National Weather Digest

WEATHER

Qnd RADIO

NOAA's Ubiquitous Radio

Edwin P. Weigel

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Reprinted from NOAA magAzine, Vol. 8, No.4,OctOber 1918.

NOAA Weather Radio is succeeding far beyond itsfounders' fondest expectations.

This system of continuous broadcasts of stormwarnings and weather observations and Corecastswas begun back in the 1960's to serve recreationalboaters. Since then, it has been expanded tocover just about everyone.

Already there are more than 225 stations, opera­ted by the National Weather Service, and the paceof installations is accelerating, because peoplelike it so much. When c01npleted next ye!U', therewill be about 340 stations, coverinR' 90 percent oCthe U.S. population.

This letter from Neal J. Whyte, a businessman inPinconning, Michigan, illustrates the type of re­sponse that has been f1owin~ into National WeatherSo;!rvice offices allover the country.

'VIr. Whyte wrote to the Natir.mal Weather ServiceOCfice in Flint, 1\1ichigan:

"You people are doing 11 fantastic job, (pl"ovidi~)

an invaluable service to such industries as farm­in~, commerciR.1 fishin~, and construction. The listis almost endless. It should save them fortunes.

"I use it Cor pure enjoyment and fQr planning mydays three days in advance. (t have) nothi~ butadmiration for the professional status of voupeonIe. I, for one, will Itladly accept any adfli­tional increase in taxes to insure it<; conti"luR.tkm.

"Congratulatif)ns. You are just great."

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]\1r. Whyte added as an arterthought that ,he hasthree sets with which to tune in the broadcasts ­one at home, one at the office, and a small pocketportable that he carries with him.

A Nebraska weekly newspaper editorialized:NOAA Weather Radio "is probably one of themost beneficial systems that the Government hasdevised for the taxpayer. Yet too many of usdon't take advantage of the protection the systemprovides."

Further proof of NOAA Weather Radio's popu­larity is that, as word has spread, a great manyStates have volunteered to provide facilities, andin some cases staff to augment and speed itsavailability.

Earl F..stelle, program leader for NOAA WeatherRadio, wrote recently: "This is one of the hottestthings we've ever had going for us. We currentlyhave about 35 States and Puerto Rico cooperatingin completing- the system. Clearly, they think thesystem is worthwhile, or they wouldn't be helpingus. User surveys by individual Wekther Radiost8.tions produce hundreds of letters, almost all'1ighly favorable. A voluntary response of thismagnitude is extraordinary. Some of our stations~et Christmas cards fro:n listeners.

"·~lanufacturers arc equally enthusiastic. Onefirm hAS sold more than 1.4 million receiverscapable of r>ickin~ UP the broadcast. A randomly<;elected retailer in Little Rock told me thatWeather RAdio receivers were the hottest item inhis ~tf)re, now that the CB rage has passed.

VoL 4, No. Z, May 1979

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II••••

Charna Lester monitors operations of the NOAA Weather Radio at theWashington, D.C., Weather Service Forecast Office. The station isone of more than 225 in the fast"i':rowing network.

Another manufacturer is unable to keep up withcustomer demand. His last production run in­creased sixfold over the previous one.

"The Kentucky network, the first one to go inunder a cooperative Federal/State a~reement twoyears ago, is getting remarkable results. Tllemeteorologist in charge at Louisville estimatesthere is at least one Weather Radio for everyeight Kentucky families.

"Mansfield, Ohio, wants to donate a total systemfor us to operate. Several other cities havealready done so. South Carolina is working on abill to provide receivers for every school in theState. Many school districts in other States havealready done so.

"Arkansas, Tennessee and Vlississippi have passedlegislation providinl{ for expanded networks be­yond the Federal plan. Other States, for example,Minnesota and Wisconsin, are considering similaraction."

In Estelle's view, testimonials, such as these, bearthe same authority as a popul8r referendumpeople voting for a pr~am wittl their dollars ­and the response is snowballing.

For members of the NOAA family unfamiliarwith NOAA Wf!Ather Radio, here's how it works;The latest observations and forecasts are tape­recorded by local Weather Service offices in mes­sages that last from three to five minutes. Thesemessages are replayed continually, guaranteeingreception any time of the day or night at the pushof a button or the twist of a dial.

The tape-recorded messages are revised verythree to four hours, more frequently when appro­priate. When severe weather threatens, fore­casters at the local Weather Service office inter­rupt the broadcasts with storm warnings, eithertape-recorded or "live" as the situation demands.

