SKYWARN Recognition Day 2020

SKYWARN logoRob Macedo, KD1CY, writes:
 
SKYWARN Recognition Day 2020 will occur this year but modified due to COVID19 and the fact NWS offices are not allowed to have volunteer Amateur Radio Operators at any NWS office due to COVID. In addition, a social media component will be added to engage non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters more with 2020’SRD. This initial announcement gives information on 2020 SRD and the plan for further updates.
 
Due to COVID19, typical WX1BOX Amateur Radio Operations will not occur at NWS Boston/Norton. The WX1BOX Amateur Radio team will be operating remotely via their home stations. In addition, the Boston Amateur Radio Club has cancelled their operations from Blue Hill for 2020. The NWS Gray Maine office cannot be active at the office due to the same restrictions on volunteers at NWS offices nationwide but will likely have some form of SRD operation for 2020.

 

For WX1BOX Amateur Radio operations, we will cover the typical SKYWARN repeaters on VHF/UHF as well as simplex and be on HF via the various remote home stations along with our WX1BOX social media pages. In addition, contacts with other Amateur Radio SKYWARN stations will count towards NWS certificates. Further, there will be a social media component to engage non-Amateur Radio and Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotter alike. The current set of information is available and additional information will be made available on the SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) web site via the following link:

 
There is also a SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) Facebook group open to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators. The Facebook group link is listed below:
 
On the web, the following link on the WX1BOX home page will feature all SRD updates for WX1BOX operations as well as social media efforts that can include SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators alike:
 
We are working through the details of the VHF/UHF repeater and simplex schedule. It will likely be similar to prior years but there could be some changes based on remote operator availability and how their home station can cover the area repeaters and simplex. The schedule will be published in another update issued over the weekend.
 
The VoIP Operations on the *WX_TALK* Echolink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219 system will still take place for 2020’SRD. An update on the stations participating will also be posted in the next SRD update for this weekend.
 
The next update on SRD’2020 operations will be posted no later than Sunday Evening 11/29/20. Thanks to all for their continued support of the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN program!

Severe Weather & Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend Coordination Message #5

SKYWARN logoThe following is the fifth and final message in a series of messages on Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend and providing information on the weather during this period. This is a tradition spanning over 17 years for Amateur Radio Operators involved with Field Day and the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Program.
 
After the Saturday afternoon and early evening beneficial rain of around 0.10″-0.90″ around the area with lesser amounts in parts of Northeast Massachusetts, Sunday will feature a warm and humid day with the potential for isolated to scattered strong to severe thunderstorms across the region. The most likely timeframe is from 3-9 PM but some activity could start as early as 12-1 PM Sunday. [Full story]

Severe Weather & Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend Coordination Message #3

SKYWARN logoThe following is the third in a series of messages on Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend and providing information on the weather during this period. This is a tradition spanning over 17 years for Amateur Radio Operators involved with Field Day and the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Program.
 
2020 Field Day weekend will mostly be dry but has potential shower and thunderstorm risks in isolated to scattered locations each day including the threat for isolated to scattered strong to severe thunderstorms and becoming hot and humid Saturday and Sunday.
 
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has continued much of Southern New England in a Marginal Risk for Severe Weather. The Slight risk area has been shifted southwest of the NWS Norton coverage area. Doppler Radar at 1115 AM shows an area of rain and possible embedded thunderstorms that poses little severe risk. It will then become warmer and more humid late Saturday Afternoon and evening. Clearing behind this area of rain will determine the risk for any severe weather Saturday. If clearing and heating can develop and the warm front pass far enough north, there would be the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms with strong to damaging winds, hail and torrential rainfall leading to urban and poor drainage flooding as the main threats but a secondary threat for an isolated tornado as well. That said, the risk for today seems a bit lower than yesterday based on model trends and the timing of the current area of rain but still be monitored. [Full story]

Scattered Strong to Severe Storms Possible on Field Day Weekend, June 27-28, 2020

SKYWARN logoRob Macedo, KD1CY, writes:
 
Need to keep an eye on the severe weather potential for the entire timeframe of Field Day Weekend but especially the Saturday Afternoon/Evening timeframe and the Sunday Afternoon/evening timeframe. While we don’t have many “traditional” Field Day sites setup, there are a few and also those that have home station field setups that will want to monitor the severe weather potential. I’ll be updating the Amateur Radio Field Day/Severe Weather Coordination Message in the next couple of hours. I’ve elected to copy EMA ARRL Staff for their awareness as well.
 
Regards,
 
Rob M.
———- Forwarded message ———
From: BOX Operations – NOAA Service Account <box.operations@noaa.gov>
Date: Fri, Jun 26, 2020 at 2:31 PM
Subject: [2020-06-26 PM] NWS Boston EM Briefing – Scattered Strong to Severe Storms Possible This Weekend
To:
Good afternoon everyone, 
 
Severe thunderstorms are possible Saturday and Sunday across parts of Southern New England. With the weekend ahead of us, we wanted to get this heads-up e-mail out early for your awareness.
 
Saturday
 
Rain during the first part of the day gives way to thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening.
 
Timing: Mid-afternoon to early Saturday evening.
Locations: Possible anywhere, but the best chance is near and south of the Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90. 
Severe Thunderstorm Threats: Primarily damaging straight-line winds and hail up to 1″ in diameter. While the overall risk is very low, an isolated tornado is possible.
Confidence: Moderate. How much Southern New England can warm up will greatly impact the severe thunderstorm potential.
 
The severe thunderstorm outlook for Saturday from the Storm Prediction Center is highlighted below:
 
New England weather map prediction for June 27, 2020
 
 
Sunday
 
A few severe thunderstorms are possible later in the day Sunday ahead of a cold front.
 
