Help needed - RAGS Public service comms for WorkForce Run on June 6th

We are still in need of committed operators for the WorkForce Run on June 6.  This event is a late afternoon event with a pre-event meet-up at 5PM.  

Please sign-up by either going to www.ragsclub.org, click on the Public Service and fill out the Public Service Event Form OR email Andriy at KD2KUB@gmail.com or Walt at n2ikwkb@gmail.com.

This is a nice short event and our help is always greatly appreciated.

Jerry, NK2C

ARES/RACES Quarterly Training - Onondaga County 4/22/24

 Get Involved In ARES and RACES

The next ARES/RACES Quarterly Training session

will be April 22, 7:00P at the Onondaga County

Emergency Operations Center, Electronics Parkway,

Liverpool. There will be a tour and we will check out

antenna systems.

John Perkins, K2VTT, RACES Radio Officer

Drumlins Hamfest - Palmyra NY - 4/20/24 (update)

 Note:   Ken Blume, K2UPI, A longtime friend of the CNY Amateur radio community passed away this past December 2023. Several of his friends will be selling equipment from his estate outside at the Drumlins Hamfest. The offerings include vintage and modern equipment from Eico, Hallicrafters, Hammarlund, Heathkit, Johnson, Kenwood, TenTec, Yaesu and more. Over 150 items will be for sale. The proceeds of all sales will be going to his family.

more info at: https://drumlinsarc.us/hamfest-info/

AWA Spring meet - Sat. 5/4/24 - Bloomfield, NY

 

Don't miss the 2024 Antique Wireless Association's annual spring meet!

more info at: https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/2024-spring-meet/

Warren County Ham Radio Swap meet - Sat. 4/13/24

 

more info at: https://www.w2wcr.org/events/swapmeet

SkyWarn Spring 2024 Training

 The 2024 Skywarn Spring Training Season is upon us!

Learn more from your local NWS office listed below:

Binghamton NY NWS SKYWARN page: http://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachSKYWARNtraining

Buffalo NY NWS SKYWARN page: http://www.weather.gov/buf/Skywarn

Albany NY NWS SKYWARN page:  http://www.weather.gov/aly/skywarn

The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

Although SKYWARN® spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a SKYWARN® spotter is to identify and describe severe local storms. In the average year, 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur across the United States. These events threatened lives and property.

Since the program started in the 1970s, the information provided by SKYWARN® spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods.

Learn more about CNY SKYWARN here: https://www.upstateham.com/p/skywarn.html

Learn more at the National SKYWARN web site: https://www.weather.gov/SKYWARN

 

CVARA BULLTHISTLE HAMFEST - Norwich NY - Sat. 4/20/24

 

more info at: https://cvara.net/our-events/bullthistle-hamfest/

Syracuse/Rochester area GMRS repeaters

 Lots of interest lately in GMRS with the reduced cost of licensing. 

Some Syracuse/Rochester area GMRS repeaters:

462.550     Auburn, PL 136.5 - est. 5-15 mile coverage

462.550     Fulton, PL 136.5 - est. 5 mile coverage, City of Fulton

462.550     Cazenovia, PL 162.2 - est. 35 mile coverage

462.575    Bristol, Alliance, PL141.3 - est. 70 mileage coverage

462.600    Syracuse, ADD, PL 151.4 - est. 70 mile coverage

462.625    Locke, PL 71.9, est. 10 mile coverage (Owasco Valley?)

462.725    Bristol, Covert, PL-TBD (ask), est. 80 mile coverage

Some info about getting licensed and using the GMRS radio service - see links below:

https://www.mygmrs.com/help/about-gmrs

https://www.nysgmrsalliance.com/considering-gmrs

http://www.usagmrs.com/usgmrsassociation.html

https://woofthebeatenpath.com/quick-start-guide-to-gmrs-radio-for-beginners/

https://www.retevis.com/blog/a-guide-for-new-gmrs-radio-comers

GMRS/FRS Frequencies:

https://www.rightchannelradios.com/blogs/newsletters/gmrs-radio-frequencies-and-channels

Operators needed - Syracuse St. Patrick's Day parade on Sat. 3/16

 We still need a few more operators to help with communications at the parade on March 16. Long range forecast is for 52F, so it will be balmy.  Please help if you can.... RAGS has loaner radios if needed.  Please contact Walt, N2IK at n2ikwkb@gmail.com or 315-243-0736. 

Jerry, NK2C

WNY Ham radio support for 4/8 Solar Eclipse

To:   All WNY Ham Radio Clubs

From:  Vince Harzewski N2JRS, Emergency Coordinator, Erie County ARES/Assistant Radio Officer, Erie County RACES

 

Re: April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

The Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services

has requested the assistance of amateur radio operators in conjunction

with the total solar eclipse on April 8.

 

Amateurs will be asked to provide critical information on the day of the

eclipse:

 

All Amateurs from any county are invited to participate.

 

Hams working with Emergency Services will establish communications in

the Emergency Operations center in Cheektowaga NY and will take reports

from amateurs on location, traffic, weather and amount of people

gathering during the key times of the eclipse on the 8th.

 

They will also establish cross border communications with Canadian

amateurs to test viability of passing traffic across the pond.

 

Hams in the EOC will establish communications with the state EOC with HF

voice and WINLINK connectivity.

 

Amateurs from Erie County ARES/RACES will be positioned at certain areas

of interest in the county that are deemed possible points where traffic

leading up to and at the end of the eclipse might become a problem if an

emergency arises and will provide reports to the EOC throughout the

duration of the event.

 

Amateurs in Erie County will also establish 2 quick deployment teams and

station them in the north and south in the county should the need arise

to setup and operate until other county resources can assist and Erie

County RACES will provide an operator to Buffalo Fire in their

respective EOC for a link back to the county EOC and to test the

viability of using us as a backup to inter EOC communications.

  

Warren County Radio Club Swap Meet - 4/13/24

 

More info linked here: https://www.w2wcr.org/events/swapmeet

KLARA Simplex Challenge - May 4th, 2024

 

more at:  https://klara.us/

2024 LARC VE Testing - N. Syracuse

 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Flea at RPI - 3/30/24

 

questions? email them at: convention@w2sz.org

Help needed for the Syracuse St. Patrick's Parade

 

St. Patrick's Parade Sign-up

We are in need of commitments from operators for the Parade on March 16.  Please go to https://www.ragsclub.org/public-service  and sign-up.   This is a fun, long term activity for RAGS Public Service and our help is greatly appreciated by the community.  

If you  have difficulty with the site, contact Walt, N2IK directly at n2ikwkb@gmail.com.

ThanKs, Jerry NK2C