Power failure and communication – could Swiss radio amateurs help in an emergency? – News


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Power failures can paralyze communication networks. Radio amateurs rely on a battery-powered emergency network.

For decades, radio operators have been using emergency radio to help each other in the event of catastrophes, floods, earthquakes or after storms – i.e. when entire communication networks fail. For most amateur radio operators, however, radio is simply a hobby, a technique to communicate with other radio operators around the world. Now amateur radio operators are offering to help the Swiss authorities. This is when emergency communication fails over a large area in the event of a power failure.

There are around 4,000 radio operators in Switzerland. Not only do you have the necessary equipment, you also have the ability to listen carefully when a colleague speaks over the radio. You can set up an emergency radio network with antennas that can be operated over long distances and independently of the power grid.

The radio amateurs keep practicing how to set up a radio connection, for example recently on a weekend at the end of August. The members of Radio and Technology Association Solothurn established a connection across the Jura from Zuchwil (SO) to Dornach (SO).

«With this exercise we were able to show that we can establish a connection without electricity, without cables and without the Internet. The telephony connection is based on a high-speed internet link that we set up», explains Alex Küffer, president of the association.

In this case, good quality calls can be made over a distance of 80 kilometers via a connection through the air. The radio operators of the Solothurn club can also send e-mails by radio in this way.

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Legend:

Emergency radio in a power emergency? This is how the exercise of the Solothurn radio operators looked like. The wireless connection works with batteries.

Alex Moser/SRF

The authorities and blue light organizations are linked to the Swiss radio network Polycom in the event of internet or power failures. Nevertheless, the initiative of the amateur radio operators is well received by those responsible. Diego Ochsner from the Solothurn Office for Military and Civil Protection says: “This technology has not yet been used. But we want to use them. During an earthquake exercise, we noticed that we couldn’t cross the Jura with our previous radio networks,” he explains during the exercise, in which he also takes part.

Emergency network does not work everywhere

The Polycom network failed to scale the Jura Hills during an earthquake drill. In an emergency, thanks to amateur radio, the police, fire brigade and civil defense could still be contacted. The network of the Solothurner Funk- und Technikverein has mastered the Jura as a hurdle without any problems.

Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network


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The amateur radio emergency data network AREDN is basically a wireless network, as you know it from home as “WLAN” or “WiFi”, explains the amateur radio group Burgdorf explains the technology for laypeople on their website.

The devices used are commercially available. The big difference to the home network is the software that is installed on these devices: It is developed by radio amateurs and is specially designed for use in emergencies.

For comparison: While in the private WLAN devices – usually only your own – are connected via the Internet connection, the radio software can connect any device to other AREDN devices automatically.

The idea would be a Switzerland-wide emergency radio network. The Solothurn radio operators were the first in Switzerland to set up this emergency radio network. More and more cantons are being added to the network called “Amateur Emergency Data Network”, explains Alex Küffer, President of the Solothurn Radio Association. The emergency radio groups hope to be able to conclude performance agreements with a majority of the cantons by 2029. In this way, their services would also be financially rewarded.

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