EXCLUSIVE Interview with David Sumner, K1ZZ

We have had the opportunity to interview ARRL CEO, Executive Vice President and Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ for this month's issue of our club newsletter, the eQRM. Make sure to read the 4-page interview in the May issue of our PDF newsletter. Participate in the discussion and go to the QRZ forum thread In our EXCLUSIVE interview with David Sumner, K1ZZ, we talk with him about the future of amateur radio, his opinion on the current licensing structure, the 1979 WARC, and more. Here ...

Live from the Pittsburgh Marathon!

Make sure to watch our Twitter feed on May 2, starting at 7AM EST. We will be Tweeting live from Mile 21.5 at the Pittsburgh Marathon! Check our Twitter feed for more updates.

VOIP contacts now valid for ham radio awards

From the QRZ Forums According to an announcement just out on the IARU website, from today contacts made using QSONet and HamSphere are now officially amateur radio contacts and can count towards amateur radio awards. The announcement says: "There is an ever increasing use of computer and internet technology to facilitate the making of contacts between amateur radio operators. For many years use of the DX Cluster has been permitted to locate DX contacts to work and many operators now use in...

Support House Bill HR 4809 – Technical Resource Enhancement Act

We have an opportunity to lend our support to passage of legislation that will help the FCC acquire the expertise needed to understand, regulate, and support communications in a rapidly changing technical environment. On March 10, H.R. 4809 was introduced to the House of Representatives. The bill has been assigned to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The "FCC Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act" would authorize each FCC commissioner to appoint an electrical engineer o...

Thank you for participating in TechFest 2010!

To all displayers, vendors, and attendees, Thank you for participating in TechFest 2010! It was a pleasure to see and meet all of you, and I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did. We will be holding the TechFest again next year, but that is far in the future. As of now, we have plenty of great events to participate in: ARMAD in May, Field Day 2010 in June, The BVARA Corn Roast in August, Campaganza in September, and the Christmas Party in December. And this just the tip of the iceberg!...

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!!

TECHFEST 2010 IS TOMORROW!!

The big day is finally upon us: TechFest 2010 will be held tomorrow, February 14, at the Baden American Legion, 271 State Street, Baden PA 15005 from 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM. We will be having Merit Badge classes for the Boy Scouts, technology displays, amateur radio flea market, geocaching presentation (with Q & A afterward), amateur radio auction and MORE! Make sure to stop by for a day of fun and learning! Grant, KB3QFQ Eagle Scout, Boy Scout Troop 405 Beaver Valley TechFest 2010 Coordinato...

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...

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

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...