
c COPYRIGHT 1993,1996 DANIEL R. GROPPER
PERMISSION GRANTED FOR NON-PROFIT COPYING PROVIDED 
THAT SOURCE CREDIT IS GIVEN.
second edition June, 1996








Forward and Dedication

	This manual is dedicated to the SKYWARN volunteers who spend many hours in training classes 
to be ready to participate in SKYWARN severe weather nets in Amateur Radio's finest public service 
tradition. The SKYWARN system works ONLY because the volunteers make it work. It takes real 
dedication to drop whatever you are doing to participate in a SKYWARN Net, which may last for one 
hour or for many days.

	This manual is also dedicated to the National Weather Service (NWS). Over the past two years 
that I have been working with SKYWARN, I have only a growing respect for the hours of training and 
dedication each NWS staff member takes to fulfill the NWS mission of saving lives and property through 
the issuance of timely and accurate watches and warnings. Despite all the technology, the forecasting of 
weather is still an art and we are very fortunate to have such talented and dedicated forecasters in the 
Washington Forecast Office. Much thanks, praise and admiration goes to the entire NWS staff, but I 
would be remiss if I did not give special mention to Jim Belville, Meteorologist in Charge, and Bill 
Comeaux, his deputy, who have both seen to it that SKYWARN would be given high priority. Not enough 
can be said about Barbara McNaught and Melody Hall who are the physical embodiments of SKYWARN. 
These two meteorologists have taken the Washington SKYWARN program from an idea to a model for 
the country.

	Finally, this manual is dedicated to my family, Gayle, Richard and Allison who put up with a lot to 
support the program including pagers and phone calls in the middle of the night, missed meals and 
letting me spend as much time as needed to keep the SKYWARN system working.

	This manual will never be finished! Each SKYWARN activation provides new challenges. No two 
activations are the same. The goal is to take the lessons learned and effectively integrate them into the 
SKYWARN system to be in the best possible position to be ready for "the next one", which always 
comes! 

						Daniel R. Gropper, KC4OCG
						SKYWARN Amateur Radio 
						Operations Coordinator
						May, 1993


Forward and Dedication
(1996)

	It is hard to believe that it has been almost three years since the original SKYWARN Operations 
Manual was prepared and distributed. 

	Since that time the program has been awarded a U.S. Department of Commerce Public Service 
award by Dr. Joe Friday, the Director of the National Weather Service, which was reported in the 
American Radio Relay League's national QST magazine. We have lived through record setting weather 
events from hurricanes and floods to blizzards and we have seen the Internet become a major source of 
weather information with many forecast offices and the National Weather Service headquarters having 
their own home pages.

	We are pleased that the organizational and operational structure setup in 1993 has proven itself 
time and time again, not only in the Washington, DC area, but also around the country. We have proven, 
at least locally, that 1500 volunteer trained severe weather spotters spread out over 10,000 square miles 
and four states (Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and the District of Columbia) can reliably observe and 
report the occurrence of severe weather to the National Weather Service in an accurate and timely 
manner.

	The goal of this second edition of the SKYWARN manual is to update procedures with lessens 
learned and to incorporate information about weather on the Internet. A number of the scripts have also 
been updated and hopefully improved!

	Finally, with special thanks, I wish to commend Jorge Thevenet, KD4DGQ, who is just finishing 
his two year term as the Washington, DC area SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator. He ably proved 
that the coordinator's position can be held by new people with the program only improving as a result. 


						Daniel R. Gropper, KC4OCG
						SKYWARN Amateur Radio 
						Training Coordinator
						June, 1996

SKYWARN NET CONTROL OPERATIONS MANUAL

I.  INTRODUCTION and ORGANIZATION	1
1.1 Purpose of This Manual	1
1.2 Purpose of SKYWARN	1
1.3 Role of Amateur Radio in SKYWARN	2
1.4 Organizational Structure of SKYWARN	3
1.5 SKYWARN's Relationship to ARRL/ARES/RACES/REACT	3
1.5.1 Federal Communications Commission, Part 97 and SKYWARN 
	and NOAA Weather Radio Alerts	4
1.5.2 SKYWARN Advisory Committee	5
1.5.3 RED CROSS WINTER 4 WHEEL DRIVE PROGRAM	6
1.6 Role of SKYWARN Net Control	6
1.7.1 SKYWARN Management	7
1.7.1 Role of the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator	8
II.  ACTIVATION of SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO NET	10
2.1 NWS Decision to Activate SKYWARN	10
2.2 Activation Time Frames and Requested Staffing	10
2.3 NWS SKYWARN Net Activation Steps BY NWS FORECASTERS	10
2.4 SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator Activation Steps	12
2.4.1 Net Control Operator Personnel List	13
2.4.2 NWS Communication Emergency Procedure	13
III.  NET CONTROL OPERATOR PROCEDURES	15
3.1 Behavioral Rules	15
3.1.1 Do Not Bring Children With You	15
3.1.2 NWS Forecast Office Operating Conditions	15
3.1.3 No More Than Three (3) Volunteers at the SKYWARN
	Amateur Radio Station at One Time	15
3.1.4 Preparations for Extended Activation	15
3.1.5 How To Volunteer for Net Control Duty	17
3.1.6 Interaction With The Forecasters	17
3.1.7 Handling Non-Severe Weather Reports	17
3.1.8 The 147.300 WA4TSC Repeater and the NVTN	18
3.1.9 Emergency Broadcast Radio	19
3.2 Operating Rules	19
3.2.1 Access to NWS	19
3.2.2 Briefing Upon Arrival at the NWS	19
3.2.3 Net Liaison Initial Setup	19
3.2.4 Remote Net Control Volunteers	20
3.3 Closing the SKYWARN Net	21
3.4 SKYWARN SubNet Procedures	22
3.5 Remote Net Control	23
3.6 Local Weather Nets	23
3.7 Interfacing with Other Groups	24
3.8 SWITCHING NET TO ALTERNATE REPEATERS	25
IV.  SKYWARN NET CONTROL SCRIPTS	26
4.1 SKYWARN Script #1 - SUMMER	26
4.2 SKYWARN Script #2 - SUMMER:	27
4.3 SKYWARN Script #3 - SUMMER	28
4.4 SKYWARN Script #1 - WINTER:	29
4.5 SKYWARN Script #2 - WINTER	30
4.6 SKYWARN Script #3 - WINTER	31
4.7 SKYWARN Net Closing Script:	32
V. SKYWARN PACKET OPERATIONS	33
VI. HURRICANE WATCH and/or WARNING	34
VII. SKYWARN HF OPERATIONS	36
VIII. PUBLICITY and PUBLIC RELATIONS and AUTOCALL	37
IX. DESCRIPTION of the SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO STATION	39
X. NWS BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON FORECAST OFFICE INFORMATION and DIRECTIONS	41
XI. Weather on the Internet	42
XI.   APPENDIXES	
11.1  NWS County Warning Area of Responsibility for Severe Weather
		and Goals for the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Net
11.2  MOU ARRL and NWS
	11.2.1 MOU REACT and NWS
11.3  MOU Virginia ARES and RACES
11.4  Information (Used with permission of Hurricane Watch Net)
		11.4.1 	Time Zone Conversions
		11.4.2 	Net Prowords
		11.4.3 	Q Signals
		11.4.4 	Hurricane Tracking Chart
		11.4.5 	Conversion Formulas (knots/mph etc.)
		11.4.6 	Dvorak Pressure/Wind Curve
		11.4.7 	Distance Conversion Chart
		11.4.8 	Safer-Simpson Scale 
		11.4.9 	Safer-Simpson (from NWS Hurricanes!)
		11.4.10	Hurricane Safety Advice (from NWS Hurricanes!)
11.5  VA Emergency Net Information
11.6  Amateur Frequency HF/VHF/UHF Allocation Chart, Band Plan and 
	  Country Prefix codes (Used with permission of 
	  Icom America, Inc.)
11.7  Articles Written About SKYWARN
11.8  HamTalk Network Map
11.9  DAREN (WV Packet) 
11.10 TMARC Repeater and BBS Maps and Lists
11.11 ARRL NTS Formal Traffic Forms and Instructions
11.12 ARRL Emergency Nets (Used with permission of the ARRL)
11.13 Family Disaster Plan
11.14 Fire, Police, NWS and Emergency Telephone Numbers
11.15 Virginia SKYWARN District Map
11.16 SKYWARN Advisory Committee Description
11.17 SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator Position Description
11.18 Winter Storm Report Form
	11.19 Summer Storm Report Form
	11.20 FCC Report and Order on Rule 97.113 
		Use of Amateur Radio Frequencies

SKYWARN NET CONTROL OPERATIONS MANUAL

I.  INTRODUCTION and ORGANIZATION

1.1 Purpose of This Manual

This manual is designed to be used as a reference guide for SKYWARN Net Operation 
in the jurisdictions under the National Weather Service (NWS) Baltimore-Washington, 
DC, Forecast Office's warning area of responsibility for severe weather. The forecast 
office is physically located near Dulles Airport in Sterling, VA. 

The Washington area SKYWARN Net has a large area of responsibility which roughly 
extends from the Pennsylvania border south to Charlottesville, VA and Fredericksburg, 
VA and from the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay west to the Appalachian 
Mountains in West Virginia. A detailed map of this warning area is Appendix 11.1 of 
this manual. Net Control operators should continually strive to learn more about the 
diverse geography of this immense area.

Training cannot, and should not, take place "on the job" during severe weather.  Proper 
training is essential for the effective flow of information between SKYWARN spotters 
and the NWS and/or emergency management personnel. This includes training for 
spotters as well as net control volunteers. To be effective, everyone in the SKYWARN 
"system" needs to know their roles BEFORE severe weather strikes.

1.2 Purpose of SKYWARN

SKYWARN is the NWS national program of trained volunteer severe weather spotters.  
SKYWARN volunteers support their local community and government by providing the 
NWS with timely and accurate severe weather reports. These reports, when integrated 
with modern NWS technology, are used to inform communities of the proper actions to 
take as severe weather threatens.  SKYWARN, formed in the early 1970's, has 
historically provided critical severe weather information to the NWS in time to get 
appropriate warnings issued. Thus the key focus of the SKYWARN program is to save 
lives and property through the use of the observations and reports of trained 
volunteers. 

Each NWS forecast office runs its own SKYWARN program.  The Baltimore-
Washington Forecast Office has worked diligently to make its SKYWARN program a 
model for the country. Although our SKYWARN system has been acknowledged as one 
of the better operations in the country, it is a goal and a challenge to continually 
improve the SKYWARN system and to integrate new technologies and procedures to 
best fulfill SKYWARN's mission of saving lives and property.

