Sevier County Emergency Radio Service

          

                                                                                                                                   R.A.C.E.S.     

  

These Dedicated "MTEARS" UHF only repeaters serve as a "liaison net" during severe weather. That is that the individual storm spotters continue to use their local frequencies and report weather conditions to their local organization. When an organization receives a report of a tornado, funnel cloud or other severe weather criteria (hail that is 0.75 inches in diameter or larger, or winds greater than 57 mph), a liaison from the local spotter organization relays the report to the National Weather Service. Amateur radio operators at the National Weather Service Office will also give warning, weather summaries, and radar information to the liaisons, who in turn pass the information on to their local spotter network. Spotters and citizens are encouraged to monitor these frequencies, but to limit the traffic on this network, please report severe weather to your local spotter groups instead of on these frequencies. A number of meteorologists at the National Weather Service Nashville office are amateur radio operators and communicate with the spotters on the MTEARS Repeater Link System.