Centre County Amateur Radio Operators (AROs) participated in this years Western Pennsylvania (WPA) Simulated Emergency Test (SET) on Saturday April 3d from 0930 to 1110. The SET was designed to test amateur communications capability during a weather emergency over the WPA Section. Continue reading
Author Archives: Carmine Prestia
Amateur Radio Exam Announcement – Nittany Amateur Radio Club
The Nittany Amateur Radio Club is conducting Ham Exams on Saturday, May 1 in State College, PA. Space is limited due to the pandemic. Advance reservations are required, so please register as soon as possible to insure you will have one of the available spaces. Continue reading
Information For WPA Spring SET 2021
These documents contain the scenario and communications plan for the 2021 WPA Simulated Emergency Test to be held on 3 Apr 2021.
ICS-205, Incident Radio Communications Plan (v3) Spring SET
ics-form-205-incident-radio-communications-plan-v3.docx
Version: V3
ics-form-205-incident-radio-communications-plan-v3.docx
Version: V3
Free training opportunities related to Weather and Skywarn
The following training opportunities and events are open to all with interest. Thanks to Kevin Lear, W3XOX for the information. Continue reading
Date announced for Glimcher Keystone Country Ride for the Multiple Sclerosis Society
The date for the annual Multiple Sclerosis Society Glimcher Keystone Country Ride will be Saturday, July 17, 2020. The event will only be one day and the length of the ride will be reduced. As more information becomes available we will distribute it. Mark the date on your calendar for volunteering! Thank you.
Skywarn Recognition Day 2020, Dec. 5, 2020
Skywarn Recognition Day will be held on December 5, 2020, the first Saturday in December. Local hams are encouraged to participate from their home or club stations. You can register for the event at:
and get a SRD number to use during exchanges. In addition to that you can sign up for Skywarn email notices and elect to join the SRD group on Facebook. I believe the NWS will publish a list of the NWS offices participating.
Saturday, 12/5/2020, 00:00 UTC or Friday, 12/4/2020, 19:00 Centre County
to
Saturday, 12/5/2020, 24:00 UTC or Saturday, 12/5/2020, 19:00 Centre County. Here are the operating instructions from the ARRL website:
1. Object: SKYWARN(TM) Recognition Day serves to celebrate the contributions to public safety made by amateur radio operators and Skywarn Spotters during threatening weather.
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Amateur stations to exchange QSO information with as many National Weather Service Stations as possible on 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2 meter bands plus the 70 centimeter band. Contacts via repeaters are permitted.
2. Date: NWS stations may operate at any time during December 5, 2020 from 0000 – 2400 UTC.
3. Exchange: Call sign, signal report, QTH, and a one or two word description of the weather occurring at your site (“sunny”, “partly cloudy”, “windy”, etc.).
4. Modes: NWS stations will work various modes including SSB, FM, AM, RTTY, CW, and PSK31. While working digital modes, special event stations will append “NWS” to their call sign (e.g., N0A/NWS). NWS offices may also participate via Social Media platforms throughout the 24 hour period.
5.Station Control Operator: It is suggested that during SRD operations a non-NWS volunteer should serve as a control operator for your station.
6. Event and QSL Information: The National Weather Service will provide event information via the internet. Event certificates will once again be electronic and printable from the main website after the conclusion of SRD.
Centre County Amateurs Participate in 2020 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test
UPDATED: Added KB1BH to the list of participants.
The ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) was held on 3 Oct 2020 from 09:00 12:00 DST. Along with other counties in Western Pennsylvania (WPA) Centre County participated in the Exercise. The American Red Cross as well as Skywarn operations were coordinated into the drill. Coined Keystone Horizon, the exercise included digital and voice communications over HF frequencies and voice communications over VHF repeaters. Fourteen amateur radio operators participated. Continue reading
ARES Provides Communication Support for Bicycle Race in Bald Eagle State Forest
On Sunday, October 11th, 2020 ten Amateur Radio Operators (AROs) from several counties provided communication support for a 123 mile bicycle race. Riders started early from the Lewisburg Farmers’ Market, the headquarters for the race. This was the third annual race and only had about 200 riders because of the COVID pandemic. Last year there were eight hundred plus riders in the Unpaved of the Susquehanna River Valley. Continue reading
Bald Eagle State Forest Motorcycle Race 2020
This race is to be held on Saturday, September 12, 2020 from 08:00 to 17:00. NCS will be Jon, W3JON. Files relative to the race.
Files for WPA Fall 2020 ARRL SET
Files for the Simulated Emergency Test can be found at the below URLs:
Outline of the Exercise:
ICS-205 Communications Frequency Assignments:
ICS-213 Messaging Form: