By: Drew McGhee, KA3EJV, EC Blair County and Carmine Prestia, K3CWP, EC Centre County

ARES and Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) assets from Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, and Huntingdon counties provided safety, health, and welfare communications support for the 2015 Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society Bike MS “Keystone Country Ride.” Further assistance came from the Bedford County Amateur Radio Society (BCARS), Horseshoe Amateur Radio Club (HARC), Huntingdon County Amateur Radio Club (HCARC), and Nittany Amateur Radio Club (NARC) Amateur Radio operators. The ride was held over the July 18 – 19, 2015 weekend. Continue reading →

By John Szwarc, N3SPW, Event Coordinator for Amateur Radio

At times it may seem that volunteering for public service events is a waste of time. Cell phones are the norm these days and amateur radio is often regarded as “old school”. It’s often difficult to find enough volunteers to staff all the needed amateur radio positions. And when recruiting volunteers someone inevitably says something like “nothing ever happens anyway.” Continue reading →

The August 9, 2014 mountain bike race to support the Moshannon Valley branch of the Centre County YMCA was a great success.  Eleven (11) amateur radio operators from the Nittany Amateur Radio Club and the Philipsburg Amateur Radio Association provided communications for the event.  The operators were stationed at different points along the 18 mile race course.  Click on more to see the participating operators and more information about the event: Continue reading →

These maps are created with MapMyRide and give a good rendition of the race course based on the information available as of 8/6/2014.  GPX and KML Versions of the Loop 1 & 2 maps are available by clicking on ‘FILES’ in the above menu.

1st Loop

Click here to link to the first loop of the race.  Though it ends at Beaver Road and Starmill Trail the riders continue on a second loop to complete the total mileage.

2nd Loop

Click here to link to the second loop of the race.  It generally follows the lower half of the first loop so that the riders can complete the total mileage.

 YMCA Supplied Map

  Note this is a very large file, 23 mb.  It has their rendition of the map that is provided to the racers.

On Saturday and Sunday the 19th and 20th of July, over twenty Amateur radio operators from Centre, Huntingdon, Blair, Bedford, and Cambria counties again provided communications assistance for the annual Multiple Sclerosis Society Keystone Country Ride in Central Pennsylvania. The ride is an annual fundraising event for the MS Society and involves about 500 riders over 150 miles in two days.
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The most recent planning forms for the 2014 MS-150 on July 19 and 20 have been place in the file area of the website.  You can click on the ‘Files’ menu item above to get to the files.

The 2013 Multiple Sclerosis Society Keystone Country Ride is now history.  Amateur radio operators from several counties provided communications throughout the ride on both days, July 20 and 21.  Planning, recruitment, and coordination were done by Drew McGhee, KA3EJV and Carmine Prestia, K3CWP.  Thanks to those who participated from Centre County.  Click the link for the full story. Continue reading →

1914 was a great year. In that year Roger Upton joined with others to form the United States Power Squadrons. In the same year, 1914, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) was founded by Hiram Percy Maxim to assist amateur radio operators in passing radio messages. Both organizations have as their core community service and education. Both organizations encourage their members to practice high standards of operating skill. Both organizations have commanded great respect in their fields: USPS in boating education and ARRL in radio technology and operating skill. ARRL and USPS have worked together on several fronts through the past several years. We know that radio communication is a key element in boating enjoyment and safety. Amateur Radio has a special role for those traveling offshore.

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The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), through the Auxiliary Communications Services (ACS) program will be hosting the following communications training opportunity.    Continue reading →

On Wednesday, October 17th, 2012 the Centre Region and PSU EMA offices will conduct a drill testing the emergency preparedness plans of both groups as noted in the previous article here.  Amateur radio has been asked to participate in the event!

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