What’s Happening in Amateur Radio ?

We are Cumberland Amateur Radio Club.  Something’s in the works almost all the time. 
Here are some of the things we found interesting:

*** Amateur Radio Operating Skills Class *** FREE ***

*** FREE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATING SKILLS CLASS *** A free, weekly, Amateur Radio Operating Class on Zoom will begin on Thursday April 4 and run through June 20, 2024. Classes will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern ...
/ Training Class

Amateur Radio License Exam Training Classes (FREE)

The South Mountain Radio Amateurs (SMRA) will hold their next License Training class on Monday February 26, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The classes run for up to 7 weeks. Classes are held at ...
/ Training Class

CARC Calendars — Things To-Do

Great Day, CARC has had a Things To-Do page for several years. This page delivers listings of Hamfests, Contests, License Training Classes, License Exam Sessions, On-The-Air Nets, Radio Club Meetings (ours!), and Face-To-Face get-togethers. The format ...
/ Notification

You Should Be Part of CARC Field Day 2024

There's Room for More. Come On Down! Cumberland Amateur Radio Club extends our invitation to those who would like to be part of ARRL Field Day 2024. Cumberland Amateur Radio Club members are making plans to ...
/ Invitation

Straight Key Month — January 2024

Great Day, January is Straight Key Month. A straight key is a tool for sending Morse code characters. The ham radio operator operates the straight key by using the muscles in his or her arm, and ...
/ Morse Code

Know the FCC rules

Let not your Baefong lead you to temptation! Or, Know the FCC rules! On a groups.io that I follow, there was a recent posting about a CSX train crew in New York state. They were M409, ...
/ Regulatory Info, Safety

Request from EPA Traffic Manager, KC8T

Section Traffic Manager Scott Walker (N3SW) is leaving our region. He has handed his managerial duties over to me (Tom Inman, KC8T). Monthly, the traffic manager submits reports to the ARRL, regarding public service honor roll, ...
/ Notification

Accessing FCC site — CORES, new version

Within the past few days the FCC has retired its legacy version of the CORES system (COmmission REgistration System) If you are wondering how and where to conduct online business with the FCC here is some ...
/ How-To, Regulatory Info

Field Day Contact Logging

Field Day Logging Editor's Note: Originally written for 2022. This document has been updated for 2024. If you are doing Field Day 2024 from home (we understand the whole world cannot do Field Day at Shaffer ...

FLrig Software.

Software can make radio more fun ! When I read that headline my first reaction was --- "What? Software can make radio more fun?" YES, it is true. Even a fairly modern ham radio can benefit ...

Reward for a Job Well-Done

Tangible Rewards ! Between March 19 and 26, 2022 eleven Cumberland Amateur Radio Club members operated Special Event station W3R, celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Rockville Bridge. At 3,720 feet, the Rockville Bridge is the ...

This contesting is nuts. Why do we do it?

This contesting is nuts. Why do we do it? Scott Davis, N3FJP, the creator of the N3FJP line of computer logging programs from Affirmatech, answered a question on the N3FJP reflector with a link to the ...
/ Contests

Operation Deep Freeze

The History Guy tm discusses Ham Radio’s contribution to world science in the 1950s. Every now and then YouTube turns up a real gem. https://youtu.be/uaTm_LUifUI is one of these. The History Guy tm takes a look ...
/ History

Do Not Pass GO. Do Not Collect $200

This news blog headline was inspired by something that shows up now and then in my Monopoly game. You probably will not "Go directly to jail." but you may hear from the Volunteer Monitor crew if ...
/ Notification

Straight Key – Morse Code QSOs

Straight Key Morse Code QSOs QSO #1 -- Jim WE5E and John WA3KCP have an on-the-air conversation using straight keys to send Morse Code while Lynn NG9D listens. QSO #2 -- Lynn NG9D and John WA3KCP ...
/ Morse Code, On-The-Air

And now for something completely different…

Passing the Torch After fifteen years of leading the Cumberland Amateur Radio Club to new achievements including the highest membership headcount ever, Andrew Forsyth, AF3I decided to listen to his wife and not run again for ...
/ News, Notes From The Shack

Firsthand Recollection of Hurricane Diane Destruction — August 18, 1955

Royal Kramer, Amateur Radio Call Sign W3ZIF, recalls the destruction that accompanied Hurricane Diane as it passed through the Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Royal and several colleagues provided emergency communications support to the towns on ...
/ Community, History, News

Free Book: Managing Interstation Interference

** Special Thanks to Vibroplex for hosting the author's work on their website. ** It is my pleasure to promote this man's book. W2VJN is the former owner of INRAD. AF3I Immediately Available for FREE DOWNLOAD ...
/ How-To, Technology

Sandpatch Mountain and Railroad Tunnel

Why Play Radio... For many years, I was a member of the Yahoo Groups Sandpatch List. Sandpatch, named for Sandpatch Mountain and tunnel, is where the Baltimore & Ohio, now CSX, crosses the Alleghenies. It was ...

