WASHfest Hamfest: Sunday Feb. 25, South Park
8:00 am – 3:00 pm, rain or shine
Location: Home Economics Building
3735 Buffalo Drive
South Park Township, PA
Website: http://n3sh.org
Sponsor: Wireless Association of South Hills ARC
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Talk-In: 146.955 & 443.650 (PL 131.8)
Public Contact: Carol Danko , KB3GMN
4246 Seton Drive Pittsgurgh, PA 15227
Phone: 412-884-1466
Email: n3sbf@comcast.net
Breakfast and lunch available… FREE Coffee
For more information, visit http://www.n3sh.org/hamfests.htm
Digital Voice Radio Seminar – March 3, Indiana Quality Inn
Last year, we held a WPA section-wide DV Radio Seminar – at the Uniontown ARC – in the South 1 district. The response was fantastic. In fact, we had more hams wanting to sign up than we could accommodate. Now, we’re holding one again in Indiana, PA! The seminar date is Saturday, March 3rd.
You’ll learn about the different DV methodologies available to hams and experience samples of DV audio – compared against analog FM. You’ll see the advantages of DV radios and repeaters, plus-up-to-the-minute technologies and also see “what’s hot and what’s not”. While the subject matter can be rather technical, it will be presented in a fashion that is informative and easy to understand.
Our venue is the Quality Inn & Suites at 1545 Wayne Avenue, in Indiana, PA. We’ll start the day with coffee at 9:00, then business starting up at 10:00. We’ll take a break for lunch and then regroup. As we have the meeting room well into the afternoon, there will be plenty of time for Q&A, plus some demonstrations.
The seminar is made possible by our ARRL leadership – including WPA Section Manager, Joe Shupienis W3BC, and will be conducted by our section Public Information Coordinator, Cory Sickles, WA3UVV. Cory writes the monthly column “Digitally Speaking”, for “The Spectrum Monitor” magazine and is a former columnist for various CQ Magazine publications.
The 2018 WPA DV Radio Seminar is free to attend, but we do need to have you sign up. Please send an email to wa3uvv@gmail.com – including your name, callsign, and telephone number. You will be contacted to confirm your reservation and again to remind you of the date. If our response is anything like last year, it is strongly suggested you sign up ASAP.
If this event is well-attended, it will indicate there is a high level of interest in holding events such as this throughout the Section. Again, that’s Saturday, March 3, 2018, from 9:00AM to 3:00 PM.
We hope to see you there!
ARRL Announces 2018 Teachers Institutes on Wireless Technology
| Do you know a teacher who is also a radio amateur? Please forward this information to any and all “Teacher/Hams” you know. These courses qualify for PA Act 48 credit. The cost of the courses, travel, lodging and meals are free to qualified teachers. Space is limited and the classes fill up fast, so advise teachers to register now. |
As part of its educational outreach through the Education & Technology Program (ETP), ARRL will offer three sessions of the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology this July. The week-long workshops will be held at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, and in Dayton, Ohio — hosted by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA). The Teachers Institute (TI) is an expenses-paid, professional development seminar that provides teachers at all grade levels with tools and strategies to introduce basic electronics, radio science, space technology, and satellite communication, as well as weather science, introduction to micro-controllers, and basic robotics in their classrooms.
The Teachers Institute curriculum is designed for motivated teachers and other school staff who want to learn more about wireless technology and bring that knowledge to their students. The goal of the TI program is to equip educators with necessary foundational knowledge and — through hands-on learning — generate the inspiration for teachers to continue exploring wireless technology and adapt what they learn to their classroom curricula.
Interested educators can apply online. The $100 enrollment fee is refunded for applicants who are not selected. A qualified applicant must be an active teacher at an elementary, middle, high school, or community college/university, or in a leadership or enrichment instruction role in an after-school program.
The grant to attend a TI covers transportation, hotel, and a modest per diem allowance to cover meals, instructional resources, and a resource library of relevant ARRL publications.
