WEBVTT 00:00:10.089 --> 00:00:12.810 Thanks for tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on 00:00:12.810 --> 00:00:30.750 the air shortly. Please stand by. Thanks for 00:00:30.750 --> 00:00:33.509 tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on the air shortly. 00:00:33.789 --> 00:00:46.649 Please stand by. This episode of HamTalk Live 00:00:46.649 --> 00:00:50.149 is brought to you by Tower Electronics. For cables, 00:00:50.250 --> 00:00:56.090 connectors and more, call 920 -435 -2973 or visit 00:00:56.090 --> 00:01:01.250 pl -259 .com and by the HamStation. Get your 00:01:01.250 --> 00:01:06.909 new radio or antenna by calling 800 -729 -4373 00:01:06.909 --> 00:01:45.879 or go to hamstation .com. episode number 56. 00:01:46.739 --> 00:01:51.280 The VoIP Hurricane Net with Rob Masado KD1CY 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:56.439 and Lloyd Colston KC5FM recorded live on Thursday 00:01:56.439 --> 00:02:02.280 March 16th 2017. I'm your host Neil Rapp WB9VPG. 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:05.060 Thanks for tuning into this episode of HamTalk 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:09.780 Live. Tonight we're joined by Rob Masado KD1CY 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:14.759 and Lloyd Colston KC5FM. from the voiceover IP 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:18.020 Hurricane Net. We'll take your calls live in 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:21.180 just a few minutes. Last week on the show, Frank 00:02:21.180 --> 00:02:24.680 Bauer, KA -3 HDO, was here to talk about the 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:27.259 status of the equipment on board the International 00:02:27.259 --> 00:02:30.020 Space Station. And if you missed that show, you 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:33.699 can listen anytime at HamTalkLive .com. Just 00:02:33.699 --> 00:02:36.379 click on the episode you want to listen to. Or 00:02:36.379 --> 00:02:39.680 you can download the podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, 00:02:39.699 --> 00:02:43.650 Google Play, TuneIn. or SoundCloud or several 00:02:43.650 --> 00:02:47.629 other podcasting services as well, and we're 00:02:47.629 --> 00:02:51.849 also on a YouTube channel. Before we get started 00:02:51.849 --> 00:02:54.189 on our break and get to the interview, we want 00:02:54.189 --> 00:02:58.229 to remind people that the ABC TV hit comedy Last 00:02:58.229 --> 00:03:02.189 Man Standing will be shooting its last episode 00:03:02.189 --> 00:03:07.699 of the season on Tuesday. So to commemorate That 00:03:07.699 --> 00:03:12.419 occasion Ka6 LMS will be on the air as they Typically 00:03:12.419 --> 00:03:14.860 are from the Mike Baxter set, but they'll be 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:21.080 on about 2245 UTC This season last man standing 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:23.639 licensed several crew members and special guest 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:27.939 operators have worked From the set, well over 00:03:27.939 --> 00:03:32.780 a thousand stations, both Sideband and CW, and 00:03:32.780 --> 00:03:37.860 also on D -Star. So this Tuesday, the 21st of 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:41.759 March, will be the last chance to work the stage 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:46.000 until hopefully next season. Operating times 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:49.139 and frequencies will be posted on their Facebook 00:03:49.139 --> 00:03:53.460 page. That's the Mike Baxter K -A -0 -X -T -T 00:03:53.460 --> 00:03:56.370 Facebook page. That'll be posted sometime on 00:03:56.370 --> 00:04:00.370 Tuesday as soon as they have a feel for the schedule. 00:04:00.770 --> 00:04:02.490 So don't miss out on that. If you haven't worked 00:04:02.490 --> 00:04:05.310 them, be sure to give them a call. So tonight 00:04:05.310 --> 00:04:08.629 we're talking some Skywarn stuff and we're looking 00:04:08.629 --> 00:04:13.669 at it from the... IRLP, EchoLink, and VoiceOver 00:04:13.669 --> 00:04:18.389 IP way to go tonight. So get those questions 00:04:18.389 --> 00:04:20.589 ready to go. And after the interview, you can 00:04:20.589 --> 00:04:24.350 call us. The telephone number is 812 -NET -TAM 00:04:24.350 --> 00:04:30.209 -1. That's 812. 638 -4261 or you can Skype us. 00:04:30.629 --> 00:04:34.110 The username is HamTalk Live. You can also send 00:04:34.110 --> 00:04:37.709 a question by Twitter and our Twitter handle 00:04:37.709 --> 00:04:40.970 is at HamTalk Live. So I'll be back with Rob 00:04:40.970 --> 00:04:44.550 and Lloyd right after this word from Tower Electronics 00:04:44.550 --> 00:04:48.910 right here on HamTalk Live. This episode of HamTalk 00:04:48.910 --> 00:04:52.089 Live is brought to you in part by Tower Electronics. 00:04:52.310 --> 00:04:54.610 Tower Electronics has been the Ham's dime store 00:04:54.610 --> 00:04:58.000 since 19... When you need connectors, mobile 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:01.300 and handheld antennas, cables, or adapters, visit 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:04.860 Scott or Jill at a HamFest near you. Or you can 00:05:04.860 --> 00:05:11.060 order online at PL -259 .com or call 920 -435 00:05:11.060 --> 00:05:16.040 -2973. Stock up on those supplies like PL -259 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:19.339 and end connectors, SMA adapters, audio cables, 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:22.759 soldering supplies, mobile antennas, and hamsticks. 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:25.129 There's silver -plated end connectors are even 00:05:25.129 --> 00:05:27.850 used on the International Space Station. Tower 00:05:27.850 --> 00:05:31.649 Electronics carries MFJ, Comet, Daiwa, OPEC, 00:05:31.930 --> 00:05:35.170 Workman, and HamPro products. And don't miss 00:05:35.170 --> 00:05:39.230 their 0 % off sale going on now. Tower Electronics 00:05:39.230 --> 00:05:43.490 online at pl -259 .com. Proud to sponsor this 00:05:43.490 --> 00:05:47.930 episode of HamTalk Live. HamTalk Live is on your 00:05:47.930 --> 00:05:50.149 side with traffic and weather together on the 00:05:50.149 --> 00:06:06.350 eights. Thanks to Scott and Jill at Tower Electronics 00:06:06.350 --> 00:06:08.629 for sponsoring the show tonight to help bring 00:06:08.629 --> 00:06:12.129 HamTalk Live your way once again. They'll be 00:06:12.129 --> 00:06:16.069 at the Perrysburg, Ohio Ham Fest just outside 00:06:16.069 --> 00:06:20.569 Toledo on Saturday. They'll be in Mobile, Alabama 00:06:20.569 --> 00:06:25.819 and Staunton, Wisconsin on April 8th. and several 00:06:25.819 --> 00:06:31.560 others coming soon. Call 920 -435 -2973. If you 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:34.120 can't catch them at one of those or you visit 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:37.620 their website PL -259 .com Tell them you heard 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:40.439 it on HamTalk Live and HamTalk Live is on the 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:43.699 