Hi Everyone, Officially next month begins our spring severe weather season, but as we saw two weeks ago, tornadoes can strike at any time day or night. This latest tornado outbreak helps drive home the question – are you prepared? Now is the time to take the time to review your emergency preparedness plans and to brush up on your skills – including communications, stormspotting and especially personal and family safety. Now is the time to prepare, don’t wait until the sirens sound. For by then it may be too late. In preparing, you should ask yourselves these questions: Is my family shelter (and everyone should have one) ready? Is my equipment, both antennae & radios working? Are the batteries charged? Are my communications channels still functional? Including RF, Internet & telephone resources. Can I reliably receive weather watches and warnings? Are you really prepared? And, I’m just not talking ALERT callouts, radios and antennas. I’m talking keeping you and your family alive and intact during and after the storms. For this should be your number one priority. Remember Continue reading →

Hi Everyone, December is here and you know what this means don’t you? Yep you’re right, it’s time for the ALERT Christmas party! You are all cordially invited to the ALERT Christmas party Tuesday, December 13 at the NWS. Be sure to bring a dish and be prepared to have fun. We are well into our second severe weather season & ALERT has been active. I wish to thank the following members who responded to the November 16 callout. David Reed, Bobby Best, Ronnie King & Stephanie Honeycutt. Also, to the members who helped relay reports via the Spotterchats. Thanks! Your efforts and dedication to ALERT, the National Weather Service and her mission are greatly appreciated. Remember, you aren’t just relaying reports. You are helping to save lives. There are some recent news items that I wish to pass along. First concerns ALERT operations and Tuscaloosa. If you Continue reading →

Hi everyone, I hope this finds you well, and untouched by the recent hobgoblin attack of the 31st. We had no trick or treaters this year, so you know what that means. I have to eat ALL of the candy. It will be a challenge, but I shall do my utmost with courage and dedication. Have you tried the HF bands lately? Conditions are the best I’ve seen since 1977 and right now we seem to have a wide open door into Europe on 10, 12 and 15 meters. I worked 28 countries Sunday. Remember that sunspot cycles don’t last very long, so work as many countries you can, while you can. Catch em while they are biting. Now to the business at hand. Alabama’s second severe weather season has now started and ALERT and the NWS need your help. We need operators to man K4NWS and take the stormspotter reports coming in for the National Weather Service. Ther Continue reading →

Hi Everyone, Do you have any plans Sunday night? If not, or if you can squeeze it in, I cordially invite you to join the new ALERT Sunday Night Net. This net, formerly the BARC Sunday Night Net meets every Sunday at 7PM on 146.88 MHz, with a backup frequency of 146.76 MHz. Glenn Glass, KE4YZK, formed the net about 15 years ago and I took over as Net Manager from Mark Nichols, K7NOA in 2001. BARC has now donated the net to ALERT for ALERT promotion and visibility. To BARC, we the members of ALERT say “thank you” for your support and confidence. The ASNN is a “discussion net” and as time goes on I’m going to slip training snippets in as to what the NWS and ALERT does and doesn’t need reported, operating procedures and anything else this dusty brain can concoct. One thing to be stressed is the net is NOT an emergency net and won’t be activating for emergencies. One should always respond to your local ARES / Skywarn Net when situations arise. Should the A Continue reading →