WEATHER_RADIO_LISTENERS_NEWSLETTER_ISSUE_15_May_15_2015
Welcome to the 15th issue of the Weather Radio Listeners Newsletter. In this issue, we have much the same exciting articles you have come to know throughout the last 14 issues of the newsletter. There may also be a few new things thrown in there, to keep you interested. Please read on and enjoy.
Hello All. This is your friendly author welcoming you to the 15th issue of the Weather Radio Listeners Newsletter. It is interesting to note that our very first issue came out on December 17, 2011. This is our 15th newsletter and it feels great to know we have made it this far.
I don’t really have much to say in the opening comments this time. I have my comments sprinkled throughout this issue in various articles. What you will notice is that there will be a lot more people given credit in the thank you section. Anyone who is thanked and is not currently on the mailing list will be in brackets. Hopefully those of you who are friends with them can convince those in brackets to join the newsletter mailing list.
Hopefully you are all enjoying the spring of 2015 and hopefully summer will be much better for everyone than last year. This comes after a cold winter, similar to last year but at the same time, different. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great few months, while the weather warms up and we can get outside and have fun.
Ham Radio Helps Weatheradio
For those who may not be aware, most of us in the group are not only Weather Radio Listeners but also Ham Radio operators as well. In fact quite a lot of us including myself are and we love the hobby equally as much as we love Weather Radio and public service communications. One of the many things we do in this wonderful hobby is called nets and they can be about anything. My own Weather Radio Net is one of them and there are also both CANWARN and SKYWARN nets too.
In Ontario there is a net that meets every Thursday and Sunday evenings at 8:00 PM, on a bunch of repeater networks all across the province and it is called the Procom Net. It is one of the many nets focussing on public service communications and I try to check in when I can. The net is controlled by 2 people: Gary Notto VE3TTO and Ward G. Kenedy VE3WGK. From time to time, they ask for reports on the local Weatheradio Canada stations in Ontario and the response has been good. All though some people who have checked in for the first time don’t know about Weather Radio and mention other channels and frequencies outside the 7 channels. This happened the last time this was asked of people and I nearly had a fit.
On the other hand, there are others who check in and know their stuff and that makes me feel good to hear people actually telling the net controller relevant information, as opposed to superfluous or unnecessary information. I commend both Gary and Ward for handling net control duties and especially Gary for taking the reins on the Weather Radio reporting net.As I mentioned earlier, my own Weather Radio Net is back and it is rebuilding. We meet on Monday evenings at 7:00 PM on repeaters with IRLP or Internet Radio Linking Project and the turnout is as I said, rebuilding. On the first Monday of every month, I do something similar to what Gary does on the Procom Net occasionally. The difference is that they ask for just the local frequency and reception. However, on my net I ask for the frequency and callsign of both local and surrounding WXR’s. This is to let the folks at Weatheradio Canada know that they are being heard because some stations hardly get signal reports. The other reason is that I also send the net reports to Weatheradio Canada with the information which is pertinent to them.
One thing that has been a problem with both nets is that people sometimes mention the continuous marine broadcast frequencies and they are not relevant to what the net controller is asking for, whether it is myself, Ward or Gary. In fact, the continuous marine broadcasts are run by the Canadian Coastguard and have nothing to do with Weatheradio Canada. Except that in some cases they are on 1 of the 7 WX channels allocated to Weatheradio Canada but not the same thing.
One suggestion I have for all three of us as net controllers is that maybe next time all 7 Weatheradio Frequencies should be spelled out on air and the subsequent channel numbers, as they appear on our modern ham radio transceivers. For example: Channels 1, 2 and 3 are: 162.500, 162.400 and 162.475 MHz respectively. Just be careful because standalone WX radios mostly have the channels in numerical order, according to the frequency from 162.400 to 162.550 MHz. I put the link to websites with Weather Radio information on here because of nets like this and so all who are reading this and learning about how Weather Radio channels are situated can learn both numbering schemes. In fact, I mention both of them in a previous issue.
Now that I’ve climbed off my soapbox, I would like to thank all of you who have checked into my own net as well as the Procom Nets in the past. I also especially would like to thank those of you who turned out to help me help Weatheradio Canada with our Weatheradio reception reports on the first Monday of the month. As long as my net is on air this will be how it is. And I am humbled.
What’s New ?
From the Midland Radio Newsletter, we wish to thank Midland Radio Corporation for allowing us to publish their information here. The following information provided here, also applies to readers here in Canada too.
Severe Weather Season
It’s your responsibility to prepare ! Spring Is Here, Finally! This also marks the beginning of
severe weather season. According to the National Weather Service:
On average severe weather is responsible for 640 deaths annually.
Thousands more injuries are attributed to severe weather.
A NOAA Weather Radio is the most reliable technology over cell phones and outdoor sirens.
As your Weather Ready Nation Ambassador, Midland Radio has a responsibility to provide you
with a means of protecting yourself, just as you have a responsibility to protect your loved ones,
with a NOAA Weather Radio from Midland in your home. It’s like a smoke detector for stormsand by leaving your Midland NOAA Weather Radio on year-round, you will have peace of mind
knowing that you will always be alerted should severe weather strike.
Order your WR120 Weather Radio and get Free Shipping!
