Hello to all….

Tropical Storm Noel has moved away from Cuba and has slowly intensified with Maximum Sustained Winds of 60 MPH. Noel is expected to reach a maximum intensity of 70 MPH for Maximum Sustained Winds before become a large ocean storm of non-tropical origin. A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for extreme Southeast Florida to guard against either a slightly more westward track that brings Tropical Storm Force winds to Southeast Florida or an expansion of the tropical storm force wind field. A Hurricane Watch has been reissued for the Northwest Bahamas with Tropical Storm Warnings in effect for much of the Bahamas. The tropical storm warnings for Cuba have been discontinued.

Noel is expected to move through the Bahamas today and will become extratropical later Friday or early Saturday. The VoIP Hurricane Net Management team will continue to monitor Noel in case it reaches minimal hurricane strength as it moves through the Bahamas.

Specific information on the tropical storm warning for Southeast Florida can be found on the NWS Miami Florida web site, which can be seen via the following link:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mia/

Advisories on Noel can be found on the voipwx.net web site by clicking the Atlnatic Tropical Products link off the Main Menu and clicking the links on Noel that will appear under the Atlantic Tropical Products link. They can also be found on the National Hurricane Center web site at the following link:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

The chance that the VoIP Hurricane Net may need to be activated for Noel for any impact on the Northwest Bahamas if contact can be made with the affected area remains low though it was slightly higher than yesterday’s update. Anyone with contact with the Bahamas that can relay via our net can contact me via email. This will be the last update on Noel as it should move away from land and become a strong system but of non-tropical origin either late Friday or Saturday and may affect extreme Southeastern New England with strong winds and possibly some rainfall.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management team continues to closely monitor the progress of Noel. 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….

TD 16 has intensified significantly during the day Sunday and has now become Tropical Storm Noel with Maximum Sustained Winds of 60 MPH as of the 5 PM Sunday October 28th, 2007 advisory. Noel is currently slated to remain at tropical storm strength but it is certainly possible that Noel could become a hurricane. Noel’s current track is through the Southwest part of Haiti and moving into Southeast Cuba and then the Bahamas. The track and intensity guidance is more uncertain than normal and its possible that a short fused VoIP Hurricane Net activation maybe required either Monday or Tuesday depending on the eventual track, speed and intensity of Noel as well as contact with the affected area of Noel.

Any Amateurs either in the affected area of Noel or who have relays into the affected area of Noel are asked to make contact with me via email for possible relay of reports to WX4NHC if an activation of their station and our net occurs. We appreciate everyone’s support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net
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Hello to all….

The Atlantic Hurricane Season is not over yet. Tropical Depression (TD) 16 has formed in the Eastern Caribbean Sea. TD 16 is expected to intensify into a tropical storm with a track that is very uncertain and any further intensification beyond tropical storm strength being very uncertain. If TD 16 intensifies into a tropical storm as expected, it would be named Noel.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team will continue to closely monitor the progress of TD 16. The latest advisory information and Satellite pictures can be seen from the voipwx.net web site off the Main Menu under Atlantic Tropical Products. That information can also be seen off the National Hurricane Center web site at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

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….

The link below has the PDF version of the October 2007 VoIP Hurricane Newsletter as provided by our VoIP Hurricane Net Newsletter editor, Rich Long-KF6BKA. We again thank Rich for his tremendous efforts!

October 2007 VoIP Hurricane Net Newsletter

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net
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Hello to all….

Tropical Depression (TD) #15 forms in the North-Central Atlantic ocean. TD #15 has formed about 860 miles east of Bermuda. It is no threat to land and is expected to remain out to sea and is not expected to intensify. If it were to unexpectedly intensify into a tropical storm, it would be named Noel.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management team will monitor the progress of this system. 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….

In the October 2007 issue of QST, the VoIP Hurricane Net and EchoLink/IRLP technologies were mentioned in an editorial on Interoperability from Dave Sumner-K1ZZ, ARRL Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This was mentioned in the context of the GAREC, Global Amateur Radio Emergency Council, presentations. The editorial was posted on the ARRL web site and can be seen below:

It Seems to Us: Interoperability

Eastern Massachusetts ARRL Section Web Page

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net
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Hello to all….

ARRL HQ personnel will be in Washington DC today with several folks from Army MARS and they are expecting a visit from members of Congress. This visit is coinciding with a MARS exercise planned for today where various parts of the country get hit with various natural disasters in an attempt to stress the MARS system and promote interoperability between MARS, ARES, RACES and SKYWARN.