Furthermore, the system has a feature whichallows you to bc alcrted automatically, if youchoose, when dangerous weather, such as a tor­nado or flash flood, is on the way. Radio receiv­ers available for as little as $35 will silentlymonitor the NOAA weather broadcasts and auto­maticallv either sound a siren or come up toaudible ·volume when the forecaster presses ahutton in his office signifying that a storm bul­letin is forthcoming. These "warning-alarm re­ceivers" are especially valuable for schools, hospi­tRIs, nursing homes, factories, mobile-home com-

3

National Weather Digestmunities and other places where large numbers ofpeople are congregated. They are also of vitalimportance to radio and TV stations and public­safety officials.

Because of its unique warning capability, theNOAA Weather Radio system was designated inJanuary 1975 by the White House Office of Tele­com munications Policy as the sole federally oper­ated radio system to provide warnings directlyinto people's homes - not only for natural dis­asters, but also in the event of nuclear attack.,What kind of receiver is needed? One that willreceive very high frequency PM broadcasts ­considerably above commercial PM broadcasts,which end at 108 megahertz. The frequenciesused for NOAA Weather Radio, nationwide, are,162.40, 162.475, or 162.55 megahertz. Mostradio-specialty shops and many other retail out­lets have such "high band" receivers, some for aslittle as $10 or $15 - if you don't care to have theautomatic storm-warning feature.

Effective range of the broadcasts is about 40miles, depending upon the terrain and the qualityof the receiver. Because of the high frequency,transmission is by line of sight, like television, andmay be blocked or interfered with by hills, nearbybuildings, or commercial radio transmitters. Suchproblems may sometimes be overcome, or listen­ing range extended, by use of high-quality receiv­ers and high, outside antennas.

Because of these uncertainties, the WeatherService advises people to make final acceptanceof a receiver conditional upon a test in the settingin whieh it is to be used. It urges institutionalbuyers to select a high-quality receiver with greatsensitivity and selectivity.

It's also worth noting that you can purchasereceivers that will pick up NOAA Weather Radiobroadcasts. when you're traveling, as you movefrom the range of one station to another, so thatyou will have a continuous souree of local weatherreports. As the system grows, you will seldom beout of range of a local NOAA Weather Radiobroadcast for very long when traveling on inter­state highways.

Another boost to NOAA Weather Radio - especi­ally in areas where tornadoes, nash floods andhurricanes are a chronic threat - has been exten­sion of the broadcasts by retransmission overcable television. There are now hundreds ofcable-TV companies, serving one out of everyeight homes. Many are relaying NOAA WeatherRadio broadcasts over designated but otherwiseunused channels. Support to NOAA WeatherRadio by the broadcast industry doesn't stop withcable TV. An increasing number of radio stations

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are taping NOAA Weather Radio as a convenientmeans of staying up on weather conditions. Someof them are using the recordings as an informa­tion source for rebroadcast by their own announ­cers. Others are retransmitting the broadcastsdirectly. Many stations have bought warning­alarm reeeivers to be sure of getting severeweather watches and warnings for immediaterelay to their listeners. Still other radio stationsare tapping into broadcast consoles at WeatherService offices directly by means of land lines,rather than receiving the messages over the air­waves. This assures them of the highest qualitysignal, and, perhaps more importantly, providesNOAA with an alternate transmitting source inweather emergencies where the NOAA transmit­ter has been rendered inoperative for any reason.

In Earl Estelle's words: "We are delighted by thevarious ways the electronic media are cooperatingin this program. They are undoubtedly helping usto do a more effective job, especially in storm­warning situations. While we are sure the numberof NOAA Weather Radio receivers in the hands ofthe public will continue to grow, we also knowthat commercial radio and television will continueto be the primary means by which most people gettheir weather information." Of continuing inter­est to Weather Service officials is the variety ofways NOAA Weather Radio is being put to use bythe public, and the enthusiasm with which it isreceived.

Examples:

A spokesman for a Methodist church. group inIndiana reported: "We listen at least tWice a day.Persons travel to and from our church camps froma radius of 150 miles almost every day of theyear. We use it as a check for scheduling planerides two to four days in advance. Keep up thegood work."

