Amateur radio and the work of ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) will again be represented at the 2023 National Hurricane Conference, which will be held this year in New Orleans, Louisiana (http://www.hurricanemeeting.com). ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, will be one of the presenters.

This year, the workshop will be held in-person and over Zoom. The conference theme is to improve hurricane preparedness as it has been in past years. After the workshop is completed, the Amateur Radio Workshop will be uploaded to YouTube for those that can’t attend the sessions live.

The Amateur radio presentations will be given on Monday April 3, 2023. Presenters will not only give an overview of their respective group but also how their group handled the significant hurricanes over the past year.

During NHC Session #1 – 8:30 AM-10:20 AM CDT (9:30 AM-11:20 AM EDT): Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, from the Canadian Hurricane Centre will present on hurricane meteorological topics, including the last 2 years in review and the forecast for 2023. He will also provide a brief overview of Canadian Hurricane Centre operations. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, will present WX4NHC operations and an overview of The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN). A representative from the National Hurricane Center will also present on the importance of amateur radio surface reporting.

During NHC Session #2, 1030 AM - 1220 PM CDT (1130 AM - 120 PM EDT), Rob Macedo, KD1CY, will present on the VoIP Hurricane Net and best practices in SKYWARN Tropical Systems presentation. Bill Feist, WB8BZH, will present a SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Radio Network) overview. Johnston will give an ARRL update. This will be followed by a Q & A session.

2023 National Hurricane Conference Presenters and Moderator:
• Moderator: Rob Macedo, KD1CY, VoIP Hurricane Net
• Special guest speaker from the National Hurricane Center
• Special guest speaker Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, Canadian Hurricane Centre
• Special guest speaker Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, Director of Emergency Management, ARRL HQ
• John McHugh, K4AG, WX4NHC Amateur Radio Station Coordinator
• Julio Ripoll, WD4R, WX4NHC Assistant Amateur Radio Station Coordinator
• Bill Feist, WB8BZH, SATERN, Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Radio Network
• Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Director of Operations, VoIP Hurricane Net & ARRL ARES Eastern Mass SEC
• Jim Palmer, KB1KQW, VoIP Hurricane Net (Videographer)

Detailed Schedule Outline – All Times (Central Daylight Time):
8:30-8:35 AM: Opening Remarks
8:35-9:15 AM: Canadian Hurricane Centre and Hurricane Meteorological Topics (VE1MBR-Bob R) 9:15-10:00 AM: WX4NHC Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center & HWN Overview (WD4R)
10:00-10:20 AM: Importance of Amateur Radio Surface Reports (NHC)
10:20-10:30 AM: Break
10:30-10:50 AM:  VoIP Hurricane Net Overview & Best Practices in SKYWARN for Tropical Systems (KD1CY)
10:50-11:10 AM: SATERN – Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network Overview (WB8BZH)
11:10-11:30 AM: ARRL Update (KE5MHV)
11:30-11:50 AM: Local Hurricane Update (KD5KNZ)
11:50-12:10 PM: Moderated Q&A session and Panel Discussion (All)
12:10-12:20 PM: Door Prizes (All)

Amateur radio presentations will be recorded and posted to YouTube after the workshop within the month of April. The Amateur radio presentations will also be livestreamed via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHdnXIoY3U