The 2015 QCARC Christmas Dinner will be held at the Arrowhead Restaurant, Rte. 322 East of Clearfield – Saturday December 19, 6:00 PM No Reservations are required. There will be a buffet available as well as the availability to order off of the regular menu.
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Should QCARC continue giving VE Exams before club meetings in even months?
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I expect that many of us have witnessed a scene very similar to the above photo. In our immediate area it is a natural event to have severe winter weather that impacts driving conditions, sometimes to the extent that we really should not be on the road. Often just postponing travel for an hour or two may enable road crews to treat the roads and give the chemicals time to take effect on the snow and ice to provide a safer traveling environment. If you have to travel, be prepared. First off be sure you are aware of what you are getting into with severe winter weather driving. Be sure your vehicle is ready to go with a full tank of fuel and appropriate tires in good condition. Consider some additional items such as a small shovel, sand or traction mats, chains for times it gets really bad and even a very good blanket such as wool or a Mylar reflective emergency blanket. Remember to keep the cell phone charged too. Common sense helps but too often it is not so common! Many amateur radio operators who travel have an additional resource at hand that will help with gaining a little more information about the weather. That resource can be the 2 meter transceiver which may have the capability to receive the NOAA Weather Radio announcements. Some transceivers even have a feature that will activate an alert when the NOAA radio station broadcasts their severe weather alert. Another useful service often provided through APRS digi-peaters are text alerts about road conditions that may relate to road closures due to various issues such as traffic accidents. Also some repeaters transmit bulletins relative adverse weather and road conditions.
For much more information that may make your winter and
 The Quad-County Amateur Radio Club is a WRN Ambassador “Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador™ and the Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador™ logo are trademarks of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, used with permission.”
Happy Thanksgiving everybody! This is a traditional time to spend with family and friends, and to remember all those who are no longer with us. I remember in the early days of the club, that there was a day-long QSO on the DuBois Repeater with hams far and wide in the Quad-County area checking in and out and back in again as their family activities permitted. My Elmer, K3TFL was the unofficial Master of Ceremonies for those sessions, and the discussions ranged from what was for dinner, to the snowy weather to how to modify an ARC-5. For our Quad-County hams, our repeater was the “Social Media” of the day. We all knew each other and stayed in touch on the air, making friends and sharing our thoughts all over the coverage area. This regular repeater contact with each other made for stronger friendships, and brought our disparate communities together in a spirit of cooperation and good will. Sadly, repeaters have fallen into disuse, and the social connections have withered away to a great extent. I wonder; what would happen if we all made the effort to pick up the microphone, and reach out to each other today, and into the future? Would we find a renewed interest in local ham radio, and perhaps make a new ham radio friend or two? The only way to find out is to give it a try. Why not fire up the radio today, and see who’s on the repeater? I’ll see you… on the air! AMSAT recently deployed the FOX-1A amateur radio satellite, also designated AO-85. These tiny satellites are only 4 inches square! Image that little cube flying around the earth and using it to talk to other amateur radio operators around the world. Communications can be established via the FM transponder that has an uplink of 435.180 MHz and a downlink of 145.980 MHz. Reports are that the downlink signal is rather strong. If you’re interested in listening for the new tiny satellite check out the active, real time locator map for AO-85 at – http://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=40967 To obtain a precise time that AO-85 will pass over your location, check out the AMSAT Pass Prediction webpage. You will need to enter some data such as your grid square or your latitude and longitude.
To download a fillable form, click 2016 Membership Application you can then open that form, fill, then print. Please submit the completed, printed form with your dues. Checks are made payable to Quad County Amateur Radio Club and submitted to the treasurer at the meeting or mailed to:
The November meeting brought about a discussion concerning the times of the breakfast and meetings. After a discussion, the membership voted to change the times for the breakfast to 8:30 AM and the meeting to 6:30 PM. The unanimous vote resulted in the decision to change to what is believed to be more appropriate times. With some of our members being involved in local fire departments, I felt this may b The Pennsylvania National Fire Museum will celebrate its 20th Anniversary, with an on the air special event. As part of its 20th anniversary celebration, the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum , in conjunction with the Harrisburg Radio Amateurs’ Club (HRAC) , will sponsor a special event. The Special Event Station will be on the air on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and on Sunday, Nov. 15, from noon to 4:00 PM, operating from the museum in Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania National Fire Museum opened on November 17, 1995. Housed in an 1899 Victorian firehouse of the former Reily Hose Company No. 10, the all-volunteer museum features a collection of firefighting artifacts, from hand-drawn equipment to the equipment of today. For more information, contact Richard Lenker, KB3YRC. QSL cards can be obtained by sending a S.A.S.E. to:
This year the SkyWarn™ Recognition Day will be Sunday December 5. This special event started in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay Le Operations are December 5 from 0000Z – 2400Z. This is not a contest but an operating event that encourages operators to contact as many amateur stations as possible, whether they are on the air at a Weather Service Office or otherwise. Stations exchange call signs, signal reports, locations, and a one or two-word description of the weather at their respective locations. Bands that are activated for this event are typically 80 meters through 70 centimeters using all modes, including digital. Updated details are available on the National Weather Service SkyWarn™ Recognition Day web site http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/hamradio/
Recent information from ARRL indicates that those in opposition to this bill are
The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 (H.R.1301) & (S 1685) Attention all amateurs, the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 ( H.R. 1301) has been introduced in the US House of Representatives. Now a Senate Bill has been introduced (S 1685). Both bills pertain to amateurs obtaining permission to erect antennas where an HOA, or other covenant prohibits an antenna outside. If passed the FCC would amend part 97 rules to include homeowners’ association regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to as “covenants, conditions and restrictions” (CC&Rs). Even if you do not currently live in such an environment, you may encounter this issue some day. Support for this bill will assist your fellow amateurs who may live with such constraints and even restrictions at your QTH that you may be unaware. Remember to submit your letter to your representative the quickest, file it through the available ARRL links. To read all the details and how you can assist in this very important issue to all amateurs, go to the updated web site: http://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-parity-act Check this ARRL page for the latest information as of August 25, 2015. : http://www.arrl.org/news/view/arrl-president-expects-parity-act-house-bill-cosponsorships-to-top-100-soon It’s that time again when Mother Nature will soon shift into another season that some folks love and some hate! Winter can bring some rather enjoyable times but also some treacherous times. It is the treacherous times, with winter storms, that we have to be ready to deal with in order to make those times as safe as possible. Be sure that your NOAA Weather Radio is operating properly and has fresh batteries in the event the electric goes out. Also remember to check out the 2015 Fall edition of the SkyWarn Spotter Newsletter at: http://www.weather.gov/media/ctp/Spotter%20Newsletters/Fall2015.pdf The 2015 – 2016 winter outlook can be found at: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/videos/2015-16-winter-outlook Last but not least, another site for winter weather information can be found at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/index.shtml The Quad-County Amateur Radio Club is a WRN Ambassador “Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador™ and the Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador™ logo are trademarks of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Renewing your amateur radio license is something that happens every ten years and it is rather easy to do it yourself – FOR FREE. I received a mailing from a group that offered to renew my license, that had already been renewed over 30 days earlier, for a fee! I did not find any mention that the renewal could be completed online. A disclaimer would be in order but I guess that would be counterproductive for their “service”. I found this pretty lowly when it really is a free function when you do it yourself. If you are reading this, you can do it yourself It is rather straight forward to renew your license on the FCC ULS, https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp, just follow the directions. Have your license handy for your 10-digit FCC Registration Number (FRN). It may appear a little over whelming a first but really, just take your time, enter the data and you’ll be on your way. If you are not registered to log into the ULS, again it is a straight forward operation to get set up and get your password. The rain couldn’t damp OR dampen the spirits of the erstwhile Quad-County hams as they slogged through the ankle-deep waters and braved the torrential downpours on Field Day, this June 27 and 28th. This year, the operations were Our score of 746 points was easily able to take first place in the 2AC category, due to the absence of any other WPA Stations in that category. OK, so it’s a wee bit misleading to say we “won”… but it makes us happy to say it that way! Realistically speaking, we placed 19th nationally, out of field of 35 entries in the 2AC Category, which put us smack-dab in the middle of the pack in our own category. Looking at the entire collection of entries, we placed #1758 out of 2720 total entries putting us at the 35% point which is still in the middle of the group, albeit at the lower end of the middle. Considering the weather, that’s not a bad showing at all! Thanks to everyone who showed up and braved the dismal weather!
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set up at the Punxsutawney Airport at the facilities used by the Punxsutawney Area Amateur Radio Club. The Special Event callsign N3Q was used in honor of the Club’s 40th anniversary. The GOTA station used the Punxsy Club’s K3HWJ callsign.