1.3 Role of Amateur Radio in SKYWARN

Amateur radio has been, and always will be, a critical component of the Baltimore-
Washington area SKYWARN program. In the National Capital Area we are extremely 
fortunate to have hundreds of trained SKYWARN spotters who are also amateur radio 
operators.  This dual role for amateur radio operators is a natural result of their inherent 
interest and fascination with natural and scientific phenomena (especially the weather!) 
and with cutting edge technology such as Doppler radar and lightning detection 
devices. When this fascination is combined with the ability and desire to be trained to 
communicate severe weather observations via amateur radio in a professional and 
effective manner, the synergy is hard to duplicate. Finally, amateur radio operators 
have a long history of using their training, skills and equipment in uncompensated 
public service to help the community at large, which is precisely the focus of the 
SKYWARN system.

The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Station and computer equipment uses mostly donated 
equipment and is maintained by amateur radio operators volunteering their time and 
expertise. The initial grant to fund the station came from The Foundation for Amateur 
Radio, Inc. Their foresight in providing the grant to purchase state-of-the-art equipment 
is appreciated more with each successful activation of the SKYWARN net. In addition 
to being an extremely usable and reliable station, the SKYWARN Amateur Radio 
Station, located in the forecast office, provides a visible and professional focal point for 
the importance of amateur radio to the NWS, even when SKYWARN is not activated. 
This is extremely important as the NWS annually receives many thousands of visitors 
at the forecast office, from elementary school students through high ranking 
government officials and emergency managers. This is the reason for the bright colored 
orange signs identifying each component of the radio station.

The close working relationship between the NWS and the amateur radio community 
provides many special benefits to each group. These benefits are highlighted in the 
following goals for the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Net:

1.	To provide the NWS with timely and accurate severe weather 
reports via amateur radio.  This includes both incoming reports of 
severe weather per the NWS criteria and amateur radio operators 
making observations at specific locations in response to a NWS 
request.  For example, amateurs have often been asked to monitor 
river and creek flooding situations at certain critical points.

2.	To create and maintain an organized communication network for 
passing critical severe weather traffic in a timely fashion to and 
from the NWS in the event that normal communications have been 
interrupted. The NWS has lost normal communications services in 
the past and it is likely that the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Net 
would be activated in future communications emergencies. 

	We have recently regularly experienced an overloaded telephone 
network during storms. This is probably due to the huge number of 
people using telephone modems and fax machines to communicate 
from home during storms. While the telephone system may not be 
"down", it make take 30 minutes or more to telephone the forecast 
office. At these peak usage times, amateur radio plays a critical 
role in relaying severe weather observations to the forecast office.

3.	To disseminate warnings and special weather statements issued 
by the NWS to the amateur radio community. Every attempt is 
made to read special and severe weather statements issued by the 
NWS over the SKYWARN Net to keep amateurs informed of 
developing situations and to practice for situations when normal 
communications channels fail. 

4.	To organize and train amateur radio operators to prepare 
themselves and their families for disaster or emergency weather 
related situations so that they may be available to assist in 
emergency net operations. This preparedness training is critical if 
the SKYWARN system is to be expected to operate reliably during 
true emergency situations.

1.4 Organizational Structure of SKYWARN

SKYWARN is NOT a club. It is a true volunteer public service whose membership is 
open to all who wish to participate. All reports of severe weather through the 
SKYWARN system are appreciated. The scripts have been set up to outline the NWS 
criteria for severe weather on which observations are requested so that untrained 
observers may participate. Despite the scripts, all net participants are strongly 
encouraged to take advantage of the excellent, interesting and free training provided by 
the NWS covering subject matter from basic SKYWARN training through specialized 
courses in winter storms and hurricanes.

1.5 SKYWARN's Relationship to ARRL/ARES/RACES/REACT  

The Amateur Radio operator's participation in the SKYWARN program is formally 
acknowledged and encouraged in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between 
the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the NWS. A copy of this MOU is 
Appendix 11.2 to this manual. This agreement indicates that the ARRL will encourage 
its local volunteer groups operating as the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) 
to provide the NWS with spotters and communicators as requested by the NWS during 
times of severe weather. 

Many civil disasters are a direct result of severe weather and/or are exacerbated by 
severe weather. Accordingly, the NWS may utilize the SKYWARN amateur radio 
operators not only to obtain and disseminate severe weather observations and 
warnings, but may also use the amateur radio operators to maintain close coordination 
with Emergency Managers under Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) and 
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). The importance of this additional 
role for SKYWARN was demonstrated during Hurricane I.E. Zelda, a training exercise 
in March of 1992, in which an extremely strong (all paper) hurricane devastated a huge 
portion of Virginia and Maryland, and during the actual Hurricane Andrew, an extremely 
powerful hurricane that devastated parts of Florida and Louisiana during August 1992.

In Virginia and West Virginia ARES and RACES operate as one organization. In 
Maryland and the District of Columbia ARES and RACES work in close coordination 
with each other. A copy of the MOU between the Virginia Dept. of Emergency Services, 
ARES and RACES, which describes the activation of RACES and its relationship to 
ARES, is Appendix 11.3 to this manual. 

Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams (REACT) also support 
SKYWARN. A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding between the NWS and 
REACT is Appendix 11.2.1 to this manual. REACT nets may take reports of severe 
weather and relay them to the NWS either by normal communications modes (phone, 
FAX etc.) or by linking up with a REACT member who is also an amateur radio operator 
who can relay the severe weather information to SKYWARN Net Control through the 
SKYWARN amateur radio frequencies. Although it may take some creativity and 
organization, the goal is to include all groups in the SKYWARN system who wish to 
participate. The REACT interface has worked effectively and has gotten many reports 
from travelers passing through the area.

1.5.1 Federal Communications Commission, Part 97 and SKYWARN and NOAA 
Weather Radio Alerts

On July 28, 1993 the Federal Communications Commission issued a Report and Order 
based on PR Docket 92-136, which revised Amateur Radio Rule 97 C.F.R. 113, which 
governs "prohibited transmissions" on amateur radio frequencies. The Report and 
Order is Appendix 11.21 to this manual.

This rule change has two major effects on the use of amateur radio in the SKYWARN 
program. First, in the Report and Order, the FCC specifically permits the use of 
amateur radio, "...to collect data for the National Weather Service." Before this explicit 
statement there was a great deal of discussion over whether SKYWARN type activities 
were a permissible amateur radio activity.

Second, 97.113 (e) permits the retransmission of, "..weather forecast information 
intended for use by the general public and originated from the United States 
Government stations", on an intermittent basis, on amateur radio frequencies. This has 
permitted amateurs to link NOAA Weather Radio directly to amateur radio repeaters. 

This feature has proven a great benefit in activating SKYWARN as most SKYWARN 
participants learn of SKYWARN's activation through the issuance of warnings on 
NOAA Weather Radio. We have successfully integrated the NOAA Weather Radio 
alert tone into a number of local repeaters. Our system also gives amateurs DTMF 
(touch tone) access to live NOAA Weather Radio rebroadcast through the repeaters.  

The NWS also announces, over NOAA Weather Radio, that SKYWARN has been 
activated. This announcement is followed by the local amateur radio frequency. These 
announcements have significantly improved net participation. 

We have been told that this system has not only alerted SKYWARN participants of the 
weather situation, but has also warned boaters and motorists listening to scanners of 
deteriorating weather conditions. In many instances, this simple early warning of an 
upcoming storm was enough to get people to seek safe shelter. Thus, we have made 
great communications strides in not only linking the NWS to amateur radio during 
severe weather, but in providing a valuable and potentially life saving public service.

1.5.2 SKYWARN Advisory Committee

With the modernization and restructuring of the NWS, most offices now face the 
challenges of multi-state coordination. The objective is to set up a system that is 
transparent to jurisdictional boundaries and uniformly operates across the entire 
SKYWARN area of responsibility. To achieve this goal, the Baltimore-Washington 
Forecast Office has formed a SKYWARN advisory committee comprised of 
representatives from ARES, RACES and REACT in each state (WV,VA,MD/DC). The 
outline of the advisory committee's goals and functions is Appendix 11.16 to this 
manual. 

The advisory committee has worked better than we had anticipated! The committee 
meets once per quarter at the NWS forecast office. We try to limit the meeting length to 
1 1/2 hours and we try to meet on a Saturday morning. An agenda for the current 
meeting and minutes for the previous meeting are mailed to the advisory committee 
representatives about a week before each meeting. The meeting is run by the Warning 
Coordination Meteorologist. The Training Coordinator brings the donuts and soda! 
(Critical job!!) These features keep the meetings short and focused.

The revised scripts are a direct result of discussion of the coordinators. The input and 
interaction of the representatives from each of the served states (Virginia, Maryland, 
West Virginia and District of Columbia) and groups (ARES, RACES, REACT) in each 
area, has helped to solve operational problems, confirm things that went well during an 
activation, and highlight areas which need improvement. Many new subnets and 
repeaters have been seemlessly added to the SKYWARN system as a result of the 
club and trustee representatives participating in the coordinating meetings. Perhaps, 
most importantly, these meetings have served to bring key SKYWARN people together 
on a regular basis which has greatly enhanced system wide cohesiveness. Overall, the 
coordinating committee has been one of the most successful innovations of the 
SKYWARN system.

1.5.3 RED CROSS WINTER 4 WHEEL DRIVE PROGRAM

During emergency situations (usually winter storms), the Red Cross may activate its 
volunteer 4 wheel drive program for essential personnel. If necessary, SKYWARN net 
control volunteers may ask the Red Cross for a 4 wheel drive ride to the NWS. 

Many times the 4 wheel volunteer is an amateur radio operator and will ask for weather 
guidance from the NWS forecasters through the SKYWARN net and may report 
impassable roads to the net. 

1.6 Role of SKYWARN Net Control  

SKYWARN Net Control is the critical role in any SKYWARN activation. It is a role that 
will always challenge all of an amateur radio operator's communications and technical 
skills. It is also an extremely responsible role in that the safety of lives and property 
may rest on the amateur's skills. Although this role is challenging, with proper training 
and experience, this role can also be extremely rewarding when a job is successfully 
completed.

It is the purpose of this manual to provide a framework for SKYWARN net control 
operation. While consistency of procedures from net to net is important, no two 
SKYWARN activations will be exactly the same. Therefore, the net control operator has 
the authority and responsibility to do everything necessary, within FCC rules, to ensure 
that the SKYWARN mission is performed to the best of his or her abilities. 

