HF and Hurricane Active Nets
HF Active Nets
The Nets for Hurricanes (See towards end of page)
There is a robust ecosystem of communications networks that all work in tandem to provide coverage anytime a named storm is within a few hundred miles of land. These separate, but partner, volunteer organizations serve much of the Western Hemisphere on many different bands and modes.
Much of the focus is to get information to and from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Hurricane specialists rely on having an amateur radio station at the center, WX4NHC. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, is the Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator for the station. “These surface reports can be weather data or eyewitness reports (or heard on local VHF/UHF) are very valuable to the hurricane specialists at NHC, as they fill in gaps of data that they may not have from other means, such as government weather stations, satellites, Hurricane Hunter aircraft, etc.,” explained Ripoll.
The NHC would like more hams to provide information if they are in an affected area. There are many ways to do it. The simplest is over high frequency (HF) amateur radio bands. There, you’ll find a dedicated team running the Hurricane Watch Net. The net, which uses 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, depending on propagation, is usually active any time a hurricane is within 300 statute miles of a populated landmass, or at the request of NHC.
“We are strategically dispersed across North America, throughout the Caribbean Islands, Central America, and the northern coast of South America, so that we can provide a continuous path of communications from storm-affected areas,” said Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net Manager. The net has members who speak many of the languages in the hurricane zones, including English and Spanish.
| Net Name | Days | Winter | Summer | Frequency |
| Hurricane Watch Net | As Needed | 14.33 | ||
| Hurricane Watch Net | As Needed | 7.27 | ||
| Hurricane Watch Net | As Needed | 3.82 | ||
| 10-10 International | Mon-Sat | 18:00 | 18:00 | 28.80 |
| 3838 Breakfast Club | Daily | 10:00 | 9:00 | 3.84 |
| 3905 20m SSB Net | Daily | 19:00 | 18:00 | 14.32 |
| 3905 40m SSB Early Net | Daily | 0:00 | 23:00 | 7.27 |
| 3905 40m SSB Late Net | Daily | 5:00 | 4:00 | 7.19 |
| 7240 Club Net | Mon-Sat | 15:00 | 14:00 | 7.24 |
| 7272 Rag Chew | Mon-Sat | 14:00 | 13:00 | 7.27 |
| 7290 Traffic Net | Mon-Sat | 16:00 | 15:00 | 7.29 |
| 7290 Traffic Net | Weekdays | 19:00 | 18:00 | 7.29 |
| A13 Group | Mon/Wed/Fri | 17:00 | 17:00 | 14.21 |
| Alabama ARES | Sundays | 22:00 | 21:00 | 7.24 |
| Alabama Day Net | Weekdays | 13:30 | 12:30 | 3.97 |
| Alabama Traffic Net | Sundays | 14:00 | 13:00 | 3.97 |
| Amateur Radio Missionary Service | Daily | 12:00 | 11:00 | 7.23 |
| Amateur Radio UFO Net | Sundays | 0:00 | 23:00 | 3.85 |
| Arkansas Razorback Net | Daily | 0:30 | 23:30 | 3.99 |
| Awful Awful Ugly Net | Daily | 1:00 | 0:00 | 3.86 |
| Badger Weather Net | Daily | 12:00 | 11:00 | 3.98 |
| Beehive Utah Net | Daily | 19:00 | 18:00 | 7.27 |
| Before The Breakfast Club | Daily | 8:00 | 7:00 | 3.97 |
| Bigfoot Radio Net | Thursdays | 2:00 | 2:00 | 7.26 |
| Boat Anchor Net | Thursdays | 1:00 | 0:00 | 3.87 |
| Breakfast Club | Daily | 10:00 | 9:00 | 3.97 |
| Buzzards Roost Net | Daily | 21:00 | 21:00 | 3.93 |
| California American Legion Net | Sundays | 21:00 | 20:00 | 7.28 |
| California-Hawaii Net | Weekdays | 17:00 | 16:00 | 14.34 |
| Central Gulf Coast Hurricane Net | Daily | 1:00 | 1:00 | 3.94 |
| Central States Traffic Net | Weekdays | 18:30 | 17:30 | 7.25 |
| Communications Ontario Net | Daily | 14:30 | 13:30 | 7.15 |
| Country Hams | Mon-Sat | 14:00 | 13:00 | 7.23 |
| Early Bird Transcontinental Net | Daily | 8:15 | 7:15 | 3.94 |
| East Coast Amateur Radio Service | Daily | 12:30 | 11:30 | 7.26 |
| Georgia ARES | Sundays | 22:00 | 22:00 | 3.98 |
| Georgia SSB Net | Daily | 23:00 | 23:00 | 3.98 |
| Georgia Traffic & Emergency Net | Daily | 0:15 | 23:15 | 3.99 |
| Gulf Coast Sideband Net | Daily | 1:30 | 0:30 | 3.93 |
| Kansas AM Weather Net | Daily | 13:00 | 12:00 | 3.92 |
| Kansas Weather Net | Daily | 0:30 | 23:30 | 3.92 |
| Louisiana Section ARES Net | Sundays | 1:30 | 0:30 | 3.87 |
| Louisiana Traffic Net | Daily | 0:30 | 23:30 | 3.91 |
| Northern Florida ARES Net | Daily | 12:45 | 11:45 | 3.93 |
| Ohio SSB Net | Daily | 14:30 | 14:30 | 3.97 |
| Ohio SSB Net | Weekdays | 20:15 | 20:15 | 3.97 |
| Ohio SSB Net | Daily | 22:45 | 22:45 | 3.97 |
| South Florida ARES Net | Saturdays | 13:00 | 12:00 | 3.94 |
