Realizing that traditional lines of communication could be cut off in a disaster, Silver Valley Unified School District officials bought amateur radios for each of its schools and the district office. About 28 teachers, principals and community volunteers spent Thursday and Friday learning to operate them. Each person will take a test needed to earn a radio operating license next Saturday.
Read the entire story here
%252055%2525.jpg)
LWRA, Amateur Radio and more!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Amateur radio spotters swing into action during weather emergencies
When others are seeking shelter from severe weather, weather spotters in the Skywarn program monitor conditions, waiting patiently to see high winds knock out powerlines or a funnel cloud strike.
The spotters comprise the Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, who volunteered most recently during last month's storm when "straight-line winds" gusting from 60 to 70 mph damaged 30 homes in Groveland.
The radio service activated and operated a National Weather Service Skywarn radio network for five hours to facilitate reports of dangerous weather conditions for the National Weather Service. Skywarn is a volunteer program established by the weather service that trains volunteers to provide timely and accurate reports of local storms in order to keep their communities safe.
"The National Weather Service in Melbourne is using Doppler radar to look at large areas in the sky. They can't see what is going on down my street," said Ted Luebbers, public-information officer for Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Services. "From my location, I might be able to spot something they missed or indicate where a front is moving that would allow them to warn a community."
Next week, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Spratt will be teaching Skywarn spotter classes with the help of the weather service, Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Lake County Amateur Radio Association. Classes are March 5 at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St. A basic class will be taught at 10 a.m. and an advanced class at 1 p.m.
Amateur radio emergency coordinator Strait Hollis received advance notice of the Groveland storm from the weather service, which requested the group's help in keeping an eye on possible weather developments.
Due to a lack of severe weather, local Skywarn volunteers haven't been called upon in the past few years.
"We were pleased to find that even though it's been a while since we had a large scale Skywarn network, there was still a large response, that the lack of severe weather hadn't hindered their operations at all," Spratt said. "They were still active when the time came."
Emergency amateur radio enthusiasts hone their skills by relaying communications for events such as walkathons or bike races.
Together with Doppler radar technology and satellite, the ground reporting by spotters has allowed the weather service to obtain critical weather information and issue more timely and accurate warning for tornados, severe thunderstorms and flashfloods.
"The general public doesn't take immediate action when we issue warnings — they seem to wait for a confirmed report," Spratt said. "The spotters provide credibility and confirm our warning when they report a funnel cloud or other severe weather. They help us reinforce the reality of the situation."
To learn more about spotter classes or Lake County's amateur radio activity, visit k4fc.org or n4fla.org.
The spotters comprise the Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, who volunteered most recently during last month's storm when "straight-line winds" gusting from 60 to 70 mph damaged 30 homes in Groveland.
The radio service activated and operated a National Weather Service Skywarn radio network for five hours to facilitate reports of dangerous weather conditions for the National Weather Service. Skywarn is a volunteer program established by the weather service that trains volunteers to provide timely and accurate reports of local storms in order to keep their communities safe.
"The National Weather Service in Melbourne is using Doppler radar to look at large areas in the sky. They can't see what is going on down my street," said Ted Luebbers, public-information officer for Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Services. "From my location, I might be able to spot something they missed or indicate where a front is moving that would allow them to warn a community."
Next week, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Spratt will be teaching Skywarn spotter classes with the help of the weather service, Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Lake County Amateur Radio Association. Classes are March 5 at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St. A basic class will be taught at 10 a.m. and an advanced class at 1 p.m.
Amateur radio emergency coordinator Strait Hollis received advance notice of the Groveland storm from the weather service, which requested the group's help in keeping an eye on possible weather developments.
Due to a lack of severe weather, local Skywarn volunteers haven't been called upon in the past few years.
"We were pleased to find that even though it's been a while since we had a large scale Skywarn network, there was still a large response, that the lack of severe weather hadn't hindered their operations at all," Spratt said. "They were still active when the time came."
Emergency amateur radio enthusiasts hone their skills by relaying communications for events such as walkathons or bike races.
Together with Doppler radar technology and satellite, the ground reporting by spotters has allowed the weather service to obtain critical weather information and issue more timely and accurate warning for tornados, severe thunderstorms and flashfloods.
"The general public doesn't take immediate action when we issue warnings — they seem to wait for a confirmed report," Spratt said. "The spotters provide credibility and confirm our warning when they report a funnel cloud or other severe weather. They help us reinforce the reality of the situation."
To learn more about spotter classes or Lake County's amateur radio activity, visit k4fc.org or n4fla.org.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Important
Hello All,
As we are all aware, Thomas K4KH and I have been diligently working with the city on getting us back on the water tower. It just so happens, a few weeks ago, I stopped by the Lake Wales Medical center and dropped off my info and what I was interested in.
Well, after that length of time I thought they were not interested.
I was wrong. Very wrong.
I received a call from a wonderful lady at the hospital this past week and we were able to meet for a little while this morning (2/11/11) and discuss a few things.
Long story short:
She is very excited and willing to work with us on locating a repeater on the hospital. Even shocked that the hospital was not already involved with amateur radio (she recently relocated from Pennsylvania, and most hospitals there are very involved) I mentioned our current situation, having just bought a new VHF repeater, and that we are a small group with limited funds.
Not a problem. It seems that the medical center has funds for emergency supplies, etc. and radio gear would fall under that.
I spent some time with the facility engineer, looked at the roof top and the rohn tower that is located there (Approx 75 ft). Everything looks very promising.
The hospital will gain a relationship with our group and A.R.E.S. for emergency communications and the area will benefit from another repeater. We can also assist with getting some of their folks licensed.
So, I will begin assisting the Lake Wales Medical Center with the technical aspects of a UHF repeater, including the purchase and setup.
I will update the group as we make progress.
Judson Bracewell
KJ4IDH
http://www.lwra.us/ Vice President
http://www.polkemcomm.org/
As we are all aware, Thomas K4KH and I have been diligently working with the city on getting us back on the water tower. It just so happens, a few weeks ago, I stopped by the Lake Wales Medical center and dropped off my info and what I was interested in.
Well, after that length of time I thought they were not interested.
I was wrong. Very wrong.
I received a call from a wonderful lady at the hospital this past week and we were able to meet for a little while this morning (2/11/11) and discuss a few things.
Long story short:
She is very excited and willing to work with us on locating a repeater on the hospital. Even shocked that the hospital was not already involved with amateur radio (she recently relocated from Pennsylvania, and most hospitals there are very involved) I mentioned our current situation, having just bought a new VHF repeater, and that we are a small group with limited funds.
Not a problem. It seems that the medical center has funds for emergency supplies, etc. and radio gear would fall under that.
I spent some time with the facility engineer, looked at the roof top and the rohn tower that is located there (Approx 75 ft). Everything looks very promising.
The hospital will gain a relationship with our group and A.R.E.S. for emergency communications and the area will benefit from another repeater. We can also assist with getting some of their folks licensed.
So, I will begin assisting the Lake Wales Medical Center with the technical aspects of a UHF repeater, including the purchase and setup.
I will update the group as we make progress.
Judson Bracewell
KJ4IDH
http://www.lwra.us/ Vice President
http://www.polkemcomm.org/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)