Due to the “enormous” amount of snow that fell over night and the anticipated accumulation throughout the remainder of the day, we have decided to cancel the BVD Mall Show. It will be too difficult to ask everyone to dig themselves out and spend the day at the mall. We need to focus on our cleaning up our driveways and staying safe.

We have to give the Weather Service credit… they got it right this time!

We will try to reschedule the Pinewood Derby races for a later date and location (TBD). But due to our busy BSA schedules, it may a month or more before that can occur. We encourage all racers to keep their cars in good condition and will inform all BVD units of the new race date ASAP.

Thank you to all of the volunteers that went to the mall on Friday evening to put up tables and tracks, in an attempt to out-fox the weather and those that intended to arrive early this morning to finish the preparations. We owe them a big THANKS for their extra effort.

This will be a year to remember…. the 100th Anniversary Mall Show canceled because of the BIG SNOW STORM.

The test session will be held at the Baden American Legion Post 641 in Baden, PA:

Address: 271 State St. Baden, PA 15005
Time: 9:00 am on Feb. 14, 2010
Cost: $15.00
Bring two forms of ID ( one with your photo)
Bring your original license (if any) and a copy.
Bring any C.S.C.E’s from prior exams if any.

TECHFEST 2010:
Where Technology, Scouting and Amateur Radio come together

On the second weekend in February, hundreds of Amateur Radio operators, Boy Scouts and people interested in technology from all over the tri-state area will converge at the Baden American Legion in Beaver County, Pennsylvania for TECHFEST 2010. The event will be held from 8:00AM until 2:00PM on Sunday, February 14.

TechFest 2010 is the perfect opportunity for anyone to learn and see how modern technology can be incorporated into the Amateur Radio hobby. We will have multiple technology displays, including Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS), which uses GPS technology to report the location of ham radio operators in real time; solar-powered satellites; Echolink, which enables you to easily communicate with other “hams” around the world using your computer; and more. There will also be a table explaining Amateur radio’s role in emergency communications in disasters like the recent earthquake in Haiti. You will be able to talk to other ham radio operators all over the world, and learn how to get started in the hobby. We will have a prize drawing and electronics auction at the end of the event, and a radio flea market will also be held throughout the day. Boy Scout Merit Badge counselors will be on site to help any Scout earn Computers, Electricity, Radio, Electronics, Space Exploration and Emergency Preparedness Merit Badges. We also have a special guest coming from the state of Indiana, over seven hours away. Mr. Rick Garrett will present a hands-on workshop on geocaching, and will show everyone how to incorporate Scouting and Amateur Radio into this fun, GPS-oriented hobby.

If you ever wondered what ham radio was about, members of the Beaver Valley Amateur Radio Association will be in attendance with friendly people to answer any questions you may have. The hobby is open to people of all ages and abilities and is a vital resource in times of emergency such as natural disasters.

We will have exam sessions scheduled throughout the day for those wishing to take their first Amateur Radio license exam or license upgrade. If you hesitated to get your Amateur Radio license because of Morse code, please be advised that Morse code is no longer a requirement to get your license.

Admission is only $5. Contact us to reserve a display/vendor table for only $10, which includes 1 free admission. This event will benefit Boy Scout Explorer Post 73 and The Beaver Valley Amateur Radio Association, scientific non-profit organizations of licensed public service amateur radio operators and Boy Scouts.

Anyone interested in Amateur Radio, electronics, emergency communications, geocaching, Boy Scouting, or technology is invited to join the fun and learn how to make new friends all over the world. So, come and “amplify” your day at the event that will showcase the future of Scouting and Amateur Radio.

For more information, please contact:
The Beaver Valley Amateur Radio Association (BVARA)
TechFest Coordinators: Robert DeMarco, Grant Miller, Jack Spencer

Website: http://techfest.W3SGJ.org
Email: techfest@W3SGJ.org

The BVARA is an American Radio Relay League ( ARRL® – http://www.arrl.org ) affiliated club

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International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region II Area C Emergency Coordinator Arnie Coro, CO2KK, reports that as of 0245 UTC on January 13, nothing had been heard from radio amateurs in Haiti, but that the above frequencies were being kept active in case any Haitian hams manage to get on the air, and in case of other related events in surrounding areas, including aftershocks and a possible tsunami.

The following is from an e-mail from CO2KK:

A few minutes after the earthquake was felt in eastern Cuba’s cities, the Cuban Federation of Radio Amateurs Emergency Net was activated, with net control stations CO8WM and CO8RP located in the city of Santiago de Cuba, and in permanent contact with the National Seismology Center of Cuba located in that city.

Stations in the city of Baracoa, in Guantanamo province, were also activated immediately as the earth movements were felt even stronger there, due to its proximity to Haiti. CO8AZ and CO8AW went on the air immediately , with CM8WAL following. At the early phase of the emergency, the population of the city of Baracoa was evacuated far away from the coast, as there was a primary alert of a possible tsunami event or of a heavy wave trains sequence impacting the coast line at the city’s sea wall …

Baracoa could not contact Santiago de Cuba stations on 40 meters due to long skip after 5 PM local time, so several stations in western Cuba and one in the US State of Florida provided relays. CO2KK, as IARU Region II Area C Emergency Coordinator, helped to organize the nets , on 7045 kHz and also on 3720 kHz, while local nets in Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa operated on 2 meters.

As late as 9:45 PM local time 0245 UTC we have not been able to contact any amateur or emergency services stations in Haiti.

Amateurs from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela were monitoring the 40 meter band frequency, that I notified to the IARU Region II executive Ramon Santoyo XE1KK as in use for the emergency, requesting that 7045 kHz be kept as clear as possible …

We are still keeping watch on 7045 kHz hoping that someone in Haiti may have access to a transceiver and at least a car battery to run it.

All information that has so far come from the Cuban seismologists tell us of a very intense earthquake, and also of the possibility of other events following.