Wakatipu SAR needed a cost-effective way of interfacing their long range HF, and shorter range VHF radio systems for operations in their challenging environment.
Wakatipu SAR operate in difficult terrain for radio communications. The narrow winding valleys and steep surrounding mountains block shorter range simplex radio systems like VHF. This prevents communications between the forward search team and the operations centre in Queenstown. The large size of the search catchment area makes setting up standard VHF repeaters an impractical solution in many circumstances.
A combination of HF and VHF technologies was used to provide communications within the search team, and back to the operations centre. HF radio has the ability to work over very long distances (even between continents), however the equipment is expensive and heavy (backpack sized, with a meters high antenna), which ruled out every member of the forward search team carrying a unit.
Instead, a single HF radio man pack is hauled into the search area, deployed, and connected to a Tait VHF system using the Nexion Smart Patch and Sparrow custom interface system developed by Ignition Networks.
The forward search team communicates with each other using lightweight, convenient VHF radios, which gets repeated back to the operations centre via HF.
A modern Codan HF radio solution was selected to make the long distance hop from the operations centre to the forward search team. Ignition has partnered with Codan for many years, deploying their HF solutions in New Zealand, and across the Pacific.
The Ignition Sparrow patching system allows a lightweight handheld VHF radio to interface with the Codan HF Man Pack. The system automatically detects handheld push to talk button presses, and correctly matches impedances between radio devices. It uses very little current, making it practical to power from any Tait VHF handheld.
In combination with the Nexion Smart Patch, the solution forms an easy to use and reliable interconnection system.