Storm Prep: Portable Ham Radio Caravan

Today I received a Winlink message warning of a potential wind storm encroaching on my area. The plan was to prepare my Portable Ham Radio Caravan for the strong winds mentioned in the Winlink warning, then ride out the storm. Unfortunately, the weather decided to toss me a curveball.

Let’s take a look at the initial warning that came in over Winlink—then I’ll show you how the weather dialed it up a couple of notches.

Winlink: Severe wind warning

A message came in over Winlink from OH5ZN. He warned of a potential storm-force wind alert. Before we continue, it’s important to point out the value Winlink provides to us as fixed or portable radio operators. I would’ve had absolutely no idea this weather front was incoming without that message. So let’s give credit where credit is due—by using and promoting tools like Winlink and JS8Call exactly as they were intended: for real-time and asynchronous communications in the field when it matters most.

Here’s the original message from OH5ZN that came through Winlink, which served as the first and only early warning of the incoming weather front:

Date Received: July 3, 2025

Message Source: OH5ZN via Winlink

Location: KP34IT (Portable Ham Radio Caravan)

Context:

This warning has since been verified by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, which issued an Orange Wind Warning for Uusimaa from midnight to 21:00 EEST on Friday, July 4. Forecasts call for sustained winds of 9–13 m/s, with gusts exceeding 20 m/s and a strong chance of storm-force gusts (21 m/s or more). Multiple weather models—including Windy and Windfinder—confirm this outlook.

The original Winlink message warned of wind speeds reaching 20 m/s (72 km/h or 45 mph), with potential for gusts above 21 m/s, which crosses into storm-force wind territory. Winds of this strength are more than enough to break branches, damage structures, and topple poorly anchored equipment.

Situation Report: Initial Station Prep

With the warning confirmed, I began preparing the Portable Ham Radio Caravan for the incoming windstorm. My immediate goal was to secure critical systems, reduce wind exposure, and ensure I could maintain communications through the duration of the storm—both over HF radio and via Starlink as a backup internet link.

Here’s what I did:

• Prepared a 10-minute takedown checklist, just in case conditions escalated faster than expected.
• Checked battery status on the LiFePO4 bank. Voltage was above 13.5 volts, enough to ride out the wind storm.
• Lowered my Chameleon MPAS vertical antenna and stowed it in the travel pack (later I’d be glad I did). I also had to move my dipole, since the mast supporting it was a lightweight carbon fiber telescopic pole. It might survive the wind, but it would almost certainly be blown away. I would have preferred this low-profile OCF dipole in an NVIS configuration over the vertical, but I lacked guy lines and anchoring stakes to secure it.
• Disconnected the coax cable coming from outside the caravan back inside. Also remove the coax cable from the radio, just in case.
• Stowed loose gear from around the caravan—antenna bags, tools, folding table, Thermacells, and cables were brought inside
• I planned to pack away the Starlink dish (which was just resting on the roof), but decided to leave it there for now. It’s easy enough to retrieve by opening the caravan hatch and reaching up to pull it in. I had a feeling it might become my primary link if the storm took any unexpected turns. I could always deploy a lightweight wire antenna later on, once the wind has settled down.
• Removed my foldable solar panels from outside. The rooftop panels were doing all the work anyway, while the portable panels were just gravy. I stowed them away in the electrical cabinet to avoid having them damaged or blown away.
• Backed up logs, Winlink database, JS8Call files to my NAS, and also stored that same data on a portable SSD. equipment and logs, in case something failed during the storm window.
• Stowed away the tablets and devices I wasn’t actively using or wouldn’t need during the storm window.

At that point, I believed I had a solid handle on the situation.

What I Didn’t See Coming

I thought I was prepared. The early wind warning came through Winlink, and I did everything right: secured gear, ran my storm checklist, and kept eyes on the forecasts.

But what I didn’t know was how quickly things would escalate—and how far beyond the forecast the reality would reach.

Situation Report

As I write this, the storm isn’t theoretical. It’s overhead—and I’m embracing the suck.

Confirmed Warnings in Effect:

⚠️ Flood Warning (valid through July 4, 23:59): Rainfall may cause flooding of rivers and streams, threatening local roads and low-lying terrain. ⚠️ Yellow Wind Warning (00:01 to 21:00): Gusts up to 15 m/s from the northwest. ⚠️ Heavy Rain Warning (through Saturday 00:00): More than 50 mm of rain expected in 24 hours.

Forecast vs Reality:

By 03:00 local: 11.6 mm/hour rainfall recorded. 100% precipitation probability across multiple hours. Embedded lightning and convection now overhead. Temperatures holding steady at +11 to +12°C, with wind building steadily. Water is pooling around the station. Even if I wanted to move, evacuation isn’t on the table—I don’t have a ride out until Sunday.

At this point, I’m committed to staying put—not because of blocked roads or impassable terrain, but because I don’t have a ride out until the coming Sunday. Whatever the weather brings, I have to remain on site. The entire storm prep strategy—gear stowage, battery management, antenna adjustments—is no longer just good practice. It’s necessity. It’s survival.

