NWS Amateur Radio Special Event

[Mike Nie]

Now that severe weather season is over, here is news of a fun event for
amateur radio operators to operate at NWS offices everywhere.
-----------------

National Weather Service/ARRL Special Event

Mark your calendars! On December 2, 2000, the National Weather Service
(NWS)
and the ARRL will co-sponsor an on-the-air special event from 0000 UTC to
2400 (Friday night through Saturday).
There are four main objectives for the National Weather Service Special
Event (NWSSE): Most importantly, the special event stations will
commemorate
the contributions that Amateur Radio operators make during times of
threatening weather. Second, it would create an opportunity for NWS
personnel to meet Amateur Radio operators, and it would also give Amateur
Radio operators an opportunity to examine NWS operations. Third, it will
encourage NWS personnel to actually get on the radio (under the
supervision
of a control operator) and, hopefully, encourage them to acquire an
operating license. Fourth, it will be fun!
The NWSSE Web site has complete operating instructions, a list of
participating NWS stations and QSL information. Log onto
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/event2000/ for complete details.

Operating Event Guidelines

The objective is for Amateur Radio operators at NWS sites to work as many
other amateur stations as possible. If you would like to set up a special
event at a National Weather Service office, it will be the responsibility
of
the local Amateur Radio club or group to provide equipment and configure
your operating area with appropriate antennas. Please coordinate with your
local NWS office, and register the station with Scott Mentzer, KB0WPY, at
scott.mentzer at noaa.gov by November 15.
The NWS Special Event will take place in the General and/or Technician
part
of the bands. VHF operations are encouraged and repeater contacts are
allowed. Most contacts will occur on the bands between 10 meters to 80
meters. Entities that utilize specific frequencies on a routine basis
(e.g.,
National Hurricane Center) are encouraged to use those frequencies during
the event. The actual frequency from which a NWSSE station operates is
left
to the local operator's discretion. (The ARRL 160 Meter contest will run
during the NWS Special Event. Therefore, special event stations will not
operate on that band.) Although phone will be the primary operating mode,
event stations will be encouraged to use the following digital modes: CW,
PSK-31, APRs, and RTTY. NWS Special Event operators will append "NWS" to
the
end of their call signs (e.g., W0A/NWS) when using digital modes. The QSO
exchange will include call sign, signal report, location, and a one or
two-word description of the weather occurring at your site ("sunny,"
"partly
cloudy," "windy," etc.).

Certificate with Endorsements

The National Weather Service Special Event will award a certificate with
endorsements. An endorsement is basically a sticker that is placed on the
certificate if certain goals are reached. To obtain your certificate,
create
a handwritten log of NWS stations worked and indicate the endorsements you
are applying for. You may also link to the certificate endorsement log at
this address: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/event2000/SpecialEvent2000.PDF.
Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope, and mail both items to:

National Weather Service Special Event
920 Armory Road
Goodland, KS 67735

An up-to-date list of the endorsements and qualifying criteria may be
found
at this particular page on the Special Event Web Site:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/event2000/EventCertificates.htm.


What About QSL Cards?

In addition to the event certificate, a number of individual stations are
offering QSL cards. A list of those offices accepting QSL cards can be
found
on the NWSSE Web site by clicking "QSL Card Info" on the menu.
	NWS contact: Scott Mentzer, KB0WPY, scott.mentzer at noaa.gov.
Telephone: 785-899-2360. ARRL contact: Steve Ewald, WV1X, sewald at arrl.org.
Telephone: 860-594-0200.



----
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