It’s Necessary, Not A Nuisance. Many people think that a weather radio will go off even if the
slightest of storms is nearby, quite an annoying distraction to have in your home. Fortunately,
you don’t have to worry about that with a Midland WR120 Weather Alert radio. It’s
programmable, so you may only hear severe weather warnings when storms strike in your area.
Below you can see how having a weather alert radio saved Marinda Sullivan’s life, and how it
allowed her to protect her children and four dogs.
Marinda Sullivan almost lost everything when a tornado hit.
Also, if you aren’t convinced with this last article, this is another one that you should read.
https://midlandusa.com/weather-alert-radios-vs-cell-phones/
This next article appeared three months late, in the August issue of last year’s newsletter. So, I thought I should repeat it here.
Weather Radio Programming Events Sweep Across the Nation Every year, Midland collaborates with local TV stations to bring communities across the nation access to weather radios. As part of these events, news stations host community wide weather programming days. The events are free to attend and open to the public. You can bring any brand of weather radio to be tuned up and programmed by representatives who are familiar with several brands and types of weather radios. Events are offered as a service to the public to help ensure all are protected by NOAA weather alert radios. To find a weather programming event near you, please visit the Midland USA Facebook Page or check with your local emergency manager.
A Solution for Every Home
Choose the Right Weather Radio for Your Needs It’s easy to choose the right weather radio once you understand the differences between a weather alert radio and a weather band radio. After that it’s just a matter of choosing the type that best fits your lifestyle. Many require a combination of two or three different types to protect themselves both outdoors and indoors. For others, a desktop weather alert radio will suffice.
From the author: Both standalone Weather Radios and Weather Band Radios have been discussed in the newsletter in past issues. For more information, check out the first 4 issues, in particular.
To contact Midland Radio, you can like them on Facebook at Midland USA, on Twitter
@Midland USA or their website at http://www.midlandusa.com.
Their mailing address is:
Midland Radio Corporation 5900 Parrette Drive Kansas City, MO 64120 USA
Authors Note:
Since I became aware of these events last May, I’ve been thinking to myself why isn’t there such an event here in Canada? Obviously both Environment Canada and the National Weather Service provide this vital service for us but as far as I know, there are no Weather Radio Programming events to speak of in Canada. Hopefully with the newsletter that can change in the next year orso. It would be a big help to those of us who don’t fully understand how to program their own SAME code into their WX Radio. Heck, I don’t even try because I like to keep mine on the “ANY” or “ALL COUNTIES” setting on my WX Radios. It doesn’t bother me how much my WX Radio goes off during a severe weather outbreak and well, it helps when I am traveling. However, not everyone shares my views on this and that’s okay.
Reecom has finally emerged from their years of silence with 2 new radios,: the R-200 and R-500.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2259251611?view=permalink&id=10152608519811612 One feature that I am not quite sure of is the EOM feature, which I would guess is meant for the end of the SAME message. http://www.reecominc.com/eom.htm For more click this link here. http://www.reecominc.com/ The price could also be out of range for some of us but I have been told that they both sport a lot of cool features. Hopefully they are easy for those of us who can’t see what we are doing, to sufficiently operate these two weather alert receivers to the best of our abilities.
From The Blog
https://blindgordieblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/weather-radios-for-dummies-2/
The following is an article put together by the author by Daryl Stout, which is loosely about the Midland W-R120 Weather Radio. It focuses on the use of the alert siren and the author will have comments on it at the end of this article.
Disabling The Weather Alert Siren
I got a new Midland WR-120 NOAA Weather Radio the other day, and like it a lot better than the previous model (which I’m giving to a friend out at the apartment complex where I live). I have it programmed for her, for “display only” (no siren, as it’d drive her dachshund nuts, even with his “thunder shirt” (it helps lower anxiety in dogs and cats due to thunderstorms)). So, she just has to press the WEATHER bar to hear the forecast and any bulletins. The advisory, watch, and warning lights, will alert her to what’s going on.
While I do NOT personally recommend disabling the weather radio alert siren during severe weather…especially when significant severe weather is approaching your area, or during the overnight hours…you CAN disable the siren on most weather radios, including the Midland ones, and that’s what I’ll address in this article.
First, the reason that I do NOT recommend one disabling the siren if severe weather is approaching, is that severe storms can move up to 90 miles per hour, which gives those downstream of the storms little time to prepare for it. Your margin of safety could literally be counted in SECONDS. It’s best to either have someone else awake to monitor the storms (if you have to sleep at night), or have the Specific Area Message Encoder (SAME) Warning Alarm Setup to sound for your county/parish ONLY…and have that activated for WARNINGS. The term “WARNING” means that the type of weather described is occurring or imminent, and you should take IMMEDIATE action to protect life and property.For me, personally, I usually force myself to be awake when severe storms are approaching, so I can hear when the warnings are issued, and to take appropriate shelter, if need be. But, once the severe storms have moved out of my area, then I can go back to sleep, knowing that even though thunderstorms may still occur, the severe weather threat is now out of my area. Then, I can use the “siren less option” noted below.
Second, to disable the siren on the Midland Weather Radio (this works for the Midland WR-120 radio, and likely with other models as well), do the following:
1) Press the MENU button.