Timing: Best chance is late-afternoon to mid-evening Sunday; isolated storms possible between early to mid-afternoon.
Locations: Possible anywhere, but the best chance is western and central Massachusetts, northern Rhode Island and much of northern Connecticut.
Severe Thunderstorm Threats: Damaging straight-line winds and hail up to 1″ in diameter.
Confidence: Moderate. Isolated strong/severe storms could be possible before late in the day but the best chance is with the cold front arriving later in the day into mid-evening.
 
The severe thunderstorm outlook for Sunday is highlighted below:
 
New England weather prediction map for June 28, 2020
 
Thank You!
 
Meteorologists Andrew Loconto and Rodney Chai


If you have any questions or would like more information, don’t hesitate to contact us via this email address, on NWSChat, or at the following:
 

National Weather Service Boston/Norton, MA
46 Commerce Way

Norton, MA 02766

508.622.3280

KD1CY Featured on Ham Radio Live! May 7, 2020

Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Julio Ripoll, WD4R, Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, and Lloyd Colston, KC5FM from the Hurricane Watch Net and the VoIP Hurricane Net were guests on Ham Radio Live! to discuss Hurricane Preparedness Week, Weather Observers Day, the 55th anniversary of the Hurricane Watch Net, and the 40th anniversary of the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC.

The nationwide podcast and live call-in talk radio show is hosted by Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. The weekly show is also simulcast on shortwave station WTWW on 5.830 MHz. If you missed tuning in the episode, you can hear a recording by visiting https://www.spreaker.com/show/ham-talk-live and clicking on Episode #211.

SKYWARN “Virtual” Spotter Training Sessions Offered Beginning May 7, 2020

From: US National Weather Service Boston MA Facebook page:

[PLEASE SHARE] Are you interested in learning about severe thunderstorms & other types of weather? Next Thursday May 7th, is our first of 3 VIRTUAL Skywarn Spotter trainings! It will be provided via GoToWebinar. Register & get a link to the free training @ https://bit.ly/2We5OsK

ARES/SKYWARN Exhibit at 19th Weatherfest-AMS Annual Meeting

Stu Solomon, W1SHS, writes:

On Sunday, January 12, 2020, ARES/SKYWARN for Eastern Massachusetts and WX1BOX of the National Weather Service Boston/Norton office were represented at the 19th annual Weatherfest component of the 100th annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS).  The Boston Weatherfest event was free to the public and very well attended.

The ARES/SKYWARN group were in good company with approximately 50 other exhibitors including NASA, The Blue Hill Observatory, The Mt. Washington Observatory, NOAA, The National Weather Service, New England Sci-Tech, local news stations, multiple universities as well as industry leaders in climate and environmental research and reporting.

Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY; District Emergency Coordinator Jim Palmer, KB1KQW; Matt Goldstein; and Assistant Section Manager Stu Solomon, W1SHS, manned the ARES/SKYWARN booth and spent the day speaking with weather enthusiasts young and old.  Not only were they able to promote the importance of the SKYWARN program and the part it plays in assisting the weather service and emergency services with realtime, on the ground weather and damage reports, but also the important role Amateur Radio and its dedicated volunteer operators also play.  On display in the SKYWARN booth were computers with real time displays of current incident reports (it was a day of high winds in the Boston area) as well as videos of past storms and the damage resulting from them. Good questions were asked by the many people that stopped by with numerous folks signing up to receive SKYWARN emails as well as information on upcoming SKYWARN training.  

Special Announcement: Merry Christmas/Happy New Year/Happy Holidays to All SKYWARN Spotters & Amateur Radio Operators

SKYWARN logoRob Macedo, KD1CY, writes on the SKYWARN_Announce list:

Hello to all..

On behalf of the entire Amateur Radio Group at WX1BOX, the Amateur Radio station for NWS Boston/Norton Massachusetts, and the forecaster staff at NWS Boston/Norton, we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holiday season. 2019 was another interesting year for weather across the region. Some of the highlights included a relatively quiet winter season that did have a brief period of active weather with a damaging wind event on February 25th, 2019, a significant winter storm Sunday Evening March 3rd into Monday Morning March 4th, rain, thunderstorms, and strong to damaging winds on April 15th for the Boston Marathon, the July 23rd Cape Cod Tornado event, several other active severe weather events in the spring to summer season, a significant nor’easter that brought hurricane force wind gusts and many power outages to Southern New England on October 16th-17th 2019 followed by another potent damaging wind event on October 31st through November 1st.  The year ended with an active first half of 2019 with several winter storms bringing heavy snowfall including the 3-day storm of December 1st through December 3rd 2019, the Monday December 9th-10th heavy rainfall event, Wednesday December 11th winter storm and December 17th icing event. A complete slate of SKYWARN training classes were completed largely by Amateur Radio Operator instructors with some assistance from NWS forecasters. On Monday May 6th, 2019, members of Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts ARES and SKYWARN and other Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters from around Southern New England participated in the 2019 Hurricane Awareness Tour from Quonset State Airport in North Kingstown, RI. Amateur Radio Operators supported event logistics and had a special event station that made contact with WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami Florida who came on the air to support his event.

As has been the case for the last several years, many of you provided critical reports, pictures and videos that supported and resulted in the protection of life and property and timely warnings being issued based on the surface reporting and ground truth that is so critical in confirming what the radar is or is not seeing. This information was then shared with the media, local, state and federal emergency management and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are always looking for situational awareness and disaster intelligence to gauge the level of response and recovery required for an incident. They remain extremely impressed with all the work that all of you do and they extend their appreciation. That appreciation of the weather and damage reports is highly recognized by many of the media outlets as well who thank SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators on television and over social media such as Facebook and Twitter. This mission could not be done without all of your support.
 
