In the days since the
disastrous earthquake in Nepal amateur radio operators have been lending
critical communications assistance, especially in places where power, telephone,
wireless and internet service has been interrupted. Nepal has only 99 licensed
amateur radio operators, which is why hams from other countries have traveled to
the country to help.
The country’s government
reportedly is trying to speed approval for international radio amateurs to
transmit legally. Otherwise, only those working with official government rescue
teams are authorized. On Monday the Computer Association of Nepal-USA called
on the Nepal government to release amateur radio equipment that is
currently being held in customs.
Amateur radio transceivers can
operate at low power levels using gasoline generators, batteries, or even
hand-cranked generators, while still broadcasting over relatively large
distances. Transmitting in morse code, rather than audio, also improves power
efficiency. This makes ham radio particularly well suited for emergency
communications.
Nepalese and foreign operators
have been maintaining both local and international lines of communication.
Operators based in neighboring countries like India and China have been
monitoring transmissions from Nepal and relaying messages to and from the rest
of the world. Many of these are from families checking on and reporting the
welfare of relatives.
Amateur radio operators
coordinate through the International Amateur Radio Union and national groups
which do a significant amount of advance planning for disaster response.
According to the IARU one Nepalese ham has even been using the slow-scan TV
protocol to send images over shortwave to relief groups.
On Sunday Greg Mossup, an
Emergency Communications Coordinator with the IARU, talked with the CBC for a story on
the communications situation in Nepal. He explained that radio amateurs work
with government emergency services agencies to plan for critical emergency
response. He also noted that the engineering expertise of hams makes them a
valuable asset when working with search and rescue teams, especially with regard
to repairing and restoring communications infrastructure.
Shortwave broadcasting also provides a critical lifeline
to people in Nepal. The BBC World Service has expanded English and Nepalese
broadcasts to Nepal and Northern India. Guam-based Christian
shortwave station KTWR announced a daily 1-hour block
of programming for Nepal containing, “disaster relief counseling, teaching, and
music breaks.”
