Western Pennsylvania Section News – 24 June 2020
Field Day is this weekend. Please put safety first, and don’t take chances with anyone’s health. If you requested an ARRL official to visit your group, we will make our best effort to accommodate your request. Please observe all safety measures during our visits, which will be limited to 20 minutes, no more than 25 people present, everyone masked, and no personal contact. All requests must be submitted to the Section Manager by email or phone bu Friday June 26 at 12:00 noon. Conditions and distance permitting, we’ll do our best.
For this year only, people operating from home as a class D station can get points for all contacts, including other Class D stations. Be sure your logging software is up to date. This will ensure you claim proper credit for all Class D stations you work, and the newly added Prince Edward Island Section of the Radio Association of Canada. Don’t forget to include your club name in your log submission to help your club compete in the club aggregate score competition included in this year’s rules.
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It is with the deepest sorrow we report the passing of Eastern Pennsylvania Section Emergency Coordinator Walter “W. T.” Jones WN3LIF on Monday, June 22 in Scranton. The following tribute was written by Eastern Pennsylvania Section Manager George Miller W3GWM:
“It is with great sadness that I must report the passing of Walt Jones, WN3LIF. Walt passed on Monday, June 22nd, at Scranton Regional Hospital.
Walt was a Vietnam Veteran and had been awarded the Purple Heart as well as other honors while serving as a Special Forces Officer.
Walt spoke often of his wife, Jan, “The Lady of the Jones Manor” and loved going for walks with his dog, Taffy. He never neglected his family and friends.
Walt served on the ARRL Field Staff as our Section Emergency Coordinator. He built ARES in East Pennsylvania into the outstanding organization it is today. Walt WAS the Amateur Radio Emergency Service in the Eastern Pennsylvania Section. He was always ready to lend a hand to County Emergency Coordinators to overcome any problem. Everyone knew they could always count on Walt.
I always told Walt that his work made me look good. Walt didn’t work for accolades and seemed embarrassed by praise.
Walt visited every ARES group in East PA and made significant contributions to each.
Every Sunday evening Walt published his EPA Section ARES Weekly Bulletin which everyone looked forward to. True to form, this past Sunday, although feeling “a little under the weather”, Walt sent out his last newsletter.
I was privileged to work closely with Walt as Section Manager and valued his friendship and advice. Walt was a “self-starter”. I could ask him to take on any project and knew it would be completed in an outstanding manner.
Walt was known throughout the American Radio Relay League for his skill and devotion to Public Service. His reputation spread far and wide. I never encountered anyone who didn’t have high praise for Walt.
Above all else, Walt was a “People Person.” He was always willing to lend a hand with any task.
Walt leaves big shoes to fill and no one will ever replace him. We will all miss Walt signing out of nets with his trademark “WN3LIF, Life Is Fun.”
Walt was a member of the Murgas Amateur Radio Club and served on the Board of Directors.
His passing is a great loss to the Murgas Amateur Radio Club, Luzerne County ARES, the EPA Section, Luzerne County EMA, to his friends in competitive shooting, and to those lucky to call him friend. Our deepest sympathies to his wife Jan and the rest of his family. Thank for sharing Walt within us.
Below is the obituary notice from The Citizens Voice:”
“Walter T. Jones, 69, of Duryea, passed away unexpectedly Monday, June 22, 2020, in Regional Hospital of Scranton. Services will be privately held and at the convenience of the family. Interment will be in Fairview Memorial Park Cemetery, Elmhurst.” —Published in Citizens’ Voice on June 23, 2020
“Rest in Peace, W.T. “Walt” Jones, WN3LIF, SK, June 22nd, 2020 a better friend no one ever had.”
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Upcoming Hamfests
Important note: Due to the pandemic, many hamfests have been canceled this year. Always check with the sponsoring organization before traveling to a hamfest to avoid wasting a trip in case of last minute cancellation.
When attending a hamfest, please be considerate and respectful of your fellow hams, and wear a face covering to protect others. Every location in Pennsylvania is enforcing a maximum or 250 people at any events, including Hamfests. Remember, the best rule is “Safety First!” If you have any reservations, it’s always best to act in the interest of common sense and good judgment.