Why Play Radio?

Why Play Radio... For about 50 years or so, rail fans have used radio scanners to listen to the railroad frequencies in the land mobile FM portion of the 137-174 MHz band. The railroad frequencies are ...

The new DXers Handbook — Third Edition

It is my pleasure to promote this man's book. I learned about promoting books and movies by watching The Tonight Show, Starring Johnny Carson. He did a great job. I can only hope to do a ...
/ DX, How-To

Digital Landscape

• Do you have an interest in DMR radios? • Perhaps you are hesitant to wade into digital radio communications because it seems as if there are so many different “standards”. • D-STAR, WIRES, FUSION, C4FM ...

Radio Frequency Exposure Rules

Notes from the shack... From the ARRL Newsletter Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3, 2021 The FCC has announced that rule changes detailed in a lengthy 2019 Report and Order (R&O) governing ...

Hey Guys… Watch This !

Achievement Test... A+ Results The Cumberland Amateur Radio Club is proud to recognize one of its members for producing A+ results in a recent Achievement Test. Congratulations to Doug Stenger, KC3CPT for hitting the books, studying, ...
/ Congratulations, DX, On-The-Air

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)

Amateur radio on the international space station 20th Anniversary Celebration SSTV Image reception from space is within your reach ! The 20th anniversary of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station event is going on through ...
/ Notes From The Shack, Special Event

Montana Outreach

Ham Radio on Kate's Ag A little birdie told me I should spend a few minutes watching one of the newest YouTube videos on the Kate's Ag channel. The title is: A BLAST FROM THE PAST ...
/ Congratulations

Every Ham Needs a Kubota Tractor

Every Ham Needs a Kubota Tractor The other day a group of Cumberland Amateur Radio Club Ham Radio Operators were gathered together for a contest operation. Now and then the conversation turned to topics other than ...
/ Humor

RTTY Software and Contesting

RTTY Software and Contesting RTTY - radio teletype - is a fun digital mode. I became active in the hobby when I learned about FLDIGI software and PSK31 and Domino. Andy AF3I suggested I’d like RTTY ...
/ Contests

Practice Makes Perfect — Part II and Part III

Upcoming State QSO Parties -- Ohio and Hawai`i Cumberland Amateur Radio Club has a goal of building its bench strength in preparation for a big showing in Field Day 2021. Part of our preparation strategy calls ...
/ State QSO Party

Pennsylvania Statewide WIRES-X Net –and– EPA DMR Talkgroup

New Weekly Statewide WIRES-X C4FM Net and Eastern PA DMR Talkgroup Earlier today ARRL Members in the EPA Section received information from Jay Silber, ARRL Public Information Coordinator for the Eastern Pennsylvania Section, describing new weekly ...
/ VHF Digital Modes

Contesting — Practice Makes Perfect

Practice Makes Perfect. With a special focus on the Maryland -- DC QSO Party Scheduled for August 8, 2020 Cumberland Amateur Radio Club recently recapped its performance in the ARRL 2020 Field Day Operating Event. The ...
/ Contests

CARC Two-Meter Net Invitation

Newly Licensed Hams... Welcome to the CARC Two-Meter Net Editor's Note: This information was first posted over a year ago. The content remains an important part of our Club approach to encouraging involvement and participation in ...
/ On-The-Air

FT8 Addiction?

FT8 addiction? With some help from our friends at WSJTX@groups.io.com FT8 is one of the many digital modes in the WSJT-X software suite from Joe Taylor, K1JT and his team of collaborators. The basic software covers ...

A Bit of Morse Code Telegraphy History

Morse Code Telegraphy History A ham radio friend shared this information with me via email. While reading, I found the original source of several morse code shortcuts that are commonly used by ham radio operators. Hams ...
/ Morse Code

Helpful Hint for FM Repeater Users

Helpful Hint for FM Repeater Users I was listening to a conversation on the Frederick, Maryland W3ICF 146.730 MHz repeater this morning. The gentlemen I heard shared a helpful hint for those, like me, who were ...
/ How-To

WSJT-X and JTAlert — Guest Author: N6DBF

So, what's this all about? A female voice is saying "Calling You" and then a male voice says "Wanted DX". While in the background, the Stereo is playing some of that good old time rock and ...
/ Digital Mode, Humor, Notes From The Shack

Memory Lane

The Beginning of Amateur Radio License Plates in Pennsylvania Royal Kramer, W3ZIF, shares with us this amusing story about one of the first Ham Radio Operators to receive a call sign license plate for his automobile ...
/ Humor

Wavelengths and Frequency Bands

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 ...
/ How-To

What’s Old is New

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 ...
/ Technology