How does this assist with storm spotting and relaying severe weather reports to the NWS? What is the value-add for this medium?
Good question.
How does VOICE over Internet Protocol help in Skywarn?
Here are some examples.
One evening, the author was monitoring WX5JAN from the Emergency Operations Center in Oklahoma. There was a tornado warning.
Their NCS announced, during an active warning, he had lost his warning source. I keyed up Echolink and said "I have your warning. Want me to read it?" He said yes. I read the warning. The net continued as if nothing had happened.
The VOIPWX.NET has for decades used only Echolink and Internet Radio Linking Project to receive Skywarn reports from the affected areas and sent them on to WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. For years, that net has been at the mercy of getting reports from mostly untrained operators who may not know a wall cloud from drizzle We have to vet them the best we can. The Hurricane Center sends thanks during every hurricane operation for the quality and quantity of reports.
VOIPWX has only within the last few years begun using networked digital voice beyond Echolink and IRLP. It started on Allstar and has grown from there.
BTW, surely there will be a Skywarn report from a ship at sea in the near future. Over the last two years, the author visited with a ham buddy on a cruise ship in the Caribbean on Hamshack Hotline. The next operator was an English ham serving as Third Engineer using Echolink on a ship in the Indian Ocean. Both were using the ship's WiFi for that free call.
Speaking of the "Hurricane Net", their Skywarn operations chief also has close ties to NWS Boston. They have an entire Echolink conference server dedicated to Skywarn operations in Massachusetts. It's quite interesting to give a listen.
The Colorado SkyHub group has a daily net on a system similar to Sunflower. Their system covers much of the State of Colorado. Their net lasts about an hour as the NCS goes with reports from the NWS offices that serve the State. Each office gets their HWO mentioned.
During severe weather, they "Island", i.e. segregate the parts of the State that are not impacted. Warnings are read. Reports are received. One evening, last season, there were warnings for storms that would cross the State line into Kansas. SunflowerNet was connected to their system so users in Kansas could hear what was heading their way.
Finally, our neighbors at N0NWS have a weekly training net on Echolink and Allstar. They are connected to SunflowerNet. They run their operation on a networked repeater system that covers a few counties in Kansas. They even accept reports over Echolink and Allstar for the Springfield office.
Skywarn has always been more than getting reports from the field and relaying those reports to NWS. Informing the public has always come as part of the privilege of getting information FROM NWS. If nothing else, scanner listeners still listen to their scanners, including Broadcastify. I'm not suggesting we go into the broadcasting industry with Weather On the Eights. I am suggesting that we mention the weather into the future, ex. Storm Prediction Center one- two- and three-day outlooks, etc.
Hope that helps understand how Skywarn can use connected radios to fulfill the mission.
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