The winter season of 2019 was quiet for most of the season with very small snowstorms and below average winter storms. That said, there was one active week between February 25th and March 4th. It started on February 25th with widespread pockets of wind damage with trees and wires down, power outages and wind gusts over 60 MPH in many locations across Southern New England. After a couple of smaller winter storms, a coastal storm, responsible for a significant severe weather outbreak in the Southeast United States, would affect the region with a widespread 6-12″ of snow and a band of 12-18″ of snow across portions of interior Southern New England. The snow was heavy and wet but the lack of stronger winds precluded a more damaging event. Nonetheless, the heavy wet snow caused pockets of tree and power line damage in the areas that received the most snow across interior and coastal Southern New England.
 
In April, a storm system brought thunderstorms with heavy rainfall impacting the morning of the 2019 Boston Marathon with the lightning over the area causing some minor contingencies to be invoked for the start of the race. Some of the thunderstorms were severe with wind gusts of around 60 MPH causing pockets of tree and wire damage. These severe thunderstorms stayed just south of the race route that morning with wind gusts of up to 48 MPH in Wrentham, Massachusetts while Hopkinton, Mass at the start line of the race only had wind gusts to 30 MPH. The race was largely dry after thunderstorms that morning but later in the day, some rain showers with gusty winds and wind gusts 40-50 MPH moved through the area including along the race route but towards the end of the race with only minor race impacts.
 
Severe thunderstorm events started up in late May and extended into June and July. Several notable events included thunderstorms with hail that affected numerous Amateur Radio Field Day sites on Saturday June 22nd. Several Amateur Radio Field Day sites across Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts were affected by these thunderstorms until the thunderstorms cleared out during the early evening. The following weekend, two days of severe weather affected portions of Southern New England. On Saturday June 29th, Golf Ball Sized hail affected locations such as Lincoln RI, Cumberland, RI and Attleboro and North Attleboro, Massachusetts. On Sunday June 30th, another round of severe thunderstorms affected the region with Quarter to half-dollar sized hail and larger affecting the Warwick, RI area. On both days pockets of tree and wire damage also occurred.
 
As we moved into July, several flood and severe weather events occurred during the month. On July 22nd, several tornado warnings were issued for Cape Cod but no tornado occurred. Wind damage with numerous trees down occurred in a section of Harwich, Mass but it was determined to be from straightline winds.
 
On July 23rd, 2019, a meso-low pressure system with a ring of severe thunderstorms caused significant straightline wind damage and 3 tornadoes, effectively doubling the number of tornadoes on record for Cape Cod in one day with wind damage and wind gusts over 60 MPH recorded on Martha’s Vineyard. Straightline wind gusts as high as over 90 MPH were recorded on Cape Cod. Many trees, wires and utility poles were downed along with structural damage to a few structures. SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators along with several automated weather stations around Cape Cod were the first to report the significant severe weather conditions in the region. Within a few hours, Cape Cod ARES and SKYWARN produced over 100 pictures of the damage in the region. At the height of the storm, over 53,000 were without power across Cape Cod and parts of Marthas Vineyard. Cape Cod ARES was active with shelter and support of the Barnstable County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Multi Agency Coordination Center (MACC) in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Amateur Radio and SKYWARN Spotter efforts drew media attention with 2 phone interviews with FOX-25 TV in Boston as well as an article on the ARRL web site. The ARRL web story can be seen at the following link:
 
 
On July 31st, 2019, a potent severe weather event affected much of interior Southern New England all the way into the Metro Boston area with wind gusts of 73 MPH recorded at Boston Logan Airport. Pockets of tree and wire damage and hail up to Quarter to Half Dollar sized occurred across interior Southern New England. Straightline wind damage in more numerous pockets occurred across parts of Winthrop and Boston, Massachusetts along with areas further west in parts of Southern Worcester County Massachusetts and along the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border. This was one of the more notable severe weather events of the summer season.
 
As we moved into August, several flood and hail, wind damage events occurred over the course of the month. The most notable event was on August 19th where reports of hail up to Golf Ball and 2″ diameter in the Agawam and Springfield, Mass area with pockets of wind damage in this area and across portions of the remainder of interior Southern New England. As we moved into September, there were several weather events in the first week of September, the most notable of which was on Wednesday September 4th, 2019, where severe thunderstorms occurred across portions of Western Massachusetts and Connecticut with the fourth tornado of the severe weather season occurring in Coventry to Mansfield, Connecticut. Dorian would then make a pass close enough to Cape Cod and the Islands to produce tropical storm force conditions across this area with wind gusts to around 40 MPH into other parts of Southeast Coastal Massachusetts. Severe weather season was quiet until Wednesday October 2nd where a few severe thunderstorms in Rhode Island caused pockets of straightline wind damage and a weak, brief EF0 Tornado in Portsmouth, RI bringing the total tornado count for 2019 to 5 for the season. The 5 tornadoes were above normal for the season but well below the 11 tornadoes that occurred in the 2018 severe weather season.
 
As we moved into October and November, wind events and coastal storms were scattered about these months. The most notable events was the coastal storm of October 16th and 17th 2019 which had widespread pockets of tree and power line damage and power outages and widespread rainfall of 2-4″ with isolated higher amounts. Several hundred thousand people were without power in Southern New England including over 250,000 in Massachusetts alone. Hurricane force wind gusts occurred in portions of Southern New England with widespread wind gusts of 58 MPH or greater meeting High Wind Warning criteria. SKYWARN Amateur Radio Operations used self-activation given the strongest winds happening during the overnight. Some flooding of road ways occurred from the heavy rainfall in urban and poor drainage areas. On October 31st into November 1st, another round of strong to damaging winds with a cold front and area of low pressure brought a second round of damage to the area but not as significant as the October 16-17th event though there were power outages in the tens of thousands across Southern New England. November had several wind events and some areas in Northwest Massachusetts having their first snowfall of the 2019-2020 winter season.
 