| Texas ARES Net | Mondays | 1:30 | 0:30 | 3.87 |
| United States Traffic Net | Daily | 23:00 | 23:00 | 7.19 |
| United States Traffic Net | Fridays | 3:00 | 3:00 | 1.93 |
| USCG Amateur Radio SSB Net | Saturdays | 17:00 | 17:00 | 14.30 |
| USCG Amateur Radio SSB Net | Saturdays | 18:00 | 18:00 | 14.33 |
| W1AW Voice Bulletin | Weekdays | 2:45 | 1:45 | 14.29 |
| W1AW Voice Bulletin | Weekdays | 2:45 | 1:45 | 7.29 |
| Worked All States and Awards Net | Daily | 11:00 | 10:00 | 7.19 |
Ham Radio During Hurricane Season
ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® encourages amateur stations to prepare for what the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has predicted will be a busy hurricane season. In addition to readying equipment to function during and after a storm’s impact, local Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) nets are encouraged to participate in hurricane reporting and relief nets.
The # 1 place to go to for Atlantic and or trhe Gulf of America https://www.hwn.org/
Stations do not need to be in a coastal zone to participate. Propagation often shifts well inland, meaning ham radio operators throughout the continent can serve in times of need. “Monitoring and relaying traffic is a way to help with the nets and get real time information to the NHC, where it can be shared with the National Weather Service, FEMA, and other emergency response organizations to aid in a more rapid response and recovery,” said ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV. Amateur radio plays a critical role in the warning and recovery process of hurricanes. From providing surface observations which give forecasters at the National Hurricane Center ground truth, to providing communications when infrastructure is damaged, ham radio is as vital as ever.
There is a robust ecosystem of communications networks that all work in tandem to provide coverage anytime a named storm is within a few hundred miles of land. These separate, but partner, volunteer organizations serve much of the Western Hemisphere on many different bands and modes. Much of the focus is to get information to and from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Hurricane specialists rely on having an amateur radio station at the center, WX4NHC. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, is the Amateur Radio
Much of the focus is to get information to and from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Hurricane specialists rely on having an amateur radio station at the center, WX4NHC. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, is the Amateur Radio
Assistant Coordinator for the station. “These surface reports can be weather data or eyewitness reports (or heard on local VHF/UHF) and are very valuable to the hurricane specialists at NHC, as they fill in gaps of data that they may not have from other means, such as government weather stations, satellites, Hurricane Hunter aircraft, etc.,” explained Ripoll.
The NHC would like more hams to provide information if they are in an affected area. There are many ways to do it. The simplest is over high frequency (HF) amateur radio bands. There, you’ll find a dedicated team running the Hurricane Watch Net. The net, which uses 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, depending on propagation, is usually active any time a hurricane is within 300 statute miles of a populated landmass, or at the request of NHC.
“We are strategically dispersed across North America, throughout the Caribbean Islands, Central America, and the northern coast of South America, so that we can provide a continuous path of communications from storm-affected areas,” said Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net Manager. The net has members who speak many of the languages in the hurricane zones, including English and Spanish.
Information to and From
The HWN is a two-way street of information, while the reports coming in are critical to forecasters – information from the NHC is even more important to people in the path of the storm. Weather information is relayed in real time from the NHC throughout the network, as well. In addition to the weather information and reporting, the HWN assists the Salvation Army’s SATERN Net with outgoing health and welfare traffic from the affected areas – messages sent via ham radio from those being impacted by the storm. WX4NHC also receives reports via Winlink email over amateur radio via the address wx4nhc@winlink.org. The email subject line must start with //WL2K. There is a webform on the WX4NHC web site to provide information as well.
