Indiana County Amateur Radio Club

11/03/2026

Reminder: ICARC Meeting. Nov.3, 2026,Time: 6:30 PM, Location: Indiana,
Eat n' Park Restaurant, in the large back room.
There will be a Guest Speaker: Steve Milanak-K3SJM from the
Westmoreland Emergency Amateur Radio Service (WEARS) will speak about
PoC radios. (Push to talk On Cellular) These are basically
walkie-talkies via Cell phone networks. It Should be interesting.
Hope to see many of you at the meeting!

10/26/2026

Never Underestimate an old man who still builds electronics!

10/15/2026

Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) is an annual Scouting event that connects Scouts around the world with the use of amateur radio. This event is held on the third full weekend of October each year.
Members of the Indiana County Amateur Radio Club will be assisting by setting up an Amateur Radio Station (Radios and Antennas) at Camp Seph Mack this Friday October 16. Jamboree on the Air activities are planned for Saturday. Here's a link for the JOTA Manual: https://jotajoti-app-data-eu.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/JOTA-JOTI%202024/Activity%20files/2024%20-%20Jota-Joti%20-%20Manual%20for%20amateur%20radio%20activity%20-%20EN.pdf More information from the ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio
Calling all Scouts, Scouters, and Ham Radio operators!
The world’s largest digital and on-the-air Scouting event, Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), takes place October 16–18, 2026!
Every year, millions of Scouts take to the airwaves to connect with fellow Scouts across the country and around the globe using amateur radio. It’s an incredible hands-on way to learn about science, technology, and global communication—and most importantly, it’s a lot of fun!
Learn more about how to participate, find frequencies, and get resources at the ARRL JOTA page: www.arrl.org/jamboree-on-the-air-jota

10/10/2026

Indiana County Amateur Radio Club – W3BMD - will be participating in the PA QSO Party this weekend. Hoping to contact all 67 Pennsylvania Counties and more.

09/29/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18PNPDFiSW/

This satellite died in 1981. It's still on the air. 🛰️

AMSAT-OSCAR 7 was launched on 15 November 1974 — a 28 kg octahedron built by radio amateurs. It worked beautifully for six years, until a battery cell shorted in mid-1981 and the spacecraft went dark.

Everyone moved on. For twenty-one years.

Then on 21 June 2002, UK amateur Pat Gowen G3GOP heard a slow Morse beacon on 145.9738 MHz, checked the Doppler shift, and realised the impossible: AO-7 was transmitting again. The shorted battery cell had finally gone open-circuit — and whenever the satellite is in sunlight, its solar panels alone power the radios.

Fifty-two years after launch it's still workable in sunlight — the oldest semi-operational satellite in orbit, any category. And because it was built in the 1970s, its Mode A transponder turns a 2-metre uplink into a 10-metre downlink. You can LISTEN on any HF+VHF setup — even many shortwave portables with SSB will hear it up on 29.5 MHz.

How to hear it:

• The 10m downlink is the easy listen: beacon near 29.502 MHz, CW.
• Wait until AO-7 is in sunlight — that's the only time it lives. It wakes in an unpredictable mode each orbit, so treat each pass as a lottery ticket.
• Even if you never transmit, hearing a 1974-built machine keyed out on 10 metres is one of amateur radio's genuine thrills.

No batteries. No ground control. Just sunlight and a design that refused to quit.

Have you ever heard AO-7? Tell us below. 👇

09/15/2026

ICARC Summer/Fall Picnic: Saturday, September 26, 2026.

Location Blue Spruce Park, 1128 Blue Spruce Road, Indiana, PA 15701 at Pavilion 4 which, from the main entrance, is the first pavilion on the right hand side of the road after passing the large Ball Field.

Picnic Time: 4:00 PM (1600) Hours local time.
Some folks are planning on getting there a few hours early and setting up an antenna and radio. Come join the fun.

Basic picnic food, condiments, and water will be provided but please feel free to bring a dish or desert of your choosing to share.

So that we have an idea of the numbers please RSVP, if possible. (However, if you decide to come and have not sent an RSVP, don't worry about it, come anyhow and you will be welcomed!)

ICARC has much to celebrate; it has been a stellar year and you are invited to join in the celebration of Ham Radio in Indiana and the surrounding counties as we move forward advancing the cause of Amateur Radio throughout our Nation. Also, It's just a nice way to start the Fall Season!

Hope to See You There!

07/21/2026

An event at ICARC's 146.655 repeater site (325 Rhine Rd, Blairsville) is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2026. It will be a clean-up work time and a picnic later in the day. For those of us who want to get an early start at getting some clean-up done, it will begin around 11:00 am and will culminate in the afternoon with a camp fire and roasting "hot dogs". Dogs (and possibly sausages), condiments, and water will be provided. If you prefer, you can bring your favorite picnic food and drink. Everything depends upon the weather but this Saturday looks very good right now. Hope to see many of you there!

06/24/2026

Reminder: ICARC’s Field Day is happening this Saturday, June 27 beginning at 2:00 PM and running until 2:00 PM Sunday, June 28, 2026.
Final setup will be Saturday around 11:00 am. (We would like the radios on the air by 2:00 pm if possible.)
Remember: There will be a Cover Dish Picnic around 5:00 pm on Saturday, June 27 at Pavilion 4 beside the Field Day operations area.
Fellow Amateurs, family, friends, and anyone interested are more than welcome to stop by and learn more about this exciting activity. We hope to see you all there this weekend.

06/18/2026

The Indiana County Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the annual ARRL Field Day operations on Saturday and Sunday June 27 & 28, 2026 at Blue Spruce Park near Ernest, PA. Location in Blue Spruce Park is the Ball Field beside the main Parking Lot. There will be a Cover Dish Picnic around 5:00 pm on Saturday, June 27 at Pavilion 4 in Blue Spruce Park. Anyone who is interested in learning more about Amateur Radio or Field Day operations, are more than welcome to visit and possibly take part in the activity. We will be operating from Saturday 2:00 PM to Sunday 2:00 PM with setup and tear down before and following the times listed. We look forward to seeing you there.

06/10/2026

Fort Armstrong Wireless Association - K3QY will be having a joint breakfast with Indiana County Amateur Radio Club at Crouse’s Cafe in Shelocta on Saturday June 13th at 9am. If you’re near the area and are interested in the hobby (or either of the clubs) be sure to drop by. This is a great and low stakes way to get introduced to everyone. We hope to see you there.