TRARC Activities for March 2024

Members,
I hope everyone is enjoying the yo-yo weather we are having this week. As we progress forward to Spring and Daylight Savings time, the Club has the following activities planned for March.

Saturday, March 9th will be the Club’s Hams and Eggs Breakfast. It will be held at the Butlers Golf Course, Rock Run Inn, 1800 Rock Run Rd, Elizabeth, PA 15037. Breakfast will start at 9am. Please note this is the same day as the WEARS-FEST.

Saturday, March 9th move your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed since Daylight Savings Time begins at 2am Sunday morning.

Monday, March 11th MAY be our next Club board meeting at 7pm at the Blaine Hill VFD Main Hall, 409 Oxford Ave, Elizabeth, PA 15037. Jim Bricker N3JHB will issue an email to the board members concerning the agenda. The date is assumed since the Club’s VE session is coincides with the normal Board meeting date.

Tuesday, December 12th will be our next VE session at the McKeesport High School at 6:30 pm. Please contact Mike Kowalcheck, KV3L for more information.

Thursday, March 14th will be our operating night beginning at 7pm at the Lincoln Borough VFD Station 184, 4312 Liberty Way, Elizabeth 15037. We will be using the vertical antenna that we have used at previous ops nights. The multiplexer will allow us to operate up to 4 radios simultaneously on 40, 20, 15, and 10m. We use the Club call W3OC which allows Technician Class operators to operate on all bands (Extra Class operators will be there to assist). Please come out and have a great operating session.

Tuesday, March 19th will be our next Club meeting at 7pm at the Blaine Hill VFD Main Hall, 409 Oxford Ave, Elizabeth, PA 15037. As a minimum, we will be discussing the 2024 hamfest. The Hamfest Chairman, John Moskala will be looking for volunteers for working the Hamfest. He will have the signup sheet. I will be bringing the remaining strip tickets and Advanced Hamfest Prize Tickets for sale to the membership.

Information for the Good of Club – The 2m Gabnet discussion tonight concerns Beacons. Wes KC3VYM sent to me his favorite beacon website to pass on to the Club members. Please check out www.ncdxf.org/beacon/. I will be doing that after I send this email.

I recently purchased 300 feet LMR-240 Ultra flex coax. This is a double shielded 8X size coax that I will use for jumper cables in the Shack. I have about 150 left and if anyone needs any jumper cables, please let me know and I can make some up for you at my cost for materials ($1.40 per foot + $7.00 for 2 connectors). If you like, we could have a cable making session at Operations night.

Upcoming Hamfests: Two Rivers ARC will have a table WEARS-FEST.

Saturday, March 9th will be WEARS-FEST
Location: Greensburg Masonic Lodge
349 Donohoe Rd.
Greensburg, PA 15601
Website: http://wc3ps.org
Sponsor: Westmoreland Emergency Amateur Radio Service Inc.
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Talk-In: 147.180 MHz repeater PL 131.8

Take care all,
Bill Powers, KB3WP
Secretary TRARC