K5JAW Operating Notes: 2014 Review

First of all, I've neglected this blog site far too long.  There's no reason for it.  My apologies...

My primary goal for 2014 in Amateur Radio was to work through a QSO-365 project.  I outlined my plans here, and today I'm offering a recap on what was accomplished, and what wasn't accomplished. 

First, what is QSO-365?  QSO-365 was a project devised by G6NHU in 2010 in Great Britain.  He explains the project on his website.  Essentially, the goal is to have at least one QSO/contact per day for an entire calendar year. 

So how did I do?  Well, I didn't make all 365 days.  In fact, I missed 23 days through the year.  I knew that I'd miss some days, but had no idea I'd miss nearly a month's worth of days.  Sometimes it was due to work schedules, sometimes it was due to antenna issues, and other times it was due to personal/family schedules.  But as we know, amateur radio is a hobby, and has to be prioritized accordingly on occasion.  Does missing 23 days mean I failed?  Well, if you're counting day-by-day, then yes.  But I'd offer to you that success can be measured in other ways as well.

Here's the run-down for the year:

• 1014 contacts logged
• 7 continents logged (including Antartica!)
• 76 DXCC entities logged
• 29 new DXCC entities logged
• 50 of the United States logged
• ARRL Public Service Honor Roll achieved for 11 months of the year.
• All contacts were by voice/phone.  No digital contacts were made at all this year.
• All HF contacts were 100 watts or less.

Now, does that constitute a failure?  I guess it depends on how you interpret the numbers, but in my book it's a great success. 

Reviewing the numbers for the year reveals a few good bits of data that can improve station operations.  Firstly, it's good to have "hard numbers" on how many contacts on each band you've logged.  These numbers can influence future HF antenna plans and installations.  For me, 80, 20, 17, and 10 meters were the most used of the HF bands.  When considering any HF antenna updates, I'll keep this in mind.

Keeping good records and transferring key data into a spreadsheet helps look at operating trends.  I set up a spreadsheet with each month representing a row, each band representing a column, and logged the number of contacts per band/per month accordingly.  Almost half of my 2014 contacts were logged in the first four months of the year.  I expected a slow-down for summer as the days get longer and outdoor activities supplant radio time.  The addition of an evening second job in the fall also kept numbers down later in the year.  Casual participation in occasional contests helps along the way.  If you participate seriously in contests, you don't have to worry about overall numbers.  And again, this wasn't about total numbers; it was about making an conscious, daily effort to get on the air.  

Using voice/phone/SSB for all HF contacts was also a bit of a challenge.  Digital HF modes are very straightforward, and not terribly difficult to establish contact even under the worst of conditions.  By consciously choosing to not use digital modes, I was compelled to work through sometimes huge pileups, set up split operations on the fly, and exercise a great deal of patience when listening to very faint DX stations.  That is great practice at becoming a better operator!

If you're considering a QSO-365 challenge, good luck!  You'll definitely become a better operator over the course of your year.  The benefits are very much worth the time investment.  A quick tip for success: use UTC time.  If you set your on-air time for 2300hrs UTC to 0100 UTC, you'll have two hours spread over two days.  If for some reason you can't get back on the air within 24 hours, you can "skip" a day, so to speak and catch back up at the very end of the next day.

Until next time, 73 de K5JAW

Severe Weather expected Sunday-Tuesday

A potentially volatile severe weather system is expected to affect Mississippi this Sunday through Tuesday of next week.  The information below comes from NWS Jackson briefing held at 2pm Friday, April 25, 2014.

I encourage you to take time this weekend to review your family's emergency plans, and implement them as appropriate.  Confirming out-of-area points of contact, keeping fuel tanks filled, batteries charged, etc, will all be good things to consider this weekend.  Also review with your family the safe area(s) of your home to seek shelter if the need arises.

*Regional multi-day severe weather outbreak expected
*Starting Sunday and lasting through late Tuesday
*Multiple rounds of storms during this timeframe
*Significant severe weather possible with any episode (strong tornadoes, large hail, etc).
*Very heavy rain and flooding (some possibly significant) becoming more likely late Monday into Tuesday

The first round of severe weather is expected Sunday into Sunday night.  See the graphics below for an illustration of the anticipated risks.  Generally, the western Delta counties have the highest risk for strong tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain.

The sound wave of severe weather is expected Monday into Tuesday, with a large portion of Mississippi in a high-risk category for strong tornadoes, very large hail, damaging straight-line winds and flash flooding.

Any period from Sunday to Tuesday could experience heavy rain.  Highest accumulations are mainly expected Monday  into Tuesday, with some localized areas receiving 5 or more inches.

Please visit the NWS Jackson webpage at www.srh.noaa.gov/jan for more up-to-date information through the weekend.

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

K5JAW Operating Notes, 2014 Week 13 &14 (March 23-April 5, 2014)

On The Air: 
It's been a busy couple of weeks around Station K5JAW, but very little of that busy time has been amateur radio time!  Only 42 contacts were logged in this two-week period, and most of them were for activity in various nets.  A few days out of town for work contributed to the lack of radio time.  Additionally, I've been spending evening time working on getting a small garden up and going.

For my 2014 QSO 365 project, the first three months of the year have been a great success.  396 contacts were logged in January (166), February (91), and March (139), with 16 new DXCC entries logged.  That averages out to just over 4 contacts per day, if you like running averages.  Certainly there were days with only one or two contacts, and a few days with multiple contacts.  My highest single-day tally was 35 contacts on March 1.

Are you doing a QSO 365?  Or have you considered taking up the challenge?  How are you doing so far?

