 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
![Previous (earlier) Story](/images/sty-down.gif "A Field Day Mountaintop Is the Destination for the "Big Event Together""){kind=small} Previous: A Field Day Mountaintop Is the Destination for the "Big Event Together" |  Next: Hams Aid Columbia Debris Search in Western States |
 Hurricane Hunter Capt David Tennesen, NL7MT (center), receives the "Emergency Device of Last Resort" from Julio Ripoll, WD4JR (left) and John McHugh, KU4GY. Called the "Weather In A Bottle Award," Ripoll said it's used when all else fails. Ripoll said Tennesen has conducted so many radio tests on so many frequencies with the NHC, "we think he may want to try this method once from the Hurricane Hunter." |
 Conference participants were treated to a tour of the National Hurricane Center and the W4EHW Radio Room. |
 Hurricane Watch Net Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, addresses the National Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Conference. |
 ARRL Honorary Vice President (and past Southeastern Division Vice Director) Evelyn Gauzens, W4WYR, was honored for her support of Amateur Radio at NHC. Flanking her are John McHugh, KU4GY (left), and Julio Ripoll, WD4JR. |
 W4EHW at the National Hurricane Center will become WX4NHC on June 1. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 26, 2003--The upcoming 2003 hurricane season was the focus earlier this month as Amateur Radio volunteers, the National Hurricane Center's W4EHW Amateur Radio Group, representatives of the Hurricane Watch Net and emergency officials gathered for the eighth annual Amateur Radio Hurricane Conference. Among the approximately 50 attendees February 1 at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami were representatives from the US as well as from throughout the Caribbean, including Jamaica, St Lucia, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, the US Virgin Islands and Bermuda.
"The presentations, post-season analysis and discussions are very helpful in preparing for the coming hurricane season," said Julio Ripoll, WD4JR, the NHC's assistant Amateur Radio coordinator. He said the yearly conference promotes learning more about hurricanes and emergency communications, provides a chance to recognize past-season accomplishments and offers the opportunity for personal interaction among members of the many organizations that work together during hurricanes.
ARRL Public Service Team Leader Steve Ewald, WV1X, represented ARRL Headquarters at the conference. Attending her first hurricane conference on behalf of the League was ARRL Southern Florida Section Manager Sherri Brower, W4STB. US Virgin Islands SM John Ellis, NP2B, also was on hand.
During his presentation, Ewald highlighted the latest news in emergency communication training from ARRL through the Amateur Radio Emergency Communication courses. "I explained how the federal Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) grant is expanding opportunities for Amateur Radio operators nationwide to take the Level I Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course," he said. Ewald also discussed how the ARRL Field Organization serves as a ready resource during emergencies.
National Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Coordinator John McHugh, KU4GY, and Ripoll organized and led the annual event. Among other things, they brought attendees up to date on the latest news and activities of the 36-member team of Amateur Radio Station W4EHW, which will adopt a new call sign, WX4NHC, on June 1 at the start of the new hurricane season. Ripoll said that, although the W4EHW ("Early Hurricane Warning") call sign has been associated with the NHC's ham station since the start of the working relationship between the Center and the Dade County Amateur Radio Public Service Corps, the new call sign would give "better on-the-air recognition, as WX is understood to mean weather, and NHC is well-known for 'National Hurricane Center.'" He also said the change was in compliance with a trend among weather-related ham stations to use the WX prefix.
W4EHW celebrates its 23rd year of continuous service this year. Calling upon a staff of trained volunteers, the NHC's amateur station activates during tropical storms or hurricanes and gathers and disseminates real-time, surface-level weather data from hams and other volunteer observers. NHC forecasters use the data and information to develop their forecasts. During the 2002 hurricane season, W4EHW was on the air for more than 140 total hours, gathering over 300 reports via 20 meters (14.325 MHz) and, for the first time, via the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) VHF/UHF repeater network.
McHugh and Ripoll explained that newer modes like IRLP and APRS are becoming more popular on Amateur Radio. As a result, amateurs have begun using these modes to report storm-related information.
|
"Even though scientific data is being gathered by satellites, air reconnaissance and sometimes radar, surface reports [via ham radio] are very important, helping forecasters understand what is actually happening at ground level," Ripoll said. "Many times ham radio data fills in gaps where no other data was available at that time." Descriptions from stations in affected areas also provide a human dimension to otherwise abstract numbers, he said.
NHC Hurricane Specialist Stacy Stewart described how he and his colleagues utilize surface reports collected via Amateur Radio to augment their weather advisories. He also has expressed interest in becoming a amateur licensee, and the W4EHW Group presented him with a copy of ARRL's Now You're Talking! license-preparation manual.
McHugh also reported on the progress and future objectives of the Caribbean Amateur Radio Meteorological Emergency Network (CARMEN) project. CARMEN is aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of measured weather reports from Caribbean Islands and Central America by providing and installing weather-measuring equipment to qualifying ham stations in selected areas. McHugh also noted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Citizen's Weather Observers Program, which automatically gathers weather data via APRS and from nonamateur weather enthusiasts via the Internet. Hurricane Watch Net Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, told the conference that he expects the HWN to explore the possibility of accepting hurricane reports via EchoLink in the coming season. Pilgrim explained that the many HWN net control stations are spread throughout the country to accommodate propagation changes during a storm emergency. The Hurricane Watch Net also has a growing cadre of Spanish-speaking operators who have proven helpful in communicating with Central and South American radio amateurs contacting the net and the National Hurricane Center with valuable storm information. Ripoll noted that Cuba has been hit by more hurricanes in the last two years. "Lionel Remigio, KC4CLD, has been very helpful in relaying to us the surface reports from 40 and 80-meters nets," he said. "His reports are the most detailed that we have seen."
Hurricane Hunter aircraft pilot Capt Dave Tennesen, NL7MT, entertained and informed the gathering with a presentation on his specialty, offering insights into the research involved. Tennesen flies right through hurricanes and tropical storms as part of his job to measure and gather and transmit valuable weather data about the condition of the storm.
Tennesen said
he's never without ham radio onboard, and he's been known to occasionally check
into the Hurricane Watch Net during his Hurricane Hunter flights. "Ham radio
serves as a vital backup link to NHC if other means of communications fail," he
said. "I know that if we have a major problem and I make a distress call on our
HF ham radio, as many as 50 people may hear our coordinates."--information
from Julio Ripoll, WD4JR, and Steve Ewald, WV1X
| Previous: A Field Day Mountaintop Is the Destination for the "Big Event Together" | Next: Hams Aid Columbia Debris Search in Western States |
