Become your own time lord

INTRODUCTION
Twenty years ago it would have been unlikely for a private individual to have an atomic clock at home. With few exceptions, precise time technology was used exclusively by professionals at national scientific laboratories, the military, and a small number of specialized commercial companies. But in the past ten years an abundance of military, dot-com, and telecom surplus has made it possible for motivated individuals to obtain yesterday’s start-of-the-art timing technology for personal use today. High-end precise timekeeping instruments, such as atomic frequency standards and frequency counters,
VLF receivers and phase comparators, Loran-C and GPS disciplined oscillators can be hunted and purchased for cents on the dollar. Today hundreds of individuals own rubidium, cesium, or GPS-based frequency standards and are keeping time at home to fractions of a microsecond. Many of these people are ham radio operators who have a
technical appreciation of, and need for, precise frequency. Some are retired military personnel who are nostalgic for gear they used years ago in the service. A few are curious engineers who enjoy the challenge of building clocks with ever increasing accuracy. Others are clock and watch collectors who want to augment their mechanical collections with specimens of modern electronic timekeepers. Whatever the circumstances precise timekeeping is a historically rich, intellectually stimulating, and
technically challenging field. Amateur time enthusiasts join mailing lists such as time-nuts or TACGPS. The latter was started by Dr. Tom Clark about ten years ago to freely share his clever, low-cost, PC software controlled, Motorola VP GPS receiver-based precise timing solution. In short, some of us have caught the “time bug” and are on the slippery slope of ever greater frequency stability and more precise time.
The following sections are a view into my clock collection, time & frequency experiments, and home timing laboratory.

ATOMIC CLOCK COLLECTION
People collect just about anything: books, stuffed animals, postage stamps, cars, vacuum tubes, clocks  and watches. Some of us have a hobby of collecting modern and vintage electronic instruments related to precise time: oscillators, atomic frequency standards, phase comparators, time code displays, and radio (WWV, WWVB, Loran-C) or satellite time/frequency receivers (GOES, GPS). Over the years my collection has grown to include instruments from companies such as Austron, Astrodata, Berkeley, Bliley, Datum, Efratom, FEI, Fluke, FTS, General Radio, Hewlett-Packard/Agilent,
Kinemetrics, Odetics, Oscilloquartz, Sigma Tau, Stanford Research, Spectracom, Sulzer, Symmetricom, Systron-Donner, Tracor, Trak, True Time, TST, and Vectron. Photos of the collection may be found on my web site. There are frequency standards ranging from a vintage 1 kc General Radio tuning fork oscillator to a modern 100 MHz Sigma Tau hydrogen maser, representing stabilities from 10-3 to 10-15.

Read the full article here at: www.leapsecond.com

The Santa Net on 3.916 MHz

For the 16th consecutive year, The 3916 Nets will be presenting The Santa Net on 3.916 MHz. Good girls and boys can talk to Santa Claus, via amateur radio, nightly at 7:00 PM (Central) starting Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, through Christmas Eve, December 24th.

Pete Thomson (KE5GGY), of The 3916 Nets, commented on The 3916 Santa Net. He said, “Christmastime is a very special time for our nets every year. We enjoy helping young people and their families have a shared Christmas experience that they’ll always remember. And we’re thrilled to introduce young people to the excitement of amateur radio.”

Youngsters can talk to “Santa at The North Pole” via strategically placed operators who relay the voice of Santa. Thomson said that The Santa Net is a team effort that involves the efforts of a number of 3916 Net members. He said, “In our first year, we connected 10 kids to Santa on Ham Radio and it’s grown steadily since. This year, we’re expecting over 1,000 children to participate.”

Prior to each night’s Santa Net, pre-net check-ins can be made at www.cqsanta.com.

WA3VXJ 55 YEARS IN AMATEUR RADIO

Click on image for full size picture

On December 13th at the Chapter 6 QCWA meeting WA3VXJ was presented with a 55 years in amateur radio certificate.

After the QCWA  meeting we had our monthly BUM OF THE MONTH lunchoen and by the way everyone is welcome to come. The BUM is held every second Monday of the month at noon at Jabby Joes 1562 Island Ave. Mckees Rocks.

Volunteers are needed

Volunteers are needed for the 2023 Rabid Raccoon 100 Mile Ultra marathon. Once again ham radio operators will be providing radio communication for this 24 hour long event.  This year race is on the weekend of March 18-19, 2023. Once again there will be a four aid station which I would like to see 2 radio operators at each station. Plus a net control station at the command post at the start/finish line.  This was an popular event last year for runner and ham radio operators. Each aid station is manned by race official and has food and snacks for all the runners & ham radio operators.   Click the link below to read more about the race and the needs of the radio operators.  There is a chart to see who has sign up find one of the empty stops and email N3LRG with the location and time frame you want to volunteer for.