The general manager of an electric cooperative inCarrollon, Ohio, commented: "We try, during thewinter and summer storm seasons to listen to ourWeather Radio at least once each hour, rightafter the update, to see what is developing. Whenit appears we are due for snow, wind or otherweather extremes that could create power out­ages, we alert additional standby personnel beforethey go home for the day. This has been conven­ient for them and insures us of the personnel wewill need. During last January's blizzard, weassumed at first the storm was over the first daywhen the winds began to subside. We were goingto work our men straight through the day until thelines were back up. However, I checked theWeather Radio and found that lots more stormyweather was on the way. So our plan changed

dramatically. We sent some men horne for restbreaks so we would have fresh personnel for thenight hours. Without this infor!Tlation we wouldhave been in much worse shape on the daYS thatfollowed."

A school superintendent in 'VIassiIJon, Ohio, said:"With the radio broadcast Rnd the instant stor'llwarnings, we are able to make better, fasterdecisions about closing school early, or canceJlin~

school due to weather conditions." He said hefound it especially useful during last winter'sblizzards.

A radio station in Peoria, Illinois, editorialized:"For those of you who may have missed or over­looked it in the news ... the National WeatherService in Peoria is now on the air with 24-hourweather news. You can now have instant weatherat your fingertips in your home•.... Needless tosay this service is a must during tornado season inour area...• In central Illinois this receiver is nota luxury; it's a necessity. You should thinkseriously about getting one for your home oroffice."

A businessman in Shawneetown, Illinois, wrote: "Ilisten to your broadcast every day and I thank youfor you~ instant weather and river reports. I havea fish market and have been in business for about33 years. (The Weather Radio) is the finest thingthat could have happened to my business. All thefarmers depend on my giving the river reportwhen we have a quick rise. Keep up your goodwork."

A nursery operator in Huntingbu~, Indiana,wrote: "Just a note to tell you how much we neerland appreciate your Weather Radio broadcasts. Wemust harvest plants throughout the winter and useyour broadcasts every morning. We especiallyappreciate the long-range forecasts, as we can dosome planning of work and l.<t.bor needs."

A Nebraska newspaper, commenting on a tornadoepisode, editorialized: ''Tuesday morning thosewith Weather Alert radios heard their first alertsignal almost an hour before the storm hit."

Bill \1cKee, Executive Officer for the WeatherService's Eastern Region, repOrted that during theTall Ships parade in New York Harbor honoringthe Nation's Bicentennial, there was so muchrandom com munication on Coast Guard channel16 by recreational hoaters and other vessels thatthe Coast Guard found it difficult to get throughwith urgent communications. So A message wasbroadcast over the NOAA Weather Radio Station inNew York City to leave channel 16 free for vitalmessages. So effective was this request that theCommander of the Third Coast Guard Districtlater wrote Eastern Region Weather Service t'1ead­quarters thanking them for this Assistance. He

VoL 4, No. Z, May 1979

said Channel 16 was cleared within a half hourafter the Weather Radio broadcast - a welcometestimoni~l to the size and responsiveness of theNOAA Weather Radio listening audience afloat.

Robert K. Goodwin of Des V1oines, Iowa, wrote:"Thank you for the wonderful service - continuousweather information-that you provide over KEC-75from our airport. I am no longer very active inbusiness, but I do find it most valuable in keepingme off the roads during bad weather ... I am surethat it is of great value to those who are active,especially our farmers. You dispense the weatherinformation in a direct, succinct manner that isright to the point. I hope that it will continueand be expanded so that others may benefit."

Clyde W. Crawford of Birmingham, Alabama,wrote: "I think these broadcasts are the greatestthing to come to Birmingham in this century.Your broadcasts are the first thing I listen tobefore I ,!,et up and the last thing I listen to beforeI go to sleep."

Louis C. Scharfenstein of Jefferson, Lousiana,writing to Secretary of Commerce Juanita Kreps,said: "Please accept my thanks for the outstand­ing job of the National Weather Service in re­porting the weather conditions in the Gulf Coastarea and especially New Orleans. I am gratefulfor the immediate availability of a completeweather forecast at the touch of a fingertip onmy Weather Radio."

The administrator of South Highlands Hospital inBirmingham, Alabama, called NOAA WeatherRadio "an excellent community service," adding:"We have purchased a Weather Radio which keepsour maintenance department up to date on antici­pated severe weather that could or could notcreate heating and mechanical problems for us.The guesswork is taken out of weather problemsthat might make it more difficult for us to operatethe hospital."

The president of Coosa Cable Company in PellCity, Alabama, wrote: "I must tell you how muchI like NOAA Weather Radio station KIH-54. I amcarrying this on channel 12 as the sound portion,and of course the weather wire with character~enerator for the video printout. These two incombination are providing 875 customers with thebest weather information they can get, and theyreally like it."