It is essential that SKYWARN net control operators be familiar with the operation of the 
SKYWARN Amateur Radio Station, as well as NWS procedures, to be able to do an 
effective job.

We have found from experience that each Net Control shift, which can and usually is 
run from the Amateur's house, should be about 45 minutes in length. It is important to 
designate a "scheduler" for each event. Trained net control personnel should check in 
on the net with the scheduler and get a shift. We have found that this lets many people 
serve and get experience as the net control station. Additionally, more people are 
willing to commit for 45 minute shift at a certain time than for an "all afternoon" shift. 
This scheduling procedure has enabled the SKYWARN net to run for 35 continuous 
hours without burning out net control personnel.


1.7.1 SKYWARN Management

Each forecast office will organize its SKYWARN program to best meet its own needs 
and to best utilize available NWS and volunteer personnel.

Our program is organized to provide the most service with the least bureaucracy!

SKYWARN Program Manager:

The SKYWARN Program Manager is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Barbara 
McNaught Watson. The Assistant SKYWARN program manager is Melody Hall, who is 
the hydrologist. It is important to have at least two NWS personnel actively involved in 
the SKYWARN program management to provide  "institutional memory" and continuity 
should a NWS staff member get transferred to another office, which is a common 
occurrence.

SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator:

On the amateur side, the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator is chosen by the 
NWS SKYWARN Program Manager as the point person with whom the SKYWARN 
Program Manager coordinates SKYWARN activities. Although the SKYWARN Amateur 
Radio Coordinator position is a volunteer position, it is a critical function of the 
SKYWARN program. 

We have found that people listen to what the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator 
says, and treat this information as official information from the NWS. Accordingly, it is 
critically important for the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator to be extremely 
careful in what he or she says and how he or she acts as poor judgment will reflect 
poorly on both the amateur radio community and on the NWS. Additionally, the 
SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator must be politically savvy and do his or her best 
to keep the NWS out of amateur radio local disagreements.

One of the most important roles of the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator is to 
choose and train his or her possible replacements, almost from the first day he or she 
is on the job. It takes about a year of actual experience on the job as an assistant 
coordinator to gain the skills necessary to take on the coordinator's job. 

It is a stated goal to rotate coordinators about every two years. This keeps give the 
program new management blood and avoids the burn out of the coordinator.

SKYWARN Amateur Radio Training Coordinator:

We added the position of SKYWARN Amateur Radio Training Coordinator. This 
position is held by someone who is experienced in the operation of the SKYWARN 
program and can conduct classes in net control procedure and can write and update 
manuals (like this one) and scripts and acts as an overall trouble shooter.

SKYWARN Assistant Coordinators:

We have three other assistant coordinators who will run the net when the main 
coordinator is unavailable and will generally act as leaders when things need to be 
done.

The amateur radio coordinator, the training coordinator and the three assistant 
coordinators are all on a group paging system. One telephone call from the NWS sets 
off five pagers. The amateur radio coordinator calls the NWS and the other four check 
in on the main SKYWARN repeater. Should the amateur radio coordinator not check in 
to the main repeater, one of the assistant coordinators will call the NWS. This system 
give organization, efficiency and redundancy to activations and has worked extremely 
well and professionally.

SKYWARN Scheduling Net Control Stations:

We also have two scheduling net control stations who assign net control slots (usually 
45 minutes in length). This is a critical position in long activations.

1.7.1 Role of the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator

The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator, as assisted by the Amateur Radio 
Training Coordinator, and Assistant Coordinators, organizes the operation of the entire 
SKYWARN Amateur Radio Net to ensure operation in accordance with the goals of the 
NWS. Specific duties of the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator include, but are 
not limited to:

1.	Ensuring that at least two SKYWARN net liaisons go the forecast office 
when requested by the NWS. 

	Net liaisons are experienced amateur radio operators who go to the NWS 
forecast office, pull the important severe weather information from the 
SKYWARN net and give it to the forecasters and get updated weather 
information and warnings from the forecasters and place this information 
on the main net, and on the subnets. The liaison also coordinates directly 
with the subnets as necessary. Liaisons should be relieved and replaced 
every 3-4 hours.

2.	Creating and updating a set of recommended protocols and an operating 
manual for net operation.

3.	Coordinating simple, effective and efficient procedures for passing traffic 
between local SKYWARN nets, the main SKYWARN net, and the NWS 
forecasters.

4.	Sharing information, ideas, and protocols with other SKYWARN programs 
throughout the country to develop the best possible local SKYWARN 
program.

	Many SKYWARN programs and ARES groups have home pages on the 
Internet. This has made the exchange of information between groups 
more efficient. In fact, parts of this manual are on the internet for this very 
reason!

5.	Coordinating the activities of SKYWARN with ARES, RACES, REACT, 
and other governmental agencies to best fulfill SKYWARN's goals.
The position description of the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator, as formalized 
by the NWS, is Appendix 11.17 to this manual. This volunteer position is appointed by 
the NWS SKYWARN Program Manager to ensure that the person chosen can work 
well with the NWS forecasters and management and to ensure some stability in the 
position. The person chosen for this position must maintain at least a general class 
amateur radio license, possess superior coordination and communication skills and 
should be readily available to the NWS.

The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator is also responsible for making sure that at 
least one "coordinator" is on duty at all times to receive the NWS page and to bring up 
the net as requested by the NWS. This will often involve passing the SKYWARN 
pagers, activation instructions and trained net control volunteer lists from coordinator to 
coordinator when an out of town trip is expected. It is imperative that the "SKYWARN 
Amateur Radio Coordinator" position be covered at ALL TIMES!
We have been very successful using a group paging system to activate SKYWARN.  
The NWS dials one phone number and enters a code which sets off five pagers held by 
the Amateur Radio Coordinator and his/her four assistants.

II.  ACTIVATION of SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO NET

2.1 NWS Decision to Activate SKYWARN  

The NWS Baltimore-Washington Forecast Office activates SKYWARN when severe 
weather is expected to affect its area of warning responsibility. See map at Appendix 
11.1 of this manual.  SKYWARN is activated for many forms of anticipated severe 
weather including tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, floods, and severe 
winter storms.

2.2 Activation Time Frames and Requested Staffing

For short lead time events (i.e. severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash floods), 
SKYWARN is activated when the WATCH is issued. The lead time may vary from zero 
(0) to six (6) hours.  Thunderstorms often change rapidly and are life-threatening 
situations. Net control volunteers are always requested to staff the SKYWARN Amateur 
Radio Station during thunderstorms and during other similar fast moving and rapidly 
changing weather situations. The SKYWARN net will usually remain activated for three 
to twelve hours for short term events.

During long lead time severe weather events, such as hurricanes, stream and river 
flooding, and winter storms, SKYWARN is activated when the WARNING is issued.  
Lead time may be anywhere from zero (0) to twelve (12) hours. Requests to staff the 
SKYWARN Amateur Radio Station will depend on the forecaster's assessment of the 
nature of the storm  and the storm's potential to cause wide-spread communication 
outages.  Long-term events may cause SKYWARN to be activated for extended periods 
of time, possibly measured in days. See Section 3.1.4 Preparations for Extended 
Activation. Severe winter storms (blizzards!) in March 1993 and January 1996 caused 
SKYWARN to be activated for more than 30 continuous hours.

2.3 NWS SKYWARN Net Activation Steps BY NWS FORECASTERS  


WHEN TO ACTIVATE:

It is the lead forecaster's responsibility to see that SKYWARN is ACTIVATED whenever 
a WATCH or WARNING affects the NWS county warning area of responsibility 
(covering 2 or more counties), OR he/she feels that a critical weather situation is 
developing that threatens life and/or property and SKYWARN reports are needed (i.e. 
flood, hurricane, winter storm, etc.)

HOW TO ACTIVATE:

1. NORMAL ACTIVATION

	A. CALL (703) ___-_____
	B. At the beep, punch in 242*____*____*______#
			(NWS telephone number)
	C. SKYWARN Net Manager will call in on phone for briefing.

2. BRING UP NET IMMEDIATELY!!**

	A. CALL (703) ___-______
	B. At the beep, punch in 299*____*_____# 
			(NWS telephone number)
	C. Turn on radio 1 to memory 1 (147.300) and listen to net
	D. SKYWARN Net Manager will call in on telephone for briefing

	**This is used when the NWS has an emergency situation i.e.. a thunderstorm 
that is suddenly causing damage or is spawning tornadoes before the net has been 
activated.

3. If the pagers are not working, try calling the SKYWARN Net 	Managers:

	Net Managers: (on the group pager system)
		Home Tel	Work Tel.
	240	Group Wide Page!
	241	Dan 		
	242	Jorge 	
	243	Lisa 		
	244	Tom and Margaret 	
	245	Ross 		
	246	Bernie 	




Once NWS forecasters have made the decision to activate SKYWARN, the following 
action steps are taken by the forecasters:

	1. 	A message stating that "SKYWARN HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. 
PRIMARY AMATEUR RADIO NET ON 147.300 MEGA HERTZ" is 
placed on NOAA Weather Radio.

		NOAA Weather Radio is transmitted from: 

			Manassas, Va. on 162.550 MHz;
			Hagerstown, Md. on 162.475 MHz;
			Baltimore, Md. on 162.400 MHz; and 
			Moorefield, WV. on 162.400 MHz. 

**NOTE: NOAA weather radio is also used to notify the amateur radio community 
of a change of repeaters.

2. 	This message alerts all SKYWARN spotters to be on the lookout 
for severe weather and to be ready to pass reports to NWS by 
phone if the formal net is not in operation. Most of the watches and 
warnings that cause SKYWARN to be activated are tone-alerted 
and will activate weather alert radios. SKYWARN participants are 
encouraged to obtain radios with this feature. The tone alert 
feature is tested each Wednesday between 11AM and Noon by the 
NWS. Please make sure that your tone alert is functioning 
properly!

2.4 SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator Activation Steps

1.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator, or his/her designate, 
receives the page and calls the NWS at the telephone number on the 
pager.

2.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator is briefed by the forecaster 
on:
 
a.	Nature of expected severe weather;
 
b.	Expected onset of severe weather
		(immediate or later in day);
 
c.	Expected duration of event; and,

d.	Are there any special communication needs
		(such as HF radio).


