was located.

Brian alerted the team from ARCC in their ATNS marked vehicle, the owner was identified, the beacon switched off, and some stern words conveyed.

The Mountain Club of SA – Search and Rescue Gauteng had also been mobilised, because they wanted to try out their new ELT detection device, but unfortunately their inexperience led to them getting bogged down by reflections amongst the metal hangars.

Brian invited the members of MCSA to the next HAMNET Gauteng ELT training session, to build their experience and capabilities with their new equipment.

Thanks to Brian for the report and to him and Anja for successfully finding the source of the noise.

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

I am starting to sound like a stuck record. The news of the world contains only natural disaster reports, but we’ll start in South Africa, which has declared a national disaster after floods and storms caused widespread damage in the country, allowing the government to free up funds for relief and reconstruction.

Disruptive rains, floods, strong winds and hail from October 22 to 29 affected the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Limpopo, North-West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces, Elias Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Centre, said in an official notice on Wednesday. That caused damage to property, infrastructure and the environment, and disrupted the provision of basic services, he said.

The floods left at least 10 people dead and hundreds more displaced in the Eastern Cape alone, Johannesburg-based broadcaster eNCA reported.

The declaration of a national disaster assigns primary responsibility for the coordination and management of the clean-up to the national government, Sithole said.

The announcement comes almost a year after South Africa proclaimed a climate-related national disaster following floods and storms in three coastal provinces in September and October 2023.

In addition to last month’s storms, the country had unseasonal snow in September that closed a major highway for two days, and a major snowfall in November for the first time in 85 years.

Poor old Cuba has been struck again, this time by an earthquake, of magnitude 6.8, just off the South coast at a depth of 14km. No tsunami was generated, but 51000 people were exposed to severe shaking.

And hot on the earthquake’s heels, comes a warning for Tropical Storm SARA, which is threatening Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. Cuba has only just said goodbye to RAFAEL, with maximum measured wind speeds of 194km/h.

Carlos CO2JC, he of IARU Region 2, said on Thursday that “During the early hours of today, the low pressure area in the central Caribbean Sea became a tropical depression and later Tropical Storm SARA. At 18:00 UTC its centre was located NE of Cabo Gracias a Dios, on the border between Nicaragua and Honduras and 330 km ESE of Guanaja Island, Republic of Honduras. SARA is moving west at a rate of 19 km/h. Since this (Thursday) morning, it has been raining in towns in eastern Honduras, especially in the regions of Gracias a Dios and Colon.

“In the next 24 to 48 hours, Tropical Storm SARA is expected to move along a similar track, slowing down its speed, very close to the coast of Honduras. During its movement over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea it may gain a little more in organization and intensity.

“For this reason we have received a request from the emergency coordinators of Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua to protect the following emergency frequencies:

“40m band: 7080 kHz, 7143 kHz, 7198 kHz

“2m band: 146.520 MHz, 147.300 MHz (+600KHz offset)

“Earlier today we learned through Juan de la Cruz Rodriguez Perez (YN1J), that they are listening on Echolink “CONFERENCE ZONE YN“, linked to the Node YN1J-L and remain alert for any help that can be provided.”

Thank you to Greg G0DUB for passing on those frequencies to avoid.

Not to be outdone, Philippines has 4 orange or red alerts for Tropical Cyclones bearing down on it. Cyclone YINXING is threatening Philippines with 231km/h winds, Cyclone USAGI has maximum wind speeds of 185km/h, Cyclone TORAJI has positively boring wind speeds of 148km/h, and MANYI, still a way off, has wind speeds of 231km/h. So far this hurricane season, Philippines has been struck by eleven tropical storms, and is, for the third year running, the most disaster-prone country in the world. The resilience of the Filipino people must be extraordinary, as they have hardly picked up the pieces from last week’s cyclone, or several from last year’s season, before being struck by the next one. Just how many times can one rebuild one’s house?

In 2018, on August 12^th to be precise, NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe, designed to fly towards the sun, using Venus gravity assist flyby’s to adjust its trajectory into a final orbital configuration, which will bring the spacecraft closer to the sun than any human made object has ever been.

