Web Audio interface to access High Frequency radio for Hermes telecommunication system

In this paper we describe HERMES, High-frequency Emergency and Rural Multimedia Exchange System, a new telecommunication system to share data between remote stations through High Frequency (HF) Radio. HERMES is being built to be used by isolated communities, in emergency or catastrophic situations or in any communication that needs to be private and secure, since it works outside the internet. It has a custom hardware that consists in a digital radio controlled by an Arduino, and a computer that runs a web server that can be accessible through a web interface by a cellphone or laptop. With Hermes is possible to send public messages between stations and also emails to and from the internet for large distances, such as hundreds of kilometers using HF (shortwave) radio. The new version of the system includes a web audio interface that allows access to the radio, to listen and send audio, using a cellphone or a laptop as controller. Here we give a background about the project’s development and describe some of the technical solutions employed, as well point to possible new directions on its development.