The group then collected all the orphaned “donated” HF radio equipment from several locations and integrated them into the new NEMO HF network, which established regular radio nets with Fiji, and the East Coast of AustraliaĬonducted in the capital city of Nukuʿalofa, the training was organized by the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) Pacific cluster in collaboration with Barret Communications along with local support from the Department of Communications, MEIDECC, Tonga.Īssisting me in this were Ms. We standardized the Selcall (selective calling) and Beacon number allocation for the area of operations. MC: When I arrived, I found the HF radio equipment situation challenging and a set of standard frequencies for immediate use were not available, so I immediately implemented the following steps.Īs a team – with the students leading – we selected frequencies that would ensure communication across the S/W Pacific and Australia. We caught up with Mitchell Clifford to learn more about Barrett’s work in Tonga.Ĭan you provide an overview of the emcomms infrastructure in Tonga before and after your visit? It has worked with many Caribbean nations to implement HF radio networks for both regular and critical communications.Įarlier this year, Mitchell Clifford, operational support specialist with Barrett, visited Tonga to work with the Tonga National Emergency Management Office (NEMO), which is under the Department of Communications under the Ministry of MEIDECC (Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications) This was all funded by World Food Organization and organized by the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) Pacific cluster. Students learning to set up critical communications networks using a Barrett 4050 HF SDR Transceiver.īarrett Communications has a long history of assisting in the installation, training and ongoing support of emergency communication systems (emcomms) across the world. Tonga decided it needed a robust and comprehensive HF radio communication network to ensure emergency communications across its inhabited islands are not critically disrupted in the future. It took the repair ship 10 days to get to Tonga, and a total of six weeks to fix it. It disrupted emergency communications as the country’s only undersea internet cable was damaged in the eruption, shredding an 80km section of the cable into pieces.
Indeed, Tonga suffered a disaster on Januwhen the submarine Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted, causing a tsunami across the Pacific Ocean and generating associated atmospheric shock waves. From cyclones to tsunamis, storms visit regularly, not discounting the active volcano that might erupt at any moment.
HF radio operators can communicate over hundreds of kilometres using ionospheric frequencies, as such, field work can be carried out efficiently and humanitarians can stay in touch in case of emergencies.Įvery year in Tonga, the island group faces extreme weather events.
HF radio offers emergency workers unparalleled access to open communication channels that are unaffected by network outages or bad weather, even in areas without internet access or phone services. Humanitarian workers entering into these areas require communication tools that will function under all circumstances. The lack of vital emergency communications systems means that without equipment such as a HF radio network, Pacific nations are not able to coordinate relief efforts and effective humanitarian support in cases of natural disaster.Ĭommunications in the Pacific are severely restricted during and after storm season, with the frequent storms having devastating effects on local infrastructure. T he Pacific region faces a number of challenges: small clusters of population across thousands of islands, poor mass communications infrastructure, and severe stormy weather on an annual basis. Hands-on training in the field using a Barrett PRC-4090 HF Manpack Transceiver Why high frequency emergency radio communications networks are critical for island nations
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