Before proceeding to the Application Form, PLEASE, Read the following very carefully.

The Hurricane Watch Net is looking for well-qualified, dedicated new members, including those willing to train, to become Net Control Operators.

Application to become a member of the Hurricane Watch Net means you are expressing a desire to join in the Net Control responsibilities of the Net, which can entail endless hours of dedicated duty ensuring all received ground-truth weather reports are forwarded directly to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Our Net generally activates whenever a system has achieved hurricane status and is within 300 statute miles of populated landmass (this can vary, however, due to the forward speed and intensity of the storm) or at the request of the forecasters at the National Hurricane Center.

Once activated, the Hurricane Watch Net operates continuously [24/7] until a storm is no longer a threat to life and property. Hurricanes can and do make landfall at night, therefore, we must be prepared both day and night. The nature of the beast dictates that we cannot assign net control responsibilities on a specific timetable. Rather, we must be prepared to work as a cohesive unit, passing control as the situation dictates, and making ourselves available for as much time as it takes to get the job done.

We operate on 14.325.00 MHz by day and 7.268.00 MHz by night. When propagation dictates, daytime operations are conducted on both frequencies simultaneously.

If you'd like to join the HWN, we require documentable NCS skills and an understanding that storms are always unscheduled events. Members of this group:

• accept the inconvenient nature of the task and sign-up for duty
• schedule themselves as necessary to guarantee constant coverage to the affected area and support for other HWN members

There will be an Operations Officer for every hour of every event; during operations, you are expected to implement his or her plan.

We announce activations and pass information via email. If that is not a reliable method of communication with you then you need not apply.

We use online tools for scheduling, real-time chat, and the filing of weather reports; you should be comfortable with that. Training is available for specific applications, but you must be competent in using online applications. A good internet connection is essential.

Your station must allow you to hear and be heard (directional antennas and amplifiers are preferred). A strong station is more easily heard, and the antenna gain enables you to hear weak stations in difficult conditions. Storms and noise go hand in hand.

HWN's heritage is built on service during extreme conditions. We want men and women who can operate in a professional manner and accept the challenges emergency services personnel face every day, specifically with long hours and unpredictable schedules.

Please understand, that not all applicants are accepted. One common reason is when an applicant is from an area in which we are overloaded with members…a good problem to have. And, at this time, we are overloaded with members from the state of Florida. We are in need of those who are located in the middle to western sections of the US, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. We are also looking for those who are fully bilingual: fluent in both English and Spanish.

If this makes perfect sense to you, and you'd like to join us, then we welcome your application.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website, and thanks also for showing your interest to be involved.

Sincerely,
Net Management




To proceed to the application page, please click here.