After its November the 6^th flyby, Parker will be on course to swoop within 6 million kilometres of the solar surface, the final objective of the historic mission first conceived over 65 years ago. No human-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker’s data will be charting as-yet uncharted territory. In this hyper-close route, Parker will cut through plumes of plasma still connected to the Sun. It is close enough to pass inside a solar eruption, like a surfer diving under a crashing ocean wave.

“This is a major engineering accomplishment,” said Adam Szabo, mission scientist for Parker Solar Probe at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, will occur on Dec. 24, 2024, during which mission control will be out of contact with the spacecraft. Parker will send a beacon tone on Dec. 27, 2024, to confirm its success and the spacecraft’s health. Parker will remain in this orbit for the remainder of its mission, completing two more perihelia at the same distance.

Personally, I’m a bit concerned that the solar probe will be cooked to a cinder in the sun’s corona, without being able to send back any useful science, but this doesn’t seem to be bothering the mission scientists, and I guess they have done their sums. Anyway, it is the 27^th December we must wait for, to get that beacon tone to signal its health.

Thanks to science.nasa.gov for extracts from their report.

In a good example of lateral thinking, scientists decided to ask Gophers (or burrowing rodents) to rescue the ecology of a volcanic eruption. This started with the eruption of Mount St. Helens in May of 1980, which caused staggering ecological damage. Faced with a devastation that would take the local environment a substantial amount of time to recover from, scientists were open to unorthodox ideas that might speed the process along.

Specifically, as laid out in the University of California’s report, the thinking was “by digging up beneficial bacteria and fungi, gophers might be able to help regenerate lost plant and animal life on the mountain.” So, just two years after the devastating eruption, that’s exactly what scientists did. They gathered up some gophers, brought them to the eruption site, and let them do their gopher thing.

And, six years after the gophers were placed on two specific plots of pumice for a single day, there were 40,000 plants thriving.   Nearby areas, that didn’t get the gophers, took much longer to recover. 40 years later, the microbial community fostered within those plots, specifically mycorrhizal fungi, are still allowing plant life to thrive in the area.

So, the interaction between burrowing animals, turnover of the soil, and the interactions between Mycorrhizal fungi and soil bacteria, should never be underestimated.

Perhaps the habitual digging by my Jack Russell should not be condemned after all.

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

On this Sunday closest to Remembrance Day, HAMNET salutes and remembers with respect those members of the Ham Fraternity who lost their lives in the world wars or in the commission of amateur radio activities during disasters of one sort or another.

 “At the going down of the Sun, and in the morning, we shall remember them”.

Tropical Cyclone KONG-REY eventually resulted in very heavy rainfall over Taiwan, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 185km/h, resulting in 3 fatalities and injuries to more than 690 people.

Another hurricane, this one becoming a category 3 storm, and called RAFAEL, started threatening western Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and central-western Cuba this week.. On 5^th November, it was registered as a category 1 storm, with winds blowing in the 150km/h range, and threatening 230000 people in its path. RAFAEL left Cuba’s 10 million residents without power, but, by the 7^th, had moved away from Cuba and was heading northwest towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Carlos CO2JC, again advised that, taking into account the approach and better organization for tropical storm Rafael, as well as the rains that have already affected areas of the central and eastern regions, they decided, in coordination with the National Staff of Civil Defence, to activate the National Emergency Network of the Cuban Radio Amateur Federation, starting at 16:00 EST (20:00 UTC) on November 5, 2024.

Carlos said that they will use 7110 kHz (primary) and 7120 (alternative) as working frequencies for shortwave (HF), and also, if the conditions of the stations allow it at night, 3720 kHz and 3740 kHz. In addition, the VHF frequencies of the different municipalities and the installed repeaters will be used live. In the capital, 145.550 MHz will also be used as a provincial emergency frequency.

Again, they requested the international ham fraternity to keep away from those frequencies, and allow emergency traffic to take precedence.

The ARRL said that the Hurricane Watch Net, the VoIP Hurricane Net, and WX4NHC, the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Centre were activated until the night of the 6^th, local time, before being stood down.