Voice over Internet Protocol and Digital Voice Modes
For those without HF capabilities, or who may have their antennas unavailable during the storms, the VoIP Hurricane Net provides a parallel capability using modern digital technologies. VoIP Hurricane Net manager Rob Macedo, KD1CY, says the scope of this net gives a big picture look at what’s happening. “Our net gathers reports from amateur radio nets and amateur radio operators at the local, state and regional level that connect directly or liaison to our net on *WX_TALK* Echolink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219 reflector. The connections to our net can include other VoIP modes such as Fusion, All-Star, Hamshack Hotline, certain types of DMR among other VoIP modes via the KC5FM, AUXCOMM and Sunflower systems,” he said. The VoIP Hurricane Net also provides observations from social media monitoring.
More Participation Needed
With the robust systems in place to handle traffic, organizers encourage radio amateurs in the path of these storms to participate in the nets. “We encourage all who are in the path of a landfalling hurricane to join us and share your local observed weather information. No matter how insignificant you may feel your data may be, it is very important to the forecasters at the National Hurricane Center,” said Graves.
“Sometimes, ham radio reports are the only reports received from the islands or sparely populated areas,” said Ripoll. Michael Brennan, Director of the National Hurricane Center, added, “The NHC ham radio network has played a crucial role for more than 40 years in providing real-time information during tropical storms and hurricanes. The information provided by ham radio is incredibly helpful to NHC’s hurricane specialists as it provides on-the-ground data during an event and offers a valuable option to maintain communications in situations where traditional communication methods can fail or become unavailable.”
The Nets for Hurricanes
There is a robust ecosystem of communications networks that all work in tandem to provide coverage anytime a named storm is within a few hundred miles of land. These separate, but partner, volunteer organizations serve much of the Western Hemisphere on many different bands and modes.
Much of the focus is to get information to and from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. Hurricane specialists rely on having an amateur radio station at the center, WX4NHC. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, is the Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator for the station. “These surface reports can be weather data or eyewitness reports (or heard on local VHF/UHF) are very valuable to the hurricane specialists at NHC, as they fill in gaps of data that they may not have from other means, such as government weather stations, satellites, Hurricane Hunter aircraft, etc.,” explained Ripoll.
The NHC would like more hams to provide information if they are in an affected area. There are many ways to do it. The simplest is over high frequency (HF) amateur radio bands. There, you’ll find a dedicated team running the Hurricane Watch Net. The net, which uses 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, depending on propagation, is usually active any time a hurricane is within 300 statute miles of a populated landmass, or at the request of NHC.
“We are strategically dispersed across North America, throughout the Caribbean Islands, Central America, and the northern coast of South America, so that we can provide a continuous path of communications from storm-affected areas,” said Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net Manager. The net has members who speak many of the languages in the hurricane zones, including English and Spanish.
AMATEUR (HF) HIGH-FREQUENCY EMERGENCY HURRICANE NETS
The Nets below are only activated during a hurricane in the specific areas
01984.0 LSB Virgin Islands (VI, Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles)
03710.0 LSB Puerto Rico
03808.0 LSB Caribbean WX (1030)
03815.0 LSB Antigua/Antilles Emergency and Weather
03815.0 LSB Inter-island (continuous watch)
03818.0 LSB Antigua/Antilles
03845.0 LSB Gulf Coast West Hurricane
03862.5 LSB Mississippi Section Traffic
03865.0 LSB West Virginia Emergency
03872.5 LSB Mercury Amateur Radio Assoc ad hoc hurricane info net (0100)
03873.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
03873.0 LSB Louisiana ARES Emergency (night)
03873.0 LSB Texas ARES Emergency (night)
03873.0 LSB Mississippi ARES Emergency
03905.0 LSB Pacific ARES (Hawaii)