In December, the first half of the month was very active and kicked off by the first major winter storm for the region as a 3-day winter storm affected the region. Reports in parts of North-Central and Western Massachusetts ranged between 15-29″ of snow with other areas receiving 4-12″ of snow over a long duration 3-day period. Some strong wind gusts in the 40-50 MPH range with isolated higher gusts were also recorded causing some minor tree and power line damage. An extended period of SKYWARN activation starting with Ops on the Sunday Night and Self-Activation with Amateur Radio call-up nets on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday Night December 9th through Tuesday December 10th, 2019, heavy rainfall was widespread in the region with the highest rainfall amounts in Southeast New England where 2-4″ of rain occurred. Immediately following this storm, late Tuesday Night December 10th into Wednesday December 11th a moderate snowstorm bringing a widespread 3-6″ of snow with isolated higher amounts of 7-8″ across much of Southern New England with the highest amounts over parts of Central and Eastern New England. This storm adversely affected the Wednesday Morning December 11th commute. Another heavy rain event occurred Friday December 13th into Saturday December 14th with some minor flooding issues. This event brought some strong winds over Wind Advisory level with brief wind gusts to over 60 MPH on Nantucket Island. Finally, on Tuesday December 17th, after a period of light snow and some areas receiving 2-5″ of snow, icing of largely 1/8-1/3rd of an inch with isolated amounts of 1/2″ inch of ice occurred in portions of Southern New England. This even resulted in a few isolated pockets of tree and wire damage in parts of Northern Connecticut, Rhode Island and interior Southeast Massachusetts.
 
With the high pace of events in the first half of December, we have not had a chance to post any Facebook photo albums of the storm events. Over the next week if the weather remains quiet enough, we will post those photo albums of these storm events on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Many thanks to all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators for photos and videos from these events in December and year round in 2019.
 

As we move forward in 2020, we will be continuing our commitment to SKYWARN training. Planning has started and sessions will be posted for 2020 SKYWARN Training starting in January. There will be a presence at the American Meteorological Society (AMS) 100th Anniversary Conference Weatherfest on Sunday January 12th from Noon-4 PM and planning is ongoing for this event.  We know that we’ve continued to have a large influx of SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators after a full slate of SKYWARN Training classes. We will also look at ways spotters and Amateurs can become more active in supporting efforts to gather critical reports from other areas beyond where they are located and do so in a precise manner.

We will also continue to embrace new technologies while maintaining all the other technologies utilized to gather as much real-time and precise meteorological and damage report information as possible and this effort will be pushed more heavily as we get into 2020. We will attempt to look at expanding DMR usage and potentially look at DSTAR Amateur Radio as an additional means for reporting during severe weather and we are still looking at a new Amateur Radio technology called NBEMS, the Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System, as a potential means to gather weather spotter data digitally over Ham Radio. These are added capabilities that we will be looking at and will not replace the continued core technologies within VHF and UHF (2 Meters/440 MHz) SKYWARN Amateur Radio Repeaters and simplex capabilities, our usage of Echolink/IRLP Amateur Radio linked repeaters, Amateur Radio HF and 6 Meters capabilities as well as monitoring of weather stations ingested over APRS and into the Mesonet networks that have supported and helped with seeing what is happening on the ground.

We will also be looking at other ways to engage both Amateur Radio and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters via other ways to get near real-time and historical spotter reports and near real-time video and pictures as well as historical video and pictures after a major severe weather event via a project the WX1BOX Amateur Radio team is working over the past year. Further details on this will be announced as the project progresses along with additional projects being worked over the past Spring as well. This will further enhance our abilities to gather situational awareness and disaster intelligence information in a short period of time
  
We continue to have our twitter feed setup and you can follow WX1BOX on Twitter by following our Amateur Radio Call-Sign, WX1BOX and have our WX1BOX Facebook page available as well. NWS Boston/Norton has also continued the use of their Twitter and Facebook feeds as well over the course of 2019. Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators can follow WX1BOX and ‘NWSBoston’ on Twitter and on Facebook can ‘like’ these pages. They are available via the following links:
  
WX1BOX Amateur Radio SKYWARN Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
  
NWS Boston/Norton Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/NWSBoston/

WX1BOX Amateur Radio SKYWARN Twitter Feed:
http://twitter.com/wx1box

NWS Taunton Twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/NWSBoston

We, again, want to provide a tremendous THANK YOU to all of you that supported SKYWARN and the National Weather Service during 2019. We wish everyone once again, a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holiday Season and hope people enjoy their time with family and friends during this joyous holiday season!
  
Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box

Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Boston Amateur Radio Club to Participate in SKYWARN Recognition Day, December 7, 2019

W1BOS/MQE operation, Blue Hills, December 6, 2003From Boston ARC’s The SPARC, November, 2019:

On December 7, 2019, and for the 17th consecutive year, [the Boston Amateur Radio Club] will once again participate in SKYWARN Recognition Day.  SRD is a joint event supported by the ARRL and the National Weather Service where weather stations and weather buffs from across the country contact each other for fun and to promote the SKYWARN Program. Our station, WX1BHO, will be located at the summit of Great Blue Hill in Milton, MA. For several decades, hams have assisted the National Weather Service by providing real-time reports of severe weather and storm conditions. Although the NWS operates a network of 120 Doppler radars to track severe storms, at greater ranges weather radar has a difficult time sampling conditions close to the ground. The information radio operators located near a storm provide plays a key role in aiding forecasters.

Stations will exchange signal reports, location and a brief description of the current weather at their respective locations (“sunny,” “partly cloudy,” “windy,” etc.). BARC will be on the air from approximately 0900 to 1500 local time. The event itself is a great way in a low-key environment to make HF contacts and get your feet wet in the HF Spectrum. In past years we have endured all kinds of weather including warm and cold days, clear and cloudy days, and yes, even a blizzard.

