In 2025, Fujian Baofeng Electronics Co., Ltd. invited me to write a series of posts for the blog on the company’s website about how to program its DM-32UV handheld DMR radio. I wrote seven posts, links to which appear below.
Programming the Baofeng DM-32UV Part Six: Key Assignments. Note: This post was based on CPS version 1.41. In versions 1.45 and 1.60, Baofeng removed the ability to configure side key 2. Also, firmware version DM32.01.L01.048 has an issue that causes the radio to ignore programmable keys while it is receiving a signal.
This evening, I spoke to the Whitley County Amateur Radio Club about digital mobile radio (DMR). Here is a link to my presentation slides for reference:
Path of a tornado that touched down just west of the Eel River Golf Course south of Churubusco and tracked rapidly east southeast, crossing US 33 before dissipating in a corn field west of Chase Road. NWS image.
“But wait,” you might say, “I never heard about a tornado warning for Allen County that day!” That’s because IWX didn’t issue a tornado warning for this storm. At the time of the tornado, however, a severe thunderstorm warning was in effect that included the words, “tornado possible.”
Most severe thunderstorm warnings do not automatically create alerts on your cell phone.
It’s not unusual for the kind of storm we had Saturday morning (a bowing “squall line”) to spawn weak tornados that appear and disappear before the National Weather Service can issue a warning. That’s why, when they warn us of a severe thunderstorm that could contain such tornados, they mention that a tornado is possible.
Weather radar loop slowing the bowing squall line that moved across Indiana early July 29.
It’s also one reason that it’s so important to know about and react appropriately to severe thunderstorm warnings, including those the National Weather Service issues in the middle of the night, when you’re sleeping. But that requires extra effort on your part, because most severe thunderstorm warnings do not automatically create alerts on your cell phone.
If you’ve ever been someplace covered by a tornado warning, you probably received a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) on your phone, even if you never installed a weather app. That’s because all modern smartphones come with WEAs enabled and all tornado warnings prompt WEAs.
The only severe thunderstorm warnings that trigger WEAs, however, are those in which the National Weather Service includes a “destructive” damage threat “tag.” They do that for storms that have either hail that’s at least 2.75 inches in diameter (baseball-sized) and/or 80 mph straight-line thunderstorm winds. According to Saturday morning’s severe thunderstorm warning, meteorologists expected winds of up to 60 mph and no large hail. That warning therefore did not trigger a WEA.
So, how can you know if a storm like Saturday’s is headed toward your home in the middle of the night, while you’re asleep? I know of two really good ways:
Buy a weather alert radio and keep it near enough to your bedroom to wake you.
Install a weather alert app, like Storm Shield, and configure it to alert you to severe thunderstorm warnings.
When the NWS issues a severe thunderstorm warning for your location, the best way to be safe is to do the same thing you’d do in a tornado warning. Move to the most interior room on the lowest level of your house. This will provide the best protection from a brief tornado, like the one that touched down July 29 and from straight-line thunderstorm winds dropping a tree limb on your house, which is what killed a woman in Ohio City, Ohio July 20.
I have created a guide to help users of the Anytone AT-D878UV handheld, DMR amateur radio create codeplugs for their radios.
The link below will provide the latest version of the document, which I have updated since publishing the original version. Version 2.65, uploaded January 29, 2023, adds advice on matching the CPS version to the firmware version.
Restrictions implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19 will affect one of the ways SKYWARN® storm spotters send reports to local National Weather Service (NWS) offices. Many NWS weather forecast offices (WFOs) have amateur (ham) radio equipment permanently installed. During severe weather events, volunteer ham radio operators operate that equipment to receive reports of tornadoes and other dangerous weather from fellow hams who are storm spotters.
Now, however, the NWS is forbidding anyone not directly connected with the agency from entering WFOs, according to NWS Northern Indiana warning coordination meteorologist Michael Lewis. That means that ham radio stations at WFOs are less likely to be on the air during severe weather events. Some NWS meteorologists have ham radio licenses and some of those might be able to sporadically operate WFO ham stations. But Lewis told me that to reduce exposure to disease, the NWS is trying to operate WFOs with as few people in the office as possible. This might mean that NWS meteorologists who have ham licenses will have no time to operate the ham radio equipment.
Ham radio operators will still be able to use their radios to report severe weather, but they’ll need someone other hams to relay those reports to their local WFOs. That’s where an internal NWS text chat system will be essential, Lewis said. The system is called NWSChat and access is limited a select population. That groups includes ham radio operators who serve as net control station operators. Local ham radio SKYWARN groups can (and should) designate such leaders to serve as liaisons between the radio networks and NWSChat.
Whether or not spotters have ham radio licenses, other ways to communicate reports continue to be available, including telephone calls to WFOs and Twitter tweets that include the appropriate WFO’s Twitter handle.
The voice communication app Zello can also be helpful to SKYWARN storm spotters. Unfortunately, Zello’s terms and conditions do not comply with federal government requirements, so NWS WFOs are prohibited from installing Zello on any government-owned devices. A specific Zello channel exists (“IWX SKYWARN”) for reports from areas covered by the Northern Indiana office. Because WFO staff are prohibited from using Zello, ham radio net control station operators, who have NWSChat accounts, plan to monitor the Zello channel as much as possible, to relay reports from spotters to the WFO.
All this could be tested tomorrow, March 19, when severe weather is forecast in much of Indiana.
One well-known meteorologist thinks they can lead untrained users to draw unsafe conclusions
Dr. Kevin Kloesel shows archived radar data from the 2011 Indiana State Fair stage collapse tragedy. The white “X” on his slide indicates the location of the fairgrounds. An outflow boundary (thin, blue line) is depicted ahead of a line of severe thunderstorms.
Anyone who makes decisions based on radar data displayed on mobile apps is essentially “acting the part of a meteorologist without the background,” and that will result in deaths, asserted meteorologist and certified emergency manager Dr. Kevin Kloesel, during the Ohio State University (OSU) Severe Weather Symposium March 28.
A non-meteorologist will most likely be using a simple phone
app, and tend to focus on the “scary colors” and lowest elevation tilt of the
radar, Kloesel told symposium attendees.
As a case in point, Kloesel discussed a 2011 incident at the Indiana State Fair, where winds in advance of a severe thunderstorm caused the collapse of a temporary structure that held spotlights and other equipment above an outdoor concert stage, killing seven people.
Kloesel showed archived radar data from that night, beginning with an 8:35 p.m. scan (see photo above) that depicted a line of heavy precipitation and ahead of that, a thin line representing an outflow boundary. Meteorologists know that such boundaries can indicate gust fronts with strong but usually sub-severe (less than 58 mph) straight-line winds.
Kloesel displays archived radar data from 8:53 p.m. the night of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse. This data shows an outflow boundary apparently right over the fairgrounds, which are represented in Kloesel’s slide by a white “X.”
Archived radar data depict the outflow boundary directly over the fairgrounds at 8:53 p.m (see photo above).
The deadly collapse, however, happened at approximately 8:46 p.m., much earlier than most untrained users of radar data might expect, in part because the “scary colors” had not yet arrived. Even non-meteorologists who recognize outflow boundaries likely don’t know that gust fronts on the ground occur ahead of where outflow boundaries appear on radar.
Kloesel reminds attendees that radar data shows what is happening at the height of the radar beam, which can be quite different than what’s happening directly below that point.
This is because a radar beam rises in reference to the ground as it travels from its source antenna (see photo above). Radar images therefore show what’s happening at the height of the radar beam, not at the ground
Trained meteorologists understand that they cannot assume that what’s happening on the ground will be indicated by what the radar depicts at beam height. Most other users of radar data on mobile apps probably lack that understanding, Kloesel said.
It’s too easy for people to rely on weather data via a mobile app, Kloesel said rather than seek expert consultation. The disconnect between the availability of data and the ability to correctly interpret such data is what led Kloesel to assert that radar app use can be dangerous.
This information is of particular importance to anyone who is responsible for the safety of people attending any outdoor mass gathering. All such events and venues should rely on trained meteorologists, versus others’ interpretations of what they see on mobile apps.
One way event leaders can get such support is through the National Weather Service’s Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS). The best way for event organizers to access IDSS is usually through a local emergency manager (i.e. director of an emergency management or homeland security agency).
