In the state of Florida we currently have 4 amateur shortwave stations connecting our VHF radio network.
- Jacksonville
- Orlando
- Jupiter
- Plantation
With these stations we can have simple VHF operations communicate with other parts of the country and the caribian. With short notice more of these shortwave GATEWAYS can be deployed to other parts of the state to assist with emergency operations. Currently these four stations are operational 24 hours a day 7 days a week. More often than not this also provides us a way of linking distant parts of the state together, but due to the nature of shortwave radio and it's dependancy on the atmosphere and solar radiation we cannot guarantee anything. Jacksonville may hear Plantation or Jupiter often but it is rare when they can hear Orlando, even rarer is when Jupiter can be in touch with Orlando or Plantation. Even if we cannot communicate directly with each other we may be able to communicate into another state like Maryland, Ohio, or Texas. Amateurs in these other states are always on the air to act as a remote relay so we can use their equipment as a relay back into FL.