Top 5 Distances This Period:
RK9UN - Russia, 6400 miles
UA9MA - Russia, 6200 miles
R7DX - Russia, 6100 miles
S58N - Slovenia, 5200 miles
OE3XMA - Austria, 5100 miles

International Contacts:
Asiatic Russia, Austria, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, European Russia, Slovenia, US Virgin Islands

States Worked:
Mississippi, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont

QSL Cards Received this week
None

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
No cards this week, I'm waiting on some new QSL cards to be delivered.  I'll catch up as soon as I get them!

K5JAW Operating Notes, 2014 Week 12 (March 16-22, 2014)

On The Air: 
Aside from the routine nets that occur each day of the week, I've enjoyed some DX activity on the HF bands.  Four new DXCC entities were logged this week.  That brings my 2014 total of new DXCC entries to 16, if I counted correctly!  It has been fun, and quite a challenge to break through the huge pileups that come with DXCC's that aren't heard that often.  I can tell you it is very satisfying to hear the DX station call back "Kilo 5?" or "Juliette Alpha Whiskey?" from among the big guns that are trying to call him.  The new DXCC's logged this week were Greece, Latvia, South Korea, and Kuwait.

Top 5 Distances This Week:
9K2QA - Kuwait, 7300 miles
HL5FUA - Republic of Korea (S. Korea), 6800 miles
RT0F - Russia, 5900 miles
SV2CXI - Greece, 5700 miles
YT0W - Serbia, 5500 miles

International Contacts:

Aruba, Bahamas, France, Greece, Kuwait, Latvia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Serbia

States Worked:
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico

Bands Worked this Week:
80m - 5 contacts
20m - 5 contacts
17m - 1 contact
12m - 5 contacts
10m - 2 contacts
2m - 6 contacts

Around the Station:
The highlight of the week was receiving my Worked All Continents award!  I had my cards checked and the application sent off about two months ago.  Since that time, I've "worked all continents" on 10 meters in one day, as well as truly working ALL continents by getting Antarctica in the log a couple of weeks ago.

QSL Cards Received this week
None
QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
No cards this week, I'm waiting on some new QSL cards to be delivered.  I'll catch up as soon as I get them!

K5JAW Operating Notes Weeks 10 & 11 (Mar 2-15, 2014)

On The Air: 
Well I missed publishing Week 10 Operating Notes, so you get a double-helping this week!  Such is the ebb and flow of this hobby; sometimes we don't get to spend the time on it that we plan.  Over the past two weeks I've been subject to that ebb and flow, with my on-air time ranging from quick visits to the shack for participation in regular nets, to spending a few hours at a time working DX contacts.

I won't recap every little bit of the last two weeks, other than to say that I've added new DXCC entries to the log.  Although they're not yet "confirmed" for awards purposes, they're in the log!   Probably the biggest highlight was logging Antarctica with a SSB contact to RI1ANT, just over 10,000 miles away on the "far side" of Antarctica from the United States.  That meant my signal went over the South Pole, or pretty dog-gone close to it.  I've got confirmations on the six major continents, and now I can say that I've got all seven in the log.

Top 4 Distances This Week:
RI1ANT - Antarctica, 10,157 miles
RT0F - Russia, 5700 miles
YT0W, YU1JW, and YT0A - Serbia, 5500 miles

International Contacts:
Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Bonaire Island, Brazil, Canary Islands, Chile, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao Island, European Russia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Spain, Turks & Caicos

States Worked:
Mississippi, Texas, Virginia

QSL Cards Received this week
W4V - Virginia

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
No cards this week, I'm waiting on some new QSL cards to be delivered.  I'll catch up as soon as I get them!

K5JAW Operating Notes 2014 Week 9 (Feb 23-Mar 1)

On The Air: 
What started out as a slow week radio-wise certainly ended with a bang!  Most of this week's activity was centered around routine nets on 2 meters and 80 meters.  Work and personal obligations have overtaken most of my radio-leisure time, resulting in quick visits to the shack to participate in a couple nets each evening.  The good thing about measuring time according to UTC is that as I get home from work, one UTC day is ending and another begins, thus giving me two "days" that I can operate spread over just a couple of hours.  This is very helpful with the QSO-365 project as well.

The highlight of the week was Saturday, March 1.  I hadn't consulted the various contest calendars, so I was surprised to find all the activity on HF before I realized the ARRL SSB DX contest was being held.  I don't normally participate in contests for my own benefit.  Instead, I'm happy to dial around and reply to contestant's QRZ calls and give them the points they're looking for.  It's an easy way to pick up locations you may need for Worked all States, Worked all Continents, or DXCC awards.

For a few hours' worth of leisurely operating, I logged 33 DX contacts, including 3 new DXCC entities.  One unexpected outcome was that I worked all continents in those few hours, all on 10 meters!  While I've got a application pending for the Worked All Continents award, I may try to get QSL's for today's contacts so I can get the 10 meter WAC endorsement.

The take-away lesson here is this: even if you don't participate in contests for the contest's sake, take time to work through some of the pileups.  You may be surprised what you can do with 100 watts, and your log will benefit as well!

One final highlight of the week involved the ARRL's Centennial QSO Party, when I was able to work ARRL President Kay Craigie N3KN on 20 meters.

Top 4 Distances This Week:
ZM1G - New Zealand, 7988 miles
JK1YMM and JH1GBZ - Japan, 6775 miles
JE1LFX - Japan, 6682 miles
JA1BPA- Japan, 6659 miles
RT0F - Russia, 5966 miles

International Contacts:
Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Bonaire Island, Brazil, Canary Islands, Chile, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao Island, European Russia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Spain, Turks & Caicos

States Worked:
Mississippi, Texas, Virginia

QSL Cards Received this week
W4V - Virginia

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
No cards this week, I'm waiting on some new QSL cards to be delivered.  I'll catch up as soon as I get them!

