Tropical Storm Melissa is nearly stationary in the Caribbean on Friday 24th October 2025. Forecasters warn it could quickly intensify, impacting Jamaica as a hurricane and causing catastrophic flooding and landslides in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), a group of licensed Amateur Radio Operators trained and organised to provide essential communications support to the National Hurricane Centre during times of hurricane emergencies, is carefully monitoring the storm’s development.

In various parts of the world, emergency communicators continue to promote the use of the amateur service as well as other modes and methods to the next generation. Hams in India are continuing to make that transition.

In India, ham radio operators are focusing more on DMR - Digital Mobile Radio - as an alternative to analogue VHF, UHF and HF. Fifty young hams were recently given training in DMR programming and operating by the Indian Academy of Communication and Disaster Management and the West Bengal Radio Club, led by Jayanta VU2TFR and Soumya VU3FWK.