From the President’s Desk
A monthly column, written by CARC President Frank Mellott, KB3PQT,
where you can expect to find something of interest each and every month.
From the President’s Desk – June 2025 Issue
From the President’s Desk – May 2025 Issue
From the President’s Desk – April 2025 Issue
From the President’s Desk – March 2025 Issue
From the President’s Desk – February 2025 Issue
From the President’s Desk – January 2025 Issue
From the President’s Desk – December 2024 Issue
From the President’s Desk — Legacy View
A monthly column, written by President Frank Mellott, KB3PQT,
where you can expect to find something of interest each and every month.
Editor’s Note: This LEGACY VIEW is being gradually replaced by our CONTENT VIEW. When that job has been completed this legacy view will be retired.
Volume 5, Issue 06 — Posted June 01, 2025 (migrated)
Greetings! — This is the June 2025 Issue
June! Dairy Month! Strawberries! Radio! And in 2025, seemingly never ending rain.
Really. June is an awesome month to play radio. The 4th weekend (June 28-29) is the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day. Field Day was designed almost 90 years ago to encourage operators to operate in the field. CARC uses the cabin at Shaffer Park in Carlisle. CARC will operate as Class 3A using call sign K3IEC.
Want to practice for Field Day? These contests will help you make contacts and hone your skills.
- Atlantic Canada QSO Party NEW FOR 2025 ! June 7th
- Kentucky QSO Party June 7th-8th
- SKCC Weekend Sprintathon (WES) June 14th-15th
- West Virginia QSO Party June 14th
- ARRL VHF Contest June 14th-15th
- ARRL Kids Day June 21st
- ARRL Field Day June 28th-29th
- RAC Canada Day 8 p.m. on June 30th-July1st
It’s not too late to either get an amateur radio license and get on-the-air for Field Day.
Or, let your fingers wander to Contact Us — Cumberland Amateur Radio Club for more Field Day info.
For more information, or if you want to get onboard and be a part of the CARC Radio Road Show,
please see https://www.radioclub-carc.com/touch-base/
See ‘ya down the log.
Frank KB3PQT
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Volume 5, Issue 05 — Posted April 27, 2025 (migrated)
Greetings! — This is the May 2025 Issue
May Day! May is full of Holidays.
- May Day on May 1,
- Star Wars Day on May 4, (May the “forth” be with you.)
- Cinco de Mayo on May 5,
- National Train Day on May 10,
- Mothers’ Day on May 11,
- Armed Forces day on May 17, and
- Memorial Day celebrated on May 26.
Lots of opportunities to get on the air!
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday, when said three times, is a distress call that originated in the early 1920s for use among aviation and nautical interests.
When and where did the term come into being?
Visit Notes From Shack https://www.radioclub-carc.com/notes-from-the-shack/
For more information, or if you want to get onboard and be a part of the CARC Radio Road Show,
please see https://www.radioclub-carc.com/touch-base/
See ‘ya down the log.
Frank KB3PQT
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Volume 5, Issue 04 — Posted April 04, 2025 (migrated)
Greetings! — This is the April 2025 Issue
April showers bring May flowers. April showers can make it hard to get outdoors and operate. But it is a great time to prepare your gear, get on the air in the various State QSO Parties and other contests, and work POTA – Parks on the Air with those operators located in drier and sunnier climes.
Looking to operate portable but the weather is not so great? Try Portable on The Porch! (Or garage, carport, deck, patio). This can be a great way to test your radio gear without getting far from home.
What have you done today?
For more information, or if you want to get onboard and be a part of the CARC Radio Road Show,
please see https://www.radioclub-carc.com/touch-base/
See ‘ya down the log.
Frank KB3PQT
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Volume 5, Issue 03 — Posted March 11, 2025 (migrated)
Greetings! — This is the March 2025 Issue
What does CARC mean to you?
If someone comes up to you and sees your spiffy CARC apparel or your CARC tumbler, and asks “What is CARC?”, do you have an elevator speech ready?
This column is inspired by an article about the Grange in the Lancaster Farming. A Grange officer related that he was at the PA Farm Show. A family stops by the booth and he gives his spiel about the Grange. The mother looks at him and says “That’s nice, but what does it mean to you?”
The Grange was old when amateur radio first began. It has been written off as outdated many times. But it survives.
If someone asks you “What does CARC mean to you?” or “What does CARC do for you?” do you have a reply?
What have you done today?
For more information, or if you want to get onboard and be a part of the CARC Radio Road Show,
please see https://www.radioclub-carc.com/touch-base/
See ‘ya down the log.
Frank KB3PQT
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Volume 5, Issue 02 — Posted February 01, 2025 (migrated)
Greetings! — This is the February 2025 Issue
As I write this, your favorite local groundhog weather prognosticator has not had a chance to announce whether Spring will be early or not. But no matter what happens, we do not have more than six weeks of Winter left. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a wet spring with a warmer than normal April and May.
February is great time to make your preparations to get outdoors and operate from your favorite park.
February is also the start of the winter State QSO Party season. What better way to practice your outdoor skills than to use the same equipment at home?
CARC has some very active and enthusiastic portable operators.
What have you done today?
For more information, or if you want to get onboard and be a part of the CARC Radio Road Show,
please see https://www.radioclub-carc.com/touch-base/
See ‘ya down the log.
