A handbook on short wave radio and LEO satellite communication for missions and aid agencies in developing countries. The book describes how to plan, select, install, operate and maintain a radio telephone network in these countries. It deals with the peculiar and special considerations necessary for reliable operations and will assist both technical and non-technical personnel.
Revised April 1997
This www copy does not include the 34 diagrams.
ISBN 0 901733 15 6
| Introduction | Acknowledgements | Foreword |
Chapters:
Appendix (DISASTER COMMUNICATIONS by Mark Wood G4HLZ)
The author wishes to express his gratitude to the many unnamed individuals and organisations who have provided information concerning their experiences of radio communication in central Africa and to the following,
To my wife Margaret who translated into a readable form the often rather technical handwritten manuscript and for preparing the text on a wordprocessor.
To the British Embassy, Kinshasa, Zaire for providing the word processor for a period of nine months so enabling this book to be written.
To the Communaute Baptiste du Fleuve Zaire (CBFZ) for the opportunity to wok with them for two years.
To the Baptist Missionary Society for sponsoring this book.
Copies of this book available from:
Baptist Missionary Society (Publications Dept)
PO Box 49, DIDCOT, OX11 8XA, United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 1235 517700
Fax: +44 1235 517600
E-mail: mail@bms.org.uk
ISBN 0 901733 15 6
It is often difficult for the uninitiated to imagine life in the jungles of Zaire, Africa. Oh, certainly the imagination soars to think of the great rain forests, pygmy natives, river boats etc. But it is easy to take many things for granted concerning the many conveniences most of us have experienced in the developed countries of the western world. The one aspect I believe we take for granted the most is good, or at least adequate communications. Six years of living in Zaire, where virtually no telephone link exists outside the capital city of Kinshasa, has made me appreciate what a precious commodity this is. The HF radio fills the crucial gap left by no telephone availability. This HF radio is no recent marvel of the modern electronics revolution, having been in use since before World War II. Yet its sophisication can not be taken lightly. In order for one to enjoy the benefits of good communication via HF radio in Zaire, or in any other tropical environment, for that matter, careful attention must be paid to its installation and operation. For most of us without formal electronics education, the successful of an HF unit seems mor e shrouded in mystery...something more akin to art than science. Fortunately, John Corbett has come to our rescue with this excellent guide book to HF radio operation. Everything is here that is necessary to knowing how to install and operate this type of equipment. The book is written so that readers from many levels of electronic can benefit from it. Those who want merely to install a new unit can read those applicable sections. Whereas someone wanting more technical information to maximise their units efficiency will find that as well. Although it is written from the perspective of operations in Zaire, it is basically applicable to operations in any underdeveloped, third world country. John is uniquely qualified to author this manual. His formal electronics background coupled with his handson experience of radio maintenance here in Zaire has given him the knowledge and insight necessary to the task. Those of us in MAF, where our flight operations depend so heavily on radio, have deeply appreciated his aid and assistance. And now, we will benefit even more from his final contribution of his worthwhile ministry here in Zaire.
Where is your nearest telephone? If you are in a rural area of central Africa this could reasonably be 300 kms away and involve a journey of 20 to 30 hours by four wheel drive vehicle on tracks through the forest. Having reached the telephone the next question will be "Is the telephone working?"
Churches, missions, aid agencies and commercial organisations have overcome the lack of communications by installing their own private radio telephone networks. There are many reasons for having radio contact with people in remote locations. Some reasons are financial and can be shown to be cost-effective, for example it can result in a reduction in the number of times people have to undertake long and difficult journeys not knowing whether or not the person they wish to meet will be there to greet them or if the boat or plane they wish to travel on goes next day or next week!
Another important reason is that of human well-being. The ability to talk with your fellow workers and friends some distance away makes you feel part of the whole community and reduces the feeling of isolation. It is also invaluable in times of urgent medical need, providing both a means of obtaining expert advice and of requesting supplies. In addition should a need for evacuation arise, either for medical or other reasons, instructions can be quickly passed on the radio.
The aim of this book is to help present users of radio networks to make the best use of their existing facilities by improving their effectiveness and reducing the probability of failure as well as to give advice to future users before they plan and purchase a radio system.
The book covers basic theory of short wave radio communication very briefly. For further study there are many books available on this subject, a good general description can be found in amateur radio handbooks. It is the information not generally contained in textbooks that form the majority of this book. The special needs, safeguards and peculiar conditions that arise when a radio network is operated in a developing country are dealt with. An indication of these conditions is given by the following extract, freely translated from a magazine article in French:
"There is, in general, in the population no conception of maintenance of equipment. What is broken and no longer works is repaired moreover often repaired with ingenuity but it is rare that they take care of equipment and so avoid breakdown. In these conditions the length of life of equipment is seriously reduced."
In writing this book the author wishes to share the knowledge and experience that he has gained after twenty years association with a missionary society's network from the home base in Britain. After two short visits in 1980 and in 1983 he has spent two years from October 1986 working on the network in Zaire. He has been looking at ways of increasing reliability of equipment and improving operating efficiency as well as studying the reasons for failure. These investigations have been carried out while doing the routine maintenance and repair work and while installing new equipment so that the observations are based on Sactual experience. He has also gathered information from the experiences of others visiting both Tanzania and Kenya to learn from users there as well as obtaining information from a questionaire sent to seventeen different groups in six African countries operating between them over two hundred radio transmitters.
The person scrutinising the book from the technical standpoint may consider some aspects of radio communications have been over-simplified whilst in other cases he may think that the obvious has been stated. However experience has shown that it is very necessary to establish a few simple facts on the subject into peoples minds. It is hoped that this book will be of help to a radio technician trying to work in a situation very different from the well-equipped workshop he has been used to and also that it will be of help to those who have no prior knowledge of radio so that they can efficiently plan and maintain their network. It is not a sophisticated textbook, it is simply a means of communicating lessons learnt here in Africa. Had it not been produced now in this form it is unlikely that it would ever have been produced.