Radio in emergencies: HT, CB, and amateur radio at Tridecs
In this series of Project Journals, we present the technologies we are investigating as part of a toolkit for rapid response to climate-related incidents and disasters. In the previous journal, we talked about LoRa and Meshtastic, and how small messages can travel through a radio mesh without depending on the internet or mobile phone towers. In this journal, we return to an older, and for that very reason more battle-tested, technology: voice radio, in its three forms of use in Brazil — unlicensed, CB, and amateur radio.
October 6, 2026
LoRa, Meshtastic and communication in emergency situations
In this series of Project Journals, we present the technologies we are investigating as part of a toolkit for rapid response to climate-related incidents and disasters. In the previous journal, we talked about Wi-Fi and how local wireless networks can support communication when conventional telecommunications infrastructure stops working. In this journal, we move on to a technology with different characteristics: LoRa and the Meshtastic project, which uses this technology to form messaging networks capable of operating without depending on the internet, mobile phone towers, or a continuous supply of grid power.
August 26, 2026
When networks fail, what sustains communication?
When we think about communication during a disaster, it’s common to picture antennas, cables, and cell phone signal. That’s where we started our investigation at Tridecs into how people communicate when floods and fires interrupt everyday networks. Throughout the interviews with organizations, communities, and groups that worked on the front lines of the Rio Grande do Sul floods and the Maranhão fires, another layer gradually came into focus, less visible but just as decisive: the structure that already exists in the territory and that, when the signal drops, takes over sustaining the flow of information.
August 5, 2026