2) Press the DOWN arrow until the display shows ALT TYPE (for alert type)
3) Press the SELECT button. The display will show either:
A) DISPLAY — the type of watch, warning, or advisory, will scroll across the display. However, the siren will NOT sound. This is useful if you have pets such as dogs, whose hearing is very sensitive. However, the only time this is recommended is AFTER the severe weather has moved EAST of your county/parish, and if you have ONLY your county/parish in the “siren activation mode”. The text could say TORNADO, SEVERE THUNDERSTORM, REQUIRED WEEKLY TEST, etc. You can program the radio for which alerts you want to be notified for…as many of the newer models now cover such things as Child Abduction Emergency messages (Amber Alerts). If you tell the unit that ANY bulletin is to be covered, then ALL watch, warning, and advisory categories will be noted.
B) TONE – the siren will sound, and will remain sounding until you press the WEATHER/SNOOZE button.
C) VOICE – the siren will sound until the 1050 hertz warning alarm tone stops…then the speaker will be enabled for you to hear the warning bulletin, just as if you had hit the WEATHER/SNOOZE button. After a period of time, the radio will go silent again, until the next watch, warning, or advisory is issued.
To change the desired setting, press the RIGHT arrow.
Note that in ANY mode (DISPLAY, TONE, or VOICE), the lights on the radio will light up to alert you that one of these is in effect. They are:
WARNING – RED. The event described is either occurring or imminent, and you should take
immediate action to protect life and property.
WATCH – ORANGE. Weather conditions favor the event described…hence, there is a CHANCE that it WILL occur. Continue regular activities, but keep close tabs on weather conditions, as they can change very rapidly.
ADVISORY – YELLOW. Hazardous weather is occurring or imminent, but it is NOT to the level that would be a serious threat to the safety of life, or the protection of property. However, if PROPER CAUTION is NOT taken…conditions could become such where the safety of life and property is threatened. If only an advisory is in effect, the yellow light will be illuminated. If a watch or advisory is in effect, the orange light will be illuminated. If a warning, watch, or advisory, is in effect, the red light will be illuminated. In short, the highest priority bulletin denotes which light will be seen.
Note that during the “REQUIRED WEEKLY TEST”, the siren does NOT sound…but only the display notes REQUIRED WEEKLY TEST. In the United States, this test is done between 11am and 12 noon local time on Wednesday, unless there is a threat of severe weather in the local area. Under these conditions, testing is postponed until the first available “good weather day”. However, if several days of stormy weather are occurring or forecast, then the “weekly test” that week may be cancelled, as it were. With the REQUIRED WEEKLY TEST, the advisory (yellow) light is illuminated. Once you have the desired setting, press SELECT to confirm it, then press MENU to return to the regular display mode.
While the radio can also function as an alarm clock (instructions for that are in the owner’s manual), I don’t use the radio for that purpose.
Also, while the radio runs either on AC power, or 3 “AA” batteries, it is BEST to be sure that you have FRESH batteries in the unit, especially if you are going to unplug the unit if lightning is in your area, and if it’s going to be unplugged for a considerable amount of time. Without AC power, and if the batteries are low or dead, it’ll be like the weather radio is turned OFF, and you could miss CRITICAL information that could save your life!
Comments From The Newsletter Author:
Disabling the siren is done the same way on the: W-R120, W-R100 and the HH54VP Weather Radios. However on the W-R300 and other models of Midland and other manufacturers WX Radios, it may be done differently. For example: the W-R300 has a button which is meant to allow you to disable the alert siren for all alerts or you can block certain ones, so you can only hear alerts that are applicable to your local area, besides the local SAME or CLC code. For more on how to do this use your owner’s manual for instructions.
As for the weekly test, unlike the W-R100 and the HH54VP you can turn it on audibly, so you can hear it and not just see the flash on the screen, when it goes off. I like that and am also glad that it has a different sound than the watch or warning alarm.
As for sleeping at night, I have a confession to make… I actually sleep with my Weather Radio on and sometimes I hear the warnings and sometimes I don’t. It depends on how deep I sleep during a particular night.I also use my WX Radio as an alarm clock and it has worked well for me since 2008. Sometimes I sleep through the alarm too and I use my iPhone or my iPod Touch as an additional alarm clock to wake me up, if I feel the need.
I think it is very important that you don’t disable the weather alert siren because it could save your life, whatever time of day a watch or warning is issued for severe weather. Yes, Weatheradio Canada and NOAA Weather Radio have their problems staying on air and disseminating information sometimes but we all must keep the faith that our WX radios will save us from potential life threatening weather in the future. Don’t think of your WX Radio’s siren as a pain in the butt, but a real life saver.
From Jim Cantore:
Anybody relate?
From Adam Helton: Thought you would appreciate this Winter Weather story of SURVIVAL
from Nashville youtu.be/25wQGqEublU
The Watchdog Report
If you hear anything that doesn’t sound right on your local Weather Radio transmitter, there are various ways to report a problem that depend on where you live. If you live in The United States, you can call 1-888-697-7263. You can email NOAA at nwroutage@noaa.gov, or on the web at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr. If you live in Canada, you can call 1-877-789-7733. You can email the Meteorological Service Of Canada at ECWeather-Meteo@ec.gc.ca, or email the National Weatheradio Canada Team at Wxradio@ec.gc.ca. You can also go on the web at http://www.ec.gc.ca/weatheradio. Also, you can report it on the NOAA Weather Radio Weatheradio Canada Facebook page and the Yahoo Weatheradio Chat Group. You will find the link to the Yahoo group later in this issue and all issues of the newsletter.
Authors Note:
One report in this issue didn’t come in until after the last issue was sent out to be edited and will appear here.
