TechFest Weather Update: Cancelled or Not?

Make sure to check here, on our website, on our TechFest page, on our geocaching page, or on the Greater Pittsburgh Council website for the latest concerning the weather and the TechFest. To learn whether the TechFest has been postponed, please MAKE SURE to keep checking back here. If you have any questions, please email TECHFEST@W3SGJ.ORG

Geoscouting Webinar today at 1PM CST

Join GeoScouting.com for a Webinar on February 3. Reserve your Webinar seat now! Learn about two exciting new Get in the Game! geocaching activities for councils, districts, and units. We'll also share with you some fun geocaching ideas from councils across the country and give you more tips on how to make the most of your council starter kits. We hope you can join our Webinar live, but if you can't, it will be recorded and posted to the Anniversary Academy page on YourSource. Feel f...

Troop 405 Scout helps get homeless off streets

By Linda Wilson Fuoco, from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Boy Scout Troop 405 Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette Boy Scout Michael Deschaine delivers a sofa to a sixth-floor apartment in McKeesport's Isbir Manor. Michael was joined by family and Scouts from Troop 405 in Baden to deliver furniture to clients of Pittsburgh Mercy Health System's Operation Safety Net, which helps to improve the lives of the homeless. When Michael Deschaine of Baden embarked on his Eagle Scout project, he pick...

ARRL WPA Section News

On January 26, 2010 the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted on and passed HB2070(189-6). This bill deals with several subjects the most notable portion of this legislation for many people is the sections which deal with "Prohibiting use of interactive wireless communication device". Below is a copy of Sections 2 & 3 of HB2070. It is notable that there are no exceptions for Amateur Radio. However, Section 2 of HB2070 on page 5 lines 19 Thru 22 there is this:, "The term does not in...

Pittsburgh Scouts Respond to Haiti

While our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti, as Scouts who are always ready to lend a helping hand, our minds wonder what can I do to help? Rescue efforts are currently underway by professionals trained in disasters. The immediate need is for emergency supplies that have to be purchased. The Boy Scouts of America is partnered with the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) and locally the Greater Pittsburgh Council is partnered with the Brothers Brother Foundation (www.brothersbro...

VE TEST SESSION – February 14 at the TechFest

We will be having a Volunteer Examiner Test Session for anyone who wishes to earn or upgrade their amateur radio license at TECHFEST 2010 on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14. 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. If you have any q...

TECHFEST 2010 Press Release

Contact: Grant Miller Beaver Valley Amateur Radio Association (BVARA) Email: techfest@W3SGJ.org Press Release 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, Fe...

Help Haiti: Salvation Army Net nightly on 75m

By Dave, KB3FXI Hello all, Salvation Army Net on 75m seems to be starting nightly at 10pm EST (03:00z). The purpose of the net is to handle health and welfare traffic for the Haiti Earthquake disaster. There are still virtually no HF station operational from the affected area but I would suspect that stations should be coming on line over the next few days. And with the scope of this disaster, I would suspect that there will be a lot of activity on the nets in the weeks to come. If ...

URGENT: Hams, keep clear of 7045 KHz and 3720 KHz

Haiti Earthquake Amateur Radio Update By VA3QV Posted Thurs Jan 13 2010 at 0347UTC by VA3QV ================== From the CQ / WorldRadio Online Newsroom: All radio amateurs are requested to keep 7045 kHz and 3720 kHz clear for possible emergency traffic related to today's major earthquake in Haiti. 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 i...

It Seems to Us: Not an Emergency Radio Service? by David Sumner, K1ZZ

By David Sumner, K1ZZ (ARRL CEO) from the ARRL The FCC raised a few eyebrows by including the following sentence in its Public Notice DA 09-2259 (see page 72, this issue): "While the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communications service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications, is one of the underlying principles of the amateur service, the amateur service is not an emergency radio service [emphasis added]." We might take umb...