WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center in Miami will participate in SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) on Saturday, December 3. The station will be active from 1400 until 2300 UTC. SKYWARN Recognition Day is a day-long event.

“This will be our 18th year of participation in the SRD and our 35th year of public service at NHC,” said the Center’s Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R. The purpose of SRD is to test Amateur Radio station operations and equipment among National Weather Service (NWS) offices across the US.

“This event is excellent practice for ham radio operators as well as NWS staff to become familiar with the unique communications skills available during times of severe weather,” Ripoll said. “It is also a fun event.”

WX4NHC will also perform operator training and will be making SRD contacts on various bands and modes, exchanging signal reports and basic weather data between NWS offices and participating stations.

Ripoll said WX4NHC will operate on HF, VHF, UHF, 2- and 30-meter APRS, and WinLink (subject must contain “//WL2K”).

Ripoll said WX4NHC will try to stay on the recognized Hurricane Watch Net frequency (HWN), 14.325 MHz, but will announce frequency changes.

“Due to space and equipment limitations, we will have two operators per shift,” he said, “[so] we cannot be everywhere and on every mode at the same time.”

WX4NHC will also be on the VoIP Hurricane Net from 2100 to 2300 UTC (IRLP node 9219 and EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203).

Local South Florida area VHF and UHF repeaters will be contacted as well. QSL cards are available via WD4R, with an S.A.S.E. Do not send cards to the NHC.

The NHC will be closed to visitors during the event, due to security measures.