SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX010
ARLX010 Big Island ARES Districts Activate to Support Possible Hurricane
Response in Hawaii

ZCZC AX10
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 10  ARLX010
> From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  August 31, 2016
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX010
ARLX010 Big Island ARES Districts Activate to Support Possible Hurricane
Response in Hawaii

ARRL Pacific Section Emergency Coordinator Clement Jung, KH7HO, has announced
the activation of all four Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) districts on
the Big Island of Hawaii, to support each other and served agencies as two
hurricanes - Madeline and Lester - threaten. A hurricane watch remains in
effect for Hawaii County.

A SKYWARN net activated on August 31 as Hurricane Madeline approached the Big
Island, and KH6SW went on the air from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Honolulu Forecast Office on HF, VHF, and UHF. A second SKYWARN activation for
Hurricane Lester will begin on September 2 at 10 PM (0800 UTC on September 3),
continuing until Monday, September 5 at noon (2200 UTC).

As of 1200 UTC, Madeline, now a Category 1 storm, was located about 200 miles
east of Hilo and 410 miles east-southeast of Honolulu, with maximum sustained
winds near 90 MPH. The storm is moving to the west at 12 MPH.

As of 0900 UTC, Hurricane Lester, a much stronger Category 4 storm, was some
1160 miles east of Hilo, with maximum sustained winds of 140 MPH and moving to
the west at 12 MPH. NOAA has advised interests in Hawaii to monitor Lester's
progress.

ARES teams were set to initiate local repeater nets, holding 146.52 MHz simplex
in reserve in case repeaters go down. Plans call for using HF (7.180 and 3.975
MHz) to relay traffic via Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) nets to the
Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency Emergency Operations Center (EOC). SKYWARN
traffic will use Fldigi MT63 1KL or voice on 7.080 MHz (USB), with 3.888 MHz
(LSB) as an alternate frequency, and 7.095 MHz available to support informal
and tactical traffic.

Jung said that if Hawaii Emergency Management Agency RACES is activated, it
will monitor 7.088 MHz (LSB) for voice and Fldigi MT63-1KL. Until then, SKYWARN
will be the statewide HF net control station on 7.080 MHz (USB) for voice and
Fldigi.

Hawaii Governor David Ige has declared a state of emergency in the state, with
the Big Island under a hurricane warning for Madeline - now a Category 2 storm.
The National Weather Service has indicated that hurricane conditions could
occur on the Big Island within the next 24 hours. Public schools in Hawaii have
been closed, and the governor was urging residents of the Big Island to take
steps to protect people and property. A dozen schools have been designated to
serve as emergency evacuation shelters.

In addition to HF, KH6SW will operate on these repeaters:

* 146.660 (EARC, Windward Oahu)
* 146.760 (DEM RACES, Peackcock Flat, North Shore Oahu)
* 146.800 (EARC, Manakapu, Oahu)
* 146.880 (DEM RACES, Diamond Head)
* 146.980 (DEM RACES, Downtown Honolulu)
* 147.060 (State RACES, Diamond Head)
* 444.350 (State RACES, Diamond Head)

NNNN
/EX

)\/(ark

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