SB QST @ ARL $ARLB017   
   ARLB017 Annual Pre-Hurricane Season Station Test at WX4NHC Set for May 28   
      
   ZCZC AG17   
   QST de W1AW   
   ARRL Bulletin 17  ARLB017   
   > From ARRL Headquarters   
   Newington CT  May 24, 2016   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB QST ARL ARLB017   
   ARLB017 Annual Pre-Hurricane Season Station Test at WX4NHC Set for May 28   
      
   Now in its 36th year, WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami,   
   will conduct its annual NHC Station Test on Saturday, May 28. The event, which   
   gets under way at 1300 UTC and wraps up at 2100 UTC, is conducted each year in   
   advance of hurricane season.   
      
   "The purpose of this event is to test Amateur Radio Station equipment,   
   antennas and computers prior to this year's Hurricane Season, which starts   
   June 1 and runs through November 30," said WX4NHC Amateur Radio Assistant   
   Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R. "This event is good practice for ham radio   
   operators worldwide as well as National Weather Service (NWS) staff to become   
   familiar with Amateur Radio communication available during times of severe   
   weather."   
      
   The annual Station Test is not a contest or simulated hurricane exercise.   
   WX4NHC will be on the air on various bands and modes. The station also often   
   takes advantage of the test to perform operator training. WX4NHC will make   
   brief contacts with participating stations to exchange signal reports and   
   basic weather data. For example, stations may report "sunny" or "rain" or   
   "cloudy" in   
   describing the conditions at their locations.   
      
   Ripoll said WX4NHC will operate on HF, VHF, UHF, 2 meter and 30 meter APRS,   
   and available via Winlink (subject line must contain "//WL2K") at,   
   wx4nhc@winlink.org .   
      
   "We will try to stay on the Hurricane Watch Net frequency of 14.325 MHz most   
   of the time," Ripoll said. He explained that due to space and equipment   
   limitations, WX4NHC will deploy up to three operators per shift, so the   
   station cannot be everywhere and on every mode simultaneously. "You may be   
   able to find us on HF by using one of the DX spotting networks, such as DX   
   Summit (http://dxsummit.fi/#/)," he suggested.   
      
   WX4NHC also plans to be on the VoIP Hurricane Net from 2000 until 2100 UTC   
   (IRLP node 9219; EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203). In addition, the   
   station will be active on South Florida VHF and UHF repeaters.   
      
   QSL cards are available to participating stations via WD4R; include a   
   self-addressed stamped envelope. Do not send cards to the National Hurricane   
   Center.   
      
   Visit the WX4NHC website at http://www.wx4nhc.org for more information about   
   the station.   
      
   NNNN   
   /EX   
      
   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
      
   ... I hunt flies with a sledge hammer....and get em!!!   
   ---   
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