National Hurricane Center Annual Communications Test to be Held on May 28
WX4NHC, the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, will hold its annual communications test on Saturday, May 28, 2022, from 9 AM to 5 PM EDT (1300 – 2100 UTC)
The event is designed to evaluate WX4NHC’s amateur radio equipment and antennas at the headquarters in Florida, and to give operators an opportunity to evaluate their home equipment prior to this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which starts on June 1 and runs through November 30. This event allows ham radio operators worldwide to hone their amateur radio communications skills for times of severe weather.
Brief contacts will be available on many frequencies and modes, as well as the exchange of signal reports and basic weather data with any station in any location.
WX4NHC will be on the air on HF, VHF, UHF, 2- and 30-meter APRS, and Winlink at wx4nhc@winlink.org (subject must contain “//WL2K”).
The Hurricane Watch Net 14.325 MHz frequency will be active for most of the test, as will 7.268 MHz, depending on propagation. Depending on man-made noise, the net may move to different frequencies, and participants can locate the net using one of the DX spotting networks, such as the DX Summit website at www.dxsummit.fi
There will also be a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Hurricane Net from 4 – 5 PM EDT, or 2000 – 2100 UTC (IRLP Node 9219/EchoLink WX-TALK Conference Node 7203).
WX4NHC will make a few contacts on local VHF and UHF repeaters, as well as on Florida’s Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet).
QSL cards will be available via Julio Ripoll, WD4R.
For more information about WX4NHC, visit their website at www.wx4nhc.org.