Our June meeting will be on Friday, June 3rd at 7:00 pm at St. James Lutheran Church, Kugler Rd. and Swamp Pike in Limerick.
Members, friends, and prospective hams are invited to join us.
There will be a presentation on SKYWARN by Lou / WX3I
Future meetings:
– July 1st: Hotdogs & Hams at 6:00 pm
– Aug. 5th: Pedestrian Mobile with Ed / W3WSJ
1800 UTC Saturday and running through 2059 UTC Sunday
Google Maps link to Hopewell Fire Tower: https://goo.gl/maps/9V5rWoE7kn52
View the PAARC 2016 Field Day webpage for details (under Special Events)
Amateur Radio Field Day Demonstrates Science, Skill, and Service
ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations. All are welcome to visit the PAARC Field Day location and get on the air with us! Our special event call sign is W3T.
Members of the Pottstown Area Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise, June 25 – 26 at the French Creek State Park’s Hopewell Fire Tower. Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of Amateur Radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.
For over 100 years, Amateur Radio — sometimes called ham radio — has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster, all without needing a cell phone or the Internet. Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network. Over 35,000 people from thousands of locations participated in Field Day in 2015.
“It’s easy for anyone to pick up a computer or smartphone, connect to the Internet and communicate, with no knowledge of how the devices function or connect to each other,” said Sean Kutzko of the American Radio Relay League, the national association for Amateur Radio. “But if there’s an interruption of service or you’re out of range of a cell tower, you have no way to communicate. Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with tablets or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of Amateur Radio during a communications outage.”
“Hams can literally throw a wire in a tree for an antenna, connect it to a battery-powered transmitter and communicate halfway around the world,” Kutzko added. “Hams do this by using a layer of Earth’s atmosphere as a sort of mirror for radio waves. In today’s electronic do-it-yourself (DIY) environment, ham radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific disciplines, and is a huge asset to any community during disasters if the standard communication infrastructure goes down.”
Anyone may become a licensed Amateur Radio operator. There are over 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 5 and as old as 100. And with clubs such as Pottstown Area Amateur Radio Club, it’s easy for anybody to get involved in the Pottstown, PA area. For more information about Field Day, contact Ed McCoy N3WXW@arrl.net, 610 469 9737 or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
For a map, go to http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator enter W3T as the call sign to search by name or in the callsign box.
04/07/2016 – Article reposted from the ARRL: http://tinyurl.com/worldamateurradioday2016
World Amateur Radio Day (WARD), observed every April 18, marks the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in 1925. As they do every year, radio amateurs worldwide will take to the airwaves to celebrate Amateur Radio’s contribution to society.
“April 18 is the day for all of Amateur Radio to celebrate and tell the world about the science we can help teach, the community service we can provide, and the fun we have,” the IARU said in announcing World Amateur Radio Day 2016. “We hope you will join in the fun and education that is World Amateur Radio Day!”
Taking note of the increased activity around the world for WARD 2016, ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, pointed out that WARD 2016 coincides with National Parks Week in the US, so listen for amateurs on from NPS units for National Parks on the Air. “ARRL is happy to list coordinated activity from WARD stations worldwide. Send me your activity information, and I will post it to the IARU WARD page.”
After a nice chat on the phone with our very own Dr. Bill/W3FRB I was told that both the Magician Net & the Mini Boat Anchor Net were listed on the EPA ARRL website. After enlisting the help of Melody/KB3SJR she graciously found the article posted below. The listing was submitted by Steve/K3ALV. Thanks to both Melody and Steve for sharing your time and talents!
Things are just starting to perk up here on the 6 meter band with some great openings into South America. Although it’s not for everyone, when the band opens up it can lead to some very fast paced contacts. With the Spring VHF contest coming up in June, and the band starting to show signs of activity it is our hope that everyone will give this often neglected band a try.
Speaking of activity, I got a text message on my cell phone Sunday from none other then Joel/KB3OZC. Joel always let’s me know when the bands open. By now I’m sure you’re noticing a bit of a pattern here? From the very article you see posted below to the message I received on my cell phone Sunday afternoon, it’s people that make it all happen. You may not see them, and you may not hear them directly, but they’re in there just the same.
PAARC will offer an Amateur Radio License testing session on Friday, May 6th at 5:00 pm, before our regular First Friday meeting at St. James Lutheran Church, 93 Kugler Rd., (intersection of Swamp Pike & Kugler Rd.) Limerick, PA 19468.
Go for your license or try for an upgrade. You can pre-register for the test by sending an email request to VETesting@PAARC
All test sessions administered by examiners accredited by The American Radio Relay League, Inc. See: What to Bring to an Exam Session