(Milford)– It’s been years in coming, but a National Weather Service radio transmitter is up and running in Dickinson county. It went on the air earlier this week.
The translator operates on a frequency of 162.550 from a tower formerly owned by KUOO northwest of Milford. It transmits a continual broadcast from the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls. During severe weather, it transmits a special code that activates weather alert radios…giving residents an added warning.
Emergency management officials say it was especially vital to get the system up and running in the Iowa Great Lakes because of the heavy amounts of outdoor activities during the summer. They say it will be especially beneficial to campers, boaters, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
Getting a National Weather Service translator on the air in Dickinson county was originally undertaken by Lynn Wallace, a former Emergency Management Director who retired from the position about six years ago. Wallace says actually getting the transmitter on the air is a dream come true.
The project had been delayed repeatedly over the years through various bureaucracies. Once the red tape was cut, there were even more delays in finding a suitable tower and in getting technical issues worked out.
