Ham_nws

Hamming it up

Fri Dec 1 2000 6:54am EDT

Amy Marquis, weather.com

There are a lot of "hams" out there and for an entire 24 hours, they'll be showing off!

NOAA’s National Weather Service(NWS) forecast offices and amateur radio operators across the U.S. are honoring the weather warning contributions of ham radio enthusiasts in the second annual Amateur Radio Special Event.

"We did the first exercise last November 27 to demonstrate back-up communications capabilities as Y2K approached and to recognize the amateur operators," said Scott Mentzer, a meteorologist and radio operator in the Goodland, Kan., Weather Service Office. "We had hams at 56 Weather Service offices across the country making nearly 16,000 contacts with operators in 63 countries around the world. This isn’t a contest, but this year we are awarding certificates to operators who meet certain goals for making contacts."

From 7 p.m. (EST) on Friday until 7 p.m. Saturday, participants will be asked to contact designated Weather Service offices that deal with 11 specified wather hazards: blizzards; fire weather; tropical cyclones; floods, Mississippi River floods, and flash floods; lake effect snow; monsoons; nor’easters; Pacific Rim hazards; and tornadoes. Amateur radio operators will hail from all 50 states.

The event, put on in conjunction with the American Radio Relay League, aims to make a record number of contacts during December 1 and 2. The exercise is a way of recognizing weather spotters' key role in NOAA’s ability to warn the public in the face of severe weather.

"The idea is to give them a little bit of the limelight," said Larry Eblen, warning and coordination meteorologist at the Austin/San Antonio National Weather Service office. "They do all the work and nobody hears about it."

Mentzer, who organized the inaugural event in 1999, set out to give northwest Kansas amateur radio operators their due by organizing a tribute. But it has blossomed into a nationwide project.

Dennis H. McCarthy, director of the NWS Central Region, said hams deserve special recognition because of their integral part in providing severe weather information and helping to coordinate relief services after natural disasters.

"The contacts we make and the relationships we start with amateur radio operators will pay valuable dividends when severe weather strikes," he said. "Amateur radio operators provide our forecasters with essential eye-witness information during periods of flooding and severe weather that helps us disseminate the information to ensure public safety. Ham radio operators provide us with on-site information about tornadoes, blizzards and other weather hazards as they happen—information we wouldn’t otherwise have."

Although amateur radio is a hobby, operators go through training. The first of the three levels of expertise begins with the "Technician" license and requires that the operator pass a 35-question exam. The "General Class" is the next level and entails acing another 35-questions in addition to a 5 WPM Morse code test. It is at this level that hams can communicate across the globe. Finally, those who obtain the "Extra Class" license are required to pass a 50-question examination covering specialized operating practices, advanced electronics theory, and radio equipment design. All licenses are granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

There are no age restrictions on hams. As long as the operator meets the FCC's requirements, a license is granted. But the benefits go beyond fun. The web of radio communicators can work to provide a backup safety network.

"The link between ham operators and emergency service agencies such as the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army has been a long and extremely valuable one," said McCarthy. "[The Amateur Radio Special Event] is one way we can recognize their valuable input."