[Skywarn] SKYWARN TESTING

[Andy]

Skywarn training around here (New England) seems to be pretty active.
Several classes a year.  Reasonably good publicity and advance notice,
if you look for it on the ARES related websites.  Look for it at NOAA
and you may not find it.  And when they activate Skywarn on the NWS HQ
and the ham repeaters, they take reports from anyone, trained spotter
or not.

Re: NOAA, my guess is they don't want to micro-manage the program,
they leave that up to the local NWS folks to do the training AND
publicize it.  I think your local NWS people deserve the kick in the
pants.

Up here there is excellent support from the ham community, which does
much of the actual training.  I've been to two spotter training
classes in the last few years; one was taught by NWS, the other by
hams.  Essentially the same content.

Andy