Photos from TechFest 2010!

Here are a few photos, mostly of setting up, of TechFest 2010, held at the Baden American Legion in Baden, PA on February 14, 2010. If you cannot see the slideshow below, please install Adobe Flash Player. Enjoy!!

Western PA Section News – John Rodgers, N3MSE

Like many of you I am already tired of the snow we have been receiving. I want to thank the many hams that have helped with Skywarn and other weather related nets during the past week. Here at my qth in Butler, I have measured 22 inches of snow on the deck behind my home. Hamfests for the next month or so are as follows. The first is a new event a tech fest to be sponsored by the BVARA club and the boy scout explorer post 73. The event takes place on February 14 and additional information i...

Teen invents underground texting device

By Brad Horn, from NPR Caves are some of the last places on the planet left to explore. Though caving is relatively safe, if something goes wrong deep inside the Earth, a rescue can take days — in part because cell phones and walkie-talkies don't work underground. But a remarkable teenager in New Mexico has invented a device that may significantly speed that process with the ability to text from underground caves. The young man's invention may have other applications, as well. Underground...

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...

Ham Radio operators are the eyes of the National Weather Service

By Bob Cox, from Star-Telegram Even in the age of high-powered Doppler radar, instant communications and the Internet, the National Weather Service and local safety officials still rely heavily on old methods for accurate observations and emergency communications. Volunteer amateur — or ham — radio operators still play a primary role in providing on-site information about tornadoes and storm conditions to weather forecasters and letting emergency responders know what’s going on. "There’...

Just don’t call them amateurs

By Joe Fries, from Kelowna Amateur radio operators are amateur in name only, and you may have them to thank if you’re ever the unfortunate subject of a search-and-rescue mission. Photo Joe Fries You may recall the Christmastime drama surrounding a Kelowna man who went missing in the Chute Lake Road area. The initial manhunt was conducted by police and search-and-rescue teams, which were assisted by amateur radio operators, who know what buttons to push when other forms of communicatio...

Help Haiti: Low-tech radios connect some Haitans

By John D. Sutter, from CNN In the brutal aftermath of Haiti's earthquake, Jean-Robert Gaillard turned to his low-tech radio for solace and for a lifeline. When the earthquake hit, the 57-year-old from Petionville, Haiti, found most of his normal lines of communication -- his cell phone, the Internet, even his ability to walk down the street and talk to someone -- severed by the disaster. But Gaillard used a neighbor's generator to power up his radio and connect to a handful of amat...

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: Ham radio operators provide critical communication line during disasters

By Leticia Juarez, from 39Online.com In the aftermath of Haiti's 7.0 magnitude earthquake, amateur radio operators like Jeff Walter tuned in and listened. "We are listening for anything, any information that we can possibly relay or use in some manner to benefit somebody," said Walter, emergency coordinator for Harris County Amateur Radio. The wireless technology came in handy when Harris County was asked to in aid in the search for six Houston area Rotary Club members in Haiti. The...

Western Pennsylvania Section News – N3MSE

By John Rodgers, N3MSE, from the ARRL January 17, 2010 On Saturday January 16 I was privileged to be a guest at the annual Skyview Radio Society banquet. This was a kickoff to the beginning of their 50th year as a radio club. 2009 was not a good year for the club in terms of disasters befalling them. A violent and nasty storm hit early in the year and took down trees, antennas, towers and damaged much of the club area. This group pulled together and not only restored the club area but also...