Currently, we expect to be operating on 2, 20, and 40 meters. We may add other bands and modes including CW on 15 meters.

Access to the summit is gained by a 20-minute hike from the base of Great Blue Hill located on Route 138 next to the DCR Trailside Museum or (if you arrive early in the day) by car. Further information is available by contacting Mark Duff, KB1EKN, at emgmgt@comcast.net. Joe Chapman, NV1W, will be unable to hike up this year, but will coordinate those who wish to walk up. Contact him at nv1w@arrl.net.

Cape Cod ARES and SKYWARN Provide Support in Rare Cape Cod Tornado Event

From ARRLWeb:

Storm damage in Harwich, MA
Photo courtesy N2KNL

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, ARES, and SKYWARN Amateur Radio volunteers were promptly pressed into action as a storm system on July 23 produced severe thunderstorms that spawned three tornadoes over the Cape. Hurricane-force wind also resulted in significant tree and utility wire damage across Cape Cod, with particularly hard-hit communities including Hyannis, Yarmouth, and Chatham. Some pockets of wind damage also occurred in the northwest corner of Martha’s Vineyard.

Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters were the first to provide critical ground truth information regarding the significant wind damage and tornadoes across Cape Cod. Under the direction of Cape Cod District Emergency Coordinator Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O, and Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, a SKYWARN net ran for several hour on a Barnstable, Massachusetts, VHF repeater. Numerous damage reports were received during the net and for a couple hours after the storm had passed. [Full story]

Storm & Boston Marathon Weather Coordination Message #2 – Monday April 15th, 2019

Rob Macedo, KD1CY, writes on wx1box.org:

.Strong Storm System will bring mild temperatures through Southern New England including along the Boston Marathon route along with the potential for rain and heavier downpours and potentially isolated thunderstorms with attendant lightning risk. There is also the potential for strong winds during Marathon Monday under any heavier rain showers and thunderstorms and then as a cold front pass through the area late Monday Afternoon as the marathon ends, through Monday Night and into early Tuesday Morning..

..Boston Marathon volunteers and runners should prepare for the rain and changeable temperatures with largely mild conditions but a slightly cool start and a cooler mid to late afternoon from west to east across the marathon route..

[Full story]

KD1CY to Participate in 2019 National Hurricane Conference

Rob Macedo, KD1CY
Rob Macedo, KD1CY

Eastern Massachusetts ARRL field organization staffer Rob Macedo, KD1CY, will participate in the National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio Workshop  in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 23, 2019.

According to Rob, “All Amateur Radio sessions are free. They will be on Tuesday April 23, 2019 from 11:30 AM-1:15 PM EDT (10:30 AM-12:15 PM CDT) and 2:30-6:00 PM EDT (1:30 PM-5:00 PM CDT). Each presenter will not only give an overview of their respective group but also how their group handled both the historic 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season and the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season.”

KD1CY is Section Emergency Coordinator and ARES SKYWARN Coordinator. He will present on “VoIP (Voice over IP) Hurricane Net and Best Practices in SKYWARN for Tropical Systems.”

Further details can be found at <http://wx1box.org/2019/04/10/special-announcement-national-hurricane-conference-in-new-orleans-louisiana-amateur-radio-workshop-to-be-livestreamed-tuesday-4-23-19-amateur-radio-workshop-1130-am-600-pm-edt-1030-am-500-pm-cdt/>.

2019 SKYWARN Training Schedule Posted

SKYWARN logoRob Macedo, KD1CY, writes on WX1BOX.org:

The 2019 NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Training Class Schedule for the spring season [has been posted]. Please distribute widely to anyone interested in becoming a SKYWARN Spotter! Additional SKYWARN Training classes are in planning. This includes a class in the Rowe/Charlemont, Mass area, Granby/Hartland, CT area, Western Hampshire County Massachusetts, Eastern Franklin County Massachusetts and potentially other locations in Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts. Another update will be posted to the schedule in one to two weeks. There will also be a slate of SKYWARN classes in the Fall of this year. [Full story]

SKYWARN Training, Natick, May 4, 2019

SKYWARN logoThe National Weather Service (NWS) in Boston/Norton Massachusetts will be sponsoring a severe weather spotter training session, part of its SKYWARN program.

The session is open to the public at no charge. Amateur Radio operators, emergency managers, police, fire, and other first responders are encouraged to attend. Everyone age 16 and older who stays to complete the training will be able to become trained NWS weather spotters.

The training session includes a two-hour thirty-minute computer-based presentation, which discusses the development of thunderstorms, the criteria for “severe” thunderstorms, as well as the cloud features associated with severe thunderstorms and tornados. Additional information will be presented about winter storms and proper snow measurement and reporting of coastal flooding, river, stream, and urban flooding and rainfall measurements. The session will also present the procedure for reporting weather information to the National Weather Service. Safety procedures for the various forms of summer severe weather (severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and lightning), winter storms, and flooding will also be covered in the training session. Anyone attending should bring a pen or pencil and bringing a notebook is optional.

To register, visit <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-training-class-natick-ma-tickets-57356953191?aff=ebapi>

Contact Rob Macedo, KD1CY, at rmacedo@rcn.com for any questions or further info on the SKYWARN training class.

KD1CY Featured on WeatherBrains Podcast

Rob Macedo, KD1CY featured on WILI SKYWARN interviewEastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator and ARES SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, was one of three featured guests on the podcast “WeatherBrains” on January 7, 2019. The 90-minute program discussed Amateur Radio, SKYWARN, and the VoIP Hurricane Net. Other guests included Jay Farlow, W9LW, and Jeff Stapel, W8SWX. The audio and YouTube video can be found at https://weatherbrains.com/?p=7531.
 
