This past weekend we had a major storm event across the southeast. There were as many as 40 deaths reported as well damage from strong winds and tornados. there were 56 tornados reported across 10 states to include 2 EF-4, and several EF-3’s, I started watching the storm system as it crossed the Mississippi/Louisiana border. I paid particular attention to the system as it approached Birmingham, AL. I live just east of the Georgia/Alabama border.
My local EmComm group started a net on the local 2 meter repeater at 2130 hrs EDT. By that time I was already within the outer fringes of the storm. Lightning was everywhere. When lightning gets within about 20 miles of my QTH, I shut down and disconnect all my radios. In my 30 years of amateur radio, I suffered from 2 lightning strikes. Both came up through the mains (commercial) ground system. the first time about 20 years ago cost me about $3,000 and the last time in 2019 cost me about $7,000.
I broke out my HT and tried to check into the net. I could break squelch on the repeater and that was about it. I am a good ways away from the repeater. Radio comms was out of the question so I sent a text message to the NCS — no reply. I also sent him an email — no reply. Because of the intensity of the lightning, I also shut down and disconnected my computers, I was on my iPhone and iPad to monitor the storms progress.
Fortunately, the storm dissipated somewhat before reaching my QTH but there was still a lot of lightning and a lot of rain. When considering EmComm for any event, the best methods should always be used. In my case, it was not radio, but my cell phone. It was safer. Often in amateur radio EmComm we get fixated on using the radio when other means that may be more efficient and safer are available. In my case sending a text message and/or an email was the best bet. I remember an exercise a long time ago when I watched an operator try to send a message on his HT from inside the EMA. He had trouble hitting the repeater and the end user had trouble copying him. All the while he was sitting next to an operational FAX machine.
When we develop a communications plan, we should always consider the best means/mode available. If the cell phone works, use it, plan for it. When it stops working, then use the next best and so on and so on. It’s never a good idea to start with a 3rd tier system and work down from there. Here in the southeast, except for a major hurricane, cell service is usually working during and after a storm/disaster.
In my case, when the net started, I was surrounded by lightning and using a radio with a tower mounted antenna was not safe. While I had other means to communicate, there was nobody on the other end. It was a sobering experience. If you don’t have a plan, make one. If you have a plan, review it. Make sure you are using the best means/methods/modes available. Have a tiered approach, first A, then B, then C and so on. Relying only on one method is a recipe for failure. Remember the 7-P’s: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
KK4Z 