K5JAW Operating Notes, 2014 Week 8 (Feb 16-22)

On The Air: 
Well I was on the road again this week, so the home station was relatively quiet, and subsequently this week's Operating Notes are brief.  However, I was able to keep up with the QSO-365 project and maintain at least one logged contact each day.  Since the beginning of the year, I've only missed one day in the log!

Top 4 Distances This Week:
FO4BM - French Polynesia - 5256 Miles
PJ6/KB1ZOJ - Saba & Saint Eustatius Islands - 2054 miles
K4PDX - Florida - 815 Miles
W0JH - Minnesota - 809 Miles

International Contacts:
French Polynesia, Saba & Saint Eustatius Islands

States Worked:
Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi

QSL Cards Received this week
W6LSX - Alabama

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
No cards this week, I'm waiting on some new QSL cards to be delivered.  I'll catch up as soon as I get them!

K5JAW Operating Notes - 2014 Week 7 (Feb 9-15)

On The Air: 
With no out-of-town work trips this week, I had more time to be on the air, and my log looks better than it has for the past couple of weeks!  I'm continuing to participate in a lot of local and statewide nets, so that constitutes a notable percentage of my logs this week.  A few DX stations were logged, as well as a number of states.

Top 5 Distances This Week:
CT7AEQ - Portugal - 4415 miles
ZZ80CW - Brazil - 3935 miles
CU1EZ - Azores - 3634 miles
NM1JY - New Hampshire - 1255 miles
N7ERU - Arizona - 1251 miles

International Contacts:
Azores, Brazil, Portugal

States Worked:
Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin

Bands Worked this Week:
2 meters - 6 contacts
10 meters - 3 contacts
15 meters - 2 contacts
17 meters - 2 contacts
20 meters - 5 contacts
40 meters - 11 contacts
80 meters - 5 contacts

Around the Station:
This week parts of Mississippi fell under the influence of a complex weather pattern that produced about two days' worth of adverse winter weather.  Total snow & ice accumulation at K5JAW was one-half inch, but that's more than enough to cause havoc for drivers who are more accustomed to the South's more balmy weather.  I worked from home for two days, but was still able to accomplish everything that I would have gotten done at the office.  Being professionally involved in the public health aspect of emergency management, I was expected to monitor and report changing situations and conditions to our administrative personnel so they could make daily determinations on agency operations.  In addition to that, we supply ongoing situational awareness to licensed healthcare facilities, so they can adjust their operations so they can mitigate any impacts they may experience.

At one point, I had two laptops running.  One was connected to our work network so I could have email and file server access.  The second was connected to my personal email, through which I communicate similar weather & situational conditions to a host of friends and family.  Also, it was serving as a live connection to our local National Weather Service office, using a system that allows us to interact directly with the forecasters to report and gain information.  Finally, I had an open chat going with other co-workers around the state, through which we were able to communicate a volume of data rather quickly.  In addition to all of that, there were radios monitoring our statewide networks, our local county fire system, and our local amateur 2-meter repeaters.

At some point in the midst of the winter storm, I recalled being an exercise controller/evaluator for a multi-state hurricane exercise in 1995.  I recalled that in one of the many planning meetings leading up to the exercise, one of the objectives was to "test email as a means of rapidly communicating from forward disaster areas."  Remember, in 1995 the fastest and most accurate means of relaying printed information was via FAX.  We were just learning how this new world of email worked!

How far we have come in some 20 years!  From "testing email" to having two computers up, connected to multiple pathways to share information to both fixed stations and mobile telephones.  Wonder where we'll be 20 years from now?

But what makes it all fun for me is knowing that I can go from that, to talking to someone in another part of the world with little more than a wire and less energy than an average light bulb uses!  Key up, talk on!

QSL Cards Received this week
WQ4S - Florida
AJ4YV - North Carolina

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
No cards this week, I'm waiting on some new QSL cards to be delivered.  I'll catch up as soon as I get them!

Tuesday Winter Weather Update

WINTER STORM WARNING for Bolivar, Carroll, Holmes, Humphreys, Leflore, Montgomery, Sunflower, Washington until 12:00pm February 12, 2014

Accumulations 0.25 to 0.75" of freezing rain and sleet, with 1-2 inches of snow possible late this afternoon through mid-day Wednesday.  Bridges, overpasses, roads, and trees could be coated in ice that will create very hazardous travel conditions on top of those encountered today. Power lines will also likely have ice on them this evening and overnight, possibly causing power outages

 

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY for Attala until 12:00pm February 12, 2014

Occasionall light freezing rain and drizzle could occur overnight through Wednesday morning with a transition to snow tomorrow afternoon.  NWS Will continue to monitor trends for this advisory through tomorrow, and an extension may be needed.

 

***Second round of more significant freezing rain expeted this evening into Wednesday morning***

- Main are impacted: NE Louisiana, SE Arkansas, MS Delta

- Accumulations 0.25" to 0.75" of freezing rain

- Some isolated locations could have close to 1.0" of icing

 

*Freezing rain could transition to snow/sleet on backside of precipitation axis as colder moves in across north half of region

 

Expecting precipitation to start in west Delta late afternoon/early evening (4-6pm).  Shield of precipitation may last until noon Wednesday for some areas.

