Weather Radio

1
Weather Radio
2
What is Weather Radio

• Weatheradio Canada is a nationwide network of
  radio stations broadcasting weather and
  environmental information 24 /7 in both official
  languages. Broadcast frequencies include 162.400,
  162.425, 162.450, 162.475, 162.500, 162.525, and
  162.550 MHz.
• Information such as hourly weather, forecasts,
  and most importantly, weather warnings, is fed
  directly from Environment Canada's storm
  prediction centres, to voice platforms at various
  sites.
• The majority of these systems broadcast on the
  VHF band to permit the transmission of a 1050 Hz
  tone that will trigger a Weatheradio receiver's
  internal alert system. This warning tone is
  broadcast ahead of a warning message to activate
  Weatheradios upon receipt.
• We have now added SAME (Specific Area Message
  Encoding) capability to our system. By
  broadcasting SAME codes, those users who purchase
  a new Weatheradio will not only be able to
  receive the audio signal, but will receive
  emergency messages and the full functionality of
  the warning device unit, such as the ability to
  pre-select which warnings to receive.

3

• In future the SAME radios will allow other
  government agencies to broadcast warnings and
  alerts using our weather radio system. Examples
  of this would be Amber Alerts, Boil Water Alerts,
  Flood Watches and Warnings.
• Our Weather Radio web site can be found at
• http//www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/msb/weatheradio/
  index_e.cfm

4
Prairie and Northern

• Environment Canada has 48 sites in P N.
• There are eight sites in Manitoba Winnipeg,
  Brandon, Dauphin, Haywood (Portage la
  Prairie),Riverton, Long Point, Altona and
  Steinbach.
• In Manitoba, EC had been using only 2 of the 7
  weather radio frequencies (162.400 and 162.550).
  We are now using 162.425 for Altona, and 162.475
  for Steinbach.
• Some difficulty in getting licensing on some of
  the weather radio bands, due to other users who
  are too close in frequency.

5

• ??????????????

6

• Transmitter Lists
• Manitoba Frequency
• Brandon 162.550 MHz
• Dauphin 162.550 MHz
• Long Point 162.550 MHz
• Portage la Prairie 162.400 MHz
• Riverton 162.400 MHz
• Steinbach 162.475 MHz
• Winnipeg 162.550 MHz
• Winnipeg 162.550 MHz
• Weatheradio Station Name Winnipeg
• Transmitter Site Winnipeg
• Province/Territory MB
• Latitude 49 53 40 N
• Longitude 97 08 20 W
• Band VHF
• Frequency 162.550 MHz
• Call Sign XLM 538

7
US Weather Radio Information

• COUNTY/CITY/AREA SAME NWR
  TRANSMITTER FREQ. CALL SIGN WATTS
• Barnes 038003 Fargo
  162.475 WXK42 1000
• Barnes 038003 Fort Ransom
  162.525 WNG656 1000
• Barnes 038003 Jamestown
  162.550 WXL81 1000
• Benson 038005 Sheyenne
  162.525 KWN46 1000
• Benson 038005 Webster
  162.425 WWG25 300
• Billings 038007 Dickinson
  162.400 WXL80 800
• Bottineau 038009 Minot
  162.400 WXL83 1000

8
New Sites and Partnership

• Environment Canada is looking for partnership
  agreements with towns, companies, etc.
• This is how the St. Paul, Alberta and the Altona
  and Steinbach sites have been implemented.
• Environment Canada has been talking to the RM of
  Piney about a new site partnership, and the Town
  of Churchill is expressing interest.
• Most of the interest is coming from EMO
  committees.
• Golden West Radio had been very helpful with the
  Altona and Steinbach installations.

