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The ARRL and the National Weather Service will cosponsor an on-the-air event November 27, 1999--the final Saturday of the Atlantic hurricane season. The National Weather Service Special Event--a sort of mini-contest--is aimed at recognizing the contributions amateurs make to the NWS during threatening weather. It will provide an opportunity for NWS personnel and amateurs to learn more about each other and their capabilities in severe weather situations. NWS personnel will be encouraged to get on the air--under the supervision of a licensed control operator-- and to consider getting licensed.
The event also will allow NWS offices to test back-up communication in anticipation of Y2K.
The objective is for Amateur Radio operators at NWS sites to work as many other amateur stations as possible. The responsibility for setting up equipment and running the special event station at NWS sites rests with the local amateur community. Local NWS offices will provide the operators with a place to work the event, access to an area outdoors for antennas, power to run the equipment, and, of course, coffee.
Amateurs participating at NWS facilities should avoid interfering with office operations. At most, there should only be two operators at an NWS site at any time during the event. Amateur operators will be responsible for logging all contacts.
The event will run November 27 from 0000 UTC to 2400 UTC. Participating stations will operate on 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, 6, and 2 meters. Although it's expected that most contacts will be on SSB, all other modes--including FM, CW, RTTY, and PSK31--may be used. Repeater contacts also are invited.
Operators will exchange their name, QTH, and a one or two-word description of the weather at the operator's location (for example, "sunny" or "partly cloudy"). A script will be transmitted at regular intervals to announce the purpose of the event and to provide QSL information.
A Web site, http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gld/radio.htm, provides operating instructions, a list of participating site stations, and QSL information.
Operators eligible for a QSL certificate should send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the National Weather Service, 920 Armory Rd, Goodland, KS 67735. The NWS will create the certificate, check the logs, and issue the certificates based on the following levels of achievement:
% of NWS Stations Worked Certificate Achieved
5-25% Stratus
26-50% Cumulus
51-70% Towering Cumulus
71-80% Cumulonimbus
81-85% Microburst
86-90% Flash Flood
91-95% Hurricane
96-100% F5 Tornado
For more information, contact Scott Mentzer, KB0WPY, at the NWS: scott.mentzer@noaa.gov; 785-899-2360, or Rick Palm, K1CE, at the ARRL: k1ce@arrl.org; 860-594-0261; or visit http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gld/radio.htm.
We're hoping for good participation across the country. It should be productive and a lot of fun!
73,
Rick K1CE