 

PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL

Bolivar-Washington-Sunflower counties: snow more likely with some freezing rain further east/south; 1-2" snow totals in some areas, 0.25-0.75 freezing rain/sleet further south/east for these counties

 

Leflore, Carroll, Holmes, Humphreys, Montgomery counties: mostly freezing rain, with 0.25-0.75" freezing rain/sleet

 

Attala County: Rain/Freezing Rain/mix with 0.10-0.25" rain/freezing rain mix

 

***NOTE: This is only a general idea, it could change***

 

IMPACT SUMMARY

All but Attala: Greatest potential for freezing rain/sleet accumulation, heavy icing of trees, elevated surfaces and roadways.  Power lines could be downed due to ice weight

North of a Greenville-Minter City may see more snow, as previously indicated, mixed with some sleet/freezing rain.  South of that line will see more sleet/freezing rain than snow.

 

Attala County: More freezing rain/sleet with lighter accumulation amounts, which will cause travel hazards on bridges and overpasses

 

************************************************************************

As we've mentioned earlier, don't focus on precipitation estimates.  For driving safety, there's practically no difference in the amount of ice under your tires.  Also, power outages may be more likely with this second winter weather threat.  Be careful, and stay safe!!

 

You can find all of this information and more at www.srh.noaa.gov/jan.  Additionally, multimedia video briefings can be accessed at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jan/?n=multimedia_briefing

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

WINTER STORM WATCH

***WINTER STORM WATCH*** Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon

Confidence is increasing for an impactful winter storm Monday night into Tuesday morning.  Take time this afternoon to review you family's plans, and be prepared to deal with potential power outages that may last several hours.

A few things my household does, as suggestions for you to consider:

• Check food & water supplies, resupply as needed
• Top off fuel tanks in vehicles
• Maintain at least a half-tank of gas in vehicles until storm threat passes
• Keep cell phones charged (as well as spare batteries)
• Contact out-of-state points of contact who may be able to relay messages to friends/family if local telephone service is affected
• Contact out-of-area friends/family who have been identified as "shelters" to go to, should local conditions persist beyond a few days.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
349 AM CST SUN FEB 9 2014

...WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE
ARKLAMISS REGION FOR MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...

.AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE COMBINED WITH A SERIES OF SURFACE WAVES
ALONG A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN THE GULF COASTAL AREA WILL BRING A RISK
OF A MIX BAG OF WINTER PRECIPITATION FOR MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY.
THE WINTER PRECIPITATION WILL BE IN THE PRIMARY FORM OF FREEZING
RAIN...LIGHT SNOW...AND SLEET. ICE ACCUMULATIONS WITH THE FREEZING
RAIN WILL BE AT LEAST ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH. THIS WILL LEAD TO ICING
OF BRIDGES...OVERPASSES...ROADWAYS...TREES AND ELEVATED SURFACES FOR
HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME POWER OUTAGES
DUE TO THE ACCUMULATION OF ICE ON POWER LINES AND SOME FALLEN
BRANCHES ON POWER LINES.

THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY
82 CORRIDOR WHERE SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND ICE ARE MOST
LIKELY. FOR LOCATIONS SOUTH OF THE HIGHWAY 82 CORRIDOR...THE PRIMARY
CONCERN COULD BE FREEZING RAIN...WITH SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS
POSSIBLE FROM LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING.

PERSONS PLANNING TRAVEL OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE ARKLAMISS
REGION SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE FORECAST CONCERNING THIS
POTENTIAL WINTER WEATHER EVENT. FOR MUCH MORE INFORMATION FROM YOUR
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON, MS...VISIT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN.

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH
TUESDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY
AFTERNOON.

* TIMING: MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY LIKELY PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANT
  ACCUMULATION OF ICE.

* MAIN IMPACT: ICING OF BRIDGES...OVERPASSES...ROADWAYS...AND
TREES...WHICH WILL BRING HAZARDOUS TRAVELING CONDITIONS AND SOME
POWER OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
410 AM CST SUN FEB 9 2014

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

FOG
RISK...LIMITED
TIMING...THIS MORNING

AREAS OF FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING DUE TO RESIDUAL GROUND
MOISTURE...GRADUALLY CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS. VISIBILITIES
COULD DROP TO LESS THAN A MILE AT TIMES. PATCHY LOCATIONS MAY SEE
VISIBILITIES REDUCED TO A QUARTER OF A MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. THERE
IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL OF SOME PATCHY FREEZING FOG GENERALLY ALONG AND
NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 82 CORRIDOR. THIS COULD CAUSE SOME SLICK SPOTS
ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES THROUGH EARLY THIS MORNING.
(WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICAST.PHP?SITE=JAN&GC= 1)

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE RISK FOR ACCUMULATING ICE AND SNOW IS INCREASING FOR MONDAY NIGHT
INTO TUESDAY. DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS AND POWER OUTAGES ARE
POSSIBLE FOR EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
LOUISIANA AND NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTH OF A
RAYVILLE LOUISIANA...TO YAZOO CITY...TO DE KALB LINE HAVE AN INCREASING
POTENTIAL FOR THIS WINTRY PRECIPITATION.

LIGHT ICING OF BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES IS POSSIBLE FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH
OF A JONESVILLE LOUISIANA TO JACKSON TO MERIDIAN LINE LATE MONDAY NIGHT
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.

LIGHT ICING OF BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE
NORTH AGAIN ON TUESDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...
THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER
OPERATIONS IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY. 

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

A Small World On-Air

You just never know who you'll meet on the air.

I spent about an hour tonight calling CQ on 40 meters, and picked up 10 contacts, including two stations who were working QSO parties in their area.  One station that responded to one of my CQ's was a friendly voice from the state of Georgia, WX4R, Mr. Johnny.  He told me he replied when he heard me say "Mississippi" after a CQ, because, in his words, he knows some real nice people in Mississippi. 

