Instructions for Standard RI Strips

This describes the Standard RI strips with instructions for properly responding to these strips. The first group is the SKYWARN weather observation strip developed for the Gray (GYX) and Caribou (CAR) Maine weather services, covering all of Maine and New Hampshire. The second group consists of strips developed by Radio Relay International for broader use.

GYX-CAR SKYWARN RI Strip

Responses are designed to load directly into the GYX Google Sheets database. Formatting is important — follow the example answers exactly.

RI Strip Format
GYX-CAR SKYWARN/DATE (MM-DD-YYYY)/TIME (HHMML)/CALL SIGN/SPOTTER ID (or NA) /SOURCE (Amateur Radio, Trained Spotter, Media, Public Service Radio, Other 3rd Party, Direct Messaging)/LOCATION (Road, Town; MGRS or USNG optional)/STATE & CWA (e.g. NH GYX, ME CAR, MA OA)/CURRENT WEATHER (Relevant info such as Temp, Barometer, Cloud Cover or Type. Be brief.)/SNOW, SLEET (inches or NA; if storm total add ST e.g. 2.6 or 3.5ST)/ICE ACCRETION (inches or NA)/RAINFALL (inches or NA, if storm total add ST e.g. 2.6 or 3.5ST)/HAIL SIZE (Inches or NA)/WIND DIRECTION & SPEED (AAA MPH - if applicable add the gust value e.g. NNE 7 21G) /STORM DAMAGE (Wind, flooding, ice jams, other details)/MODE(Personal Observation, FM Repeater, Winlink, DMR, Direct Messaging. For others leave blank)/NET (Name of radio net or other e.g. email, Slack)//
Example Response
GYX-CAR SKYWARN/01-02-2026/1720L/WO1J/CU330/Amateur Radio/314 POPE RD, WINDHAM/ME GYX/CLEAR & COLD/1.4ST/NA/0.01ST/NA/WNW 2/NONE/Personal Observation/REPEATER 147.045//
Formatting is important — follow the example answers exactly.

Field Guidance

DATE

Use hyphens in the format MM-DD-YYYY.

STATE & CWA
  • Primary options: NH GYX, ME GYX, ME CAR.
  • For locations outside ME/NH, use STATE and OA (e.g. MA OA).
SOURCE
  • Requires one of the specific, case-sensitive responses:
  • Amateur Radio, Trained Spotter, Media, Public Service Radio, Other 3rd Party, Direct Messaging.
LOCATION
  • Road name and town (e.g. 314 POPE RD, WINDHAM).
  • MGRS/USNG coordinates are desired but optional.
CURRENT WEATHER
  • Brief synopsis: cloud cover, type, humidity, barometer, etc.
  • Activation instructions may request specific information for this field.
SNOW, SLEET
  • Inches or NA.
  • Append ST for storm totals (e.g. 3.5ST).
  • No need to include units.
ICE ACCRETION
  • Inches or NA.
RAINFALL
  • Same format as SNOW, SLEET.
  • Inches or NA, append ST for storm totals (e.g. 2.6ST).
HAIL SIZE
  • Inches or NA.
WIND DIRECTION & SPEED
  • Direction in up to 3 letters (e.g. N, NW, ESE).
  • Speed in MPH (units understood).
  • Add gust value if applicable (e.g. NNE 7 21G).
STORM DAMAGE
  • Free text description.
  • Examples: damage to structures, vehicles, trees/limbs down, power lines, road damage, flooding, coastal inundation or erosion.
MODE
  • How the observation was transmitted (case sensitive).
  • Options: Personal Observation, FM Repeater, Winlink, DMR, Direct Messaging.
NET
  • Name of the radio net or other channel (e.g. email, Slack).

Additional Radio Relay International strips may be documented separately for broader use.