According to Macedo, “The program was well received by the meteorological panel and those that have watched/listened to date.”
 
 
 
 
 

SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) 2018 Friday Evening 11/30/18 at 7 PM Through Saturday 12/1/18 at 7 PM

SKYWARN logo

Rob Macedo, KD1CY writes on wx1box.org:

The following is a special announcement on SKYWARN Recognition Day 2018. This announcement will be updated either Thursday Evening 11/29/18 or Friday Morning 11/30/18.

**We hope all SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Operators had a very Happy Thanksgiving. On behalf of the NWS Boston/Norton forecasters and the entire WX1BOX Amateur Radio Team, we are fortunate to have such a strong and vibrant program with the support of all of you in the field and we appreciate another tremendous of year of service in weather spotting for the community. Thanks for all you do for us and the community!**
**Below is the annual Special Announcement on SKYWARN Recognition Day 2018.**

Announcement text is listed below:

The National Weather Service in Boston/Norton Amateur Radio Station, WX1BOX, will once again be active for SKYWARN Recognition Day 2018. In addition, for the twelfth straight year, the National Weather Service Gray, Maine Office will also be active under call-sign, WX1GYX. The Boston Amateur Radio Club will also be active as they have been over the past several years at the Blue Hill Observatory under call-sign WX1BHO from 9 AM-3 PM Saturday December 1st, 2018.

This will be the 20th year of SKYWARN Recognition Day and its anticipated that 80-100 NWS Forecast Offices will be participating once again this year. A Web link to information on SKYWARN Recognition Day can be seen at the following link: http://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition

WX1BOX will be monitoring the *NEW-ENG3* conference node 9123/IRLP 9123 system throughout the SRD event from 7 PM-12 AM Friday Evening 11/30/18 and from 7 AM-7 PM Saturday 12/1/18. Our HF station will be active on the various HF bands during the same time period. What bands/modes we operate on will be dependent on propagation and operator availability. We will attempt to announce the different HF frequencies will be on via our Facebook and Twitter feeds as well as on the DX Spotter/cluster system dxsummit.fi for people that wish to contact us on HF.

The following is a schedule of repeaters that will be utilized along with simplex being utilized during certain timeframes on Friday Evening 7 PM-12 AM and Saturday 7 AM-7 PM at WX1BOX. We hope Amateurs will utilize this schedule and try and work WX1BOX during these various timeframes. If you don’t hear NWS, feel free to call for WX1BOX and if the office is monitoring, a response will be given. When you make contact, give your current sky condition and temperature as required. Below is the tentative schedule of operations:

Friday November 30th, 2018:
7:00-7:30 PM: 146.970-Paxton Repeater (PL: 114.8 Hz)
7:30-8:00 PM: 147.180-Bridgewater Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
8:00-8:30 PM: 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
8:30-9:00 PM: 146.955-Westford Repeater (PL: 74.4 Hz)
9:00-9:30 PM: 146.790-Vernon, CT Repeater (PL: 82.5 Hz) (linked via IRLP.)
9:30-10:00 PM: 147.225-Killingly, CT Repeater (PL: 156.7 Hz) (likely linked via Echolink)
10:00-10:30 PM: KA1RCI Repeater System (Primary) 146.760-Scituate, RI Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz) (Alternate)
10:30-11:00 PM: 145.470-Danvers, MA Repeater (PL: 136.5 Hz)
11:00-11:30 PM: 146.955-Barnstable, MA Repeater PL: 88.5 or 147.375-Falmouth Repeater PL: 110.9
11:30 PM-12:00 AM: 146.640-Waltham Repeater (PL: 136.5 Hz)

**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 1st, 2018:
7:00-8:30 AM: 146.595 Simplex
8:30-9:00 AM: Litchfield County Linked System via KB1AEV repeater system
9:00-9:30 AM: 145.230-Boston Repeater (PL: 88.5 Hz)
9:30-10:00 AM: 146.640-Waltham Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
10:00-11:00 AM: NWS Boston/Norton will participate in the Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net
11:00-11:30 AM: 146.895-Walpole Repeater (PL: 123.0 Hz)
11:30-12:00 PM: 147.225-Killingly, CT Repeater (PL: 156.7 Hz)
12:00-12:30 PM: 145.470-Danvers Repeater (PL: 136.5 Hz)
12:30-100 PM: 146.790-Vernon, CT Repeater (Linked via IRLP.)
1:00-1:30 PM: 146.595 Simplex
1:30-2:00 PM: 145.37-Gardner/145.45-Fitchburg/147.39 Repeaters via IRLP 9122
2:00-2:30 PM: 146.685-Plymouth Repeater (PL: 82.5 Hz)
2:30-3:00 PM: KA1RCI Repeater System or 146.760-Scituate RI Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
3:00-3:30 PM: 146.955-Barnstable (PL: 88.5 Hz) or 147.375-Falmouth Repeater (PL: 110.9 Hz)
3:30-4:00 PM: 146.955-Westford Repeater (PL: 74.4 Hz)
4:00-4:30 PM: 146.970-Paxton Repeater (PL: 114.8 Hz)
4:30-5:00 PM: 145.370-Coventry, RI Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
5:00-5:30 PM: 146.760-Scituate, RI Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
5:30-6:00 PM: 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
6:00-6:30 PM: 147.180-Bridgewater Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)
6:30-7:00 PM: 147.225-Whitman Repeater (PL: 67.0 Hz)

**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.

For this year, we will not actively rove 6m repeaters. We may check-in periodically on the 53.31-Mount Wachusett Repeater and the 53.17 Portsmouth, RI KA1RCI Repeater systems.

