Atlantic Hurricane Season

© 2003 by Mark Meece N8ICW
Originally published in National Communications Magazine

With this issue of National Communications we now find ourselves into the 2003 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Officially hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin runs from June 1 to November 30 of each year. The peak of hurricane season normally occurs during the months of August September, and October. For those of us living on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains a hurricane can sometimes affect us even if we are hundreds of miles from the Atlantic Coastline. Using a good shortwave and/or AM radio you can keep abreast of the hurricane season from your own home no matter where you may live.

Weather creating hurricanes usually starts as a low pressure system, organizing first as a TROPICAL DEPRESSION. These are thunderstorms with a defined surface of circulation and maximum sustained winds of 38 mph/33 kt or less. As the system becomes more organized with circulation and heavy thunderstorms, it becomes a TROPICAL STORM when maximum sustained winds reach 39 to 73 mph/34-63 kt. When the system intensifies as a system of strong thunderstorms, well defined circulation and winds in excess of 74 mph/64kt it is classified as a HURRICANE.

First let us take a look at the “Hurricane Hunters”. "The Hurricane Hunters" are the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron from the 403rd Wing of the United States Air Force Reserves (AFRES) based at Keesler AFB, near Biloxi, Mississippi. They maintain a watch from ten WC-130H (modified Hercules HC-130 aircraft). Their Tactical Identifier is "TEAL", and you can monitor their communications on the frequencies in TABLE 1.

TABLE 1:

(Frequencies are kHz, mode is USB)

Ascension AFB, Ascension Is. 6753 8993 11175 13204 15015
Keesler AFB, Mississippi 4701
Lajes AFB, Azores 3081 4746 6750 8967 11271 13244
MacDill AFB, Florida 4746 6750 8993 11246 13244 18019
McClellan AFB, California 3067 6738 8989 11239 13201 18002

The NOAA also operates weather research aircraft from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). They operate two WP-3 Orion Lockheed turboprops. Identifiers are "NOAA 42" and "NOAA 43". You can hear these aircraft operating on the frequencies listed in TABLE 1.

Perhaps, the best frequency to monitor is 14325 kHz. This is the Hurricane Watch Net. The net becomes active when a Hurricane is active within 300 nautical miles of land anywhere in the Atlantic.

After the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the National Hurricane Center moved from Homestead, Florida to Coral Gables, Florida. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the main entity to monitor, forecast and track hurricanes in the Atlantic, Carribean Sea and the Eastern Pacific out to 140 degrees West Longitude. The NHC routinely monitors and communicates on the Hurricane Watch Net when active. All radio communications from the NHC to hurricane hunter aircraft now take place on satellites. The NHC’s Tropical Prediction Center maintains a website for “plan of the day” weather reconnaissance missions at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/reconlist.shtml
You can use this page to help determine when reconnaissance aircraft are flying and when to listen for them.

Most communications will take place using USB voice as well as RTTY weather advisories, and Facsimile photos (FAX). With a data decoder and software you can decipher weather information transmissions through your shortwave receiver.

The United States Coast Guard broadcasts weather and notices to mariners for coastal areas and ships at sea using both voice (USB) and data (CW, FEC and FAX) on the frequencies listed in TABLE 2.

TABLE 2:

VOICE (USB):

2670 4426 6501 6502.4 8764 8765.4 13089 17314

CW:

5870 8090 12135 16180

FEC:

518 8416.5 12579 16806.5 22376

FAX:

3240.1 4344.1 7528.1 8502 8680.1 12728.1 12750 15959
20015 22527

WLO Marine Radio, Mobile, Alabama remains as the sole provider of voice and data service to ships at sea in the United States. Former stations KMI in San Francisco and WOM in Fort Lauderdale discontinued their services in 1990s. WLO broadcasts are listed in TABLE 3.

TABLE 3:

VOICE (USB):

4369 6519 8788 8806 13110 13152 17260 17362
19773 22804 26151

FEC:

4213 6317 8419 8421 8423 12581.5 12584.5
16809 16814 19685.5 22383.5 26105.5

Amateur Radio plays a vital role during the threat of hurricane season. When lives and property are threatened and affected the best of amateur radio comes shining through. Amateurs are there 24 hours a day monitoring and helping with communications into and out of any areas affected by hurricanes. TABLE 4 includes an incomplete list at best of known amateur radio networks. Frequencies in the 80 (3800 -4000 kHz) and 40 meter band (7100 -7300 kHz) use LSB, all others use
USB.

