As managers of the largest central-US Winlink nets and training exercises, we are grateful to you for keeping your participants ‘trained up and tuned up’ as efficient operators. It is important work, and we want you to know the Winlink Team appreciates it deeply.
However, we have noted the traffic levels your operations present to the HF RMS stations that are also important to the Hurricane Ida response. Landfall has just occurred, and it’s likely that this storm will surpass Katrina in it’s impact. We hope not.
SPECIAL REQUEST: We would like to ask you to manage your nets this upcoming week to help minimize the competition for US midwestern, southern and mid-atlantic HF RMS stations on the amateur bands. We would like to be sure these remain as clear as possible for emergency and disaster relief traffic so that EOCs and deployed stations have their best shot at making connections with minimal waiting.
Would you contact your participants (please use regular email) to explain and perhaps present to them a special task that can have them stay off these HF RMS stations for the week of August 29? The use of any other VHF/UHF, telnet, or other modes are fine, and using HF gateways outside the central/southern/mid-atlantic US area should be fine.
We surely appreciate your assistance!
Thanks in advance for this and keep up the great work!
73, Lor Kutchins, W3QA SHARES NNC4WL President, Amateur Radio Safety Foundation, Inc.
ND8W