Graduate credit is available through Fresno Pacific University, which may be applied to satisfy professional growth requirements to maintain teaching credentials. The class is self-contained, and participants are expected to be able to complete all requirements during the class time. Graduate credit forms may be requested at the end of the Teachers Institute.
For more information, contact Ally Riedel at ARRL Headquarters.
2017 WPA Yearbook Still Available for Download!
| Don’t miss out on what everybody else is talking about! Download you own copy today. We can’t send it to you by email – YOU have to download it yourself! It’s easy to download , just click on this link or visit this address: |
We are pleased to announce the 2017 WPA Yearbook is finally here! You can scroll to the bottom of the WPA Section Page at arrl.org to download it, or download it right here: 2017 Yearbook
Our 2017 WPA Yearbook is 64 full-color pages that chronicle our Section’s Amateur Radio activities over the past 12 months in stunning photos, articles, charts and tables and directories of all Section staff members and appointees.
This is all contained in a 6.7 Megabyte PDF file, which may take a while to download if you use dial-up access, but it’s really worth the download! We also have a 240 MB “High Definition” version with much more detail in the photos. We will make this HD version available soon.
We are also looking into printers who can provide a deluxe printed edition perfect for gift giving, or to display to the public during amateur radio events. It looks like the going price at online printers is $19.00 + shipping from a number of sources. We are still looking for a better deal, and are open to suggestions (No, it’s not right to have somebody’s employer unknowingly foot the bill for a bunch of “free” color copies!!! Don’t even think about it. Remember our principle of “Integrity”!!!)
Newsletter editors: If you ask nicely (or even not so nicely!) we will be happy to provide you with individual articles (or the whole thing) as PDF or DOC/DOCX/ODT files. Just ask!
Help Wanted
Providing excellent service to a section as big as WPA simply cannot be done by a handful of people. Our WPA friends deserve the best we can give them, and to do that, we need your help! If you have been thinking about volunteering to help, have a look at the list of Station Level Appointments by visiting the ARRL Website at http://www.arrl.org/field-organization and scrolling down the page to “Station Level Appointments”.
If you’re having trouble choosing, take a good look at Technical Specialist. I’ve often said that everybody is an expert at something, and this appointment gives you the opportunity to share your special knowledge with others. As we all know, a good Elmer can make all the difference to a new ham’s enjoyment of amateur radio. The Elmer works with the newcomers to help them get started in the greatest hobby on Earth, which can lead to their lifelong involvement. The Technical Specialist is sort of like an “Official Elmer” and is the go-to person in your club, town or county for all your questions about antennas, radios, grounding, digital modes, and many more topics. If you are that person, why not make it official? Contact me for more information!
Upcoming Events
Our WPA Section always has something going on, and we’re already off to a running start!
| Date | Location | Event |
| Feb 25 | South Park | WASHfest 2018 |
| Mar 3 | Indiana, PA | Digital Voice Radio Seminar |
| Mar 11 | Youngsville | Warren Co Hamfest |
| Apr 8 | Boston, PA | Two Rivers ARC 47th Hamfest |
In Conclusion
If you’re looking for a program for your club meetings, why not put together some activities for new hams and those who are interested in Amateur Radio? Demo the latest entry level radios like the Icom 7300 and the Yaesu 991A (for example), have some Elmers available to answer questions, have a show and tell about DXing, digital modes, SDR, signal location… the list is endless.
Advertise it as much as you can, especially in schools, colleges, on bulletin boards at work, on your nets, and in person to the hams in your communities who recently got licensed. It doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to be done. Who knows, you might make the difference needed to gain some active new members!
Above all else, go out of your way to make new hams feel welcome and respected! We want to make good amateur radio friendships in the best 100+ year tradition of Amateur Radio!
Still looking for more ideas for meeting programs? Drop me an invite or a request for a visit by any of our section staff. We are available to travel to your group, and can discuss a variety of very interesting Amateur Radio topics.
73 and Press On!
Joe Shupienis W3BC