TABLE 4:

21400 Trans-Atlantic Maritime Mobile
21390 Inter-Americas Health and Welfare
14325 Hurricane Watch Net (becomes active when a hurricane is within
300 miles of land in the Western Hemisphere)
14313 Maritime Mobile (Alternate)
14303 International Assistance and Traffic Net
14300 Maritime Mobile Net
14275 IARN/Red Cross Net
14185 Caribbean Emergency Net

7264 Gulf Coast Health and Welfare
7260 Gulf Coastal Western Hurricane
7254 Northern Florida Emergency
7248 Texas RACES Net
7243 South Carolina Emergency
7240 Red Cross Gulf Coast Disaster
7245 Gulf Coastal Central Hurricane
7235 Louisiana Emergency
7165 Inter-Island 40 Meter Net (Continuous Watch)
7115 Caribbean Maritime Mobile
4469 Civil Air Patrol Gulf Coast Southeast Disaster and
Hurricane Net
4627 Civil Air Patrol Gulf Coast Southwest Disaster and
Hurricane Net
3995 Gulf Coast Weather Net
3993.5 Gulf Coast Health and Welfare
3975 Georgia ARES
3955 Southern Texas Emergency
3950 Hurricane Watch Net (Alternate)
3947 Virginia Health and Welfare
3940 Southern Florida Emergency
3935 Gulf Coast Central Hurricane
3927 North Carolina Health and Welfare
3925 Gulf Coast Central Hurricane
3923 North Carolina ARES
3920 Maryland Emergency
3915 Massachusetts/Rhode Island Emergency
3910 Virginia Emergency Net
3907 Carolina Coast Emergency
3905 Pacific ARES Net
3873 Louisiana/Mississippi/Texas ARES Net
3862.5 Mississippi Section Net
3845 Gulf Coastal Western Hurricane
3815 Inter-Island 75 Meter Net (Continuous Watch)
3808 Caribbean Weather Net (at 1030 UTC)

ARES = Amateur Radio Emergency Services
RACES = Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service

The AM or mediumwave (MW) band can also play a vital role as well in monitoring hurricane season. Long distance nighttime reception of the higher powered AM stations can provide important news and information for coastal areas. TABLE 5 lists the easier heard high powered coastal area stations that can be received in the eastern half of the United States.

TABLE 5:

FREQUENCY CALL LETTERS LOCATION

750 WSB Atlanta, GA
820 WBAP Ft. Worth. TX
870 WWL New Orleans, LA
880 WCBS New York, NY
1060 KYW Philadelphia, PA
1110 WBT Charlotte, NC
1140 WRVA Richmond, VA

Lastly, for anyone living near to navigated waterways the VHF Marine Band can provide some important information. Many of the new scanner such as the Uniden Bearcat BC-245, 780, 785 and 250 have the marine band pre-programmed in as part of the service search feature. TABLE 6 lists all of the VHF Marine Band frequencies.

TABLE 6:

CH. SHIP SHORE USE

1 156.0500 160.6500
2 156.1000 160.7000
3 156.1500 160.7500
4 156.2000 160.8000
5 156.2500 160.8500
6 156.3000 156.3000 SAR, Port Operations, Commercial
7 156.3500 160.9500
8 156.4000 156.4000 Port Operations, Commercial
9 156.4500 156.4500 Port Operations
10 156.5000 156.5000 Port Operations
11 156.5500 156.5500 Port Operations
12 156.6000 156.6000 Port Operations
13 156.6500 156.6500 Port Operations
14 156.7000 156.7000 Port Operations
15 156.7500 156.7500
16 156.8000 156.8000 Distress, Safety & Calling
17 156.8500 156.8500
18 156.9000 161.5000
19 156.9500 161.5500
20 157.0000 161.6000 Port Operations
21 157.0500 161.6500
22 157.1000 161.7000
23 157.1500 161.7500 Sea phone
24 157.2000 161.8000 Sea phone
25 157.2500 161.8500 Sea phone
26 157.3000 161.9000 Sea phone
27 157.3500 161.9500 Sea phone
28 157.5000 162.0000 Sea phone
60 156.0250 160.6250
61 156.0750 160.6750
62 156.1250 160.7250
63 156.1750 160.7750
64 156.2250 160.8250
65 156.2750 160.8750
66 156.3250 160.9250
67 156.3750 156.3750 Distress & Safety (Secondary to Ch 16)
68 156.4250 156.4250 Port Operations
69 156.4750 156.4750
70 156.5250 156.5250
71 156.5750 156.5750 Professional Fishing
72 156.6250 156.6250 Yachts, Commercial, Professional, Port Operations
73 156.6750 156.6750 Non - Commercial Fishing, Yachts etc.
74 156.7250 156.7250 Commercial
77 156.8750 156.8750 Yachts, Commercial fishing
78 156.9250 161.5250 Commercial
79 156.9750 161.5750 Port Operations
80 157.0250 161.6250
81 157.0750 161.6750
82 157.1250 161.7250
83 157.1750 161.7750
84 157.2250 161.8250
85 157.2750 161.8750
86 157.3250 161.9250
87 157.3750 161.9750 Sea phone
88 157.4250 162.0250

Hopefully, you will never have to experience the power and effects of a hurricane or tropical storm. However, with the information above you can be better prepared before any storms may strike.

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