air every Thursday night at 9 p .m. Eastern Time 00:06:43.699 --> 00:06:46.560 Right here on HamTalkLive .com and if you missed 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:49.259 the show You can listen to the archive on the 00:06:49.259 --> 00:06:53.540 website or you can catch us on most popular podcasting 00:06:53.540 --> 00:07:00.000 web services Rob Masito KD1CY mispronounced his 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.800 name earlier we were fighting Skype issues and 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:05.319 I didn't get a chance to ask for that, so my 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:10.800 apologies there. It's Robert Macedo, KD1CY. He 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:14.240 is the Director of Operations for the Voice over 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:17.379 IP Hurricane Net. He's been an amateur radio 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:20.459 operator for 29 years and has been dedicated 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:23.000 to public service work for the Skywarn program 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:26.000 for the National Weather Service in Taunton, 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:30.620 Massachusetts and their station. Rob has been 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:32.860 very involved in the amateur radio emergency 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:35.399 services program as the Eastern Massachusetts 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:39.459 Section Emergency Coordinator from 2005 to 2014 00:07:39.459 --> 00:07:43.199 and currently serves as the Eastern Massachusetts 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:45.980 Ares Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:48.819 as the liaison to the National Weather Service 00:07:48.819 --> 00:07:52.439 and the State Emergency Management and Federal 00:07:52.439 --> 00:07:56.779 Emergency Management Region 1. Since 2004, he's 00:07:56.779 --> 00:08:00.980 also been involved with the VoIP. Skywarn Hurricane 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:03.420 Net that supports the National Hurricane Center 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:07.860 Station, WX4NHC. Professionally, Rob is a senior 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:10.579 manager in the drive storage media engineering 00:08:10.579 --> 00:08:14.439 team at Dell Technologies in the Dell EMC division 00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:17.740 where he's worked for close to 22 years. Lloyd 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:21.540 Colston, KC5FM, is the public information officer 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:24.660 for the VoIP Hurricane Net. And Lloyd has been 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:27.860 a net control for the Hurricane Net on VoIP since 00:08:27.860 --> 00:08:33.600 2004. He joined the team in 2006 as the public 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:36.559 information officer, which ties to his career 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:40.450 with emergency management within Oklahoma. Lloyd's 00:08:40.450 --> 00:08:43.669 a past ARRL section manager for Oklahoma and 00:08:43.669 --> 00:08:46.590 currently is the public information officer for 00:08:46.590 --> 00:08:49.429 that group. He's a member of several clubs and 00:08:49.429 --> 00:08:52.769 nets including QCWA, 1010, Christian Amateur 00:08:52.769 --> 00:08:55.690 Radio Fellowship, the Less Involved Data Society, 00:08:55.889 --> 00:08:58.549 the Croatian Telegraphy Club, the Russian CW 00:08:58.549 --> 00:09:03.590 Club, and Southcars. So Rob, Lloyd, thank you 00:09:03.590 --> 00:09:06.710 so much for joining us on HamTalk Live tonight. 00:09:10.310 --> 00:09:14.990 Thanks for having us great to be here Neil Yeah, 00:09:15.169 --> 00:09:18.710 thanks a lot and sorry Skype was being Skype 00:09:18.710 --> 00:09:22.009 earlier. We were trying to get everything working. 00:09:22.009 --> 00:09:26.450 We've got everybody together here now, so Hopefully 00:09:26.450 --> 00:09:30.870 that'll Keep working here tonight But we want 00:09:30.870 --> 00:09:34.980 to start off just talking About the VoIP hurricane 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:36.860 net a little bit and a few months ago We did 00:09:36.860 --> 00:09:40.139 a show here on ham talk live about the hurricane 00:09:40.139 --> 00:09:45.200 watch net that meets on HF. So This is a different 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:49.919 net that Also has a lot of the same functions 00:09:49.919 --> 00:09:54.879 But does it all over VoIP? So tell us the differences 00:09:56.920 --> 00:10:00.419 Between the hurricane watch net and the Voip 00:10:00.419 --> 00:10:04.820 hurricane net and If any of the goals are the 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:07.960 same or different and do you work together with 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:13.620 the HF net? Tell us how that is is I guess compare 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:15.860 and contrast. It would be the teacher thing to 00:10:15.860 --> 00:10:22.559 say the two nets Yeah, so first of all the hurricane 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:25.279 watch net is a very distinguished net that has 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.960 been around since 1965 and certainly on the VOIP 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:32.399 hurricane net side we are a much younger net, 00:10:32.419 --> 00:10:36.120 but we have worked with Bobby Graves and others 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:39.820 within the hurricane watch net over the last 00:10:40.570 --> 00:10:43.870 good 10 or so plus years since the VOIP hurricane 00:10:43.870 --> 00:10:46.870 that has been in existence. We work together 00:10:46.870 --> 00:10:49.490 to put together the program for the amateur radio 00:10:49.490 --> 00:10:53.190 workshop working with WX4NHC, the amateur radio 00:10:53.190 --> 00:10:55.409 station at the National Hurricane Center. And 00:10:55.409 --> 00:10:58.250 our nets exist to help support their mission 00:10:58.250 --> 00:11:02.730 to save lives and property and have surface reporting 00:11:02.730 --> 00:11:05.450 into the National Hurricane Center specialists 00:11:05.450 --> 00:11:10.009 at WX4NHC and to maintain a vital communication. 00:11:09.870 --> 00:11:12.789 link with the National Weather Service local 00:11:12.789 --> 00:11:17.149 forecast offices and regional offices that the 00:11:17.149 --> 00:11:22.129 Weather Service has across the country. Yes, 00:11:22.129 --> 00:11:26.769 we are focused on Echolink and IRLP links and 00:11:26.769 --> 00:11:29.970 repeater linked systems through those networks. 