The HERMES Project introduces Mercury, a fully open-source HF modem designed to deliver reliable, adaptive digital communications for amateur radio operators worldwide.
A major milestone has been reached in the evolution of digital amateur radio with the public release of Mercury, a next-generation open-source HF modem developed as part of the HERMES (High-frequency Emergency and Rural Multimedia Exchange System) project. The software is now available to the global amateur radio community, providing a free and transparent alternative to proprietary HF digital modem technologies.
Mercury has been engineered to improve the efficiency and reliability of digital communications over high-frequency (HF) radio. Using advanced Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology, the modem dynamically adapts to changing propagation conditions, allowing operators to maintain dependable links even in challenging radio environments.
Built for the Future of HF Digital Communications
The modem supports a wide range of amateur radio applications, including:
- Reliable file transfers
- Keyboard-to-keyboard messaging
- Email over HF
- Data networking
- Emergency communications
- Experimental digital modes
Its adaptive waveform automatically adjusts transmission parameters according to channel quality, maximizing both throughput and communication reliability.
Fully Open Source
Unlike many existing HF modem solutions, Mercury is released under the GNU GPL v3 open-source license. This allows radio amateurs, software developers, researchers, and emergency communication organizations to freely inspect, modify, and contribute to the project’s development.
The open development model encourages innovation while ensuring long-term sustainability through community participation rather than proprietary licensing.
Part of the HERMES Ecosystem
Mercury is one of the core technologies behind the HERMES project, an initiative focused on creating resilient communication systems capable of operating independently of traditional Internet infrastructure.
The HERMES platform has been designed to provide digital communications for remote communities, disaster response operations, humanitarian organizations, and amateur radio operators who require dependable long-distance connectivity using conventional HF transceivers.
International Collaboration
Mercury is being developed by an international team of engineers and amateur radio operators committed to advancing open digital communications. The project continues to evolve through community contributions, with new features and software integrations expected as adoption grows.
As additional amateur radio applications begin supporting the Mercury protocol, the modem is positioned to become an important platform for experimentation, emergency preparedness, and next-generation HF networking.
Learn More
Additional information, technical documentation, downloads, and project updates are available on the official Mercury website:
