Pennsylvania QSO Party 2019 Results

Posted on October 13, 2019October 14, 2019 by Andrew

Cumberland Amateur Radio Club put forth a winning Radio-Sport effort in the Multi-Operator, Multi-Transmitter, Portable category using the Club Callsign K3IEC — phonetically spoken as Kilowatt Three India Echo Charlie.

Club Members Dave Hile W3VRE, Doug Stenger KC3CPT, Steve Hancock N3FWE, Frank Mellott KB3PQT and Andy Forsyth AF3I spent Saturday October 12, 2019 at our favorite York County portable operation location.

By the time Saturday evening sunset was imminent we had amassed 88 two-way radio contacts with other participants. Those contacts involved 64 multipliers among the Pennsylvania counties and the American Radio Relay League Sections. Additionally, we were graced with one radio contact between our station and the PA QSO Party 2019 Bonus Station — K3SMT.

By the time I had completed all the cyphering (math calculations for the younger members of our audience) we had a Total Score of 6,152 points.

Here is a screen snapshot from the N3FJP Logging Software showing the calculations. This snapshot was taken before the K3SMT 200 Bonus Points were added.

I predict that ours will be the winning entry in the category we selected. When the Official Results are announced we plan to hold a ticker tape parade around the parking lot perimeter at our monthly meeting venue.

For more information about the Pennsylvania QSO Party visit their website: www.paqso.org

Here are some photos highlighting our weekend activity. The photos were taken and shared by Steve Hancock, N3FWE. Thank you, Steve.

Not everything we do involves operating our ham radios. We did set aside time to enjoy our mid-day meal consisting of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, potato chips and pretzels. The entree portion of our meal was grilled to perfection by our chef — Doug Stenger. Thank you, Doug.

Posted by: Andrew Forsyth AF3I

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Doug Stenger, KC3CPT operating 75 Meter Phone

Dave Hile, W3VRE generating warmth on a chilly October morning.

Doug KC3CPT, Glenn K3SWZ, Dave W3VRE and Andy AF3I [left to right, back to front]

Dave Hile, W3VRE making many QSOs on 75 Meter Phone. Andy Forsyth, AF3I making not so many QSOs on 20 Meter Phone and CW.

Our red-roofed tent is an attention grabber. The open floor plan is a very popular feature in today”s housing market.

Frank Mellott, KB3PQT operating 40 Meter Phone

CARC Meeting Activity — PA QSO Party Tips, by an Expert

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Andrew

Get on the air. Have lots of fun. PA QSO Party.

CARC held its monthly Face-To-Face meeting on Wednesday September 18, 2019. At least two Special Thank You moments came out of that meeting.

1.) A Special Thank You goes to Glenn Kurzenknabe, K3SWZ, who delivered a very nice presentation teaching us all about the PA QSO Party. Glenn has many years of experience operating and winning the PA QSO Party. It was a great experience for those who were present to learn from a Master. Thank you, Glenn. The 2019 PA QSO Party will take place Saturday October 12 and Sunday October 13.

2.) Another Special Thank You goes to Bobbe Rothermel, WA3BKK, who shared this photograph of the presentation. Glenn is up front at our meeting venue — Hoss’s Steak and Sea House Family Restaurant, located at 61 Gettysburg Pike in Mechanicsburg (Upper Allen Township). The room-full of meeting attendees is off-screen to the left of what you see in the photo.

If you hear K3IEC on-the-air that is us — the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club.

Posted by: Andrew Forsyth, AF3I

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CARC Ten Meter Net Breaks New Ground

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Andrew

One Small Step For A Man. One Giant Leap for CARC.

Wednesday August 28, 2019 is the first day of the rest of our lives. Tonight, the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club Ten Meter Net added the additional dimension of Video Conferencing to our Weekly HF Round Table. Tonight’s participants were treated to a simulcast of Two-Way Radio Frequency on the Ten Meter Band and a Web Conference carried on the Internet.

Five participants accepted the invitation and equipped their PC with the tools to do this job. In the headline photo you will see a Gallery View of N3EPY, AF3I, KB3UWH, K3EYK, and N8QVT (left to right, top to bottom).

I plan to hold a Video Conference Simulcast again next week — Wednesday September 4, 2019. Web Conference will open at 7:45 p.m. On-Air will commence at 8:00 p.m. I will email Web Conference invitations and brief instructions to the entire CARC Membership.

You can join the On-Air Round Table at 28.400 Mhz Upper Sideband. You can join the Webcast. You can do both. If there is one thing CARC is proud to offer it is MULTIPLE OPTIONS. (I sense an oxymoron in there someplace.)

Posted by: Andrew Forsyth, AF3I

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CARC is proud to offer MULTIPLE OPTIONS.

CARC Gets The Job Done With ZOOM

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Andrew

Cumberland Amateur Radio Club is extending its outreach through the use of ZOOM Online Meetings intended to engage club members who may be unable to attend our face-to-face meetings.

ZOOM provides the audio and video tools that enable our “Stay-At-Home” or “Away-From-Home” members to participate in club activities. A typical participant could be one of our Snow Birds who spends the winter in a warmer climate.

The first test of this new option will take place in parallel with our weekly Ten Meter Net. Interested club members can connect to the traditional Ten Meter Net using their Ham Radio Transceiver. And, as an added bonus, club members can click a link that was eMailed to a group of testers enabling them to join the ZOOM Online Meeting.

I plan to have my Ham Radio shack on video during this experiment — Wednesday August 28, 2019 beginning at 7:40 p.m. and continuing through 8:20 p.m.

Posted by: Andrew Forsyth, AF3I

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Summer Reading List — Posted August 4, 2019

Posted on August 4, 2019August 13, 2019 by Andrew

Summer Reading List — The Bounty Trilogy

You had a summer reading list when you were in Grade School. Why not have a summer reading list now that so many of us have grown up, and graduated?

In eager anticipation of the upcoming Pitcairn Island DX-pedition VP6R I have obtained a few copies of the Bounty Trilogy by Charles Nordhoff. The Bounty Trilogy includes Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairn’s Island. If this topic is of interest to you, and if you promise to be a good DXer, see me at the August 21, 2019 meeting of the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club. The meeting information is on our Events page.

My good friend Ralph Fedor, K0IR is leading a Team who will set up and operate their Ham Radios from Pitcairn Island in the mid to later part of October 2019. Between now and then you have time to read and learn about The Bounty, its crew, the mutiny, the Captain and his staff who were set adrift and survived a 4000 mile voyage to the East Indies, and the settlement of Pitcairn Island by Fletcher Christian and the mutineers.

Posted by Andrew Forsyth AF3I

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Field Day 2019 * * * Friends, Food, Radio

Posted on July 18, 2019July 18, 2019 by Andrew

Celebrating Field Day 2019

Cumberland Amateur Radio Club recently participated in the annual ARRL Field Day Operating Event.

A record-breaking 21 members and 7 guests participated in the operations. I propose that everyone had a good time. Thank You to all who participated and collaborated.

The accompanying PDF tells the story of our Field Day through the use of photos and text.

Be forewarned: The file size is 65 Mb. This download consumed 9 minutes on my slow-DSL connection.

Field Day 2020 Schedule

June 2020

Beginning 8:00 am

Carlisle Area, PA – Venue TBD

June 2020

Ending about 11:00 am

Carlisle Area, PA – Venue TBD

Wavelengths and Frequency Bands

Posted on July 6, 2019July 6, 2019 by Andrew

It was a dark and stormy night.

We’ve all heard that opening line at one time or another. Here is the Summertime-In-Central-Pennsylvania version of the same concept:

It was a hot and humid afternoon.

One of the creative writers, who is a vertebrae in the backbone of our club, spent this hot and humid July afternoon writing an article for our Resources page. The article describes how Ham Radio Operators use the terms WAVELENGTH and FREQUENCY BAND to describe the location of their radio signals. I hope you will read and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Here is a link to the article called: Waves and Bands

Regards,

Andrew Forsyth, AF3I

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What’s Old is New — Posted July 01, 2019

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Andrew

It is a great day to learn something new, even if that something happens to be 50 years old… perhaps older.

A new article (in PDF format) has been posted on the Resources page, associated with the sub-heading OPERATING YOUR STATION. The title of the article is Slow Scan Television. Hams frequently abbreviate that name to SSTV.

Slow Scan Television is a technology that enables the transmission of images using shortwave radio. There are some similarities between SSTV and FAX. Slow Scan Television was created in the 1960s. At that time there was a tremendous dependency on using cathode ray tubes with very long phosphorescence to display the images. The more modern version of SSTV leverages the power of the Personal Computer and its Sound Card to create and preserve the images.

You may wish to read the article. Here is a link to the file SSTV.PDF.

We have at least three club members who have taken the bait and tried their hands at sending or receiving SSTV images. If you have questions on the topic perhaps we can get you connected with one of the three and share their knowledge.

73, Andrew Forsyth AF3I

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Field Day 2019 — Great Turnout

Posted on June 23, 2019July 5, 2019 by Andrew

Good Day or Good Evening,

This is a brief report on the recently completed On-The-Air activity known as ARRL Field Day.

Cumberland Amateur Radio Club members, guests, and visitors enjoyed the lovely weekend weather by spending a couple of days at the Shaffer Park in Carlisle (North Middleton Township). Those who participated fulfilled all the signature characteristics associated with ARRL Field Day — it was an Emergency Preparedness exercise, it was a great time to renew ham radio acquaintances, and there was an element of competition to see which group could amass the greatest number of two-way radio contacts during the Field Day weekend. Participants thrived on all three components.

I am declaring that Member Participation was at an all-time high. And, we had a greater number of guests and visitors than I ever remember. I guess that qualifies as an all-time high as well.

I am reorganizing myself and my Field Day supplies following the highly successful weekend. I need a few days to tally our results and announce our standing.

The December 2019 issue of QST Magazine will publish the national results. Look for Cumberland Amateur Radio Club in the results listing. We operated using the callsign K3IEC. Our entry will appear in Class 4A Commericlal Power where I expect we will rank near the top of the listings.

Posted by: Andrew Forsyth, AF3I

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Amateur Radio Month in Pennsylvania

Posted on June 20, 2019June 20, 2019 by Andrew

Pennsylvania

Amateur Radio Month

ARRL Field Day is an annual event in which Amateur Radio Operators across North America exercise and demonstrate their capability to provide community service communications in times of need.

Elected Officials often recognize the Amateur Radio Operators who volunteer their time and talents to benefit their communities. Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania is among the officials who offer best wishes for continued success.

“…on behalf of all the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I am pleased to recognize June 2019 as Amateur Radio Month.”

Tom Wolf, Governor

Cleaning House (actually Cleaning Garage)

Posted on June 18, 2019June 19, 2019 by Andrew

A Good Friend of Amateur Radio has been cleaning his garage. This fine gentleman has collected a lifetime of books that have something to do with Amateur Radio. He asked for help getting those books into the hands of anyone who would give them a good home. I volunteered.

When I volunteer for some big project it usually involves work for you too. Surprise. This is one of those times.

The books will follow me to the many places I visit during the upcoming weeks. Maybe just a few books from the collection. Maybe all of the books in the collection. Feel free to browse. If you see a book that interests you then it can be yours for nothing more than the pleasure I will receive knowing that the inventory load has been lightened.

The books and I will be at the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club meeting on Wednesday June 19, 2019.
The books and I will be at the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club Field Day Exercise on Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23, 2019.

I have four 12 gallon flip-top tote boxes filled with books. I estimate that the total load is on the order of 200 pounds.

If I return from these outings with the same books Momma is not going to be happy. And, if Momma isn’t happy then no one is happy. Please do your part to spread happiness.

If I was trying to prevent forest fires I would have a mascot by my side and a catchy slogan. So, in order to give books to good homes I propose I need my own mascot and my own catchy slogan. Here goes…. My mascot will be Archie the Atlantic Puffin. My catchy slogan will be: “Free Books Are Priceless. Take One or More”.

Best Regards, Andrew Forsyth AF3I

UPDATED : Wednesday July 19, 2019

I have inventoried the entire collection of books and placed a PDF in the Member’s Page listing each Book Title, Author, Publisher, Publication Date, and Page Count to the extent the information was readily recognizable. CARC Members may visit the Member’s Page, and look for the Other Downloadable Files heading. If you are not yet a CARC Member I invite you to join. If you are a Good Friend of Amateur Radio you may email me your request and contact information. After CARC Members have had their first opportunity to review the list I will send a copy of the Book Inventory File to recognizable Good Friends.
AF3I@RadioClub-CARC.com

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New Content in the RESOURCES page — Added May 23, 2019

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Andrew

Part of the How Do I… Series

It is a Great Day for Ham Radio. As the Administrator of the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club website I am glad that you found us. I hope you will enjoy the content that one of our most active members has shared.

Newly added content appears on the RESOURCES page in three parts. The topics and the titles are: Clubs, Nets and Social Activities.

I hope you will read and take interest in what we have to say. Enjoy.

Post written by: Andrew Forsyth AF3I

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Meeting Recap — May 15, 2019

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Andrew

When just about half of all club members show up for the monthly meeting there must be something pretty good taking place at the meeting. I am not talking about the magician trick where they appear to saw the lady in half and then magically restore the pieces back into a single entity with a wave of the magic wand. I am talking about 15 people making a strong commitment to their club and spending the evening with other club members conducting our business and social activities.

Thank you for being the life-blood of our organization.

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Field Day — CARC Style!

Posted on May 5, 2019May 5, 2019 by Andrew

Part of the “how do i…” series

Field day — carc style

Field Day has its origins in the 1930s. The idea was to prepare for emergencies by being able to set up ham radio stations away from home and successfully making two-way radio contacts with similar stations in other areas.

Over time Field Day has evolved into THE primary operating event in North American amateur radio.

For many clubs and individual ham radio operators Field Day is a combination social event, preparedness event, operating event, educational event, and just plain fun.

Click the link to read more about the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club and its plans for Field Day. We welcome visitors.

Field Day CARC Style [PDF]