W3SGJ Beaver Valley Amateur Radio Association BVARA

06/15/2026

June BVARA Newsletter

05/28/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FABQ6AcDf/

05/23/2026

BVARA members,

We have some upcoming dates that I would like to make everyone aware of.

First is the Breezeshooters hamfest on Sunday, June 14 at the Butler Farm Show on state route 68.

Next is the club QSO party during the weekend of June 20 and 21. If anyone would like to activate the club call sign that weekend, let me know.

Of course, Field Day is right around the corner and will be in Economy Park shelter #1. The picnic is Friday, June 26. Please let us know if you plan to attend and if you are bringing guests. The club will provide fried chicken, hot dogs, and ham. Please bring a side dish or dessert. Dinner will be around 5 PM and help to set up starting around 2 or 3 PM would be greatly appreciated. Field Day operations are Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28. Sign-ups to be an operator or logger are being done on ham-qtv.com and there is a three-step process. First, create an account on the site, then request access to the W3B Field Day event. Once access is granted, you can sign up for your preferred time slots. We will be operating four stations, so there should be plenty of opportunities for everyone to have a turn. All help for set-up and clean-up will be appreciated.

The Triple 'A' club picnic is on Saturday, July 11 at the Green Valley Park in New Sewickley. Plans are being finalized, but the meal should be around noon and everyone is invited.

The BVARA corn roast is on Saturday, August 8 at Economy Park shelter #1. Dinner is around 5 PM.

Further into the future is the Outdoor Immersion run in Raccoon Creek State Park. That will be Saturday, November 7. We will be looking for operators to staff checkpoints and net control and typically need about 14 operators to make everything run smoothly.

Hope to see you at these events,
Doug, N4YKQ

05/12/2026

Hello All,

Everyone is invited... And please pass the word ... please let everyone know that these meetings are open to all !

Tuesday at 7:30pm - Live and via Zoom - Amateur Radio Origins of KDKA

As previously announced, beginning at 7:30pm, Live in person in the Skyview Meeting Room and via Zoom, Pete Finnegan, W3WC, KDKA Historian Extraordinaire, will present "Amateur Radio Origins of KDKA".

Come join the Fun...

All are invited....

Below is the Connection info for the Tuesday Evening Zoom.

73,
Marty
AG3I

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Time: May 12, 2026 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Passcode: 425914

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05/11/2026

Hello all,

For anyone interested in operating or logging at our joint Field Day
with Triple A this year, we've set up a sign up sheet on Ham QTV where you can indicate which positions and times you would like to operate.

Link is below, or look for "W3B Beaver County Field Day" on
https://ham-qtv.com/. You will need to create an account with Ham QTV if you don't have one already.

We have four stations available and an option for floaters. All stations will have phone capability. One station will also have CW and another will have digital. We will play it by ear when it comes to which band we operate on depending on conditions and preferences between the operators.

An additional note for floaters, since only one person can sign up for a position and time, times on floaters does not matter.

https://ham-qtv.com/event/81/2026-06-27

Kind regards,

Spencer KC3YHD

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04/29/2026

BVARA MAY NEWSLETTER

04/18/2026

BVARA MEMBERS

NOTICE: Effective April 16, 2026, FEMA has restored access to its
Independent Study.

These courses are typically inaccessible during a lapse in
appropriations, but FEMA is facing unprecedented circumstances.

This is the third lapse that the agency has experienced this fiscal
year, totaling more than 100 days shut down. State, local, tribal, and
territorial officials, including first responders, rely on this
curriculum to prepare for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and
other catastrophic incidents.

Because threats to the homeland persist and evolve — and as the nation prepares for FIFA World Cup, America's 250th Celebration, and the 2026 hurricane season — FEMA has restored access to these Independent Study courses, enabling officials to continue their training and keep their communities safe.

Users may now register for and complete these self-guided courses. However, FEMA's staffing and operations are still impacted by the lapse in appropriations. If users experience technical problems, FEMA staff are unable to provide assistance at this time.

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ARRL Western Pennsylvania Section
Section Manager: Joe Shupienis, W3BC
[email protected]

04/13/2026

April BVARA Newsletter

04/11/2026

BVARA MEMBERS

Red Cross DCS is requesting ARES assistance during the upcoming NFL draft. We will be on STANDBY with the Red Cross for possible field deployment IF our services are required. To that end, please let me know what times/days you are available on April 23-25, inclusive. We will need operators both day and night. If you can help, please let NU3Q know as I am compiling an operator list. If you can provide me time(s) and day(s) you are available during the NFL draft, that would be great. We are looking for folks that reside up to one hour from Downtown Pittsburgh. For those who will volunteer, I will have a Zoom meeting on 4/21/26 - time TBD.

Hours all days of the NFL Draft will be from 11 am to 5 pm and 5 pm to midnight all three days of the event. Please provide your name, call sign, cell phone number, and email address. Also provide what part of town you will be coming from on the way in to Downtown Pittsburgh. You may be deployed to a shelter, reception area, or hospital depending on EMCOMM needs at that time. Please respond by midnight 4/18/16.

Thank you – and 73,

Bob NU3Q

Allegheny County ARES EC
(412) 279-9016 (Home)
(412) 736-7385 (Cell)
[email protected]
[email protected]

03/15/2026

MEETING HIGHLIGHTS...

BVARA members,

Just a few highlights from this month's meeting. We'll get the minutes out as soon as possible. We talked about a lot of things and I think Tom had about three or four pages of notes to transcribe.

First, we have the Beaver Valley Power Station exercise coming up. The time for this month's training has changed. It is still on Thursday, March 19, but the time has moved to 5 PM. If you want to get involved and have not already contacted me about it, please let me know soon. Dinner will be served and we need a count of attendees.

Next, the Pittsburgh Antique Radio Society Tri State Radio Fest is coming up on Sunday, April 26 at Center Stage on Old Brodhead Rd. in Center Twp. The club decided to again have a table there and I mailed in the reservation. This is not really a hamfest, but a lot of hams attend. Any members who would like to sell one or two antique radio items are welcome to use the club table. However, the table is a standard 6-foot table. If you have enough items to fill a table, please obtain your own reservation.

Plans for a joint Field Day involving both BVARA and Triple 'A' are progressing nicely. We hope to see everyone for the (family friendly) picnic on Friday, June 26 and Field Day operations on Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28 at Economy Park Shelter #1.

Triple 'A' is planning a club picnic on Saturday, July 11, and members and family from both clubs are invited.

The BVARA corn roast is scheduled for Saturday, August 8.

The BVARA Christmas dinner is scheduled for Saturday, December 5 at 5 PM. This will again be at the Grand Valley Inn in Fallston.

As for the club repeater, some of you may notice diminished coverage in the near future. We have to decided to place a temporary antenna to see if we can better understand the ongoing and intermittent receive de-sense issue that has been plaguing the machine for the last three or more years.

I am still asking members who may have club property at their residence to please send me an inventory of those items. I have heard from several people and I have been compiling that information as it comes in.

Thank you and we hope to see you all at these events.

Doug, N4YKQ