Oct 26, 2021 | News, Special Event
Able Archer 2021 Special Event
6 Nov 2021 1400 hrs UTC through 7 Nov 2021 1700 hrs UTC
Operation will be on 29.65 mc FM, 51.00 mc FM, 75 & 40, 20,18,10 meters USB, RTTY at 7080mc on ONLY COLD WAR military radio equipment.
1983 Brink of the Apocalypse
Able Archer 83 was a ten-day (NATO) communications exercise starting on November 2, 1983, that spanned Western Europe, centered on the Supreme Headquarters Allied Europe Headquarters, Able Archer exercises simulated a period of conflict escalation, culminating in a simulated DEFCON 1
coordinated nuclear attack The exercise also introduced a new, unique format of coded communication, radio silences, and the participation of heads of government.
The realistic nature of the 1983 exercise, coupled with deteriorating relations between the United States and the Soviet Union and the anticipated arrival of Pershing II nuclear missiles in Europe, led some members of the Soviet Politburo and military to believe that Able Archer 83 was a ruse of war, obscuring preparations for a genuine nuclear first strike In response, the Soviets readied their nuclear forces and placed air units in East Germany and Poland on alert. This is known as the 1983 war scare.
The 1983 war scare is considered by many historians to be the closest the world has come to nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. the threat of nuclear war ended with the conclusion of the exercise on November 11.
To recognize the sacrifices of our military, signal corps, and members of the clandestine services during this critical time in the history of the cold war, we will host a special event station. Our special event will consist of operation from a Cold war era Nike Missile site using period style military radios and antennas to make the contacts.
Any questions please contact Walt Skavinsky (KB3SBC) kb3sbc@…
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Walt KB3SJB
Amateur Radio Station KB3SBC
Sep 29, 2021 | News
The 65th Annual PA QSO Party will begin on Sat., 10/9, 1600 – 0400 UTC (noon to midnight EDT), and Sun., Oct. 10, 1300 – 2200 UTC (9:00 am to 6:00 pm EDT). The 2021 bonus station is W3RRR.
PA QSO Party homepage: https://paqso.org/index.html
Rules: https://paqso.org/pa-qso-party-rules.html
Sep 29, 2021 | ARRL, News
In May of 2021 the FCC adopted guidelines and procedures for evaluating environmental effects of RF emissions. The guidelines incorporate two tiers of exposure limits based on whether exposure occurs in an occupational or “controlled” situation, or whether the general population is exposed or exposure is in an “uncontrolled” situation. In addition to guidelines for evaluating fixed transmitters, the FCC adopted limits for evaluating exposure from mobile and portable devices, such as cellular telephones and personal communications devices.
From the ARRL:
“Amateur Radio is basically a safe activity. In recent years, however, there has been considerable discussion and concern about the possible hazards of electromagnetic radiation, including both RF energy and power-frequency (50-60 Hz) electromagnetic fields. To allay such concerns, the FCC set limits on the amount of RF energy people can be exposed to. Some stations need to be evaluated to see if they are in compliance with the rules. (You don’t need to send anything to the FCC once you complete your evaluation.)
If you do a station evaluation for one or more powers or modes, you can use the ARRL worksheet to guide you through the process. This single page worksheet and instructions will suffice for many stations. You can keep this worksheet in your station records,
You can also use the online calculator:
http://arrl.org/rf-exposure-calculator Fill-in the form with your operating power, antenna gain, and the operating frequency. “Depending on how far above ground the RF source is located, you might want to consider ground reflections — and then click ‘Calculate’. You may need to run the calculator multiple times to get a complete picture of your situation, i.e. take into account the antenna’s lobes and directionality.” (These suggestions are from the Lake Washington Ham Club.)
See Chapter 5 of the ARRL “RF Exposure and You” book for more information about multiple-transmitter sites. This book may be downloaded, although some of the information on categorical exemptions for amateur radio has been superseded by the new rules changes. The book can be downloaded for free.
See also:
ARRL FAQ page: http://arrl.org/rf-exposure
ARRL Calculator parameters: http://arrl.org/rf-exposure-calc-instructions
Apr 5, 2021 | News, Repeater
All repeaters will be down for tower maintenance on Monday, April 5. There will be installation of new antennas, and tower climbers will need to be working in a RF free environment. No idea how long this will take but it should be done by end of day.
In addition, there will be a new Yaesu Fusion repeater installed for 2 meters. This will replace the 40 year old GE MASTRII mobile radio which is showing its age. The 2 meter Fusion repeater will be operating at a lower power level until it can be matched to our existing amplifier. This consists of building an attenuator to reduce the 5 watt output of the Fusion repeater to match the 1 watt input requirement of the amplifier. This might take a week or two to get done. Also the existing UHF Fusion repeater will be connected to our existing controller which will result in slightly different audio and courtesy tones.
– Bob, K3DBD
Jan 16, 2021 | News
The FCC approved new license fees for Amateur Radio and the GMRS.According to the FCC Report and Order released December 29, 2020, The new Amateur Radio license fee is $35. This fee will apply to new licenses, renewal licenses, and vanity call signs. Previously, no fees were collected for ham licenses or vanity call signs issued to amateur radio operators, so technically it is a significant change. However, it is less than the $50 fees originally proposed by the FCC. A GMRS license will now cost $35, down from $70. The license is still valid for 10 years and covers an entire family.
