Shortwave Radio Gets a Secure Data Upgrade With HERMES
This Digital Radio Gets Messages to the World’s Remotest Locations
Rhizomatica's HERMES system turns shortwave radio into a digital data pipeline, sending encrypted files and GPS coordinates from the world's most remote locations without satellites or relay towers. In a pilot with fishers in Bangladesh, a boat stranded in the Bay of Bengal used HERMES to send an SOS and coordinate a rescue. Founder Peter Bloom explains how it works and why encryption is optional.
We use the ionosphere as our satellite—or mirror—which helps us move information, voice, and data over really long distances.
- wmchen
Original project page: https://hermes.radio/ (Code: https://mercury.hermes.radio/)
Organization page: https://www.rhizomatica.org/about/
My initial thought is that this is a cool way to try and get more resilient communications technology in the hands of those who need it most in the Global South, and it's awesome it was successfully used for a Pan Pan.
This reminds me of WinLink (an analogue to email on amateur radio), which I've heard is used by some Mariners. [1]
I'm aware that HERMES is essentially a SDR bundle/communication terminal (for a lack of a better term for a Raspberry Pi, a screen and an SDR), so it's not really re-discovering a well known amateur radio concept, but the hardware setup sounds a bit brittle on first glance, for what is essentially an emergency/critical communication application.
[1]: https://winlink.org/
- mesh
This is a cool project, but fyi, in the US, this would require a license to broadcast (not receive), and I am pretty sure encryption, even with a license, is not legal (again, when broadcasting from US).
And then only on certain bands:
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band%20Chart/Hamb...
- j_not_j
If it's a matter of life and death, such as offshore fishing, you probably want a real commercial service.
Like Garmin (Iridium based texts back and forth) or Zoleo. These are physical units that may offer texts or just a simple "sos" button.
Or a recent iPhone will communicate with Starlink, or T-Mobile offers a similar system for Android phones and is also based on Starlink. These can exchange texts which is much more reassuring than a simple sos button.
Of course offerings outside the US may be limited or entirely absent.
- BlackRabbit1
> Why did you build in encryption that amateur-radio regulations in many countries don’t allow?
Encryption (in terms of hiding messages) is forbidden mostly.
But everything else is allowed: hashes, signing, etc.
Even the legislators really understand it. They are allowing encryption for remote controlling ham satellites. With proper signing even that would not be necessary (with only exception of key rotations maybe).
- throw0101c
On the etymology of the name of the project, see Greek mythology:
> Hermes (/ˈhɜːrmiːz/; Ancient Greek: Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves,[2] merchants, and orators.[3][4] He is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine aided by his winged sandals.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes
Rough Roman equivalent: