Amateur Radio will again be represented at the 2015 National Hurricane Conference, March 30-April 2 in Austin, Texas. The conference theme is improving hurricane preparedness. All Amateur Radio sessions are free and will take place Tuesday, March 31.

The primary goal of the National Hurricane Conference is to improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation in order to save lives and property in the US and in the tropical islands of the Caribbean and the Pacific. The conference also serves as a national forum for federal, state, and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend new policies to improve emergency management.

There will be two Amateur Radio-oriented sessions. In the first, from 1:30 until 3:10 PM, National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb will discuss the importance of Amateur Radio weather spotter surface reports during severe weather events, Rob Macedo, KD1CY, will explain WX4NHC operations at the National Hurricane Center on behalf of the WX4NHC team, and Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, will talk about Canadian Hurricane Centre operations. Macedo is Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net and ARRL ARES Eastern Massachusetts Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator.

In the second session, from 3:30 until 5 PM, Hurricane Watch Net Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, will discuss the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Macedo will discuss the VoIP Hurricane Net and Hurricane Sandy Operations, followed by a presentation on SKYWARN, an update by ARRL representatives, and a question-and-answer session.

All Amateur Radio presentations will be recorded and streamed live (voipwx.net) (nsradio.org).

The Austin Amateur Radio Club will host National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio presenters that evening, to review the afternoon presentations. South Texas Section Manager Lee Cooper, W5LHC, is coordinating the meeting.

The National Hurricane Conference is the nation's forum for education and professional training in hurricane preparedness. Averaging 2000 attendees from around the country, the conference covers all major aspects of hurricane preparedness, response, and recovery.

Visit the 2015 National Hurricane Conference website to register for the conference and to see the conference schedule.