03/29/2024

The National Hurricane Conference[1] was held March 25 - 28, 2024, in Orlando,
Florida. Amateur radio was well represented at the event. A series of workshops
were held that focused on amateur radio's involvement in hurricane tracking,
coverage, and recovery.

Among the presenters was the Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator of WX4NHC at
the National Hurricane Center[2] (NHC) Julio Ripoll, WD4R.   Ripoll gave a
history of amateur radio's involvement in NHC, including the use of tube radios
in the 1980s and the Yaesu FTDX-1200 used today. WX4NHC is also equipped with
VHF/UHF radios to access the Florida Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet),
as well as digital equipment to communicate with the VoIP Hurricane Net[3],
IRLP, and Winlink to receive emails via amateur radio.  

"We were the only means of communication between the National Hurricane Center
and the National Weather Service Field Office in Slidell, Louisiana, during
Hurricane Katrina," Ripoll said. He went on to highlight other instances of
reports given by ham radio that provided mission-critical information that had
a major impact on the way NHC handled a storm.  

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, gave a
presentation to the crowd of hurricane experts, meteorologists, and emergency
managers about the Amateur Radio Emergency Service¿ (ARES¿).  

He spoke of ARRL's role on the board of SAFECOM, a program managed by the
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) that sets the standards
of interoperability procedures. Being a part of the group solidifies the
Amateur Radio Service as a robust resource before and during times of crisis.  

Johnston shared that in 2023, ARES volunteers contributed at least $21.8
million in volunteer hours to their local communities. "Is amateur radio still
relevant? Absolutely! Are we still involved in the places that are doing things
the right way? Amateur radio absolutely is," he said.  

Johnston highlighted the relationship between ARRL and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)[4], as well as ARRL's position as a net control
station within the SHAred RESources High Frequency Radio Program (SHARES)[5]
managed by CISA.  

Among other presenters was ARRL's The ARES Letter[6] Editor Rick Palm, K1CE.  

He shared a harrowing tale of his family riding out a direct hit from Hurricane
Idalia in August 2023. The damage and impact he felt gave him a new perspective
on emergency communications, as he went from a volunteer communicator to a
storm victim. Read more about his experience in the "Public Service" column in
the January 2024 issue of QST.  

Watch a video of the amateur radio workshops[7] at the 2024 National Hurricane
Conference on YouTube, courtesy of Jim Palmer, KB1KQW.

[1] https://hurricanemeeting.com/
[2] https://w4ehw.fiu.edu/
[3] https://voipwx.net/
[4] https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-and-fema-sign-agreement-ham-radio-is-as-relevant-as-ever
[5] https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/programs/shared-resources-shares-high-frequency-hf-radio-program
[6] http://www.arrl.org/ares-letter/
[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-43X6wVrqwA

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■ Synchronet ■ Whiskey Lover's Amateur Radio BBS