SKYWARN

Recognition Day (SRD) 2018 takes place on Saturday, December 1, from 0000 until 2400 UTC. Developed in 1999 by the National Weather Service (NWS) and ARRL, SRD celebrates the contributions that SKYWARN volunteers make to the NWS mission, the protection of life and property. During SKYWARN Recognition Day, special event stations will be on the air from NWS offices, contacting radio amateurs around the world.

“Amateur Radio operators comprise a large percentage of the SKYWARN volunteers across the country,” the NWS announcement said. “Amateur Radio operators also provide vital communication between the NWS and emergency management, if normal communications become inoperative.”

The object of SRD is for all amateur stations to exchange contact information with as many National Weather Service stations as possible on 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2 meters plus 70 centimeters. Contacts via repeaters are permitted. Stations should exchange call sign, signal report, and location plus a quick description of the weather at your location (e.g., sunny, partly cloudy, windy, rainy, etc). EchoLink and IRLP nodes, including the Voice over Internet Protocol Weather Net (VoIP-WX), are expected to be active as well.

Stations will employ various modes, including SSB, FM, AM, RTTY, CW, and PSK31. While working digital modes, special event stations will append “NWS” to their call signs (e.g., NØA/NWS). It’s suggested that during SRD operations a non-NWS volunteer serve as a station control operator.

Event certificates are electronic and printable from the main website at the conclusion of SRD. Submit SRD log summaries using the online submission form.

Source:ARRL