Half dollar size hailstorm warning via ham radio 👍⛈️⚡😁

An anomaly I could not understand in California was the high percentage and frequency of ham radio operators discussing the weather. Though I never participated on this net. On one local net, every day, every Ham would give a weather report. Sometimes they’ve have 30 check-ins. And because many of the Hams lived in the same city, their reports mimicked the previous reports already given by others. Bear in mind these are not weather-related nets, and there were no unusual weather conditions present.

But once moving to Tennessee, even knowing the weather is not a common topic on UHF or VHF. I can appreciate it when they do discuss the weather. In Tennessee, it’s not uncommon to experience all four seasons within the same week.

For example. Earlier this week I decided to go out on my UTV and explore some rural country roads I’d never been on. When I left our home the skies were blue, there was no wind, and it was about 85 degrees. A couple of hours later while driving, while monitoring a repeater for that area, I heard the alert “beep – beep – beep!” Reminds me of LAPD’s code-3 hot shot calls.

So, I pulled over to listen (video below). As you can hear it was an important weather alert being broadcasted via that repeater, warning of severe thunderstorms, with a “half dollar size hail.”

And so, knowing that some of the dirt roads I’d be taking could easily be washed out and that I was alone, I decided to head back home. Plus, I needed to make sure that our animals and farm life had cover.

Once I returned home, I sat on our porch watching and hearing His magnificent show, as I rejoiced in what the Lord had decreed. As a Christian, by faith, I don’t complain about the weather. Because God decrees the degrees, as He has His Sovereign hand on the thermostat. Or, as A.W Pink said, “When we complain about the weather, we are, in reality, murmuring against God!”

So, the moral of this story is this. Here in the South, weather reports do matter, especially during tornado season.

73’s from K2PTL😁

NOTE: If the embedded video below doesn’t work, click here.