Stewart Island (Rakiura) was the perfect location for a recent Communications Exercise for our Southland Group.
The intention of the exercise was to provide a realistic deployment opportunity in a remote environment, testing communications equipment, and practicing deployment procedures under genuine field conditions. Stewart Island / Rakiura is a remote and rugged location, featuring dense bush, coastal terrain, limited road access, and highly variable radio coverage.
Weather conditions are unpredictable, with potential for strong winds, rain, and rapidly changing visibility conditions. Communications infrastructure on the island is limited, and reliance on repeaters cannot be guaranteed, with terrain-shadowing significantly impacting VHF radio performance.
Environmental considerations identified during planning included:
- Cold and wet operating conditions
- Limited immediate support services
- Remote evacuation considerations
- Terrain affecting line-of-sight communications
- Restricted infrastructure and power availability
- Maritime transport dependencies
The exercise was designed to assess the group’s readiness to support search and rescue incidents in remote environments, where vehicle-based communications assets are unavailable. It also provided an opportunity to work at establishing fully portable radio communications systems, in non-equipped locations using:
- Battery-powered systems
- Temporary antennas
- Field-deployed communications infrastructure
The exercise scenario simulated a missing tramper incident where the group had been tasked with deploying a field communications team in support of search and rescue operations. Upon arrival, the team established a field communications base and deployed operational equipment including:
- Tait base radio
- Portable VHF repeater
- HF communications
- Portable antenna infrastructure
- Battery-powered field communications equipment
HF communications were established successfully, and comprehensive communications checks were conducted with mainland repeaters and the group’s designated Home Base operator. These communications included regular operational situation reports and welfare checks.
The exercise also included testing of contingency and fallback communications plans in the event of repeater failure, allowing operators to practice switching between primary and alternate communications methods under realistic field conditions.
While operating on Ulva Island, and throughout the remainder of the day, the group provided search and rescue base communications support to the Rakiura Land Search and Rescue team, who were simultaneously conducting refresher training exercises in Oban.
Whilst on the island, the group also visited the Police Station, the Health Clinic, the Land Search and Rescue base and the fire station, providing valuable opportunities to strengthen relationships with agencies that AREC may work alongside locally should the need arise in the future.
The exercise provided insight into possible equipment limitations and future training opportunities, through the testing of operational procedures, message handling, radio discipline, and deployment coordination.
The group came away with strengthened relationships with local stakeholders, improved familiarity with community infrastructure, and key knowledge on potential emergency operating locations on the island.
