SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) 2020 on the *WX_TALK* Echolink Conference Node: 7203/IRLP 9219 System – Saturday 12/5/20 0000-2400 UTC

Hello to all..

SKYWARN Recognition Day is Saturday December 5th, 2020 from 0000-2400 UTC (Friday Evening 12/4/20 from 700 PM ET-Saturday Evening 12/5/20 at 700 PM ET) and Echolink and IRLP will be playing a role in SRD as it has in past years. SKYWARN Recognition Day is an opportunity for National Weather Service Forecast Offices across the United States to thank SKYWARN Spotters for their efforts in obtaining timely severe weather reporting for the protection of life and property. This is the SKYWARN program’s main mission.

EchoLink and IRLP are just a couple of modes people can utilize to contact NWS offices during SKYWARN Recognition Day. Many NWS offices will be on 2 Meters, 440 MHz, HF and other VHF/UHF bands. Additional details on SKYWARN Recognition Day including registration for all stations so they can get a SRD number (not required for event participation but needed if you are interested in getting A SRD number) can be found via the following links:

http://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition

Due to COVID19, volunteer Amateur Radio Operators are not allowed to be at NWS Forecast Offices. Forecast offices will be represented by Amateur Radio Operators at home and possibly by some NWS employees from actual NWS offices.

As in past years, the EchoLink *WX_TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219 system will be scheduling time for NWS offices and due to COVID, Amateur Operators who typically are at weather service hours, in 1-2 hour time slots to act as a net control to make contacts with spotters that are on the system. If a NWS office/SKYWARN NWS Operator runs out of contacts and there are other NWS offices on the system, the NWS office/SKYWARN Operator acting as net control can turn it over to a different NWS office to act as a net control on the system at their discretion. Also, for this year, we will have the following modes connected in through the efforts of KC5FM-Lloyd Colston and VK3JED-Tony Langdon. They are as follows:

Allstar 28848
Hamshack Hotline 94032
IRLP 9550
AllStar 27154
DMR BM TG 50535
P25 TG 50535
YSF reflector 50535 (narrow mode only)
D-STAR XLX432 D (DCS432 D)

We’d like to ask NWS offices and/or coordinators who are operating from home who operate at NWS offices do their best to adhere to the schedule. Sometimes this is difficult due to the number of contacts received by each net control. We ask for everyone’s patience and working cooperatively to respect the time slot schedule.

Below is the 2020 SRD Schedule with the time slots confirmed so far for 2020 and those time slots relinquished by NWS offices. See the list of NWS offices below:

Time in UTC NWS Office Call-Sign
0000-0100: N0NWS (Confirmed time slot from last year)
0100-0200: WX1GYX (Confirmed time slot from last year)
0200-0300: WX7SLC (Confirmed time slot from last year)
0300-0400: WX9GRB
0400-0500: WX1BOX (Confirmed Time slot from last year)
0500-0600: WX9LOT (Confirmed Time slot from last year)
0600-0700: WX4HUN (Confirmed time slot from last year)
0700-0800: NM8RC (Confirmed time slot from last year)
0800-0900: NM8RC (Confirmed time slot from last year – same members of WX8APX but using different call sign this year)
0900-1000: Open
1000-1100: WX7SLC (Confirmed time slot from last year)
1100-1200: Open (WX7SLC relinquished this time slot for this year for the 1300-1400z time slot)
1200-1300: W7NWS
1300-1400: WX7SLC (New time slot for this year)
1400-1500: WX1AW
1500-1600: WX1BOX (Confirmed time slot from last year)
1600-1700: WX4NC (Confirmed time slot from last year)
1700-1800: WX4JKL (New NWS office for this year)
1800-1900: WX6LOX
1900-2000: K0MPX
2000-2100: WX4JKL (New NWS office for this year)
2100-2300: WX4NHC (Confirmed time slot from last year)
2300-2400: Open (Time slot relinquished in 2020 by WX6NWS)

There will be other conference systems utilized for SKYWARN Recognition Day. They are as follows:

The New England Reflector Gateway System will be utilized by the NWS Boston/Norton, Mass. and NWS Gray, Maine offices from 0000-0500 UTC and 1200-2400 UTC. The New England Gateway system is on EchoLink Conference server *NEW-ENG3* Node: 9123, IRLP reflector 9123. If other NWS offices would like to join the system, they are welcome to do so and participants in SKYWARN Recognition Day can also use that system to make contact with various NWS offices. This is a great place to move off the *WX_TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP 9219 system after your scheduled time if other Amateurs or NWS offices whish to make contact with you.

Also, the Western Reflector will be having NWS offices calling CQ as in past years and have multiple reflector channels and Echolink conferences available. There is reflector 9250/Echolink Conference *HI-GATE* node: 357564, IRLP 9251 and the *WORLD* Echolink Conference node: 479886, IRLP 9257/*DCF-ARC* Echolink Conference node: 336037 and IRLP 9258/EchoLink Conference *NV-GATE* Node: 152566 open for NWS offices. Please contact Kent-W7AOR for additional information on the Western Reflector.

A few technical reminders for folks interested in making contacts with the NWS Forecast Offices on the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP 9219 and New England Reflector Gateway IRLP 9123/*NEW-ENG3* Echolink Node: 9123 systems:

-The system allows both EchoLink and IRLP connections. For EchoLink users, you connect to the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203 conference system. For IRLP users, you would connect to IRLP reflector 9219.

-If you are using EchoLink, the RF node or PC that you’re using must have EchoLink conferencing disabled. If it is not disabled, the system will automatically kick the node or PC off of the system. The reason this occurs is to prevent unintentional interference from a conferencing station that may not know the node is connected somewhere else. This will keep traffic moving on the net and reduce interference considerably.

For more information on VoIP Technical Configuration Tips, please go to our web site at http://www.voipwx.net where we have a link to that information on the main menu of the web site. This announcement will also be on the web site.

We are looking forward to another fun SKYWARN Recognition Day on the *WX-TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219 system, Allstar 28848 along with DMR/DSTAR and other modes provided by VK3JED-Tony, New England Reflector Gateway system and Western Reflector system. Thanks to all for their support!

73,Rob-KD1CY.
Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator for NWS Boston/Norton Massachusetts
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator