Autumn weather can be very tricky in the part of Kentucky that the Princeton Ham Radio Club W4KBL calls home. Area residents who rely on weather radios - the ones that receive alerts and warnings from the National Weather Service -- often say those receivers can be tricky too. Sam Gray, KJ4TYE, the club's vice president and weather coordinator, said that's what inspired members to host a weather radio session recently. They showed local residents how to program their radios properly so they don't miss relevant weather watches and warnings in and around Caldwell County.
Sam told Newsline in an email [quote] "I have heard many people complain about the weather radio going all the time for counties not close to them." [endquote] He said those radios ultimately get unplugged and put into storage.When a disaster strikes, they have no warnings.
That changed on Saturday the 20th of September when club members greeted radio owners inside the EOC to demonstrate how to properly program those radios so that they receive alerts relevant to their specific county. Sam said the club, which is heavily involved in weather-spotting, knows the value of these kinds of alerts - but also knows that these radios, like many products these days, don't necessarily come with clear programming instructions in the box.
Sam said he encourages other clubs to reach out in their own communities to people confounded by the programming instructions and help them to receive the right reports. He said [quote] "Receiving alerts and warnings is key to preparing and survival." [endquote]
