Heads up the next SET test drill will be Oct 7 at the club house.
Category Archives: Public Service
Volunteers Are Need – Great Race
46TH RUNNING OF THE GREAT RACE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2023
Once again, the Pittsburgh Great Race has requested assistance from amateur radio operators. We will need volunteers at fixed points on the course from the East End to Downtown. In addition, We will need volunteers to shadow the race officials Downtown. The good news is there is an away game for the Steelers on 9/24 and we will not encounter any traffic issues as such. For those downtown, we usually get free parking; however, I won’t have final confirmation on that until the week leading up to the race.
A dual band HT with a longer antenna will suffice for purposes of this race.
f you are interested in volunteering, please contact NU3Q Bob Mente, Allegheny County EC, at (412) 279-9016 (landline) or (412) 736-7385 (cell) – or by e-mail at allegheny@wpa-arrl.org or allegheny@nu3q.us.
For race information and course information click here https://www.rungreatrace.com/
Collierfest – Public Demo
Steel City Members are needed for this public demo being held right in our own back yard. Please consider helping out Bob NU3Q out with this demo. As we show off our wonderful hobby to the general public. This is our chance to let the public know that ham radio is alive and well and still operating in their backyard.
Collierfest is a one day event on Sept 23 a Saturday evening. Beside us having a demo there will be a Car Cruise, Live Music, many different vendors. So beside showing off our hobby operators will have a chance to have a lot of fun at the event too. For us the event will setup at 3:00 PM and will shut down in the evening. The park itself if a pretty neat place to visit since it was a former Nike site. Get to see the giant golf ball up close.
If you want to help out and have some fun contact Bob: nu3q@nu3q.us
For more information click here: https://colliertownship.net/township/collierfest/
Directions: Collier Community Park, 5 Pvt Lobaugh Dr l, Oakdale, PA 15071
Hurricane Watch Net Is Activated
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is activate for current Hurricane. Please keep the follow frequencies clear for the net operation which are on 14.325 MHz, and 7.268 MHz.
The primary mission of the Hurricane Watch Net is to disseminate tropical cyclone advisory information to island communities in the Caribbean, Central America, along the Atlantic seaboard of the U.S., and throughout the Gulf of Mexico coastal areas. We also collect observed or measured weather data from amateur radio operators in the storm-affected area as well as any post-storm damage and convey that information to the Hurricane Forecasters in the National Hurricane Center via the amateur radio station in the center (WX4NHC). In addition, we provide the same service for the Canadian Hurricane Centre whenever a hurricane threatens their country.
For More Information: https://hwn.org/
National Hurricane Center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
The Road to the 2023 National Scout Jamboree
LINK TO ARTICLE: https://k2bsa.net
We are less than a three weeks away from the start of the 2023 National Scout Jamboree at The Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia. Showcasing amateur radio at the National Jamboree has been a tradition of the K2BSA since 1977, and this year is not any different. Well, it’s a little different.
This year the Jamboree was slotted to be a bit smaller than previous Jamborees, and as such the funding for extra programs were cut. We decided early on that K2BSA would continue to participate at the event regardless of funding cuts. We were given our budget of $0 in mid-2022, so we reached out to secure funding for the program with the ARDC. The ARDC has been the recent source of funding for many programs and projects that have historical and significant impacts to the amateur radio community, and we thank them immensely for agreeing with our proposal to continue this event. Their funding will be providing commercial tent rentals, chairs, tables, and technology to make the event safe and effective for our program.
Icom America has once again outfitted the K2BSA crew with their outstanding transceivers. Our HF operations will be conducted using the IC-7300. We will be active on three HF bands at the same time as conditions permit 40m and up. Satellite operations will be operated using the IC-9700. VHF/UHF and D-Star operations will be on the ID-5100A and ID-52A. Summits on the Air activity will be conducted with the IC-705! We have several amateurs on the crew interested in activating Garden Ground Mountain – W8V/NR-058 during our two weeks at The Summit. The performance and reliability of the loaner gear is paramount to the success of the event, and the Icom America gear continues to outperform all expectations.
We hope to work you on the air when K2BSA becomes active! We expect to be on HF (40m-10M band conditions permitting), D-Star (REF033A), and the local repeater(s) will be linked to *JOTA-365* conference node on Echolink.
National Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Station Annual Test
The amateur radio station of the National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC (NHC), located on the campus of Florida International University in Miami, will conduct their on-the-air Annual Communications Test on Saturday, May 27, 2023, from 9 AM – 5 PM EDT (1300z- 2100z).
This is the NHC’s 43rd year of public service. NHC Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R/WX4NHC, reports that the purpose of this event is to test amateur radio equipment and antennas at the NHC as well as operators’ home equipment, antennas, and computers prior to this year’s hurricane season. The 2023 hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through November 30.
This event is good practice for amateur radio operators worldwide to practice amateur radio communications during times of severe weather.
Ripoll said WX4NHC will be on HF, VHF, UHF, 2- and 30-meter APRS, and Winlink, To contact the NHC’s amateur radio station send an email to wx4nhc@winlink.org. The subject of the email must contain //WL2K.
WX4NHC will try to stay on the Hurricane Watch Net frequency, 14.325 MHz, for most of the time, as well as 7.268 MHz depending on propagation. They may also change frequencies due to potential QRM.
You may be able to find WX4NHC on HF by using one of the DX spotting networks, such as the DX Summit website at http://www.dxsummit.fi.
The VoIP Hurricane Net will also be active from 4 PM – 5 PM EDT (2000-2100z), RLP node 9219/EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203. Visit their website for more information.
WX4NHC will also make a few contacts on local VHF and UHF repeaters, as well as the Florida Statewide Amateur Radio Network (SARnet) system to test station equipment.
QSL cards are available via WD4R with a self-addressed stamped envelope. More information about the NHC is available at their website.
ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST 2023
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
HAMS for PanCAN
NOTE! – Support our sister club special event station this weekend
Apr 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
Public Demo @ Carnegie Library
ANDREW CARNEGIE FREE LIBRARY & MUSIC HALL
A Library & So Much More…
April 2023
Fun for Everyone!
Saturday, April 22, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Learn more here: Carnegiecarnegie.org
Steel City ARC will be doing a public demo out in the parking lot of the library. Come out for the fun and to support the club as we show Ham Radio can be fun!
Heads Up! – SET DRILL Saturday April 1st
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.