3.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator asks the forecaster:

a.	To turn on radio number 1 to memory channel number 1 (147.300) 
to enable NWS to immediately listen to the net; and,

b.	To ask if the "SKYWARN HAS BEEN ACTIVATED" message has 
been placed on NOAA weather radio.

4.	If necessary, the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator arranges to 
bring up the net IMMEDIATELY from remote sites such as a house or a 
car.

5.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator assesses the situation and 
takes the following steps:
  
a.	Contacts amateur radio net liaisons to staff the SKYWARN 
Amateur Radio Station at the NWS;
	**NOTE: Staffing should be in shifts of two (2) or three (3) people 
with new personnel rotated approximately every three to four (3-4) 
hours.

b.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator alerts sub-nets by 
calling designated liaisons.

c.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator puts 147.300 MHz 
(WA4TSC Bluemont, VA repeater) into "Weather Alert" mode 
immediately to tell listeners that a net is coming up and severe 
weather is expected. 
	Code: _____
	**NOTE: This code is CONFIDENTIAL!

6.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator monitors the net and 
periodically checks with forecasters to track the progress of the storm and 
makes adjustments in staffing of the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Station 
as required.

	2.4.1 Net Control Operator Personnel List  

The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator will prepare and continually update a list of 
Net Control operators certified to run the SKYWARN net (both from the NWS and 
remotely).  The goal is have about 100 Net Control operators on the list, many of whom 
are likely to be available in the afternoons to cover SKYWARN activations for 
thunderstorms.  The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator must be able to contact 
Net Control operators at any time and therefore should have the amateur's home 
phone, work phone, car phone, FAX, and pager numbers.  

	2.4.2 NWS Communication Emergency Procedure

If the telephones are NOT working and there is an IMMINENT DANGER TO LIFE AND 
PROPERTY (i.e. tornado, very severe thunderstorm) and there is NO time to find 
another telephone:
	A. Turn on Amateur Radio to either 146.910- or 147.300+ 
	B. Press the button on the microphone and say, 
	"THIS IS NWS STERLING, VA. WE HAVE A COMMUNICATIONS 
		PROBLEM. 
	C. CAN SOMEONE CONTACT KD4DGQ OR KC4OCG AND HAVE THEM 
		CONTACT US ON THIS FREQUENCY? 
	(or possibly);
	D.  CAN SOMEONE BRING UP THE SKYWARN NET? WE HAVE THE 
		FOLLOWING SITUATION (READ WATCH OR WARNING) 


(Authority: 47 Code of Fed. Reg. (CFR) 97.403):

SAFETY OF LIFE AND PROTECTION OF PROPERTY
No provision of these rules (part 97 amateur radio rules) prevents the use by an amateur station of any 
means of radio communication at its disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection 
with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal 
communication systems are not available.

This last emergency procedure has become more important with the telephone system 
getting increasingly overloaded. This procedure was put in place after the NWS 
communication systems were severed when a contractor cut a fiber optics cable at the 
forecast office. 

It has only been used once where tornadoes were touching down and causing damage 
and injury in Southern Maryland and the NWS telephone system was overloaded with 
spotter and media calls and an eyewitness to a funnel cloud touching down was calling 
the NWS on amateur radio to report a funnel cloud location and direction of movement.

This procedure is to only be used in emergencies, which may need to be justified, as 
above, but it is an important backup communication resource should normal NWS 
communication systems fail or become overloaded.

III.  NET CONTROL OPERATOR PROCEDURES

3.1 Behavioral Rules  

3.1.1 Do Not Bring Children With You

The NWS Forecast Office is NOT the place for children or sightseers during 
emergencies.  The NWS operations area is not large and is filled with expensive and 
delicate equipment.  Please DO NOT bring people to the NWS who will distract you or 
the NWS from doing the best possible job. The NWS would be pleased to give your 
family a tour of the NWS facility at a quiet weather time and upon prior arrangement.

3.1.2 NWS Forecast Office Operating Conditions

When SKYWARN is activated the NWS is usually operating in a high tension and 
critical weather mode due to weather conditions. This means:

1.	Any distractions or interruptions of NWS or SKYWARN operations may 
mean the loss of life or property.

2.	Sensitive information such as severe damage or loss of life may be 
openly discussed and should not be repeated by SKYWARN volunteers 
outside the NWS.

3.	TV and/or news crews may be present in the forecast office. Please 
remember, if you are asked to give a statement, that you represent the 
entire amateur radio community. Please think before you speak! Words 
are hard to retract!

3.1.3 No More Than Three (3) Volunteers at the SKYWARN Amateur Radio 
Station at One Time

No more than three (3) SKYWARN volunteers should be in the forecast office at one 
time. If, for some reason, there are more than (3) volunteers at the NWS, please take 
shifts. Off-duty Amateurs may monitor other nets from the NWS lunch room or from 
their cars in the parking lot. Feel free to establish a simplex radio link to the SKYWARN 
Amateur Radio Station.

3.1.4 Preparations for Extended Activation

SKYWARN amateur radio volunteers should be prepared for an extended stay at the 
NWS if SKYWARN is activated for a hurricane or for severe winter long-duration 
storms.  The nearest food store is about two (2) miles from the forecast office and may 
not be open or accessible during extremely severe weather. Volunteers are responsible 
for bringing food, medications and personal hygiene supplies to maintain themselves 
for the duration of their stay at the NWS. Please be prepared to be as self sufficient as 
possible.

	The following "NWS Survival Hints" were written by George KD4DGQ shortly 
after arrival home from serving as Net Control at the NWS for a thirty two (32) hour 
duration during the Blizzard of '93 on March 13-14, 1993:

I. 	FOOD (to be placed in one cooler and/or one paper bag)
A. No stove is available. Only take food that can be eaten cold or 
microwaved.
B. Although the NWS has a refrigerator, do not count on space being 
available. Bring a cooler with two or three reusable freezer packs 
to be refrozen as necessary.
C. Bring change for the soda machine.
D. Keep meals simple as time and facilities will be in short supply. 
Suggest cold sandwiches (i.e. peanut butter and jelly); cold 
vegetables, fruits, cookies and snacks and your favorite beverage.
E. Hard candies (for sore throats)
F. Canned soup.
G. All cooking and eating implements (cup, plate, bowl, knife, fork, spoon, 
can opener)

II.	SLEEPING ACCOMMODATIONS and CLOTHING (one duffel bag)
A. Sleeping bag with mattress pad and a REAL pillow.
B. Blanket (it may be cold!) or Fan (it may be hot!).
C. Enough shirts, socks and underwear for the time you expect to be 
there, plus a few more things, just in case!
D. Comfortable pants, you will be sitting for a long time. (Loose fitting or 
sweat pants will work best)
E. Comfortable inside shoes.
F. Alarm Clock to get you up for your next shift.
G. Toilet kit and medications for your stay (plus a little more just in case!) 
Razor, comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, motel size soap, towels 
and cologne (for covering for a few days without showers)
H. Packages of facial tissue.
I. Aspirin or Substitute. You will need it!

III. RADIO EQUIPMENT and GENERAL GEAR (one backpack)
A. Handietalkie and dry cell battery pack and batteries.
B. Speakermike.
C. Earphone (small and lightweight).
D. Your own SKYWARN book with scripts, frequency charts, repeater lists 
that you are used to using.
E. Pen and Pencils and legal pad with hard back or clip board.
F. Flashlight with extra batteries.
G. AM/FM Battery Radio with earphone





	3.1.5 How To Volunteer for Net Control Duty

DO NOT GO RUNNING TO THE NWS OR CALL THE NWS AT THE FIRST SIGN OF 
BAD WEATHER.  To be a well coordinated and effective operation we must follow 
protocol: 

1.	NWS determines a need for SKYWARN activation and activates the 
SKYWARN pagers.
 
2.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator, or designate, calls the NWS 
to get briefed by the weather forecasters and to determine their staffing 
needs.

3.	The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator, or designate, will contact 
Net Control operators to go to the NWS.  

Trained Net Control operators may also contact the SKYWARN Amateur Radio 
Coordinator, or the net scheduler, to inform of their availability.  Please feel free to 
indicate your availability to Net Control at a quiet time in net operations. Please do not 
be insulted if your services are not needed at that time.  As the weather situation 
changes, staffing needs may also change. 

	3.1.6 Interaction With The Forecasters

The forecaster who briefs the Net Liaison operator upon arrival at the NWS will most 
likely be the contact person until the NWS shift changes.  Please follow your instincts 
on how to pass information to the forecasters.  If the information is CRITICAL and 
POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING, bring this information to the forecaster 
IMMEDIATELY.  Otherwise you will need to gauge the situation as to whether the 
information is important enough to bring to the forecaster's attention immediately or if it 
can wait five or ten minutes until a forecaster comes to the amateur radio station as 
part of his or her duties.  It is a delicate balance to make this critical part of Net Control 
operation successful and it must be handled with discretion, tact and diplomacy by the 
Net Liaison operator.

3.1.7 Handling Non-Severe Weather Reports

Many of the reports received over the net are for non-severe weather.  Please be 
courteous to the report giver and note the amateur's location as you may need to 
contact the amateur(s) if the storm moves in their direction.  As the moment dictates, it 
may be necessary in periods of extremely severe weather to only take reports from 
specific areas of interest to the NWS or only reports of severe weather.  If the situation 
arises, please do not be shy about informing net participants of the exact nature of the 
information needed and that the only report you will take must meet the severe weather 
criteria. Please indicate when net is reopened for all traffic.

The scripts have been revised to ask participants to refrain from giving non severe 
weather traffic on the net.


3.1.8 The 147.300 WA4TSC Repeater and the NVTN

The 147.300+ WA4TSC repeater is located in Bluemont, VA at an elevation of 1800 
feet. Wes Boxwell, its licensee, has given a tremendous amount of support to the 
SKYWARN program and generally permits SKYWARN to use the machine as needed. 
At night the repeater may have a CTCSS of 146.2. The weather net macro deactivates 
the CTCSS.

The repeater is backed up by battery in the event of commercial power failure and 
should run for up to eight (8) hours on battery power.

SKYWARN is not affiliated with any club or organization. The selection of the primary 
repeater is based on its location and the ability to reliably reach over 75% of the NWS 
county warning area of responsibility. This coverage of EOC's in the region was tested 
and verified during a communications exercise called Hurricane Zelda. Wes' support 
and willingness to let SKYWARN use the repeater makes use of this repeater ideal.

