Most amateur radio operators (hams) find themselves using their communications skill for public service activity at one time or another.  Some provide communications for public events such as walk-a-thons or parades and many are involved in the National Weather Service project called Skywarn.   In West Texas, hams watch for severe weather throughout the 20,000 square mile coverage area of the West Texas Connection linked repeater system.

Hams welcome the general public to listen to the West Texas Connection radio frequencies during severe weather.  If you really want up-to-date local weather information, there is no information more up-to-date - not even the Weather Channel.  This is live! Play-By-Play!  For a list of frequencies, click on the SITE link at the bottom of any of these pages or see the Scanner page.
 
 

Here's how they do it...

Ham radios and a dedicated computer are in place at the Midland NWS office and whenever there is a threat of severe weather, one or more hams go the the NWS office to man that station.  The operating position is located in the operations room of the weather service right along with the meteorologists and their equipment.  The ham radio operator(s) (called Net Control operators) at the NWS office relay information between meteorologists and spotters in the field.  If radar indicates a severe storm in a particular area, the meteorologists may ask hams to give a report of what they are observing first-hand at that location.  The meteorologist can also give safety information to the spotters telling them which areas to avoid, allowing the hams to avoid injury and damage.  After-the-fact,  hams report damage and other effects of severe weather.

When watching for severe weather, some hams stay close to home, driving to the edge of town to get a good vantage point.  Some travel miles from home to give first-hand reports from remote, sparsley populated areas.  Their vehicle, their gas, their time - donated to the public.
They're trained in National Weather Service Skywarn severe weather spotter schools and most have been to one or more training sessions every year for many years.  They know where to look - what to look for - and how to report it.  They realize that they are often in danger just by their proximity to the severe weather but they also know how to protect themselves.  Talk about your unsung heroes... Have you ever heard a weather spotter mentioned by name in the newpaper or on television?

In West Texas we are fortunate to have the West Texas Connection for use in severe weather spotting.  This linked system, covering 20,000 square miles, was the first means of communications into Saragosa after the devasting tornado in 1989.  Some of the radio sites of the Connection have emergency battery power so communications are intact even when commercial power is lost.  All of the repeaters were built from used commercial radio equipment and new controllers and are maintained year around to ensure the ability to communicate.  Many times I've heard these hams talk about what it cost to build this system from scratch.   Every time the talk turns to a different subject when they begin to realize the amount of money they have invested...  they don't really want to think about it.

The Connection was built by a few individuals who dedicated their own time, money and expertise.  They dedicated their resources for their love of the hobby of ham radio and to make their effort available to the public when needed.  They truly appreciate the occasional donation of equipment and money and the product is certainly an emergency resource benefitting all the citizens of West Texas.