The Northwest Pennsylvania Hamfest will be held July 11th at the usual location in Wattsburg. Here is the information:
Saturday, July 11, 2020 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Greene Township Municipal Building
9333 Tate Road
Erie, PA 16501
Website: http://www.wattsburg-wireless.us
Sponsor: Wattsburg Wireless Association
Talk-In: 146.22 – 82 (PL 186.2)
Public Contact: Larry Kemmler II KC3JBR
3150 Morning Sun Court Erie, PA 16506
Phone: 814-881-2689
Email: lkemmler@yahoo.com
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CVARC HAMFEST
07/27/2019, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: CVAEMA Showgrounds
1501 Criders Church Road
Chambersburg, PA 17201
Website: http://www.w3ach.org/
Sponsor: Cumberland Valley Amateur Radio Club
Talk-In: 147.120 + (PL 100)
Public Contact: Ray Smith , N3TWU
27 North Queen Street Shippensburg, PA 17257
Phone: 717-377-3550
Email: raysmithequip@hotmail.com
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Sunday, August 23, 8:00 am – closing
Skyview Amateur Radio Society, Turkey Ridge Rd, Apollo, PA 15613, USA
Skyview Radio Society “Swap N Shop”
Location: Skyview clubhouse (“up at the joint”)
2335 Turkey Ridge Road
New Kensington, PA 15068
Website: http://www.skyviewradio.org
Sponsor: Skyview Radio Society
Talk-In: 146.64 (PL 131.8)
Public Contact: John Italiano , WA3KFS
661 Ridge Avenue New Kensington, PA 15068
Phone: 724-339-3821
Email: k3mjw@arrl.net
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The following is a press release from the Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania, headquartered in Pittsburgh. They are responsible for all Red Cross activities in 61 of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania, and have been actively coordinating with ARES Leadership in the EPA and WPA ARRL Sections.
“Red Cross EmComm Drill Summary
American Red Cross volunteer radio amateurs organized a large-scale nationwide Emergency
Communications (EmComm) drill on May 30, 2020. Planning began last November by a handful of Red Cross volunteers. Interest both within Red Cross and the larger radio amateur community grew and by May a thousand hams were registered to participate.
Red Cross has a Memorandum of Understanding with the American Radio Relay League concerning
EmComm training and exercises and this drill was organized along those lines. ARRL’s Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) provided hundreds of hams to support Red Cross in this simulated nationwide emergency. In all, over a thousand radio amateurs were active in thirty six states, including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as the territory of Puerto Rico.
Additionally, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), with its strong history of providing EmComm services participated in this joint simulation. SATERN activated in six states.
The Drill was a simulated nationwide power outage and participating hams were role-playing as “shelter stations.” (No one was actually at a Red Cross shelter due to the complications of Covid-19.)
In future drills actual operation at Red Cross shelters and facilities will be planned. The drill scenario was that each “shelter station” ham was in an area that had no power, internet or cell phone service and that the Shelter Manager needed to get out a requisition for materiel. The Shelter Manager would give the ham a 6409 requisition form that would then be transmitted digitally, over radio, to a Divisional Clearinghouse. There were ten of these set up around the nation to serve as collection points
for 6409’s and other Red Cross forms. The Divisional Clearinghouses were assumed to be “high and dry,” with power and fully-functional internet. They would be able to collect the forms and convert these into plain-English documents to send to a conventional Red Cross email address and readable by a non-ham.
This event was a booming success. Over six hundred 6409’s were sent, along with three hundred ARC
213’s and almost a hundred shelter reports and staff assignment forms, demonstrating the ability of
amateur radio to process and deliver Red Cross forms in an emergency scenario with no internet, power
or cell phone services. Cooperation between ARES and Red Cross was strengthened more than ever.
Planning is now beginning for a Fall Drill that will build upon lessons learned in the Spring Drill.”
–Comments prepared by Wayne Robertson, K4WK, wayne.robertson@redcross.org, June 22, 2020
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I always enjoy hearing about your projects and your club activities. Please send write-ups to sm@wpa-arrl.org to have them included in these mailings. Please remind every ham in your community to periodically update their personal information, INCLUDING CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS in their profile on arrl.org. Also everyone needs to check the box to opt in to receive “Members Only Emails” like this one. Rest assured that ARRL guards your privacy and never releases your email address or other personal information to anyone. Subscribing to Members Only will never cause advertising to fill up your inbox.
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That is all for now. I hope we can soon get back to our amateur radio friendships, both on the air and in person very soon. In the meanwhile, stay safe and stay healthy!!!
73 and Press ON!