Understanding that this great event is unfortunately happening during work hours between 10 AM-5 PM EDT (1400-2100 UTC) Wednesday 10/3, any Amateurs that are available are asked to check into the operation on HF voice, 14.250 MHz and 7.250 MHz as well as PSK-31 on 14.070 MHz. Manager of Preparedness and Response, Dennis Dura-K2DCD, who is also the Assistant Director for VoIP Hurricane Net Operations has asked that Net Controls monitor the *WX-TALK* EchoLink Conference Node: 7203 and IRLP reflector 9219 as they hope to sign on there and take drill traffic reports from this exercise using those means as well. It is not clear when they will be able to get on *WX-TALK*/9219 but they will get on at some point during the 10 AM-5 PM EDT timeframe.

A link to the national article is listed below:
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/09/27/100/?nc=1

Those that can check-in by any of the means listed, HF, PSK-31, EchoLink/IRLP would be of great help to the exercise and demonstration. 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….

The VoIP Hurricane Net activation for Hurricane Lorenzo secured at 5 AM EDT/0900 UTC as Lorenzo weakened to a tropical storm. Lorenzo hit a fairly remote area of the Southwest Mexico coast. No reports were received from this area. John McHugh-K4AG, WX4NHC Coordinator, checked in on the net from home at 1145 PM EDT/0345 UTC to give his thanks for our efforts in being there to provide reports to WX4NHC as needed.

The net activation also served as a way to break in a few new net controls who monitored during the overnight hours and to test how quickly the net could be brought up if a tropical system became a hurricane quickly near a land area. Special thanks to Bill Aber-N2JAI from Cape May County SKYWARN for his efforts as well as the efforts of Jim Palmer-KB1KQW on monitoring the system and scheduling and to Tony Langdon-VK3JED for his overnight monitoring of the net as well.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management team will continue to monitor Karen and any other potential developing tropical systems in the Atlantic. 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….

…VoIP Hurricane Net Activation to Commence at 8 PM EDT/0000 UTC Thursday September 27th, 2007 for Tropical Storm Lorenzo’s potential landfall as a Category-1 hurricane on the Southwest Mexico Coast….
…Activation may run informally due to short-fused nature of activation….

The VoIP Hurricane Net will be activating at 8 PM EDT/0000 UTC Thursday September 27th, 2007 to support WX4NHC with surface/meterological reports from stations in the affected area on *WX-TALK* node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219. Given the short fused nature of getting this activation put together, the net may be run more informally than normal. Tropical Storm Lorenzo is expcted to intensify into a hurricane before making landfall on the Southwest Mexico coast sometime beween Midnight and 4 AM EDT Friday or 0400-0800 UTC.

As of 5PM EDT Thursday Evening/ 21:00 UTC, A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the gulf coast of Mexico from Palma Sola to Cabo Rojo. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from south of Palma Sola to Veracruz. Lorenzo is currently located 105 miles East-Southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico.

The VoIP Hurricane Net will be looking for any reporting stations in the affected area of Lorenzo. In addition, any relays into the affected area that can monitor any emergency nets on other frequencies and modes along with Mexican Television and radio stations would be especially helpful for this net activation. Spanish translators will also be helpful for this activation.

The reporting criteria and activation policy for our net during hurricane net activations can be found on our web site at http://www.voipwx.net

Listen Only IRLP/EchoLink capability include the following systems:

IRLP:
Reflector 9508 Sydney Australia Reflector channel 8.
Reflector 9129 New England Reflector channel 9.
Reflector 9058 Northeast Reflector channel 8.

EchoLink:
*KC4QLP-C* Node: 290251
*VKEMCOMM* Node: 270177
*N5API* Node: 77433
*NCPENN* Node: 137634

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net
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Hello to all….

Tropical Depression (TD)13 became Tropical Storm Lorenzo at the 2 PM EDT/1800 UTC advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds are now near 60 MPH. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Gulf Coast of Mexico from Palma Solo to Cabo Rojo and a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect along the Gulf Coast of Mexico from north of Cabo Rojo to La Cruz. Lorenzo is currently a small tropical storm with tropical storm force winds only extending 35 miles from the center.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team will continue to closely monitor the progress of Lorenzo. Lorenzo is not expected to strengthen further but this will be monitored in case something unexpected occurs. 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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