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 Our August meeting was home to 21 members and guests who got to enjoy a very excellent program by our special guest Lois Gutshall WB3EFQ. She is the president of the Young Ladies’ Radio League, an international organization of lady hams. She spoke about the activities of the YLRL, how the organization serves radio amateurs and provides international goodwill through service activities worldwide.
 Following her presentation, she answered questions and discussed many topics of interest with those in attendance. We are honored to have been visited by Lois, and many of our members and guests expressed their appreciation for her good work and leadership. Recalling that she was our guest in September 1985, she commented that she hopes to see us again in 25 more years. She was encouraged to come back much sooner than that!
After months of hunting for Hawaii. Last night during a contest i worked two Hawaii stations. I was starting to think Hawaii was harder to work then the Antarctica. And yes contacts during a contest do count as regular contacts for your log.
H Deforest Murray III W3TM
 The Quad-County ARC License Class finished on Thursday, August 11 with a VE exam session. The results were two new Technicians and one upgrade to General.We welcome new Technicians Greg Donahue KB3WKD and Bob Thunberg KB3WKE, both from Du Bois. (Bob is the former N3DIR, but his license lapsed many years ago. Welcome back, Bob.) Ed Neeper KB3VWX from Curwensville upgraded to General. Congratulations to all!
Our recent Clearfield Licensing Class was a success. We welcome new and upgraded hams to our ever-growing ranks! [Photo (L-R): Bob Thunberg KB3WKE (ex-N3DIR), Greg Donahue KB3WKD, Bev Hudsick, Ed Neeper KB3VWX]
 OOn Saturday, August 13, 2011, members of the Quad-County Amateur Radio Club set up an Amateur Radio Demonstration station on the grounds of the Super 322 Drive-In in Woodland, PA. The station used a typical mobile antenna system, but was still able to work stations all along the East Coast, and DX stations in the Caribbean as well!
Additionally, our members fielded questions from over 20 visitors, and offered the opportunity for members of the public to say hello to a distant Amateur Radio operator over the air. Many of the guests took us up on the offer, including the reigning Clearfield County Fair Queen Ms. Melanie Swartz and her Court. Each of the YLs made contact with a station in Florida, who encouraged them to consider getting their licenses.
The owners of the Drive-In were very happy with our operation, and enthusiastically invited us to return next year. Club members who participated included Lars Kvant KB3WBT/SM7FYW, Ed Neeper KB3VWX, Herb Murray W3TM and Joe Shupienis W3BC. Hopefully, by next year we will be able to mention those who visited and their new callsigns!
Photos:
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- Our Station
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- On the air, and doing a good job!
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- the Crew
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- Wherever you go, there we are!
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- Nice weather, classic cars, ham radio -- what more could you ask for?
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- The next best thing to top billing
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- And we're proud of it!
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- All signs point to a good time
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- One of our visitors gives a shout out to the US Virgin Islands.
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- Bev and her daughter stopped by to say hello!
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- Amy and her Mom take turns on the air
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- Send us a SASE for the QSL Card!
I have for sale the amateur radio equipment from the estate of SK, WA3UKE. For questions and/or offers to purchase please contact WA3UFN, Bryan via email: wa3ufn@arrl.net You can also visit http://www.rigpix.com/ for additional information on most of the equipment listed.
Yaesu FT-23R 2M FM handheld 144 –146 Mhz,
5W high power at 12VDC, FTT-4 DTMF keypad installed. No FTS-12 PL board. The FT-23R received a 4.7/5.0 review rating out of 13 respondents on www.eham.com.
The FT-23R — MAKE OFFER —
6 Meter Arrow ground plane antenna for sale. Call 814-236-2888
 With great sadness, we report the passng of Jim Byrne KA3WSX of Troutvile, PA on Sunday, July 10, 2011. His wife passed away recently, and he experienced health problems for the past several months.
Jim served as President of the Quad-County Amateur Radio Club in the mid 1990s, and more recently as the Vice President of the Punxsutawney Area Amateur Radio Club. He was an avid VHF operator and also enjoyed building HF antennas, and operating. He was a driving force behind the Punxsutawney Groundhog Day Special Event.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Bernard P. Snyder Funeral Home in Reynoldsville. No visitation or services are planned.
