The National Weather Service has released their spotter talk schedule on their website for 2012. Please keep in mind that some events have not yet announced a location, and dates/locations for more spotter talks may be added in the future, so keep an eye on the schedule as we move closer. Each of the 51 counties in the NWS Des Moines warning area will host at least one spotter talk.

Also note that the February 28 spotter talk is sponsored jointly by the Mid-Iowa Skywarn Association (MISA) and the Des Moines Radio Amateurs’ Association (DMRAA). Prior to the 7 p.m. spotter talk, MISA will hold its annual business meeting at 6:30 p.m. Anyone interested in learning about the MISA organization and/or providing input on the direction of MISA is welcome to join us. The annual election of president, vice president and secretary/treasurer will take place at the meeting.

You can work K0DMX via the MISA linked repeater system, HF SSB, D-STAR (Reflector 001C), or Echolink (N0INX-R node # 460526)

The 13th Annual Skywarn Recognition Day (SRD) will be held at National Weather Service offices around the nation to celebrate the contributions amateur radio operators make during severe weather. The Des Moines National Weather Service (NWS) office, located at 9607 NW Beaver Drive in Johnston, will be open on Friday, December 2nd from 6 p.m. until midnight and again Saturday, December 3rd from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for storm spotters, amateur radio operators, and members of the interested public to visit the office, learn about the mission of the Mid-Iowa Skywarn Association (MISA) and to make radio contacts on HF and VHF/UHF. This is a way of saying “thank you” to storm spotters from the staff of the Des Moines NWS office.

While it’s not a formal contest, stations should try to contact as many other NWS offices and other non-NWS stations as possible. The Des Moines NWS office, using the station call sign K0DMX, will be operating on the 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands as well as on the linked MISA repeater system on VHF and UHF, including D-STAR. Around 100 NWS stations are expected to participate this year.

Even if you’re not able to make it to the Des Moines NWS office to participate in the event, all amateur radio operators within the range of a repeater on the MISA linked system is encouraged to make a contact on the linked system. If you can make a contact on both a VHF repeater and UHF repeater, please do! That would count as two contacts since it was made on two different bands.

Skywarn Recognition Day was created in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) to recognize the importance that amateur radio provides during severe weather. Many NWS offices acquire real-time weather information from amateur radio operators in the field. These operators, for example, may report the position of a tornado, the height of flood waters, or damaging wind speeds during hurricanes. All of this information is critical to the mission of the NWS which is to preserve life and property. The special event celebrates this special contribution by amateur radio operators.

The 2011 Skywarn Recognition Day in Des Moines is organized jointly by the Des Moines National Weather Service staff and the Mid-Iowa Skywarn Association. Contact information, as well as details and updates will be available on the Mid-Iowa Skywarn Association website at http://www.midiowaskywarn.com.

Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. Each year over 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, friends or simply by themselves to operate. The Des Moines-area Field Day event is hosted by the Des Moines Radio Amateurs’ Association (DMRAA) and the Amateur Radio Technical Society (ARTS), and the event operates under the DMRAA’s call sign W0AK.

W0AK Field Day will be held June 25-26 at Camp Dodge, in Johnston, Iowa, beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday and continuing for 24 hours until 1 p.m. Saturday. Antenna-raising and setup will begin at 9 a.m.

At the event, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with area amateur radio operators and see for themselves what the amateur radio hobby is about. Showing the newest digital, satellite, high-frequency technologies and even historical Morse code, hams from across the nation will be holding public demonstrations of emergency communications abilities. Last year, the Des Moines Field Day operation netted over 1,000 contacts from around the world.

Storm spotters, currently-licensed amateur radio operators, and members of the public are encouraged to visit Field Day at Camp Dodge. There will be a special Get-On-The-Air station for newly-licensed operators and generally inactive operators to experience the HF bands.

For more information on W0AK Field Day, visit the W0AK Field Day website or send the DMRAA an e-mail.