ALERT NEWSLETTER – November 2011

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. There are so many good organizations out there. ARES, SATERN, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Red Cross, CERT etc, all good organizations, with good people doing good things. But, there is only one ALERT. The available Amateur volunteer pool is very limited and many of us belong to ALERT and other organizations, which divides the available operator pool. Then when you add work, family and health issues to the mix, often we find ourselves badly overextended. There were times last year that we had considerable difficulty finding volunteers for callouts. This is why we sometimes had to repeat the callouts four or five times. So whether you are an older member, a former member, a new member or a prospective member, please remember us and remember that we really need YOUR help. ALERT and the NWS appreciates what you have done and what you will be doing in the coming months. Remember, when you are responding to an ALERT callout, you aren’t operating radios, you are saving lives. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// This month’s ALERT meeting will focus on training, and as a lead in I wanted to review ALERT’s operations procedures. We will call this “an online training brushup”. Please print out these instructions, keep and study them. Also, remember that most of our “real training” is from “on the job experience”. In other words, please don’t be afraid to respond to a callout even if should you feel need more training. 90 percent of our training is “learning by doing”. That’s how I did it. My training was David Black KB4KCH “showing me the ropes” during a callout many moons ago. ALERT CALLOUT PROCEDURES What To Do Before The Callout Some preparations you should think about before responding are: 1. Attend a stormspotter class. This way you will be more knowledgeable at to the situations being encountered and the needs of the NWS. You will be better prepared to filter reports and eliminate the well meant, but oft times goofy “Leaf debris reports”. 2. Familiarize yourself with radar interpretation, that way you can be looking at the radar and anticipating problem areas and can get a head start on seeking pertinent information. I learned radar interpretation at JSU – James Spann University. When the TV meteorologists point out the various things they are seeing, pay attention, learn and remember. 3. Gain a knowledge of the various area ARES / Skywarn frequencies and nets. A very good resource is the ARES repeater map. One is posted at K4NWS. A pdf copy may be obtained at http://www.arrl-al.org/ares_map_ltr_043009final_color.pdf 4. Make a “go kit” or bag. Teresa & Mark’s go kit contains an Alabama atlas (the same one the NWS uses), a notepad, pens & a notebook with all my “NWS / ALERT guides, junk and crapola” that I’ve gathered over the years. Other useful items would be medicines, your favorite drink (not booze, please) & a favorite snack. Also included are things to do to keep you awake, for while some callouts are intense, hectic and exciting, others, especially when the storms keep dying near Meridian, are easy cures for insomnia. Now that we have prepared ourselves, we wait for the callouts. ALERT Callout Process 1. We want, encourage and welcome Operational members to take active roles in callouts. But, are you an ALERT member? If not, please join ALERT, for you must be a “paid up” ALERT member to be allowed to respond to a callout. Non-members cannot respond. 2. Monitor the weather situation and be prepared for a possible callout. 3. Don’t self activate and just show up at the NWS because you think help is needed and ALERT hasn’t acted or reacted fast enough. Remember that ALERT is activated when the NWS request an activation. Not, by our thinking that we ought to be there. Never try to bypass the callout system. The callout system is in place for a reason. The callout system allows us to: Know who is actually there, so we can maintain accountability, security & control. Avoid duplication of effort. When we know who is available & what times, we can schedule shifts allowing us to more efficiently utilize our available resources & avoid having an confused, chaotic response. It helps operators choose which responses they can best give to which entity. This is especially becoming more & more important as many operators belong to more than one emergency response group For instance, if there are multiple callouts – ALERT, ARES, CERT etc all issuing simultaneous callouts, if one calls the ALERT Liaison & asks if ALERT needs operators or is adequately staffed it will help you decide where you are best needed, since you can’t be everywhere at once. It allows you to cover more bases, as it can allow you to say, “I can be at the NWS with ALERT from 3PM to 7PM and then at the EMA from 8PM till the duration”. 4. If a callout is issued and you are available, call the contact person listed in the callout notification so you can be scheduled. Always coordinate with NWS liaison issuing the callout – Nathan or Russell before responding to the NWS. If it is your first callout, let the liaison know, so you may be teamed with an experienced member. We don’t want you just “thrown to the wolves”. 5. Remember that when you respond to the callout, visitors are not allowed. 6. When you leave for the NWS, allow extra travel time, as travel conditions may be slow and dangerous. 7. If you are scheduled and will be late or unable to fill your shift, contact the Liaison you responded to & let him know. 8. When you arrive at the NWS buzz the buzzer to be let in & let them know you are with ALERT. K4NWS Startup Procedures 1. Did You Sign In At The Front Desk? 2. Obtain a brief situational update from the meteorologist who greets you. 3. Turn on the power supplies first. 