Allegheny County
ARES Meeting This Saturday
3-25-23 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
All radio operators are welcome to attend both members and non-members of SCARC are welcome. Bob NU3Q will be going over the status of ARES for the county and will be covering the following weeks SET Drill.
Directions to the SCARC Club House: http://w3kwh.com/find-the-clubhouse/
March 25th – 10 am – 12 Noon — ARES Meeting for Allegheny County open to all members and non-members
April 1st – 9 AM – 12 Noon — SET TEST @ Club house
April 22nd – TBA — Carnegie Library @ Carnegie Open House
May 21st — Komen Race For The Cure — Volunteers are needed
June 3rd – June 18th — Lewis Clark On The Air – Special Event Station
June 24th – June 25th — FIELD DAY 2023
June 24th — Rachel Carson Trail Challenge – Volunteers are needed
July 15th – July 16th — Vintage Grant Prix – Volunteers are needed
Sept 24th — Pittsburgh Great Race — Volunteers are needed
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
FROM: ARRL.ORG
Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-6) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R.9670) on Thursday, December 22, 2022, to eliminate private land use restrictions that prohibit, restrict, or impair the ability of an Amateur Radio Operator from operating and installing amateur station antennas on property subject to the control of the Amateur Radio Operator.
The exponential growth of communities subject to private land use restrictions that prohibit both the operation of Amateur Radio and the installation of amateur station antennas has significantly restricted the growth of the Amateur Radio Service. These restrictions are pervasive in private common interest residential communities such as single-family subdivisions, condominiums, cooperatives, gated communities, master-planned communities, planned unit developments, and communities governed by community associations. The restrictions have particularly impacted the ability of Amateur Radio to fulfill its statutorily mandated duty of serving as a voluntary noncommercial emergency communications service.
Congress in 1996 directed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate regulations (Public Law 104–104, title II, section 207, 110 Stat. 114; 47 U.S.C. 303 note) that have preempted all private land use restrictions applicable to exterior communications facilities that impair the ability of citizens to receive television broadcast signals, direct broadcast satellite services, or multichannel multipoint distribution services, or to transmit and receive wireless internet services. ARRL attempts to obtain similar relief for Amateur Radio were rejected by the FCC with a statement such relief would have to come from Congress.
ARRL Legislative Advocacy Committee Chairman John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, noted that Congress, in 1994 by Joint Resolution, S.J.Res.90/H.J.Res.199, declared that regulations at all levels of government should facilitate and encourage the effective operation of Amateur Radio from residences as a public benefit. He continued by stating that “H.R.9670, the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act, is intended to fulfill that mandate and preserve the ability of Amateur Radio Operators to continue to serve as a key component of American critical communications infrastructure.”
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, and Mr. Stratton both extended on behalf of the ARRL, its Members, and the Amateur Radio community their thanks and appreciation for the leadership of Rep. Johnson in his tireless efforts to support and protect the rights of all Amateur Radio Operators.
For the full text of the bill, click here (PDF).
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/
SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — It was a coincidence that the Somerset County Department of Emergency Services hosted a severe weather drill on the same day heavy snow fell for the first time this season.
Tuesday morning, first responders and safety officials in Somerset County gathered to practice how they’d respond to a winter weather-related emergency.
“Fortunately, we don’t have to use the Emergency Operations Center a lot, but we definitely want to bring everybody in at least two times a year to do it.”
Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) representatives were also present during this full-scale exercise to help.
Local amateur radio operators from the Somerset County Amateur Radio Club also assisted in the operation to be communications staff.
While first responders are there to help, officials say make sure you’re doing your part to stay safe.
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
The Steel City Amateur Radio Club is please to join with the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program to be offering our club college scholarship program for 2023 academic year. The SCARC has set up an $1000 scholarship to any license radio operator going into a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math field of study at any institution. Our only requirements is the winner must hold a current amateur license and has a home address within the ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section. Application for the 2023 academic year have now open on October 1st, 2022. Please click on the link below to find out more requirement and to submit your application to the ARRL Foundation.
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
Steel City had a good turn out for the Fall 2022 SET TEST at the club house. We all learn how to handle some National Traffic across both HF bands and VHF bands. I want to thank everyone that showed up for todays event. Tom KB3NIX, Art WA3BKD, Walt KA3YNO, Sue KA3JKS, John KA3SZO, K3YY Paul, Bill KC3THE , Michael N3TDV, Karl, WA3VXJ, Kathy KA3VXM {Who brought all the goodies}
And my Public Service Chairperson: Mike WA3PYU
