Wanting Iowa Scanner Frequencies - Specifically Nws Live Chatter

[Torin_Darkflight]

All right, here is the strangest request these forums will ever see, guaranteed 1,000%.

I have a part-time minor interest in radio and police scanning and whatnot. I like listening to my police scanner every now and then, seeing what interesting things I can find. I also have an interest in the weather.

Now, I live in east central Iowa (The Cedar Rapids/Waterloo area), right near the junction of the coverage areas for three different National Weather Service offices: Des Moines IA, Davenport IA and La Crosse WI (We're actually in the Davenport coverage area, but the Des Moines area is only one county west, and the La Crosse area is only one county north). Seeing as we live under the direct or nearly-direct influence of three different NWS offices, I have a desire to listen to their chatter on my police scanner. No, I'm not talking about those NOAA channels where computers with piss-poor voice synthesis drone on incessantly 24 hours a day, I mean the live chatter between the NWS offices and weather spotters, or county emergency management agencies, so on and so forth.

For example, last week there were some tornadoes going on down in SE Iowa, and one of the local TV stations was on live to cover it. Every now and then, the weather guy would say like "We're getting radio traffic from the NWS, just a second...", and you'd hear a live person from the NWS talking on a scanner in the background, saying things like "Ok, we're about to issue a tornado warning for Johnson county" or "A tornado has been spotted on the ground near Riverside", so on and so forth. Those are what I want to hear.

Now, here's the problem...I can't find any frequencies anywhere for these radio channels. Google doesn't have them, every Iowa scanner guide I have looked at (Both online and in book form) don't have them, my emails to the TV station have all gone unanswers. I've even gone as far as telling my scanner to sequentially run through every frequency it supports while bad weather is going on, but it never seems to find them (Of course, 29MHz-512MHz in 12.5KHz steps is a very large range to scan for three lone signals).

So, I thought I'd try my luck, and ask here. Are there any radio enthusiasts here who might happen to know the live chatter frequencies for the NWS offices in Davenport, Des Moines and La Crosse? I shall be forever thankful if you tell me these.

Edited April 6, 2006 by Torin_Darkflight

[Dragon]

hi Torin_Darkflight,

If you want to try you can call the local NOAA office in Johnston, A suburb of Des Moines. Their offices are by Saylorville Lake not too far from Camp Dodge on Beaver Ave. Here is their phone Number (515) 270-2614.

maybe they can help you out.

I live near Ames, so I know how important getting those frequencies are. I just don't have a scanner so I don't need them. Believe it or not I watch the radar quite closely on the computer when we have bad storms coming though. The only time I'm not on the computer during those storms are when I have to take my kids and myself to our basement.

[JSKY]

Radio Shack has books that list the different Frequencies for states.

Also ask around, the newer scanners are self programming, and you can get Frequencies that never get listed from people who have them. More people then you think have them.

I have had one or another for many years.

But Radio Shack is a good place to start.

[bozodog]

I used to love listening to the police on the scanner. Alas, then came technology. Our small town has the on board computers and are using cell phones now.... Scanner is gathering dust. Too bad......

[Torin_Darkflight]

I already have one of the "Police Call Plus" frequency guides from Radio Shack, and unfortunately it doesn't seem to have any of the National Weather Service live chatter frequencies in them.

[bozodog]

Just a thought, try calling the coast guard. Opps, not in Iowa. My bad....

Instead of e-mail to the TV stations, why not go there? Or phone, or snail mail. I bet they get way too many e-mails.

I googled up this website: http://www.ac6v.com/frequencies.htm

County by county coverage, including codes you will need to program your Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) capable NWR receiver.

Edited April 6, 2006 by bozodog

[Torin_Darkflight]

SAME NWR Radio is the NOAA computer automated radio I mentioned earlier, not what I'm looking for.

I might try getting ahold of the NWS offices directly, but I'm beginning to think the frequencies may be classified or something, otherwise I imagine I would have found something by now.

[Dragon]

There of course is the high possibility that what you are hearing are

• cb/ham radio operators that are storm chasers
  
• The stations own radios (some have storm chasers also)
  
• Police-state and/or county scanners that they use
  
• Or they may even have direct phone line connections that are open constantly to NOAA
  

The only way to be sure is to contact the NOAA office at the number I gave you earlier. Or even call one of the local TV stations, ask for the meteoroligical dept. and talk directly to one of the meteorologists.

[TheTerrorist_75]

Did you try this site?

http://www.qsl.net/w0cvj/links.html

[Torin_Darkflight]

No, I know the people speaking are actually at the NWS because every now and then I'd hear them say something like "Quad Cities weather calling Cedar county" or similar, often during the same "We're about to issue a warning" communications (Only the NWS has the authority to issue warnings, not local law enforement/spotters). Also, the people on the TV would say "We're getting radio traffic from the National Weather Service" just before pausing to listen to it.

After several hours of further hunting today, I did come across some radio frequencies called "SkyWarn" used by weather spotters and similar which supposedly are linked back to the NWS, but whether these are the right channels or not I don't know. Guess I'll have to wait and see.

Edited April 7, 2006 by Torin_Darkflight

[flashh4]

Working for the county road & bridge department in wyoming we have radios that pick up all kinds of freqs. Like national weather service, local sherrif, highway patrol, fire dept. search & rescue & various other agencys. So you might call your road & bridge dept in your county or what ever they are located under & maby they will give the freqs. to you !!