San Antonio Hams

Title: Skywarn Training
Location: University of Incarnate Word, Lecture Hall
Link out: Click here
Description: The University of the Incarnate Word. the National Weather Service and the Urban Science Initiative, Inc. will join forces to present the fourth annual Severe Weather Conference on Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13, 2010 in the Bonilla Science Hall on the UIW campus.

There is no registration fee for the conference. We ask that you register so that we can provide you with conference materials and seating. You may register by downloading the registration form and faxing it to 210-493-8533 or by email to alex@urbansciencelive.org. We ask that you make your registration no later than March 1, 2010.

You may also register on-site the day of the conference however, we can not guarantee conference materials or available seating.
Start Date: 2010-03-12
End Date: 2010-03-13

Title: One Day Technician License Crash Course
Location: University of the Incarnate Word
Link out: Click here
Description: Lecture Hall, Bonilla Science Building, University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209

Sponsored by AARO Ham Club – Per Person Cost: $40 – Includes continental breakfast, lunch and fee for one 35-item, multiple-choice exam given at the end of the day. Does not include the study book.

To Register: Call (210)522-3008 or (210)680-6841
or E-mail jwallace at (@) swri.org

Anyone wanting testing at the end of the day, can pay the test fee for upgrading, etc. Please RSVP
Start Time: 08:00
Date: 2010-03-06

The National Weather Service in New Braunfels has announced they are moving their regional Skywarn Net away from the 147.14 repeater to the newer 444.450 UHF repeater that is located just south of Startzville, with an antenna up at 1670 ft above sea level.  That repeater has a tone of 114.8 and a POSITIVE offset.  The 444.450 repeater has very wide regional coverage, equivalent to what the 147.14 repeater used to be.  We’ve had folks from as far south as Wilford Hall on Lackland AFB in San Antonio, or north to south Austin on 6th Street.  Of course those contacts were made using 50 watt mobile or base radios.

This repeater will soon be hooked up via an IRLP node, but the trustee Wade W5ERX is still working out the bugs for that.   This repeater is being sponsored by the Hill Country REACT Team.

This Skywarn net is NOT to be confused with the local Skywarn Nets in San Antonio or Austin on the 146.94 repeaters.  In San Antonio, that repeater has a PL tone of 179.9 and a negative offset.  The Austin repeater has no PL tone required, but does have an output tone.

In San Antonio, most of the time, you will find one of the AEC’s (Assistant Emergency Coordinator) from the Bexar County ARES group running the local Skywarn Net, and the repeater has a tone that goes off periodically, sort of a beep, just to let you know something serious is going on even if you don’t hear anybody talking at the moment.

If the Net Control operator asks for specific types of reports, don’t call in with reports of “It’s not raining over here”, or “I just saw on TV that such and such was happening…”.  Don’t clutter up the frequency with chatter.