Left: Installation of HF Radio System; Right: Installation of HF Radio System Antenna.
Photo credit: Mr Tauala Katea, Tuvalu Meteorological Services
With the introduction of Chatty Beetle and dedicated HF radios network for a disaster-prone country like Tuvalu, communicating weather, climate and warning messages between the scattered islands of Tuvalu is now possible even if other communications fail. An Early Warning System network project was successfully supported under Tuvalu’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA 2).
During the Project’s Preparation Grant phase, a baseline survey was conducted whereby weaknesses in the country’s communication facilities were identified. Prior to the installation of the Early Warning System, there were multiple lines connecting the main island of Funafuti and Tuvalu’s eight outer islands. These included the AM radio system, satellite phones and landlines.
However, satellite phones are only activated when an emergency arises and telephones proved less effective due to the power supply problems in the outer islands. Another challenge is to transmit relevant information from the three Meteorological observing stations back to Funafuti as the current HF communication systems between them are timeworn. Because of these limitation, it was decided to come up with a fail-safe communication channel for Tuvalu with a stand-alone power supply. Chatty Beetle and Barret HF radios (both data & voice network) were successfully selected.
Chatty Beetle is a satellite SMS-based messaging system that receives and sends text alert designed by Rural Communications using Radio and the Internet (RANET) for remote applications where other communications do not exist, are unreliable, or where a simple notification is needed. Operational costs are significantly lower than those associated with a satellite phone, and it operates independently from the local telecom network. This system is suitable for remote areas and can withstand heat, humidity and a salty spray environment such as in Tuvalu.
Another advantage of the Tuvalu Chatty Beetle system is the fact that external sirens have been added on to the equipment to serve as the alarm for emergency during a tsunami or severe weather event, while the internal siren will act as the heads-up notification for Met officers when there is an emergency.
The newly installed equipment would also be used to provide a linkage between the Met stations on the outer islands and the main Met station in the capital to transmit weather observations every six hours. The equipment is specifically designed to run on solar panels and battery bank storage as its main source of power, it operates 24/7 and can provide power to the whole system for the duration of 3 to 5 days during bad weather.
The new Early Warning System also serves as a communication back-up when Tuvalu’s primary telecommunications and internet services within the country fails. System network installation was completed on all the nine islands of Tuvalu in July 2017.
Left to right: (1) Chaty Beetle; (2) HF Radio System (both data and voice); (3) Siren for Warnings.
Photo Credits: Mr Taula Katea, Tuvalu Meteorological Service