Due to the approach of inclement weather, the BOD of the Fort Wayne Radio Club has decided to hold the Board Of Directors meeting for March on the air (OTA). (The church will most likely not be open tomorrow night anyway)
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 5th, at 7:00 pm on the 146.76 repeater in Fort Wayne. All members are invited to listen in, and there will be a time for comments from club members.
About 35 people attended SKYWARN spotter training Feb. 26 at the Allen County Public Library. Here are some highlights:
Warning Coordination Meteorologist Michael Lewis reminded spotters of the importance of their reports. He pointed out that studies have shown that members of the general public pay more attention to weather warnings when they include eyewitness reports. In other words, if a tornado warning says a spotter has seen a tornado on the ground, it’ll get a lot more response from the public than a possible tornado indicated by radar.
Reporting Methods
Lewis covered the preferred and less preferred reporting methods.
Due to budget constraints, paper handouts are/were not available during the Allen County SKYWARN spotter training Feb. 26. Below are links to the handouts, so you can view and/or print them for yourself. They are in PDF format, so you’ll need Adobe Reader.
Reporting criteria (new for 2013)
Graphical depiction of how to maintain Severe Weather Awareness
Beaufort Wind Chart (and Spotter Reporting Format)
Thunderstorm Type Chart and Associated Threats
QR Codes and Shortened Webpage Addresses
Owlie Skywarn Booklet (1.6 MB pdf) from NOAA’s National Weather Service
The 2013 Foxhunt season commenced on a darkly overcast Sunday, the 10th of February, amidst a cold, breezy and slightly, here and there, snow covered landscape. Aside from the mild frostbite potential, and the outlook for a bone chilling rain, not a bad day for a foxhunt.
The February hunters included the team of Annie and Jim Pliett, KA9YYI and K9OMA, plus Carole & Al Burke, WB9’s RUS &SSE, the team of Bob Dean & Dave Spence, KC9UHU & KB9VTK, and the team of Charles Ward & Fred Gengnagle, KC9MUT & KC9EZP. Stalwart foxhunters Kim & Jim Machamer, KB9’s DOS & DOT, and Steve & Linda Nardin, W9’s SAN & LAN were not able to participate in this first hunt of the year due to Kim having a case of the Eww-Fung-Gu while Linda is recuperating from a broken hoof which she got from tripping in the garage. Steve didn’t attend because he was nervous about the doctor-vet who was eyeing Linda’s foot and the pistol he carries in his belt.
ARRL Indiana Section Public Information Officer Joe March, KJ9M reported that special event station N9L will commemorate the 94th Birthday of the American Legion. The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) plans to operate in Indianapolis Friday, March 15 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. EDT and Saturday, March 16, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. EDT.
N9L will operate SSB on or near 14.270 MHz, FM on 146.46 MHz and on IRLP Node 4816. A special certificate is available to stations that contact N9L. More information is available on QRZ.com.
The American Legion is nation’s largest veterans organization and it is headquartered in Indianapolis.
Please plan on joining us this Friday night for the February general meeting of the Fort Wayne Radio Club. Although we originally planned on having an EM COMM theme for the night, with two other meetings devoted to that activity, we changed the meeting’s focus to the latest in Fox Hunting technology. We will meet in the “Pit” which is the small meeting room adjacent to the Raasch Hall in Good Shepherd Church.
We will have discussion on two modern direct mapping techniques. Also, there will be discussion of the technical features of the “Micro Fox”. Also, we may have some details on Geo Caching as well.
Join us on Friday night for one of the fun aspects of Amateur Radio! The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The Good Shepherd United Methodist Church is at the corner of Vance Avenue and Reed Road in Fort Wayne, just south of Snider High School.
The nearest National Weather Service (NWS) radar to Fort Wayne, located at the Northern Indiana NWS office near North Webster, will be off line for two weeks, beginning Feb. 11, 2013. Technicians will upgrade the radar to use new, dual-polarization (dual-pol) technology. According to the NWS website, the new technology and data will primarily help forecasters identify the type of precipitation that is falling as well as improve rainfall estimates.
While the Northern Indiana NWS radar is being upgraded, people in the areas normally served by that radar (including Fort Wayne) will need to view data from other radar sites, including those in Grand Rapids, Mich., Detroit, Cleveland, Wilmington, Ohio, Indianapolis, Central Illinois, and Chicago.
Read more about dual-pol radar and its benefits.
The March 2013 Issue of the Allen County HamNews newsletter is now available for download using the link below. This and previous issues are also available for download by clicking the “Files” link in the main menu and then clicking “Newsletters.”
The February 2013 Issue of the Allen County HamNews newsletter is now available for download using the link below. This and previous issues are also available for download by clicking the “Files” link in the main menu and then clicking “Newsletters.”