And the Philippines was also clobbered by a category 1 tropical cyclone called YINXING, affecting about 22000 people in its path on the 5^th November. By the next day, GDACS was issuing a RED alert for the cyclone over the Philippines, with 1.6 million people facing the 120km/h winds, but maximum wind speeds forecast to reach 231km/h.

By Tuesday of this week, the death toll from the most severe natural disaster Spain has ever experienced stood at 221. 69 people are still missing, while 36000 people needed rescuing. 98% of areas without electricity have now had their power restored. Luckily the flood waters are subsiding progressively, but a return to normal life in the affected Provinces will take a long long time.

South Africa has also not escaped extreme weather, with several districts of Limpopo province, north-eastern South Africa experiencing heavy rain and hailstorms, causing floods and severe weather-related incidents that resulted in casualties and damage.

According to media, four people died across the worst-affected districts of Sekhukhune, Mopane and Vhembe. By the 7^th November, rainfall had subsided, although skies were still overcast.

Danie ZS1OSS, has sent me a formal report on the Annual Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Exercise, which I’ll quote properly now. He writes:

“The Annual Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Exercise was held on 24 October 2024. The purpose of the exercise is to prepare for the unlikely scenario where there may be a radiation leak from the power station, which necessitates the evacuation of residents and animals from the surrounding areas. Such an exercise involves Eskom staff, the City’s Disaster Risk Management Services, SA Police Service, SA National Defence Service, City Fire and Traffic Departments, Provincial Departments such as Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Human Settlements, the Robben Island Museum, the SPCA, Golden Arrow and MyCiti bus services, various media liaison organisations, and also HAMNET.

“HAMNET’s role is defined in its own emergency communications plan for Koeberg and similar disasters. Members are deployed to the DOC (Disaster Operations Centre at Goodwood) where the situation is monitored. If there are critical communication breakdowns, then HAMNET will operate the dedicated radio room for this purpose at the Disaster Risk Management Centre at Goodwood, and will deploy additional available members to where they are required to restore communications with the DOC.

“The exercise itself goes through the stages of initial containment, and escalates up to emergency levels where bus services are deployed to evacuate the public to mass care centres for decontamination. The location of the Mass Care Centres takes into account which direction the wind is blowing from Koeberg. Some aspects are simulated so this year the Koeberg emergency sirens were not activated and no residents were physically evacuated, but the Mass Care Centres were established where they need to be, and traffic roadblocks were put in place without hindering the traffic flow.

“The different Categories of Emergency are defined as:

• Unusual Events – unplanned incidents take place
• Alerts – requiring activation of all Koeberg emergency personnel
• Site emergencies – serious radiological hazards on site
• General emergencies – serious radiological hazards to the public

“For each category, additional actions are triggered and monitored as part of the exercise.

“After the completion of the exercise at 12:13 the instruction to stand down was sent out. There was a debriefing session held to discuss any lessons learnt and improvements that need to be made. As with all previous exercises there is always one or more lessons learnt, and this year was no exception. But this is exactly the purpose of holding regular exercises, so that role-players all get accustomed to what they need to do, how they work together as a team, and to improve what they will be doing the next time.

“This exercise was itself also a preparation for the Biennial Koeberg Nuclear Power Station National Nuclear Regulator Exercise to be held on 19 November 2024.

“Present from HAMNET Western Cape this year were Danie ZS1OSS and Shawn ZS1LED.”

Thank you, Danie and Shawn, for your conscientious support of these exercises, and the report.

Our radio station ZS1DCC is upstairs from the Disaster Operations Centre at Goodwood, and all equipment is permanently on and running, to be used at a moment’s notice if the Disaster plan calls for it.

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

It is Spain’s turn to receive the first mention in this week’s bulletin. Jose A Mendez EA9E, Spain’s National Emcomm Coordinator writes of what they call a “DANA”, which is Spanish for an isolated depression at high levels, and which recently affected the east and south of the country, bringing a year’s worth of rain to the region in 6 hours. We still call an isolated depression at high levels, a “cut-off low”.

This has resulted in flooding, river overflows and damage to infrastructure. The most affected communities include areas in the east and south of the country, such as the Valencian Community, Murcia and Andalusia. 

