SKYWARN Training Schedule Posted
Ten SKYWARN training sessions have been scheduled throughout New England for 2005. (An eleventh will be added in July.) The information has been posted on the Eastern MA ARES web site.
Tag: #skywarn
SKYWARN Training Schedule Updated
The SKYWARN Training Schedule for 2005 has been updated. There are a total of 10 SKYWARN Training sessions now scheduled across Southern New England. This includes three sessions in Eastern Massachusetts. Those sessions are in Westford, Wilmington and Brockton. The complete schedule can be viewed at http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo/trsched.htm
An additional training session will be scheduled in Western New England in July. 1
Combined RACES, ARES, SKYWARN Hurricane Drill Planned, June 6
MRAS (Massachusetts RACES ARES SKYWARN) leaders have announced a state-wide hurricane drill to be held on the evening of June 6, 2005.
“This drill has typically been in Region II only but will be done statewide [with approval] by Dave Martineau at MA Emergency Management Agency Headquarters,” writes Eastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY.
Macedo hopes to involve the VoIP Hurricane Preparation Net and the National Hurricane Center in the exercise. “The National Weather Service will be staffed and the hope is to staff all typical ARES stations as would normally be done for an ARES Exercise/hurricane situation.”
According to MA State RACES Officer Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, “All participants are requested to attend a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center in Framingham on May 14 at 10 AM.”
Further details will be worked out by the MRAS leadership team over the next few weeks. Please monitor the Eastern MA ARES web site for additional updates.
Preliminary SKYWARN Training Schedule Announced
Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, has announced a preliminary SKYWARN training schedule for the first half of 2005 on the Eastern MA ARES web site. [Details]
Half of the SKYWARN Training Sites for 2005 Scheduled
Half of the 2005 SKYWARN Training sites have been posted. An additional 5 will be scheduled over the next few weeks and those 5 will be at the following locations:
1.) North Shore Massachusetts area.
2.) Brockton, Mass.
3.) Hillsborough County, NH
4.) Pomfret, CT.
5.) Central Hampden County Massachusetts area.
The scehduled can be viewed at the following link:
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo/trsched.htm 1
Taunton NWS Office QRV During SKYWARN Recognition Day
The National Weather Service office in Taunton will be operating during NWS SKYWARN Recognition Day as WX1BOX on December 3 from 7 PM until midnight, and 7 AM to 7 PM on December 4. The station will operate on IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) on reflector 9219 and on EchoLink WX-Talk Conference, according to SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY. Macedo adds that other NWS offices will also utilize EchoLink and IRLP nodes that are available in their areas. (See also Boston ARC To Operate From Blue Hill Observatory During SKYWARN Recognition Day.)
During the 24-hour activity, radio amateurs set up stations at NWS offices and work as a team to contact other hams around the world. Over 90 NWS offices will be on the air. Endorcements can be earned for contacting the various NWS offices across the country. For more information about SKYWARN Recognition Day, see http://hamradio.noaa.gov/ or the December issue of QST, page 72.
Thanks, Rob, KD1CY and SEMARA Zero Beat, December 2004
Boston ARC To Operate From Blue Hill Observatory During SKYWARN Recognition Day
Mark Duff, KB1EKN writes:
“The sixth annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) will take place this year on Saturday, December 4. For the second year in a row, the Boston Amateur Radio Club will participate in SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton MA. We will be operating on Saturday December 4 from 0900 to 1500 on HF and VHF.
SRD consists of Amateur Radio operators who set up at the National Weather Service (NWS) offices and other weather related locations and contact similar stations around the world. Many NWS Offices, including NWS Taunton, have permanently installed Amateur Radio equipment.
Hams have assisted the National Weather Service by providing real-time reports of severe weather and storm conditions. We recently played a key role by providing communications during the hurricanes that affected Florida and other Southeastern states.
Although the NWS operates a network of 120 Doppler radars to track severe storms, at greater ranges weather radar has difficulty time sampling conditions close to the ground. The information hams provide plays a key role in aiding forecasters.
During the SRD, stations will exchange signal reports, location and a brief description of the current weather at their respective locations (“sunny,” “partly cloudy,” “windy,” etc). We also plan to send out unique QSL cards. This is a great opportunity for members to operate the club’s Yaesu 897 and make some DX contacts. If you are interested in participating please contact me directly at emgmgt@comcast.net.
