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SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX008
ARLX008 Hurricane Watch Net Seeks Bilingual Net Control Operators

ZCZC AX08
QST de W1AW  
Special Bulletin 8  ARLX008
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  July 31, 2023
To all radio amateurs 

SB SPCL ARL ARLX008
ARLX008 Hurricane Watch Net Seeks Bilingual Net Control Operators

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is looking for new members who are
willing to train to become Net Control Operators. HWN is especially
interested in recruiting bilingual operators who are fluent in
Spanish and English or French/Creole and English. Net Control
responsibilities can entail hours of duty to ensure all received
ground-truth weather reports are forwarded directly to the National
Hurricane Center in Miami.

The net generally activates whenever a system has achieved hurricane
status and is within 300 statute miles of a populated landmass. This
can vary, however, due to the forward speed and intensity of a
storm, or at the request of the forecasters at the National
Hurricane Center. Once activated, the HWN continuously operates
until a storm is no longer a threat to life and property.

The mission of the net is to disseminate the latest advisories
issued by the National Hurricane Center, and to obtain real-time,
ground-level weather conditions and initial damage assessments from
amateur radio operators in the affected areas. The net then relays
that information to the National Hurricane Center by way of WX4NHC,
and when required, the Canadian Hurricane Centre.

It also functions as a backup communication link for the National
Hurricane Center, National Weather Service Forecast Offices, the
Canadian Hurricane Centre, Emergency Operations Centers, emergency
management agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other vital
interests that can involve military relief operations. Such
operations can be involved in the protection of life and property
before, during, and after a hurricane event.

HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, says training will be provided and
each candidate will go through a probationary period with a mentor.
Graves, an ARRL member, says an applicant's station must be
reliable. "While having a tower, beam, and/or amplifier is not a
requirement, your station must allow you to hear and be heard.
Therefore, directional antennas and amplifiers are preferred," he
said.

The net coverage area includes the hurricane-prone areas of eastern
Canada, the US East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and
the Caribbean. The net specifically seeks applicants in the
middle-to-western sections of the US, Canada, Central America, and
the Caribbean. "As always, the HWN is hoping for a quiet season, yet
[we are] prepared for the worst," said Graves.

Those interested in learning more can visit the HWN Net Control
Information web page at, https://hwn.org/about-us/ncs_info.html .
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