2008 National Weather Service
Skywarn Recognition Day
December 6, 2008
0000-2400 UTC
SKYWARN Recognition Day was developed in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League. It celebrates the contributions that volunteer SKYWARN radio operators make to the National Weather Service. During the day SKYWARN operators visit NWS offices and contact other radio operators across the world.
Check with your local National Weather Service office to see if they are participating in this event or having an “open house”. It is not a contest, but rather an operating event. Amateur radio operators will be on the air from National Weather Service offices and from their home stations as well. Depending upon how many NWS stations a ham operator contacts they will be given certificates of varying levels.
The certificate (show to the left) was given to W2IK in 2006 for contacting over 40 different NWS stations all across the US. Be a part of this fun event by either visiting your local NWS or by making contacts with as many stations as you can.
For updated information concerning this event, just go to:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/hamradio/
At this site, you can get a list of participating NWS offices, their call signs, and other useful information. Check this site often as additional participating offices will be listed as the day approaches. I hope you’ll join in on the fun and learn more about the National Weather Service.
Bob W2IK
November 5th, 2008 at 10:34 PM
This sounds like another great opportunity! I had the privilege of speaking to a NWS station in CA. They connected to a local repeater via Echolink. I didn’t realize it was in response to this event. LOL
November 6th, 2008 at 10:40 AM
You can easily increase the number of NWS stations contacted by monitoring the posts on “DX Summit” or “DX Central” on the internet. This is called “hunt-and-pounce-assisted”, rather than calling CQ on a frequency in the hopes they find you, also called “camping out”. The most important thing about “camping out” on a frequency is to always keep it active by leaving very short breaks inbetween your calls. Too long a break and any station will tune right by your frequency. This technique also prevents stations from thinking your frequency is open and using it.