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

The Hurricane Watch Net is looking for dedicated new members willing to train to become Net Control Operators. While being Bilingual is not a requirement, being fluent in Spanish and English or French/Creole and English is a plus.

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.

Our mission is to:

• Disseminate the latest advisories issued by the National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL. We do so for marine interests, Caribbean Island and Central American nations, and other interests where public media is not readily available.
  
  
• Obtain real-time ground-level weather conditions and initial damage assessments from amateur radio operators in the affected area and relay that information to the National Hurricane Center by way of WX4NHC, and when required, the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
  
  
• Function as a backup communication link for the National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service Forecast Offices, the Canadian Hurricane Centre, Emergency Operation Centers, Emergency Management Agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other vital interests, which can involve military relief operations, involved in the protection of life and property before, during, and after a hurricane event.
  
  
• Provide Situational Awareness to various government and non-government agencies.
  
  
• Assist the Salvation Army SATERN Net with "Outgoing" Health & Welfare Traffic.

Our area of coverage includes the hurricane-prone areas of eastern Canada, the US East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. From time to time, we may be called upon to activate for Eastern Pacific Cyclones (Tropical Storm, Hurricane).

Candidates for membership must pass a probationary period. During this probationary period, generally one year, all candidates will work under the supervision of an assigned Elmer (Training Officer). This allows the candidate to learn the HWN operating procedures, tune their operating skills, and help remove any undesirable operating practices. Not every candidate is qualified to be a Net Control Operator for HWN and this program will allow both the candidate and trainer to evaluate if they have the skills required to be an asset to the Net. These requirements are strict by design as our standards are high due to the work required of us.

While having a tower, beam, and/or amplifier is not a requirement, your station must allow you to hear and be heard. Therefore, 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.

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, filing weather reports, and more. It is therefore imperative that you are comfortable in learning and using such online tools. Also, a steady and reliable internet connection is essential.

HWN's heritage is built on service during extreme conditions. We want men and women who can operate professionally 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. This does not mean, however, that you may not be accepted in the future. We will keep your application on file for future reference.

It would really help if we could add stations who are located in the middle to western sections of the US, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. And of course, we are always looking for those who are fully bilingual: fluent in Spanish and English or French/Creole and English.

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 in being involved.

Sincerely,
Net Management


To proceed to the application page, please click here.