Wednesday January 28th Northbay XLJ893 has gone into watchdog mode. Also, on Saturday January 31st Toronto XMJ225 has also gone into watchdog mode at 6:20 PM local. Probably stuck ftp because all the data bins disappeared except for the canned messages. Toronto XMJ225 was restored on Monday February 2nd at 8:26 AM.
“Toronto’s internet got a glitch that froze up the connection. It had to be reset.”
Peter Staples – Dissemination – Ontario Region | Diffusion – Région de l’Ontario
North Bay XLJ893 was restored on Tuesday at 8:00 AM, due to a power bump, after which it didn’t reset. Of course, they happened to be restored after the groundhog either saw or didn’t see his shadow.
Monday evening February 2ndd, XLK473 in Halifax transmitted two Network Notification Messages, thus going into watchdog mode around 11:18 PM! It was restored around 3:32 PM local
on Tuesday February 3rd.
On Thursday March 5th at 4:14 PM, Toronto XMJ225 and well, all of Weatheradio Canada in Ontario went into watchdog mode. It was restored during the morning of March 6th. Toronto XMJ225 came back at 10:27 AM, for example.
The dialer pc broke down and we had to switch in the backup unit. Everything was offline.
Peter Staples – Dissemination – Ontario Region | Diffusion – Région de l’Ontario
On Friday March 6th at 8:15 PM, Northbay XLJ893 went back into watchdog mode. It was restored on Monday March 9th at 7:33 AM. Stuck ftp process. In other words, in the ftp process, the end of the routine didn’t get acknowledged and so the dialer thought it was still talking to North Bay when North Bay had already said goodbye.
Peter Staples – Dissemination – Ontario Region | Diffusion – Région de l’Ontario
Saturday April 11th at 4:15 PM Weatheradio Canada in Ontario has gone into watchdog mode. It was restored on Sunday April 12th.
Note: Before it came back I received a tweet from another person, who is just as involved with Environment Canada as I am. Here it is below.
Ward G Kennedy (@VE3WGK) 2015-04-12, 8:57 AM Environment Canada WX radio Canada XMJ225 Toronto is still off the air. Seems like it’s a weekly event 162.400 MHz.
This tells us that it probably came back around 11:00 AM Sunday April 12th!
Tuesday April 14th, from the NOAA Weather Radio and Weather Radio Canada Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/weatheradio/permalink/10152662856656612/
Also from Twitter, NWS Grand Forks (@NWSGrandForks) 2015-04-14, 6:20 PM For the Fargo area, the NOAA weather radio is out until further notice awaiting parts for repair.
Saturday April 18th at around 6:20 PM Weatheradio Canada has gone into watchdog mode throughout Ontario. It returned on Monday April 20th at around 7:56 AM.
Note:
This outage was confirmed, on the aforementioned Ontario Provincial Communications Net. On Sunday April 19th Ward VE3WGK decided after some communications with me via txt message, to ask those who check in to listen to their local WXR, for a technical difficulty message. Everyone who checked in had heard the message and so, it was confirmed.
From the U.S. National Weather Service, Tulsa, Oklahoma Facebook Page: Dated: 12:11pm CDT, April 20, 2015
The Fayetteville, Springdale, and Fort Smith NOAA Weather radio transmitters are not broadcasting at this time. We have no estimated return to service time, but technicians are aware. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Also, from the US National Weather Service Tulsa, Oklahoma Facebook page, 12:32pm CDT,
April 21, 2015: The Fayetteville, Springdale, and Fort Smith NOAA Weather Radio transmitters are again broadcasting. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience. 🙂
Weekly SAME and 1050 Hz. Tone Test Report
The following are reports from listeners on the weekly (rwt), monthly (rmt) SAME tests sent to each site in Canada. However, it is not complete so we need you to send your reports to the author as well as Wxradio@ec.gc.ca. Remember, the 1050Hz Tone test and SAME Required Monthly Test is performed on the first Wednesday of each month just before noon local time. The SAME Required Weekly Test is performed every Wednesday around 11:50 local time.
Date Call Sign Tx Frequency (MHz) Name alphanumeric or basic tone alert test alarm time
Wednesday February 4th, St Catharine’s (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:53 AM, (RMT) 11:57 AM, (1050 TONE) 11:59 AM local, Ottawa (VBE719 162.550 MHz) (RWT) 11:54 A.M, (RWT) 11:57 AM, (1050 Hz tone) 12:02 PM local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM, (RMT) 12:00 PM, (1050 TONE) 11:59 AM local.
Wednesday February 11th, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 A.M. local, Ottawa (VBE719 162.550 MHz) (RWT) 11:53 A.M local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM local.
Wednesday February 18th, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM
Wednesday February 25th, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM local.
Wednesday March 4th, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM, (RMT) 11:57 AM, (1050 Hz. tone) 12:00 PM local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM, (RMT) 12:00 PM, (1050 Hz. tone) 12:00 PM local.
Wednesday March 11th, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 A.M. local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 A.M. local.
Wednesday March 18th, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM local.
Wednesday March 25, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM local
Wednesday April 1st 2015, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM, (RMT) 11:57 AM, (1050 Hz. tone alert) 11:59 AM local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM, (RMT) 12:00 AM, (1050 Hz. tone alert) 11:59 AM local.
Wednesday April 8th, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM local, Ottawa (VBE719 162.550 MHz) (RWT) 11:53 A.M, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM local.
