From Section Manager W3BC, Joe Shupienis on 9/21/2024 here are the districts responsible for finding an NCS for their net every month: Continue reading
Amateur Radio and the PATRA Dual Sport Motorcycle Ride 2024
What started as a cold and rainy day on Saturday September 7, 2024 wound up bright and dry(er) but still cold for the Pennsylvania Trail Rider’s Association annual 7 Mountains Dual Sport Motorcycle Ride in the Bald Eagle State Forest. One hundred eighty five motorcyclists started from the Union County Sportsmen’s Club in Weikert, PA and rode various trails through the forest to the Track and Trail Motorcycle dealership just off Route 322 outside State College. After lunch, they turned around and rode back to the Sportsmen’s club. Good communications is vital to the safety and orderly conduct of the ride. The ride tracks through four different Pennsylvania Counties: Union, Centre, Mifflin, and Snyder. There is NO cell service in the Weikert area and throughout most of the forest, so amateur radio provided all the communications for the ride organizers. Continue reading
Amateur communications for Second Annual Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley Triathlon
Amateur radio operators from several counties again provided communications assistance for the Happy Valley Ironman on June 30, 2024. About 1,600 athletes competed in the swimming, bicycling, and running event. The race started at the Foster Joseph Sayers lake near Howard, Pennsylvania and ended at Beaver Stadium on the Pennsylvania State University campus. Continue reading
Amateur Radio Operators Provide Communications For the 2024 MS Glimcher Keystone Country Ride
On June 22 and 23, 2024 fifteen amateur radio operators and two non-ham family members provide communications for the Annual Glimcher Keystone Country Ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). Usually covering 150 miles over two days the NMSS decided to limit the riders to 50 miles each day because of the brutal heat wave covering Central Pennsylvania. NMSS wanted to limit the exposure of the riders, volunteers, and staff to the 100° plus heat index. Continue reading
Successful Communications for the Rothrock Grit Gravel Grinder
ARES operators provided communications assistance for the 2024 edition of the Rothrock Grit Gravel Grinder in Pennsylvania’s Rothrock State Forest. About 200 riders participated over the three different courses, the longest being 65 miles. Amateur radio operators staffed three aid stations; Headquarters at Tussey Mountain Lodge, Penn Roosevelt State Park, and the Hammer station at North Meadows Road and Treaster Kettle Road. Although there was only one minor emergency the stations relayed operational information to and from headquarters. Continue reading
Senate Bill 37 and Amateur Radio – update
After all the discussion about Senate Bill 37 many amateur radio operators contacted their senators and other legislative contacts about the effect this bill would have on mobile operation, especially for drills and training. Thank you to those who took the time. Several days ago Bob, KC3KVS did further research and found that the language of the bill is forced by federal requirements. Bob’s research is below. Continue reading
K3CWP Letter To Pennsylvania Senators Requesting Reconsideration of SB37
This is my letter requesting reconsidering Senate Bill 37 for an exemption for Amateur Radio Operation while mobile. Feel free to adopt the language for your own letter. I sent it to the sponsors of the legislation, the chairs of the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, and my senator.
Bill in the PA Senate that could make it illegal for amateur radio operators to operate their radios while driving
The Pennsylvania Senate is considering Senate Bill 37, Enhanced Driver Responsibility. There have been a number of emails about the bill but reading the current version leads me and others to conclude that the bill if passed could make it unlawful for amateur radio operators to operate their radios while driving a vehicle. This was proposed by the House before but exemption language was included for amateur radio operators. That language appears to have been removed.
The bill:
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/
Who you contact:
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/
Bob Famiglio, K3RF, Atlantic Division Director is aware of the situation and will be working with the ARRL also. Here is his message of last week. Continue reading
Results of the 2024 Western Pennsylvania (WPA) Simulated Emergency Test (SET)
On Saturday, 6 Apr 2024 The WPA and EPA sections of the ARRL and the American Red Cross conducted the annual WPA Spring SET to test emergency communications in the sections. Below is a summary of those efforts in Centre and Clearfield Counties. Continue reading
ARES/ACS/RACES Net Repeater Outage Test Successful
For years the ARES/ACS/RACES net on the W3YA repeater in Boalsburg/State College (21:00 Sunday Evenings, (146.85 mHz -) has opened with a preamble that instructs amateur radio operators what to do if the repeater fails. Amateur radio operators should expect the net to move to the W3GA, (146.76 mHz -) repeater on Rattlesnake Mountain. To test this procedure Centre County EC, Carmine, K3CWP, arranged to have the repeater shut off by Trustee Woody, K3YV, midway through the net on Sunday, March 31, 2024. To Carmine’s knowledge this has never tested before. Continue reading