Public Service
Weather & Public Service
HARC Supports SKYWARN and Emergency Communications
HARC stands ready to provide service to our local communities and local government agencies by providing emergency or special event communication assistance through the use of amateur radio, upon request. This includes SkyWARN severe weather spotting activities. We have a group of storm spotters who are trained through the National Weather Service SkyWARN Program. This group provides real time weather spotting reports directly to the NWS, local emergency management and other first responding agencies if requested. Additionally, we can provide radio operators with additional FEMA training to assist governmental operations during times of disaster. The unique capabilities of amateur radio allows us to quickly establish reliable communications when traditional methods of cell phone, internet and telephone land lines are inoperable or destroyed, and/or electrical power is not available. If your agency, civic group or event organization has need for communication assistance please contact us to discuss how we may be be able to help. We are here to service the local area community!
Our Repeater for Public Service
147.150 MHz · +0.6 MHz offset · PL 88.5 Hz
Our primary repeater is available for amateur radio operators to maintain contact and share situational awareness during severe weather. The repeater is not constantly monitored but is often monitored during significant weather events.
Okmulgee County Emergency Management
HARC works closely with OCEM, providing volunteer communication resources by request in times of need with licensed and trained radio operators to assist with severe weather, disaster, or other community events.
Okmulgee County Emergency Management can be found at okmulgeecountyem.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/okmcoem.
To sign up for Okmulgee County Emergency Alerts via phone call, text, or email, visit okmco.genasys.com.
SKYWARN
Several of our members are trained SKYWARN Storm Spotters, and others offer volunteer support in coordination with local emergency management when requested.
SKYWARN is a volunteer program run by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) consisting of trained severe weather observers. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely, accurate ground-truth reports of severe weather, such as tornadoes, hail, flash flooding, and damaging winds, directly to meteorologists.
How to get involved — If you are interested in becoming an official SKYWARN spotter, you can learn more and sign up for free training through the official NWS SKYWARN Program page.
ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service)
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is a volunteer program of licensed amateur radio operators who register their skills and equipment for communications duty in the public service when needed. ARES operators support emergency communications, public-service events, and disaster response when normal systems are overloaded or unavailable. ARES is organized under ARRL and works through local leadership to help provide trained radio volunteers for community support. Participation is open to licensed amateur radio operators, and additional training may be required at the local level depending on the type of service involved.
Okmulgee County ARES Emergency Coordinator: Mark Walter, K5MGW — K5MGW@outlook.com
To learn more about ARES and how to get involved, visit ARRL ARES (National) or ARES Oklahoma.
Meshtastic
HARC is colocating a Meshtastic node at our repeater site to help provide long-range LoRa coverage in our area. We plan to support the standard public “LongFast” channel so public Meshtastic traffic can pass through the site over a wider area, while also using a private club channel with similar settings and a private PSK for HARC use. Together, the repeater and mesh node will support regular activity, experimentation, and local communications resilience.