Wednesday April 15st, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 AM local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM local. 🙂
Wednesday April 22, St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 A.M. local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 A.M. local.
Wednesday April 29th St Catharines (VAD320 162.475 MHz.) (RWT) 11:52 A.M. local, Toronto (XMJ225 162.400 MHz.) (RWT) 11:54 AM local.
The CANWARN/SKYWARN Reports
CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) is a volunteer organization of amateur radio operators who report severe weather and damage reports to Environment Canada when they see it. Weather reports from amateur radio operators help confirm on the ground what satellites and radars see in the atmosphere. The information gathered from CANWARN is also used to update and fine tune weather warnings, fill in gaps in current observing networks and is also valuable in forensic storm analysis. When Environment Canada issues severe weather watches or warnings, they may alert the CANWARN volunteer Net Controllers in the affected areas. The volunteer Net Controllers contact other CANWARN members on the amateur radio, tell them a watch or warning has been issued and ask them to report signs of approaching severe weather. In the US SKYWARN is the American counterpart to CANWARN in Canada and the purpose for it is exactly the same.
For this section of the newsletter, we will explore how different CANWARN and SKYWARN groups operate in their local region, from time to time. There may be some SKYWARN information from meteorologists in this issue and there will be some tips on how to report severe weather for both CANWARN and SKYWARN. We may not agree with everything that is written here, but it is important to hear from others to see how different groups operate throughout North America.
From Geoff Coulson and John Crag: Warning Preparedness Meteorologists with Environment Canada
Hello and happy spring everyone, its CANWARN training session season again. The first sessions in Southwestern Ontario went well with good numbers at each of the sessions. Looking forward to seeing everyone in the weeks to come. The list below includes all of the training venues that have been confirmed at this point in time, from May onward.
There are a few changes this year that are worth noting. Two daytime training sessions have been offered in Windsor, sponsored by the Windsor Essex Health Unit. I decided to move the evening training for the Windsor area a little further east this year to Tilbury to make it a bit easier for CANWARN members in the Chatham-Kent area to come out for the training. My thanks to the many individuals and organizations that made their venues available for little or no charge. Their support of the program is greatly appreciated. My thanks. As well, to all of you for your continued participation in the program. Your reports of severe summer and winter weather continue to be an important part of Environment Canada’s severe weather watch and warning program. I look forward to seeing many familiar faces in the coming months as well as meeting new volunteers.
One more thing that should be noted is that there was also a CANWARN training session in Saskatoon Saskatchewan on April 23rd at 7:00 PM. Around 60 people came out. There were people from the department of defence, SAR, Ham’s and weather enthusiasts. Peter Quinlan, ameteorologist from Global News was also at the talk. It was good to see so many people turn out!
CANWARN Training Schedules for 2015
Now, here are the remaining confirmed training sessions for Ontario. Please find following the current list of training venues.
May 2 – 9 AM – Toronto – Environment Canada Headquarters 4905 Dufferin St
May 4 – 6 PM – Kingston – City Library 935 Gardiners Road
May 6 – 6:30 PM – Ottawa – Greenboro Community Centre 363 Lorry Greenberg Drive
May 7 – 7 PM – Waterloo – Adult Recreation Centre 185 King St South
May 9 – 9 AM – Hamilton – Nash Auditorium, Wilcox Building, Chedoke Hospital, Sanatorium Road in Hamilton, free parking across from Wilcox building
May 9 – 9 AM – Frontenac County – Frontenac County Building Frontenac Room 2069 Battersea Road, Glenburnie
May 12 – 7 PM – Toronto – Environment Canada Headquarters 4905 Dufferin St
May 12 – 6:15 PM – Cornwall – Cornwall Public Library 45 Second St E
May 13 – 7 PM – Dufferin County – Dufferin County Museum 936029 Airport Rd in Mulmur (Highway 89 and Airport Road)
May 16 – 9:30 AM – Belleville – Belleville Public Library 254 Pinnacle Street
May 20 – 7 PM – Thornhill – Thornhill Community Centre 7755 Bayview Ave
May 20 – 6:30 PM – Renfrew – Best Western 760 Gibbons Road
May 21 – 7 PM – Peterborough – Peterborough Public Library 345 Aylmer St. North
May 23 – 9 AM – Orillia/Rama – Rama Fire Hall 7454 Williams Road just north of Casinorama
May 23 – 9 AM – Greater Sudbury – Lionel E. Lalonde Centre 239 Montee Principale Azilda
May 24 – 1 PM – Espanola – Pinewood Inn – 378 Centre St
May 25 – 6:30 PM – Sault Ste. Marie – Essar Centre Angelo Bumbaco Room 269 Queen St E
May 26 – 6:30 PM – Timmins – Timmins Fire Hall 133 Cedar St South
May 27 – 6:30 PM – New Liskeard – College Boreal, 280 Armstrong St N
May 28 – 6:30 PM – North Bay – OPP Regional Headquarters Cathy Burns Training Room 911A Gormanville Road
June 2 – 7 PM – Oakville – 1151 Bronte Road – North Auditorium – due to construction parking will be on the north side of building only. RSVP to bepreparedhalton@halton.ca
June 15 – 7 PM – Thunder Bay – Lakehead Region Conservation Authority – 130 Conservation Road
