Around 70 interested attendees came to Brütten, Zurich, on Saturday 10 October 2026 for the USKA’s EmComm conference, organised in collaboration with the Brütten Emergency Radio Group. Martin Kuhn, a member of Brütten’s local council and school board, delivered the welcoming address.

A new feature was an additional block of talks in the afternoon. It was aimed in particular at non-radio amateurs from regional command structures, civil defence and the fire service, who are responsible for crisis management in emergency situations.

Emergency radio is becoming increasingly important

“We are delighted with the huge interest,” said USKA President Bernard Wehrli, HB9ALH. “Emergency radio is an issue that concerns many people and is becoming increasingly important.”

In the morning, the radio amateurs delved into the subject in depth: Winlink, the AREDN data network, voice radio in Eastern Switzerland and CB radio in Switzerland. Markus Schleutermann, HB9AZT, gave a talk on ‘Communication in exceptional circumstances’. The focus was on the ‘last mile’ to the public. This refers to the connection to people when the electricity and mobile networks fail. Licence-free devices such as CB radio and PMR446 are well suited for this purpose.

Compact emergency radio rack

To this end, the Brütten Emergency Radio Group has developed a multifunctional radio control centre which local authorities can procure as a backup communication system. The emergency radio rack consists of two cases, making it easier to transport. It was demonstrated and was very well received.

After lunch, things took a more practical turn: trying out equipment, talking shop and carrying out tests. Anyone who wanted to could take a closer look at the emergency radio container. Despite the rather inclement weather, the participants were in good spirits and the emergency radio conference in Brütten was a great success.

More about the Brütten emergency radio group

Published by HB9HGH