Broadcasters are launching emergency operations as Hurricane Milton continues course for Florida’s west-central Gulf Coast. National weather forecasts show the storm making landfall late Wednesday or very early Thursday morning.
As large radio broadcasters like Beasley Media Group unite with local television stations to provide round-the-clock storm coverage, they are not the only ones. Amateur radio operators across the country are signing on to assist with emergency communications.
Ham radio operator Pete Stover (KD4QNA), located in Spotsylvania, Va., shared details of how his colleagues are assembling, working with the National Weather Service and local emergency responders. He shares the following status report below.
Here’s what’s on the schedule for amateur radio disaster responders:
In an alert issued by Dick Seeley (N8NIF), international net manager for Salvation Army Team Emergency Network (SATERN), its amateur radio operators across the country will participate in the Hurricane Watch Net. They will activate Tuesday to “line up reporting stations, EOCs, storm shelters using the amateur radio bands on 20 meters: 14.325 MHz (USB) at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 UTC), until we lose propagation at night,” said Seeley in the following report.
On 40 meters: 7.268 MHz (LSB) at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 UTC), we will remain active on this frequency throughout the day and overnight for as long as propagation allows. If propagation allows us to operate all night, we will suspend operations at 7:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday to allow the Waterway Net to conduct their daily Net.
Wednesday (landfall day) on 20 meters: We will resume operations on 14.325 MHz at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 UTC) and remain active until we lose propagation at night.
On 40 meters: We will resume operations on 7.268 MHz at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 UTC). We will remain active on this frequency throughout the day and overnight for as long as propagation allows. If propagation allows us to operate all night, we will suspend operations at 7:30 a.m. EDT Thursday to allow the Waterway Net to conduct their daily Net.
On Thursday, we will handle post storm reports, emergency traffic (messages) and health and welfare traffic. On 20 meters: We will resume operations on 14.325 MHz at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 UTC). On 40 meters: We will resume operations on 7.268 MHz at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 UTC).
“SATERN leadership has also approved conducting health and welfare nets as needed once the Hurricane Watch Net has stood down,” wrote Seeley.
In addition to the SATERN activities, amateur radio volunteer stations will operate the VoIP Weather Net, which serves the National Weather Service (NWS), over the amateur radio service Echolink. It uses voice over internet protocol as well as RF-connected stations in a conference session to receive reports from SKYWARN operators and others in impacted areas. Those reports are shared with the National Hurricane Center of the NWS.
Rob Macedo (KD1CY), director of operations for the VoIP WX Net, said in a release on Sunday, Oct. 6:
“Residents and amateur radio operators along the west coast of Florida through the Florida Keys should prepare for a major hurricane strike now for the late Tuesday into Thursday Morning timeframe. Any amateur radio operators in the affected area who can connect to our hurricane net during this potential event would be helpful to give surface reports to WX4NHC, the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center, as needed.
“Amateur radio operators who have relays into people that live in the affected area and can gather surface reports will also be helpful. Activation plans for this system will likely be posted early next week for a middle of next week Hurricane Net Activation.”
Pete Stover is director of the WX4EMC Tech Team, a non-profit amateur radio group devoted to building and maintaining infrastructure for responders to effectively communicate during emergencies and disasters. He is also a volunteer advisor and mentor for Pochalla FM 88.1, serving residents and refugees on the South Sudan-Ethiopian border.
[Related: “Letter: How Are Hams Helping Post-Helene?“]