9
S.A.M.E

• Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) is a method
  of identifying the local area to which an alert
  message applies.
• Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) has
  assigned a unique 6-digit CLC (Canadian Location
  Code) to identify each forecast and warning
  region in the country.
• The first digit is always 0, the second
  representing the province or territory and the
  last four, the individual warning region.
• 051200 All of Brandon - Carberry Treherne
• 051211 R.M. Of Elton including Forrest
• 051212 R.M. Of Cornwallis west of Shilo
  including Chater
• 051213 R.M. Of Oakland including Wawanesa
  and Carroll
• 051220 City of Brandon
• 051231 R.M. Of north Cypress including
  Carberry and Melbourne
• 051232 R.M. Of south Cypress including
  Glenboro and treebank
• 051241 R.M. Of north Norfolk including
  MacGregor, Sydney and Austin
• 051242 R.M. Of south Norfolk including
  Treherne and Notre Dame
• 051243 R.M. Of Victoria including Holland
  and Cypress river

10

• Until now, listeners received alerts for all
  warnings broadcast from their transmitter, even
  if the warnings didn't apply to their area.
• A SAME-capable Weatheradio can be programmed with
  the CLC location code for the immediate area to
  screen out messages that don't apply.
• EG. My cottage on Lac du Bonnet. I would put in
  the parent code for Whiteshell Lac du Bonnet
  Pinawa (053200) and for the sub regions R.M. of
  Lac Du Bonnet including Lac Du Bonnet (053211)
  L.G.D. of Pinawa including Pinawa and Seven
  Sisters (053221) Point du Bois (053231)
• Receivers may also be programmed not to activate
  when specific types of messages are sent, such as
  flash freeze warnings. Certain event codes such
  as tornado warnings cannot be disabled.
• These new receivers also permit notification of
  weather watches and advisories in addition to
  weather warnings. They trigger colour-coded
  status lights that will indicate when a weather
  advisory or weather watch is issued, in addition
  to the full alert which will be activated for
  toned warnings.

11
Data String

• A text string is produced and transmitted from
  the various weather centers.
• Example string
• Via FTP - 100,0,0,ZCZC-WXR-SFW-052100-052400
  -052200-0523000600-3632117-EC/GC/CA-
• Bin 100 SFW snowfall warning, 052100
  Winnipeg, 052400 Dugal Beausejour Grand Beach,
  052200 Selkirk Gimli Woolands Eriksdale, 052300
  Portage la Prairie Headingley Brunkild Carman, 6
  hour duration , Date/Time (Julian/UTC based),
  our ID string.
• Via Dialup - 4705260005230005250006000
• At the transmitter site, the text string is
  converted to a modulated data stream that
  contains the alert message with information about
  the type of event expected, its timing, duration,
  and location codes. These are decoded by
  SAME-capable models of Weatheradio receivers.
  Within the broadcast, this data stream is audible
  as a brief tone or static-like burst.

12
Some problems and solutions

• 1. Problem - Event codes have been set by the US.
  They dont have codes for Snowfall, Rainfall, or
  Freezing Rain warnings.
• Solution - We have had to do some linking of
  event codes to recognized the codes in the
  radios. Environment Canada is working with NOAA,
  NWS, and the weather radio companies to have some
  of our warning types recognized.
• 2. Problem the US uses the same format for the
  warning and sub regions.
• EG. 056031 for Cheyenne, Wyoming. We are
  using 056100 for The Pas
• Wanless forecast region.
• Solution - Where there could be conflict,
  Environment Canada makes sure
• that our CLC codes arent the same as those
  from a US site that is within
• range of our signal.
• 3. Problem - Many different types of radios, with
  many different responses to
• the messages.
• Solution know your radio!!!

13

• 100,0,0,ZCZC-WXR-SFW-052100-052400-052200-0523000
  600-3632117-EC/GC/CA-

14
Information

• Megan Gillespie
• Environment Canada
• MSC Prairie and Northern
• 123 Main St. , Suite 150
• Winnipeg, MB
• R3C 4W2
• 204-983-4389
• megan.gillespie_at_ec.gc.ca
• Environment Canada Weather Radio Web site
• http//www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/msb/weatheradio/
  index_e.cfm
• National Weather Service site
• http//www.weather.gov/nwr/