This is what preparedness looks like: not perfection, but position. You hold your ground, weather the front, and make no sudden moves.

Writing This Post During the Storm

Right now, I’m sitting at the front of the caravan at the radio desk. Rain is hammering the roof and wind keeps pushing against the walls. The space is dry and holding steady, though the temperature is on the cool side. Lightning flashes through the skylight overhead. A few seconds later, thunder rolls in—sometimes close, sometimes further off. My ICOM IC-705 is shut down, but the Raddy RF-919 is still on, listening quietly. Starlink is holding steady, letting me share this in real time as the storm unfolds.

There’s a noticeable list to the port side of the caravan now. The ground beneath is saturated. I went out and slid the plates back under the landing legs to add some buoyancy and slow the sinking, but it’s soft out there. Water is pooling just outside the door. It’s not dangerous yet, but it’s a clear reminder that even when things feel steady inside, conditions in the field are shifting quickly.

It’s a strange thing, writing while it’s happening. This isn’t a recap—it’s a live report from inside the storm. Every sound outside pulls my attention. Each gust rocks the caravan just enough to make me reassess what’s secured and what might need checking. But I’m steady. The prep work did its job. Now it’s just waiting, watching, and staying ready.

Starlink Blinks, Then Returns

A brief Starlink outage reminded me just how real this all is. Between the heavy cloud cover and constant lightning, the system alerted me to an obstruction. The signal dropped for a couple of minutes, but came back just as quickly. Other than that, the connection has held steady—reliable enough to edit this post on the cloud in near real time as the storm unfolds.

Emergency Winlink Gateway

I usually keep this on the down low unless you’re a longtime subscriber of the channel, but this is my emergency Winlink gateway. It’s built around the Xiegu G106 and the DL4KA LiNK500 Robust Packet Modem. This kit travels alongside my Starlink Mini for situations where grid-tied communication goes dark. I can deploy the entire setup—antenna, computer, and all—in about 15 minutes.

Thanks to the DL4KA LiNK500, this radio and modem can act as a fill-in emergency Winlink gateway, but it can also run other AFSK data modes like JS8Call, VarAC, and so on.

The gateway includes an 80-meter OCF dipole from N9SAB. It’s lightweight, easy to carry, and surprisingly efficient. Now, a portable QRP Winlink gateway might seem like an odd choice, but in a disaster, limited access to email is still better than none. It draws very little power, deploys fast, and gets on the air with minimal overhead.

Sure, a bigger station might be more advantageous in the long run—but it needs more gear, more setup time, more logistics, and more energy. I mention this because I didn’t know the storm was coming when I packed. But I brought the kit anyway—because it’s always better to prepare in advance than to scramble once the weather turns.

Some hams ask, “Why bother with Starlink? Isn’t that what ham radio is for?” It’s a fair question—but also a bit shortsighted. If we’ve learned anything from hurricanes, tornadoes, nor’easters, tsunamis, or volcanic ash, it’s that Mother Nature doesn’t wait for us to catch up. That’s why I always pack a lightweight Starlink Mini and my emergency Winlink gateway—especially when traveling with the caravan.

Today’s storm was just a reminder why.

Of course, none of this works if it can’t move with you. Here’s how I carry and protect it all.

The Adventure Bag (4ROAM)

The Starlink Mini rides in a MOLLE-compatible Adventure Bag from 4ROAM—purpose-built for the Starlink Mini and designed to deploy fast without removing the dish. Just unzip, plug in, and aim. It’s weather-resistant, padded with foam for protection, and built from rugged Cordura with modular mounting options for the field, pack, or vehicle.

Attached to the main bag is a piggyback MOLLE pouch from Särmä (via Varusteleka), sized perfectly to house a Xiegu G106, the DL4KA LiNK500 robust packet modem, and a lightweight dipole antenna. Together, they form a deployable emergency Winlink gateway that can also handle other digital modes like JS8Call and VarAC.

This isn’t just storage—it’s functionally integrated. The entire kit can be carried as one unit, deployed in seconds, and run off battery or solar. I’ve fielded it in thunderstorms, on mountaintops, and during real-world grid-down scenarios.

4ROAM supports this blog and my channel, but the Adventure Bag earned its place on merit. It simplifies deployment, protects the Starlink Mini, makes it easier to carry, and does what improvised cases or Pelican clones can’t: merge ruggedness with speed. It’s now a fixed part of my caravan and field loadout.

Final Thoughts

I don’t know if this post will help anyone. It’s abstract, sure—but it felt necessary to document a real-world scenario that unfolded without warning. That single Winlink message wasn’t just helpful—it was a lifeline. I can’t thank that operator enough. With one transmission, he gave me the time to prepare—not just for what was forecast, but for what no one saw coming.

The rain’s still falling, but the thunder and lightning have stopped for now. I think it’s time to get a couple hours of sleep.

73
Julian oh8stn
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