June 16 – 7 PM – Fort Frances-Emo – Location to be determined
June 17 – 1 PM – Kenora – Red Cross Office – 1008 Ottawa St in Keewatin..RSVP to kenora@redcross.ca
June 17 – 7 PM – Kenora – Red Cross Office – 1008 Ottawa St in Keewatin..RSVP to kenora@redcross.ca
June 18 – 7 PM – Dryden – Location to be determined
Geoff Coulson
Warning Preparedness Meteorologist |
Météorologue de sensibilisation aux alertes
Ontario Region Client Services |Service à la clientèle, Région de l’Ontario
Environment Canada | Environnement Canada
Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada
4905 Dufferin St | 4905 rue Dufferin
Toronto, ON M3H 5T4
Geoff.Coulson@ec.gc.ca
Telephone | Téléphone 416-739-4466
Facsimile | Télécopieur 416-739-4603
Website | Site Web http://www.weather.gc.ca
John Paul Cragg
Warning Preparedness Meteorologist | Météorologiste de sensibilisation aux alertes
Meteorological Service of Canada | Service météorologique du Canada
Environment Canada | Environnement Canada
Suite 2220, 11 Innovation Blvd | 11, boulevard Innovation, piece 2220
Saskatoon, SK S7N 3H5
E-mail – John.Cragg@ec.gc.ca
Telephone | Téléphone 306-975-6911 Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada
From The NOAA Weather Radio and Weatheradio Canada Facebook Group:
Phil Anderson posted in NOAA Weather Radio and Weatheradio Canada
Phil Anderson April 15 at 6:27pm
Ham Radio Operators Serve As ‘Eyes On The Ground’ When Severe Weather Hits Chicago. cbslocal.com
From CANWARN Atlantic:
Greetings all members, There has been a change to the MA website. The CANWARN Atlantic and CANWARN NEWS pages have been removed and replaced by a new CANWARN Atlantic website. http://www.canwarnatlantic.webs.com Anyone interested in becoming a member go to the new site and put in the same username and password in SIGN UP. Any problems, let me know. A reminder there is also a CANWARN Atlantic Twitter feed @canwarnatlantic If you use Twitter, you can follow the Maritime Amateur website @maritimeamateur and receive immediate updates and changes to the website as they happen. It also delivers news and information from other amateur radio operators and clubs using twitter.
Any questions, suggestions or comments on the site please send them along.
73, Jim VE1JBL http://www.maritimeamateur.ca/
As for SKYWARN training schedules, you can go to either of the following sites:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/skywarn/
http://skywarn.org/
https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_course.php?id#
http://spotterguides.us/
Note: There are many links for you to look at on these sites.
Spotter Reporting Tips
How to Report
Amateur radio network (if applicable) – Amateur Radio Condition Codes:
Code Green – Severe Thunderstorm Watch
Code Yellow – Severe Thunderstorm Warning or Tornado Watch
Code Red – Tornado Warning in Ontario by email at storm.ontario@ec.gc.ca
Twitter with hashtag #onstorm
If you are CANWARN trained you should give the following information to the weather office in order to help them ground truth: Your name, CANWARN ID, contact number, – Where – you are located and the approximate location of what you are reporting, – Describe what you are witnessing/what you witnessed, the time of occurrence of the event and duration, its movement (where the phenomenon came from and where it is going).
In the spring/summer severe weather season, please report the following:
Hail (use coins to describe its size…dime, nickel, quarter, loonie for larger hail…golf ball etc.), Heavy rain that has resulted in local flooding, Damaging winds (damage from tree branches down to more significant tree or structural damage), Large scale rotation in a thunderstorm such as: Wall Cloud – Funnel Cloud, Waterspout and Tornado, Dense fog – visibility less than 1 km
Note: if you are unsure of the rotation or presence of a wall cloud or funnel cloud…watch the area for a few minutes if it is safe to do so to verify the situation.
For the fall/winter, please report the following: Dense fog (visibility less than 1 km), Any occurrence of freezing rain or freezing drizzle, Heavily accumulating snow (2 or more cm/hr), Whiteout conditions in snow/blowing snow (visibility near zero), Rapid freezing of water on road surfaces.
For SKYWARN Spotters, you should report: Tornadoes or funnel clouds (be very wary of look-alikes; watch for rotation) waterspouts, Wall clouds, especially if they are rotating Hail (Be specific with regard to size; however, YOU SHOULD NOT report MARBLE size) Winds (40 mph or greater; specify whether they are estimated or recorded), large branches downed (specify the diameter of the branch), Trees/power lines downed, Structural damage to buildings such as roof, windows, etc. Rainfall (1 inch or greater in an hour) (NOT a 1″/hr. rate for 10 minutes), 2 inches or greater storm total, Flooding — Streams/Rivers — also, when nearing bankful — Coastal — Street (Road Closures/Washouts, Cars Stuck due to flood waters. Minimum of 6″ of water covering an entire roadway or lane of a major route/highway).
For Winter Weather you should report: Precipitation type change (rain to sleet/freezing rain/snow, when the change has “taken hold”), Thunder when it is accompanied by snow, 1/4″ radial ice accretion (from twig outward; not circumference), New Snowfall from the First 2 inches; every 2-3 inches thereafter, 1 inch per hour or greater. If it is less than 2 inches total, give the final total only Give final total: no partial reports please)Report any snow/sleet/freezing rain if not in NWS forecast.
