Radio amateurs were among the first people to make use of voice over IP technology as it enabled PCs to connect directly into amateur radio networks, says SA Radio League (SARL) councillor Hans van Groenendaal.
He says technology such as "Echolink" allows radio amateurs, also known as hams, to connect with each other using PC-to-radio-to-repeater-to-radio and then to PC links.
"These networks can become very complex once set up. However, they help us explore the different technology available to use them to ensure communications for a wide variety of reasons," he says.
Van Groenendaal was speaking ahead of the "Take your handheld transceiver to work day", scheduled for Friday, 18 August. It provides South African radio hams the opportunity to show off their hobby to colleagues and other members of the public.
The idea is to give the general public a better understanding of amateur radio, says Graham Hartlett, president of SARL, and to demonstrate the huge potential radio amateurs have in serving their country and fellow citizen in times of need.
Disasters
"Worldwide radio amateurs have a proud history of providing communication support during disasters and in times when national communications goes down. When something happens, the first network that gets overloaded and crashes is the cellular network as everyone grabs for the cellphone to make a call," he says.
"During the past few years, tsunamis and earthquakes in the east and hurricanes in the US come to mind. It was amateur radio that provided the first communication links to the outside world," Hartlett says.
SARL and the many amateur radio clubs around SA have set up VHF and UHF repeater networks, which - when linked through high frequency radio and Internet connections - can provide communication worldwide from a small handheld transceiver. Throughout the year, groups of radio amateurs provide communication during sporting events, such as road races and motor rallies.
The SARL has a disaster communications arm called Hamnet, a group of radio amateurs who are set up to provide communication anywhere in SA should disaster strike.
Hamnet holds regular exercises with other emergency support groups; the most recent one was where various organisations in the Western Cape worked together during an imaginary severe weather condition that caused destruction and flooding in several areas. When real disaster strikes, radio amateurs join in and support Hamnet - providing powerful emergency communications muscle.
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