SKYWARN Recognition Day 2014 gets underway at 0000 UTC on Saturday, December 6 (Friday, December 5 in US time zones). This will mark the 16th annual event. Co-sponsored by ARRL and the National Weather Service (NWS), the 24-hour event recognizes the vital public service contribution that Amateur Radio operators make while working with NWS offices during severe weather events. It also is aimed at strengthening the bond between Amateur Radio operators and local NWS offices.

The volunteer SKYWARN program comprises nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters — many of them radio amateurs — who identify severe storms and provide NWS forecasters with reports of local weather conditions during severe weather events. On SKYWARN Recognition Day, Amateur Radio operators visit National Weather Service offices and contact other stations in the US and around the world. WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center in Miami will be among the NWS sites on the air for the occasion.

SKYWARN Recognition Day is not a contest. The object is for stations to exchange some basic information with as many NWS stations as possible on 80 meters through 70 centimeters (excluding 1.25 meters). Repeater contacts are permitted. Stations exchange call signs, signal reports, locations, and a one or two-word description of the weather at their respective locations.

More than 70 amateur stations are expected to be on the air from National Weather Service offices across the US, and some will use special event call signs. They will operate on various modes including SSB, FM, AM, RTTY, CW, and PSK31. While working digital modes, these special event stations will append “NWS” to their call signs (eg, N0A/NWS). It is suggested that a licensed non-National Weather Service volunteer serve as a control operator for stations set up at NWS offices.

The VoIP SKYWARN and Hurricane nets will participate in SKYWARN Recognition Day. The weekly VoIP SKYWARN/Hurricane Preparation Net will meet 1 hour earlier on December 5, prior to the official start of SKYWARN Recognition Day. The weekly net and net activations for hurricanes employ the EchoLink *WX-TALK* Conference server Node #:7203 which is integrated with IRLP Reflector 9219.

Additional details about SKYWARN Recognition Day are available on the SKYWARN Recognition Day web page.