SKYWARN Spotters get ready! SKYWARN Recognition Day 2023 officially takes place Saturday, December 2, from 0000-2400 UTC. During this 24-hour period, SKYWARN operators and NWS offices will contact other radio operators across the world.

This annual event was originally developed in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League to celebrate the contributions that SKYWARN™ amateur radio volunteers make to the NWS mission of protecting life and property. Amateur radio operators also provide vital communication between the NWS and emergency management when normal communications become inoperative.

Central Carolina SKYWARN and the Raleigh National Weather Service, operating under the call sign WX4NC, will join in the fun on Friday night (December 1) from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, making contacts on the K4ITL 145.210 repeater, WB4TQD 146.88 repeater, the K4ITL 147.105 repeater, the K4ITL 147.135 repeater, the Carolina 440 UHF Link System, IRLP (AllStar Node 28848 from 1600-1700 UTC), and HF (SSB & FT8). We will rotate through the repeaters so listen for us. To find the specific HF frequencies at any time, look for WX4NC on http://dxsummit.fi/#/.  

We will also make contacts via Winlink this year; our Winlink address is WX4NC@winlink.org. Please use the Local Weather Report template under Mapping-GIS Forms. If you are not familiar with this form, you may send a regular message via Winlink.

Radio operators will exchange names, call signs, locations, signal reports, and a 1 or 2-word weather report such as “windy”, “sunny”, or the current temperature.

If you wish to register for this event, please visit https://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition. However, we still want your contact even if you do not register! You may also spot yourself on a map.

There will be a special event certificate from the National Weather Service! Certificates will be electronic and printable from https://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarncert.

For further details on operating procedures and log submissions, please visit https://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarn_operating_procedures.

Hope to get you in the log!