The following is information on EchoLink/IRLP operations during SKYWARN Recognition Day on the *WX_TALK* Echolink Conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219 system. Further updates to follow as we get closer to the event. See the list of NWS offices below:

Time in UTC NWS Office Call-Sign
0000-0100: Open
0100-0200: WX1GYX (Confirmed time slot for this year)
0200-0300: WX4MLB (Confirmed time slot for this year)
0300-0400: WX1BOX (Time slot from last year)
0400-0500: WX9GRB (Time slot from last year)
0500-0600: WX9LOT (Confirmed time slot for this year)
0600-0700: WX4HUN (Confirmed time slot for this year)
0700-0800: Open
0800-0900: Open
0900-1000: Open
1000-1100: Open
1100-1200: Open
1200-1300: W7NWS (Confirmed time slot for this year)
1300-1400: WX2PHI (Confirmed time slot for this year)
1400-1500: WX1AW (Confirmed time slot for this year)
1500-1600: WX1BOX (Time slot from last year)
1600-1700: WX4NC (Confirmed time slot for this year)
1700-1800: WX2PHI (Confirmed time slot for this year)
1800-1900: Open
1900-2000: K0MPX (Confirmed time slot for this year)
2000-2100: WX4MLB (Confirmed time slot for this year)
2100-2300: WX4NHC (Confirmed time slot for this year)
2300-2400: WX6NWS (Confirmed time slot for this year)

Also, for 2018, we will have the ability to link up DSTAR/DMR systems into the network. The details on this will be posted in the next update.

There will be other conference systems utilized for SKYWARN Recognition Day. They are as follows:

The New England Reflector Gateway System will be utilized by the NWS Boston/Norton, Mass. and NWS Gray, Maine offices from 0000-0500 UTC and 1200-2400 UTC. The New England Gateway system is on EchoLink Conference server *NEW-ENG3* Node: 9123, IRLP reflector 9123. If other NWS offices would like to join the system, they are welcome to do so and participants in SKYWARN Recognition Day can also use that system to make contact with various NWS offices. This is a great place to move off the *WX_TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP 9219 system after your scheduled time if other Amateurs or NWS offices whish to make contact with you.

Also, the Western Reflector will be having NWS offices calling CQ as in past years and have multiple reflector channels and Echolink conferences available. There is reflector 9250/Echolink Conference *HI-GATE* node: 357564, IRLP 9251 and the *WORLD* Echolink Conference node: 479886, IRLP 9257/*DCF-ARC* Echolink Conference node: 336037 and IRLP 9258/EchoLink Conference *NV-GATE* Node: 152566 open for NWS offices. Please contact Kent-W7AOR for additional information on the Western Reflector.

A few technical reminders for folks interested in making contacts with the NWS Forecast Offices on the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP 9219 and New England Reflector Gateway IRLP 9123/*NEW-ENG3* Echolink Node: 9123 systems:

-The system allows both EchoLink and IRLP connections. For EchoLink users, you connect to the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203 conference system. For IRLP users, you would connect to IRLP reflector 9219.

-If you are using EchoLink, the RF node or PC that you’re using must have EchoLink conferencing disabled. If it is not disabled, the system will automatically kick the node or PC off of the system. The reason this occurs is to prevent unintentional interference from a conferencing station that may not know the node is connected somewhere else. This will keep traffic moving on the net and reduce interference considerably.

For more information on VoIP Technical Configuration Tips, please go to our web site at http://www.voipwx.net where we have a link to that information on the main menu of the web site. This announcement will also be on the web site.

We are looking forward to another fun SKYWARN Recognition Day on the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219 system, New England Reflector Gateway system and Western Reflector system. Thanks to all for their support!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Boston ARC QRV for SKYWARN Recognition Day, December 1, 2018

W1BOS/MQE operation, Blue Hills, December 6, 2003On December 1, 2018, and for the 16th consecutive year, [the Boston Amateur Radio Club] will once again participate in SKYWARN Recognition Day. SRD is a joint event support by the ARRL and the National Weather Service where weather stations and weather buffs from across the country contact each other for fun and to promote the SKYWARN Program.  Our station, WX1BHO, will be located at the summit of Great Blue Hill in Milton.

For several decades, hams have assisted the National Weather Service by providing real-time reports of severe weather and storm conditions. Although the NWS operates a network of 120 Doppler radars to track severe storms, at greater ranges weather radar has a difficult time sampling conditions close to the ground. The information radio operators located near a storm provide plays a key role in aiding forecasters.

SRD stations will exchange signal reports, location and a brief description of the current weather at their respective locations (“sunny,” “partly cloudy,” “windy,” etc.). BARC will be on the air from approximately 0900 to 1500 local time. The event itself is a great way in a low-key environment to make HF contacts and get your feet wet in the HF Spectrum.

In past years we have endured all kinds of weather including warm and cold days, clear and cloudy days, and yes, even a blizzard. Access to the summit is gained by a 20 minute hike from the base of Great Blue Hill located on Route 138 next to the DCR Trailside Museum or (if you arrive early in the day) by car.

Further information is available by contacting Mark Duff, KB1EKN, at emgmgt@comcast.net. If you’re interested in hiking up the hill, contact Joe Chapman, NV1W, at nv1w@arrl.net

[Boston ARC’s “The SPARC”, November, 2018, by Mark Duff, KB1EKN]

KD1CY Receives Blue Hills Observatory Outstanding Service Award

The Blue Hill Observatory awarded Rob Macedo, KD1CY, with their Outstanding Service Award on November 9, 2018. The award was presented at a Blue Hills Observatory fundraising event by meteorologist and Weather Channel personality Jim Cantore and former Weather Channel meteorologist Mish Michaels. The honor was especially meaningful for Macedo as it coincided with his birthday.

