Quote:
Originally Posted by RCummings
Possibly of interest, Skywarn is working a nice net including those that are new to HAM radio. It came up on my radar for communication. I am not a radio operator. Link to follow.
https://www.weather.gov/oun/amateurradio
Respectfully,
Bob |
That's a great point, thanks for that.
First, for those that might be searching for a local radio club, if you can't find one, contact your NWS office and ask to be put in contact with the nearest SKYWARN group. These are volunteer weather spotters (NOT storm chasers) that are called out & spot & report severe weather, reporting in to the nearest Nat'l Wx Service office for that area. You all know how satellite says 1 thing, IMINT might say another but you really want to know about eyeballs on the ground. They usually are comprised of a high percentage of amateur licensees so they are another source for knowledge. If they are well-funded they might even have public-sector county radios on non-amateur freqs. But if they're like most, they are destitute, running on their own dime off amateur repeaters with Wouxuns, Yaesus, Baofengs or whatever they can scrape together.
SKYWARN is also a great way to give back to the community. While my area seems to "miss" the worst of the wx that passes over us, we have a vigorous SKYWARN group I'm in and have been thanked profusely by those in a poorer county "downstream" of our weather because they're very much "trailerhood" victims of t-storms/tornadoes (just how the stuff ebbs & flows). Turns out they listen to us, not the couple of guys in their own county who can't even see what's coming. So it's gratifying.
Jim, you picked no better time than now to embark. We are coming OUT of the shittiest piece of a solar cycle and things are really going to be looking up propagation wise. Get licensed, get on the air. You will enjoy it.
Finally in the evangelical marketing department, it still doesn't hurt if you learn Morse code. (Keys are cheap.) When the band IS really noisy temporarily and voice isn't working, you can ALWAYS work HF CW to somewhere. If the old-school Boy Scouts can do it, and a skinny beach-combing kid from the 60's can do it, so can you. [/rant]
