Tongan communications problems

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Rikkitic

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#293364 16-Jan-2022 18:15

With regular communications to Tonga largely cut off, I wonder if ham radio operators still play with short wave, and if short wave signals would be affected by the volcanic ash. Could hams provide a lifeline here?

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#2851587 16-Jan-2022 18:43

I gathered that internet connections were still intact, but electricity was the issue.
Fingers x'd that is true.

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wellygary

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#2851599 16-Jan-2022 19:10

robjg63: I gathered that internet connections were still intact, but electricity was the issue.
Fingers x'd that is true.

Or maybe not

"But in a further update shortly before 5pm on Sunday, New Zealand time, Sloots said there might be “slightly worse news”.

“It appears that there may be a cable break after all,” he said."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/127512800/tonga-subsea-communications-cable-may-be-broken-after-all-says-southern-cross

Last time they had an undersea break in the Tonga cable it took a couple of weeks to locate and fix

quickymart

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#2851615 16-Jan-2022 19:44

Would satellite phones not be an option to keep in contact with them?

Beccara

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#2851617 16-Jan-2022 19:46

Too much ash i'd say, Ham's have been looking but I haven't heard of anyone making contact personally

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wired

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#2851704 16-Jan-2022 20:38

quickymart:

Would satellite phones not be an option to keep in contact with them?

On the TV news they replayed a telephone call from the Acting high commissioner in Tonga who was talking on a satellite phone. So that method is working, assuming they can recharge the phone.

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#2851716 16-Jan-2022 21:04

wired:
quickymart:

Would satellite phones not be an option to keep in contact with them?

On the TV news they replayed a telephone call from the Acting high commissioner in Tonga who was talking on a satellite phone. So that method is working, assuming they can recharge the phone.

A 12v socket in a vehicle will do that.

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gzt

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#2853044 18-Jan-2022 18:39

Rikkitic: With regular communications to Tonga largely cut off, I wonder if ham radio operators still play with short wave, and if short wave signals would be affected by the volcanic ash. Could hams provide a lifeline here?

I'm sure they are still around. Maybe a few less each year. Some islands have very small populations. For example one island out of communication has a population of six people.

andrewcnz

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#2853857 20-Jan-2022 02:19

Dispute over $5.7m means Kacific won't provide satellite comms to Tonga.

A Tongan government-owned company, Tonga Satellite, reportedly did not honor the US$5.7 million deal to provide the satellite services.

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/dispute-over-57m-means-kacific-wont-provide-satellite-comms-to-tonga/

lchiu7

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#2863862 9-Feb-2022 11:03

Looks like Elon Musk has come to the rescue apparently initiated by a Tweet from Shane Reti

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/459988/shane-reti-asks-elon-musk-to-help-reconnect-tonga-to-the-internet

https://www.reuters.com/technology/musks-spacex-working-restore-tongas-internet-fiji-official-2022-02-07/

One could be a cynic and say Musk had no options. He could have

- ignored the Tweek and say he didn't see it (but I am sure he has casts of thousands watching his social media presence)

- replied and said it's too hard - there are no suitable satellites above - but that would he hard to believe given he's launching tons at a time

- affirmative action which is all kudos to him - a small price to pay for such great publicity

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gareth41

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#2864140 9-Feb-2022 15:34

Tonga has been listening to RNZ National on 756KHz, probably only at night though. I don't believe they could receive it during the day due to the way the signal propagates. Transmitter power is 10kW from West Auckland.

cyril7

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#2864143 9-Feb-2022 15:38

Hi, very much doubt they would use a transmission from Henderson, doubt it would make it that far, the short wave service at 100kW on both AM and DRM from Rangatiki would be however and is regularly used by listeners in the pacific.

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wellygary

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#2864144 9-Feb-2022 15:38

gareth41:

Tonga has been listening to RNZ National on 756KHz, probably only at night though. I don't believe they could receive it during the day due to the way the signal propagates. Transmitter power is 10kW from West Auckland.

RNZ also broadcast a pacific service on shortwave, and there is a satellite service also....

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/listen

lchiu7

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#2864189 9-Feb-2022 16:51

I wonder if he would deploy/re-locate a few satellites to cover Tonga. Not sure why the consultants are starting in Fiji though. Perhaps because there is some internet infrastructure there to start with?

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#2864297 9-Feb-2022 18:53

Elon’s Starlink satellites are in a low earth orbit so cannot be ‘moved’ but pass over most of the earth (depending on orbit). However they are only a relay from a master ground station which provides the network connectivity only when both stations can see a common satellite. Without inter-satellite links using lasers (of which only a few have been launched to date) service can only be provided over several hundred kilometres from that master ground station. For NZ that is provided by two stations, one in Southland and one in Northland.

So in short, Starlink cannot provide reliable service at present. A link from Fiji might be possible if a couple of satellites with laser links were in favourable locations but that would only be a fleeting link.

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#2864492 10-Feb-2022 09:13

To be brutally commercial, why would anyone go to significant effort to provide Comms to Tonga as a priority?

NZ has naval ships there which presumably have working Comms that would permit high level aid and government Comms traffic. Tonga is an economic blip which has neither political nor economic importance enough to persuade anyone to expend massive time and money solving the problem other than as BAU I would think.

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