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NOAA Weather Radio Network
The NOAA Weather Radio Network broadcasts
continuous National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and
other hazard information 24 hours a day. This network operates over
800 stations in the United States, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto
Rico & the Virgin Islands.
Along with the routine weather, hazard and other
information the NOAA Weather Radio Network also includes specialized
signals designed to alert residents in specific areas about special warnings.
By broadcasting these signals, known as SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding),
residents can tune in and learn of problems in their own geographical
area.
To review the FCC Rules regarding retransmission
of weather alerts on the amateur frequencies, please see the FCC
RULES, PART 97.113e web page. Specific Area Message Decoder
A programmable digital decoder, such as
the WX-1000, equipped with SAME is designed to respond to SAME alerts
with an audible tone or other warning. The WX-1000 can be programmed
to respond to specific types of warnings and/or those occurring in
certain cities, counties, or other geographical areas. During
different times of day, for instance, different types of alerts may
be selected.
Alert Message Timer
At the conclusion of a SAME alert a digital
termination signal is transmitted. The WX-1000 is designed to decode
and automatically shut down the transmitter or, if desired, an internal
message timer can control the transmission time.
Repeater Interface
The WX-1000 is engineered to seamlessly
interface with your repeater. With as few as 4 simple connections,
the WX-1000 can be set up to provide automatic weather alerts.
WX-1000 Configuration Program
The WX-1000 Configuration Program included
with the receiver requires either a Windows® 95, Windows® 98,
Windows 2000, Windows ME®, Windows NT®, or Windows XP® operating
system. The configuration program is used to select the FIP and EVENT
codes, OPTIONS and timer settings. For more information click WX-1000
Editor.
Weather Alert Log
As alerts are received, the WX-1000 stores
the date, time and type of alert in non- volatile memory and storage
is provided for up to 40 alerts. The RS-232 port and the WX-1000 configuration
program can be used to down load the data which can then be saved as
a PC text file or printed with the print driver included in the configuration
program.
Voice Synthesizer Alert Message
Embedded in the SAME message is the time
period the warning is in effect. During this time period the built-in
voice synthesizer will periodically broadcast the nature of the alert.
The voice synthesizer is programmed with several warnings, including "Tornado
Warning", "Winter Storm Warning", "Flash Flood
Warning" among many others.
Monitor Speaker
Conveniently located on the front panel of
the WX-1000 is a 2.5 inch speaker with volume control. A 200mw audio
amplifier permits the warning to be heard as it is received. The speaker
can be regularly tested by means of a toggle switch at any time.
Indicators
Clearly visible on the front panel are a
green LED to indicate power on and a red LED to indicate severe conditions
are in effect for the selected area.
Front Panel Controls
The operation of the WX-1000 is controlled
by two toggle switches. The MONITOR switch activates the speaker and
the RESET switch turns off the red LED and resets the receiver to accept
new alerts.
Alert Start Logic Output
The SAME broadcast includes a signal that is
decoded by the WX-1000 to produce an external alarm, trigger the controller
to execute a specialized macro or automatically load a pre-recorded message.
Alert Stop Logic Output
The WX-1000 is also able to respond to a length-of-message
signal embedded in the SAME alert. Responding to this signal, the WX-1000
will automatically reload a NORMAL memory save.
Weather Enable Input
When this input is grounded the weather receiver
will activate. When connected to a controller's user function output
switch, weather reports on demand are available.
Weather Disable Input
When this input is grounded the WX-1000 will
not respond to weather alerts issued by the NOAA Weather Radio Network.
Repeater Interface
When a weather alert is broadcast, a relay
in the WX-1000 automatically disconnects the transmitter from the controller
and connects it to the weather receiver. The relay grounds the PTT line
and provides weather audio to modulate the transmitter.
WX-1000 Printed Circuit Board Assembly
The PC board contains a state of the art surface
mount, dual conversion receiver equipped with a low-noise GaAS MESFET
RF amplifier and a single chip MC13135P Motorola receiver. The dip switch
allows the built-in frequency synthesizer to select one of 7 NOAA broadcasting
stations. The WX-1000 interfaces with the repeater through the DB-15
rear connector while the DB-9 connector allows the RS-232 port connection
to interface with a PC serial port. The heart of the WX-1000 is the decoder-logic
section which consists of the FSK decoder, P80C51RD2 microprocessor,
NRAM, and TI voice synthesizer. Since the weather receiver data base
is stored in the NRAM, the WX-1000 can always be up-dated.
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