HOW DOES NWS RECEIVE THE INFORMATION?
When severe weather threatens, individual trained spotters (public safety officials, hams or individual citizens) make observations and provide the initial reports to the NWS via an “800” phone line. However, with this 800 line serving all 54 counties in the Wilmington WSFO County Warning Area reports can become congested when severe weather is in more than one county. This is where Amateur Radio provides an essential public service. Upon NWS activation of Dayton SKYWARN, liaison representatives of amateur radio nets from the respective counties (such as: Shelby County Amateur Radio Emergency Services) check into the Dayton SKYWARN Sectional Net. County Nets receive training to activate using the NOAA Weather Radio’s issuance of Watches or Warnings affecting their county. When the county amateur radio nets receive reports from their local spotters, the information is relayed by the liaisons to Dayton SKYWARN. Dayton SKYWARN then relays the information on to amateur radio operators on l