00:11:29.970 --> 00:11:32.870 And we're looking at expanding into some of the 00:11:32.870 --> 00:11:37.669 other VOIP networks as time goes on. They have 00:11:37.669 --> 00:11:40.350 a system that can reach out. We can reach to, 00:11:40.370 --> 00:11:43.809 for example, technician amateurs that don't have 00:11:43.809 --> 00:11:47.529 HF licenses or don't have the ability to get 00:11:47.529 --> 00:11:52.759 on HF from their locations. It allows us to interact 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:54.799 with some of the more local Skyware nets where 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:58.309 we can... work with them ahead of time to establish 00:11:58.309 --> 00:12:01.649 either a liaison path or a connection with their 00:12:01.649 --> 00:12:05.149 nets. And certainly, depending on more infrastructure, 00:12:05.549 --> 00:12:08.090 so there can certainly be scenarios where we 00:12:08.090 --> 00:12:11.830 lose the internet connectivity. A lot of times 00:12:11.830 --> 00:12:15.210 those connections are able to stay up. Generally, 00:12:15.730 --> 00:12:18.250 if there's backup power, that's usually the first 00:12:18.250 --> 00:12:20.830 thing that goes is the power, then potentially 00:12:20.830 --> 00:12:23.129 the internet connectivity, depending on where 00:12:23.129 --> 00:12:25.580 it's based from. But we have found in A number 00:12:25.580 --> 00:12:28.740 of hurricane situations, we've been able to maintain 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:33.080 some vital links through the internet -linked 00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:35.919 repeater systems on Echolink and IROP, and the 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:37.960 same can be true for others, where we've been 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:40.340 able to have good communication, good reporting 00:12:40.340 --> 00:12:45.159 from those areas. uh... where when required and 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:47.100 you know it's not a competition you know these 00:12:47.100 --> 00:12:50.139 nets uh... our net hurricane watch that are supporting 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:55.720 wx -4 nhc mission and uh... it's there to uh... 00:12:55.710 --> 00:12:59.549 again, provide that reporting into the Hurricane 00:12:59.549 --> 00:13:02.750 Center and quite often we'll have these reports 00:13:02.750 --> 00:13:05.289 shared with other agencies during Hurricane Matthew. 00:13:05.370 --> 00:13:10.570 We had the FEMA Region 4 team of amateurs on 00:13:10.570 --> 00:13:13.529 the air and they were sharing the information 00:13:13.529 --> 00:13:16.470 we were collecting from our net into their agency. 00:13:17.169 --> 00:13:19.870 And maybe I'll have Lloyd say a few words here 00:13:19.870 --> 00:13:23.700 and some reinforcing points here as well. And 00:13:23.700 --> 00:13:27.039 Rob's right, it's not competition. It's about 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:29.379 serving serve agencies. That's what the amateur 00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:32.080 radio emergency service is about. That's the 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:35.960 mission of SkyWarn, and I have been in SkyWarn 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:38.879 for a long, long time. I'll give you a couple 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:44.299 of examples. You know, HF is dependent upon the 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:48.240 ionosphere to bounce the signals. And on the 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:50.200 Christian Amateur Radio Fellowship Net that you 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:54.159 mentioned, We meet early in the morning, and 00:13:54.159 --> 00:14:00.220 75 meters when there's a solar storm, it's kind 00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:04.580 of hard to communicate on HF. So we can supplement 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:10.600 that and get the reports from the field for the 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:14.799 hurricane center so that they can get ground 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:17.620 -truth intelligence. That's what Skyborne offers. 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:24.879 support the mission. I also recall a time where, 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:28.080 I believe it was Hurricane Charlie, there was 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:33.720 an operator on the Key West and he was on a walkie 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:37.659 talkie and his battery on his walkie talkie failed 00:14:37.659 --> 00:14:41.259 before the network did. So we were able to give 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:46.019 and give real intelligence to him so he could 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:49.200 be safe. and from him so we can get the information 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:53.379 to the National Hurricane Center. And then another 00:14:53.379 --> 00:14:57.539 example, picking on Florida again, there was 00:14:57.539 --> 00:15:02.860 an AT &T telephone technician who could not use 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:06.279 the telephone to call the Emergency Operations 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:11.919 Center in Tallahassee. He got on EchoLink on 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:14.659 our weather talk conference. I talked to him. 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:18.450 He wanted information conveyed to the Emergency 00:15:18.450 --> 00:15:21.250 Operations Center. And from my Emergency Operations 00:15:21.250 --> 00:15:24.330 Center in Altus, Oklahoma, I picked up the phone 00:15:24.330 --> 00:15:27.730 and called Tallahassee and gave them the information 00:15:27.730 --> 00:15:33.990 that they needed to do recovery during that disaster. 00:15:34.409 --> 00:15:41.590 So it's not a competition. We have people who 00:15:41.590 --> 00:15:45.830 fail because, well, the electrons don't work. 00:15:45.950 --> 00:15:51.009 And the HF bands don't work. So it's a compliment. 