EmComm Valais active

World Amateur Radio Day: a full-scale mobilisation in the Valais

On Friday 18 April 2025, to mark World Amateur Radio Day, several operators in the Valais were mobilised in a very special context. The bad weather that hit the Upper Valais between Wednesday and Thursday resulted in power cuts, the isolation of certain valleys (Zermatt, St-Niklaus) and a breakdown in the telecommunications networks.

Contacted by the Office cantonal de la protection de la population (OCPP), HB9DVD Marc, a network of radio amateurs was quickly set up to restore emergency communications. Links were established between Zermatt, Moosalp and central Valais, enabling effective emergency communications between the command posts.

Thanks to the commitment of Marco (HB9UQC), Peter (HB9HQA) and other members of the HB9Y-Valais-Wallis section, an operational radio link was maintained for several hours, in direct support of the cantonal authorities. The alert was lifted at the end of the day, once the traditional networks had been restored.

This intervention, carried out under real conditions, enabled us to identify avenues for improvement and to confirm one essential point: amateur radio operators remain a key link in the safety chain for transmissions in the event of a crisis.