Will you join your local #Skywarn program?

The Storm Prediction Center has a tornado watch in your area.  Your local weather service office has broadcast a tornado warning.

The radar went down 15 minutes ago.

What does one do?

With only a very few exceptions, the radar on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone is provided by your tax dollars.

Skywarn folks know the answer

In Oklahoma, Skywarn offers training to everyone so everyone know what's fake and what's not as well as how to report to whom the observation.

There are tools like MPING to  help.see who is reporting what.

In Oklahoma, the Mesonet has a network of Stations giving wind speed and direction.  For the public safety folks, there's a plugin that displays lightning using the Nationwide Lightning Network. 

Skywarn folks know the answer.

So, the storm has passed.  Your weather radio went off while it was in the area.  The radar will come back in six hours.  In the mean time, what did you do?  What were you supposed to do?

Skywarn folks know the answer.  Find your local emergency manager and ask him or her how to be involved in Skywarn.  Your life may depend on your being aware, especially when technology fails.

Where will you go when the repeater is gone?

Are you using FM Simplex?  What frequency or frequencies do you monitor and your location?

Locally, I use 147.51, 146.52, and 446.000 in the scanner.  Traveling, I use 146.52 mostly but occasionally monitor the APRS alert (144.39 with 100 PL tone).  

One might even find me on 10-meters FM around 29.6


73

Lloyd, KC5FM

Sending Email from a handheld

Using only a Handheld! You can send your Satellite EMail from the Kenwood TH-D7(g) shown above, or the new Yaesu VX-8R (or the TM-D700 and 710 APRS mobile radios) via PCSAT-1, ISS, or GO32. . . Just press the MSG button, select INPUT on the MSG Menu, enter EMAIL as the address, and make the first text of the message be an email address followed by your message. . In the example below, an EMAIL to A3XYZ@AMSAT.ORG says OK in OceanCity with HT & whip!. .

If your email is digipeated via the satellite, then you will see MY MESSAGE flashed on the screen indicating success. . Now, all we need is a plan, a schedule, and some volulnteer SSET net-controls to take check-in\'s on the appropriate birds. . Then we need a coordinating team to assemble the results into a meaningful format for consideration. . And that is only a hint of what these HT\'s can do (see event data entry example).

ANY TNC WILL DO: . If you do not have an APRS radio or mobile, you do not even need APRS to participate in this test. You can use any packet TNC or packet softare and any radio to send your Simulated Emergency Test check in. . It is trivial to do. . Just type your email into your BTEXT and send.

73

Aprs Moving Hams On Radio And The Internet: A Guide to the Automatic Position Reporting System

Have you heard that 10-meters is OPEN? @tentennet

Ten Meters is one of my favorite bands. Even when it's not "open", it's frequently open. With the sunspots on the rise, so should the activity on the band increase.


Have you found http://ten-ten.org/daily_nets.html yet? Nets listed there will help determine if the band is open. If you look at http://www.qsl.net/steelcity/nets/whichnet.html, one will see a search box that lets you know which nets are in operation.

http://www.dxwatch.com/dxsd1.php?f=92 or http://hamspots.net/10/ will also give you DX Cluster spots, just for 10 meters.

At http://www.vhfdx.info/spots/warnings.php, one can get email alerts when six meters is open. If SIX is open, it's almost a given that TEN is open.

http://www.dxmaps.com/spots/map.php?Lan=E&Frec=28&ML=M&Map=W2L&DXC=N&HF=N&GL=N also offers a map of openings AND the ability to post spots all in one place.


There's a number of 10 meter software defined radios that one can use to see where's the band is open. Two are dedicated to the "Beacon Band".

http://userpages.troycable.net/~wj5o/bcn.htm is a list of beacons on Ten. Tune here to see where the band is open, even when it's not.

Ten Meters is one of my favorite bands. Thankfully, there's plenty of tools to take some of the Magic out of the Band.  What is your favorite band?