Hurricane Katrina

The Amateur Radio Daily News Service at http://www.southgatearc.org/ has links to half a dozen stories about the involvement of Radio Amateurs in supplying emergency communications in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

Our thoughts are with all those who have suffered in this disaster.

73 Trevor M5AKA
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Anyone know what frequencies are in use for disaster traffic? I can't seem to find anything on the air, if course its the middle of the night here, and propogation may be poor. Any info anyone might have would be helpfu! Thanks

 

Hurricane Katrina HF Response and Recovery Frequencies

02802.4 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-91) **

03171.4 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-92) **

05136.4 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-93) **
05141.4 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-94) **
05211.0 USB FEMA
05236.0 USB SHARES Coordination Network (nationwide HF voice coordination)

06859.5 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-95) **

07507.0 USB USN/USCG hurricane net (pri)

07550.5 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-96 - primary) **
07698.5 USB American Red Cross Disaster (F-97) **

09380.0 USB USN/USCG hurricane net (sec)

10493.0 USB FEMA

14396.5 USB SHARES Coordination Network (nationwide HF voice coordination)

** Type-accepted equipment and an issued US FCC license are required to
transmit on Red Cross frequencies

AMATEUR HIGH-FREQUENCY GULF COAST HURRICANE NETS

03845.0 LSB Gulf Coast West Hurricane
03862.5 LSB Mississippi Section Traffic
03873.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
03873.0 LSB Louisiana ARES Emergency (night)
03873.0 LSB Texas ARES Emergency (night)
03873.0 LSB Mississippi ARES Emergency
03910.0 LSB Mississippi ARES
03910.0 LSB Louisiana Traffic
03923.0 LSB Mississippi ARES
03925.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
03925.0 LSB Louisiana Emergency (altn)
03935.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
03935.0 LSB Louisiana ARES (health & welfare)
03935.0 LSB Texas ARES (health & welfare)
03935.0 LSB Mississippi ARES (health & welfare)
03935.0 LSB Alabama Emergency
03940.0 LSB Southern Florida Emergency
03950.0 LSB Northern Florida Emergency
03955.0 LSB South Texas Emergency
03965.0 LSB Alabama Emergency (altn)
03967.0 LSB Gulf Coast (outgoing traffic)
03975.0 LSB Texas RACES
03993.5 LSB Gulf Coast (health & welfare)

03995.0 LSB Gulf Coast Wx

07225.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
07235.0 LSB Louisiana Emergency
07235.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
07235.0 LSB Louisiana Emergency
07240.0 LSB American Red Cross US Gulf Coast Disaster
07240.0 LSB Texas Emergency
07243.0 LSB Alabama Emergency
07245.0 LSB Southern Louisiana
07248.0 LSB Texas RACES
07250.0 LSB Texas Emergency
07260.0 LSB Gulf Coast West Hurricane
07264.0 LSB Gulf Coast (health & welfare)
07265.0 LSB Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio (SATERN) (altn)
07273.0 LSB Texas ARES (altn)
07280.0 LSB NTS Region 5
07280.0 LSB Louisiana Emergency (altn)
07283.0 LSB Gulf Coast (outgoing only)
07285.0 LSB West Gulf ARES Emergency (day)
07285.0 LSB Louisiana ARES Emergency (day)
07285.0 LSB Mississippi ARES Emergency
07285.0 LSB Texas ARES Emergency (day)
07290.0 LSB Central Gulf Coast Hurricane
07290.0 LSB Gulf Coast Wx
07290.0 LSB Texas ARES (health & welfare)
07290.0 LSB Louisiana ARES (health & welfare) (day)
07290.0 LSB Texas ARES (health & welfare)
07290.0 LSB Mississippi ARES (health & welfare)

14265.0 USB Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio (SATERN) (health &
welfare) 14300.0 USB Intercontinental Traffic
14300.0 USB Maritime Mobile Service
14303.0 USB International Assistance & Traffic
14313.0 USB Intercontinental Traffic (altn)
14313.0 USB Maritime Mobile Service (altn)
14316.0 USB Health & Welfare
14320.0 USB Health & Welfare
14325.0 USB Hurricane Watch (Amateur-to-National Hurricane Center)
14340.0 USB Louisiana (1900)

 

The following from Bob WB4APR. New reports of Amateur operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina at http://www.southgatearc.org/ 73 Trevor M5AKA
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USING APRS SATELLITES IN DISASTER AREAS:

DISCLAIMER:
This document is NOT a recommendation to
use APRS via ISS in a disaster.  There are many
other Ham Radio Communications capabilities that
are better under any given circumstances.