—Thanks, Boston ARC The SPARC, November, 2004
Upcoming SKYWARN Training Sessions
Bill Ricker, N1VUX writes:
“The National Weather Service free training seminars for volunteer severe weather spotter continues; only 4 more sessions remain in the Southern New England 2004 cycle.
“The National Weather Service in Taunton gives SKYWARN spotter training at several locations in Southern New England. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. There is no charge. There is no need for pre-registration in the days before a class. However, participants will be asked to fill out a short form during the class.”
“Spotter numbers will be given to anyone at least 16 years of age or older. People younger than 16 who desire a spotter number and who can present special circumstances will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.”
06/01/2004 7-10PM Thomas Talbot Masonic Lodge
Tues. 11 Concord Road
Billerica, Mass.
06/02/2004 7-10PM Smithfield High School Media Center
Wed. Smithfield RI
06/07/2004 6:30-9:30PM Boston Museum of Science
Mon. Boston, Mass.
06/17/2004 7-10PM Cape Cod National Seashore
Thurs. Province Lands Visitor Center
Provincetown, Mass.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/training2.shtml
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo/trsched.htm
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo/skywarn.htm
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/box/SkyWarn.shtml
SKYWARN Training At Sturdy May 24, 2004
Jim Duarte, N1IV writes:
“There will be a Skywarn Training Session this evening at Sturdy Memorial Hospital’s Rice Webb Auditorium. It will run from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM and will be run by staff from the National Weather Service’s Taunton Office. All SMHARC club members are welcome and anyone else interested in the Skywarn Weather Spotter Program. Coffee, Tea and Soft Drinks will be provided. Hope to see you there.”
SKYWARN Self-Activate (expired)
Hello to all…
Please self-activate SKYWARN for rainfall totals, urban flooding enough to get cars stuck in roadways as well as rivers and streams near bankful or in flood. A Flood Warning has been issued until 2:30 PM Friday for all of Eastern
Massachusetts and RI except for Cape Cod and the Islands.
Below is the Flood Warning Statement:WGUS41 KBOX 011927
FLWBOX
MAC005-009-017-021-023-025-RIC001-003-005-007-009-020315-
BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
225 PM EST THU APR 1 2004
…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLOOD
WARNING…IN
EFFECT UNTIL 2:30 PM EST FRIDAY…
THIS FLOOD WARNING INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES…
IN MASSACHUSETTS
SUFFOLK…ESSEX…MIDDLESEX AND NORFOLK
IN RHODE ISLAND
WASHINGTON…BRISTOL…NEWPORT…KENT AND PROVIDENCE
IN MASSACHUSETTS
PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL
A LARGE SLOW MOVING STORM SYSTEM OVER THE MID ATLANTIC WILL
CONTINUE TO SEND BANDS OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS RHODE ISLAND AND
EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT. ONE TO OVER 3
INCHES HAS ALREADY FALLEN AND AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES IS
EXPECTED BY FRIDAY MORNING.
WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES ONE EXTENSIVE AREA OF HEAVY
RAIN AFFECTING THE LOWER MERRIMACK VALLEY. THIS WILL WORK
SLOWLY NORTHEAST THIS EVENING. ANOTHER EXPANDING AREA OF
HEAVY RAINFALL FORMING JUST OFFSHORE WILL LIFT NORTHWARD AND
AFFECT THE WARNING AREA TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY.
HEAVY RAINFALL WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD URBAN AND POOR
DRAINAGE FLOODING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE
COMBINATION OF RUNOFF FROM LAST NIGHTS RAINFALL AND THE
ADDITIONAL RAIN TONIGHT WILL RESULT IN MINOR FLOODING OF
SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. SOME OF THE
SLOWER RESPONDING RIVERS AND STREAMS WILL HAVE A MORE DELAYED
RESPONSE WITH MINOR FLOODING MATERIALIZING TOWARD DAYBREAK
FRIDAY.
A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE LOCATION BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUND.
NEVER ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES OR ROADS WHERE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. IT ONLY TAKES A FOOT OR TWO OF WATER TO WASH MOST
CARS AWAY. KNOW SOME ALTERNATE ROUTES BEFORE YOU START
TRAVELING IN CASE ROADS HAVE BEEN FLOODED AND CLOSED.
$$
DRV
73,Rob-KD1CY.
ARES SKYWARN Cooordinator for NWS Taunton
SKYWARN Training Update
From Rob, KD1CY, NWS Taunton SKYWARN Coordinator:
The latest SKYWARN Training Schedule has been posted to my web-site at the following URL:
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo/trsched.htm http://wx1box.org/node/36.
