National Weather Service Forecast Office - Philadelphia/Mount Holly

Weekly Regional SKYWARN Net

Thursdays, 9:00 PM (local time)	For your local repeater information see our frequency chart.
Click here if you are interested in becoming a Net Controller.
Webcasting of the net is available at www.skywarnnet.net.
Web check ins will be taken at http://www.wx3i.net. Note that we are hoping for hams (especially those out of range of the linked repeaters) and non-hams alike to check in via this method. If anyone would like to try their hand at being "webcast net control" please let us know. All that is needed is the ability to get into the voice net via the linked system and a computer running the chat.

The purpose of the Regional SKYWARN net includes:

Making announcements related to The Mount Holly SKYWARN group. This includes but is not limited to; Technical Committee (TC) meetings, County Coordinator meetings, Special Events, Issues of technical concern.
Dispersing information from the National Weather Service to the SKYWARN spotters. This is typically done by a representative of the National Weather Service. Information can include changes in NWS protocol, issues related to weather forecasting, and the science of meteorology.
Eliciting SKYWARN related comments from the check ins
Testing the linked repeater systems used for the the nets to ensure that it can be brought up for Skywarn use if needed during a widespread weather event.

How the Regional SKYWARN net is run:

The first step in preparation for the net is for the APRS net control operator to issue an APRS bulletin message at least an hour before the net announcing how APRS checkins will be requested. The request for check ins is repeated automatically by APRS.
Directed net protocol is used during this net. This means that there is a short introduction, a request for emergency or priority traffic and then the Net Control Station will ask for check-ins without emergency or priority traffic on a county by county basis (Much like the RACES state net run on 75 meters)
After the first round of repeater checkins are taken, APRS checkins are then taken. Then, any station stated to have traffic is called by the Net Controller to pass the traffic.
Then a call for late checkins. Then, as time permits, a request for stations with comments, etc. Then, the net is closed.

Phonetic Alphabet