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 Previous: Surfin': Brew Your Own Software Defined Radio, Revisited |  Next: FCC Denies Amateur Radio Vanity Call Sign Requests |
NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 15, 2007 -- Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and SKYWARN volunteers activated February 13 and 14 as a fierce winter storm generated potentially dangerous weather conditions from the Great Lakes into New England. In Ohio, ARES teams in five counties took on a variety of weather-related duties February 13. Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator Frank Piper, KI8GW, says District Emergency Coordinators in his Section were ready to deploy volunteers in the event of shelter openings or by request of served agencies.
"I am proud of all the ARES volunteers in Ohio who responded or were prepared to deploy upon notification," Piper told ARRL.
Piper says that Seneca County ARES members activated a net from the county's emergency operations center to gather reports of local weather conditions, road conditions and stranded motorists. The Ohio Single Sideband Net, which convenes three times a day on 75 meters (3927.5 kHz), and VHF/UHF repeaters kept northern Ohio radio amateurs in contact with each other.
In western Ohio, ARES teams in Darke, Green and Shelby counties assisted local emergency management agencies and hospitals by helping to transport essential personnel. "Many of these operations started early Tuesday morning when the storm hit and operated at each hospital shift change," Piper explained.
In Montgomery County, the local emergency management agency requested ARES activation early Tuesday, and a net was begun on the 145.11 MHz repeater.
SKYWARN Activates in the Northeast
Meanwhile, SKYWARN was active across portions of the US Northeast for this week's winter weather event. The storm dumped up to three feet of snow in portions of northeastern New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, northwestern Massachusetts and Maine, with whiteout and blizzard conditions reported because of high winds throughout much of the region. The storm dumped sleet and freezing rain across much of interior Southern New England and heavy rainfall in Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts and along coastal areas.
"Amateur Radio operators supported SKYWARN and the National Weather Service Forecast Offices in Taunton, Massachusetts -- WX1BOX -- and Gray, Maine -- WX1GYX -- with reports of snowfall, wind damage and flooding," said Rob Macedo, KD1CY, the ARES/SKYWARN coordinator for NWS-Taunton. Macedo says the heaviest snow fell across northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, which received anywhere from 8 to 15 inches.
"Luckily, little infrastructure damage occurred, though urban flooding near the evening commute was a problem on major roads in eastern, southeastern and coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island," Macedo said. "Winds gusted to between 45 and 55 MPH, and as temperatures dropped rapidly, untreated roads iced up quickly."
Macedo said SKYWARN volunteers used several repeaters and linked repeater systems across New England, and the New England Reflector System was active on IRLP reflector 9123, EchoLink *NEW-ENG* Node 9123. He said the VoIP system served to relay SKYWARN reports from across New England and as a pathway for NWS-Taunton to communicate with NWS-Gray, both directly and through NWS-Gray liaison Ken Grimmard, N1DOT.
"We continue to build a strong SKYWARN program for the NWS-Gray office," Macedo said. "These reports that we get from spotters are extremely helpful, and we had two operators -- Jerry Hume, KB1NHD, and David Lowe, KB1NJP -- at the office for much of the afternoon and evening."
SKYWARN currently has EchoLink and VHF/UHF capability at WX1GYX, noted Tom Berman, N1KTA, a forecaster at the NWS Gray office. Since NWS-Gray has no HF capability as yet, it requested NWS-Taunton to go to the Seagull Net on 3940 kHz to gather snowfall and weather condition reports, since the net covers much of Maine and New Hampshire. The reports were then delivered to NWS-Gray via EchoLink.
"Here is an example of how HF and EchoLink/IRLP communication can complement one another," Macedo said.
Cold, dry conditions are expected over most of the US Northeast during the next few days.
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