We all remember the “Good Ole Days” with fondness. I remember—and I’m sure you do too—the fun and good times we all shared participating in Quad-County ARC activities: Building a repeater, the good food and great times at Field Day, especially at Ed Golla’s picnic grove, the chance to visit our many friends at each meeting… The list is almost endless and the happy memories warm my heart every time I think about them. How about you?
You may be visiting this website after reading the card we sent you. Some of us are still very active hams, while some of us are taking a smaller part in ham radio activities. If I had to point out one thing which made ham radio more fun for me and for many other hams I know, I’d have to say that the most fun we had was when we gathered together as a club and did interesting and exciting things. The Halloween patrols, traveling as a group to hamfests, teaching classes, giving exams, “BUX burgers,” K3BFO’s “special” weather reports… We may not have known it then, but those are the things we remember best about those days.
The Quad-County Amateur Radio Club turns 36 on April 17th. Sadly, many of us have gone to the “antenna farm” in the years since. The reins have been passed several times, and fewer and fewer of our members have been coming back. This is sad, because a healthy, active ham radio club makes our favorite hobby so much more fun. I think we can recapture some of that youthful enthusiasm, give the club a shot in the arm and reap the benefits—all we have to do is start showing up and doing things together.
As I prepared those postcards and put the stamps on them, I couldn’t help but experience deja-vu, and remember how I did the same thing almost a lifetime ago. The results back then were nothing short of amazing! All of us joined together and raised up a very successful club. For its part, the club provided us with enjoyable activities for many years.
I believe 
the same can happen today. All it will take is the same as it took all those years ago: You.
We have a nice place to meet at the Clearfield County Emerency Operations Center just behind the old County Home, and we have an interesting meeting planned for Friday April 15th at 7:30 pm. If you have trouble driving that far at night, let me know and I’ll try to line up someone to give you a ride. Every Sunday evening, the Quad-County FM Net meets at 7:00 like it always has, now on the 147.315 repeater. Our Spring Banquet is coming up on May 14th at the Fort Worth Restaurant in Du Bois. We are sponsoring a VE testing session on Friday, April 8th at the Du Bois Diner at 6:00 pm. I’m still publishing The Parasitic Emission, now as a full-color, PDF electronic magazine. Click here to download the latest issue, or click here to see many of our back issues.
Won’t you please join with us again for these and all the other activities we are planning? Having you take part will make a much better club, which in turn will make your Amateur Radio experience more fun than it is when you try to do it all alone. So how about it? Will you give us a little of your time to check us out and see what we can do for you? We will be happy to welcome you home, and your participation will add to everyone’s enjoyment of our favorite hobby!
73!
Joe Shupienis W3BC (ex WA3IHK)
Founder, Quad-County Amateur Radio Club
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