ARRL Director Ria Jairam, N2RJ, who has represented the Hudson Division since 2019, has stepped down, effective March 31, 2023, at 5 PM Eastern.

Vice Director Nomar Vizcarrondo, NP4H, of Englewood, New Jersey, will accede to the Director’s chair. Vizcarrondo, who earned his amateur radio license in 1978 at the age of 11, will serve as Director for the remainder of a 3-year term ending December 3...

Frequently Asked Questions: Sargassum

A mat of free-floating Sargassum found in the Sargasso Sea. (Image credit: University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory)

March 28, 2023

 

 

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Marsh Madness: Get a courtside view of how NOAA protects marsh habitats

A salt water marsh near the Wando River, Daniel Island, South Carolina. Increasing salt marshes can provide more storage for carbon. (Image credit: NOAA)

Download Image March 28, 2023

 

 

Fisheries habitat habitat restoration 0 Off

Department of Commerce announces plan to initiate process to designate marine sanctuary in Pacific Remote Islands March 24, 2023

Palmyra Atoll is home to some of the healthiest marine ecosystems in the world and is reported to be among the most predator-dominated and biomass-rich reefs and atolls in the Central Pacific Ocean. (Image credit: With permission. Kydd Pollock/The Nature Conservancy)

Ocean & Coasts Sanctuaries Pacific Ocean marine protected areas sanctuaries Department of Commerce 0

Sunspot numbers were lower again this week, with the average
declining from 143.6 two weeks ago to 118.7 last week and now 68
this week. Average daily solar flux sank 8 points from 153.6 last
week to 145.6.

Six new sunspot groups emerged over the week, one on March 17,
another March 18, three more on March 19, one more on March 21 and
another on March 22.

Predicted solar flux is 150, 145 and 145 on Ma...

NOAA, Smithsonian seek suggested updates to national climate literacy guide

NOAA Climate Literacy Guide cover. (Image credit: NOAA)

Download Image March 23, 2023

 

 

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a final version (March 2023) of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Functional Guidance. The guidance, which provides a framework for communications resources within incident management, officially includes support from amateur radio operators. The expanded Communications Unit ...

Update: Wedneday, March 22, 2023 @ 12:41 PM Eastern Time:

Telephone service was quickly restored at ARRL Headquarters. Incoming and outgoing phone calls are working. Thank you for your understanding.

Wedneday, March 22, 2023 @ 10:00 AM Eastern Time:

ARRL Headquarters is currently experiencing a telephone outage. Incoming and outgoing phone calls have been disrupted. We are currently working with o...

Wedneday, March 22, 2023 @ 10:00 AM Eastern Time:

ARRL Headquarters is currently experiencing a telephone outage. Incoming and outgoing phone calls have been disrupted. We are currently working with our provider to correct the issue.

Members and prospective members are encouraged to visit the ARRL website to access most services | www.arrl.org. Many program representatives can be reached via emai...

Celebrating seals, sea lions and other pinnipeds all week long

Graphic displaying Steller sea lion, spotted seal, bearded seal, and swimming Hawaiian monk seal and ribbon seal. (Image credit: NOAA Fisheries)

Download Image March 22, 2023

 

 

Fisheries marine life 0 Off

Hello to all..

SKYWARN Recognition Day is Saturday December 3rd, 2022 from 0000-2400 UTC (Friday Evening 12/2/22 from 700 PM ET-Saturday Evening 12/2/22 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.

For 2022 SRD, more NWS offices will be on the air live from their local NWS offices but it will still be somewhat different than pre-COVID years and there maybe a virtual/hybrid component where offices may be active at their actual office as well as from home/other locations at different times or simultaneously. Similar to the last couple of years, you can operate with your personal call-sign as NWS coordinator or some may elect to use the NWS Call-Sign and state they are portable.

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 a registration link opened up to all Amateurs given the new SRD format can be found via the following link:
https://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition

This year’s Google registration form also auto-issues SRD Numbers to participant Amateur stations. Some NWS offices that registered may have received them but any offices that register from this evening forward will not get one. The form can be found off the SKYWARN Recognition Day web site and can be see at the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsiwFThctxPqEht9r7j1V1OLBNiAQjt-yJe7z3-XFMwiIx-w/viewform

Also, there is a SRD Facebook group created. Those with Facebook can join it at the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/srd2021

The ARRL has posted the SRD’22 information on their web site and in their weekly ARRL Letter. The SRD article is listed below:
http://www.arrl.org/news/skywarn-recognition-day-set-for-december-3-2022

For 2022, the EchoLink *WX_TALK* Node: 7203/IRLP reflector 9219 system will be scheduling time for NWS offices or SKYWARN Coordinators with specific NWS office time slots to act as a net control to make contacts with spotters that are on the system. If a NWS office/SKYWARN Coordinator runs out of contacts and there are other NWS offices/SKYWARN Coordinators on the system, the NWS office acting as net control can turn it over to a different NWS office or SKYWARN Coordinator to act as a net control on the system at their discretion. You can also reach the network via Allstar 28848 and Hamshack Hotline 94032.

We’d like to ask NWS offices and/or coordinators who are operating from homw 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 2022 SRD Schedule with the time slots confirmed so far for 2021 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 (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0100-0200: WX1GYX (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0200-0300: WX7SLC (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0300-0400: Open
0400-0500: WX1BOX (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0500-0600: Open
0600-0700: WX4HUN (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0700-0800: WX8APX (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0800-0900: WX8APX (Time slot confirmed for this year)
0900-1000: Open
1000-1100: WX7SLC (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1100-1200: WX1GYX (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1200-1300: Open
1300-1400: WX7SLC (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1400-1500: WX1AW (Time slot confirmed for this year – may arrive a bit late to the network)
1500-1600: WX1BOX (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1600-1700: WX4NC (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1700-1800: WX4JKL (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1800-1900: WX6LOX (Time slot confirmed for this year)
1900-2000: Open
2000-2100: WX4JKL (Time slot confirmed for this year)
2100-2300: WX4NHC (Time slot confirmed for this year)
2300-2400: Open

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

The New England Reflector Gateway System will be utilized by SKYWARN Coordinators from New England 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 SKYWARN Coordinators and 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 wish 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. It is possible we will have DMR/D-STAR and other modes directly linked on the system. This will be updated in the next few days regarding that aspect.

-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, 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