00:15:51.690 --> 00:15:55.610 And the goal is to support the National Weather 00:15:55.610 --> 00:16:00.210 Service sky -warming programs through the National 00:16:00.210 --> 00:16:04.929 Hurricane Center. All right. Very good. Good 00:16:04.929 --> 00:16:10.009 explanation of all of that. So how do hams access 00:16:10.009 --> 00:16:13.110 the net whenever you guys are activated? How 00:16:13.110 --> 00:16:16.309 do they go about getting in if they have some 00:16:16.309 --> 00:16:22.509 kind of a report to make? So there are basically 00:16:22.509 --> 00:16:26.470 local Echolink and IRLP nodes that can be accessed 00:16:26.470 --> 00:16:31.169 and you would access the star wx underscore t 00:16:31.169 --> 00:16:36.440 -a -l -k star star wx underscore talk star a 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:39.940 conference, that's Echolink Note 7203. On the 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:43.899 IRLP side, you can access 9219. We can accept 00:16:43.899 --> 00:16:46.100 connections from both areas. And as I said, we're 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:48.600 looking at some other things. Can we get connected 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:51.100 in with All -Star? Can we interface some of the 00:16:51.100 --> 00:16:54.220 other digital modes? But today, it is Echolink 00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:58.059 and IRLP based. And this information is available 00:16:58.059 --> 00:17:02.440 at our website, voipwx .net. We also have our 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:05.720 social media feeds. And in terms of Well, do 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:09.079 I have an EchoLink or IRLP node in my area? You 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:13.400 can look up the IRLP status page and check for 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:15.900 IRLP nodes in your area. On the EchoLink website, 00:17:15.960 --> 00:17:18.799 there's ways to search for EchoLink nodes, or 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:20.920 you can download EchoLink onto your computer 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:24.420 or cell phone, and you're able to use that to 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:26.599 connect in from the EchoLink side. There are 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:29.279 some limitations on the cell phone side. If we 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:31.640 get a lot of cell phones connected, that can 00:17:31.640 --> 00:17:34.670 cause, there are some limitations there. into 00:17:34.670 --> 00:17:38.490 the new hurricane season, we're looking into 00:17:38.490 --> 00:17:42.170 ability to extend the number of connections that 00:17:42.170 --> 00:17:46.029 we can have there. And we can also talk about 00:17:46.029 --> 00:17:48.670 listen -only capability. We do bring in some 00:17:48.670 --> 00:17:51.009 nodes for folks that just want to listen into 00:17:51.009 --> 00:17:55.049 what's happening on the network. Lloyd, why don't 00:17:55.049 --> 00:17:56.950 you reinforce a couple of those points there 00:17:56.950 --> 00:18:01.640 as well. Well, it is important that the information 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:08.619 for the voipwx .net webpage, voipwx .net, will 00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:13.839 explain how to access the net. When there is 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:16.359 a net activation, there's live streaming there 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:20.539 so that you can listen to the net without being 00:18:20.539 --> 00:18:24.299 connected to the net. Monitoring is always good. 00:18:24.670 --> 00:18:29.809 It's also important that the operator outside 00:18:29.809 --> 00:18:33.349 the affected area go to the listen -only servers. 00:18:33.750 --> 00:18:38.569 VKMcom is one. Again, this is explained on vypwx 00:18:38.569 --> 00:18:42.230 .net. And the idea there is it takes the overhead 00:18:42.230 --> 00:18:46.089 off of the mission critical communications that 00:18:46.089 --> 00:18:51.509 we use now. I've mentioned the vypwx .net website. 00:18:52.029 --> 00:18:56.019 There's also a way to make your report. on the 00:18:56.019 --> 00:18:58.980 website and that report will go directly into 00:18:58.980 --> 00:19:02.259 the National Hurricane Center as well. So there's 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:06.960 multiple streams and multiple manners in which 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:11.799 a listener can participate with our net. Very 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:15.359 good. So the stream then if you're just listening 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:18.700 Would probably be a better way to go then I assume 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:21.859 because then you're not tying up another port 00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:25.339 that Could be used for somebody who has traffic 00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:30.440 to get into the net Correct, that's that's a 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:35.200 good summary the idea though. It's about serving 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:38.359 the National Hurricane Center And Rob mentioned 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:44.099 the Twitter account and Facebook, voipwx .net 00:19:44.099 --> 00:19:47.859 on Twitter. And it really is a SkyWarn program. 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:55.400 If you monitor voipwx .net, I'm sorry, voipwxnet, 00:19:55.539 --> 00:20:00.839 not the dot. If you'll monitor there, every time 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:03.480 there's a landfalling hurricane from anything 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:06.559 from the Mother Service National Hurricane Center, 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:12.400 And any weather service office along the Gulf 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:16.440 Coast in one state in is automatically tweeted. 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:20.480 So if there's a dense fog advisory in Texas, 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:29.079 that effort by the OIPWX net on Twitter is designed 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:32.099 to give the operator a situational awareness 00:20:32.099 --> 00:20:37.720 of where the bad storms are. and what's happened, 00:20:37.819 --> 00:20:40.779 who's got warning, and who's just in a watch. 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:46.940 And that helps our net maintain the situational 00:20:46.940 --> 00:20:49.660 awareness so we can support the National Hurricane 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:54.660 Center and by extension those offices serving 00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:59.539 the Gulf Coast area. Okay, so the reports that 00:20:59.539 --> 00:21:01.779 you're collecting tell us a little bit about 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:05.839 what information you're looking for What if there's 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:09.480 any protocols so that people need to know? and 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:12.940 and what the criteria is You know for making 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:16.819 a report besides. Well, it's raining You know 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:19.960 you can get a hundred thousand. It's raining 00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:22.740 reports and that just ties up the system. So 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:26.839 What, what's the criteria for sending something 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:32.519 in? So basically to simplify it, it's the Skywarn 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:35.660 reporting criteria. We have that criteria posted 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:41.430 on the VOIP WX net website. Generally. measured 00:21:41.430 --> 00:21:44.069 wind gusts 40 miles per hour or greater, any 00:21:44.069 --> 00:21:46.589 kind of tree and power line damage, any kind 00:21:46.589 --> 00:21:50.329 of river stream or urban flooding, any kind of 00:21:50.329 --> 00:21:53.130 coastal storm surge flooding if people are in 00:21:53.130 --> 00:21:57.170 an area where they're safe but are able to observe 00:21:57.170 --> 00:22:01.250 that flooding. We want to hear about that. Any 00:22:01.250 --> 00:22:04.390 type of tornadic activity. Hurricanes can produce 00:22:04.390 --> 00:22:08.549 tornadoes and obviously we want people to be 00:22:08.549 --> 00:22:11.150 safe. We don't want people chasing. But if they 00:22:11.150 --> 00:22:14.269 observe a tornado through their area, we want 00:22:14.269 --> 00:22:18.190 to hear about that. Any measured rainfall reports 00:22:18.190 --> 00:22:21.950 are helpful. And in a hurricane, we like to hear 00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:27.789 about lowest barometric pressure. that can be 00:22:27.789 --> 00:22:30.970 interesting information to track where the center 00:22:30.970 --> 00:22:34.529 of a system is. And also if the eye of the hurricane 00:22:34.529 --> 00:22:39.329 is coming over the area, you get that calm, the 00:22:39.329 --> 00:22:41.650 rain stops, the high winds stop, you get into 00:22:41.650 --> 00:22:44.230 that eye where it's calm, and then you'll get 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:47.690 into the backside of the hurricane, which sometimes 00:22:47.690 --> 00:22:50.329 can be the stronger side of the hurricane depending 00:22:50.329 --> 00:22:54.630 on which direction it is coming from. That information 00:22:54.630 --> 00:23:01.549 is, extremely helpful. Some other ways to gather 00:23:01.549 --> 00:23:04.710 information, number of amateur radio operators, 00:23:05.809 --> 00:23:09.930 many of us are able to monitor their local public 00:23:09.930 --> 00:23:14.230 safety. Getting reports from there can be helpful 00:23:14.230 --> 00:23:17.970 to know what's going on around their particular 00:23:17.970 --> 00:23:21.470 town or county. That information can be helpful. 00:23:23.600 --> 00:23:26.019 necessarily there are cases where they're you 00:23:26.019 --> 00:23:28.819 know the county and public safety folks can call 00:23:28.819 --> 00:23:30.240 in their reports and other times they're too 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:32.759 busy dealing with the incident so even if that 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:35.299 information is just good it's good for situational 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:39.640 awareness and and and being able to uh understand 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:41.960 what are the sensible conditions out there are 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:46.269 we getting the damage and such where it is hurricane 00:23:46.269 --> 00:23:48.549 forced or is the system weakening? And we're 00:23:48.549 --> 00:23:51.390 not getting those conditions as strong as expected. 00:23:52.009 --> 00:23:55.910 So again, those are some ways that we can gather 00:23:55.910 --> 00:23:58.309 a lot of good information. And again, the Sky 00:23:58.309 --> 00:24:00.549 1 reporting criteria is pretty standard across 00:24:00.549 --> 00:24:03.309 the country. That's really a good guideline of 00:24:03.309 --> 00:24:06.869 what we're looking for. Lloyd, any further comment 00:24:06.869 --> 00:24:11.349 there? Certainly, the idea is to do these reports 00:24:11.349 --> 00:24:14.890 safely. That's the onus of Skywarn. First, you 00:24:14.890 --> 00:24:17.869 have to keep yourself safe, your family safe. 00:24:18.309 --> 00:24:23.029 But during, if you are out and you see a quarter 00:24:23.029 --> 00:24:27.109 size hail or larger, that's a Skywarn reportable 00:24:27.109 --> 00:24:32.990 event. So do report that. It's a life safety 00:24:32.990 --> 00:24:38.099 issue. If you see someone who is in danger, and 00:24:38.099 --> 00:24:42.240 you can't call 911, but you can connect on the 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:46.960 echo link somehow through a radio or smartphone 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:51.259 or however. If you need assistance, our net controls 00:24:51.259 --> 00:24:55.140 are trained to help you. And we have during hurricane 00:24:55.140 --> 00:24:59.680 season, we have weekly nets and it's a training 00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:02.799 net. At least there's a question of the week 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:08.960 designed to bring some thought to personal preparedness, 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:14.440 reporting, and life safety. How are you going 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:18.140 to maintain? In the off season, we have a monthly 00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:20.660 net. And again, there's a question of the month. 00:25:21.059 --> 00:25:23.559 What are you doing in the off season to prepare 00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:27.460 for the next tornado season, or the next hurricane 00:25:27.460 --> 00:25:30.779 season, or the next winter storm season? And 00:25:30.779 --> 00:25:34.950 Rob's the expert on winter storms too. Yeah, 00:25:34.950 --> 00:25:39.190 we just had a blizzard come through southern 00:25:39.190 --> 00:25:42.819 New England and While there have been a lot of 00:25:42.819 --> 00:25:45.940 talk about the predictions there, I think overall 00:25:45.940 --> 00:25:49.119 it verified pretty well for most of our area. 00:25:49.640 --> 00:25:53.539 A bit more rain in southeast New England, specifically 00:25:53.539 --> 00:25:56.740 in my home area of Massachusetts, but we had 00:25:56.740 --> 00:25:59.539 a lot of areas with greater than 10 inches of 00:25:59.539 --> 00:26:02.579 snow. It was a very heavy, wet snow and we had 00:26:02.579 --> 00:26:05.559 several wind gusts to hurricane force. Interestingly, 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:09.099 the barometric pressures with this system were 00:26:09.099 --> 00:26:13.460 as low as some hurricanes. dipping below 29 inches 00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:19.420 of mercury down around 2880, 2890 in inches and 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:25.269 around 980 to 983 millibars which is It's as 00:26:25.269 --> 00:26:28.650 potent as some hurricanes in terms of the barometric 00:26:28.650 --> 00:26:32.529 pressure readings. So, and we were very active 00:26:32.529 --> 00:26:34.670 at our image radio station at the National Weather 00:26:34.670 --> 00:26:38.529 Service in Taunton, WX1BOX, and we use an Echolink 00:26:38.529 --> 00:26:42.569 and IRLP technology in a conference very similar 00:26:42.569 --> 00:26:45.069 to what we do for the VOIP Hurricane Net, but 00:26:45.069 --> 00:26:48.349 it's a different conference and reflector system, 00:26:48.849 --> 00:26:51.630 reflector channel that we use on the Echolink 00:26:51.630 --> 00:26:54.579 and IRLP side. We still do a lot of local VHF 00:26:54.579 --> 00:26:57.980 UHF nets. We have even a little bit of six meters 00:26:57.980 --> 00:27:03.880 in HF. But we have Echolink and IRLP in our operations 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:07.460 for SkyWarn in southern New England. And as I 00:27:07.460 --> 00:27:11.279 said, we were very active on Tuesday, about 17 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:14.319 hours of continuous operation for that blizzard. 