We have also designated backup repeaters in the event that 147.300 fails. We have 
made arrangements with a repeater in 146.88 Winchester, VA (northern Shenandoah) 
which covers to the west and the Northern Virginia FM Association 146.91 (northern 
Virginia) which covers to the east. During one tornado which knocked out 147.300 the 
net split to the two backup repeaters without problem.

We have heard from around the country that a particular repeater is offered to 
SKYWARN in an effort give a sponsoring club an official status. Operational 
capabilities, and not political sponsorship, should be the determining factors in 
choosing a main repeater and backup repeaters. If SKYWARN is to be successful and 
open to all participants, it must run with affiliation to any club or organization! This even 
applies to choosing the repeaters!

Often SKYWARN nets run through the Northern Virginia Traffic Net (NVTN) which 
takes place on the 147.300+ repeater each evening at 7:30 p.m. A macro will 
automatically change the repeater out of weather net mode and into traffic net mode at 
6:30 p.m. The SKYWARN Net Control station may need to place the repeater back into 
weather net mode. 

Unless the weather situation is extremely severe and the net busy, please make every 
attempt to take a break from the SKYWARN Net and permit the NVTN to pass its traffic. 
The NVTN Net Control Station will often break into the SKYWARN Net and make the 
request for coordination.  When the SKYWARN Net is busy, the NVTN often just asks 
for emergency and priority traffic and closes the net if none is to be passed.  If a full 
scale NVTN Net is to take place, please arrange for the Net Control station to leave 
breaks throughout the net for severe weather information.  

3.1.9 Emergency Broadcast Radio

The radio on the top of the SKYWARN amateur radio station is part of the Washington 
area Emergency Broadcast System (EBS). DO NOT TOUCH THIS RADIO FOR ANY 
REASON!!! EBS manuals are kept in the top drawer of the SKYWARN desk. All 
OTHER desk drawers contain useful materials to assist with SKYWARN operations and 
MAY be touched.

The EBS system is being replaced by the Emergency Alerting System (EAS) which is 
essentially a digital code sent ahead of the NWS alert tone as part of NOAA Weather 
Radio.

3.2 Operating Rules

3.2.1 Access to NWS

The NWS has a security gate which is usually closed at night and on weekends. If the 
gate is closed, call the NWS on the telephone at 703-___-______ and identify yourself 
as a SKYWARN volunteer. You will need to wait until a forecaster comes and opens 
the gate. Park in a marked parking space near the radar tower. 



3.2.2 Briefing Upon Arrival at the NWS

Upon arrival at the NWS, immediately identify yourself to the lead forecaster as a 
SKYWARN amateur radio operator (it helps to wear the SKYWARN T-shirt) and ask 
the lead forecaster for a briefing on the severe weather situation.  

You should get the following information from the forecaster:

1.	Where storm(s) are located and in which direction(s) they are traveling. 
The forecaster will often draw the watch or warning area on the 
SKYWARN map to help in communication between the SKYWARN 
volunteer and the NWS forecaster;

2.	Characteristics and history of the storm(s) (i.e. hail, damaging winds, 
tornadoes, snow, etc.);
 
3.	What geographic locations are of primary concern to the forecasters; and,
 
4.	The latest severe and/or special weather statement(s) to be read over the 
net.

3.2.3 Net Liaison Initial Setup

After receiving the briefing, the Net Liaison operator should take the following steps to 
bring up the net:

1. 	Take a deep breath and calm down!

2. 	Size up the situation and make a plan of attack.

3. 	Get the clipboard (second shelf of station) with sufficient copies of the 
correct reporting form (summer or winter).  

	The NWS is primarily concerned with storm damage reports that meet the 
official NWS criteria. This information is initially used in issuing warnings 
and later in storm damage reports and in locating possible tornado 
touchdowns and damage.

	Please date the sheet and WRITE LEGIBLY!

4. 	Find pens in top drawer.

5. 	Get the Red Operations Manual (bottom shelf) with the appropriate 
scripts.
	**NOTE: The scripts are also part of this manual in Chapter IV.

6. 	Set up the radio. Usually you will use memory one (1) of radio one (1) 
which is set for 147.300+ WA4TSC repeater for the primary net.

7. 	The frequencies for the second net are programmed into radio 2 and the 
memory locations are identified on the SKYWARN map under the plastic 
desk cover at the SKYWARN amateur radio station.

8.	Take another deep breath, make sure the repeater is in net mode. DTMF 
Code ____. 

	**NOTE: This code should be considered CONFIDENTIAL.

	Check in with remote net control. Read any watches and warnings. Pass 
on briefings from the forecasters to the net. Obtain reports of severe 
weather and pass them to the forecasters. Read new watches and 
warnings on the net.



3.2.4 Remote Net Control Volunteers

Very often net control will be run on a rotating basis by volunteers located throughout 
the SKYWARN area of responsibility physically away from the NWS. 

SKYWARN Net Control stations will actually run the net from their homes and offices, 
from scripts, on a 45 minute rotating basis. They will write down all severe weather 
information and will make sure that the Net Liaison station at the NWS has received the 
information. Many times experienced remote net control stations will let the net liaison 
station speak directly to the observer if there is a critical or complex report.

SKYWARN Net Control stations will also keep a list of all current watches and warnings 
and will brief the next net control station at the end of each shift.


3.3 Closing the SKYWARN Net

When the severe weather situation calms down, a forecaster will indicate to the Net 
Liaison volunteer that it is time to secure the net, or parts of the net.  At that time the 
Net Liaison volunteer should perform the following net shutdown steps:


1.	Inform the Net Control station of the net, or subnets to be deactivated. 

2. 	The Net Control volunteer will make a final call for severe weather 
reports. At the end of snow storms, the Net Control station should pole 
various areas within the warning area for a final snow fall report. 

	Upon hearing no further reports of severe weather, the Net Control 
volunteer should read script 14.12 and thank the repeater licensee and 
amateur radio community.
 
3.	The Net Control volunteer should place the repeater back into normal 
operation through DTMF _____. 
	**NOTE: This code should be considered CONFIDENTIAL.

4.	The Net Control station should indicate to anyone listening on the net that 
any further reports of severe weather must be telephoned into the NWS. 
See Script 14.12.
  
5.	Every attempt should be made to contact and thank the subnets for their 
participation and to inform them of the closing of the primary SKYWARN 
Net. This is usually done by the Net Liaison station from the NWS. Should 
contact NOT be made, the backup signal of the primary net's closure is 
the return of 147.300 to normal mode (single courtesy beep instead of 
"WX" Morse code).

6. 	The station MUST be left in a clean condition READY for the next 
activation. In other words, please make sure the red book is on the shelf, 
pens are in the drawer, many copies of the severe weather report forms 
are on the clip board and radio 1 is set to 147.300!

7. 	Please staple all reports and statements together and hand them to the 
lead forecaster!

The net control volunteer may need to ask the forecasters to make arrangements to 
open the security gate if it is after 5:00 p.m. or on weekends.  This should be done 
before driving out to the gate.


3.4 SKYWARN SubNet Procedures

The 147.300 repeater DOES NOT cover the entire Baltimore-Washington Forecast 
Office's area of warning responsibility. Several SKYWARN sub nets have formed in 
areas beyond the primary coverage of the 147.300 repeater. A SKYWARN sub net is 
an official local area net whose goal is to obtain and consolidate reports of severe 
weather from a specific area and, using primary SKYWARN Net procedures, to relay 
these severe weather reports to the primary SKYWARN Net via an amateur radio 
station that can access both the 147.300 repeater AND the local repeater 
SIMULTANEOUSLY.

The following is a brief list of the steps of how a SKYWARN Sub Net should be 
organized:
 
1.	The NWS Amateur Radio Coordinator makes a determination that an area 
does not have an effective hand held coverage into the 147.300 repeater.  
It has been found that many amateurs (correctly) disconnect outside 
antennas during lightning storms and revert to hand-held usage.
  
2.	The Amateur Radio Coordinator makes contact with local groups (or visa 
versa) in the area of interest and makes sure that the proposed subnet fits 
well into the SKYWARN system. It is preferable that all nets use the same 
protocols for consistency. 

Despite the existence of a SKYWARN Sub Net, any amateur radio operator who can 
access the 147.300 repeater should do so.  The Sub Net's primary responsibility is to 
relay traffic for those stations who cannot access the 147.300 repeater directly.

The Net Control station, or the liaison station, of each SKYWARN Sub Net will notify 
the NWS Net Liaison station of the activation of the SKYWARN Sub Net as well as the 
Net Control operator's or liaison station's call sign and telephone number.  This will 
permit the NWS Net Control or Net Liaison operator to contact the SKYWARN Sub Net 
if requested to do so by the NWS.  The SKYWARN Sub Net agrees not to secure 
operations until given permission to do so by the NWS forecasters, indicating that the 
severe storm threat in that area has passed. The SKYWARN sub nets may place the 
sub net in standby mode is severe weather is not occurring.

To be effective, the participants, and especially the Net Control station in a SKYWARN 
Sub Net, should have completed SKYWARN spotter and net control training.

Each official SKYWARN sub net will be given a designator, such as Hagerstown 
SKYWARN sub net. At the present time we have subnets in Northern Shenandoah, 
Southern Shenandoah, Charlottesville, Southern Maryland, Baltimore, Caroll County, 
MD, Hagerstown, MD and West Virginia. We will continue to make use of wide area 
coverage voice repeaters to coordinate the main SKYWARN net with the outlying 
subnets.

A roving SKYWARN Net Control operator from the main will, may check in and/or 
monitor the frequency of the various sub nets in the areas of severe weather activity to 
help in coordination.

3.5 Remote Net Control

Remote Net Control volunteers are trained and experienced in SKYWARN Net Control 
procedures and have a complete and up to date copy of this manual at their location. 
The remote Net Control volunteer coordinates with the SKYWARN Amateur Radio 
Coordinator and runs the net from his or her home or other location. The remote net 
control volunteer make notes of all reports of severe weather on the standard reporting 
forms and passes the severe weather information to the Net Liason station at the NWS.

Remote Net Control stations pass the "net" from one to another as needed, usually on 
a 45 minute basis per the prearranged schedule. It is important that all severe weather 
reports be promptly mailed to the NWS for their records.

If a Remote Net Control station determines that a severe weather report, such as a 
funnel cloud, needs to be made known to the forecasters IMMEDIATELY, and the 
Amateur Radio volunteer has not arrived at the NWS, please make sure that the NWS 
is informed of this priority traffic by telephone (telephone numbers (703) 260-0206 or 1-
(800) 253-7091). 

