[Don H]

I wonder if anyone knows that there is an automated weather station located at The Villages? It carries the identifier of KVVG and is similar to the auto sensing systems at many airports. It looks like it sends it's information to the NOAA office at JAX. You can bring up it's reporting information on the web. I found it by accident when browsing on the AOPA site and saw it on the JAX sectional. You can Google it by entering KVVG. I thought pilots and people interested in weather would be interested. I almost thought there was an airport at The Villages.

[aln]

There's a 'wunderground' site in La Zamora:

http://www.wunderground.com/weathers...s=both&lang=EN

[Hawkwind]

Another good source for weather in TV can be found on The Weather Underground. Here are two personal weather stations for TV. At work I have 2 more that are not shown on the Underground list. Try these URL's:

http://www.wunderground.com/weathers...p?ID=KFLTHEVI3

http://www.wunderground.com/weathers...p?ID=KFLTHEVI3

If you go to the top of the page and look over on the right side and click on the link WX Radio you can listen to NOAA weather stations all across the country. Great to check on the conditions back home and find out that they did get 10" of partly cloudy in the drive last night.

[Hawkwind]

Don, doing some futher looking atthe Weather Underground and following some links I see that the location KVVG is part of the amateur radio (ham radio) network known as ARPSWXNET. You can find more information about this at http://www.findu.com/citizenweather/. You can also get a lot of information here: http://www.wxqa.com/.

[Don H]

Thanks Aln and Hawk. I was surprized to stumble on the station. It has a typical ICAO identifier so it's part of the NWS system. Pretty neat about it being linked by an amateur radio group. I'm a ham myself but have never been involved in that type of linking activity. Also, thanks for the wunderground links. A typical readout from the KVVG site is the same format as the METARS used in aviation. I used to fly years ago. Here's a link to what the KVVG readout looks like. It only lacks ceiling info that is more appropriate to aviation METARS.
http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/mgetmetar.pl

[Don H]

Ooops. For whatever reason, the link doesn't work. Just Google "metars" and enter KVVG when you get to the metar page.

[Hawkwind]

Don

The link to ARPSWXNET I think is a spin off of ARPS. I never got involved in ARPS but it is a very interesting application of using a GPS and ham radio. I was very intrigued with it the first time I say it at the Dayton Hamvention years ago. At that time you had to buy a GPS board (Trimble) and interface it to 2 meter equipment. It has come a long way since then and so has the technology.

N8RF

[Don H]

All of that is distant to me since I've been incredibly inactive from the ham bands for years. Once in a blue moon I'll get on 20 but I no longer have VHF/UHF gear. I've been threatening to buy a dual band HT for a while now. I looked up your call and I assume you're still in OH. Are you planning on moving to TV? My wife and I are doing the "life style visit" thing in March...our first time. Don WB2FMJ

[Hawkwind]

Don
Yes I am still in Ohio but want to at least be a snowbird in TV. I to am not active in ham radio very much. I stayed in TV for 4 weeks in December and joined the local radio club. This may re lite my interests. I first got my novice ticket in about 1962 but did not upgrade. In about 1976 I got interested again and stuck with it that time. Interests are HF contesting and Dx-ing. I have #1 Honor Roll for working and confirming every entity in the world so unless something new comes up the radio is off. I operated from Anguilla in 1981 and 1982 with the Multi Single station VP2E. I have also operated from the US VI a couple of times. Still would enjoy a good DX contest but the station needs work. I have not been on UHF/VHF for years.

I hope you and you wife enjoy your live style visit to TV. I can't wait to get down there again. The place is another world for sure.

N8RF