00:27:18.619 --> 00:27:22.680 quite a week up in the northeast. So well, we 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:25.740 are running a little bit behind here. So let's 00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:27.859 stop and we're going to take a break and then 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:31.720 we'll come back and we'll give a chance for people 00:27:31.720 --> 00:27:35.000 to ask questions. The phone number 812 net ham 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:39.160 one or Skype ham talk live or tweet us at ham 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:43.130 talk live and I'll be back. and take your calls 00:27:43.130 --> 00:27:45.190 right after this message from The Ham Station 00:27:45.190 --> 00:27:49.309 right here on HamTalk Live. This episode of HamTalk 00:27:49.309 --> 00:27:52.690 Live is brought to you by The Ham Station. For 00:27:52.690 --> 00:27:55.869 over 37 years, The Ham Station has sold new and 00:27:55.869 --> 00:27:59.009 used radios, antennas, accessories, and equipment 00:27:59.009 --> 00:28:02.769 to hams everywhere. Give Dan or Jeff a call at 00:28:02.769 --> 00:28:09.369 800 -729 -4373 or order online at hamstation 00:28:09.369 --> 00:28:12.910 .com. Hamstation carries all the major brands 00:28:12.910 --> 00:28:16.710 like Icom, Yezu, and Kenwood, and they have a 00:28:16.710 --> 00:28:20.529 wide selection of radio scanners, MFJ accessories, 00:28:20.869 --> 00:28:23.970 Heil sound products, amplifiers by Mirage and 00:28:23.970 --> 00:28:27.440 Ameritron, Cushcraft antennas, and more. Easy 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:30.819 online ordering is at hamstation .com or call 00:28:30.819 --> 00:28:36.480 1 -800 -729 -4373 to place an order and talk 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:39.519 it over with the experts. The Ham Station, proud 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:43.779 to sponsor this episode of Ham Talk Live. Oh 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:48.440 yeah. You're talking ham radio, baby. You're 00:28:48.440 --> 00:29:07.710 listening to Ham Talk Live with Neil Rapp. Join 00:29:07.710 --> 00:29:10.890 the conversation. Call us on voice with Skype 00:29:10.890 --> 00:29:14.890 at HamTalk Live or give us a call at 812 -NET 00:29:14.890 --> 00:29:20.990 -HAM -1. That's 812 -638 -4261. Now, here's more 00:29:20.990 --> 00:29:25.769 HamTalk Live. Welcome back to HamTalk Live. The 00:29:25.769 --> 00:29:28.549 HamStation has you covered for both new and used 00:29:28.549 --> 00:29:31.670 equipment. Give Dan or Jeff a call at 800 -729 00:29:31.670 --> 00:29:36.130 - 4373 or go to hamstation .com. Tell them you 00:29:36.130 --> 00:29:38.630 heard it on HamTalk Live. We're here every Thursday 00:29:38.630 --> 00:29:42.369 night at 9 p .m. and check out our Facebook page 00:29:42.369 --> 00:29:44.990 and Twitter feed to search for HamTalk Live. 00:29:45.450 --> 00:29:47.589 Well it's time for your calls. If you have a 00:29:47.589 --> 00:29:51.450 question for Rob and or Lloyd, give us a call. 00:29:51.450 --> 00:29:54.910 The phone number is 812 -NET -HAM -1. That's 00:29:54.910 --> 00:30:00.789 812 -638 -4261 or you can Skype us. Our username 00:30:00.789 --> 00:30:05.259 is talk live or you can tweet at ham talk live 00:30:05.259 --> 00:30:10.220 and let us know what questions you have I know 00:30:10.220 --> 00:30:12.920 that Lloyd had a couple of things you want to 00:30:12.920 --> 00:30:16.819 talk about the importance of skywarn training 00:30:16.819 --> 00:30:19.160 and a couple of things so while we're waiting 00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:22.259 on the calls Lloyd go ahead and talk about that 00:30:22.259 --> 00:30:25.099 and if you're out there listening and you're 00:30:25.099 --> 00:30:27.539 gonna call in why go ahead and give us a call 00:30:29.130 --> 00:30:32.349 Thank you. And the idea, Neil, is that Skyborne 00:30:32.349 --> 00:30:36.089 trains spotters, not chasers. We want the listener 00:30:36.089 --> 00:30:40.009 to be safe. We don't want them to expose themselves 00:30:40.009 --> 00:30:43.569 and their families to unnecessary hazards to 00:30:43.569 --> 00:30:46.450 get a report to the National Weather Service. 00:30:47.250 --> 00:30:50.369 So each year, our ALSA Skyborne Association, 00:30:50.670 --> 00:30:56.890 for example, has to, it's mandatory by that organization, 00:30:57.490 --> 00:31:02.720 they have to attend a stand -up Skywarn training 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:06.180 from the National Weather Service, or this year 00:31:06.180 --> 00:31:12.119 the group converted a webinar and had people, 00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:15.119 about 40 people, register to come to the webinar, 00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:20.700 listen to it, and get that training. And again, 00:31:21.079 --> 00:31:26.019 it's not so you're out there as a chaser. The 00:31:26.019 --> 00:31:29.250 primary focus, number one focus, from the National 00:31:29.250 --> 00:31:31.849 Weather Service training that I've attended is 00:31:31.849 --> 00:31:35.690 be safe, you be safe. And that's the purpose 00:31:35.690 --> 00:31:39.410 of training people how to be safe when there's 00:31:39.410 --> 00:31:42.369 an approaching thunderstorm or hurricane or the 00:31:42.369 --> 00:31:47.849 like. Very good. And yeah, that's so and up here 00:31:47.849 --> 00:31:50.490 in tornado alley, we hear the same thing about 00:31:50.490 --> 00:31:54.529 tornadoes. So always good to keep that in mind 00:31:54.529 --> 00:31:57.170 that you're you're a spotter, not a chaser and 00:31:57.559 --> 00:32:03.960 We don't need need you getting into You know 00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:07.339 adding to the problem and having to rescue you 00:32:07.339 --> 00:32:11.700 so that's That's an important note eight one 00:32:11.700 --> 00:32:14.440 two net ham one is the phone number eight one 00:32:14.440 --> 00:32:17.440 two six three eight four two six one or Tweet 00:32:17.440 --> 00:32:21.420 us over on Twitter at ham talk live or Skype 00:32:21.420 --> 00:32:25.000 is at ham talk live and you had one other Point 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:30.400 you want to make Rob or I'm sorry, Lloyd? Well, 00:32:30.420 --> 00:32:33.079 in addition to the training, participation in 00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:38.480 our nets, increasingly each year, EchoLink has 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:43.240 been easy to add to my computer, easy to add 00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:46.859 to my phone. I've got it on my phone, my tablet, 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:52.500 Android and iOS both. And from the EOC, it's 00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:55.519 on a computer. From my laptop, it's on a computer. 