Category Archives: Important FYI

FCC Got Hacked

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The Federal Communications Commission has alerted broadcasters to a disruption of its Universal Licensing System (ULS). Various services have been unavailable since Friday, June 9.

Affected systems include the commission’s Tower Construction Notification System (TCNS), E-106 System and Antenna Structure Registration System (ASR). The FCC says this disruption is due to technical issues. During this time, no applications may be filed through the database.

As of June 13, there is no timeline for recovery, although the commission says it anticipates resolving these problems

Here the full story here:
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/fcc-announces-disruptions-to-universal-licensing-system

Private land use restrictions bill

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06/13/2023

Congressmen Bill Johnson (OH-06) and Joe Courtney (CT-02) reintroduced a bill in the US House of Representatives on June 12 — H.R.4006 (see full text of bill in this PDF) — to remove private land use restrictions that prohibit, restrict, or impair the ability of Amateur Radio operators from operating and installing reasonable antennas on property that they own or control. Similar legislation, H.R. 9670, was introduced by Congressman Johnson in 2022.

“I reintroduced the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act to remove barriers to disaster and emergency communications and training, and to promote education in STEM subjects related to critically needed wireless technology,” Congressman Johnson said in a release. “Passage of this bill will promote developing and sustaining our nation’s wireless future and facilitate and encourage amateur radio operations as a public benefit.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Breeze Shooter Hamfest

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HAMFEST IS BACK!
Sunday – June 4th @ 8AM
Back at the original Butler Farm Grounds

This is starting to look like the event of the summer.  Many clubs are going to the hamfest to show off their clubs.  Steel City is also planning to do this too… The difference we are going to be showing our fellow operators that Steel City is an active club.  Members should plan to stop by our tables and rest your feet and grab a mic to make some contacts for the Lewis & Clark Special Event.  We will be on the HF band and also on the VHF bands.  Attendees will be able to contact our table on 2m to get a official Lewis and Clark contact.  Also Steel City is planning to have a big  informational setup at the show.  We are getting three tables at the hamfest with plans to use them this way

  • Table 1 – Information for the club
  • Table 2 – Special Event station for the Lewis & Clark remote operation
  • Table 3 – Steel City selling table – Sell off your junk

Steel City VE team members will be doing the VE testing session at the Hamfest.  For more information on the VE testing please contact Chris K3PQ.  VE testing will start at 8:30 AM in the Arts & Craft build next to the big exhibit halls.  See the map below for directions.

Directions to the Butler Farm Show Grounds

Click Map For Full Size Image

  • Educational Forums – 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30
    • POTA (Portable, Parks on the Air, SOTA) https://parksontheair.com
    • Introduction to Digital Modes FT8, FT4, Computer Interfacing Plus Advanced
    • Digital
    • Important Roles for Hams with Severe Weather Forecasting (NWS)
    • EMCOMM Operations including Live Demo of WEARS Mobile Unit
    • QSL Cards via ARRL, DXCC Card Checking on site
    • Construction and Operation of an Earth-Moon-Earth Station in Western PA
    • Introduction to Kit Building in Amateur Radio
  • Vendors & Sponsors include:
    • Alpha Antennas https://alphaantenna.com
    • Bioenno Power https://www.bioennopower.com/
    • DX Engineering https://www.dxengineering.com
    • Hammond Mfg https://www.hammfg.com
    • ICOM America https://icomamerica.com/en/amateur
    • KB3IFH QSL Cards http://kb3ifh.homestead.com/
    • KJI Electronics http://kjielectronics.com
    • Mastrant Antenna https://www.mastrant.com/
    • MPD Digital https://mpddigital.us/
    • MFJ Enterprises https://mfjenterprises.com
    • NatCom Group https://cometantenna.com
    • N3ZN Keys https://www.n3znkeys.com/
    • Pacific Antenna http://www.qrpkits.com/index.html
    • PiShop https://www.pishop.us
    • Power Film Solar https://www.powerfilmsolar.com/
    • Quick Silver Radio https://qsradio.com/index.html
    • Satellite Headquarters
    • Tigertronics http://www.tigertronics.com

 

ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST 2023

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The Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test, scheduled for May 13th 2023. This annual event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators, and will not impact any public or private communications. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event, which is only an exercise scenario, designed to include hobbyist and government radio operators alike.

The AFD Cross-Band Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly-controlled exercise scenario that does not impact any public or private communications.