For More Information: https://www.w3kwh.net/Rabid/

Dayton Hamvention 2023

Dayton Hamvention® 2023 is just over 6 months away, and next year’s Hamvention team has selected “Innovation!” as the event theme.

The team reports that, in just one word, the theme encompasses the world of amateur radio today. “There are so many exciting ‘Innovations!’ worldwide in amateur radio. We want to capture the spirit, and we expect to see many of these throughout the coming year and presented at [Hamvention 2023],” said Hamvention 2023 spokesperson Michael Kalter, W8CI.

Dayton Hamvention is the largest annual amateur radio gathering in the US, and among the largest in the world. With nearly 700 volunteers, next year’s event boasts more than 500 indoor exhibits and more than 2,500 outdoor exhibits. They will showcase the latest in amateur radio equipment, technology, and computer software and hardware, along with hard-to-find radio and computer accessories and equipment.

Fall Simplex Drill @ Nov 19th

There will be a Simplex Exercise Conducted on Saturday Morning November 19th Beginning at 10 AM and will conclude at 12 Noon for ALL of the Southwest District. The Map below shows everyone’s County Simplex Frequencies. As before, EC’s are to start their County Net on their County repeater {Allegheny: 147.090+} for everyone to check in on, then proceed to your County Simplex Frequency and make as many contacts as possible. Then at 10:30am Operators can try to reach any of the Counties they can. Operators do not have to stop at noon, but the nets can close.

Steel City members should have their radios program for Allegheny County ARES simplex channel of 146.550 Mhz. {You should also have 146.520 Mhz National Calling frequency program into your radio too}. We will need a couple of operators to man the ECOM station at the club house.

Click On Map For Full Size Image

If you want to be part of the 2m range test and try to reach other counties here is our neighboring counties simplex frequencies:

Beaver 146.580
Butler 147.570
Armstrong 147.540
Westmoreland 146.580
Fayette 147.540
Washington 147.570

Free Radio For New Hams

This program is designed to promote amateur radio to the masses, helping to eliminate a possible barrier to entry by providing new hams with their first radio. The Jumpstart program will provide the QRZ-1 radio to new hams who meet eligibility requirements. No purchase or subscription of any kind is necessary. The welcome package is FREE to those who qualify.

New hams who have just obtained their first license from the FCC may apply for a welcome package. Applicants must apply within 30 days of the license grant date per the FCC records.

Check it out here: https://www.qrz.com/jumpstart

Jamboree-on-the-Air

Steel City ARC will be hosting scout from around the area on Saturday Oct 15 from 12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM.  If you know of a scout troop that wants to participate please let our Education Chairperson Jeff, N3EVN know at n3evn {at} arrl {dit} net


JOTA: October 14-16, 2022
Jamboree-on-the-Air, or JOTA, is the largest Scouting event in the world. It is held annually the third full weekend in October. JOTA uses amateur radio to link Scouts and hams around the world, around the nation, and in your own community. This jamboree requires no travel, other than to a nearby amateur radio operator’s ham shack. Many times you can find the hams will come to you by setting up a station at your Scout camporee, at the park down the block, or perhaps at a ham shack already set up at your council’s camp.

Tell Me More
When Scouts want to meet young people from another country, they usually think of attending a World Jamboree. But few people realize that each year more than a million Scouts and Guides “get together” over the airwaves for the annual Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA). During the 2014 event, worldwide Scouting participation included 1.1 million Boy Scouts and 200,000 Girl Guides/Gils Scouts, for a total participation of over 1.3 million–the largest Scouting event in the world.

JOTA Rules

Stations should call “CQ Jamboree,” or answer stations doing so. Any authorized frequency may be used. It is recommended that stations use the agreed World Scout Frequencies, listed in the guidelines. To avoid congestion, use close-by frequencies.JOTA is not a contest. The idea is not to contact as many stations as possible during the weekend.

Scout website: https://www.scouting.org/jota/
ARRL website: http://www.arrl.org/jamboree-on-the-air-jota

PA QSO Party Oct 8 & 9th

Steel City ARC will be doing the PA QSO Party once again on Oct 8th & 9th.  We will work all 67 counties of Pennsylvania during this weekend.   We are going to need CW & SSB operators during the event.  On Saturday the event runs from Noon though Midnight and then on Sunday 9 AM – 6PM. And as always food and drinks will be provided for all the operators.

Setup: 11:00 AM Sat Oct 8th
Saturday Contest Starts:  12:00 Noon – Midnight  Saturday
Dinner: 6:00 PM  “Its a Pizza Party” for the Party
Sunday Contest Starts: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Breakfast: “Doughnuts & OJ” for the Operators