Mr. Johnny had deployed to Pearl River County in 2005 for Hurricane Katrina.  At the time, he was an emergency management director in Georgia.

What a small world.

My entire adult/professional life has been in emergency response/emergency management.  I was deployed to Hancock County, Mississippi, a neighboring county to Pearl River County, as part of my duties with my job.  Of the hundreds and hundreds of contacts in my log, Mr. Johnny makes the second "Katrina connection" that I've had. 

As amateurs, we share a common hobby.  Occasionally we find that we share other interests, or even professions.  I think it's very rare to have an on-air discovery of common disaster experiences.

So, if you read this Mr. Johnny, you again have my thanks as well as the thanks of the citizens of this great state.  Mississippians owe a huge debt to so many others across the nation for their support in those dark and trying days in late 2005 and early 2006. 

K5JAW Operating Notes - 2014 Week 6 (Feb 2-8,2014)

On The Air: 
Well a week on the road for work and training silenced the home station for K5JAW, but it didn't deter portable 2-meter operations!  I'd previously mentioned taking on a QSO-365 project for 2014, and committed to having at least one on-air contact each day of the year.  So far, I've only missed one day, but in the spirit of things, it wasn't a complete loss.  Attending a hamfest and having a few "eyeball" contacts was good enough to count for the missed day.

Having said all that, I'd wondered about being able to make contacts while on work trips.  Well, it takes a little planning, but it can be done.  A handheld 2m/440 radio, and a roll-up J-pole antenna in the hotel window fixes part of the problem.  I've looked up the date and times for local 2-meter nets in the areas I've been to, and have participated in those to gain at least one logged contact per day. 

It's been said by those who have completed a QSO-365 project that beyond logging a contact each day, the project makes you a better operator.  You'll find time, and ways, to get on the air!

Around the Station:
As I mentioned last week, I had a meeting planned with some other amateurs from central Mississippi to discuss amateur radio MESH networks.  While I don't want to steal their thunder, I'm happy to learn that amateur operators in Rankin and Scott counties are moving forward with experiments to "light up" one or two small towns with MESH networks, then try to link those networks together.  Their ideas and tips were helpful as we begin experimenting with MESH in my part of Mississippi.

QSL Cards Received this week
KD8TJB - Ohio
N2CJO - New Jersey

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
No cards this week, as all contacts have been in-state on repeaters or nets.

K5JAW Operating Notes - 2014 Week 5 (Jan 26 - Feb 1, 2014)

On The Air: 
It's been another relatively quiet week at Station K5JAW this week, with 17 contacts logged for the week.  The vast majority of those contacts were for participation in various public service nets in Mississippi, such as the Mississippi Section Phone Net, the Delta Amateur Radio Association Net, and the Yazoo County Amateur Radio Club Net.  As a matter of fact, all of my contacts this week were in Mississippi, except for one, K4EET in Maryland.

Around the Station:
I'm proud to report that I've qualified for the ARRL Public Service Honor Roll for the month of January, 2014, and have submitted the documentation to the Mississippi ARRL Section Manager, W5XX.  The Public Service Honor Roll recognizes those Amateur Stations who are active in various aspects of public services.  Qualifying activities include participation in public service nets, actively using the National Traffic System, serving in an ARRL Field Organization volunteer appointed position, participation in short-term public service events, participation in unplanned emergency activities involving Amateur Radio operators, and hosting an automated digital traffic system, email list server, or web page related to Amateur Radio.

Many stations likely meet the monthly points total needed for PSHR qualification.  If you're involved in the activities listed above, click the ARRL Public Service Honor Roll link and report your activities to your section manager.

I'm looking forward to the coming week, as I've got a meeting scheduled with a few other Mississippi amateurs to discuss MESH networking.  I'd referenced this topic in an earlier Operating Notes, but you can find a wealth of information at www.broadband-hamnet.org.  There's a lot of potential for Amateur MESH Networking.  The possibility for linking Emergency Operations Centers, hospitals, fire stations, shelters, command posts, etc., complete with video, Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, and file serving is a great concept that needs  further exploration in this area of Mississippi.  But first, a lot of experimentation in building systems, linking them, maintaining links, and lengthening the link distances is needed.

January Month Review
166 contacts logged
30 days of on-air activity, 1 day attending hamfest
6 new DXCC entities worked
30 States Worked
DXCC's Worked: Azores, Bahamas, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Columbia, Cuba, England, Finland, Hungary, Isle of Man, Italy, Jamaica, Lithuania, Mexico, Namibia, Poland, Puerto Rico, Venezuela 

QSL Cards Received this week
NS0D - Missouri (a #WATwitter contact from Twitter!)
N1HCE - Massachusetts
NR1D - Connecticut
K2YNY - New York
WA2BOB - New York
WJ3O - Pennsylvania
KG4ZFV - North Carolina
KK4ODQ - Virginia
K5VGS - Texas
N5ZGT - New Mexico
N6VI - California
AE7KI - Washington
KD7ATL - Nevada
K8BZ - Michigan
KC9NVN - Illinois

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
AK0AK
N5DSR
WQ4S
K4EET

K5JAW Operating Notes - 2014 Week 4 (Jan 19-25, 2014)

On The Air: 
Twenty-eight new contacts were logged for 2014 Week 4, including some made while away from my home station on a work trip.

Monday, January 20, was a Untied States holiday, which gave me an opportunity to enjoy daytime HF propagation that I don't normally get.  A number of DX contacts were made, including a new DX for England. 

