A joint venture between AREC and Tairāwhiti Emergency Management has added another solid layer of communication back-up should other systems fail.

Amateur Radio Emergency Communications and TEMO have installed Winlink, a radio email system that uses radio frequencies to send and receive email messages without the internet. It is widely used by emergency management and amateur radio emergency groups during disaster responses.

The new TEMO Winlink has HF, VHF and UHF frequency capabilities. The HF server will keep searching for another HF server nationally or worldwide until it locates one with an active internet connection and use that connection to send emails. If there is no internet connection to be found, it can send emails amongst each of the national or international servers. 

TEMO group manager Ben Green says it is a regional investment that will help safeguard Tairāwhiti communities in an emergency.

“This is a real regional partnership that leverages the expertise the amateur radio collective have,” says Ben. “AREC are now a key enabler for our communications. Our regional investment into radio networks provides a new layer of backup communications for the region.

“This provides us with another very capable layer of technology to ensure we stay connected, with an ability to connect with others outside of the region in the emergency management system,” says Ben. “While it is not a primary mode, it provides a very capable backup to Starlinks and digital radios.”

It is the first Radio Mail Server (RMS) installation of its type at a New Zealand Civil Defence Emergency Coordination Centre and is a capability that others are yet to put into place.

AREC northern regional manager Steve Main says the initiative had been kickstarted by AREC member Nigel Goldstone. “He’s usually based in Kaeo but was working in Gisborne over Cyclone Gabrielle. Nigel started a significant nationwide resurgence of Winlink servers for AREC and in particular encouraging groups to build and install these servers nationwide,” says Steve. “He was supported by a couple of other AREC members behind the scenes, which included the development of some specialised equipment.”
Thanks to the backing of Internet New Zealand, Steve was originally able to build two smaller Winlink servers for Gisborne and Ruatoria which will now complement TEMO’s one. “The system had to be reliable and fit within our environment and the needs of our community. It was very much a case of building the capability from the ground up, rather than simply deploying an existing solution.”

The servers are of bespoke design and while creating the two smaller units Steve decided to make a few changes.

“I decided to create a more modular system where platform trays could be unplugged and simply moved to another unit if needed,” he said.

The TEMO unit is the largest  he has built so far, however, the base platform trays and connectors are the same as the smaller units to ensure quick interchangeability can happen.

While he tried to source as much as he could in New Zealand some of the components had to be imported. “The whole process of this build involved a fair amount of research and coordination to ensure everything would integrate properly.”

But despite the challenges, Steve says TEMO and Council’s IT team had been “amazing” to work with.

“Ben has a terrific grasp on technology and when I initially demonstrated Winlink to him, he could see this as being another purposeful technology option to have in the toolkit for TEMO and the community,” he said. “It is very reassuring, as a local, to see firsthand Ben’s focus on continually developing TEMO and the Tairāwhiti region to be highly resilient.”

Steve also worked alongside Colvin’s for the antenna installations.

“Probably the biggest challenge has been the logistics side of the project. We were working within a limited timeframe while trying to secure all the required parts, some of which were difficult to obtain.”

Steve says a big part of AREC is serving the community in a “practical and meaningful” way. “Our members are volunteers who genuinely enjoy being able to contribute their skills and experience to TEMO to assist in improving resilience while supporting our communities.”

AREC has two active groups in Tairāwhiti – Gisborne and Ruatoria – and are always on the lookout for new members. “Training is provided and you only need to have an interest in emergency  communications and assisting the community,” says Steve.

The group are on Facebook, Instagram and the internet – www.arec.nz .