Hello to all..

On behalf of the VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team, we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays to all. Thanks to all of you for your support of the VoIP Hurricane Net during 2015.

The 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season was a quiet year for the VoIP Hurricane Net. There was only one informal activation of the VoIP Hurricane Net and that was for the impacts of Hurricane Joaquin on the Bahamas and Bermuda. A number of reports were relayed from various storm blogging and weather station sources during Joaquin from these areas. It is also noted that several reports from weather station sources in Western Mexico from Hurricane Patricia in the Eastern Pacific basin were also handled this year but overall, it was a quiet year for VoIP hurricane net activations.

As occurs yearly, we did support WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center with the WX4NHC Communications Test at the start of the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season. As our main client, we appreciate WX4NHC’s support of our net and thank WX4NHC Coordinators, Julio Ripoll-WD4R and John McHugh-K4AG for their support. They have been an incredible partner with the VoIP Hurricane Net dating back to the net’s inception in the 2003-2004 timeframe. We also had another successful SKYWARN Recognition Day event on the home of the VoIP Hurricane Net, Echolink conference: *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP 9219. Many NWS offices rotated on the system making contacts with Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters from around the country thanking them for their support as well as making contact with different NWS offices around the country.
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Just a reminder that the Skywarn Hurricane Prep Net is now on its OFF SEASON schedule; meaning that it only meets ONCE A MONTH…usually on the first Saturday of each month. However, with the first Saturday in January, 2016, being on the day after New Years Day, that net has been moved until the following Saturday, January 9.

Date wise, here are the dates for the off season, from January through May, 2016:

January 9, February 6, March 5, April 2, and May 7.

All nets will start at 8pm Eastern, 7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific Time.

Effective with the April 2 net, for those in Arizona, Hawaii, and in areas that do not observe Daylight Savings Time, the net will be ONE HOUR EARLIER. In the U.S., Daylight Savings Time returns on Sunday, March 13.

In short, if you show up on the *WX_TALK* Conference Server, Echolink 7203, IRLP Node 9219, at any date besides the dates and times noted above for the Skywarn Hurricane Prep Net, you won’t find anyone there. The net will go back to a weekly schedule on Saturday, June 4, 2016.

Also, there is a possibility in the off season that Rob, KD1CY, Director of Operations for the VoIPWX Net, will do Training Presentations. On those nights, the checkin format will be different. Comments will be taken ONLY from Net Management, and Skywarn Coordinators…all other stations will checkin with their CALLSIGN ONLY (no comments taken), so that plenty of time will be available for the presentation, and for questions/comments afterwards. If a PowerPoint presentation is prepared, it likely will be posted in the Yahoo Groups beforehand, so net participants can “follow along”. Watch the Yahoo Groups for updates.

Daryl Stout, WX1DER, One Of The Net Controls

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The following stations checked into the Skywarn Hurricane Prep Net on Dec. 5, 2015. Station locations are from the hamdata.com website, unless otherwise noted.

Due to hyperlink issues with Facebook, the Skywarn Hurricane Prep Net website is listed first in the links section, below the checkins.

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Question of the Week from KC5FM:

Did you participate in Skywarn Recognition Day?

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Voice Checkins:

WX1DER, Daryl, Little Rock, AR (Net Control, TPC and SPC Traffic)
WB8YYS, Gregg, Kent, OH (Backup Net Control, Skywarn Coordinator)
WX1BOX, Rob, NWS, Taunton, MA (Net Management)(KD1CY at mic)
KC5FM, Lloyd, Altus, OK (Net Management)
WX2PHI, Dennis, NWS, Mount Holly, NJ (Net Management)(K2DCD at mic)
WA3TOY, Kurt, Pasadena, MD (Skywarn Coordinator)
N2JWX, Marshall, Parlin, NJ (Skywarn Coordinator)
WX4LWX, Tom, NWS, Washington, DC (Skywarn Coordinator)(W3TDH at mic)
KJ4JPE, Janice, Swansboro, NC (Skywarn Coordinator)
KJ4EJH, John, Swansboro, NC (Skywarn Coodinator)
VE9MTB, Rick, New Brunswick, CN (CanWarn)
VA3WXA, Gord, Toronto, CN (Weather Radio Listeners Net)
N1VXP, Rick, Chicothe, OH
WA2AQQ, Bob, East Meadow, NY
K3NFU, Roy, Slidell, LA
KA5EZQ, Rick, Belle Chasse, LA
KG6FIY, Endaf, Long Beach, CA
N7DMO, Jim, Riverton, WY
K8ARL, Karl, Tiffin, OH
WX9LOT, Debby, NWS, Romeoville, IL (WX9VOR at mic)
AF5JG, Eric, Marrero, LA
G3SEA/KH6, Paul, Honolulu, HI

