In the palm of his hand is a microphone with a button he pushes to speak. He releases it to hear. The conversation is in words and radio code words. The center s bank of radios covers a wide range of radio frequencies. Short-wave frequencies are for local calls.
Long waves carry for hundreds of miles.
Every Monday evening, the members of Smith s group sit in their own homes and use their personal radios to practice. Their Hurricane Watch Net has direct contact with the National Hurricane Center. And amateurs get live, eyewitness reports of what a storm is doing long before it hits Florida. One side of a storm can have stronger winds than another. If a storm hits here, local emergency management centers are equipped with standby generators and batteries for powering radios if power lines are broken.