North Otago AREC

01/06/2026

Thank you to Dave, Isaac and Denis for their time and making sure our Winlink and DMR are connected when we need it most.

It’s fantastic we now have a connection over fibre or Starlink via our point to point link.

Our Winlink RMS is HF,VHF and UHF and messages will failover to HF on loss of internet connection and the DMR repeater will failover to local only mode until internet is restored.

Last weekend, club members Dave(ZL2TNU), Isaac(ZL4IGS) and Denis(ZL4DB) completed a significant upgrade to our network infrastructure.

The project included the installation of a new point-to-point wireless link, backed by both Fibre and Starlink internet connections. Our previous 4G connection has now been reassigned to failover duties, ready to provide backup connectivity if required.

These improvements greatly enhance the resilience and reliability of our digital services, particularly our Winlink and DMR systems, ensuring they remain available during outages and adverse conditions.

A big thank you to everyone involved in planning, installing, and testing the new infrastructure. Your efforts have helped future-proof our communications network and strengthen the services we provide to members and the wider amateur radio community.

Big thank you to Dave ZL2TNU from Devon Electrical for his time and knowledge.

North Otago AREC

AREC - Amateur Radio Emergency Communications

22/05/2026

A huge thank you to Danny Fountaine Emergency Management Otago Advisor and Waitaki District Council for inviting us to take part in Wednesday’s Otago Civil Defence and Emergency Management exercise. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with everyone involved and have some great conversations around emergency communications, radio, and technology.

It was especially valuable to meet with people from neighbouring councils and discuss how AREC can assist during emergencies, including the communication networks we can use to stay connected when normal systems are under pressure. We were also proud to showcase some of the technology and capabilities we have here in Oamaru that could help support surrounding areas when needed.

Exercises like this are incredibly important for building relationships, strengthening coordination, and making sure we are all prepared to work together when it matters most.

Thanks again to everyone involved — we look forward to continuing to support our communities across the region.

AREC - Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
Waimate District Council
Timaru District Council
Queenstown Lakes District Council
Dunedin City Council
Clutha District Council
Central Otago District Council
Otago Regional Council