VoIP Hurricane Net

Hello to all…

The VoIP Hurricane Net has secured the formal activation on Friday 9/14/18 at 800 PM EDT. Many critical flooding, storm surge, wind damage and wind measurement reports were received into the net using a variety of sources both relayed and direct. This information provided great situational awareness and disaster intelligence to WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center, local National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices, media and Amateur Operators around the world. Many thanks to all the stations who supported information gathering and thanks to those who listened and stood by as this was completed. In addition, emergency traffic was handled in New Bern, North Carolina where an Amateur Operator in Texas was in contact with a resident in New Bern who was waist deep in water and requiring rescue. We were able to contact New Bern authorities to make them aware of it and also learned it was on their list but their resources had yet to be able to rescue her. Our contact and update likely expedited her rescue. Finally, one of our high wind gust reports was in the 800 AM EDT Friday 9/14/18 National Hurricane Center intermediate advisory on Florence.

A complete list of reports gathered during the formal activation can be seen at the following link:
http://report.voipwx.net/qilan/nhcwx/list_VOIP_records?auth=OK

We are going to utilize a listening watch mode through at least Saturday Morning. The reason for this is because of a message that was seen in NWS Chat regarding the significant flash flooding in Southeast North Carolina and potential communications issues. That text issued at about 730 PM Friday Evening is listed below:

NWS Partners. We have issued a FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY for Carteret/Jones/Craven and Pamlico Counties. The unprecedented rainfall approaching 2 feet in Carteret County is being exasperated by an intense rainband that extends into nearby counties. Widespread flooding is occurring. We at the NWS are having difficulty communicating this to the public. We appeal to you our partners to help us spread word of this particularly dangerous situation. Most roads across the area are becoming impassable and citizens are loosing time to evacuate before the flood water become too high.

The listening watch will be a monitoring mode where we will read selective urgent weather warnings and give the coordinates of now, Tropical Storm Florence. Any emergency traffic or spotter reports will be accepted.

Finally, after 35 hours of formal net activation and the listening watch through Saturday Morning which could be extended, the VoIP Hurricane Prep Net for this Saturday 9/15/18 at 800 PM EDT has been cancelled. We will reconvene next week barring another hurricane net activation.

WX4NHC Amateur Radio Team Coordinators, Julio Ripoll-WD4R and John McHugh-K4AG wishes to thank everyone for their help and support as the reports were extremely useful to their team and the hurricane specialists and our VoIP Hurricane Net Management team, again, expresses their appreciation. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

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

Hello to all..

Hello to all..

**VoIP Hurricane Net will activate starting at 5 PM EDT/4 PM CDT Tuesday 9/4/18 through Wednesday Morning for Gordon which should strengthen into a hurricane before landfall on the Southern Mississippi coast late Tuesday Night.**
**WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, will activate around 400 PM EDT Tuesday 9/4/18 for Gordon**

Here are the VoIP Hurricane Net and WX4NHC Activation Plans for Gordon as of Tuesday Morning 9/4/18 at 1100 AM EDT/1500 UTC:

The VoIP Hurricane Net will activate starting at 500 PM EDT Tuesday Evening through Wednesday Morning for Gordon and his impacts on the Northern Gulf Coast region. WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, will activate around 400 PM EDT Tuesday 9/4/18 for Gordon. Gordon is expected to intensify into a hurricane before making landfall on the Southern Mississippi coast late tonight.

Any Amateur Radio Operators in the affected area of Gordon or with relays into the affected area of Gordon are asked to provide surface and damage reports into the VoIP Hurricane Net for relay into WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center. We appreciate any and all support from Amateur Operators in the affected area or Amateur Operators with relays into the affected area. We are looking for reports based on the National Weather Service SKYWARN Reporting criteria. This can be seen on the VoIP Hurricane Net web site at the following link:

VoIP Hurricane Net Reporting Criteria

Any pictures or videos of wind damage, river/stream/urban/storm surge flooding etc. can be sent to the following email address: pics@nsradio.org and credit will be given to the Amateur Radio Operator, weather spotter or individual that took the photos and media and be shared with the Amateur Radio team at the National Hurricane Center and other agencies and outlets.

Advisories on Gordon can be seen off of the Atlantic Tropical Products menu selection on the voipwxnet web site, via our Facebook and Twitter feeds, and off the National Hurricane Center web site via the following link:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

Reports as obtained via the VoIP Hurricane Net from Amateur Radio Operators in the affected area, relays from the affected area or from APRS/CWOP Weather Station feeds and other social media outlets can be found at the following link:
http://report.voipwx.net/qilan/nhcwx/list_VOIP_records?auth=OK

Stations outside the affected area who would like to listen into the VoIP Hurricane Net can use any of the following systems for listen-only purposes and can connect on either Echolink or IRLP:
*NEW-ENG3* Echolink conference node: 9123/IRLP 9123

Stations outside the affected area who would like to listen into the VoIP Hurricane Net can use any of the following systems for listen-only purposes on Echolink:
*KA1AAA* Echolink conference node: 4439
*WX5FWD* Echolink conference node: 372418

Stations outside the affected area who would like to listen into the VoIP Hurricane Net can use any of the following systems for listen-only purposes on All-Star by dialing *33009123.

