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METRO SKYWARN TRAINING MANUAL
By Dave Johnson N0KBD
A. Introduce the trainers.
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There will be a 30 question quiz at the end of training. We'll score the tests here and give you your new Skywarn ID card today.
B. Volunteers are needed.
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1. Metro Skywarn in the past has been operated by a few Amateur Radio operators who dedicated a year long effort to assuring the 2.5 million people in the metro area have accurate and timely information about life threatening weather conditions. This has been one of the most valuable and effective Amateur Radio services to our community.
2. More help and representation from the Amateur community is needed. Talk to your club leadership and urge them to send a representative. Or better yet, volunteer to be that person.
3. Also needed are Amateurs with flexible afternoon hours to staff the Weather Service and Bloomington EOC during severe weather this season. More people willing to provide next years training are needed too. Anyone can apply but if you have talents in emergency communications, meteorology, or providing training programs please call. During the day call Lynn Delong (N0CVI) at 566-1299 or Dave Johnson (N0KBD) at 434-0600 evenings. Or I'll take your name and phone number.
C. Repeaters
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1. There will be two nets run simultaneously. You can use either repeater, but only give your traffic once. Change repeaters only if you get out of range of the other. There is no need to inform net control.
2. Primary repeaters: 147.21 146.67
3. Back-up repeaters: 146.76 146.85
D. New procedures.
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1. There may be CHECK-INs during the net.
2. Access Net Control with your Skywarn ID#, not your amateur call. Calls will be ignored by net control. So keep your ID card on you!
3. Give only reports of severe weather or specifically requested information will be accepted. You'll be reminded of this during the net if necessary. You'll all remember the larger number of "dark clouds", "heavy rain", and "clearing skies" reports during past nets. This made an already net control even more so.
4. Reports accepted:
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a. Any size hail.
b. Significant wind damage.
c. Persistent rotating wall clouds lasting 1 to 3 minutes duration, or non-rotating wall clouds lasting 5 to 10 minutes.
d. Funnel clouds.
e. Tornadoes
f. Significant flooding causing water running (NOT PONDING) over roads, fields, lots, etc.
g. Any other information specifically requested by net control.
E. Three Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs)
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1. This year you will hear three RACES calls during Skywarn nets. Three EOCs have been set up and staffed. The Bloomington RACES EOC (WC0AAA), Dakota County ARES/RACES (NK0D), ARES/RACES EOC (N0NFO) will continue to share responsibilities.
2. All three EOCs are equipped with two VHF amateur rigs to run two simultaneous nets, a commercial radio to keep in touch with the weather service, scanners to monitor law enforcement and other public service band activities, and radar monitoring equipment. In the future packet radio, Amateur television, and other EOCs maybe added to better serve the metro area.
II. Severe Weather Instruction
A. Introduction.
B. Prestorm weather conditions.
C. Storm types.
D. Beneath the storm.
E. Outflow and inflow.
F. Examples of notable tornadoes and damage.
G. Spotter safety.
III. Spotter Operating Procedure
A. Spotter Awareness
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Knowing when severe weather could occur is a spotter responsibility. Monitor local weather reports on broadcast frequencies such as channel 17 or WCCO cable weather channel or NOAA Weather Radio KEC65 on 162.55.
B. Severe Weather Days
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On days where severe weather is possible, monitor 147.21 or 146.67 and listen for QSTs or net activation. Both repeaters will be used in a net operation so either repeater can be used. DON'T GIVE THE SAME REPORT ON BOTH REPEATERS. Should either of the primary repeaters go down, the net will shift to the designated back-up repeater. The back-up for 147.21 will be 146.76. The back-up repeater for 146.67 will be 146.85.
C. Net Activation
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The Metro Skywarn Net will be ACTIVATED ONLY AT THE REQUEST OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
D. Safety
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Spotter safety is to be of PRIMARY CONCERN.
E. Notify Net Control
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Spotters will alert net control of ANY CONDITIONS THAT AFFECT THEIR SAFETY IMMEDIATELY. Break into the net with "Emergency!"
F. Net Procedure
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Please refer to your outline of the Metro Skywarn Net Procedure to be followed by net control and spotters.
Spotters who do not use the following procedure may not be acknowledged by net control.
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1. Net control will begin with a QST explaining the reason for net activation.
2. Spotters will contact net control ONLY WITH SEVERE WEATHER OBSERVATIONS OR INFORMATION SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED BY NET CONTROL.
Report:
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a. Any size hail.
b. Damage such as damaged signs, roofs, or large branches or trees down.
c. Persistent ROTATING wall clouds lasting 1 to 3 minutes, or NON-ROTATING wall clouds lasting 5 to 10 minutes.
d. Funnel clouds.
e. Tornadoes.
f. Significant flooding causing water running (NOT PONDING) over roads, fields, yards, etc.
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4. Net control may solicit reports from specific areas or regarding specific severe or non-severe conditions as warranted.
5. If you have a SEVERE weather condition at your location, you should contact net control by giving your SKYWARN ID NUMBER, NOT YOUR AMATEUR CALL SIGN. So always carry with you your Skywarn ID card.
6. Net control will acknowledge you by repeating your SKYWARN ID NUMBER.
7. The spotter shall then reply with your location, to include, MAJOR CROSS STREETS and CITY/SUBURB, followed by the severe weather condition that you wish to report and your amateur call sign. If you give a report other than a severe or specifically requested weather condition, the net will be reminded to give only severe weather reports or other specific information.
8. Net control shall acknowledge your report with the TWENTY FOUR HOUR CLOCK TIME. This will tell you that your report has been recorded. (4pm local time = 1600.)
G. Updates
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Net control will update spotters periodically during the net on changing weather conditions about every 10
minutes. If the frequency is quiet for long periods of time, it just means the Net Control operators are busy.
H. Ending Nets
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The net will only be terminated with the permission of the NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
I. Net Role Play
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[Improvise a sample severe weather report using the reporting procedure outlined above.]
Part IV. Unexpected weather events.
A. Surprise Severe Weather
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Without warning you find yourself in what appears to be severe weather. Check on the 147.21 or 146.67 to see if
a net is in progress. If you hear nothing, give your Skywarn ID# and wait for a response. If a net control is
monitoring, he will acknowledge. Give it a few minutes. If acknowledged, give your location, your severe weather
report and sign with your call.
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If a net control cannot be located, report all severe weather observed by phoning 911 or if by autopatch to
local law enforcement. Identify yourself as a National Weather Service trained Skywarn spotter and give your
Skywarn ID#. Give your location and the severe weather report.
Part V. Review.
A. Severe weather.
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1. Prestorm awareness.
2. Rain-free base.
3. Wall cloud.
4. Inflow/outflow.
B. 1996 Skywarn net procedures.
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1. Primary repeaters 147.21 146.67.
2. Back-up repeaters 146.76 146.85.
3. Access to Net Control only with Skywarn ID#.
4. Report ONLY severe weather or specifically requested information :
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a. Any sized hail.
b. Damage such as damaged signs, roofs, or large branches or trees down.
c. Persistent ROTATING wall clouds lasting 1 to 3 minutes, or NON-ROTATING wall clouds lasting 5 to 10 minutes.
d. Funnel clouds.
e. Tornadoes.
f. Significant flooding causing water running (NOT PONDING) over roads, fields, yards, etc.
g. End your report with your amateur call and await acknowledgment in the form twenty-four hour time.
C. Other information.
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1. Practice nets to be announced on the swap nets.
2. Test to follow.
3. Stick around after completing your test, we'll score it and give you your new Skywarn ID card.
4. Test answers will be available after your test is corrected.