Joshua Carroll AA5JC

“Thanks for volunteering for net control. SKYWARN is probably the best way for amateur
radio to directly assist a using agency in a routine fashion. So many other forms of
emergency communication are very sporadic in nature, but SKYWARN can be counted on
in Arkansas at least 8-9 months out of the year. It’s very important that we have a
professional, well run net to support NWS North Little Rock. You were selected because I
know, and Josh knows you are capable, well respected, and confident on the air. This will
be a learning process…. we know you are up to it!”

1. Keep all transmissions as short as possible. Dead air is not a bad thing here; if we are
   talking, we can’t hear reports from the field.
2. Don’t read every weather bulletin verbatim. See #1.
   1. Example NWS message: The National Weather Service in Little Rock has issued a
      Tornado Warning for northeast Saline, eastern Perry, and western Pulaski counties until
      10:35 pm. At, 10:02, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located
      near Avilla or 7 miles north west of Bryant, moving north at 45 MPH. Locations impacted
      include Thisplace, Thatplace, Theotherplace…
   2. Example net announcement: The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado
      Warning for parts of Saline, Perry, and Pulaski counties until 10:35. If you observe severe
      weather or damage, please contact net control.
   3. Reason: Listeners can get details elsewhere. In rare cases (they are without power, in a
      boat, etc.) and they don’t have access to other news sources they can call net control for
      details. Then provide as much detail as needed for that caller. See #1.
3. Check-ins: Don’t take check-ins during an emergency (see #1). If you are between
   tornado warnings, feel free. I also typically “check-in” people into NetLogger as they call in
   reports.
4. Logging
   1. Keep a log of everything reported with a timestamp. I have found NetLogger and it’s AIM
      feature to helpful in this regard. If you create a net in NetLogger, use the net name Arkansas
      Skywarn. If you have a paid account on QRZ, you can enter your login into the options in
      NetLogger and it will automatically fill in the station’s location, operator’s name, and other
      details.
   2. Another good option for logging reports is just the NWS Chat itself.
5. NWS Chat: Immediately enter anything reportable. If you need help, then ask a reliable station to enter reports into NWS Chat. We don’t need to partner or coordinate with media outlets because they are all watching the NWS Chat messages as well.
   1. Example report heard on the radio: This is AE3NW in Conway. We currently have half-
      dollar sized hail. My closest intersection is Prince and Salem.
   2. Example NWS Chat message: AE5NW… Conway… Prince and Salem… half-dollar
      sized hail. The date and time will be automatically included, so don’t waste time with that
      unless it’s an older report.
6. Mapping software: It can be helpful for you to maintain situational awareness by keeping
   a map of the current radar and warning polygons on a second screen. I use
   radar.weather.gov (this is also included in the bookmarks at the top).
7. Handoffs: If a severe or tornado warned storm is moving into your location, start looking
   for another net controller to take over. Feel free to coordinate that in the #skywarn-net-
   controllers channel. If you’re using NetLogger, click Stop Logging in the menu, then the new
   NCS will click Start Logging and provide the net password you set when you opened the net
   (I typically just use password.)
8. At the end of the day, when you are Net Control, you’re in charge. So try to follow the
   spirit of these guidelines, but like Captain Barbosa said, “the code is more what you’d call
   ‘guidelines’ than actual rules”.

https://www.weather.gov/lzk/skywarn.htm