National Weather Service Raleigh & Central Carolina SKYWARN to Participate in SKYWARN Recognition Day

Weather Spotters get ready! SKYWARN Recognition Day 2020 officially takes place Saturday, December 5, 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 4) 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 147.135 repeater, the Carolina 440 UHF Link System, the W4BAD linked system, IRLP, and HF (80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters SSB). We will rotate through the repeaters so listen for us. To find the specific HF frequencies, look for WX4NC on http://dxsummit.fi/#/.

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 and receive a spotter SRD event number, please visit https://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition. However, we still want your contact even if you do not register!

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

One change that 2020 brings is Covid-19; for health and safety reasons, we will be operating from home instead of the Raleigh NWS office. Also, the Raleigh NWS will be unable to welcome visitors to its facility for tours this year.

Hope to get you in the log!