You are invited to share your memories of Jim here.
 AAttention all Emcomm personnel: You must register on the new WPA ARES website to become or remain a member of ARES! The new WPA ARES website is working very well, and WPA SEC Larry Keller has told us there is no longer any need to use the schedule previously published.
ARES Registration is now open for all WPA ARES members. You are requested to register on the new WPA ARES website, now. Even if you already registered in the past using the ARRL website or a paper form, you still must use this new system to re-register!
Please visit http://www.wpaares.org to register. The registration system can be entered by clicking on the bottom left button.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I access the registration page?
Go to www.wpaares.org. The registration page is accessed from a button on the left side of the homepage
- Is my information confidential?
Information you submit will be available only to the Section Manager, Section Emergency Coordinator and the Emergency Coordinator for your County.
- Why collect this information?
Collection of information on-line is more convenient , an easy to use roster is compiled to facilitate efficient communication with you and more effective response actions in your community and the Section.
- How will I know my registration was successful?
You will receive a confirmation message after you hit the submit button at the bottom. PLEASE DO NOT use ENTER when completing the form. Use the TAB or Mouse to navigate between fields and use the SUBMIT button.
- If I make an error, can I correct it?
Yes, just resubmit ALL data. We recognize duplicates and will use the most recent entry.
- Can I register in two counties?
Yes, if you live on a boundary and serve two counties. You must enter two complete and separate forms.
There is a growing need for ARES emergency communications services, your willingness to help is greatly appreciated.
Questions, contact your EC or AB3ER@comcast.net.
TThe Quad-County Amateur Radio Club has instituted a new program for voluntary contributions to fund the club’s Educational and Outreach programs. The leading priority for Amateur Radio clubs nationwide is the recruiting and training of new Amateurs. Without them, we will witness the end of Amateur Radio.
It takes money to make the wheels of the "New Ham Factory" spin, and club treasuries are already overstressed due to inflation and declining membership. This voluntary donation program allows those members who can afford to do so to contribute additional funds above their annual dues to specific programs of the club. It takes money to make the wheels of the “New Ham Factory” spin, and club treasuries are already overstressed due to inflation and declining membership. The voluntary donation program allows those members who can afford to do so to contribute additional funds above their annual dues to specific programs of the club. When suggesting  this program to the Quad-County club, I recommended the monies all be earmarked for our Educational and Outreach efforts.
Educational is self explanatory: Teaching licensing classes and giving license exams. But there is a promotional aspect to that as well. The League has produced many public service spots for radio ans television, but there are some small costs involved in obtaining them and supplying them to media outlets. Additionally, there are printed publications and handouts for the public and schools. These carry a cost as well. Finally, one of the best ways, even in this Internet age, to attract new hams is to place a license manual in school and public libraries. They are not cheap. Our Volunteer Donor program makes this activity possible without bankrupting the club.
Outreach is a fairly new word. Organizations such as ours use the word a lot. It means providing services to people in our communities who are not (yet) members. Some are hams who haven’t become active with their neighbor hams. Some aren’t hams but have an interest in our activities. Finally there are other, non-Amateur Radio organizations whose goals intersect with ours… Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, Public Safety agencies, Red Cross, Salvation Army… It’s a long list. We incur some expenses providing these organizations with printed literature, and providing program materials such as DVDs about Amateur Radio they can show their members.
Besides these activities, there are year-round outreach activities as well. You are reading one of them. Registration for the domain name “qcarc.org” costs us about $12.00 a year. Hosting it costs $4.95 per month. That adds up to about $72.00 per year. If you do the math, it’s about 20 cents a day. From all comments I’ve heard, it’s worth it. The software is free, and I’ve donated my web-design services free of charge. If you were to pay a professional web provider for all the artwork and maintenance, you would be looking at $20 to 30,000 per year. Compare this website to the ARRL website and consider how much that cost the League. (Hint: It’s a deep, six-figure number!)
Taking a cue from the ARRL’s Diamond Club, I came up with the idea of the Dime-A-Day Donor program. For a mere $36.50 per year, you can help support the Outreach and Educational programs that are so important to the future of Amateur Radio and to your club. Our Treasurer collects these funds, and you will receive a certificate in recognition of your selfless contribution to these vital club programs. If you can afford to do more, consider becoming a Double Donor which is a really meaningful way for you to say “$73!”
Consider becoming a Dime-A-Day Donor today. The money will absolutely go to a cause you believe in: Bringing new hams into the hobby.
Dime-A-Day Donors
We thank the following people who have very generously contributed to the future of Amateur Radio:
| Joe Shupienis |
W3BC |
Double-Donor |
| Doug Rowles |
W3DWR |
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| Jeff Rowles |
KA3FHV |
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| Ed Morrison |
K3JE |
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| Tom Robinson |
W3KWT |
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| John Buttner |
KB3OUG |
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| Al Maddas |
KB3SVW |
Double-Donor |
| Bryan Simanic |
WA3UFN |
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| Kevin Hoynoski |
W3PIG |
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TTHE BIG DAY is here! All the planning and preparation comes together today at the Old Town Sportsmen’s Pavilion on the Clearfield County Fairgrounds. This morning, we are setting up antennas and radios and computers, and the grill… and everything else!
The contest portion begins at 2:00 pm and ends Sunday at 2:00 pm. Help will be needed to tear down as well, so please stop by. Many hands make light work, you know!
The Public and media are invited, and this year we’re trying something new – a GOTA station. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a “Get On The Air” station to allow unlicensed people, new hams and old-timers who haven’t been active lately to make some contacts at a more leisurely pace.
We are there now, come on over!!!
Update Saturday 10:00 pm
Channel 6 News visited our Field Day site and depending on the other stories (of course) plans on airing their coverage of us tonight on the 11:00 news. Catch us tonight, and stop by in person Sunday after 10 am. The contest period ends for us at 2 pm, but we’ll be cleaning up and enjoying a hotdog and conversing with old friends for hours after that!
 WWhat else could possibly be the main topic of the June meeting except Field Day? After getting the meeting started, things settled into a businesslike pace as minutes were read, and reports were given. W3BC reported the club’s ARRL Special Service Club status was renewed after many years of inactivity. He further commented that the Field Day Press Release had been picked up and published by several local news outlets, and that a television news camera crew is expected. The subject turned to Field Day, and visitors Lee and Mary Lewis (N3NWL and N3UDN) shared with us some very useful Field Day pointers from their years of experience at putting on a really great Field Day operation in Ridgway.
Hams from four counties gathered at the Clearfield County EMA Center for their June Meeting. Guests helped finalize Field Day plans, newcomers introduced themselves and guest Steve Waltman KB3FPN presented an engaging technology program to round out yet another good old QCARC meeting! Mike WB3EQW raised the question of why the club covers four counties, and Club Founder Joe W3BC related the history of the Club’s creation and the rationale behind the large geographic area.
Under new business, W3BC suggested a new program for members wishing to do more for the club — the Dime-A-Day Donor Program. Club members may voluntarily contribute an additional $36.50 each year to go toward the Club’s Educational and Outreach programs. In recognition of these voluntary contributions, they will receive the status of “Sustaining Member” and a certificate bearing witness to that fact. Several contributions were given to the Treasurer. 15 members and guests were in attendance.
After the meeting, Coffee and Donuts were enjoyed, and a 50-50 drawing was held. 
The program was then presented by Steve Waltman KB3FPN from Brookville, with help from Tom W3KWT. The program was a demonstration of the capabilities of a Communications Monitor, and how amateur transmitters could be tested easily to be sure they measured up to specs.
Photo Gallery
(Click any image to begin slideshow, press [ESC] to stop)
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Our August meeting was home to 21 members and guests who got to enjoy a very excellent program by our special guest Lois Gutshall WB3EFQ. She is the president of the Young Ladies’ Radio League, an international organization of lady hams. She spoke about the activities of the YLRL, how the organization serves radio amateurs and provides international goodwill through service activities worldwide.
Following her presentation, she answered questions and discussed many topics of interest with those in attendance. We are honored to have been visited by Lois, and many of our members and guests expressed their appreciation for her good work and leadership. Recalling that she was our guest in September 1985, she commented that she hopes to see us again in 25 more years. She was encouraged to come back much sooner than that!
