VoIP Hurricane Net

Hello to all…

With the recent VoIP Hurricane Net Activation for Hurricane Idaliya and the Labor Day Holiday weekend likely having many folks traveling to visit family and friends, the VoIP Hurricane Net for Saturday 9/2/23 is canceled. Our next VoIP Hurricane Prep Net will be on Saturday 9/9/23 at 800 PM EDT. The following is the Atlantic Tropical Update as of Saturday 9/2/23 – 920 AM EDT:

In the Atlantic, the only land affecting system is Post Tropical Cyclone Idaliya bringing tropical storm force conditions to the island of Bermuda. After passing Bermuda, Idaliya is expected to go out to sea only affecting shipping interests. Gert regenerated into a tropical storm and we now have Katia, also a tropical storm, but both Gert and Katia are out in the open Atlantic and no threat to land. Therefore, other than Idaliya affecting Bermuda with tropical storm force conditions, no tropical system is expected to affect land over the next several days.

There is a tropical wave in the Eastern Atlantic that could develop into a tropical depression as we get into the middle of next week as it moves from the Eastern Atlantic to the Central Atlantic Ocean that will be our next system to watch for potential land impacts presuming it can develop. Any land impacts wouldn’t be until late next week at the earliest so there will be plenty of time to monitor the progress of this potentially developing system.

Advisories on Idaliya, Gert and Katia and the Tropical Weather Outlook highlighting the tropical wave in the Eastern Atlantic can be seen off the Atlantic Tropical Products menu selection on the voipwx.net web site, via our voipwxnet Facebook/Twitter feeds or the National Hurricane Center web site at the following link:

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team continues to monitor all developments in the Tropics. Our thoughts and prayers are with those significantly impacted by Hurricane Idaliya in the Southeast US and we hope their recovery is quick from that significant hurricane. We hope everyone enjoys the Labor Day Holiday Weekend and we will catch everyone on the next VoIP Hurricane Prep net on Saturday 9/9/23 at 800 PM EDT. 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…

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida and in one of the more sparsely populated parts of the state of Florida. Wind gusts as high as 86 MPH were recorded in the Big Bend area of Florida and were likely higher but there was a gap in weather station coverage where Idalia made landfall. Significant wind damage was observed in Perry to Lee Florida with widespread significant storm surge observed all across the Big Bend Florida area through portions of Tampa-St Petersburg FL. Wind damage and significant rainfall was also observed across portions of Southern Georgia from Valdosta to Lakeland GA and points north and east. A complete listing of reports obtained from online weather stations, social media, public safety resources and Amateur Radio relayed reports can be seen in the VoIP Hurricane Net Report Viewer at the following link:

https://www.voipwx.net/qilan/nhcwx/list_VOIP_records1?auth=OK

Idalia is expected to move off the Atlantic coast and remain a tropical storm possibly affecting Bermuda as a tropical storm. The VoIP Hurricane Net management team will monitor the progress of Idalia and all other developments in the Atlantic Tropics.

A reminder that the VoIP Hurricane Prep Net for Saturday 9/2/23 is canceled due to the hurricane net activation for Idalia and the long Labor Day Holiday weekend. 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..

**VoIP Hurricane Net will activate at 6 AM EDT Wednesday Morning and will remain active potentially through 11 PM EDT Wednesday Evening for Hurricane Idalia and its potentially significant impacts across Northwest and Northern Florida, Southern Georgia and the Carolinas supporting WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami Florida. Idalia is expected to achieve major hurricane status prior to landfall in the big bend area of Northwest Florida.**
**WX4NHC will also be active with their Amateur Radio Station through this time period for as long as needed.**

Here are the VoIP Hurricane Net Plans for Hurricane Idalia as of Tuesday Afternoon 8/29/23 – 245 PM EDT:

VoIP Hurricane Net will activate at 6 AM EDT Wednesday Morning and will remain active potentially through 11 PM EDT Wednesday evening for Hurricane Idalia and its potentially significant impacts across Northwest and Northern Florida, Southern Georgia and the Carolinas supporting WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami Florida. WX4NHC will also be active with their Amateur Radio Station through this time period for as long as needed. Idalia is expected to achive major hurricane status prior to landfall in the big bend area of Northwest Florida. Due to this net activation for Hurricane Idalia and the long weekend for the Labor Day holiday, the VoIP Hurricane Prep Net for Saturday 9/2/23 has been canceled.