Textbox Checkins:

KA1NMA, Bob, Plymouth, MA
KK4WRS, Lawrence, Myrtle Beach, SC
VE1AKT, Al, Fredericton, New Brunswick, CN (CANWARN)
WB4TNH, Richard, Nashville, TN (Late checkin)

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Voice Checkins: 22
Textbox Checkins: 4
Total Checkins: 26

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To save space, and for further details, please go to the following websites for more information on these topics.

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Hello to all..

The Atlantic and Pacific Hurricane Seasons came to an end on November 30th. NOAA has sent a press release reviewing the below normal Atlantic Hurricane Season and the very active Eastern and Central Pacific Seasons that shattered records. The link to the article is listed below:

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2015/120115-below-normal-atlantic-hurricane-season-ends-active-eastern-and-central-pacific-seasons-shatter-records.html

We will see what 2016 brings for the Atlantic and Eastern/Central Pacific Hurricane Seasons. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net

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Hello to all..

**WX0GLD confirmed their time slot. Only NWS Office Unconfirmed is WX7SLC-NWS Salt Lake City, Utah. Have marked it WX7SLC with the possibility that it will become an open time slot.**
**Have changed the New England Conference Echolink to *NEW-ENG3* node 9123. The conference was renamed to *NEW-ENG3* so the *NEW-ENG* conference can be reused for non-ARES/SKYWARN activity.**

SKYWARN Recognition Day is December 5th, 2015 from 0000-2400 UTC (Friday Evening 12/4/15 from 700 PM ET-Saturday Evening 12/5/15 at 7 PM ET) and Echolink and IRLP will be playing a role in SRD as it has in past years. SKYWARN Recognition Day is an opportunity for National Weather Service Forecast Offices across the United States to thank SKYWARN Spotters for their efforts in obtaining timely severe weather reporting for the protection of life and property. This is the SKYWARN program’s main mission.

EchoLink and IRLP are just a couple of modes people can utilize to contact NWS offices during SKYWARN Recognition Day. Many NWS offices will be on 2 Meters, 440 MHz, HF, Digital other VHF/UHF bands. Additional details on SKYWARN Recognition Day can be found via the following link:

http://hamradio.noaa.gov

As in past years, the EchoLink *WX_TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219 system will be scheduling time for NWS offices in 1-2 hour time slots to act as a net control to make contacts with spotters that are on the system. If a NWS office runs out of contacts and there are other NWS offices on the system, the NWS office acting as net control can turn it over to a different NWS office to act as a net control on the system at their discretion.

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Hello to all..

Announcement from WX4NHC on their activation for SKYWARN Recognition Day. See below:

Announcement from WX4NHC
Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, Miami Florida

WX4NHC will be On-The-Air for the Skywarn Recognition Day (SRD)
Saturday, December 5th, 2015 from 9AM- 6 PM EDT ( 1400 z- 2300 z)
This will be our 17th year of participation in the SRD and our 35th year of public service at NHC.

The purpose of this event is to test the Amateur Radio Station operations and equipment between NWS Office nationwide and is sponsored by NOAA.
This event is excellent practice for Ham Radio Operators as well as NWS Staff to become familiar with the unique communications skills available during times of severe weather. It is also a fun event.
http://hamradio.noaa.gov

WX4NHC will also be performing operator training.
We will be making SRD contacts on many frequencies and modes, exchanging signal reports and basic weather data exchange (“Sunny”, or “Rain”, etc.) between NWS Offices and any stations in any location.

WX4NHC will be On-The-Air on HF, VHF, UHF , 2 & 30 meter APRS and WinLink wx4nhc@winlink.org subject must contain “//WL2K”) .
We will try to stay on the recognized Hurricane Watch Net frequency 14.325 MHz most of the time and announce when we QSY.

Due to space and equipment limitations, we will have 2 operators per shift, we can not be everywhere and every mode at the same time.
You may be able to find us on HF by using one of the DX Spotting Networks,
Such as the DX Summit Web Site:
http://www.dxsummit.fi/Search.aspx

We will also be on VoIP Hurricane Net 4pm-6pm EST (2100-2300z)
(IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203).
http://www.voipwx.net/
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