APRS Usage for Skywarn Applications
I must seriously disagree with opinions previously rendered with regard to the use of APRS as a tool for SKYWARN applications.
Comments made regarding APRS seem to indicate the suggestion was that APRS be made the primary reporting medium for severe weather...In no way can APRS be made to handle that function for all of the reasons given in previous posts, HOWEVER, APRS does have viable uses which AID in weather spotting, and these are:
Establishment of a single, dedicated VHF frequency for unproto packet coms which is nationwide.
Five pages of saved beacon text which conveniently stores AFOS data as well as regular packets.
Use of unproto mode transmission which is compatible with sending weather bulletin traffic.
The ability to send a short bulletin message once to all users (Example, we are in an SELS slight risk area today)
The ability to network BETWEEN Skywarn groups without tying up voice radio.
The ability to dead-reckon track severe weather based upon spotter reports or NWS reports.
These are just a few examples. Here in Pinellas County we use APRS to augment the communications involved in Severe Weather Spotting, not to replace it. Severe weather is dead-reckoned and tracked. Informal traffic between stations can be transmitted while leaving the air clear on the net for severe weather traffic only.
Rain reports and flooding reports are listed and marked on the map. And, most importantly, the position of every spotter is inserted on the map.
The best example I can think of was Amateur Field Day 1995. We had eight and one-half inches of rain in 12 hours, causing massive street flooding in the area. However, all the hams were in one place. Nonetheless, I was able to provide accurate rainfall amounts to the NWS due to the automated weather stations displaying on APRS.
So, think of APRS as one of the available tools....not the main method of communication....and you may see it has value, especially to the net control operators.
73 de Kevin KD4UYR
Coordinator Pinellas SKYWARN
Tampa Bay Area, Florida
kheyboer@co.pinellas.fl.us
