SKYWARN Recognition Day 2005 begins Friday December 2nd at 7 PM and ends on Saturday December 3rd at 7 PM. NWS Taunton, WX1BOX, will be on the air from 7 PM-12 AM on Friday Night and from 7 AM-7 PM Saturday.
At the time of this newsletter writing, 96 National Weather Service Offices are participating across the country for this year’s event. It is a nationwide event where certificates can be achieved for working a variety of endorsements that are available by working certain NWS Offices. It is a tremendous opportunity to contact NWS Offices as the National Weather Service recognizes all the Amateur Radio Operators who support the SKYWARN program with timely severe weather reporting into NWS for the protection of life and property. The endorsement checklist will be posted to the web-site on SKYWARN Recognition Day Web Site on Friday. Here is the link to the SKYWARN Recognition Day Web Site:
The *WX_TALK*, EchoLink Conference Server Node# 7203/IRLP Reflector 9219 will be utilized between 11 AM-Noon EST (1600-1700 UTC) by WX4NC-NWS Raleigh, North Carolina and WX4NHC, the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida will utilize the system from 4-6 PM EST (2100-2300 UTC). NWS Taunton will most likely be on this system during at least a couple of timeframes. We will also utilize the New England Network (*NEW-ENG* EchoLink Node#: 9123/IRLP Reflector 9058) for most if not all of this timeframe so that people can have access to us on that system or via WX-TALK/IRLP Reflector 9219. Further details will follow in a subsequent update or two as SKYWARN Recognition Day draws closer.
In addition, Amateur Radio will be active for SKYWARN Recognition Day from the Blue Hill Observatory under call-sign W1BOS/MQE. [See BARC To Operate In SKYWARN Recognition Day.] This station is being sponsored by the Boston Amateur Radio Club (BARC) and will be on the air on 2 Meters and 20 Meters. Further details will be posted as received and a web site link is posted with further information as its own topic later in this newsletter.
The following is a tentative schedule that will be followed over the course of the SKYWARN Recognition Day event. It is hoped to make contact with many of the hardworking SKYWARN Spotters from across the NWS Taunton County Warning Area and around the country to thank them for their support of the SKYWARN program. Some forecasters from NWS Taunton have volunteered to go on the air and either give announcements or speak to certain spotters directly.
Below is a schedule that we will be on for 2 Meter/440 Repeaters that we will attempt access during the course of SKYWARN Recognition Day. We will also be on at random on 6 Meters, 20 Meters, 40 Meters and 80 Meters. If time and band conditions allow, 10 and 15 Meters will be utilized. We will also be on VoIP full time utilizing the New England Network and the *WX-TALK*/9219 Reflector system as we work HF and VHF/UHF modes. If we are not on one system, please try the other system though we should have capability to monitor both systems simultaneously. The goal is to hit as many repeaters and networks within range of NWS Taunton at least once possibly twice where possible. Some SKYWARN repeaters such as repeaters in Southern New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts are not reliably reachable from NWS or have other repeaters on those frequencies so they cannot be reached. We will also try Simplex 2 Meters at several points within the schedule as it will be a good test of our capabilities and a fun experiment to try during this event. The tentative schedule of where we will monitor is listed below.
Friday December 2nd, 2005:
7:00-7:30 PM: 146.595 Simplex
7:30-8:00 PM: 147.000-Darmouth Repeater
8:00-8:30 PM: 145.490-Fairhaven Repeater
8:30-9:00 PM: 147.180-Bridgewater Repeater
9:00-9:30 PM: 146.79-Vernon, CT Repeater (linked via IRLP.)
9:30-10:00 PM: 147.225-Killingly, CT Repeater
10-10:30 PM: 146.760-Scituate, RI Repeater
10:30-11:00 PM: 146.970-Paxton Repeater
11:00-11:30 PM: 145.470-Danvers Repeater
11:30 PM-12:00 AM: 146.640-Waltham Repeater
**Will Attempt to monitor both the New England Network and the *WX-TALK*/IRLP Reflector 9219 systems during this entire timeframe.
**It is possible we may switch off to different repeaters or simplex during time slots if we run out of contacts.
Saturday December 3rd 2005:
7:00-9:00 AM: 146.595 Simplex
9:00-9:30 AM: 145.230-Boston Repeater
9:30-10:00 AM: 146.640-Waltham Repeater
10:00-10:30 AM: 146.79-Vernon, CT Repeater (linked via IRLP.)
10:30-11:00 AM: 147.225-Killingly, CT Repeater
11:00-11:30 AM: 145.470-Danvers Repeater
11:30 AM-Noon: 146.895-Walpole Repeater
Noon-2:00 PM: 146.595 Simplex
2-2:30 PM: 146.955-Barnstable Repeater
2:30-3:00 PM: 146.955-Westford Repeater
3:00-3:30 PM: 146.970-Paxton Repeater
3:30-4:00 PM: 147.165-Exeter, RI Repeater
4:00-4:30 PM: 146.760-Scituate, RI Repeater
4:30-5:00 PM: 145.490-Dartmouth Repeater
5:00-5:30 PM: 147.180-Bridgewater Repeater
6:00-6:30 PM: 146.895-Walpole Repeater
6:30-7:00 PM: 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater
**Will Attempt to monitor both the New England Network and the *WX-TALK*/IRLP Reflector 9219 systems during this entire timeframe.
**It is possible we may switch off to different repeaters or simplex during time slots if we run out of contacts.
We look forward to this fun event and will hope that Mother Nature will not bring forth another large snowstorm like in 2003, which featured the biggest snowstorm of the 2003-2004 Winter. Thanks and we look forward to a fun event, another update will be posted either Thursday Night December 1st or Friday Morning December 2nd.
—from SKYWARN Newsletter #228