Any Amateur Radio Operators in the affected area of Idalia or with relays into the affected area of Idalia 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:
https://voipwx.net/voip-hurricane-net-reporting-criteria

Any pictures or videos of wind damage, river/stream/urban/storm surge flooding etc. can be sent to our voipwxnet Facebook and Twitter feeds or 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 Idalia 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:
https://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:
https://www.voipwx.net/qilan/nhcwx/list_VOIP_records1?auth=OK

APRS, Winlink, AllStar, Hamshack Hotline resources that can be monitored are as follows:
APRS kc5fm-9
Winlink KC5FM
Allstar 28848
Echolink KC5FM-R 906281
Hamshack Hotline 94032
DMR TGIF 31207
P25 31207
DSTAR XLXOKL C
Yaesu Fusion 31207
M17-SUN module A

Stations outside the affected area that do not have relays into 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
*SKY_GATE* Echolink conference node: 868981/IRLP 9252
*KC4QLP-C* Echolink conference node: 290251
*ARERT* Echolink conference node: 902723
*WASH_DC* Echolink conference node: 6154

These two streaming audio feeds should be available. Those streaming audio feeds are as follows:
Streaming feed 1: http://74.208.24.77:8000 -Provided by KC4QLP-Bob Carter
Streaming feed 2: http://audio.arert.net/ -Provided by the ARERT conference owners and sysops

Please note that there could be additional listen only nodes and streaming feeds. If time allows, this info will be updated via the voipwxnet web site and social media feeds.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management team continues to closely watch Hurricane Idalia. 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…

**VoIP Hurricane Net and WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, will activate for Hilary and storm impacts to Northwest Mexico, Southern California and Southwest Arizona from Sunday 8 AM EDT/1200 UTC Sunday Morning through 11 PM EDT/0300 UTC Sunday Evening**

The VoIP Hurricane Net will activate from than 8am EDT/1200 UTC Sunday morning August 20th, 2023 through 11pm/0300UTC Sunday evening for impacts from Hilary. Storm timing and changes in the forecast can alter this activation period, so please check for updates. This activation is in direct support to WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center.

Any Amateur Radio Operators in the affected area of Hilary, or with relays into the affected area of Hilary 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. Any SKYWARN Nets active in the local area as Hilary moves into Southern California and surrounding States that can pass reports to the VoIP Hurricane Net for relay into WX4NHC are welcome to send a net liaison or connect directly at their discretion to the *WX_TALK* Echolink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219. Stations on All-Star can connect to the Echolink side of the system by dialing *033007203. 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:
https://voipwx.net/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 Hilary can be seen off of the Main Menu of the voipwxnet web site, via our Facebook and Twitter feeds, and off the National Hurricane Center web site via the following link:
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

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

*Sky_Gate* Echolink conference node: 868981/IRLP 9252

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: 269929
*WASH_DC* Echolink conference node: 6154

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 *033270177 or *033009123.

Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Operations Director, VoIP Hurricane Net

Hello to all…

Tropical Depression (TD) 3 has formed in the Atlantic. TD 3 is expected to intensify into a tropical storm within the next day or two and expected to be a hurricane as it tracks near or over the Windward/Leeward Islands. If the storm intensifies as expected, it will be named Bret. National Hurricane Center (NHC) advisories on TD 3 can be seen off the Atlantic Tropical Products menu of the VoIP Hurricane Net web site, via our voipwxnet Facebook and Twitter feeds and at the NHC web site at the following link:

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov

VoIP Hurricane Net activation is possible some time in the Thursday to Friday timeframe depending on the track, speed and intensity of TD 3. The VoIP Hurricane Net will closely monitor TD 3 and other systems in the 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..

Thursday June 1st, 2023 marks the start of the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season is expected to be a near normal season per the NOAA/National Hurricane Center and Colorado State University outlooks among others. To mark the start of Atlantic Hurricane Season, the National Hurricane Center/Tropical Prediction Center in Miami FL will issue advisories on named systems, Tropical Storm and Hurricane Watches and Warnings when a system threatens a land area, Tropical Cyclone Updates on named systems and Tropical Weather Outlooks for potential areas of tropical cyclone development. Their suite of products and tropical system names are listed in their first couple of tropical weather outlooks and the link from 8 AM EDT – Thursday June 1st Tropical Weather Outlook is listed below:

https://voipwx.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/nhc_hurricane_season_start_tropical_weather_outlook_2023.pdf

Tropical Depression (TD) 2 has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. Slight strengthening is possible and if that occurs, it would become Tropical Storm Arlene. The system is not expected to affect land significantly and is expected to be a short lived system that dissipates in the next few days after any slight strengthening that occurs in the next 12-24 hours. Advisories can be found off the Main Menu of the VoIP Hurricane Net under Atlantic Tropical Products, via the voipwxnet Facebook and Twitter social media feeds or from the National Hurricane Center web site at the following link:

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

The VoIP Hurricane Prep Net will shift to weekly beginning Saturday June 3rd, 2023 at 8 PM EDT/7 PM CDT/0000 UTC. We welcome all those who wish to participate in the net and we are looking for net controls both for the weekly net as well as net activations for landfalling hurricanes. If you are interested, contact Rob-KD1CY at kd1cy@voipwx.net for more information.