00:32:55.900 --> 00:33:00.099 you can participate in our net, please do. And 00:33:00.099 --> 00:33:03.359 if you want to know the net times, and they just 00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:06.160 changed because they like saving time, if you 00:33:06.160 --> 00:33:10.940 want to know the net times, go to voipwx .net, 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:19.400 voipwx .net. And those are for the regular nets. 00:33:20.089 --> 00:33:22.609 Training nets and those are weekly during hurricane 00:33:22.609 --> 00:33:25.829 season and monthly during the offseason, correct? 00:33:27.029 --> 00:33:29.430 Right and when there's an active hurricane, it's 00:33:29.430 --> 00:33:33.420 daily all day long sometimes Okay, very good. 00:33:34.119 --> 00:33:37.720 So important information to have around. So again 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:42.579 voipwx .net is where you will find all that information 00:33:42.579 --> 00:33:46.359 and be sure to check that out if you're in those 00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:49.859 areas that can can help out with the Voice over 00:33:49.859 --> 00:33:52.940 IP Hurricane Net we're talking about tonight 00:33:52.940 --> 00:33:55.980 here on HamTalk Live. Again the phone number 00:33:55.980 --> 00:34:02.619 812 -NAT -HAM -1, 812 -638 -4261 or give us a 00:34:02.619 --> 00:34:06.619 tweet at HamTalk Live or give us a call on Skype 00:34:06.619 --> 00:34:12.239 at HamTalk Live and we may have everybody watching 00:34:12.239 --> 00:34:14.880 basketball tonight. I don't know who scheduled 00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:19.699 this during basketball, but oh well. I heard 00:34:19.699 --> 00:34:22.659 it was somebody famous. Yeah, it probably was. 00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:27.260 Probably was thought. Hey, you know, let's go 00:34:27.260 --> 00:34:31.420 ahead and have the heavens have a show Anyway 00:34:31.420 --> 00:34:34.840 At least at least my Wildcats aren't playing 00:34:34.840 --> 00:34:37.500 tonight. So that's tomorrow night. So we'll get 00:34:37.500 --> 00:34:41.679 that in So would it would it be okay if Bob? 00:34:42.380 --> 00:34:44.980 Explained if someone wanted to join our net, 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:48.900 it's not a matter of joining and then that Next 00:34:48.900 --> 00:34:52.239 day, you're going to be in that control. Sure. 00:34:53.440 --> 00:34:57.340 Sure. Absolutely. So yeah, let's, uh, let's talk 00:34:57.340 --> 00:35:00.059 about that and a little bit about, uh, what kinds 00:35:00.059 --> 00:35:02.460 of activity you saw on the net last year. And 00:35:02.460 --> 00:35:05.380 again, if you want to call in or tweet in, uh, 00:35:05.380 --> 00:35:07.619 just go ahead and do that. We'll add you and, 00:35:07.739 --> 00:35:11.480 uh, and we'll pick up your call. Go ahead, Rob. 00:35:11.920 --> 00:35:17.510 Sure. So, um, yeah, so our net is, uh, We don't 00:35:17.510 --> 00:35:21.909 have a membership per se. We have the net currently 00:35:21.909 --> 00:35:24.010 monthly. It will turn weekly at the start of 00:35:24.010 --> 00:35:28.369 hurricane season. are always looking for net 00:35:28.369 --> 00:35:30.929 controls, but we don't throw people to the wolves, 00:35:30.929 --> 00:35:33.849 as it were. If people are interested, we'd love 00:35:33.849 --> 00:35:37.170 to have them come aboard. And if they just want 00:35:37.170 --> 00:35:39.170 to be net participants, that's fine as well. 00:35:39.210 --> 00:35:42.389 We're always looking for stations along and near 00:35:42.389 --> 00:35:45.630 the coastal areas of the U .S. Atlantic. And 00:35:45.630 --> 00:35:49.309 we've even had some net activations with some 00:35:49.309 --> 00:35:51.690 of the Ecolink and IRLP nodes in the Caribbean. 00:35:52.309 --> 00:35:56.280 And that's been very very helpful in cases where, 00:35:56.360 --> 00:35:59.280 you know, with the lower sunspot cycles and such, 00:35:59.380 --> 00:36:02.400 we don't have the HF propagation to make it all 00:36:02.400 --> 00:36:03.800 the way to Hurricane Center. We've been able 00:36:03.800 --> 00:36:08.119 to help fill the void where they can have maybe 00:36:08.119 --> 00:36:10.539 something going on at 75 meters, either through 00:36:10.539 --> 00:36:12.900 the Caribbean Emergency Weather Net or other 00:36:12.900 --> 00:36:15.840 similar nets. And then they will bring their 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:19.139 reports up into Ecolink and IRLP if they can't. 00:36:19.190 --> 00:36:24.590 have the propagation to reach the other hurricane 00:36:24.590 --> 00:36:28.190 watch net or other nets to reach the WX4NHC. 00:36:28.769 --> 00:36:30.550 The other thing that we'll do during that activation, 00:36:30.769 --> 00:36:33.489 we'll monitor social media. There's a storm blogging 00:36:33.489 --> 00:36:37.469 site, stormkrib .com, that has a number of folks 00:36:37.469 --> 00:36:40.869 that post on the different tropical storms and 00:36:40.869 --> 00:36:44.409 hurricanes and conditions, and that can be a 00:36:44.409 --> 00:36:48.289 level of good information. as well as through 00:36:48.289 --> 00:36:50.650 Twitter and Facebook and social media gathering 00:36:50.650 --> 00:36:54.260 and monitoring information there. So we, you 00:36:54.260 --> 00:36:56.199 know, we're the original form of social media. 00:36:56.219 --> 00:36:59.659 So we're the ones that can manage social media 00:36:59.659 --> 00:37:03.940 the best in my mind. And it's just another way 00:37:03.940 --> 00:37:07.199 we can add more eyes and ears to looking at information, 00:37:07.519 --> 00:37:11.360 finding critical information during a tropical 00:37:11.360 --> 00:37:15.519 system or a hurricane. During Hurricane Matthew 00:37:15.519 --> 00:37:18.059 was pretty active. We had a number of net controls. 00:37:18.139 --> 00:37:20.920 We had a number of ways we were gathering information. 00:37:20.920 --> 00:37:24.590 We also monitored a lot of the APRS and CWAP 00:37:24.590 --> 00:37:27.969 weather stations. We monitored some of the online 00:37:27.969 --> 00:37:30.670 public safety feeds. We had amateurs checking 00:37:30.670 --> 00:37:34.769 in from the various areas that Hurricane Matthew 00:37:34.769 --> 00:37:37.489 was affecting. So it's a great way, it's a number 00:37:37.489 --> 00:37:40.590 of ways we can gather information and use our 00:37:40.590 --> 00:37:44.030 skills of collecting information and providing 00:37:44.030 --> 00:37:46.510 it based on the sky one reporting criteria that 00:37:46.510 --> 00:37:50.719 can really turn into a a picture that helps emergency 00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:53.360 management agencies, national water service offices, 00:37:53.440 --> 00:37:57.519 and even the media get a proper situational awareness 00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:01.440 disaster intelligence picture. We're even hoping 00:38:01.440 --> 00:38:05.840 that it will help have the media say what's happening 00:38:05.840 --> 00:38:09.920 out there for real and not get into a hype situation 00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:14.820 or anything like that. It gives you a little 00:38:14.820 --> 00:38:17.559 bit of our participation, especially with Matthew. 