New SKYWARN Spotter Training Course from COMET

I live just one county south of St.Louis Missouri.And every two years go to St.Lousi Countys Skywarn training.It is put on by St.Louis County Police Dept.The NWS put on one,but it isnt as good.The NWS asks on all the area rpt for wx reports,and it is very active on there.Alot of people reprt and the local TV station listen.73s de n0zna

 

Dr Spangler,

I think the COMET program is one of the best educationally nationally recognized and certifies geophysical and meteorological programs since sliced bread. And the fact the programs are FREE. I have been a 'class room' member for a number of years. I welcome this NWS Spotter training to Amateur Radio Operators who have the want and will to do their part in Public Service and do it as accurate as they are able who also remember why in the first place amateur radio exists per our Charter from the FCC ie Public Service in relaying needed information. I also operate several ARPS registered weather stations with the NWS of which has each one's data statistically tested by certified institutions such as MESOWEST and others before the particular data is available to the NWS local offices. As such I felt compelled to become trustee of W4NWF. For those interested in weather and its combination with Amateur Radio I do hope that the W4NWF site is of some assistance.

I am not going to set around in my retirement life and "moan and groan about what and when if's" with particular programs such as the COMET Program in the least. Life is short especially in retirement age and I tend to enjoy it. I try my best to live life as in, "Ninety percent of being smart is knowing exactly what you're dumb 'at'."

With my warmest and sincere regards to you. your staff, and your mission,

bst 73 es cul de w4rl rob pensacola fl sk

 

just another way to reinvent the wheel. Although I do support it I think they should move it all to an online course on the NWS web site build in a reference page using sat maps like Google earth so they could use folks for visual observations easily by calling them or sending email alerts and have the course be a life time certificate . open the NWS offices 3-4 times a year for the week end for folks to meet the local forecasters and give feed back and learn what they do. this would save money all the way around while doing a much better job with the program. FYI 20 plus year spotter and chaser public safety background. I live less than 10 miles from the local NWS. And to think they were contemplating shutting the NLR office down this year right before the big out break.
I wish they would do a real time Google earth over lay of radar and warnings. Just think how useful this would be and plot paths on it in a viewable data base after they are mapped out.

 

Thanks... I worked through both modules in May of this year... have they now been significantly revised? I really enjoyed them, but was just a little miffed when I talked to my local NWS office and found out they don't accept this in lieu of their training class. So, I'm signed up for a long trek to WVa for the next class they offer. I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time on COMET after I finish prepping for and pass my second ham radio license test in October.

 

Happen to agree (and thanks for your service, one to another). Perhaps if there was less concern about parochial rice-bowls and sustaining someone's overtime budget, and reallocation of funds to individual local county spotter groups in terms of equipment, things would balance out. Our local group is almost entirely sustained from within. The few hams in the group do a more effective job than the disparate discard equipment provided from county hand-me-downs. The local NOAA office has that which they present in person available online, and the initial face-to-face doesn't provide any more insight into interpreting convective indicators than the course material. They're great folks but in my view making this information more available is a good thing and allows someone to refresh their understanding at will. Many of the wx events in our county are like a knife fight in a phone booth; any method of augmenting understanding of what's in the windshield right now is a good thing.

No one is breaking anyone's arm to take it. I'll worry about not sustaining someone's overtime budget in another venue. Not everyone has internet at home, but even our little burg has a pretty darned good (and connected) public library.

 

I can't offer much input to this discussion, but I can say some NWS locations offer an "open-house" regularly. The one in Portland, OR gave tours last week. Here's the pics.

I found the details on the NWS site for Portland to request a tour, but I didn't find the same on the NWS Little Rock for your State Jesse. However, I'd bet you can call any NWS office and they'd be happy to show you around!

As far as weather in Google Earth, it already exists. To add more detail, such as from the NWS, a quick Google search gives several hits for "NWS weather overlay" (example).

I learned something from someone not long ago that I cherish, paraphrased; "Time is not wasted if spent learning."


frank

 

I'm still on the fence myself, having had training and worked with NWS forecasters over the last 10-15 years. But I can see where online training can be a benefit, I guess. But it shouldn't REPLACE the training that one receives when at a class that an actual NWS forecaster oversees.

As far as K4PRB's comments are concerned, there has to be more than meets the eye. The NWS NEVER turns down storm reports, especially if they're of a severe nature. There has to be some kind of a misunderstanding somewhere.

 

Paul,
I am sorry to hear that your NWS office is not very good. Here in Blacksburg, VA. our NWS office is very active with Skywarn and very pleased to get our reports. We have nets during, before, and after each storm, and the head of this office has gotten his Ham ticket also. We have HF, VHF, and UHF capability and a lot of spotters. During the spring and early summer there is a lot of courses held in each area of coverage here also.
73
Russ Abbey
KG4MAV

 

I took both modules and passed the quiz given at the end of each one and found it to be very well put together and with the large number of example pictures I would have to say it is as good as weather service class I took and the one part I found the most enjoyable is the fact that you don't have an instructor explaining something very clearly and then you have three people ask him the same question over and over again. I think for a first time Skywarn applicant or as a refresher course it is great. Any thing to cut the money our government spends is fine in my book.

 

They don't even issue cards OR numbers here where I live.