Remote Net Control operators must use a different introduction to the scripts that 
indicates that: (1) the remote Net Control station is Not at the NWS, and (2) the remote 
Net Control station is in contact with the NWS. 

During long term duration storms (heavy rain/flooding, snow storms etc.) it is 
recommended to hold hourly "check-in" nets (usually on the hour) with the SKYWARN 
Net Control station monitoring the frequency when the net is not in active session. This 
is an effective way to pick up reports from subnets (which were not relayed during the 
last formal main net session) and priority or emergency reports that cannot wait until 
the next formal net session.

3.6 Local Weather Nets

The weather is very difficult to predict! Local severe weather, such as flooding or 
severe thunderstorms, may develop suddenly without the NWS issuing a watch or 
warning, or be too localized for the NWS to activate the main SKYWARN net.  

The following is the recommended procedure for implementing local area weather nets.

The activation of a local area weather net should be coordinated on the local level with 
the repeater licensee, preferably in advance of the weather emergency.  Please do not 
have multiple local nets or multiple amateurs calling the NWS.  To be successful and to 
serve the NWS in the best possible manner, the program needs to be self policing.  
Therefore, the structure should be similar to a main SKYWARN net activation where 
there is one net control station and one assistant to make sure that severe weather 
reports are relayed to the forecasters.

Upon receiving reports of a serious local weather situation developing, the Net Control 
station should contact the NWS lead forecaster by telephone to: 

1.	Relay the weather information;
 
2.	Confirm that the main NWS SKYWARN net is not activated (AFTER 
having listened to 147.300 and NOT hearing the repeater in SKYWARN 
net mode);

3.	Receive a request from the lead forecaster that a localized area of severe 
weather is in your location and that reports are needed. Please give the 
lead forecaster your name, call sign, and telephone number and indicate 
that you are the contact person for running a local weather net on a 
particular frequency in a particular area. The forecasters may wish to 
listen to the net "live."

Please designate the area as a "local area weather net" and not as a SKYWARN Net.  
This notifies participants that any critical weather information needs to be relayed to the 
NWS by telephone and not by amateur radio as, most likely, there is no one listening to 
the Amateur Radio Station at the NWS.

If the main NWS SKYWARN net is activated after a local area weather net is in 
progress, the local area net should become a SKYWARN Sub Net with a designated 
liaison station.

To be effective, the participants in the local area weather net should have completed 
SKYWARN Basic Spotter Training.


3.7 Interfacing with Other Groups

The NWS is often asked to communicate with other groups in addition to amateur radio 
operators.  Every attempt should be made to have the broadest possible inclusion into 
the SKYWARN Net. At the present time, there are no facilities to monitor citizens band 
frequencies at the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Station and no such facilities are 
planned.  Accordingly, if groups such as REACT would like to participate in SKYWARN 
nets, it is imperative that the group coordinate with one of their members who is also an 
amateur radio operator who can relay the reports to the primary SKYWARN net.

3.8 SWITCHING NET TO ALTERNATE REPEATERS

From time to time it may be necessary to switch the net to alternate frequencies for 
technical or other reasons. The procedures is as follows;
	1. Verify the net has permission to use the alternate repeater. Permission may 
be received over the radio if necessary.
	2. Make an announcement on NOAA Weather radio of the change in 
frequencies. (Manassas, Hagerstown, Elkins and Baltimore).
	3. Assign a station to remain on the initial frequency (simplex if necessary) to tell 
stations checking in of the change in frequency.
	4. Thank all repeater groups and licensees for the use of the repeater.

IV.  SKYWARN NET CONTROL SCRIPTS


4.1 SKYWARN Script #1 - SUMMER

(GENERAL REQUEST FOR REPORTS)
READ EVERY 30 MINUTES

THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL FOR SKYWARN IN CONTACT WITH THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, 
NEAR DULLES AIRPORT.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING: 

1.	TORNADOES, FUNNEL CLOUDS OR ROTATING WALL CLOUDS

2.	HAIL (DIME SIZE OR LARGER)

3.	WIND 50 MPH OR GREATER

4.	FLOODING

5.	RAIN ACCUMULATION IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH OR MORE PER HOUR

6.	DAMAGE BY WIND OR LIGHTNING

7.	DOWNED TREES OR POWER LINES 

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CALLING SKYWARN IF THERE IS NO SEVERE 
WEATHER OCCURRING IN YOUR AREA. ANY STATION EXPERIENCING SEVERE 
WEATHER CALL SKYWARN NET CONTROL AT THIS TIME.  THIS IS ___ (call sign). 
OVER.


4.2 SKYWARN Script #2 - SUMMER:

(THANKS FOR USE OF REPEATER)
READ WITH EVERY 30 minutes 


THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL FOR SKYWARN IN CONTACT WITH THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, 
NEAR DULLES AIRPORT.

  ON BEHALF OF THE SKYWARN PROGRAM, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE 
WA4TSC REPEATER GROUP FOR USE OF THEIR SYSTEM AND THE AMATEUR 
COMMUNITY FOR GIVING SKYWARN TRAFFIC PRIORITY.

WHEN SKYWARN HAS BEEN ACTIVATED, BUT IS NOT TAKING TRAFFIC, THE 
REPEATER MAY BE USED BY AMATEURS.  IT IS REQUESTED THAT 
TRANSMISSIONS BE KEPT SHORT AND BREAKS GIVEN TO PERMIT SEVERE 
WEATHER REPORTS TO REACH SKYWARN. 

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CALLING SKYWARN IF THERE IS NO SEVERE 
WEATHER OCCURRING IN YOUR AREA. THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL 
FOR SKYWARN. OVER.

4.3 SKYWARN Script #3 - SUMMER

STANDBY NET
(GENERAL REQUEST FOR REPORTS)
READ EVERY 30 MINUTES

THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL FOR SKYWARN IN CONTACT WITH THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, 
NEAR DULLES AIRPORT.

SKYWARN IS IN A STAND-BY MODE DUE TO A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. 
REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE TAKEN ON THE HOUR AND ON THE 
HALF HOUR. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MAY FULLY ACTIVATE 
SKYWARN IF SEVERE WEATHER OCCURS.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING: 

1.	TORNADOES, FUNNEL CLOUDS OR ROTATING WALL CLOUDS

2.	HAIL (DIME SIZE OR LARGER)

3.	WIND 50 MPH OR GREATER

4.	FLOODING

5.	RAIN ACCUMULATION IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH OR MORE PER HOUR

6.	DAMAGE BY WIND OR LIGHTNING

7.	DOWNED TREES OR POWER LINES 

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CALLING SKYWARN IF THERE IS NO SEVERE 
WEATHER OCCURRING IN YOUR AREA. ANY STATION EXPERIENCING SEVERE 
WEATHER CALL SKYWARN NET CONTROL AT THIS TIME.  THIS IS ___ (call sign). 
OVER.

(BREAK)

HEARING NO FURTHER SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS AT THIS TIME, SKYWARN 
WILL RESUME TAKING REPORTS AT _________ (TIME). THIS IS __________, 
CLEAR.


4.4 SKYWARN Script #1 -WINTER: 

(GENERAL REQUEST FOR REPORTS)
READ EVERY 30 MINUTES

THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL FOR SKYWARN IN CONTACT WITH THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, 
NEAR DULLES AIRPORT.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING: 

	1.	SNOWFALL IN EXCESS OF 4 INCHES

	2.	SEVERE ICING ON TREES, STREETS, OR POWER LINES

	3.	SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN

	4.	WIND IN EXCESS OF 30 MILES PER HOUR

	5.	DOWNED TREES OR POWER LINES

	6.	IMPASSABLE OR CLOSED ROADS

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CALLING SKYWARN IF THERE IS NO SEVERE 
WEATHER OCCURRING IN YOUR AREA. ANY STATION EXPERIENCING SEVERE 
WEATHER CALL SKYWARN NET CONTROL AT THIS TIME.  THIS IS ___ (call sign). 
OVER.


4.5 SKYWARN Script #2 -WINTER

(THANKS FOR USE OF REPEATER)
READ WITH EVERY 30 MINUTES 


THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL FOR SKYWARN IN CONTACT WITH THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, 
NEAR DULLES AIRPORT.

  ON BEHALF OF THE SKYWARN PROGRAM, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE 
WA4TSC REPEATER GROUP FOR USE OF THEIR SYSTEM AND THE AMATEUR 
COMMUNITY FOR GIVING SKYWARN TRAFFIC PRIORITY.

WHEN SKYWARN HAS BEEN ACTIVATED, BUT IS NOT TAKING TRAFFIC, THE 
REPEATER MAY BE USED BY AMATEURS.  IT IS REQUESTED THAT 
TRANSMISSIONS BE KEPT SHORT AND BREAKS GIVEN TO PERMIT SEVERE 
WEATHER REPORTS TO REACH SKYWARN. 

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CALLING SKYWARN IF THERE IS NO SEVERE 
WEATHER OCCURRING IN YOUR AREA. THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL 
FOR SKYWARN. OVER.

4.6 SKYWARN Script #3 -WINTER

STANDBY NET
(GENERAL REQUEST FOR REPORTS)
READ EVERY 30 MINUTES

THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL FOR SKYWARN IN CONTACT WITH THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, 
NEAR DULLES AIRPORT.

SKYWARN IS IN A STAND-BY MODE DUE TO A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. 
REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE TAKEN ON THE HOUR AND ON THE 
HALF HOUR. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MAY FULLY ACTIVATE 
SKYWARN IF SEVERE WEATHER OCCURS.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING: 

	1.	SNOWFALL IN EXCESS OF 4 INCHES

	2.	SEVERE ICING ON TREES, STREETS, OR POWER LINES

	3.	SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN

	4.	WIND IN EXCESS OF 30 MILES PER HOUR

	5.	DOWNED TREES OR POWER LINES

	6.	IMPASSABLE OR CLOSED ROADS

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CALLING SKYWARN IF THERE IS NO SEVERE 
WEATHER OCCURRING IN YOUR AREA. ANY STATION EXPERIENCING SEVERE 
WEATHER CALL SKYWARN NET CONTROL AT THIS TIME.  THIS IS ___ (call sign). 
OVER.

HEARING NO FURTHER SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS AT THIS TIME, SKYWARN 
WILL RESUME TAKING REPORTS AT _________ (TIME). THIS IS __________, 
CLEAR.