00:38:17.599 --> 00:38:20.659 That was the big one. We were active. Both the 00:38:20.659 --> 00:38:22.699 Hurricane Watch Net and the Voight Net were active 00:38:22.699 --> 00:38:25.739 for nearly a week with that hurricane for all 00:38:25.739 --> 00:38:28.900 the land areas that it affected, from Haiti and 00:38:28.900 --> 00:38:31.260 eastern Cuba, through the Bahamas, through Florida, 00:38:31.440 --> 00:38:35.119 Georgia, south and North Carolina. So that was 00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:39.079 definitely a very long activation during this 00:38:39.079 --> 00:38:44.639 last hurricane season. 812 net ham one is the 00:38:44.639 --> 00:38:47.019 phone number we have just a few minutes remaining, 00:38:47.019 --> 00:38:50.059 but we do have time for a call So if you want 00:38:50.059 --> 00:38:54.940 to call in now's your chance 812 net ham one 00:38:54.940 --> 00:38:57.699 or you can call us on Skype at ham talk live 00:38:57.699 --> 00:39:01.420 or Give us a tweet at ham talk live, and I'll 00:39:01.420 --> 00:39:06.880 check that again. Just make sure So yeah, it 00:39:06.880 --> 00:39:09.960 sounds like you guys have been pretty pretty 00:39:09.960 --> 00:39:15.320 active on on there How did how did the net actually 00:39:15.320 --> 00:39:22.559 get started? So the net the net's roots started 00:39:22.559 --> 00:39:25.139 so there actually was an echo link hurricane 00:39:25.139 --> 00:39:33.389 net and a IRLP hurricane that we for be Bob was 00:39:33.389 --> 00:39:37.869 the original gentleman on the IRLP side. It was 00:39:37.869 --> 00:39:39.809 on the Raleigh Reflectors through the efforts 00:39:39.809 --> 00:39:45.809 of KD4RAA Danny Mustin. And Kevin Anderson, KD5WX 00:39:45.809 --> 00:39:50.929 was the net manager on the Echolink side. And 00:39:50.929 --> 00:39:53.170 then at the time, the two networks couldn't be 00:39:53.170 --> 00:39:57.559 connected together. and this was in the roughly 00:39:57.559 --> 00:40:01.360 2002 to 2003 time frame. In 2004, the nets were 00:40:01.360 --> 00:40:04.900 combined and Danny and Kevin were basically the 00:40:04.900 --> 00:40:08.699 co -net managers for the net. I came onto the 00:40:08.699 --> 00:40:13.659 scene in 2004 as a net control and then that 00:40:13.659 --> 00:40:16.659 was the year, if you remember, we had four Florida 00:40:16.659 --> 00:40:19.719 hurricanes and it was a very active hurricane 00:40:19.719 --> 00:40:23.260 season, mostly focused on Florida. but active 00:40:23.260 --> 00:40:28.260 nonetheless. And they were, with the exception 00:40:28.260 --> 00:40:30.179 of Hurricane Charlie, although that was maybe 00:40:30.179 --> 00:40:32.519 a little over a day, the other hurricanes were 00:40:32.519 --> 00:40:35.679 slower movers and multiple day activations and 00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:40.380 one right after the other. And we had to schedule 00:40:40.380 --> 00:40:43.300 a lot of net controls. So I took on the responsibility 00:40:43.300 --> 00:40:48.380 at Kevin and Danny's recommendation to plan out 00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:52.739 net control schedules for the activations. Eventually, 00:40:52.880 --> 00:40:56.000 that led to me becoming the Director of Operations 00:40:56.000 --> 00:40:59.500 for the NET. Danny and Kevin will check in once 00:40:59.500 --> 00:41:03.599 in a while. I kind of like to refer to them as 00:41:03.599 --> 00:41:10.320 they're the co -founders of the NET. Danny still 00:41:10.320 --> 00:41:13.440 provides the IRLP resources with the Raleigh 00:41:13.440 --> 00:41:16.519 Reflector Group and Kevin checks in with me once 00:41:16.519 --> 00:41:20.519 in a while on things, but it's almost like Chairman 00:41:20.519 --> 00:41:22.539 Emeritus status, if you will. They're kind of 00:41:22.539 --> 00:41:25.519 the co -founders, the original folks that... 00:41:25.449 --> 00:41:30.449 brought the net into being, but I run the day 00:41:30.449 --> 00:41:33.389 -to -day operations. Lloyd is our PR guy, and 00:41:33.389 --> 00:41:37.090 we have several others that help manage the net 00:41:37.090 --> 00:41:42.349 in our net management team. All right, very good. 00:41:42.369 --> 00:41:45.550 Well, we've got about a minute left, so we'll 00:41:45.550 --> 00:41:49.150 give you a chance to throw in anything that we 00:41:49.150 --> 00:41:52.570 missed here, and then it's going to be time for 00:41:52.570 --> 00:41:56.079 us to sign off. All right. Well, let me I'll 00:41:56.079 --> 00:41:57.920 just kick it off to say thank you for having 00:41:57.920 --> 00:42:00.420 me on the program tonight and it was good to 00:42:00.420 --> 00:42:05.219 be on here and I hope folks enjoyed hearing about 00:42:05.219 --> 00:42:09.460 our net and I want to thank Lloyd for Helping 00:42:09.460 --> 00:42:12.380 them set this up and glad to be a part of this 00:42:12.380 --> 00:42:15.360 tonight and I'll give Lloyd the final word and 00:42:15.360 --> 00:42:19.380 The idea I want every listener to be safe Your 00:42:19.380 --> 00:42:21.699 safety is paramount in this whole thing because 00:42:21.699 --> 00:42:25.389 if you're not safe What we're doing is pretty 00:42:25.389 --> 00:42:29.690 much useless. So be safe, be educated, and participate 00:42:29.690 --> 00:42:34.650 with BYPWX .net is the website. All right, guys. 00:42:35.030 --> 00:42:37.869 Rob Lloyd, thank you so much for being on tonight. 00:42:39.070 --> 00:42:42.150 And that's a wrap for this week's edition of 00:42:42.150 --> 00:42:44.969 HamTalk Live. I'd like to thank my guests. Rob 00:42:44.969 --> 00:42:50.269 Macedo, KD1CY, and Lloyd Colston, KC5FM, and 00:42:50.269 --> 00:42:52.809 everyone out there in cyberspace for listening 00:42:52.809 --> 00:42:55.829 and invite you all back next Thursday night at 00:42:55.829 --> 00:43:00.070 9 p .m. Eastern Time when Pat Barkey, N9RV, will 00:43:00.070 --> 00:43:03.349 be here and he's going to talk about his contest 00:43:03.349 --> 00:43:07.489 station and his massive antenna array out there 00:43:07.489 --> 00:43:11.170 in Montana and he's the editor of the National 00:43:11.170 --> 00:43:14.329 Contest Journal and so we'll be talking. about 00:43:14.329 --> 00:43:17.670 that as well. For a list of all of our upcoming 00:43:17.670 --> 00:43:22.030 guests just go over to HamTalkLive .com and we'll 00:43:22.030 --> 00:43:26.469 put some links over there as well to the Weather 00:43:26.469 --> 00:43:31.050 Nets and you can check those out over there as 00:43:31.050 --> 00:43:35.409 well. So for now this is Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, saying 00:43:35.409 --> 00:43:59.159 7375 and may the good DX be yours! Thanks for 00:43:59.159 --> 00:44:18.460 watching! 73, and good luck from HamTalk Live.