4. Turn on the radios second, so you don’t damage the radios. 5. Starting with the 220 MHz radio on the far left, open the squelch and adjust the volume to a comfortable level. Verifying that the radio is on 224.500 MHz. 6. Do likewise with the next radio to the right, which is 2 meters. This will be your “roaming” radio that you will use to search distant repeaters for reports. 7. Next is the 440 MHz radio, which can be used for roaming UHF, but, is normally monitoring 444.700 MHz. 8. Next is the Icom 706. Currently we have cable problems on the HF, so set this on 146.980 MHz so that if West Alabama is being effected, Shelby County can link with West Alabama and reach K4NWS or set it on 146.880 MHz. 9. Lastly the D-Star radio is prepared. Test the radio on 145.410 MHz (Channel 10). It can also be used on 146.88 or 98, as needs dictate. But, usually it should be on Channel 10. The Radio Station is now prepared, now for the Computer Workstation 10. Verify that the computer is up and running, it should already be on. Are Severe Clear & the Chatrooms on the screen & not frozen? 11. If not, or if you cannot log into the computer or on the Spotterchats, if Jody Aaron is available, call him over to help. One thing to remember is that as long as you can log in to BMX Spotterchat (the general use chatroom), this is sufficient. You don’t necessarily need to monitor the BMXEMACHAT & relay reports from BMXchat to BMXEMACHAT. After all you are sitting at the NWS – if someone has a report on BMXspotterchat, thank the operator & then just tell the forecaster what was reported. Remember also that ALERT members at offsite locations usually are covering the chats. K4NWS focus is on RF operations. If you can’t log on the NWSchat system & want to monitor traffic on the chats you can still do (assuming you have an NWSchat account). This may be done by opening the Internet Explorer & going to https://nwschat.weather.gov/live/, log in & go to “Chatrooms” at the bottom left of the screen & click the link. From the list that appears find “Birmingham EM Chat (bmxemachat)” and click on this & then click “join a chat” on the box that appears. A fully functional version of the chat will then be activated. 12. If you are wanting to monitor APRS, just go to the favorites list & find the APRS links. These and many weather tools are readily available at www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/. 13. When the computer is ready, as best you can, balancing radio coverage with computer coverage, monitor the radar & the Chatrooms. Remember that everyone has a limited multitasking capacity & that capacity varies with each person. Our prime mission is gathering reports via RF. 14. Another item to remember, is that we normally do not seek reports from Tuscaloosa County. This is by Tuscaloosa’s request. Tuscaloosa has a unique operation in that the Net Control site is located at the EMA EOC. The NCS passes the reports onsite to the EMA & the EMA then sends the reports directly to the NWS via 800 MHz, NAWAS or via Chatroom, either NWSchat or the Alabama EMA chat, which is a government only chat. So this is a unique case where K4NWS doesn’t need to go the 146.82 Net seeking reports, as they are already passing the information directly using their system, which they have perfected. If these systems should go down or if they want to contact us, they will call us on D-Star or other methods of their choosing. Tuscaloosa initiates the contact. The only exception to this would be if the NWS directly requests ALERT to contact Tuscaloosa. Then we would honor our served agency’s request. to him or to another meteorologist. Remember you are NOT intruding. They WANT your reports. That’s why they called you in. 16. You usually will receive requests for information & be given updates by the meteorologists. Honor those requests as best you can. 17. Listen to the background chit-chat in the room and monitor the radar. When an area of concern is mentioned or a cell appears bad on radar, go to repeaters covering the area of concern & ask for reports. Don’t just wait for a warning to be issued to react. SEARCH for reports. We are to ACT, not just REACT. 18. While monitoring 88 & 98 is desirable, you have to “go where the action is”, which means leaving those frequencies. Do tell the NCS’s you are leaving. They can still reach K4NWS via 220 or 440. 19. Remember to log your reports. 20. When your relief operator arrives, leave, and go get some rest. You may be needed later again & will need to be fresh. I’ll reemphasize the word “leave”. The guys & gals really don’t have the time to chit chat while an event is ongoing. Shutdown Procedures 1. If possible, don’t shut down until the meteorologists say you are no longer needed. 2. After they do, finish your paperwork & straighten up the cubical. 3. If the 88 & 98 Nets are up, let the NCS’s know you are shutting down. This also applies to any other net you are monitoring. 4. Do likewise on the Spotterchat, as the Buddy List may say “K4NWS” even if no one is there. 5. Shut off the radios. 6. Shut off the power supplies. 7. DO NOT SHUT OFF THE COMPUTER! 8. Sign out and leave. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… A few more words about the Spotterchats. ALERT and the NWS cover 39 counties. Some have a low Amateur Radio population, who may not even be interested is the Skywarn program. Some counties are outside the VHF/UHF range of K4NWS, or so very rarely in range, such as is the cases of the Tuscaloosa & Gadsden 82 repeater’s or the Montgomery 84 repeater, which except for occasional instances of Divine Intervention we usually cannot even hear, let alone work them. But, the internet and the Spotterchat system is always in range and has the potential to provide full 39 county coverage, which can be monitored remotely, freeing up the operators at K4NWS, and can be monitored with or without a callout. So here is a little brush up on the spotter chat protocols. Operational ALERT members on the chats act as a liaison to the NWSchat and directly copies and pastes reports onto the BMXEMACHAT. They filter the information when needed, as any regular NCS should do, to insure that only necessary information is passed. Here are some of the reports that we need and some that we don’t need from the Spotterchat reports which we relay to the NWS. This includes from both the BMXchat and the 33/40 chat, which James Spann has given ALERT permission to use & from which we “copy and paste” to the NWSchat when appropriate. The first question to be asked is “is this report even usable for NWS purposes? “Clear sky”, “full moon”, “it’s thundering”, “the stars are out”, “it’s getting very dark out here” (especially at sunset) aka “leaf debris reports” are complete wastes of the operators time, energy and Internet bandwidth. If it is a suitable report, then the “what, when and were rules apply”. What has or is happening, when did it happened and where? We will need a location. A location that is clearly defined with street/cross-street, mile marker, etc. Otherwise we have to waste time chasing down details in a fast pace, hectic, often hellacious situation. Remember that time is our greatest enemy. We don’t need scanner reports or third hand reports. They are unverifiable and in the case of scanner reports, the EMA usually already knows about the call and will know whether it is a false alarm or not. If it’s the “real deal”; the EMA will pass the information directly to the NWS. Scanner reports are how false rumors are spread, which is something that we – ALERT, the NWS and the EMA’s all seek to avoid. The BMXchats & NWSchats are for “weather and weather only” and not places for idle chit-chat. As I once discussed with a possible future member who thought it might be a good opportunity to hobnob, if you obtain approval for access to the NWSchat, remember that we don’t “chat with the guys at the NWS”. If the meteorologists ask us a question, we answer, but usually not the other way around. Information & discussions seen on the NWSchat are NOT to be discussed on the air or on the other chats. The information is confidential and is to be treated as such. The only exceptions would be in cases where you see the forecaster saying something like “rotation is really tightening up over Hueytown”. Then simply say on the other chats or on the air that the “NWS is needing reports from the Hueytown area”. A final word on this subject is to remember that everyone has a slightly different methodology, based on knowledge, experience and personal preference. Don’t be afraid that you might mess up. It’s when you think that you won’t mess up that you are on the slippery verge problem. So hop on in there. Know that by responding and manning K4NWS you may have saved a life. You may never know whose family you have saved, whose child will still have a father or whose life will continue because of the advanced warning you helped make possible. But, you, by relaying the reports you received, literally saved these lives. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Mark’s Almanac With the arrival of November we enter our second tornado season. Alabama and the Southeast is “blessed” by being the only area on Earth with two tornado seasons. And, the cause of the second season is the same as the spring season – clashes of cold and warm air masses. The cold air of winter invading and trying to push the warmth of the summer back into the sea, which is the same process of springtime, just in reverse. The second season is often more destructive than the spring season. So beware of a warm & muggy November day. Especially one with a south wind, as something may really be “in the air”. The Hurricane threat greatly diminishes, with hurricane activity occurring mainly in the open Atlantic, threatening the Eastern Seaboard, but usually veering off into sea as cold fronts off the East Coast deflect them. Hurricanes can still form in the Caribbean, which usually visit the Yucatan, but can enter the Gulf. Hurricane season ends November 30. November welcomes the peak of fall colors. For Birmingham the peak occurs around November 15, but the date can vary depending on your elevation & latitude. Indian Summer and Squaw Winter continue to battle it out, but the cool or cold weather will eventually win, with the first average frost being on November 11. The usual fall effects occur in North America with Canada’s Hudson Bay becoming unnavigable due to pack ice & icebergs. Navigation in the Great Lakes becomes perilous due to storms bringing the “Gales Of November” made famous in song “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald”. And, don’t be surprised if you hear ducks overhead & see wedges of Canadian geese heading south for the winter. And if you see strange birds appearing in your front yard, remember that for 336 species of birds Alabama IS south for the winter. The annual Leonid meteor shower will peak November 18 & 18, but may be washed out by the bright moon. If you can’t see them, you can listen to them. Try http://spaceweatherradio.com/index.php And click “listen”. You may hear them “pinging” off the US Air Force Space Surveillance radar system. November is Native American Heritage Month and November’s Full Moon is “Beaver Moon” in Native American folklore. From a descendant of the Noble Cherokee I bid you “Nvwadohiyadv” or “peace”. ………………………………………………………………………………………. This month’s meeting will be on November 8 at 7PM at the National Weather Service Forecast office at the Shelby County Airport I hope to see you there. 73 and take care. Mark WD4NYL Vice-President www.freewebs.com/weatherlynx/