Please consult your local Amateur Radio club or CANWARN or SKYWARN group for their: email address, Twitter account or Facebook pages.
Weather Radio Net Results
Authors note:The Weather Radio Net actually restarted on March 16th 2015 but I decided not to log the check ins throughout March. I have however, the results from April with all who have checked in, with additional notes if necessary.
Weather Radio Net Logs for April 2015
April 6th:
Gord VA3WXA: Net Control for the Weather Radio Net and lives in downtown Toronto receives Toronto XMJ225 162.400, St Catharines VAD320 162.475, Kitchener XMJ316 162.550 and Normandale VFI621 162.450 MHz, VE3WGK Ward in North York Ontario (CANWARN Amateur Radio Coordinator for South Central Ontario), WX1DER Daril in Little Rock Arkansas, VE3JFW Jim in Port Franks Ontario receives Goderich 162.400 XLT839, VA3JFW Jack in Bobcaygeon Ontario receives 162.400 (VAW217 Kawartha Lakes and 162.500(VEU671 Peterborough) , VE3AJF Amnon in north York Ontario receives 162.400 (Toronto XMJ225) and 162.475 (St Catharines VAD320), VE3RHH Bob in Oakville Ontario, N1VXP Rick in Chillicothe Ohio, WA6DKS Suzi in Granada Hills California, VE3US Rick in Mississauga Ontario, VA3BMY Bert in Orangeville Ontario receives Toronto XMJ225 162.400 MHz, VA3PRS Peter in Oakville Ontario.
April 13th:
VA3WXA Gord in Toronto Ontario (Net Control), WX1DER Daryl in Little Rock Arkansas, VE3XBH Brian in Mississauga Ontario, VE3AJF Amnon in North York Ontario, N1VXP Rick in Chillicothe Ohio, VE3KR Klaus in Nobleton Ontario, VE3RWI Rob in Sarnia Ontario, VE3VJH John in Grand Bend Ontario.
April 20th:
VA3WXA Gord in Toronto Ontario, (Net Control and Net Manager) WX1 DER Daryl in Little Rock Arkansas, WA6DKS Suzi in Granada Hills California, VA3RHH Bob in Oakville Ontario, VE3XBH Brian in Mississauga Ontario, VE3AJF Amnon in North York Ontario, N1VXP Rick in Chillicothe Ohio, VE3EAL Eric in Toronto Ontario, VA3XWZ Brent in Hamilton Ontario, VA3AEV Gord in London Ontario.
April 27th
Gord VA3WXA in Toronto Ontario (Net Control and Net Manager), VA3PRS Peter in Oakville Ontario, VA3JFW Jack in Bobcaygeon Ontario, VE3HLD Bob in Oakville Ontario, VE3JFW Jim in Port Franks Ontario, WA6DKS Suzi in Granada Hills California, N1VXP Rick in Chillicothe Ohio, KQ7C George in Feanix Arizona, VA3ZLT Zoltun in Woodbridge Ontario, VA3CQA Brian in Scarborough Ontario, KD2HWN John in Rochester New York, Brian VA3AZA in Mississauga Ontario.
Authors Note:
Gord VA3AEV has indicated that he would like to join the mailing list but does not have an email address. If anyone in the group knows him and can send him past issues including this latest issue of the newsletter I would really appreciate it.
Where to Purchase Weather Radios
Weather Radios can be purchased at various electronics stores that specialize in radios and other equipment such as:
BML Communications at http://www.bml.ca/,
CB World at http://www.werecb.com/,
Universal Radio at http://www.universal-radio.com/,
Durham Radio at http://www.durhamradio.com/,
Radio World at http://www.radioworld.ca/,
Burnaby Radio at http://www.burnabyradio.com/,
Ambient Weather at http://www.ambientweather.com/
Weather Radio Store at http://www.Weatherradiostore.com/, and many more retailers throughout North America. When planning to purchase your first Weather Radio, it is highly recommended to look for the Public Alert identification logo.
Weather Information on the Internet
Suggested weather sites to visit as follows; In Canada visit http://www.weather.gc.ca/
Want to get your weather in the US? Go to http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
Weatheradio Canada webpage at http://www.ec.gc.ca/weatheradio
NOAA Weather Radio webpage at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr.
DX Info Centre at http://www.dxinfocentre.com/, to hear what Weather Radio sounds like before buying your first receiver, visit YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/,
The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Newsletter is published four times a year. There is some seasonal information to notify recipients of additional weather information available to them that they may not know about (most of which can be found on the NOAA Watch web site http://www.noaawatch.gov/ ). At this site you can also subscribe to various weather feeds. The rest of the newsletter remains relatively unchanged due to outreach requirements. The current newsletter is available at the NOAA Weather Radio website http://www.weather.gov/nwr/news.htm At this time, there is no newsletter mailing list to subscribe. If you have additional questions, please feel free to e-mail answers@noaa.gov, here is the link to the answers website; http://findanswers.noaa.gov/noaa.answers/consumer/search.asp.