For the 2014 QSO-365 challenge, I'm up to 152 contacts logged from January 1 through January 25.  However, I did fail to make an on-air contact on the 25th, which is the first day this year I've missed being on the radio.  A confluence of personal and family schedules took priority over the hobby.  But that highlights the fact that amateur radio is indeed a hobby, and one that shouldn't interfere with other commitments.  However, January 25 was the date of the Capitol City Hamfest in Jackson, Mississippi, which I attended.  While no on-air contacts were logged, I was able to enjoy a number of face-to-face "QSO's" at the hamfest.  We hear so many voices on the air, it is always good to put a face to those voices heard.  So, even without an on-air contact in the log, it was still a good day.

Top 5 Distances Covered this Week
HA8IE - Hungary - 5460 miles
LY5A - Lithuania - 5160 miles
IW2HAJ - Italy - 5040 miles
OH4MDY - Finland - 4980 miles
G0DBE - England - 4315 miles

International
Countries worked: Bahamas, England, Finland, Hungary, Isle of Man, Italy, Lithuania, Puerto Rico

National & Regional
States Worked: California, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia

Local
If you're around the Mississippi Delta and in range of the N5LRL Repeater 147.285+ 107.2Hz tone, join the Delta Amateur Radio Emergency Services Net on Sunday nights at 8:00pm local time.

Around the Station:
I was out for a good portion of the week on a work-related trip, but was able to schedule two meetings with fellow amateurs while I was away. 

The first was to have six DX QSL cards checked and verified for the Worked All Continents award.  Many thanks to John, KC5LK for helping me make sure everything was correct on the application, and for checking the cards.  The WAC application is in the mail, so now I wait!

The second meeting was to discuss two projects.  The first, and original reason for meeting with Frank, K4FMH, Assistant Division Director for the ARRL Delta Division, was to discuss amateur radio and MESH networks in Mississippi.  To keep from re-writing a lot that has already been said about MESH and ham radio, visit http://www.broadband-hamnet.org/.  The second topic of our meeting was to discuss forming a group to explore building an amateur radio repeater network and backbone across the state, with the goal of providing a statewide linked repeater network.  Certainly a laudable concept, there will be many issues to work through, including technical, procedural, legal, financial, and operational considerations.  However, I'm glad to be on-board with such an idea.  Hopefully, there will be more to come!

Active Bands at K5JAW this Week
2 meters - 5 contacts
10 meters - 1 contact
12 meters - 1 contact
15 meters - 1 contact
17 meters - 6 contacts
20 meters - 2 contacts
40 meters - 9 contacts
80 meters - 3 contacts

QSL Cards Received
KD0WRR - Colorado
KC4NJX - Tennessee

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
***Due to work and family needs, I haven't prepared any outgoing QSL's this week.  I plan to catch up this week!

K5JAW Operating Notes - 2014 Week 3 (Jan 12-18, 2014)

On The Air: 
Forty-eight new contacts were logged this week, which isn't bad considering work schedules and less-than-ideal band conditions on HF in the late afternoons and early evenings.

The North American QSO Party (SSB) was held this weekend.  Normally when it comes to contests, I'm glad to dial around and answer CQ's to give other operators the points they're working for.  It's very rarely that I participate in contests as a true contestant.  For a few hours on Saturday, 1/18, I made about two dozen contacts for the NAQP.  Good luck to those operators!

I was happy to have a QSO scheduled with N4SAX in Florida, so he could complete his Worked All States award checklist.  If you need Mississippi, please get in touch with me, and we'll work out a schedule.  If you're in Oklahoma or Montana, I need your states confirmed in Logbook of The World for my WAS as well!

For the 2014 QSO-365 challenge, I'm up to 124 contacts logged from January 1 through January 18.

Top 5 Distances Covered this Week
HK3C - Columbia - 2250 miles

AE7KI - Washington - 1730 miles
KD7ATL - Nevada - 1480 miles
K1NYK - Connecticut - 1145 miles
N2CJO - New Jersey - 1000 miles

International
Countries worked:  Canada, Columbia, Mexico

National & Regional
States Worked:  Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia

Local
If you're around the Mississippi Delta and in range of the N5LRL Repeater 147.285+ 107.2Hz tone, join the Delta Amateur Radio Emergency Services Net on Sunday nights at 8:00pm local time.

Around the Station:
This month has been one of the most active months I've had in a very long time.  I'm trying to keep up with sending domestic QSL's out on a weekly basis.  I've found that bracketing my station operations into a week (based on UTC time, which means the week ends on Saturday evening, local time), helps me keep better track of the comings and goings of QSL cards.  I haven't yet decided on a good timeframe for sending international QSL's out to the Bureau, but think I will do those on a quarterly basis.  That idea may change, depending on the volume of international contacts I accumulate.

Speaking of QSL's, I've made the determination that for stations I've contacted during contests, such as this weekend's North American QSO Party, I won't initiate a QSL.  However, if those stations send one, I'll be happy to return the courtesy.  I'm not trying to be a QSL snob here, but you can quickly burn through a stack of QSL cards for a lot of contest contacts.  It's just a practical matter, to me.

What do you think?

Active Bands at K5JAW this Week
2 meters - 10 contacts
10 meters - 1 contact
17 meters - 2 contacts
20 meters - 21 contacts
40 meters - 7 contacts
80 meters - 7 contacts

QSL Cards Received
KC8JFP - Ohio
KA2UFP - New Jersey
KG4RWO - Florida
KA3VFW - Pennsylvania
KI4NSP - North Carolina
KD8RFQ - Michigan

QSL Cards Going Out in the coming week
AE7KI
KC9NVN
N4GUY
N4SAX
KD7ATL
KJ4UEK
N2CJO
K8BZ
W4V

K5JAW Operating Notes - 2014 Week 2 - Jan 5-11, 2014

On The Air: 
It's been another productive week on the air, despite being back at work.  I've found some time to be in the shack each evening for local and statewide nets.  Between those, I've had time to spin the dial and pick up a few contacts for my QSO365 count.  You can keep up with my monthly tally on the K5JAW 2014 Operations page, which is also available in the tabs at the top of the blog page.

