The forecast for hurricane season 2012, which begins next month, is a bit more benign than past years, but that is no reason for complacency. Prepare now!

EXTENDED RANGE FORECAST OF ATLANTIC SEASONAL HURRICANE ACTIVITY AND LANDFALL STRIKE PROBABILITY FOR 2012

"We anticipate that the 2012 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have reduced activity compared with the 1981-2010 climatology. The tropical Atlantic has anomalously cooled over the past several months, and it appears that the chances of an El Niño event this summer and fall are relatively high. We anticipate a below-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean. However, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them, and they need to prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted. (as of April 4, 2012)" -- Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523

ARES and Hurricane Operations

Now is the time for ARES® members to assess their portfolio of communications equipment and disaster response knowledge. Here are several tips for amateurs involved with hurricane operations:

• Monitor major HF hurricane networks during events this season. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) on 14.325 MHz is one of several key players. It serves either the Atlantic or Pacific during a watch or warning period and coordinates with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami. Frequent, detailed information is issued on nets when storms pose a threat to the US mainland. In addition to hurricane spotting, local communicators may announce that residents have evacuated from low-lying flood areas. Other amateurs across the country can help by relaying information, keeping the net frequency clear and by listening. See the HWN's website for more information. The net works closely with WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the NHC.
• The SATERN Net (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) provides emergency communication support to the Salvation Army and populations at large. They also handle health-and-welfare traffic. SATERN holds high profile nets on 20 meters (14.265 MHz) during major hurricanes and has a long history of excellence, discipline and service. Refer to the SATERN website for more information.
• The Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) meets on 14.300 MHz and is composed of hams who serve and assist those in need of communications on the high seas. According to its website, the primary purpose of the net is for handling traffic from maritime mobile stations. The network is recognized by the United States Coast Guard and has an excellent working relationship with that agency. The MMSN has handled hundreds of incidents involving vessels in distress and medical emergencies in remote locations, as well as passing health and welfare traffic in and out of affected areas. They also work closely with the NWS and NHC by relaying weather reports from maritime stations.
• The VoIP SKYWARN and Hurricane Net operates by combining both the EchoLink and IRLP linked repeater networks, while handling critical wide area communications during major severe weather and tropical events. These operations have gained national stature in recent years and the net is a critical partner with WX4NHC. Whenever tropical weather is imposing a threat to the US mainland and certain other areas of interest, the VoIP WX net will be fully operational. See the VoIP SKYWARN and Hurricane Net website for more information.

CLUB MEMBERSHIP

Yearly membership to the club is just $25.00 and the family membership is $40.00. This money is used to sponsor the repeaters as well as to provide for the various needs of the club.  Contact Clyde (N5IF) or come by one of our meetings to get more information on becoming a member.

To Join now, download the following and mail to the address at the top of the page along with your dues.
Membership Form (PDF)

MONTHLY CLUB MEETING 

The Club meets every second Tuesday of each Month at 7:30pm C.D.T.
The meeting are held at  The North Cleveland Baptist Church in Cleveland, TX

WOLF CREEK PARK "PICNICS"  

Twice a year during the spring and the fall, the Sam Houston Amateur Club host a week of fishing at "Wolf Creek Park" that ends with fish fry on Saturday. Please check the events page for the latest information.

Come join in on the fising and fun,  Fish FRY on SATURDAY
 

ARRL FIELD DAY in Review

2011   The Sam Houston Amateur Radio Klub  2011 ARRL Field Day Event was held in Dolan, Tx. The event saw the return of the CW group that operates with the club every year.  Stu K5MV and Al N5WWS worked the night shift on SSB.  This year we were able to have a 6m station while maintaining our 1A status.  The 6m  station was a big hit and saw a lot of activity from some new contest operators.  Food was not a problem (never is with this club) and a great time was had by all.  Please visit our field day page for info on how the club did for field day.

2010   The Club did operate from Sammy Neil's (N5AF) QTH again this year, (Thanks to Sammy for putting up with everyone). The Shark club welcomed a lot of new visitors from the boy scouts who came out and got in on the fun.  

  The club offered the following during the field day event.
 1) Information Booth, with free handouts on Ham Radio equipment and other items
 2) VE testing for any class license
 3) Operating FD both CW and SSB
 4) Round table discussions on all Ham items and demonstrations.

2009  The club operated from Sammy Neal's (N5AF) place near Dolan. Everyone had a wonderful time. The activities were coordinated by Clyde (N5IF). The club hosted an information booth ran by Margaret (NK5F). As always we had really good food that was prepared by Stephanie (KB5WXM), Brenda (KB5RSH), and Beth (KE5AJO). Thanks to Jeff (K5MV) and his friends we were able to make a lot of contacts on CW.
Beth (KE5AJO), Brenda (KB5RSH), and Stu (K5STU) stayed up all night working the radio to increase our contacts.
The Field Day results for 2009 are in and our club ended up with the top 1A class for Texas.  We ranked 30th overall in the nation in 1A class with a total of 173 entries.  This is a great accomplishment for our club and everyone involved should be very proud. See the December QST for more info or visit www.arrl.org

USEFUL DOWNLOADS

HF Band Plan (PDF)
VHF Band Plan (PDF)
ARRL Band Plan (PDF)
ARRL SECTION MAP

SKYWARN
Jump on the 146.900 repeater when storms are in the area.  The shark club has started the Skywarn net and participation has been excellent so far, Keep up the good work.  Check out the Skywarn page for more info

Click here to map out a Ham by Call sign, Name, or Zip code @ VanityHQ