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Local ham radio group credits repurposed Rattlesnake tower for emergency weather reporting
Summary
A volunteer amateur-radio network that installed equipment on the former Rattlesnake tower in Rush Township reported 23 months of operation and 13 activations supporting the National Weather Service and local emergency response.
Greg Geist, vice president of the Network Engineers Repeater Association, told the Centre County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 3 that amateur radio equipment the group installed at the former “Rattlesnake” tower site in Rush Township has been operational for 23 months and provided a direct link to Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency facilities in Harrisburg.
Geist said the non–internet communications system supports the National Weather Service’s Skywarn severe-weather spotting network and allowed ham radio operators in Centre County and nearby counties to relay “ground truth” weather information to forecast offices. “The Skywarn system was activated 13 times by the National Weather Service office using this equipment,” he said, adding that two activations were during tornado-warned thunderstorms that crossed just south of the Centre County line near Fairbrook in Ferguson Township.
The equipment, Geist said, connects local operators to PEMA and can be used alongside county emergency management, medical facilities and the Red Cross to provide information to the county 9-1-1 center. He described the project as a use of “surplus infrastructure” paired with volunteer expertise to benefit residents.
Commissioners thanked Geist and other volunteers, and one commissioner asked how residents could get involved. Geist pointed interested people to two local clubs—the Phillipsburg Amateur Radio Club and the Nittany Amateur Radio Club—and to the national American Radio Relay League (arrl.org). He emphasized that operators are federally licensed and that the hobby is “largely dedicated to public service and public safety.”
No commission action was requested or taken during the public comment.
The board's acknowledgment followed other public-comment items on the agenda.
