Hello to all..
**SKYWARN Recognition Day 2024 will occur from Friday Evening December 6th, 2024 at 7 PM through Saturday Evening December 7th, 2024 at 7 PM with a social media component to engage non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters more with SRD. Due to the storm Thursday and some work and other personal issues for some of our WX1BOX Amateur Radio team members, the focus of our operations will be on Saturday from approximately 830 or 9 AM to 7 PM ET.**
**SRD Numbers will be issued automatically to non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters that register via the Google form on the SRD web site. Similar to 2023, SRD Numbers are not being generated for Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters because some in the Amateur Radio Community felt it was unnecessary.**
**We encourage Amateur Radio and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters to register for SRD in the Google form. Once registration is completed on the Google form, there will be a link provided to register via the GIS spotter mapper registration form via the links below and we will have activities on Amateur Radio and Social Media for all Amateur Radio and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters. **
SKYWARN Recognition Day 2024 will have Ops at NWS office with volunteer Amateur Radio Operators, however, the scale of what is done inside the office for SRD will be more limited as we will have limited Amateur Radio Operators in the facility similar to 2022. Also, all participants are welcome to register on the SRD web site. SRD Numbers will be issued automatically to non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters that register via the Google form on the SRD web site. For 2024 similar to 2023, SRD Numbers are not being generated for Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters because some in the Amateur Radio Community felt it was unnecessary.
For WX1BOX Amateur Radio operations, we will cover the typical SKYWARN repeaters on VHF/UHF as well as simplex. HF for this year may or may not be done similar to 2023 as we plan to run all operations from WX1BOX, the Amateur Radio station at NWS Norton on Saturday 12/2/23 from 9 AM-7 PM EST and run some of the operations remotely during that timeframe. The HF setup at NWS has had some issues so it may limit our on-air presence on HF. We will distinguish between in-office Amateur Radio Operations and remote operations by using WX1BOX-portable for our remote operations. In addition, contacts with other Amateur Radio SKYWARN stations will count towards NWS certificates. Similar to the last few years, there will be a social media component to engage non-Amateur Radio and Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters alike.
Additional details on SKYWARN Recognition Day including a registration link opened up to all Amateur Radio and non-Amateur Radio Operators can be found via the following link:
https://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition
As mentioned previously, this year’s Google registration form also auto-issues SRD Numbers to participant non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters. The form can be found off the SKYWARN Recognition Day web site and can be see at the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsiwFThctxPqEht9r7j1V1OLBNiAQjt-yJe7z3-XFMwiIx-w/viewform
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:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/srd2021
Similar to last year, we’d like to conduct an experiment to test and experiment with a radio email system known as Winlink. We would like to have Amateur Radio and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters test sending email to a radio based email. This system allows for emails to be retrieved over Internet but also over radio. You do not have to be an Amateur Radio Operator to be involved in this experiment. During the SRD period from Saturday 12/7/24 from 0000-2400 UTC (Friday Evening 12/6/24 7 PM EST-Saturday 12/7/24 7 PM EST), we’d like people to do the following:
1.) Compose an email with a report in text format or using one of the Winlink system specific weather or other forms to wx1box@winlink.org with either a current observation from the SRD time period or a prior severe weather event that occurred dring the last 2 years. Do “not” include file attachments. For Amateur Radio Operators who have winlink setup, please go ahead and use winlink. For other Amateur Radio and non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters who do not have Winlink setup, feel free to use your normal email client but only use text and no attachments in the report.
2.) Put in the subject of the email //WL2K as this will allow for emails to get filtered through the built-in spam protection of the winlink system
We will acknowledge all emails as a contact and publish results of this work as part of the SRD’2024 report.
Due to the storm Thursday 12/5 and the commitments of our operators, there will not be a Zello component for SRD but a future test with Zello will be done some time in January 2025.
The SRD’2024 schedule for repeater rotation and WX1BOX coverage has now been included with this update. See below:
Saturday December 7th, 2024 (WX1BOX In-Office operations with remote operations being signified by WX1BOX-portable):
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: We 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) (Via K1MUJ-Echolink)
12:00-12:30 PM: 145.470-Danvers Repeater (PL: 136.5 Hz)
12:30-1:00 PM: 146.790-Vernon, CT Repeater (Linked via IRLP or Echolink.)
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: NB1RI Repeater System – Note the main hub repeater link for this system is down – so we will rotate across the NB1RI repeaters during this timeframe
3:00-3:30 PM: 146.970-Paxton Repeater (PL: 114.8 Hz)
3:30-4:00 PM: 146.955-Westford Repeater (PL: 74.4 Hz)
4:00-4:30 PM: 146.955-Barnstable (PL: 88.5 Hz) or 147.375-Falmouth Repeater (PL: 110.9 Hz)
4:30-5:00 PM: NB1RI Repeater System – Note the main hub repeater link for this system is down – so we will rotate across the NB1RI repeaters during this timeframe
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.
The VoIP Operations on the *WX_TALK* Echolink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219 system will take place once again for 2024’SRD. Also, through the Sunflower network, the system will is also accessible through the following modes:
Allstar 28848
Echolink KC5FM-R 906281
Hamshack Hotline 94032
DMR TGIF 31207
P25 31207
DSTAR XLXOKL C
Yaesu Fusion 31207
M17-SUN module A
Here is the info regarding Echolink/IRLP operations as of Friday Afternoon:
Time in UTC NWS Office Call-Sign
0000-0100: N0NWS (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0100-0200: WX1GYX (Time slot from last year)
0200-0300: WX7SLC (Time slot from last year)
0300-0400: WX4HUN (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0400-0500: Open
0500-0600: Open
0600-0700: WX4HUN (Time slot from last year)
0700-0800: WX8APX (Time slot from last year)
0800-0900: WX8APX (Time slot from last year)
0900-1000: Open
1000-1100: WX7SLC (Time slot from last year)
1100-1200: Open (Time slot released by WX1GYX)
1200-1300: Open
1300-1400: WX7SLC (Time slot from last year)
1400-1500: WX1AW (Time slot from last year)
1500-1600: WX1BOX (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1600-1700: WX4NC (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1700-1800: WX6NWS (New Time slot for this year)
1800-1900: WX2PHI (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1900-2000: WX1GYX (Time slot from last year)
2000-2100: Open
2100-2300: WX4NHC (Time slot confirmed for this year)
2300-2400: WX2PHI (New time slot for this office for this year)
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 SKYWARN Coordinators from New England from 1400-2400 UTC. The New England Gateway system is on EchoLink Conference server *NEW-ENG3* Node: 9123, IRLP reflector 9123. If other SKYWARN Coordinators and 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 wish 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 9252/Echolink Conference *SKY_GATE* node: 868981, 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.
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. The Sunflower system will be connected that will allow other VoIP mode connections as listed at the top of this message.
-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 systems. Thanks to all for their support!
Thanks to all for their continued support of the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN program!
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)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
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