This Thursday, April 24th at 4:30, NOAA/NWS will conduct the “SKYWARN Storm Spotter” Training. Those interested are asked to register using the following link:
Prior to that training opportunity, there will be a seminar available for participation put on by the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management. This event will feature expert speakers from NASA, the U.S. Space Force, and the Space Weather Prediction Center as they discuss critical topics including domain awareness, critical system disruptions, protective measures, and much more. The seminar will conclude with the Snohomish County DEM Communications team discussing potential space-related impacts on the local community. The closing segment will provide valuable insights into the local implications of space events and the importance of preparedness at the community level.
Use the link cited above for registering for this event as well, which begins at 2:00 prior to the Skywarn training.
Ahoy from N7REB in Seal Rock. I’m muddling through the process of getting set up for HF data modes with limited success. I’m able to run WSJT-X and JS8Call, but have been unsuccessful at transmitting on FLDigi and Ham Radio Deluxe. I’m especially interested in SSTV, but haven’t been able to figure that out, either.
I have an Icom IC-7300 and a PC running Windows 11 Home. Can you help me post a callout for help on the Facebook page and on the club’s website?
During a storm we lost connectivity on Cape Perpetua. The 147.060 repeater went down as well as the packet APRS weather station. Upon arrival at the site today, there was no AC power in the rack and the battery was at 6 volts. The setup is a dedicated 20 amp receptacle for our rack, that feeds an outlet strip in the rack. Most of the equipment plugs into the outlet strip, including a UPS that powers the modem/router/computer stuA. I started looking at the outlet strip, and the circuit breaker was tripped on it, and the power switch looked scorched. I tried the turn the UPS on and it would not run.
The power strip and UPS were removed from the rack and a temporary outlet strip was wired in. I powered up the majority of the equipment, reset the weather station and set the parameters and checked to make sure the weather was making it out on APRS. The battery voltage was too low to safely charge it with the small power supply we have on it, so the battery was removed and should likely be replaced. The 147.060 repeater was plugged in and powered up just fine.
As often happens with amateur radio, we put things together to get them working and it isn’t always the best that could be done. This site should have a few things done for the power situation:
Replace the temporary outlet strip with an industrial rack mounted outlet strip and surge protector.
Upgrade the power supply to one large enough to handle everything in the rack and float the battery.
Install a low voltage disconnect (these little devices will disconnect the battery before it discharges too low and gets damaged).
Replace the battery unless this original one comes back to life.
Interestingly, there were signs of arcing inside the case of the outlet strip which shows something faulted but I don’t see what it would have been. I suspect this occurred when the power went out and the generator started and restored power. Perhaps the UPS failed when the generator came back on and that caused the issue, I don’t know.