'" representative of American Roofing and Heat­ing, Inc., in Lansing, Kansas, commented that theWeather Service hroad<,ssts provide information"that helps US greatly in our roofing operationsand all outside work."

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National WeatheJ' Digest

NOAA Weather RadioTransmitters In Operation

As Of October 1, 1978

CtlliIoml.COachellaCrescent City, Calif. Brookings. Oreg.EurekaFresnoLos AngelesMontereyPoint ArenaSacramentoSan DiegoSan FranciscoSan Luis ObispoSanta Barba.r•...

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COloradoDenver .•.

ConnecticutHartford.MeridenNew London

Delt:wareLewes ..

District 0/ ColumbiaWashington. D.C.

FloridaFort Myers .Daytona Beach .GainesvilleJacksonvilleKey WestMelbourneMiamiOrlandoPanama CityPensacolaTallahasseeTampaWest Palm Beach

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Georglt:Atlanta ....•.Augusta .Chatsworth .Columbus .PelhamSavannah .....................••

IllinoisChicagoMolinePeoriaROCkfordSpringfield

IndlaMEvansville ••..................... (1lFort Wayne. . . . . . .....•. (llIndianapolis ..................•. , (1)lafayette .. (3)South Bend.. . .••••••• (2)

HawaIIHilaHonoluluKokOO .MI. Haleakala

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HomerJuneauKetchikanKodiak ..••••••.Nome .SewardSitka ...................•.••Valdez..... . .••••••.•••.......Wrangell ..•.•••••••.••..•.Yaklliat ...•••••••••••.......

ArizonllPhoenix....­Fayeuev!11eFort SmithGurdonJonesboro .Little ROCkStar CityTexarkana .

The number lollowing each city Idenliliesthe radio frequency on which the stationlransmits, They are:

(1) 162,550 MHZ(2) 162.400 MHZ(3) 162.475 MHZ

Alaba.meAnniston (3)Birmingham.. (llDozier (1)Florenee (3)Huntsville ....•.•..... . (2)louisville. . . ..••.•••••• (3)Mobile (1)Montgomery (2)Tllscaloosa (21

AJ..kaAnchorageCordovaFairbanks

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VoL"'. No. Z. May 1979

Kan.a.COlby (3)Concordia............ (1)Dodge City (3)Ellsworth . . . . . . . . . . . . (2)Topeka .. (3)WIChita (1)

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Wa,l VirginiaCharlestonClarksburg

Wlaconl1nGreen Bay (t)LaCrosse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. (1)Madison. (1)Menomonie (2)Milwaukee (2)Wausau.. . (3)

WashingtonNeah BaySeattleVakima

Rhoda IllandProvidence

Soulh CarolinaBeaulortCharleslonColumbiaFlorenceGreenvilleMyrtle Beach

Tanna_BristOlChaUanooga .KnoxvilleMemphisNashville

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Salt Lake City

VarmonlBurlinglon

VirginiaNortolk .Richmond

TaxasAbilene (2)Amarillo (1)Austin . _ (2)Big Spring. . . . . . (3)Brownsville...... (1)Bryan..... (1)Corpus Christl............ (1)Dallas... . (2)Del Rio (2)Fort Worth..................... (1)Galveston (1)Houston. . . . . •••.. . (2)Laredo... (3)Lubbock (2)Lurkln (1)Midland...... (2)Paris (1)Pharf . (2)San Anlonio (1)Victoria (2)Wichita Falls (3)San Angelo...... . . {1}ShelTTlan (3)Tyler.. (3)Waco ..... (3)

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New Hamp'hlreConcord

New JeraayAtlantic City

New Me>;lcoAlbuquerqueClovisFarmingtonHobbsRuidosoSanta Fe

New YorkBuffaloNew Vork CityRochester

North CarolinaCape HallerasNew BernWilmington

North OakotaFargo

OhioAkronCaldwellClevelandColumbusDaytonLimaSandusky

OklahomaLawtonOklahoma CityTulsa .

0,....AstoriaCoos BayEugeneNewportPortland

Mi.-.ourlCamdentonHannibal .Kansas City .Sf. Joseph .51. Louis .Springfield

MontanaGreat FalbHelena

Nebra.1uIOmaha

NevadaReno

Penn.ylvaniaEriePhiladelphiaPittsburgh

Puerto RicoSan Juan . ...

