Suitability and effectiveness of the radio and/or Iridium equipment

The HF radio system was in poor condition, with loose wires, a broken antennae cable and an unsuitable battery charger. In discussion with the SB telecom, we rewired the radio, renewed the antennae cable and modified the charger. The batteries of the VHF and Iridium phones did not hold their charge in ambient temperature. In the field, the Iridium phone was reliably functional only when powered directly off the generator.