This document was only written to tell "HOW"
to use APRS and packet via ISS for emergency
operations in a disaster area,*IF* such use
was necessary for a given emergent need.
---------------------------------------------------------

This email describes how to use the ARISS and
possibly PCSAT2 system (on ISS) for tracking and
communicating with APRS assets in the Hurricane
affected areas.  It covers 3 topics:

1) Knowing when the ISS is in view without a PC
2) Settings for ISS and PCSAT2 digipeater
3) How to send an Email from your APRS or
   D7 or D700 APRS mobile/HT or normal packet.

KNOWING WHEN ISS IS IN VIEW:

DAILY 1:  At 30 deg latitude (New Orleans),
you will get two contact window periods a day
and each period will give you 2 or 3 pass
opportunities.  Today these Windows are 7-10 PM
and 2-6 AM daylight time (applies everwhere at
this N.latitude).

DAILY 2:  If you hear a pass early in a window,
then you will hear another one 97 minutes later.  
And if lucky, another 97 minutes after that.

DAILY 3:   Similarly, if you hear a good pass during
the first window, then you will hear another good
pass in the second window exactly 8 hours
(and 2 mins) later.

NEXT DAY:   If you hear a pass on ONE day, then
you will hear another one the NEXT day  27 mins
LATER.  (AND/OR 68 minutes EARLIER.)

MULTI-DAY:  For longer range multi-day planning,
these "window-periods" slide EARLIER by 22
minutes per day (but the exact times follow
only the "daily" rules above&quot

WIth these simple rules and keeping a log of
when you hear ISS passes on your dashboard,
it is easy to predict future passes and operating
times for weeks or longer.  You can work up
simple plans like this for ECHO, SO50 and any
other satellite.

NEW-START:  If you are starting new, then all you
have to do is monitor continuously during one
of the windows until you do hear a pass, and
from then on, you can figure your own schedule.
Just remember to slide the window earlier by
22 minutes per day from the times above for
1 Sept.

SETTINGS:  There are two digital assets on ISS
and both digipeat using the path of "VIA ARISS"

ARISS:     145.800 down, 145.99 up
PCSAT2:  435.275 +/- 10 Khz, 145.825 up

Use ARISS in the disaster area and mobile
since it is 10 dB stronger, has 9 dB less path
loss on the downlink to other omni's, has more
IGate stations and has no appreciable Doppler.

PBBS:  If you have a portable cross band beam
antenna,  and can remember to TRACK ISS, and
point the beam, and tune the downlink for Doppler,
then you are welcome to use the PCSAT2 BBS for
longer paragraph type trafffic, though you
must remember that maintainig a "connection"
via a satellite is problematic at best.  The PBBS
callsign is MAIL.

Only USA STATIONS IN the disaster area
should logon to the BBS with emergency
or priority traffic.  No other USA stations should
attempt to use the BBS for ANY purpose even
emergency or priority traffic to or from someone
in the  disaster area.  

Instead, Let stations in other parts of the world
be the gateways for downloading any such traffic.
or sending back replies.

EMAIL:   APRS is a one-line message system.  
But you can send email if you can fit the email
address and text in the same line.  ANyone
can do this via ISS using the APRS protocol
if they have either an APRS system, a D7 walkie
talkie or a D700 mobile, or even a simple radio/TNC.

EMAIL FROM APRS, D7 or D700:
- Set your path to go via ARISS
- Send the message line TO "email"
- Make the first part of the message be the
email address and then enter your very brief
email text continuing on the same message line.
For any TNC or packet system, simply make
the AX.25 address be APRS and send the
packet as a UI digipeated packet via ARISS.

If you are successful via ISS, your radio will
display "MY MESSAGE" to confirm the packet
got digipeted.  If it did, then cancel the
remaining message retries to reduce QRM.
Do not expect a message ack.

EMAIL FROM ANY PACKET SYSTEM:
To do this you must make your packet look
like an APRS message packet:
- Set your UNPROTO APRS VIA ARISS
- Go to converse
- Type :EMAILssss:eeee@eee.eee.eee text
Where the four "ssss" are four spaces
Where eeee@eee.eee.eee is the email address
Where text is your text.

If you see it digipeated, then your email will
probably be successful.  If not, you have
to type the whole thing again, error free
to try again.

CONCLUSION:
This document is *NOT* a recommendation to
use APRS via ISS in a disaster.  There are many
other Ham Radio Communications capabilities that
are better under any given circumstances.

This document was only written to tell "HOW"
to use APRS and packet via ISS for emergency
operations in a disaster area, *IF* such use had
any immediate application.

But in any case, unattended packet beacons via
ISS are NEVER welcome  and especially over the
USA at this time.

This email is provided for what-it-is-worth, and
is not endorsed nor approved by ARISS at this
time.  I just thought it would be useful to have
it as a baseline...

de Wb4APR, Bob
US Naval Academy
PCSAT2 Ground station

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