Kloesel shared a quote from a lawyer involved in a
weather-related injury case, who said that such incidents are “preventable with
prudent caution and control of events in the face of available meteorological
information.”
Library expands meeting space to accommodate
weather enthusiasts
Strong pre-registrations for a free class on how to recognize and report severe weather phenomena led a local organization to add meeting space to accommodate more people. The Allen County branch of the national Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) will host the class at the Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Thursday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. By Feb. 12, only nine seats were still available, so the library agreed to expand the meeting space, adding 30 seats.
Scheduled speakers include meteorologists from ABC21, Fort
Wayne’s NBC, Fox 55 and WANE 15. Allen County Office of Homeland Security
director Bernie Beier and Consolidated Communications Partnership deputy
director John Chavez also plan to speak.
“This two-hour class will provide attendees the knowledge
they need to help protect their communities from severe weather like
tornadoes,” said Jim Moehring, emergency coordinator (team leader), Allen County
ARES. “Although we are a ham radio organization, people need not be hams to be
storm spotters, so we welcome anyone who is interested in weather.”
Moehring said the “ground truth” that volunteer spotters
provide is essential to the process through which the National Weather Service (NWS)
issues storm warnings. He pointed out that this remains true despite advances
in weather radar, because the beam from the NWS radar site near North Webster
is 2,500 feet or more above the ground by the time it reaches Allen County.
Traditionally, meteorologists from the NWS Northern Indiana
office near North Webster have presented spotter training every spring in Fort
Wayne. Changes in the office’s responsibilities, however, led it to change its
training schedule. As a result, NWS meteorologists won’t be in Fort Wayne until
autumn of 2019 and then not again until spring of 2021.
“We wanted to assure that our members and members of the
general public have a chance to receive storm spotter education before this
spring’s severe weather season,” Moehring said. “We therefore decided to devote
our group’s February meeting to a spotter class and to invite everyone to
attend. Because NWS meteorologists aren’t available, we’re thrilled that four
TV stations in Fort Wayne are sending meteorologists to help teach the
weather-related material.”
A complete list of speakers and their topics follows:
Jim
Moehring, Allen County ARES emergency coordinator (team leader):
Introduction to the NWS SKYWARN program and the importance of volunteer storm
spotters.
Jay
Farlow, Allen County ARES assistant emergency coordinator for SKYWARN: How
storm warnings are issued and distributed. Also, storm spotter reporting
methods and best practices.
Charles
Ward, experienced storm spotter: Best practices to remain safe while storm
spotting.
Bernie
Beier, Allen County Office of Homeland Security director: The role of the Allen
County Office of Homeland Security with regard to severe weather.
John
Chavez, Consolidated Communications Partnership deputy director: The role
of the Consolidated Communication Partnership (911/dispatch) in severe weather
events.
Caleb
Saylor, Fox 55 weekend meteorologist: Thunderstorm basics, including how
storms form and become severe.
Caleb
Chevalier, ABC21 weekend morning meteorologist: Types of thunderstorms,
including those most likely to create tornadoes. Also, radar apps and
interpretation.
Jon
Wilson, Fort Wayne’s NBC weekend meteorologist: Thunderstorm hazards,
including straight-line winds, large hail, flash flooding and tornadoes.
Nicholas
Ferreri, WANE 15 chief meteorologist: Cloud identification, including
distinguishing scary-looking but benign weather from true threats that spotters
should report.
About the Amateur
Radio Emergency Service
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) is a program of ARRL,
the national association for amateur radio®. ARES establishes teams of
volunteer, licensed amateur (ham) radio operators in counties throughout the
country, each of which is led by an emergency coordinator. These volunteer teams
train and practice to provide communication services to their communities in
the event of a disaster. Through a memorandum of understanding signed by ARRL
and the National Weather Service (NWS), ARES volunteers also commit to
communicating weather information that assists the NWS in the creation of
weather warnings. In addition, ARES volunteers practice their communication
skills by providing two-way radio communications at public events, such as
marathons, walk-a-thons, etc. More information about ARES is available on the
ARRL website at http://www.arrl.org/ares.
Speakers to include meteorologists from four TV stations
Collaborating for public safety: Meteorologists from four competing Fort Wayne TV stations meet with ARES leaders to help plan storm spotter education. Counterclockwise from lower left: Jim Moehring, ARES emergency coordinator; Caleb Saylor, Fox 55 Weekend Meteorologist; Nicholas Ferreri, WANE 15 Chief Meteorologist; Jon Wilson, Fort Wayne’s NBC Weekend Meteorologist; Caleb Chevalier, ABC21 Weekend Morning Meteorologist. Photo by Jay Farlow, ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinator
Jan. 25, 2019 – Fort Wayne – A local organization invites anyone who is interested in weather to attend a free class on how to recognize and report severe weather phenomena to benefit public safety. The Allen County branch of the national Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ACARES) will host the class at the Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, Thursday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Scheduled speakers include meteorologists from ABC21, Fort Wayne’s NBC, Fox 55 and WANE 15. Allen County Office of Homeland Security director Bernie Beier and Consolidated Communications Partnership deputy director John Chavez also plan to speak.
“This two-hour class will provide attendees the knowledge they need to help protect their communities from severe weather like tornadoes,” said Jim Moehring, emergency coordinator (team leader), ACARES. “Although we are a ham radio organization, people need not be hams to be storm spotters, so we welcome anyone who is interested in weather.”
Moehring said the “ground truth” that volunteer spotters provide is essential to the process through which the National Weather Service (NWS) issues storm warnings. He pointed out that this remains true despite advances in weather radar, because the beam from the NWS radar site near North Webster is 2,500 feet or more above the ground by the time it reaches Allen County.
Traditionally, meteorologists from the NWS Northern Indiana office near North Webster have presented spotter training every spring in Fort Wayne. Changes in the office’s responsibilities, however, led it to change its training schedule. As a result, NWS meteorologists won’t be in Fort Wayne until autumn of 2019 and then not again until spring of 2021.
“We wanted to assure that our members, and members of the general public have a chance to receive storm spotter education before this spring’s severe weather season,” Moehring said. “We therefore decided to devote our February meeting to a spotter class and to invite everyone to attend. Because NWS meteorologists aren’t available, we’re thrilled that four TV stations in Fort Wayne are sending meteorologists to help teach the weather-related material.”
A complete list of speakers and their topics follows:
Jim Moehring, Allen County ARES emergency coordinator (team leader): Introduction to the NWS SKYWARN program and the importance of volunteer storm spotters.
Jay Farlow, ACARES assistant emergency coordinator for SKYWARN: How storm warnings are issued and distributed. Also, storm spotter reporting methods and best practices.
Charles Ward, experienced storm spotter: Best practices to remain safe while storm spotting.
Bernie Beier, Allen County Office of Homeland Security director: The role of the Allen County Office of Homeland Security with regard to severe weather.
John Chavez, Consolidated Communications Partnership deputy director: The role of the Consolidated Communication Partnership (911/dispatch) in severe weather events.
Caleb Saylor, Fox 55 weekend meteorologist: Thunderstorm basics, including how storms form and become severe.
Caleb Chevalier, ABC21 weekend morning meteorologist: Types of thunderstorms, including those most likely to create tornadoes. Also, radar apps and interpretation
Jon Wilson, Fort Wayne’s NBC weekend meteorologist: Thunderstorm hazards, including straight-line winds, large hail, flash flooding and tornadoes.
Nicholas Ferreri, WANE 15 chief meteorologist: Cloud identification, including distinguishing scary-looking but benign weather from true threats that spotters should report.
About the Amateur Radio Emergency Service
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) is a program of ARRL, the national association for amateur radio®. ARES establishes teams of volunteer, licensed amateur (ham) radio operators in counties throughout the country, each of which is led by an emergency coordinator. These volunteer teams train and practice to provide communication services to their communities in the event of a disaster. Through a memorandum of understanding signed by ARRL and the National Weather Service (NWS), ARES volunteers also commit to communicating weather information that assists the NWS in the creation of weather warnings. In addition, ARES volunteers practice their communication skills by providing two-way radio communications at public events, such as marathons, walk-a-thons, etc. More information about ARES is available on the ARRL website at http://www.arrl.org/ares.
Media Contact
Jay Farlow, volunteer public information officer, ARRL arsw9lw@gmail.com