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IowaDes Moines.

KlIfltuckyAshlandBowling GreenCovingtonHazard.LexingtonLouisville.MayfieldSomerset.

Loui,lanaBaton RougeLake CharlesMorgan CityNew OrleansMonroeShreveport

MalnaEllsworthPortland.

MarylandBaltimoreSalisbury

MI..lssippiAckermanBooneville.Bude .GulfportInvernessJacksonMcHenryMeridianOXford

Mauachule",BostonHyannis

MichiganAlpenaDelroltFlintGrand RapidsMarquetteSault Ste. Marie.Traverse City

Mlnna-.olaDuluthInt'l. FallsMankatoMinneapolisRochesterThief River FallsWillmar

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National Weather DigestOne of the more exhaustive surveys of listenerreactions was made by the Columbia, South Caro­lina, Weather Service Forecast Office, under thedirection of 'VIeteorologist in Char~e John C.Purvis.His official (sic) controls station WXJ-20 atColumbia and WXJ-22 at Florence, South Caro­lina. Last spring, a message soliciting listeners tocomment by mail was broadcast over the air. Theresult was about 100 replies, almost all hil{hlyfavorable.

The range of occupational and recreational useswas particularly impressive, along with the re­sponses from people who simply wanted to knowwhat the weather would be so they could planwhat to wear, how to dress the children forschool, whether to hang clothes out to dry,whether to plan a shopping trip, or stay home andread a good book.

,The spectrum ranged from thE' obvious, such asfarmers, commercial fishermen, aviators, outdoorco~tructlon workers, sehool and hospital adminis­I ~I1m

I '"f.'alt 2

trators, and outdoor recreationists, to the man­ager of an FM station at Columbia Bible Collegewho repeated the information over the air, arealtor planning his work schedule, a representa­tive of a textile supply company, a furniturecompany owner, the manager of a hardwood saw­mill scheduling work for loggers, truck drivers,mill and yard supervisors, the manager of a trailerpark planning the best time to put in grass- seed,the owner of a TV store who kept the WeatherRadio on constantly as an attraction for cus­tomers, conservation workers, an outdoor workerin a railroad yard, the plant engineer of ColumbiaCollege, and the owner of a retail store cateringto bass fishermen.

Many of the writers were especially gratefUl forthe timely and informative warnings of thunder­storms and tornadoes. Letters from two womensummed up the sentiment neatly. Mrs. ChanieBeard of West Columbia wrote: "You have cometo be a dependable necessity and we thank you."Mrs. Harry Ivey of the same locality said: "Justkeep up this most helpfulservice! I would hate todo without it."

J 'n~,':nc,

WARNINGS BY UVE, SIMULTANEOUS BROADCAST PROMNOAA WEATHER RADIO AND COMMERCIAL RADIO/TV

Dennis McCarthy

National Weather ServiceIndianapolis International Airport

Indianapolis, Indiana 46241

Ry the end of 1978, two-thirds of the 340 NOAAWeather Radio (NWRl stations planned for in­stallation around the United States were inoperation.

Weather Radio has progressed from a relativelyobscure service aimed mainl,v at boaters alo~ thecoasts, to a popular and efficient means of relav­ing up-la-date weather information and warnin~to the general public as well as to sDecial users.

The Weather Radio has become one of the Nation­al Weather Service's most important contributionsto an effective warninlZ sYStem. Whereas manyimorovements have taken Dlac:e in the predictionand detection of haZllrdous weather, NWR hasmade a siEtnificant impact on the disseminationDortion of the warni~ ~ystem bv saving theprecious seconds, or oftE'r) minute-", required totype, transmit via teletype, and broadcast warn­ings from commercill.l radio and TV stll.tions. I.ive

8

broadcasts of warnings from NWR can save evenmore time by avoiding delays necessary for taperecording.

Further enhancement of the speed and efficiencyalreadv inherent in live broadcasts from NWR ispossibie through a system of simultaneous broad­cast (simulcast) with cooperating radio and tele­vision stations. This system was devised by thenews director of a radio station in Belleville,Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from St.Louis, AS a means of reducing delays of tenminutes or more in relaying warnings from thei\1is."ouri Weather Wire to the lliinois WeatherWire.

The technique is extremely simple and very inex­pensive. Iolo additional equipment is required atthe National Weather Service Office and thecommercial broadcaster makes only a one-timelow-cost expenditure for an alert receiver and thewiri~ necess'l:ry to place the receiver in the