Emergency services are working to care for affected people and to recover damaged areas. Evacuations are also being carried out in high-risk areas. In addition, a meteorological alert has been activated in several provinces, and the population is advised to follow the instructions of local authorities.

In the areas affected by the DANA, telecommunications have been disrupted due to flooding and damage to infrastructure. It is common for mobile phone coverage and internet service to be down in emergency situations.

Operators are working to restore services as quickly as possible, but recovery times may vary depending on the severity of the damage and weather conditions. Local authorities usually provide updates on the telecommunications situation and the population is advised to stay informed through radio or media that do not depend on the internet. The REMER (Civil Protection Radio Emergency Network) is pre-alerted in the affected areas. The VHF-UHF repeaters are working correctly and providing coverage in the affected areas.

On Friday evening, I gathered that the death toll from the flooding was standing at 158.

And the red alert issued last Sunday by GDACS for Tropical Cyclone KONG-REY showed it to have arisen in the Guam region, and, travelling northwest, was skimming the top of the Philippines, and aiming squarely at Taiwan. Maximum expected wind speeds were in the 210km/h region, and it was expected to arrive in Taiwan on Wednesday the 30th. The storm was then expected to move along the southeast coast of mainland China, before threatening Japan. 15 million people were threatened with winds speeds in excess of 120km/h.

And from sciencenews.com this week, I have discovered that the very new field of Forensic Entomology is being used to investigate the worrying field of rhino poaching.

In 1988, police officers in Australia came for Ian Dadour. Not because the entomologist was under arrest, but because they needed his expertise. Investigators asked Dadour to estimate the ages of maggots found on a human body to help them gauge when a homicide victim had been killed. Dadour went on to teach this and other entomology-based forensic methods to the South African Police Service. Today, officers are using these tools to investigate another type of crime: rhino poaching.

South Africa is home to thousands of rhinos, including critically endangered black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) and near-threatened white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum). Poachers kill hundreds of rhinos every year, usually for the animals’ horns. The country’s police force adopted forensic entomology into its poaching prevention arsenal in 2014, training officers to collect insect evidence found at wildlife crime scenes.

The process works the same with rhinos as it does with humans, says Dadour, now of Source Certain, an Australian company that verifies the origin of agriculture and seafood. Officers collect adults, larvae and eggs of carrion insects such as flies and beetles from the victim. Carrion insects are quick to find and lay eggs on a dead body — often descending in under an hour — which then hatch and develop at a predictable pace. In that way, they act as a biological clock.

Forensic entomologists can estimate how long a body has been dead based on what insects are present and the life cycle stage of the insects’ offspring. That estimate is called a minimum postmortem interval. The method is most accurate before and during active decay; because, as decomposition progresses, accuracy drops. “When the conditions are right, it can be very useful,” says Martin Villet, a forensic entomologist based in Cape Town, South Africa. Investigators can use the data to track down killers, and prosecutors can use it as evidence in the courtroom. 

Dadour and Melanie Pienaar — a forensic entomologist at the South African Police Service — wanted to document which insects were used to investigate rhino deaths. They examined 19 cases of rhino poaching that were investigated in part using forensic entomology. Their analysis of the cases, which occurred between 2014 and 2021, involved tallying the various insect species present at each stage of decomposition, comparing the minimum postmortem interval estimates and factoring in the average ambient temperature during each time period.

Of the 119 insects collected from the rhinos, blowflies (Diptera) and beetles (Coleoptera) were the most abundant and useful for calculating the minimum postmortem interval for each rhino, the team reports October 9 in Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Some bugs (Hemiptera) were also present, but weren’t as helpful for these calculations.

Dadour has trained wildlife officers to use the technique outside of rhino poaching, for example when keeping tabs on endangered Australian marsupials called numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus). It can also be used in animal cruelty cases.

However, forensic entomology isn’t widely used to investigate wildlife crimes,  Dadour says. For South Africa’s rhinos, at least, it and other anti-poaching measures have helped populations slowly increase, he says.

Thanks to Sciencenews.org for this evidence of progressive thinking in the fight against the threat of extinction facing the South African rhino.

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