NEW! For the latest update on the SKYWARN repeater list that includes Echolink and/or ILRP links, please visit http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo/freq.htm http://wx1box.org/node/37.
ARES/Skywarn/Emergency Communications Talk Set
Rob Macedo will be the speaker at the Bristol County Repeater Association April meeting, set for April 5th at 7 PM. Rob will be covering topics including emergency communications, ARES and Skywarn.
Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend. The meeting will be at the Third Baptist Church, corner of Stafford Rd. and Brayton Ave. in Fall River. Talk-in will be on the BCRA 145.15 repeater, neg. offset, PL 123.0.
Directions:
From 195 in Fall River, take Rte. 24 SOUTH, get off at the first exit (very close to Rte 195), Brayton Ave./Eastern Ave. At the end of the ramp, take a left. Go up the hill to the end of the road at the lights, the church will be on the right, kiddie corner from Swidey’s Corner Store. Parking is across the street from the front of the church.
N1VUX’s SKYWARN Interview
One of our own, N1VUX interview appears in Metro Sunday Globe today 2/1, and is written up at our section website. If this link has expired, please find under “SKYWARN” in column to the left.
[Bill, N1VUX, is Primary NCS for Northeastern SKYWARN operating primarily on the Waltham repeater. He is also a regular contributor of information on VHF/UHF ducting, using his predictive model. He will also occasionally comment on other unusual atmospheric phenomena affecting communications – W1MPN]
N1VUX Photo courtesy K9HI
N1VUX Featured in Boston Globe SKYWARN Article
“Bill Ricker of Dorchester maintains the computer system of a Boston financial institution. But whether at work, or at home, or on the road, he always has one eye on the sky, watching for danger.”
The February 1, 2004 Boston Globe features a well-written article about Bill Ricker, N1VUX and his SKYWARN activities. Entitled Low-tech spotter scans the skies, alert to danger the article talks about Bill’s involvement with the SKYWARN program and how Amateur Radio plays a pivotal role in confirming severe weather. Glenn Field (KB1GHX) of the National Weather Service, who is also interviewed is paraphrased, saying, “[Hams] are essential for verifying what radar images make meteorologists suspect, and for helping increase the lead time residents can be given of dangerous weather.”
“Ricker adds that his radio network can communicate during storms that knock out other communication systems, such as telephones. So he makes a point of trying to keep his radio with him wherever he goes. Basically, says Ricker, ‘I spot wherever I am.'”
Update on SKYWARN training
Hello to all…
Here is an update on SKYWARN training planning. Ipswich, Mass has been
booked so we now have 15 training sites left to complete for the 2004
season. There is a possibility that a “special” SKYWARN training session
will be done in early October for the 25th Anniversary of the Windsor Locks,
CT Tornado pending approval from Bill Babcock. As always, the sooner we can
get things planned, the better off will be in publicizing all the training
sites.
The following is a list of confirmed sites: (Please press “read more” button)Tuesday May 25th, 2003: Ipswich High School, Ipswich, Mass. 7-10 PM.
The following is a list of remaining locations that we are looking for for
SKYWARN training for 2004 and locations that have potential dates:
1.) Taunton, Mass.
2.) Smithfield RI
3.) Boston, Mass.
4.) Outer Cape (Provincetown to Chatam area)
5.) Willimantic, CT
6.) Farmington, CT or Manchester, CT
7.) Sturbridge-Southbridge, Mass. Area
8.) Washington County, RI
9.) Keene, NH
10.) Merrimack, NH
11.) Billerica-Chelmsford, Mass. Area
12.) Walpole, Mass.
13.) Quincy-Braintree area.
14.) Gardner-Fitchburg Mass. Area
15.) Williamsburg, Mass.
The following is a list of open dates for SKYWARN training in 2004:
Monday March 29th, 2004
Tuesday March 30th, 2004
Thursday April 8th, 2004
Saturday April 10th, 2004
Thursday April 15th, 2004
Monday April 19th, 2004
Tuesday April 20th, 2004
Wednesday April 21st, 2004
Thursday April 22nd, 2004
Saturday April 24th, 2004 —Could be used by Braintree, Mass. Site.
Wednesday April 28th, 2004
Monday May 3rd, 2004
Tuesday May 4th, 2004
Wednesday May 5th, 2004
Thursday May 6th, 2004
Thursday May 13th, 2004
Saturday May 15th, 2004 —Could be used by Braintree, Mass. Site.
