Good afternoon. My name is Andrew Charland and I am the new Southern Maryland Sub Net Manager for the National Capitol Area Skywarn Support Group. With the lose of the 145.350 repeater in Prince Frederick, participation in the Skywarn program using amateur radio in our area has decreased and we would like to revitalize it. Thanks to the Calvert Amateur Radio Association, Calvert, Charles, St, Marys, and Prince Georges Counties can now use the K3CAL linked repeater system(146.985- and 444.950+)to activate Skywarn nets when severe weather is expected or taking place.
With severe weather season fast approaching, I am reaching out to all the amateur radio groups/clubs in the region in hopes that you could make Skywarn a topic of discussion at a meeting or gathering in an effort to help grow participation in the program within your locales. We are looking for hams who are interested in spotter and net control station training as well as individuals willing to assist me with coordination duties within your respective counties. Spotter training is usually done in person within the counties and is taught by National Weather Service meteorologist from the Baltimore Washington Forecast Office. There are “Basics” classes already scheduled and those interested can sign up for them at www.weather.gov/lwx/skywarn. As it stands, the closest classes already scheduled are in Prince Georges County. Hopefully, with interest, we can get classes scheduled in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s. The “Basics” class is a prerequisite for the NCS training. Net control station training is done via Zoom and sessions will be scheduled based on the number of participants and is taught by experienced members of the group. If you or any of your folks already have the “Basics” class and are interested in training to be a net control station, please email Jerry Stuckle at ai0k@ai0k.net with a c/c to me so I can keep track as well. Jerry is the group’s Amateur Radio Coordinator and will handle scheduling.
If you or any of your folks would like more information on the Skywarn program and getting started, the National Capitol Area Skywarn Support Group, or amateur radio and severe weather spotting, please check the links below and, of course, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. If I don’t know the answer, I will get the answer for you.
www.weather.gov/lwx/skywarn_join-skywarn
Thank you for our time and hope to hear from you soon.
Andy
KC3WRX