The VoIP Hurricane Net Management Team will closely monitor developments in 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…

The annual WX4NHC On Air Communications Test has been set for Saturday May 27th, 2023 and WX4NHC will be on the air on the VoIP Hurricane Net system Echolink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219 from 4-5 PM EDT (2000-2100z). Other Amateur Radio modes will be utilized and those details are listed in the announcement below from WD4R-Julio Ripoll, Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator:

Announcement from WX4NHC
Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, Miami Florida
WX4NHC will be On-The-Air for the Annual Communications Test
Saturday May 27th, 2023 from 9AM – 5 PM EDT (1300z-2100z)

The amateur radio station of the National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC (NHC), located on the campus of Florida International University in Miami, will conduct their on-the-air Annual Communications Test on Saturday, May 27, 2023, from 9 AM – 5 PM EDT (1300z- 2100z).

This is the NHC’s 43rd year of public service. NHC Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R/WX4NHC, reports that the purpose of this event is to test amateur radio equipment and antennas at the NHC as well as operators’ home equipment, antennas, and computers prior to this year’s hurricane season. The 2023 hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through November 30.

This event is good practice for amateur radio operators worldwide to practice amateur radio communications during times of severe weather.

Ripoll said WX4NHC will be on HF, VHF, UHF, 2- and 30-meter APRS, and Winlink, To contact the NHC’s amateur radio station send an email to wx4nhc@winlink.org. The subject of the email must contain //WL2K.

The Hurricane Watch Net will try to stay on 14.325 MHz for most of the time, as well as 7.268 MHz depending on propagation. They may also change frequencies due to potential QRM.

You may be able to find WX4NHC on HF by using one of the DX spotting networks, such as the DX Summit website at http://www.dxsummit.fi.

The VoIP Hurricane Net will also be active from 4 PM – 5 PM EDT (2000-2100z), IRLP node 9219/EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203. Visit their website for more information.

WX4NHC will also make a few contacts on local VHF and UHF repeaters, as well as the Florida Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet) system to test station equipment.

QSL cards are available via WD4R with a self-addressed stamped envelope. More information about the NHC is available at their website.

Thank you for your participation in the WX4NHC Annual Station Test event.

73, Julio – WX4NHC/WD4R

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Julio Ripoll Architect WD4R
WX4NHC Amateur Radio Asst. Coordinator
www.wx4nhc.org
Celebrating 43 years at the
National Hurricane Center
www.nhc.noaa.gov
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

We hope many can join the WX4NHC Annual On-Air Test for this year. 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 2023 National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio Workshop from New Orleans Louisiana from Monday 4/3/23 is posted on Youtube. The video is at the following link:

2023 Amateur Radio Workshop – National Hurricane Conference – New Orleans Louisiana Video Recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTpRE0PriJU

Here are the start timeframes for each of the workshop topics (Note: this information is not listed in the Youtube listing):
00:00 Opening Remarks – KD1CY-Rob Macedo – Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net
00:30 Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) – Hurricane Fiona Impacts and Hurricane Meteorological Topics – VE1MBR-Bob Robichaud – CHC Warning Preparedness Meteorologist
32:58 WX4NHC Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center Overview & Hurricane Watch Net Overview -WD4R-Julio Ripoll – WX4NHC Assistant NHC Coordinator
1:26:57 Importance of Amateur Radio Surface Reports with Q&A – Dan Brown – National Hurricane Center Senior Hurricane Specialist
1:43:50 VoIP Hurricane Net Overview & Best Practices in SKYWARN for Tropical Systems – KD1CY-Rob Macedo – Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net
2:14:01 SATERN Presentation – WB8BZH-Bill Feist, SATERN Southern Territory Coordinator
2:41:43 ARRL/ARES Update – KE5MHV-Josh Johnston, ARRL HQ – Director of Emergency Management
2:57:58 Louisiana Hurricane Ida Response & ARES Update – KD5KNZ-Matt Anderson – Louisiana ARRL Assistant Section Manager

We appreciate everyone who attended the workshop live (30-45 people in the room and about 70+ people on the livestream about half of which remained on until the end despite livestream technical difficulties) and we hope many more will view the video presentation recording via YouTube. There have already been close to 500 views of the video recording to date.