03905.0 LSB Delaware Emergency
03907.0 LSB Carolina Coast Emergency
03910.0 LSB Mississippi ARES
03910.0 LSB Louisiana Traffic
03910.0 LSB Virginia Emergency, Alpha (ARES/RACES)
03913.0 LSB New York State Emergency
03915.0 LSB South Carolina SSB NTS
03915.0 LSB Massachusetts/Rhode Island Emergency
03917.0 LSB Eastern Pennsylvania Emergency
03920.0 LSB Maryland Emergency
03923.0 LSB Mississippi ARES
03923.0 LSB North Carolina ARES Emergency (Tarheel)
03925.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
03925.0 LSB New York State Emergency
03925.0 LSB Louisiana Emergency (ALT)
03927.0 LSB North Carolina ARES (health & welfare)
03925.0 LSB Southwest Traffic (ALT)
03935.0 LSB Belize
03935.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
03935.0 LSB Louisiana ARES (health & welfare)
03935.0 LSB Texas ARES (health & welfare)
03935.0 LSB Mississippi ARES (health & welfare)
03935.0 LSB Alabama Emergency
03937.0 LSB Western Massachusetts ARES
03940.0 LSB Southern Florida Emergency
03947.0 LSB Virginia Emergency, Bravo (health & welfare)
03950.0 LSB Hurricane Watch (Amateur-to-National Hurricane Center) (ALT)
03950.0 LSB Northern Florida Emergency
03955.0 LSB South Texas Emergency
03960.0 LSB Northeast Coast Hurricane
03965.0 LSB Alabama Emergency (ALT)
03965.0 LSB Connecticut Emergency
03967.0 LSB Gulf Coast (outgoing traffic)
03970.0 LSB New Jersey ARES
03975.0 LSB Georgia ARES
03975.0 LSB Texas RACES
03980.0 LSB Southeast Virginia ARES
03987.5 LSB Mexican National
03990.5 LSB New Jersey RACES
03993.0 LSB New York State RACES
03993.5 LSB Gulf Coast (health & welfare)
03993.5 LSB South Carolina ARES/RACES Emergency
03995.0 LSB Gulf Coast WX
03995.0 LSB Western New York State Coordination
07055.0 LSB El Grupo Seguimiento de Huracanes (Spanish)
07060.0 LSB Mexican (emergency and health & welfare) (Spanish)
07070.0 LSB Manana (Baja California)
07090.0 LSB Central America Emergency
07145.0 LSB Bermuda
07165.0 LSB Antigua/Antilles Emergency and Weather
07165.0 LSB Inter-island 40-meter (continuous watch)
07225.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
07230.0 LSB New York State Emergency
07230.0 LSB Southwest Traffic
07232.0 LSB North Carolina ARES Emergency (Tarheel) (ALT)
07235.0 LSB Louisiana Emergency
07235.0 LSB Baja California
07235.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
07235.0 LSB West Virginia
07235.0 LSB Louisiana Emergency
07240.0 LSB American Red Cross US Gulf Coast Disaster
07240.0 LSB Texas Emergency
07240.0 LSB Virginia Emergency, Bravo (health & welfare) (ALT)
07243.0 LSB Alabama Emergency
07243.0 LSB South Carolina Emergency
07245.0 LSB Southern Louisiana
07245.0 LSB New York State RACES
07247.5 LSB Northern Florida ARES Emergency (ALT)
07250.0 LSB Belize
07250.0 LSB Texas Emergency
07254.0 LSB Northern Florida Emergency
07255.0 LSB Texas RACES
07260.0 LSB Gulf Coast West Hurricane
07260.0 LSB Virginia Emergency, Alpha (ARES/RACES) (ALT)
07264.0 LSB Gulf Coast (health & welfare)
07265.0 LSB Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio (SATERN)
07268.0 LSB Bermuda
07268.0 LSB Waterway
07273.0 LSB Texas ARES (ALT)
07275.0 LSB Georgia ARES
07280.0 LSB NTS Region 5
07280.0 LSB Louisiana Emergency (ALT
07283.0 LSB Gulf Coast (outgoing only)
07285.0 LSB Louisiana ARES Emergency (day)
07285.0 LSB Mississippi ARES Emergency
07285.0 LSB Texas ARES Emergency (day)
07290.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
07290.0 LSB Gulf Coast WX
07290.0 LSB Texas ARES (health & welfare)
07290.0 LSB Louisiana ARES (health & welfare) (day)
07290.0 LSB Mississippi ARES (health & welfare)
07290.0 LSB Hawaii Emergency
07290.0 LSB Traffic
14185.0 USB Caribbean Emergency
14200.0 USB Atlanta Inter-island
14215.0 USB Pacific Inter-island
14222.0 USB Health & Welfare
14245.0 USB Health & Welfare
14265.0 USB Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio (SATERN)
14268.0 USB Amateur Radio Readiness Group
14275.0 USB Bermuda
14275.0 USB International Amateur Radio
14283.0 USB Caribus (health & welfare)
14300.0 USB Intercontinental Traffic
14300.0 USB Maritime Mobile Service
14303.0 USB International Assistance & Traffic
14313.0 USB Intercontinental Traffic (ALT)
14313.0 USB Maritime Mobile Service (ALT)
14316.0 USB Health & Welfare
14320.0 USB Health & Welfare
14325.0 USB Hurricane Watch (Amateur-to-National Hurricane Center)
14340.0 USB Louisiana (1900)
14340.0 USB Manana (1900)
14340.0 USB California-Hawaii
21310.0 USB Health & Welfare (Spanish)
21390.0 USB Inter-Americas (health & welfare)
21400.0 USB Transatlantic Maritime
28410.0 USB New Jersey ARES