“It’s both rewarding and humbling to receive [the award] in the presence of some of the most respected people in the meteorology profession,” remarked KD1CY. “It wouldn’t be possible without the support of hundreds to thousands of SKYWARN spotters and Amateur Radio operators who support the program and give their reports during times of severe weather…”

Macedo serves as the ARES SKYWARN Coordinator, and Section Emergency Coordinator for Eastern Massachusetts.

Severe Weather & Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend Coordination Message #2 – Saturday 6/23/18-Sunday 6/24/18 Weather Outlook/Severe Weather Potential

SKYWARN logoHello to all..

..The following is the second in a series of messages on Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend and providing information on the weather during this period. This is a tradition spanning over 15 years for Amateur Radio Operators involved with Field Day and the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Program..
..After quiet weather on Friday, unsettled weather is likely during Amateur Radio Field Day weekend. It will not be a complete washout but there will be the threat of widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms with heavier rainfall and urban and the potential of urban and poor drainage flooding as well as an attendant lightning risk Saturday into Saturday Night. As we move into Sunday…

[Full post]

Severe Weather & Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend Coordination Message #1

Hello to all.. 

..The following is the first in a series of messages on Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend and providing information on the weather during this period. This is a tradition spanning over 15 years for Amateur Radio Operators involved with Field Day and the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Program.. 
..2018 Field Day weekend has quiet weather for Friday but looks unsettled with the potential for rain and possibly heavier rain and can’t rule out an isolated thunderstorm along with cooler temperatures on Saturday and then the potential of isolated to scattered strong to severe thunderstorms with strong to damaging winds, hail, frequent lightning and heavy rainfall on Sunday Afternoon/Evening potentially when Amateur Radio Field Day sites are breaking down stations and wrapping up for this year’s event. Weekend weather will be monitored closely..
..Amateur Radio Field Day Weekend is an annual event where Ham Operators across the United States setup at Emergency Operations Centers, field locations, home locations etc. to operate and test their equipment and skills and make as many radio contacts as possible during the weekend. Many locations can be visited by the public and Amateur Radio Field Day can be a form of outreach to Ham and non-Ham Operators. It is also noted that several states have given proclamations to Amateur Radio/Ham Radio Operators for either an ‘Amateur Radio Day or Amateur Radio Week’ during the month of June or an ‘Amateur Radio Month’ for this month. It is both a fun/preparatory event for Ham Radio Operators for Emergency Communications scenarios.. 
..SKYWARN Activation on Saturday appears unlikely but will need to monitor for any potential for thunderstorms and attendant lightning risk and heavier rainfall. SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton are possible Sunday Afternoon/Evening for isolated to scattered strong to severe thunderstorm potential..

There are a large number of Amateur Radio Field Day sites across the NWS Boston/Norton Coverage Area and adjacent NWS Coverage Areas. Here are some links to information on these Amateur Radio Field Day Sites from across the region: 

Amateur Radio Field Day Information: http://www.arrl.org/field-day 
Amateur Radio Field Day National Locator: http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator 
Eastern Massachusetts Field Day Home Page: http://fd.ema.arrl.org/ 

The commonwealth of Massachusetts has declared this week to be Amateur Radio Week and Governor Baker has proclaimed Sunday June 24th, 2018 Amateur Radio Day in honor of the ARRL Field Day event. The details can be seen at the following links:

 
For Field Day weekend, Friday looks quiet weather wise with seasonable temperatures and dry conditions. As we get into Saturday, there could be general rain over Southern New England with cooler temperatures. There could also be heavier rainfall and the chance of an isolated thunderstorm though currently it looks more like a rain and heavier downpour situation versus a general thunderstorm concern but this will be monitored and updated again in the Friday Evening coordination message.
 
For Sunday, parameters could come together for isolated to scattered strong to severe thunderstorms with strong to damaging winds, hail, frequent lightning and heavy rainfall in the Sunday Afternoon and Evening timeframe as Field Day operations end and field day sites are securing. We are still 2+ days from this event and this will be updated with greater details as we get closer to this timeframe. This concern is mentioned in the NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook.
 
Coordination messages later Friday and Saturday will help better define the outlook particularly for Sunday and the severe weather potential. Below are links to the NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook and NWS Boston/Norton Experimental Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:

NWS Boston/Norton Hazardous Weather Outlook: 
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.flus41.KBOX.html 

NWS Boston/Norton Experimental Enhanced Hazardous Weather Outlook:
https://www.weather.gov/box/ehwo

Amateur Radio Field Day sites are still encouraged to bring a NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio, monitor various cell phone weather apps where Amateur Operators may have those available and have a dedicated Ham Radio that can monitor their local SKYWARN Frequency for their area as a best safety and preparedness practice. Also sites that have mobile Internet capability can utilize that capability as a way to monitor for weather information. With Mobile Internet capability, utilizing Echolink to monitor the New England Reflector system on Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG3* Node: 9123/IRLP 9123 would be helpful as well. Please see the link below for the latest SKYWARN Frequency information for the region: 
http://www.wx1box.org/node/37

 

During setup and takedown of Amateur Radio Field Day sites and even while operating, be sure to drink plenty of fluids and eat accordingly. Also having a jacket or sweatshirt during evenings as conditions cool etc. may also be useful while operating this year’s Field Day. The link below features information on Heat Safety:
 
Given the threat for thunderstorms particularly on Sunday, lightning is a threat to any and all Amateur Radio Field Day sites. Remember your lightning safety tips and details on lightning safety can be seen at the following link:
 

The next Amateur Radio Field Day coordination message will be posted by 1000 PM Friday Evening.

Respectfully Submitted, 

Robert Macedo (KD1CY) 
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator 
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator 
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com 
http://ares.ema.arrl.org 
http://www.wx1box.org 
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box 

Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box