Thursday May 20th, 2004
Saturday May 22nd, 2004
Monday May 24th, 2004 —-Could be used by Boston Museum of Science Site
Tuesday June 1st, 2004
Wednesday June 2nd, 2004
Monday June 7th, 2004
Tuesday June 8th, 2004
Thursday June 17th, 2004
Saturday June 19th, 2004
Saturday June 26th, 2004
Monday June 28th, 2004
Tuesday June 29th, 2004
Wednesday June 30th, 2004
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks and Happy Holidays
to all of you!
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Southeast Massachusetts ARES District Emergency Coordinator
SEMARA ARES Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo
SKYWARN Recognition Day UPDATE!
[Note: Prior arrangements MUST be made with KD1CY for entry to NWS Taunton Offices – W1MPN]
Hello to all…
The following is a modified plan for SKYWARN Appreciation Day participation
due to the major storm that is expected to impact the region. Right now, the
Blue Hill Observatory station will still particpate as planned. NWS Taunton
plans have been modified to be as follows:
Here is an update on NWS Taunton participation for SKYWARN Recognition
Day based on the SKYWARN Activation that will occur on that day.
QSL Cards will be done this year. You must send a SASE with your QSL
card in order to receive a QSL card for contacting NWS Taunton during
SKYWARN Appreciation Day. We are using the Boston Amateur Radio Club’s
mailing address and it as follows:
Skywarn Recognition Day (MQE) &/or (BOX)
c/o Boston Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 15585
Boston, MA 02215
*If you worked both W1BOS/MQE & WX1BOX, Please send 2 QSL’s & 1 SASE
Here is a schedule of where WX1BOX operations will be on 2 Meters and
440 MHz for both Friday Night and Saturday:
Friday December 5th, 2003 Schedule of Roving Operations for 2 Meters
and 440 MHz
7:00-7:30 PM 146.970-Paxton Repeater
7:30-8:00 PM IRLP link to the Wilbraham Repeater and then possibly to an
IRLP reflector.
8:00-8:30 PM 146.655-Falmouth Repeater
8:30-9:00 PM 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater
9:00-9:30 PM 145.230-Boston Repeater
9:30-10:00 PM 146.760-Scituate RI
10:30-11:00 PM 147.195-Attleboro Repeater
At this time, we plan to terminate operations one hour early to save
resources for the most significant part of the storm which is expected
Saturday into Sunday.
Saturday December 6th, 2003 Schedule of Roving Operations for 2 Meters and
440 MHz.
The schedule of being on various repeaters has been pre-empted due to the
potential for roving to various repeaters for storm reports. If you make
contact with us directly, we will honor QSL’s and log the contacts but we
cannot honor the previously set schedule as we may need reports from
repeaters at different time than the previous schedule. We appreciate
everyone’s understanding here and we thank all of you for your continued
support of SKYWARN including for this latest major storm.
Here is the HF Schedule. Friday Night’s Schedule is unchanged except to
shave one hour off the expected time we will be at NWS Taunton. For Friday
Night from 9-11 PM, we will guard near the 3943 KHz 75 Meter ARES/RACES
liaison frequency. For Saturday, we have made 40 Meters the primary band for
much of the daylight hours and 20 Meters the secondary band. On 40 Meters,
we will guard near or on the 7245 KHz ARES/RACES frequency.
Friday December 5th, 2003:
7-9 PM: Primary Band: 20 Meters Secondary Band: 75 Meters
9 PM-11 PM: Primary Band: 75 Meters Secondary Band: 20 Meters
Saturday December 6th, 2003:
7 AM-Noon: Primary Band: 40 Meters Secondary Band: 20 Meters
Noon-5PM: Primary Band: 40 Meters Secondary Band: 20 Meters
5-7 PM: Primary Band: 75 Meters Secondary Band: 20 Meters
We appreciate everyone’s support during this major winter storm and have
modified our plans to be as accomodating as possible to thank the SKYWARN
Spotters in the region as best as possible. We would like to thank everyone
for their past support and their support for this latest storm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Southeast Massachusetts ARES District Emergency Coordinator
SEMARA ARES Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedoThe fifth annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) will take place this year on Saturday, December 6, 2003. This is the day that Amateur Radio operators visit National Weather Service (NWS) offices and contact other operators around the world.
The purpose of the event is to recognize Amateur Radio operators for the vital public service they perform during times of severe weather, and to strengthen the bond between radio amateurs and their local National Weather Service office. The event is co-sponsored by the American Radio Relay League and the National Weather Service.