Frank KB3PQT
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Volume 5, Issue 01 — Posted December 26, 2024
Greetings! — This is the January 2025 Issue
January. Time to turn the calendar and launch a new year of service and education.
Your 2025 elected officer team is:
President Frank Mellott KB3PQT
Vice-President John Luthy WA3KCP
Treasurer Garry Fasick K3EYK
Secretary Paula Anstine KC3UVH
Membership Secretary Richard Johnson N3EPY
Dave Smith W3SOX is the appointed trustee for the club call sign-K3IEC.
What do we hope to do in 2025? In no particular order:
- Field Day 2025@Shaffer Park
- Promote portable operation and POTA through on-the-air activities.
- Operate the 10 Meter Phone Net on Wednesdays on 28,400 KHz USB at 8:00 p.m.
- Operate two 2-Meter nets on Sunday:
A Digital Data net on 146.490 MHz FM Simplex at 6:00 p.m. local, and
A Phone net on 146.490 MHz FM Simplex at 7:00 p.m. local.
- Assist newly licensed members in learning about the wonderful world of amateur radio.
- Set up and operate a multi-operator, multi-transmitter entry in the Pennsylvania QSO Party on Saturday October 11, 2025
- Provide communications for the Dillsburg Farmer’s Fair parade on Saturday October 19, 2025
- Light the Luminaries at Children’s Lake in Boiling Springs on a date to be determined.
To do this, we need YOU! Yes, YOU!
- We need you to attend meetings, either in person or on Zoom.
- We need you to participate in events.
- We need you to not just show up, but help set up. And help tear down.
- We need you to tell us what you want. Then help make it happen.
Let’s have a Sporcle.com moment. They are big in the business of offering solutions to crossword puzzle clues.
Clue: An association or organization dedicated to a particular interest or activity.
Answer: Club.
Without people of a common interest, we are nothing.
By mobilizing people having a common interest and we can accomplish a lot.
“People of a common interest” refers to a group of individuals who share a similar passion, hobby, or topic of interest, allowing them to connect and engage with one another based on that shared enthusiasm; essentially, a community built around a specific area of shared knowledge or enjoyment.
Did you detect a pattern among the key words mentioned above?
Interest
Passion
Connect
Engage
Enthusiasm
Enjoyment
What have you done today?
For more information, or if you want to get onboard and be a part of the CARC Radio Road Show,
please see https://www.radioclub-carc.com/touch-base/
See ‘ya down the log.
Frank KB3PQT
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Volume 4, Issue 12 — Posted November 25, 2024 (migrated)
Greetings! — This is the December 2024 ISSUE.
Here we are. December 2024
Quite a year this has been! Do you agree?
Your club and individual member accomplishments include:
Attained 60 years serving the community and the hobby.
Published 14 How Do I… articles on the club’s Know-How Resources site.
Successfully promoted Parks On The Air (POTA) with 22 member participants.
Held Field Day @Shaffer Park with 23 participants who scored 2,446 points.
Ran a special event station honoring the National Railway Historical Society.
Celebrated our own 60th anniversary with a special event station.
Served the community by providing communications support for the Dillsburg Farmers Fair Parade Chairperson and Parade Marshals.
Lit approximately 400 Holiday Luminaries at Children’s Lake in Boiling Springs, PA.
Operated weekly 10 meter nets on Wednesday at 8 p.m. local time.
Operated weekly 2 meter FM Simplex Phone nets on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time.
Operated 2 meter digital data nets using analog FM and FLDIGI sound card technology modes to communicate.
At the November meeting we elected officers for 2025.
President Frank Mellott KB3PQT
Vice-President John Luthy WA3KCP
Treasurer Garry Fasick K3EYK
Secretary Paula Anstine KC3UVH
Membership Secretary Richard Johnson N3EPY
Dave Smith W3SOX is the appointed trustee for the club call sign-K3IEC.
Not to forget our other Club Leaders and Volunteers:
Doug Stenger KC3CPT Vice-President 2024
Steve Hancock N3FWE Technology Guru, Photographer
Maura Smith-Mitsky KC3JJH Historian, Archivist, Holiday Event Planner
Mark Anstine KC3UVG Operations Guru
Paula Anstine KC3UVH Operations Guru
Harry Fasick K3EYL CARC Representative to Farmers Fair Parade
Garry Fasick K3EYK CARC Representative to Boiling Springs Civic Association (Luminary Sponsor)
Doug Stenger KC3CPT Quartermaster
Frank Mellott KB3PQT QSL Manager
R J Harris W3HP Amateur Radio Advocate
Bobbe Rothermel WA3BKK CARC Member since Day 1 in June 1964
Roger Wheeler K3SU CARC Member since Day 1 in June 1964
Doug Stenger KC3CPT Net Control Station for 2 Meter Phone Net
Garry Fasick K3EYK Net Control Station for 10 Meter Phone Net
Valli Hoski N8QVT Net Control Station for Farmers Fair Net
Andrew Forsyth AF3I Net Control Station for 2 Meter Digital Net
We saw our club grow to 46 members with a gain of six new members this year.
That is at least a modern record.
Cumberland Amateur Radio Club members have the skills, and we have the talented people to advance the club along its journey for the next 60 years.
What have you done today?
For more information, or if you want to get onboard and be a part of the CARC Radio Road Show,
please see https://www.radioclub-carc.com/touch-base/
See ‘ya down the log.
Frank KB3PQT
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