[PHX-Skywarn] Skywarn Coordinator

[Lee Levine]

In other words, yer a Weather God!  <GRIN>
I'd already figured Steve had a good reason for appointing you.

Let's make things happen!

Lee Levine


On Sun, 2003-09-07 at 21:28, Larry Adkins wrote:
    I hope everyone is enjoying a nice weekend.
    
    To bring you all up-to-date, I have been asked by Steve Sipple to accept the
    position of "Skywarn Coordinator". I have accepted. This will provide a
    conduit between amateur radio and the NWS. I hope this will meet with
    everyone's approval. Now before you ask why me, let me provide you with a
    brief background on who I am.
    
    Presently I hold an Amateur Extra Class license, WB0PDP. I have been a ham
    since 1974. While living in North Platte, Nebraska, I became interested in
    the hobby while serving with the National Weather Service as a Weather
    Service Technician. I was the Skywarn program leader at the time. Once I
    became a Novice, WN0PDP, I was hooked. From North Platte, I transferred to
    Bismarck, North Dakota. Here I was in charge of the Skywarn program for the
    entire state. I was also the ARRL North Dakota Section Emergency Coordinator
    for almost two years. From Bismarck, my career took me to Savannah, GA and
    then to WSFO, Phoenix, AZ in 1978. Those of you who lived here during that
    time, will remember the floods of 1979. Being one of the only certified
    weather radar operators, I once spent four days in the radar room sleeping
    on a cot. Valley hams made sure I had a fresh HT and batteries so I could
    continue to make contact with spotters. I left Phoenix in 1981 because it
    was just too hot!
    
    >From Phoenix I spent a couple of years stationed at Who's in Oregon (OIC at
    Burns, OR and a tour with WSO Pendleton, OR). In 1984, I was assigned by the
    NWS to be Official In Charge of WSO, Red Bluff, CA. Again, I handled the
    Skywarn program for all of Northern California. It was here I became
    interested in  amateur television. We equipped aircraft with amateur
    television to survey flood damage along the Sacramento River and beam the
    video back to the weather office. I believe this was one of the first uses
    of amateur television for Skywarn.
    
    In 1986, the Weather Service assigned me as OIC of an embedded WSO for San
    Francisco. I remained here for the rest of my career retiring in 1993. Here
    I was Skywarn Coordinator for the nine counties surrounding the San
    Francisco Bay. Over all, I have 25 years with the National Weather Service.
    Before the NWS, I spent three years as a civilian with the Department of
    Defense, U.S. Navy involved in firing meteorological rockets into the
    atmosphere at the Pt. Mugu Pacific Missile Range and 6 years in the Army as
    a warrant officer involved in ballistic meteorology. Other duty not
    mentioned includes a tour at WSFO Oklahoma City, Anchorage, Alaska Regional
    HQ and the Pacific Weather Patrol.
    
    I am married to a fantastic lady going on 20 years now and she has also
    adopted my hobby. She is a Tech Plus - N7EQN. For years I have tried to get
    her to upgrade but she just won't do it. We currently live in Mesa in a
    retirement community.
    
    I will attempt to provide Steve with the assistance he needs and the
    coordination that amateur radio is looking for. I hope I will have the
    support of each of you. My door or phone will always open to you. In the
    next week, I will be contacting several of you on how we can solve the
    immediate problem of establishing a reliable backup repeater's) for sector
    2.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Larry Adkins, WB0PDP
    480-890-1606
-- 
--
Taliesin MacAran

Visit my website at http://kd7eth.net

Beware of what you speak, for indeed the words we speak make shadows
of what is to come, and by speaking them we bring them to pass.
-- Taliesin, The Merlin of Britain

batlh biHeghjaj! Heghle'neH QaQ jajvam!