Traditionally, hams have assisted the National Weather Service during times of severe weather by providing real-time reports of severe events and storm evolution. “You simply can’t put a price tag on it”, says Scott Mentzer (N0QE), organizer of the event and Meteorologist-In-Charge at the NWS office in Goodland, Kansas. “The assistance that radio amateurs provide to the NWS throughout the year is invaluable”.
SKYWARN Recognition Day this year will be held from 0000 UTC to 2400 UTC on December 6, 2003. Scott Mentzer, the creator and promoter of the event, strives to involve more NWS offices and Amateur Radio operators each year. In 2002, participants logged nearly 23,000 QSOs during the 24-hour event. Last year nearly 70 countries were contacted. To learn more about this year’s event, check out the NOAA Web site:
http://hamradio.noaa.gov/. This site includes a link to a list of participating National Weather Service offices and their call signs.
Questions concerning this event can be directed toLarry Boyd, K0ILB, at larry.boyd@noaa.gov.
– –Thanks to David Floyd, N5DBZ,
Warning Coordination Meteorologist,
NWS Goodland, Kansas
david.l.floyd@noaa.gov
An announcement on SKYWARN Recognition Day also appears in November, 2003, QST, p. 90, and at the
SRD site Web page.
Possible SKYWARN Mobilization (expired)
(0808 4 Dec 03) From Rob, KD1CY:
As many of you are aware, from Friday at 7 PM through Saturday at 7 PM is SKYWARN Recognition Day. It is unclear whether the storm will have a significant impact on SKYWARN Recognition Day activities at this time. This will be monitored as the storm track becomes more certain. We ask that all Amateurs who plan to contact us during SKYWARN Recognition Day give us current sky condition, snowfall total and temperature (if possible) during SKYWARN Recognition Day as we rove the various repeaters on the schedule we listed on our SKYWARN Newsletter. If we need to go into Activation mode, we will shift into that mode and attempt to notify the various SKYWARN Repeaters with a brief announcement that we are shifting into Activation mode or request Net Controls to come up on frequency and state that we have shifted from SKYWARN Recognition Day mode to SKYWARN Activation mode. Since we will already be active at NWS Taunton with Ops, Ops will be utilized if needed for this storm.
All SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters and Coordinators should continue to closely monitor the progress of this storm. The next coordination message will be posted by 11:30 PM this evening. Below is the NWS Taunton Hazardous WX Outlook and Special WX Statement and the NWS Taunton Area Forecast Discussion:
Rob Macedo, KD1CY, at the Taunton NWS office. Contributed by N1IV
W1BOS to Operate From Blue Hill Observatory for SKYWARN Recognition Day
Members of the Boston Amateur Radio Club will operate W1BOS/MQE on December 6th, from 9am to 4 pm on 20 and 2 meters from the Blue Hills Observatory in observance of SKYWARN Recognition Day.
According to Mark Duff, BARC Executive Committee member and ARES DEC, “For several decades, hams have assisted the National Weather Service by providing real-time reports of severe weather and storm conditions. Many NWS Offices including NWS Taunton have permanently installed Amateur Radio Equipment. To celebrate SKYWARN, Amateur Radio operators will set up radio stations at the National Weather Service (NWS) offices and other weather related locations and contact similar stations around the world.”
Amateur radio operators recently played a key role by providing communications during the hurricanes that affected the East Coast and Bermuda. 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 who contact W1BOS/MQE are eligible to receive a commemorative QSL card. A complete list of participating SKYWARN Recognition Day stations is available via the NOAA web site.
According to the Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center “the observatory is located at the top of a scenic mountain range south of Boston and it is a unique American institution. Founded in 1885 by Abbott Lawrence Rotch as a private scientific center for the study and measurement of the atmosphere, it was the site of many pioneering weather experiments and discoveries. The earliest kite soundings of the atmosphere in North America in the 1890s and the development of the radiosonde in the 1930s occurred at this historic site. Today, the Observatory is a National Historic Landmark and remains committed to continuing its extensive, uninterrupted climate record with traditional methods and instruments.”
—Thanks, N1VUX, KB1EKN, BlueHill.org
KD1CY’s Award makes ARRL News!
The NOAA Environmental Hero Award, recently presented to Rob Macedo is featured on the ARRL “In Brief” section of their web site. Visit http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/05/14/3/?nc=1#Amateur2 https://web.archive.org/web/20060223151322/http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/05/14/3/?nc=1 for the full story.