17 meters has been friendly for daytime contacts.  At night, 40 meters has been more challenging.  The 40m band has experienced quiet periods each night, but then it will open for about an hour before closing down again.  Even in those narrow windows, contacts have been light on signal strength.  However, I managed one DX contact to Bosnia-Herzegovina on 40m SSB.  20m has been unusually quiet as well, but there was a ray of sunshine with an opening to Namibia late one afternoon.  I'm chalking all this up to recent solar activity disturbing the ionosphere, and hope that it will return to normal soon.

Top 5 Distances Covered this Week
V5/DJ2HD - Namibia - 8032 miles
E77DX - Bosnia & Herzegovina - 5370 miles
CU7AA - Azores Islands - 3421 miles
N6VI - California - 1604 miles
CO8LY - Cuba - 1305 miles

International
Countries worked:  Azores, Bahamas, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cuba, Mexico, Namibia

National & Regional
States Worked: California, Connecticut, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia

Local
If you're around the Mississippi Delta and in range of the N5LRL Repeater 147.285+ 107.2Hz tone, join the Delta Amateur Radio Emergency Services Net on Sunday nights at 8:00pm local time.

Around the Station:
Not a lot new at Station K5JAW this week, aside from getting a couple of hours each day for some time on-air, between work and other commitments.  I was lucky enough to pick up a couple of new DXCC stations, including Bahamas, and Namibia.

For my ongoing QSO365 effort, I'm doing pretty good, with 76 contacts logged from January 1 through January 11.  I know that pace won't hold throughout the year, but I'm pleased with the start.

One thing I've learned is to not worry about poor band conditions.  Get on and call CQ CQ CQ CQ!  Nobody will call you if you just wait.  Jump on and put some CQ's out and you will get a reply!

Active Bands at K5JAW this Week
2 meters - 12 contacts
17 meters - 11 contacts
20 meters - 2 contacts
40 meters - 14 contacts
80 meters - 6 contacts

QSL Cards Received
EA4LU - Spain
IZ5DKJ - Italy
EC8ABQ - Canary Islands
OH7UE - Finland
UR8MH - Ukraine
P43E - Aruba
PY3ED - Brazil
PJ2/DF7ZS - Curacao
WB4U - North Carolina

QSL Cards Going Out
WA2BOB
K2YNY
N1HCE
KD8MTE
KG9QP
NS0D
KC4NJX
K5JVT
KG4ZFV
N6VI
KD0WRR
W9RWB
K5VGS
K1RCR
KE7BQN
KB8FNC
WE5K
NR1D
KK4ODQ
WJ3O

LOTW Study

How many of you amateur radio operators utilize the ARRL's Logbook of The World (LOTW)?  I've been using it for a few years now, and occasionally I'll take a look how well my QSO's are being verified.  If you're not familiar with LOTW, it is a database managed by the ARRL where users upload their radio logs.  One user's logs are checked against all other users, and when QSO matches are made, a Verified QSL is credited to both operators.  As of this writing, there are roughly 548,000,000 QSO's in the LOTW database, with about 81,370,000 QSLs verified.  That means about 14.8% of all contacts uploaded to the LOTW database have been verified and credited to their respective operators.

Have you taken a look to see how your QSO's are doing, number-wise?  I'm showing about 33% verification, which is well above the average.

But I wanted to know more about that 33%.  What type of operator uses LOTW more than others?  Is there a trend among LOTW users that I could identify and use to guide my station operations to improve my LOTW rate of return?

Well, here's what I found, based solely on my QSO's.  Your mileage may vary:

Overall QSL/Verification Rate: 32.71%

Verified QSLs from Digital Modes: 55.50%.  This comes as no real surprise, as digital mode operators are quite naturally more comfortable working with computers.  However, there is a bit of counter-intuitiveness to this number: I would have expected it to be higher.

Verified QSLs from Phone Modes: 9.11%.  This includes SSB, FM, and AM modes.  I have zero confirmations from FM, so this has skewed the verification rate, as I have quite a number of FM contacts logged.

What about verifications per band?

• 80m - 20.31%  (Digital 14.58%, Phone 5.73%)
• 40m - 43.30%  (Digital 36.08%, Phone 7.22%)
• 30m - 66.67%  (30m is digital modes only)
• 20m - 44.32%  (Digital 37.22%, Phone 7.10%)
• 17m - 22.50%  (Digital 7.50%, Phone 15.00%)
• 15m - 38.89%  (all were from digital modes)
• 10m - 26.67%  (Digital 20.00%, Phone 6.67%)

So where are the users from?

• United States - 31.55%
• DX - 37.55%

I'm slightly surprised that DX stations have a slighter higher verification rate than US stations do.  This could be due to the higher verification rates reflected in DX-friendly bands, as opposed to the 80-meter, 2-meter, and 70cm bands, which tend to be more localized.  When I deduct the total number of QSOs from those bands, the US verification rate climbed to 53.65%.

Have you taken a look at your QSO vs QSL rate?  What trends or patterns have you found in terms of bands, modes, or locations where you receive higher verification rates?  Has that information changed how you operate?

K5JAW Operating Notes - 2014 Week 1 (Jan 1-4, 2014)

On The Air: 
I've enjoyed a great week on the air, thanks to leave time taken from work.  25 contacts were recorded for 2014 Week 1 (Jan 1-4, 2014).  Note: I'm using UTC time to mark the weeks.  Therefore, Week 1 ended at 6pm Central time on Saturday.  I'll keep a running tally of the year on the K5JAW 2014 Operations page, which is also available in the tabs at the top of the blog page.

