The Columbia Weather Center
Amateur Radio Station KF3BH <> FN-10 
 
The Heart of the Weather Center
                  

     The weather station is a Davis Weather Monitor II.  The station has both the external humidity sensor and the tipping bucket rain gauge.  The station is connected to a dedicated computer which is running the Virtual Weather Station software under Windows 2000. This computer collects data from the station, collects data from the internet and creates the web page updated every 10 minutes. This computer also creates two datafiles. One is used to upload data to NOAA via the CWOP program, the other allows other computes on the in-house network to see realtime weather data. The second computer is a Windows XP machine which collects near real-time radar and satellite images using SwiftWx and GRLevel3 Radar software . This computer also monitors the weather camera and creates the static image along with the time lapse movie.  The second computer also acts as a file server for the computer network in the house. Information from the Weather Center is also used in Skywarn Severe Weather reporting via amateur radio or telephone reporting. The information is usually forwarded to the NWS office (CCX) in State College, PA in accordance with Skywarn protocol.
     



This is the Davis Weather Monitor II in
use at the weather center.  This unit has the
outside humidity and temperature sensor, and
the tipping bucket rain gauge both of which
were add-on sensors.
 
The Start of the Weather Center
       

     The Davis Weather Monitor II was first installed in the summer of 1993 and was operated locally only recording weather readings daily.  In the summer of 1994 the Datalink was added which allowed computer monitoring of the station.  In the event of a computer failure the weather monitor itself can store up to 30 days worth of weather readings via the memory in the Datalink unit.  During the summer of 1994 the outside Temp/Humidity sensor and the tipping bucket rain gauge were also added. The weather center's web presence started in the winter of 2000 as "The Catawissa Weather Center".  This is a early picture of the weather center as it was just before being moved to the Bloomsburg area in 2003 when the name was changed to the present "The Columbia Weather Center".........  
 
Amateur Radio KF3BH
     I've been a licensed amateur radio operator since the spring of 1982.  I was first licensed as a novice with the callsign KA3IWW.  In the summer of 1984 I upgraded to General class holding the same callsign.  At this time the majority of my operating was done on the digital modes using RTTY, AMTOR, Packet (HF and VHF) and PACTOR. During that time I also was involved in using the amateur radio satellites, SSTV, some HSCW Meteor Scatter, and Aurora work on 2 meter CW. In the spring of 1998 I updgraded to Advanced Class and changed my callsign to the present KF3BH.  The station consists of a Yaesu FT-920 HF thu 6 meter radio, and a Icom IC-910H  VHF/UHF all mode satellite radio.  I use a Rigblaster to connect the radios to the computer shown on the right for digital modes.  This setup can also use the Echolink system. I am also a member of The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) which is a national association for amateur radio operators. Over the years I've earned WAS (CW),  WAC Mixed,  ARRL CW Proficency Test (20 WPM) and DXCC Mixed.  As you can see I am NOT anti-CW.

     The large table in the middle of the room is a multi-purpose table with the main purpose being that of flight planning.  It is also used for work when repairing radios, computers and other assorted in need of repair stuff...

     The computer's shown along with other computers on the home network of 6 computers can remotely display the real time weather conditions gathered from the Weather Monitor II and the weather station monitoring computer.