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2001 National Weather Service/Amateur Radio Special Event
The Caribou NWS office will be participating again this year in the SKYWARN Recognition Day jointly sponsored by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).
This Special Event is primarily aimed at recognizing the contributions that amateur radio operators make to the NWS during times of threatening weather. The event will provide an opportunity for NWS personnel and amateurs to learn more about each other and their capabilities during severe weather situations. It will also give amateur radio operators an opportunity to examine NWS operations and technology.
Locally, the event will take place on Saturday December 1, 2001 at the Caribou NWS office. Amateurs will have the opportunity to make contacts with operators at other NWS offices around the country on HF, VHF and UHF bands. Last year fifty-six (56) NWS offices, including Caribou, participated and we hope for even more this year.
For amateur stations, the object will be to exchange contact information with as many NWS Special Event stations as possible. Certificates will be given to those stations that work a significant number of offices or a majority of offices within a region.
Caribou Office to Install Amateur Radio Equipment - Net Coordinators Wanted
The Caribou NWS office has recently acquired both HF and VHF amateur radio equipment. This equipment is intended for use in emergencies and will be installed in the near future. The equipment purchased includes a Yaesu FT 840 and a G5RV antenna for communications on the HF bands as well as a Yaesu 2600M with a 5/8 wave ground-plane antenna for use on the 2 meter VHF band. The amateur radio community has a long history of service in times of need and cooperation with the National Weather Service
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would conduct a VHF severe weather net among amateur operators in his or her local area when severe weather threatens, in order to gather on-the-spot information on weather conditions. The coordinator would then relay this information to the NWS office either by phone, or by VHF or HF radio to a volunteer amateur operator using the equipment at the Caribou office. It is believed that this effort will enhance our ability to get information quickly from an affected area, even in situations where conventional communications are impaired.
For more information on this effort, or to volunteer as a net coordinator, please contact
Michael Fitzsimmons, KB1ELT at (207) 496-0136, or email at:
michael.fitzsimmons@noaa.gov
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