We are working to get the audio livestream setup like last year on Youtube through the efforts of W5YAG-Chad Yaggie. That link is listed below if setup is completed:
http://voipwx.org (Can also be obtained via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZVq4KbPwXU)

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management team continues to closely watch Gordon. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

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

Hello to all…

Potential Tropical Cyclone 7 has strengthened into Tropical Storm Gordon in the Florida Keys. Tropical Storm Warnings are now in effect for South Florida from Golden Beach to Bonita Beach Florida and the Florida Keys from Craig Key to Ocean Reef including Florida Bay. Tropical Storm Warnings are also in effect from the Alabama-Florida border westward to east of Morgan City Louisiana including Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Murepas. A Storm Surge Watch is also in effect for the Mississippi-Alabama border westward to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

The current intensity forecast keeps Gordon at tropical storm strength up until landfall on the Northern Gulf Coast but this will bear close watching since it has already reached tropical storm strength a bit sooner than forecasted. Advisories on Gordon can be found under the Atlantic Tropical Products of the VoIP Hurricane Net web site, via the voipwxnet Facebook and Twitter feeds and via the National Hurricane Center web site at the following link:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

The main impacts to South Florida and the Florida Keys will be felt today through early Tuesday Morning. The main impacts to the Northern US Gulf Coast will be felt Tuesday Night through Wednesday Morning. The VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team will closely monitor the progress of Gordon. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

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

Hello to all…

The Atlantic Tropics have become more active. We continue to monitor Tropical Storm Florence. Florence is still expected to be out over the open waters over the next several days and only a threat to shipping interests.

Of more immediate concern is newly classified Potential Tropical Cyclone-7. This system is expected to become a tropical depression on Monday and potentially become Tropical Storm Gordon. This system has already prompted Tropical Storm Watches to be posted from the Alabama-Florida border to east of Morgan City Louisiana including Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Murepas. Where this system has just been classified as a potential tropical cyclone and advisories just being issued, we’ll need to monitor the system progress closely as conditions look reasonably favorable for development. While the initial intensify forecast keeps the system at tropical storm strength, we’ll need to monitor to see if the system intensifies further than the current intensity forecast.

Advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone 7 and Tropical Storm Florence can be seen on the voipwx.net web site under Atlantic Tropical Products on the menu bar, via the voipwxnet Facebook and Twitter feeds and via the National Hurricane Center web site:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

Elsewhere in the tropics, another tropical wave will emerge off the western Africa coast and will have the potential for gradual development. The VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team will closely monitor the Atlantic Tropics. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

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

Hello to all…

As Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net, I am pleased to announce that WX9VOR-Debby Gray, has accepted the position of Assistant Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net. Debby will take the place of N0UAM, Jim Sellars, who became a silent key in May of this year. She joins K2DCD-Dennis Dura as a second assistant within the VoIP Hurricane Net Management team.

Debby joined the VoIP Hurricane Net as a net control operator in 2016. In 2017, not only did she do multiple long net control shifts during that historic Atlantic hurricane season, she also recruited several new and experienced net controls from within her local area that supported the net tirelessly during both Hurricane Irma and Maria.

Debby worked professionally for 22 years as an IT Consultant, Educator and Mission Critical Support Specialist. It was during this time that she was involved in disaster planning and recovery through many natural and man-made disasters. Debby has been involved in recent years with amateur radio as the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) Emergency Coordinator (EC) for Kane County Illinois (IL) and the ARES DEC for Districts 3 & 4 in Northeast IL. She also volunteers as a Sergeant for the Naperville EMA Communications and Weather units, and is one of the senior members of the WX9LOT Ham Team supporting NWS Chicago and the NWS Chicago SKYWARN program.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team is proud to have Debby within our team. She brings additional valuable experience into our team from a different part of the United States and has brought a set of resources to the net and will continue to support recruitment. Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

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

Hello to all…

The ARRL will be sponsoring the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season Webinar on Monday 6/11/18 at 800 PM EDT. Details on how to register for this very interesting webinar can be seen at the following link:

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-to-sponsor-2018-atlantic-hurricane-season-webinar

The webinar will go through an overview of the historic 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, lessons learned from the season, key Amateur Radio group’s preparedness for the new season and how Amateur Radio Operators and SKYWARN Spotters can become involved. These Amateur Radio Groups include, WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, which is now in its 37th year of service, the Hurricane Watch Net, the VoIP Hurricane Net, SATERN (the Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Network) and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). Also, an Amateur Radio Operator who is the Warning Preparedness Meteorologist at the Canadian Hurricane Centre will be giving the meteorological overview of the 2018 season.

We hope many folks can join the 2018 ARRL Hurricane Webinar! Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

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