***Sneak Peek for an upcoming blog post: Have you looked at your Logbook of The World verification rate lately?  I did a study on mine, and found some trends that may be useful.  Look for the results to be posted Sunday afternoon, January 5, 2014.

Top 5 Distances Covered this Week
SP7VC - Poland - 5200 miles
YV4KW/1 - Venezuela - 1900 miles
W8YCM/6Y5 - Jamaica - 1300 miles
W100AW - Connecticut - 1100 miles
KD2DZR - New Jersey - 1050 miles

International
Countries worked:  Poland, Venezuela, Jamaica

National & Regional
States Worked: Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

Local
If you're around the Mississippi Delta and in range of the N5LRL Repeater 147.285+ 107.2Hz tone, join the Delta Amateur Radio Emergency Services Net on Sunday nights at 8:00pm local time.

Around the Station:
Check out the American Radio Relay League's Centennial QSO Party that is taking place all year in 2014.  I was very lucky to work W100AW for my very first log entry for 2014.  Ten minutes later, I logged W1AW/4 operating in North Carolina.  Before the week was over, I managed to make contact with W1AW/8 in West Virginia.  W1AW will be operating portable in every state throughout the year.  You can find their schedule here.  In addition to W100AW and two of the W1AW portable operations, I logged one Division Director (N5ZGT).  If you're keeping up with the Centennial Points Challenge, that's 325 points logged in very short order!

As a side note, if you are interested in the ARRL Centennial QSO Party, I've found that ARRL officers and appointees are very receptive to your contact for points.  N5ZGT was a pleasant contact, as was W100AW.  I heard ARRL President N3KN, but couldn't make it through the pileup she had going.  Kay was a pleasure to listen to, as she was very patient and gracious with all the stations trying to work her.

Active Bands at K5JAW this Week
2 meters
15 Meters - 1 contact
17 Meters - 15 contacts
20 Meters - 5 contacts
40 Meters - 4 contacts 

QSL Cards Received
None received

QSL Cards Going Out
KJ4MBD
W8SBH
N0PWB
KT4QW - Two contacts this week.  Great on-air visit!
AC0VB
KA2UFP
W4TEQ
WB4U
KC8JFP
KK4NTP
KG4RWO
W8YCM/6Y5 (Jamaica)
KA3VFW
N5ZGT
KI4NSP
KD8TJB
AJ4YV
KD8RFQ
KD2DZR

QSO365 - My Way

Well we've rolled into a new year, with a clean slate to make of it what we wish.  A number of other amateur radio station operators have taken on a challenge known as QSO365, in which they set a goal of having at least one contact logged for each day of the year.  For the ones that have tried it, they report it is a challenge to find time each and every day to make a contact.  Work and personal schedules certainly take priority over hobby-time, but they've done it, and reported good results beyond just logging contacts.  They've become better operators during the process.

I've considered doing a QSO365 challenge before, but knowing how my schedule can be, I've not pursued it.  For the most part in 2013, my amateur radio activity was limited to local 2-meter operations, and occasional 80 meter state and regional nets.  I basically took the year off from the bulk of High-Frequency operations.  There was no real reason, as I take the hobby in phases.

Since I've been on leave for the holidays, I've been active again this week on the high frequency bands, and have decided to take on a modified QSO365 challenge.  I'm committing to logging a minimum of 365 contacts this year, with the goal of trying to log at least one per day.  I already know that my work and personal schedules will have me away from the radio for days at times, so I'm planning to make numerous contacts during the times I can be on the air.  I'll "bank" those contacts for use when I know I won't be available for air-time.  As I mentioned before, QSO365 is more about becoming a better operator, not just logging daily contacts.  I want to spend more time in the hobby than I've given it in the past, and this goal is the means to that end.

Since January 1, to the writing of this entry, I've logged 18 contacts on HF, as well as continued participation in local and regional nets.  In that, I'm particularly proud to report my first contact for 2014 waw W100AW, the American Radio Relay League's special event call sign for their Centennial QSO Party, celebrating the League's 100th year.  My second contact was none other than W1AW/4, the one of the ARRL's portable operations that will be visiting every state in the nation this year for their centennial anniversary.  I was lucky enough to make both of those contacts in a ten-minute timeframe.  W1AW/8, another ARRL portable, is also in the log for 2014.

If you'd like to schedule a contact, feel free to look me up on www.QRZ.com and we'll set a date.  If you're working the ARRL Centennial QSO Party to build up points, I can offer you 12 points on my call for being an ARRL Emergency Coordinator.

I'll be posting a new set of Operating Notes later this weekend, reviewing the week's on-air activities.  Until then, 73 de K5JAW.

2013 Weather Review

With 2013 now in the books, here is a recap of weather events for the year in Sunflower County, Mississippi.

Event-wise, 2013 was relatively quiet as compared to the past few years.  97 weather advisories were issued for Sunflower County, compared to 98 in 2012, 144 in 2011, and 131 in 2010.  Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Wind Advisories lead the chart from year-to-year.  You can find a chart at the end of this article listing the events for each of the four years 2010-2013.

2013 was also a very wet year, compared to a 30-year average.  64.73 inches of precipitation was recorded at CoCoRaHS Station MS-SF-1, located on the north side of Indianola.  This is 10.70 inches above the 1981-2010 average of 54.03".  January was the wettest month of the year, with 10.94" recorded.  For the year, precipitation was recorded on 122 days in 2013.

Here is a chart of monthly rainfall:


Here is the previously referenced chart showing the number of weather events for each year 2010-2013: