Skywarn Recognition Day

Once again, Dan KL1JP and Tracy W7EIK did a fine job organizing operations for Skywarn Recognition Day at the local National Weather Service forecast office.  The station callsign is KL7FWX, and they run barefoot using a G5RV and ICOM IC-718 atop the International Arctic Research Center on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.  SSB, CW, and PSK31 contacts were accomplished in the 24-hour event.  Here's a video of Sam KL2TU making his first contacts:



A number of stations worked KL7FWX over the local IRLP node, too.  The down side of this mode is that the self-appointed "policeman" of Alaska IRLP rarely seems to miss an opportunity to belittle operators who may step outside his strict notion of protocol.  I witnessed this first-hand on Saturday afternoon.  We all know the type, and these people provide excellent examples of how NOT to behave on the air.