Activities & News

 Hello,

This page contains general club news, activities and pictures. Also items of interest such as links to area hamfest, help needed for ham projects and public service events.etc. If you or your club has an event, news etc. you would like posted please feel free to contact us. Our goal is to provide an information link to the members and friends of the club.

Thank you, Tommy   n3fxd@arrl.net

EVENTS

                                                    HAMFEST'S 2011  

09/11/2011

Location: Unionville Fire Department Grounds
102 Mahood Road
Butler , PA 16001
Website: http://w3udx.org
Sponsor: Butler Amateur Radio Association
Talk-In: 147.36/.96 (PL 131.8)

36th Annual Elmira International Hamfest/Computerfest

09/24/2011

Location: Chemung County Fairgrounds
Grand Central Blvd.
Horseheads, NY 14845
Website: http://arast.org
Sponsor: Amateur Radio Association of the Southern Tier
Talk-In: 147.360+ (no tone) & 444.200 (no tone)

 

                                                  FYI  BELOW

From: "Kevin Custer" <kuggie@kuggie.com>
Date: Nov 5, 2010 2:14 PM

Friday, November 5, 2010

To all concerned:

The overview that follows explains a new amateur radio linking system which has been deployed in the central region of Pennsylvania which has near seamless north-south coverage from the New York State line into northern Maryland.  It is the intention of the development team that this link system remain fluid in its application; which can and will change in purpose, as the need arises.  The official name of the link system has yet to be determined.  In times of disaster, it will serve many purposes for agencies like FEMA, PEMA, ARES and RACES/ACS, but from a neutral standpoint.

The new link system, in its present state, includes several repeaters physically located in Warren, Jefferson, Cambria, and Somerset Counties.  These repeaters are linked (connected) together with a private wide area network (WAN) TCP/IP network connection and Linux based repeater controllers which have the ability to allow multiple, simultaneous, high-quality duplex audio/telemetry connections.  While similar linking systems require use of the public Internet to provide the path between sites, our present sites utilize a private WAN to make this connection.  This means if there is an Internet outage, the system will continue to operate over the private WAN; as it can exist without Internet bandwidth being supplied over it.  Of course, if a repeater outside our private network is connected over the Internet, and the Internet goes out, this repeater will still operate stand-alone, but will no longer be part of the system as a whole.  In other words, Internet connected repeaters will not totally fail, they will continue to operate - locally.
The new link system has, at the present time, private connectivity between the existing sites.  While many miles exist between physical tower locations, all connectivity is over private, locally owned and operated networks.  These networks are comprised of a mix of fiber optic and wireless topologies which are all either owned or operated under the direct control of the development team.  Some of these sites will have redundant LAN connectivity, as it is our intention to make the system as robust as possible.  It is not within the scope of this document to detail the connectivity between sites because of security and non disclosure policies.  The system is, for the most part, privately held by members of the development team and possibly organizations they work directly for.

The new link system uses repeater controllers which are based upon VoIP technologies that allow for very high quality audio throughput and reconfigurability on a near infinite scale.  It is loosely based on the Asterisk/app_rpt system utilized in the AllStar Link system and a few others, with some minor exceptions.  One exception is we have chosen to use a special distribution of the application written by a mutual friend, Steve Henke - W9SH.  This special distribution allows for greater flexibility and support.  It is the concern of the development team that this system not be dependent on the integrity on the public Internet; in which is has no direct control over.  AllStar linking is almost totally done over the public Internet, however, it can be configured so sites which can see one another over a private WAN can be connected without Internet bandwidth.  This means that systems that are connected in a private manner will not fail to be connected to one another, as long as the private WAN does not fail.  Our new link system has been configured to allow direct connectivity fail-over in the event of a Internet outage.   This configuration allows our link system to be accessible anywhere in the world as long as the Internet is healthy, and will continue to operate locally and regionally if the public Internet should fail.

This amateur radio link system system is the result of work done mainly by M. Scott Zimmerman - N3XCC and David Hunter - N3YFO.  It was their vision to connect Cambria and Somerset Counties together with this technology.  They have hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars personally invested in this system.  The system has expanded into other Counties by cooperation of Jim Knox - N5NWC and myself, Kevin Custer - W3KKC.  Thomas Brew - K3WS has enabled the system to grow at an explosive rate with donations of computer equipment, technical knowledge, and enthusiasm.  While the system is already providing a vast coverage area, we are hopeful it will expand to enable the repeater coverage desired by the development team, and regular users of the system.

The link system currently consists of eight repeater sites connected together:

146.625- W3KKC PL 186.2 Warren PA - AllStar Node 27258 (Warren County)
442.700+ N3KZ    PL 186.2 Sheffield PA - AllStar Node 27266 (Warren County)
146.715- N5NWC PL 173.8 Punxsutawney PA - AllStar Node 27296 (Jefferson County)
147.060+ K3WS   PL  167.9 Carrolltown PA - AllStar Node 27348 (Cambria County)
145.210- KC3DES PL 123.0 New Germany PA - AllStar Node 27355 (Cambria County)
145.390- N3YFO PL 123.0 Johnstown PA - AllStar Node 27237 (Cambria County)
146.625- WR3AJL PL 123.0 Central City PA - AllStar Node 27261 (Somerset County)
147.075+ N3XCC PL 123.0 Somerset PA - AllStar Node 2375 (Somerset County)

The node numbers are subject (and likely) to change as the system develops.

As referenced earlier, the system is loosely based on the AllStar Link system.  Information about this system, and its current status, is available online at:
http://www.allstarlink.org/

Information on the status of the new link system is available in graphic form at:
http://stats.allstarlink.org/getstatus.cgi?27266
Simply replace the node number in the url above with any node in question from the list.

At this time, the development team includes the following:  M. Scott Zimmerman - N3XCC,  David Hunter - N3YFO,  Thomas Brew - K3WS,  Jim Knox - N5NWC, and Kevin Custer - W3KKC.
The special Xelatec XIPPR distribution of the operating system used in this network is the work of Steven Henke - W9SH.
http://www.xelatec.com/xippr/install

Respectfully Submitted,
Kevin K. Custer - W3KKC
 

Sky Warn training will be coming soon so check back for date and time.

Amateur Radio License Test Sessions

VE Test Sessions will be held throughout the year in Ridgway, PA. at 9:30 am. at the 911 center, which is located approximately 3 miles south of Ridgway on US Rt. 219.

DATES FOR  2011 :  

NOTE: Dates or times could change so check back to make sure the tests will be given.

Other test sessions may be requested by contacting Lee or Mary Lewis.

For more information you may contact Lee or Mary Lewis.

Phone: (814) 772-4568

E-Mail:   jlms@windstream.net