Yahoo Weatheradio Chatgroup, at http://tech.Groups.yahoo.com/group/weatheradio/,
NOAA and Weatheradio Canada Groups on Facebook,
WXtoIMG at http://www.wxtoim.com/downloads/,
Digital Atmosphere at http://www.weathergraphics.com/da/
WebEx http://www.freewebs.com/ve1jbl/canwarn.htm
NWS Taunton Amateur Radio SKYWARN Station home page at http://www.wx1box.org
The Maritime Amateur (Ham Radio for Maritimers by Maritimers) http://www.maritimeamateur.caVoIP Hurricane Prep Net – Saturday 9pm Atlantic Time / http://www.voipwx.net/
Phil Chadwicks blog at philtheforecaster.blogspot.com
Weather Nets On Amateur Radio
The authors own Weather Radio Net meets on Monday evenings at 7:00 PM ET throughout the year on IRLP reflector 9038 and Echolink node VE3ZHR 591897. An additional list is below, from Daryl Stout WX1DER.
a) VoIP Skywarn Hurricane Prep Net — Meets at 8pm Eastern, 7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific Time, on the *WX_TALK* Echolink Conference Server…Echolink Node 7203, and IRLP Node 9219. During the off-season hurricane months from December through May, the net meets on the FIRST SATURDAY of the month ONLY. During the Atlantic Hurricane Season, from June through November, the net meets WEEKLY, at 8pm Eastern, 7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, and 5pm Pacific Time. Also, note that on the first Saturday of December, the net is ONE HOUR EARLIER…at 7pm Eastern, 6pm Central, 5pm Mountain, and 5pm Pacific Time. This is so at the conclusion of Skywarn Recognition Day, stations don’t have to wait for the net to occur. Further details are at http://www.voipwx.net
b) Southeast US D-Star Weather Net — Meets at 9pm Eastern, 8pm Central, 7pm Mountain, and 6pm Pacific, every Sunday night, on Reflector 2, Port A. The net also meets on the Southeast US D-Star Weather Net Ratflector on D-Rats. Further details are at http://www.dstarinfo.com/se-d-star-wx-net.aspx
Lastly, stations can get a list of selected D-Star Nets during the week by sending an email to me at wx1der@gmail.com — and again, a list of selected Echolink Nets is at http://www.wx1der.com/elk.htm
Daryl Stout, WX1DER, Net Control
VoIP Skywarn Hurricane Prep Net
Southeast US D-Star Weather Net
Certified Skywarn Severe Storm Spotter
Manufacturers of Weather Alert Radios
There are many reliable manufacturers and retailers of Weather Radios sold in Canada and the USA. Below is a list of the recommended models currently for sale. Note: This list of suggested weather radios is strictly for informational purposes, and not as an endorsement of any specific model or manufacturer.
Midland Radio Corporation http://www.Midlandradio.com W-r300, W-r100B, W-R120, HH54VP, HH54VP2, ER102, Nautico 3 and W-R11 are all manufactured by Midland and sold in North America.
Oregon Scientific http://www2oregonscientific.com W-R601, W-R203 and W-R602 are currently sold in North America.
Uniden Corporation http://www.Uniden.com BC75XLT, BC95XLT, BC125AT, BC346XT, BCT15X, BCD996XT, Homepatrol, BC436HP, BC536HP and BCD396XT are currently sold in North America. Sangean USA http://www.Sangean.com CL100, DT400,, DT500, MMR88, PR-D4W and PRD9W are manufactured by Sangean and currently sold in North America.
Reecom Electronics Inc http://www.reecominc.com R-1630, R-1650, R-200 and R-500 are manufactured by Reecom and currently sold in North America.
Kaito Electronics Inc http://www.kaitousa.com/. KA500, KA101 and KA600 are currently sold in North America.
Alert Works http://www.alert-works.com/ Alert Works desktop model EAR-10 is currently sold in North America.
In Closing
If you have any comments or suggestions, or if you wish to submit an article please email the author gord directly at wxrnewsletter@gmail.com or blindgordie@gmail.com or va3wxa@gmail.com. We also encourage you to visit http://www.qrz.com/db/va3wxa and you can also follow him on Twitter @WxrNewsletter @BlindGordie or @VA3WXA.
Also, check out my blog at http://blindgordieblog.wordpress.com You can also contact me on Skype using Skype name “blindgordie”.
Special Thanks to Contributors
I would like to give special thanks to those who made contributions to this 15th issue as follows: Brian Alexander VA3AZA,, Rick Mc Clure N1VXP, Susann White WA6DKS, Jim Wadsworth VE3JFW, Amnon Fischer VE3AJF, (Bob Heath VA3RHH), Rick Michowicz VE3TYP, Peter Schonrock VA3PRS, Brian Herling VE3XBH, (Klaus Rung VE3KR),, (Rob Winschip VE3RWI), Eric Mysenko VE3EAL, Brent Michaluk VA3XWZ, (Gord Horner VA3AEV), Phil Anderson VA5APA, (Mark J. Szymanski), (Matthew Schrier), (Jim Cantore), (Bert Morgan VA3BMY), Daryl Stout WX1DER, Bob Robichaud VE1MBR, Midland Radio Corporation, Kyle Quenneville, Kyle Storminator, Garry Notto VE3TTO, Ward G. Kenedy VE3WGK, Peter Staples, (George Cooney KQ7C),,, (Zoltan Pittner VA3ZLT), Brian Hart VA3CQA, (John Deryck KD2HWN) Malcolm Kendal VE3BGD, Jim Langille VE1JBL, Gregory Zwicker, Phil Chadwick, Geoff Coulson and Marc Fitkin for their help and contributions to the newsletter and finally Dennis T. Paganin VA3DTPTP (our faithful web master and Co-Editor).
Sincerely, Gord the old reliable. VA3WXA