Just got back from a two-week ARES deployment in western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. During Hurricane Helene, hams in North Carolina used repeaters on Mount Mitchell to coordinate road closures and relief efforts when internet and phones were down. Wanted to share some key lessons learned for future deployments.

What worked exceptionally well:

• Winlink proved absolutely critical for handling health and welfare traffic when internet was down
• NVIS antennas on 80m provided excellent coverage across the mountainous terrain
• Having pre-programmed simplex frequencies was a lifesaver when repeaters went down

What we need to improve: Better coordination between ARES groups from different states, and more training on ICS forms. Emergency ham radio operators usually conduct an After Action session and write a report with the findings and produce summary reports with lessons learned and recommendations.

The digital modes like JS8Call and Vara really showed their value for low-power, reliable communications. If you haven't experimented with these yet, now's the time to start practicing.

Thanks for the real-world report! I've been hearing more about JS8Call lately but haven't tried it yet. Can you share what kind of antenna setup you used for the NVIS work? Was it just a basic dipole or something more elaborate?

Outstanding work down there! The coordination issue between state ARES groups is something we've been discussing at the section level. We're working on better mutual aid agreements and standardized procedures. Your after-action report will be valuable for planning future responses.

Ham radio operators helped restore lifelines by using HF radios, Winlink digital systems, and simple dipole antennas, relaying health and welfare messages just like in Puerto Rico after Maria. Glad to see the same techniques working effectively. Did you find the Winlink gateways reliable throughout the event?