ICEMARC: Indiana County Emergency Management Radio Club

05/27/2026

One more post of possible interest.

Learn how NBEMS plays an integral role in EMCOMM for the amateur radio community & how you can get started with it.

05/26/2026

FYI. This guy has a great YouTube channel.

HF Noise Radar HB9HBY

Nouvelle fonction interactive / New interactive feature

FR:
Cette nouvelle fonction permet à chaque station de signaler manuellement le niveau de bruit HF réellement entendu sur une bande.

Le but est de construire une carte communautaire plus sérieuse, plus utile et plus à jour pour tout le monde.

Merci de jouer le jeu : ne cliquez pas juste pour le fun. Envoyez uniquement des rapports réels, au bon moment, avec la bonne bande et le bon niveau de bruit.

Plus les données sont honnêtes, plus la carte devient fiable pour tous les radioamateurs.

Fonctionne partout : Windows, Linux, Android, et dans le monde entier.

Plus d’informations sont disponibles sur la carte interactive ou sur le site officiel :
https://hb9hby.ch

EN:
This new interactive feature lets every station manually report the HF noise level they are really hearing on a band.

The goal is to build a more serious, useful, and up-to-date community map for everyone.

Please play fair: do not click just for fun. Send only real reports, at the right time, with the correct band and noise level.

The more honest the data is, the more reliable the map becomes for all radio operators.

Works everywhere: Windows, Linux, Android, and worldwide.

More information is available on the interactive map or on the official website:
https://hb9hby.ch

05/26/2026

Advent of the telegraph.

Today back on May 24, 1844 --near Laurel, Maryland, in Prince George's County.

05/26/2026

Today’s Memorial Day Pop-up Field Day at Yellow Creek State Park. Cliff KD3BKN and family, Ralph N3UDI, AJ WO3U, Jeffrey KC3NJE and wife. Pictured also is AJ connecting with the International Space Station and satellites.

05/24/2026

Our Cambria County friends will be participating in this year’s N3N special event. This is an event that has operated for the past several years and is run by two local operators with help from friends.

This disaster not only marked the single deadliest day in American history until September 11 2001 it was also the first test of disaster services capabilities for the American Red Cross which was formalized as the result of the Johnstown Flood.

Remembering the Johnstown Flood of 1889 - Special Event Station N3N

On May 31, 1889, Johnstown was forever changed.

The Johnstown Flood claimed 2,209 lives, destroyed 1,600 homes, wiped out four square miles of downtown Johnstown, and took 99 entire families. Flood lines were later found as high as 89 feet above river level, and the force of the water was powerful enough to move several locomotives thousands of feet.

To help remember the lives lost and share this important part of our local history, the Keystone Amateur Radio Society will be operating special event station N3N.

Our main operating day will be:

Sunday, May 31
0800 - 1800 EDT

As operators are available, N3N may also be on the air from Saturday, May 30 at 0800 EDT through Friday, June 5 at 2000 EDT.

When you hear N3N on the air, you are hearing local amateur radio operators helping keep the story of the Johnstown Flood of 1889 alive. Operators will be making contacts, sharing a short message about the flood, and directing stations to more information.

We invite everyone to listen for N3N, make a contact, and take a moment to remember the 2,209 lives lost in one of the deadliest disasters in American history.

Remember Johnstown. Remember May 31, 1889.

73,
Keystone Amateur Radio Society
N3N Special Event Station

05/22/2026

ICEMARC has just received word that our request for our special event callsign for Field Day has been approved!

ICEMARC will once again use the special event callsign of W3S for Field Day 2026 June 27-28, this is our go to callsign for special events and other activities where short and concise calls are of benefit.

Look for W3S on all bands and modes on Field Day, we look forward to working you!

05/06/2026

From Des ND3L: This Saturday, May 9th is this year's Armed Forces Day operating event. Several Department of Defense Communications centers will be actively seeking QSOs with amateur radio stations. For more information on how YOU can participate, visit https://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-to-participate-in-dod-armed-forces-day-crossband-test-on-may-9-2026

More details HERE: t.ly/PauNJ

Events and Announcements

05/06/2026

TODAY IN HISTORY: The Hindenburg Disaster May 6, 1937.

Call Sign: DEKKA
Equipment: Included specialized receivers and transmitters capable of handling Morse code and radio-telephone communications.
Operating Frequencies: The ship typically communicated on several high-frequency (short-wave) bands, including 5280, 10290, and 10500 kHz, to ensure signal reach across the ocean.

05/03/2026

The Clearfield County Amateur Radio Club, CCARC, is busy preparing for the 2026 Central Pennsylvania Hamfest at Clearfield PA. Read more here:

Central Pennsylvania Hamfest 2nd Annual Presented by The Clearfield County Amateur Radio Club Sunday September 13, 2026 8 AM to 12 PM Downloadable PDF Event Flyer Exhibitor – Table Application LOCATION Clearfield County Fair Grounds Community Hall Building and surrounding grounds Use Weaver St Ex...

05/03/2026

Not all antennas work the same—and choosing the wrong type can limit range, signal strength, or coverage.
A monopole antenna is one of the simplest designs, typically a quarter-wavelength long with a ground reference. It’s widely used in mobile devices and broadcasting because it’s compact and easy to implement.
A dipole antenna uses two equal elements and a balanced feed. It’s the foundation of many RF systems and is commonly used for radio and TV reception due to its predictable radiation pattern.
The Yagi antenna adds multiple parasitic elements (directors and reflectors) to focus energy in one direction. This increases gain, making it ideal for long-distance communication like TV reception or amateur radio.
A parabolic reflector uses a dish to concentrate signals into a narrow beam. This high directivity makes it suitable for satellite communication and radar systems where precision matters.
A horn antenna gradually expands to guide electromagnetic waves efficiently. It’s often used in radar and microwave systems because of its low reflection and good impedance matching.
A patch antenna is flat, compact, and mounted on a PCB. It’s commonly used in GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular devices due to its low profile and ease of integration into modern electronics.
Each antenna balances size, directionality, and efficiency differently, so selection depends on the application.