MGRA - Middle Georgia Radio Association

10/08/2026

Net Activation Announcement

Thursday, October 8, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT (1600 UTC)

Activation Time: Friday, October 9, 2026, at 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC)

Due to poor 20-meter propagation in recent days, and solar flares this morning, HWN plans to operate on both 20 and 40 meters.

Operating Frequencies

20 Meters — 14.325 MHz USB
Operations will begin at 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC) Friday and continue on this frequency as long as propagation permits. If continued operations are needed, HWN will resume on 20 meters at 8:00 AM EDT Saturday.

40 Meters — 7.268 MHz LSB
Operations will begin at 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC) Friday. HWN normally concludes 40-meter operations at 7:00 AM ET to accommodate the Waterway Net. Once that net has concluded, and if continued operations are necessary, HWN will resume 40-meter operations Saturday morning.

During activations, HWN collects and relays measured or estimated weather information directly to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. Requested reports include:
• Maximum sustained winds and gusts
• Wind direction
• Barometric pressure
• Rainfall amounts and duration
• Storm surge
• Damage assessments
• Other significant information that helps forecasters understand conditions on the ground

As a reminder, please do not focus only on the hurricane’s category. Know your flood risk, never drive through flooded roads, and be prepared for tornado warnings.

HWN also handles Health and Welfare traffic and provides backup communications for Emergency Operations Centers, Red Cross shelters, and other agencies, including critical damage-assessment information as requested.

Other Nets Operating
WX4NHC — National Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Station
14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz
Website: http://wx4nhc.org/

VoIP Hurricane Net
IRLP Node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference Node 7203
Website: http://www.voipwx.net/
Additional VoIP access:
• AllStar: 28848
• EchoLink: KC5FM-R
• Hams Over IP: 15154
• Amateur Wire: 30415154
• NZSIP: 57715154
• Mesh Phone: 5728803
• DMR TGIF: 31207
• Fusion: 31027
• APRS: KC5FM-9

Updates or changes to these operational plans will be posted at https://www.hwn.org and through HWN social-media channels, including Facebook and X.

A special thank-you to the amateur radio community and to the Nets helping keep 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz clear. Your cooperation is vital as we serve those in harm’s way.

Kind Regards & God Bless,
Bobby Graves
KB5HAV
Net Manager
Hurricane Watch Net

10/06/2026

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/news/key_messages.png?202610061134

09/09/2026

There's a repeater operating 400 km above your head right now. 🛰️📻

Aboard the International Space Station, in the Columbus module, the amateur radio crossband repeater is switched ON — freshly powered back up on 2 September after being stood down for spacewalk operations. It's running right now, passing over the UK roughly every 90 minutes.

The recipe — you probably own most of it already:

▸ Uplink: 145.990 MHz FM, 67 Hz CTCSS tone
▸ Downlink: 437.800 MHz FM
▸ Radio: any dual-band FM handheld or mobile will do
▸ Antenna: a handheld whip works; a small directional gains you the margins

The technique:

1. Look up the next high pass for your location (any ISS tracker app or website — pick passes above 40° elevation).

2. Program both frequencies before you go out — remember the 67 Hz tone, or the repeater stays silent.

3. Listen on 437.800 first. When the pass starts you'll hear traffic from stations already working it — the downlink comes with Doppler shift, so tune around slightly.

4. Transmit on 145.990 when there's a gap, give your call, and listen for yourself coming back through the orbiting machine.

That's it. Your signal goes up, gets retransmitted from space at 25 W, and comes down across half a continent. Working the ISS is one of amateur radio's genuine thrills — and it needs no big tower, no amplifier, just timing and a modest handheld.

One radio that does the split in a single box: the Yaesu FT-5DE receives both bands at once (V+U simultaneously), tracks itself with built-in GPS, and carries an APRS modem for the 145.825 packet side of the ISS too. In stock at £379.95 — with £70 cashback direct from Yaesu UK right now:

https://moonrakeronline.com/yaesu-ft-5de-5w-c4fm-fm-144-430mhz-digital-transceiver

Heard the repeater, or worked through it? Tell us what you used below — the simplest successful setups get the loudest applause. 👇

06/27/2026

01/14/2026

Cell phone service blues? This is a friendly reminder that when all else fails, well…you know.