Colombian Hams Answer the Call After Deadly Earthquake

/

When infrastructure fails, amateur radio does what it's always done. That's exactly what's playing out in Colombia right now, and it's worth every operator's attention.

ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio®, reports that amateur radio operators across Colombia are providing significant communications support in the aftermath of the major earthquake and aftershocks that struck the country on 10th August 2026. The death toll has reportedly passed 200, with many more still unaccounted for, and widespread damage has been reported to buildings and infrastructure.

Repeaters Down, Hams Up

Carlos Alberto Santamaria González, CO2JC, the IARU Region 2 Emergency Communications Coordinator, gave an update on Thursday 13th August, relaying information from Faber Mosquera, HK6F, emergency coordinator for the Liga Colombiana de Radioaficionados (LCRA), Colombia's national amateur radio association. Mosquera reported that amateurs from radio clubs and associations across the country have been working to maintain or restore communications in the worst-affected areas.

Volunteers from the Liga Radio Quindío headed up to Cerro Campanario, a peak sitting at 3,600 metres (11,800 feet), to try to bring the club's repeater stations back online using solar panels and batteries. That site hosts repeaters not just for amateur radio but for the region's municipal and departmental risk management systems too.

Meanwhile, a group from the Asociación de Radioaficionados del Eje Cafetero happened to be at their repeater site when the earthquake hit. Cellular and Wi-Fi networks dropped immediately, and even the repeaters went down when the backup power transfer system failed to kick in. Within 15 minutes, though, the team had the amateur repeaters back up — along with the other services sharing that same site. Mosquera added that clubs from other parts of the country have been pitching in to help restore and maintain communications more broadly.

CO2JC summed up the effort simply: this is a community proving its worth by putting its systems and people directly to work on rescue, recovery, and locating those affected — and, in his words, it's a moment that makes hams "proud to be amateur radio operators."

Please Keep These Frequencies Clear

CO2JC has asked all amateurs worldwide to avoid transmitting on the following frequencies to prevent interference with emergency traffic:

  • 3985 kHz

  • 7060 kHz

  • 7240 kHz

  • 7275 kHz

  • 14300 kHz

  • 21360 kHz

  • 146.520 MHz (for those in VHF range of Colombia)

These are the IARU Region 2 emergency frequencies, and keeping them clear could make a real difference to the response effort on the ground.