Storm spotters on CB?

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NicRinke

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How do I go about talking with other storm spotters or report to the National Weather Service on CB?
 

KD8HHO

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its usually 2meter storm spotters use.

now allot of the storm chasers you see on TV. i have seen using cb's
 

k9rzz

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If you're near a city, I bet Ch. 19 would light up with a lot of activity. I've heard truckers report funnels in the past, but it was more of a "Watch out!" kind of thing. I'm sure it's different depending where you are.
 

firetaz834

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I don't know if it is true for your area or not (you will have to check with the local NWS facility, but after become certified you were giving an ID card with your skywarn spotter ID, this also included a 800 number to the NWS office where we could call in any severe reports that we had. Also, the number would work if you called 911 to report incidents that needed reporting you would use the ID number which would identify you as a certified spotter.
 

Jimmy252

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Ive heard spotters outside of detroit using FRS/GMRS for reports. It seemed like a group of people who know eachother and 1 had a ham with him. It wouldnt be reliable though to depend on FRS/GMRS, often reception is only a few miles, if that.
 

n8emr

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Please note, Skywarn is not a ham radio service. SKywarn is a national weather service Service . There are Lots of skywarn spotters that dont use radio's at all. If you want to be a skywarn spotter you need to attend a training session. Then you get your id card.
At this point you can call the NWS on the phone or file via the internet. If your a ham and there is a skwarn radio group active you can report issues via ham radio, There is no reason you can use CB or GMRS but I dont know of any active group that does that.
 

GrayJeep

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Storm spotters

NicRinke said:
How do I go about talking with other storm spotters or report to the National Weather Service on CB?

Take the storm spotters class from the NWS to get acquainted.

Many (most?) spotters are using 2m ham radio because of the excellent distance available with good reliability using ham repeaters.

CB radio will be very limited in its coverage for many reasons, not least of which is the electrical noise generated by the storm itself.
 
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I've been a spotter for almost 3 years and a ham for about 1 and a half, When severe weather comes into the area I monitor the 2 meter freq that the NWS uses as well as CB channel 9 for anyone trying to report offically and I have one of my club's SKYWARN certified non-hams monitor CB channel 19 to listen for motorists seeing severe weather and then contact them and have them move to 9 to give me the report.
 
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I have both a ham and a CB in my car so while I concentrate mostly on the scanner and the ham I do keep an ear for any storm related traffic on the CB. However like someone has already mentioned the electricity from the storms would somewhat interfere with the CB.
 

RadioMarkW

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Yes, the electricity from the storms can cause a LOT of interference on CB.

The people with the FRS/GMRS radios can get almost the same range and MUCH better reception as they are FM. Good to keep in touch with your local spotters in a net of sorts.

Also keep in mind FRS/GMRS have emergency channels also.

For Reports to NWS I and many others use a cell phone which has been real reliable. When you become certified they give you special unlisted/non-public numbers to call in reports.

I do recommend a good scanner as you can listen for reports from local Law enforcement and Fire, as well as ESDA Spotters and Ham spotters.

Attend a class and talk to the other spotters there!!

Regards,
 

owenmcc1

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Almost Every Storm Spotter in the State of Iowa uses HAM Radio (Amateur Radio) or a Licensed Frequency, usually either a Sheriff's Dispatch, Fire Channel, or Emergency Management Radio Channel. HAM Radio is the only means here in my immediate area for direct Radio Contact with the National Weather Service Office in Davenport, Iowa. Otherwise, you must contact them by Phone or Internet.
 

rdale

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owenmcc1 said:
Almost Every Storm Spotter in the State of Iowa uses HAM Radio (Amateur Radio) or a Licensed Frequency

Not even close to true... MANY storm spotters use the Internet these days. Others the cellphone. Ham is losing its percentage quite quickly.

Take a look at the maps at http://spotternetwork.org during some of the events.
 

weather4ar

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I don't know where rdale gets his numbers, but Owenmcc1 is right. Most states, have rather extensive Skywarn Ham (2-Meter VHF-FM, not CB), networks, with rather large spotter participation. In Arkansas for example, LZK, SHV, TSA, MEG, JAN, and surrounding offices use all three methods, but each office maintains a Ham Net for when the internet fails and cells are down. Plus, it's much more orderly and organized to have reports sent in that way.

rdale said:
Not even close to true... MANY storm spotters use the Internet these days. Others the cellphone. Ham is losing its percentage quite quickly.

Take a look at the maps at http://spotternetwork.org during some of the events.
 
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I do know the local police in South Central KY do monitor both the CB and the Ham bands but Ham is the most reliable form. I have seen Cell towers get knocked out by some of these storms before. I have seen a repeater get knocked down but that's only happened once in our area. Even then we know how to relay info w/o a repeater so while it's a little more time consuming it's not something we haven't done before.
 

rdale

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weather4ar said:
I don't know where rdale gets his numbers

I didn't give any numbers???

In any case, what I'm saying is that a lot of spotters are transitioning to SpotterNetwork (Internet and APRS.) Much more orderly means of reporting since it automatically includes GPS location and pops up on NWS / EM / etc. radar displays.
 

jleverin

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When I took the Skywarn class , the guy said there were 3 main ways of reporting severe weather that could be used. He mentioned: 2 meter ham radio for those who are licensed Hams, using e-spotter via computer(usually after the fact, not for quick reporting), and (most common) using the cell phone and calling the 800 number on the "hail card" we were given. No mention of use of CB radio.
 

af5rn

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The CB is mostly a rural thing, out in the sticks, where there aren't large groups of Hams to take on the task. I've got relatives that live in the hills where every adult male has a CB in his truck, but Hams are rare, so they make do with what they have. I haven't seen any significant CB Skywarn presence in urban areas though.
 

reedeb

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Here in Upstate SC we have several skywarn nets. Also NWS out of Greenville Spartenburg [GSP] has a 2 meter station set up. BUT they also have a phone nuimber to call it in as well. So either ham or cell will work here.
 
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