Military stations will transmit on selected military frequencies and will announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All times are ZULU (Z), and all frequencies are Upper Side Band (USB) unless otherwise noted. The frequencies used for the test will not impact any public or private communications, and will not stray outside the confines of the exercise.

The following stations will be making two way radiotelephone contacts with stations in the ARS between the time periods listed on the frequencies listed in Kilohertz below.

For more information:
https://www.arrl.org/news/annual-armed-forces-day-crossband-test-1

ACTION NEEDED TO PROTECT OUR BANDS

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ARRL Advocates for Radio Amateurs as FCC Proposes Changes to 60-Meter Band

04/28/2023The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comments about changing the secondary allocation available to radio amateurs on 60 meters. The FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on April 21, 2023, that deals with the band. In a prior petition, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® urged protecting the existing use of the band by amateurs when adding a new allocation adopted internationally.

Currently, radio amateurs in the US have access to five discrete channels on a secondary basis: 5332 kHz, 5348 kHz, 5358.5 kHz, 5373 kHz, and 5405 kHz. Users of these channels are limited to an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 W PEP.

The FCC proposes to allocate 15 kHz of contiguous bandwidth between 5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz on a secondary basis with a maximum power of 15 W EIRP (equivalent to 9.15 W ERP). This allocation was adopted at the 2015 World Radio Communication Conference (WRC-15).

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON THE ARRL WEBSITE:
http://arrl.org/news/

HAMS for PanCAN

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NOTE! – Support our sister club special event station this weekend

Company LogoApr 29-May 1, 1400Z-2000Z, N3P
3.960 MHz  &  7.172.MHz
Certificate & QSL.

Skyview Radio Society – N3P, 2335 Turkey Ridge Rd., Upper Burrell, PA 15068. Multiple N#P Stations across the country will be located in each of the ten ARRL sections – All stations will be on SSB. This nationwide Special Event’s aim is raising awareness of pancreatic cancer research and support by the PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Network) during its national Purple Stride event. Each station will highlight any ham operator, or friends and family members who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer located in that Section. Also, we’ll provide access to how PanCAN helps patients with support and funding of research projects. Event Bonus stations will be located at Purple Stride locations and will offer special QSL cards. Each N#P station web page on the ARRL Special Event tab will provide QSL submission information. A Clean Sweep Certificate will be awarded for contacting all section stations.

QSL card requests need SASE. For Clean Sweep certificate, include $1 please. . rybar1949@gmail.com

2023 World Amateur Radio Day

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EDIT: This is also the Steel City Business Meeting Night, can someone volunteer to bring a cake?

WARD is held on April 18 every year and is celebrated by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president.

The IARU announced previously that Human Security for All (HS4A) will be this year’s World Amateur Radio Day theme. The day is being celebrated with a 2-week operating event occurring April 11 – 25. Special event stations will be operating from around the world, making two-way radio contacts to call attention to the HS4A campaign. The United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security describes ‘human security’ as “a more powerful, lasting approach to the most difficult deficits in peace and development,” such as poverty, war, and natural disasters.

ARRL encourages all radio amateurs to take to the airwaves for WARD, to enjoy our global friendship with other amateurs, and to show our skills and capabilities to the public.

More information about 2023 World Amateur Radio Day is available at www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day 

Heads Up! – SET DRILL Saturday April 1st

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Attention: Steel City members we have been ask to participate in this drill on Saturday April 1st.  Steel City will be the main station for the National Weather Service. One of our members will be station over at the weather station and will be relaying the weather data to him. This is only an drill this is where we learn how to pass traffic so mistake are to be made now instead when we are really needed.  So it is a great learning experiance for all new hams and old timers.  The event starts at 9 am and ends at 12 noon.

 

 

Sign Up Today & Support These Runners

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WE NEED YOUR HELP

We are getting down to our last several week before the race start.  We can not let an aid station go without radio communications most of the site have no cellular service.  So Ham Radio operators are a must have.  Please follow the link below to see the still open slots.  This has been an enjoyable and fun public service event to work.

Click Here For More Information and to sign up: W3KWH.net/Rabid

HELP US!

Most Recent Runner Counts:
64 — 100 Mile Ultra
37 — 100 Kilometer Ultra
234 — 20 Mile Marathon
112 — Midnight 20 Marathon
5 — Relay Teams
Updated 3/6/23