4.7 SKYWARN Net Closing Script:

(THANKS FOR USE OF REPEATER AND AMATEUR RADIO COMMUNITY)
READ ON CLOSING THE NET 


THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL FOR SKYWARN IN CONTACT WITH THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN STERLING, VIRGINIA, 
NEAR DULLES AIRPORT.

ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE SKYWARN 
PROGRAM, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE WA4TSC REPEATER GROUP FOR 
USE OF THEIR SYSTEM AND THE AMATEUR RADIO COMMUNITY FOR GIVING 
SKYWARN TRAFFIC PRIORITY AND FOR PARTICIPATING IN SKYWARN SEVERE 
WEATHER NETS.

WHEN SKYWARN HAS BEEN ACTIVATED, BUT IS NOT TAKING TRAFFIC, THE 
REPEATER MAY BE USED BY AMATEURS.  IT IS REQUESTED THAT 
TRANSMISSIONS BE KEPT SHORT AND BREAKS GIVEN TO PERMIT SEVERE 
WEATHER REPORTS TO REACH SKYWARN. 

WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA TRAFFIC NET, 
WHICH NORMALLY MEETS ON THIS REPEATER EACH EVENING AT 7:30 PM, FOR 
CLOSELY COORDINATING ITS ACTIVITIES WITH THE SKYWARN NET.

PLEASE PASS ALL FURTHER SEVERE WEATHER TRAFFIC DIRECTLY TO THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY TELEPHONE. THE SKYWARN SEVERE 
WEATHER HOTLINE TELEPHONE NUMBERS ARE: (703) 260-0206 OR 1- (800) 253-
7091. REPEATING THE TELEPHONE NUMBERS: (703) 260-0206 OR 1- (800) 253-
7091. THESE HOTLINE TELEPHONE NUMBERS ARE ONLY TO BE USED TO 
REPORT THE OCCURRENCE OF SEVERE WEATHER.

THIS IS ___ (call sign) NET CONTROL FOR SKYWARN. THE SKYWARN AMATEUR 
RADIO SEVERE WEATHER NET IS NOW SECURED AT ______. THE REPEATER IS 
RETURNED TO NORMAL SERVICE.

DTMF CODE ____

NOTE: Please mail all reports of severe weather to the NWS. 
The address is:	Baltimore-Washington Forecast Office
				NOAA/National Weather Service
				44087 Weather Service Road
				Sterling, VA   20166.


V. SKYWARN PACKET OPERATIONS

Packet Amateur Radio is an exciting method of digital communication. It involves 
connecting a computer to a terminal node connector (TNC) which in turn is connected 
to the amateur radio transceiver. We want to integrate this "new" technology into the 
SKYWARN system to the greatest possible extent.  

The primary uses of the packet at this time are to:   

1.	Relay detailed (primarily winter) storm and damage reports from local subnets 
and spotter to the NWS; and,
2. 	Send watches and warnings to Local and State Emergency Services during 
emergency situations and communications outages.  

The primary packet frequency is 145.730 (simplex).  There are a number of packet 
nodes on this frequency including: 

	 	FOAKS in Fairfax, VA 	
		EZF in Fredericksburg, VA 	
		CARA3 in Madison, VA 	
		WINC in Winchester, VA 		
		DCSKY in Silver Hill, MD  

	The first four nodes are part of the #VDEN#  network which covers most of 
Northern Virginia. Packet users to the North and East of  Washington DC area should 
use DCSKY. The packet station at the NWS is KC4OCG-1 (direct connect) and 
KC4OCG (mailbox). Direct connects are preferred and are printed out in hard copy 
upon receipt.  

	Plans are beginning to form to create a regionwide high speed packet backbone 
on a second frequency. Until then, the use of SKYWARN packet is to simply relay one 
message at a time from station to station and to disconnect. Please disconnect as soon 
as possible to avoid clogging the frequency. Please do not read messages previously 
sent to the NWS. 

	A packet system in West Virginia has been set up linking many counties and 
EOC's. The system is called DAREN and a system map is in Appendix 11.9 to this 
manual


VI. HURRICANE WATCH and/or WARNING


SKYWARN will be activated when a hurricane is anticipated to strike the National 
Capital Area. The SKYWARN amateur radio net may be activated any time a hurricane 
threatens the East Coast (particularly the mid-Atlantic Region) or South Florida. In an 
event such as Hurricane Andrew, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) in Camp 
Springs, MD acts as the back-up hurricane center to the NWS's National Hurricane 
Center (NHC) in Coral Gables, FL. 

SKYWARN may be asked to help support NMC and NWS with amateur radio 
communications. SKYWARN amateur radio support may also be requested to assist 
with backup communications to other NWS offices threatened by hurricanes, such as 
Norfolk (Wakefield), VA, and to assist in gathering severe weather and damage reports 
from areas impacted by the storm where normal communications are inoperative.

In such situations, HF will most likely be required. It may be necessary to plan staffing 
for many 24-hour periods.  If there is a possibility of a hurricane passing within 100 
miles of Sterling, VA, net control volunteers need to arrive at NWS prepared for a long 
stay in the event that roads are closed. See 3.1.4 Preparations for Extended Activation. 
Volunteers should also be certain that their family is prepared before departing to the 
NWS. See Family Disaster Preparedness Materials in Appendix 11.13 to this manual.

It is important to coordinate with local ARES and RACES groups.

HURRICANE WATCH NET (HWN)

Contact should be made with the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) to coordinate efforts.  
They may need to use the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Station to relay ground truth 
(actual observations) reports into the NWS system.  It is expected that packet will be 
used for these purposes. 

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) operates in cooperation with the National Hurricane 
Center (NHC) in much the same manner that SKYWARN operates with the 
Washington, DC Weather Service Forecast Office (WSFO).

The purpose of the HWN is to:

	1. Disseminate hurricane advisory information to marine interests, Caribbean 
Island nations, Emergency Operating Centers (EOC) and other interests for the Atlantic 
and Eastern Pacific as promulgated by the NHC in Coral Gables, Florida.

	2. Obtain weather information for the NWS from reporting stations who are not 
part of the routine network of the World Meteorological Organization and forward the 
information to the NHC.

	3. Function as a backup communications link for the NHC, EOC's and NWS and 
other vital interests involved in the protection of life and property before, during and 
after hurricane events.

	4. Relay initial hurricane damage assessments to the NHC.

HWN operations normally commence anytime a hurricane is within 350 nautical miles 
of an inhabited land mass and will continue in operation until the storm is no longer a 
threat. The net DOES NOT handle health and welfare type communication.

Operation will normally take place on 14.325 MHz +/-, however the operation may shift 
frequency at the request of stations in the hurricane affected area or to take advantage 
of shifting propagation conditions.

Priority is given to those stations representing the NWS and emergency management 
organizations. The net control volunteer of the SKYWARN station should identify that 
they are located at the WSFO, Washington when checking into the HWN.

The Dade County, Florida Amateur Radio Public Service Corps operates station 
W4EHW located in the forecast office of the NHC. Most traffic is passed to this station 
via the HWN or through a landline computer link to Southern Region, NWS. If these 
links are not available, SKYWARN may be asked to pass the information via NWS 
facilities located in the WSFO.

Important telephone contact numbers and other excellent hurricane information from 
the HWN are in Appendix 11.4 of this manual.


VII. SKYWARN HF OPERATIONS


Although HF has been set up at NWS for special occasions, at the moment it is not 
there permanently.  Therefore, an antenna needs to be set up and connected to the 
coax in the connector box at the base of the antenna tower. This replaces the antenna 
for radio #1 and radio # 1 is out of service. An HF radio and tuner needs to be 
connected to the antenna connection for radio #1.  A 20 amp power supply is available 
for use for HF operations at the NWS.  Plans are underway to have a dedicated coax 
for HF.

Information on Virginia HF Emergency Net Operations are in Appendix 11.6 of this 
manual.  75 meters is often used.  It may be important to use HF should a storm 
damage large numbers of repeaters in the area.

There are plans for permanent HF at the NWS in the future. Even though this may 
become a reality, it is also possible that the station may be damaged by the storm and 
a secondary radio and antenna may need to be installed after the storm passes.

Alternatively, please try to coordinate via VHF or UHF with a local amateur operator 
with a home HF station or with W4PAY. See section 1.5 SKYWARN's Relationship to 
ARRL/ARES/RACES/REACT.



VIII. PUBLICITY and PUBLIC RELATIONS and AUTOCALL


An important facet of SKYWARN operations is public relations.  SKYWARN provides 
ample opportunities to demonstrate the unique capabilities of amateur radio as well as 
the volunteer and public spirit of amateur radio operators.  If you speak with the press, 
please be extremely careful what you say because you represent the entire amateur 
community and the SKYWARN program.  If you have any questions, please contact a 
forecaster BEFORE speaking with the press. A number of articles that have been 
written about the SKYWARN program are included in Appendix 11.7 of this manual.

SKYWARN is a public service activity and is not a club. Because SKYWARN does not 
have a checking account or dues, we make use of articles placed in The Foundation for 
Amateur Radio's AUTOCALL magazine in place of a monthly newsletter to keep 
SKYWARN volunteers informed of current events in the program.  Please monitor 
AUTOCALL and contact the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator if you have any 
questions.  We thank The Foundation and AUTOCALL for their unyielding support and 
assistance to the SKYWARN program.

There are constant challenges to the radio frequencies set aside for amateur radio use.  
SKYWARN provides an identifiable and extremely visible opportunity for putting 
amateur radio in its best light.  Severe weather is always of interest to the media. Our 
SKYWARN amateur radio Station has already been featured nationally on The 
Weather Channel and CBS' How'd Do That (segment on the Blizzard of '93 May, 1993) 
and in the December 1992 edition of the American Radio Relay League's QST 
magazine in an article on the amateur radio response to Hurricane Andrew. Locally, 
SKYWARN has been featured on News Channel 8 and in numerous stories in many 
newspapers. As a direct result of SKYWARN activities, generally, and SKYWARN 
participation in training exercise I.E. Zelda and regionwide communication drills in 
particular, and demonstrated professionalism and results as noted in NWS weather 
statements and reports on severe weather events, a number of Emergency Operations 
Centers have recognized the benefits of having amateur radio capabilities at their 
disposal. Thus, the SKYWARN program not only benefits the NWS and the public, but 
also helps to preserve amateur radio as a national resource.