Thanks to all for their continued support of the Amateur Radio Hurricane program led by WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Watch Net, VoIP Hurricane Net, SATERN, ARRL, National Hurricane Center and Canadian Hurricane Center as well as all the local regional SKYWARN/CANWARN programs in the United States and Canada and the various local groups that support us internationally.

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

Hello to all…

My sincerest apologies for the delay on this post as it was delayed due to me being ill for a good portion of the month of March. Below are all the details including livestream information for the 2023 National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans, LA:

Amateur Radio will again be represented at the 2023 National Hurricane Conference which will be held this year in New Orleans, Louisiana (http://www.hurricanemeeting.com). This year, the workshop will be done both live at the conference and over YouTube livestream so this will be a “hybrid workshop”. The conference theme is to improve hurricane preparedness as it has been in past years. After the workshop is completed, the Amateur Radio Workshop will be uploaded to Youtube for those that can’t attend the sessions live. For 2023, all the Amateur Radio sessions will be on Monday April 3rd, 2023 from 830 AM-1020 AM CDT (930 AM-1120 AM EDT) and from 1030 AM-1210 PM CDT (1130 AM-110 PM EDT) with door prizes completed between 1210-1220 PM CDT (110-120 PM EDT). Each presenter will not only give an overview of their respective group but also how their group handled the significant hurricanes over the past year. Here is the session breakdown:

NHC Session #1 – 830 AM-1020 AM CDT (930 AM-1120 AM EDT): Bob Robichaud-VE1MBR from the Canadian Hurricane Centre will present on Hurricane Meteorological topics including the last 2 years in review and the forecast for 2023. He will also provide a brief overview of Canadian Hurricane Centre Operations. Julio Ripoll-WD4R will present WX4NHC Operations and an overview on the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN). A representative from the National Hurricane Center will also present on the importance of Amateur Radio surface reporting.

NHC Session #2: 1030 AM-1210 PM CDT (1130 AM-110 PM EDT): Rob Macedo-KD1CY will present on the VoIP Hurricane Net and best practices in SKYWARN Tropical Systems presentation, Bill Feist-WB8BZH will present a SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Radio Network) overview. Josh Johnston-KE5MHV will give an ARRL update and KD5KNZ-Matt Anderson will give out an update on a local response update for Amateur Radio Operators in Louisiana. This will be followed by a Q & A session and raffle prizes will be offered.

Amateur Radio presentations will be recorded and posted to Youtube after the workshop within the month of April. The Amateur Radio presentations will also be livestreamed via Youtube as a best effort. It is noted that Internet connectivity can be a challenge at hotel locations for livestreaming but we will do our best to livestream the workshop but please note technical difficulties could affect the livestream so please be patient if you watch the livestream and we will have recordings available post workshop. The YouTube livestream link is listed below:

2023 National Hurricane Conference Presenters and Moderator:

• Moderator: Rob Macedo, KD1CY, VoIP Hurricane Net
• Special guest speaker (Need name from NHC), National Hurricane Center
• Special guest speaker Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, Canadian Hurricane Center
• Special guest speaker Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, Director of Emergency Management, ARRL HQ
• John McHugh, K4AG, WX4NHC Amateur Radio Station Coordinator
• Julio Ripoll, WD4R, WX4NHC Assistant Amateur Radio Station Coordinator
• Bill Feist, WB8BZH, SATERN, Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Radio Network
• Matt Anderson, KD5KNZ, Louisiana ARRL Assistant Section Manager
• Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Director of Operations, VoIP Hurricane Net & ARRL ARES Eastern Mass SEC
• Jim Palmer, KB1KQW, VoIP Hurricane Net (Videographer)

Detailed Schedule Outline – All Times (Central Daylight Time):
830-835 AM: Opening Remarks
835-915 AM: Canadian Hurricane Centre and Hurricane Meteorological Topics (VE1MBR-Bob R) 915-1000 AM: WX4NHC Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center & HWN Overview (WD4R)
1000-1020 AM: Importance of Amateur Radio Surface Reports (NHC)
1020-1030 AM: Break
1030-1050 AM: VoIP Hurricane Net Overview & Best Practices in SKYWARN for Tropical Systems (KD1CY)
1050-1110 AM: SATERN – Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network Overview (WB8BZH)
1110-1130 AM: ARRL Update (KE5MHV)
1130-1150 AM: Louisiana Hurricane Response Update (KD5KNZ)
1150-1210 PM: Moderated Q & A session and Panel Discussion (All)
1210-1220 PM: Door Prizes (All)

We hope folks can attend the conference live and in person for those in and around the New Orleans LA area or attending the conference and that those outside of the area can participate in the livestream. For those can’t see it live, the workshop video will be posted online via Youtube within a week or two after the conference if not sooner.

Thanks to all for their continued support of the VoIP Hurricane Net!

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