The NWS does its best to promote the capabilities of the SKYWARN amateur radio net. 
Our SKYWARN program is set up as a model to other NWS offices around the country 
and has been written up in regional NWS staff notes as well as national newsletters 
such as AWARE. This newsletter also gets distributed to disaster preparedness groups 
and agencies outside of the NWS. NWS works closely with FEMA, the American Red 
Cross, the FCC in Emergency Broadcast Communications and with numerous state and 
local emergency management agencies. Therefore, SKYWARN has been, and will 
continue to be, an important vehicle to showcase amateur radio to the agencies 
involved in the allocation of privileges and frequencies.

SKYWARN has developed a large following of scanner enthusiasts, emergency 
managers and amateur radio operators.  Let us continue to put amateur radio's "best 
foot forward."


IX.	DESCRIPTION of the SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO STATION


The SKYWARN Amateur Radio Station consists of four radios.  There are two Yaesu 
FT-2400 two-meter radios.  The first FT-2400 is used for the primary SKYWARN net 
which is usually held on 147.300+ (WA4TSC Bluemont, VA) repeater.  The alternate 
SKYWARN repeaters are 146.910- (W4XG Tysons Corner, VA) and 146.790- (W4LBL 
in Fairfax, VA).

The second FT-2400 is used to chase the storm.  The two meter frequencies on the 
NWS/SKYWARN Radio Resource Map are programmed into the memories of radio # 2 
as stated below.  This radio is used to seek reports from areas in which the forecasters 
have expressed an interest because of indications of severe weather.   The frequencies 
are as follows:

		145.13-				Harrisonburg, Virginia
		145.21-				Linden, VA
		145.27-				Stafford, Virginia
		145.35- 				Waldorf, Maryland
		146.625-				New Market, Virginia
		146.745-				Berkeley Springs, W. Virginia
		146.76-				Jessup, Maryland
		146.79-				Fairfax, Virginia
		146.82-				Winchester, Virginia
		146.91-				Tysons Corner, Virginia
		147.015+				Fredericksburg, Virginia
		147.09+				Hagerstown, Maryland
		*147.105+				Davidsonville, Maryland
		147.12+				Culpepper, Virginia
		147.135+				Columbia, Maryland
		147.165+				Warrenton, Virginia
		147.18+				Silver Spring, Maryland
		147.300+				Bluemont, Virginia
		147.060+				Frederick, MD
							
*During the summer months the Anne Arundel club runs a Chesapeake Bay Weather 
Net at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.


The FT-2400 radios are normally in the "memory" mode. If they are not, (if you turn the 
large knob and the frequency is moving sequentially) press the "D/MR" (Dial/Memory) 
button one time to toggle back to memory mode. If you need to access a frequency not 
in the memory, toggle to dial mode. Controls for CTCSS and repeater offset etc. are 
behind a black plastic pull down cover located on the front, lower right corner of the 
radio.

The third radio is a Yaesu FT-712. This radio is on the 440Mhz band. The primary 
repeater is the 444.40+ (CTCSS 103.5) HamTalk network which covers most of West 
Virginia and a good portion of central Virginia.  A map of the HamTalk Network is in 
Appendix 11.8 to this manual. The network is a chain of six repeaters that are linked full 
time. Accessing any one of the repeaters puts you into the entire system.  

Another repeater often used is 444.75+, the Tysons Corner, Virginia, KB4NRU repeater 
which covers a significant portion of Northern Virginia, Maryland and the District of 
Columbia.

440 will likely be used more during a disaster as 2-meters is likely to be extremely 
busy.

The fourth radio is a Yaesu FT-5200 (dual band 2 meter and 440) which is primarily 
dedicated to 2 meter and 440 packet.  If needed, this radio may be used for voice.  The 
microphone is in the second drawer of the SKYWARN amateur radio desk.  The 
primary packet frequency for SKYWARN is 145.73 (simplex) which is memory 1 of this 
radio.  

The antenna system consists of three Diamond dual band antennas located on the 
NWS tower behind the forecast office.  Each antenna is a combination 2 meter and 440 
antenna.  The lowest of the antennas goes through a junction box at the base of the 
tower with a PL259 connector.  This connection can be used to replace the dual band 
antenna with either an HF antenna or another temporary antenna should the need 
arise.

HF radio operations may take place from the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Station by 
disconnecting the antenna on radio #1 and installing an HF antenna in its place. See 
Section VII, SKYWARN HF Operations.

Earphones for each radio are located in the second drawer of the SKYWARN amateur 
radio desk for use during very active and multiple nets.

X.	NWS BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON FORECAST OFFICE
INFORMATION and DIRECTIONS

The NWS Baltimore-Washington Forecast Office is located on the northwest side of 
Dulles Airport in Sterling, VA.

From Dulles Toll Road and Route 28:  Traveling west on the Dulles Toll Road, get off at 
the Route 28 exit.  After the toll booth, make a right (north) on Route 28.  Make a left at 
the second traffic light onto Route 606, westbound.  Travel approximately 3.5 miles on 
Route 606.  A landmark on the right is a series of blue-topped brick pillars.  When you 
reach the blue topped brick pillars, slow down and make a left at the white sign through 
the government chain link fence.  The name is, appropriately, Thunder Road (for Bruce 
Springsteen fans)!   At the end of Thunder Road, make a right onto Weather Service 
Road and park in the parking lot immediately to the left under the radar tower.  

Route 606 is also accessible from Route 50.

The address is:	Baltimore-Washington Forecast Office
				NOAA/National Weather Service
				44087 Weather Service Road
				Sterling, VA   20166. 

Telephone numbers:

	To report severe weather:	metro area 		(703)-260-0206 
						long distance 		(800)-253-7091
	Administrative questions and training:   	(703)-260-0107
		(8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays)

Please use the severe weather hotline numbers ONLY for making reports of severe 
weather.  Please do not ask questions at the end of your report and please keep your 
reports brief.  Someone may be trying to reach the NWS with a critical report that may 
save a life, even if it's sunny where you are.  When calling the administrative number 
please try to do so during good weather as the staff is extremely busy during severe 
weather. If you must get through to the forecast office during non-administrative hours 
to discuss a critical element of SKYWARN, you can call 703-260-0209.

NWS SKYWARN Program contacts:
	
	SKYWARN Program Manager 	- Barbara McNaught
	SKYWARN Assistant       	- Melody Hall

You need not talk to Melody or Barbara to register for a class; however, to arrange a 
SKYWARN training class for your club or organization, you must talk to one of these 
two individuals. 



XI. Weather on the Internet

	There is a huge amount of information about the Weather and the National 
Weather Service on the Internet. Many forecast offices and NWS Headquarters have 
their own home pages.

	The following is a partial list of home pages which SKYWARN participants 
should find useful. Please note that this is just a partial list and the actual addresses 
and availability will inevitably change over time. This is just a starting point!

WEATHERNET	http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet
WXP Purdue	http://thunder.atms.purdue.edu/
Bermuda Weather Service	http://www.bbsr.edu/weather.html
Accu-Weather	http://accuwx.com/
The Weather Channel	http://www.infi.net/weather
Automated Weather Source	http://aws.com/fame/
Penn State Univ. Met. Dept.	http://www.ems.psu.edu/wx/index.html
Center for Ocean/Land Stud	http://grads.iges.org/pix/head.html
CIMSS	http://cloud.ssec.wisc.edu/
EarthWatch	http://www.earthwatch.com/
Canadian Maritime NWS	http://www.ns.doe.ca/
Canadian Yukon NWS	http://yvrwwwl.pwc.bc.doe.ca/
Canadian (Toronto) NWS	http://cmits02.dow.on.doe.ca/
FSU Meteorology Dept.	http://thunder.met.fsu.edu/
Navy-Fleet Weather Pred	http://metoc.fnoc.navy.mil/fnmoc.html
Earthscan	http://antares.cei.lsu.edu/
Lyndon State Met Dept	http://appollo.lsc.vsc.edu/weather/weather.html
El Nino	
	http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/toga-tao/el-nono/home.html
NCSU Met Dept	http://meanwx1/nrrc.ncsu.edu/
**Ohio State Met Dept	http://aspl.sbs.ohio-state.edu/
   **Great for NWS Warnings!
Univ of Hawaii Met Dept	http://lumhai.soest.hawaii.edu/
Univ of Ill Met Dept	http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu/wxworld.html/top.html
Climate Prediction Ctr	http://nic.fb4.noaa.gov/
Tropical Pred Center	http://nhc-hp6.nhc.noaa.gov/index.html
Nat Svr Forecast Ctr	http://www.awc-kc.noaa.gov/
Nat Svr Storms Lab	http://www.nssl.uoknor.edu/
Nat Weather Service	http://www.nws.noaa.gov
GOES Pathfinder	gopher://diamond.asec.wisc.edu:70/11/
Weather Hot List	http://sin.fi.edu/tfi/hotlists/weather.html
Weather Sources	
	http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/DataSources/Metindex.html
GOES Imagery	
	http://climate.gsfc.nasa.gov/-chesters/goesproject.html


XII.APPENDIX
11.1  NWS County Warning Area of Responsibility for Severe Weather
		and Goals for the SKYWARN Amateur Radio Net
11.2  MOU ARRL and NWS
11.3  MOU Virginia ARES and RACES
11.4  Information (Used with permission of Hurricane Watch Net)
		11.4.1 	Time Zone Conversions
		11.4.2 	Net Prowords
		11.4.3 	Q Signals
		11.4.4 	Hurricane Tracking Chart
		11.4.5 	Conversion Formulas (knots/mph etc.)
		11.4.6 	Dvorak Pressure/Wind Curve
		11.4.7 	Distance Conversion Chart
		11.4.8 	Safer-Simpson Scale 
		11.4.9 	Safer-Simpson (from NWS Hurricanes!)
		11.4.10	Hurricane Safety Advice (from NWS Hurricanes!)
11.5  VA Emergency Net Information
11.6 Amateur Frequency HF/VHF/UHF Allocation Chart, Band Plan and 
	  Country Prefix codes (Used with permission of 
	  Icom America, Inc.)
11.7  Articles Written About SKYWARN
11.8  HamTalk Network Map
11.9  DAREN (WV Packet) 
11.10 TMARC Repeater and BBS Maps and Lists
11.11 ARRL NTS Formal Traffic Forms and Instructions
11.12 ARRL Emergency Nets (Used with permission of the ARRL)
11.13 Family Disaster Plan
11.14 Fire, Police, NWS and Emergency Telephone Numbers
11.15 Virginia SKYWARN District Map
11.16 SKYWARN Advisory Committee Description
11.17 SKYWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator Position Description
11.18 Winter Storm Report Form
11.19 Summer Storm Report Form


-i-
printed 4/13/00
