Carnegie Tech Radio Club
-------  W3VC  --------

What is the radio club?

W3VC is the FCC assigned callsign of the Carnegie Tech Radio Club.  The radio club is an organization of people interested in all the activities amateur radio has to offer.  Our membership consists of undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff of the CMU community.  Among the club members there is a wide variety of interests such as public service events, satellite communications, DXing (talking to other amateurs around the world), computers and networks, amateur television, and emergency drills.

What do we do?

 Buggy: During the buggy practices (free-rolls) and races, we provide safety communications for the Sweepstakes chairmen.  This volunteer service is essential to the smooth operation of the buggy races.  In the past, we have also broadcast fast scan television (FSTV) of the races.

 Field Day: This event is sponsored by the Amateur Radio Relay League and is held every year in late June.  Stations from the U.S. and Canada simulate emergency stations using emergency power and try to make as many contacts as possible during a 24-hour period.  Last year, members from W3VC set up their site at a fire watch tower outside of Uniontown, PA.

 Public Service Events: Amateurs are regularly called upon to help in National Disaster Medical Service (NDMS) drills, and with the Pittsburgh Marathon medical communications in the spring.  These activities are larger scale versions of the safety communications for buggy.

 Fox Hunt: A radio version of hide and go seek, the fox transmits from a hidden location and the hounds practice direction finding techniques to locate the hidden transmitter.

What kind of equipment do we have?
The club owns equipment to satisfy just about every whim of our members.
 HF transceiverscapable of interstate and international communications
 VHF/UHF transceiver mostly local coverage, also capable of satellite communications
 Amateur television transceiverallows video as well as voice communications 
 Packet radio stationradio based networking for technician classes and above
 2m (VHF) handheld tranceiversloaned to members
 440 (UHF) MHz repeater444.65 MHz (+ offset)
 test equipment and work space for individual and club projects
 Sun 2 computerrunning SunOS 3.5 on campus network

You too can become a ham. 

We will keep you posted of local novice classes and testing/upgrade sessions.  If there is enough interest,  we will attempt to offer our own novice classes later this fall or next spring for anyone who is interested. We will provide access to study materials and expert advice from our members to help you get your license.

Please join us.

Just come to a meeting.   You do not need to be a licensed amateur to join.  Dues are only $10 per year for undergraduates, $15 for current employees of CMU and grad students, and $20 for alumni. Payment of dues entitles you to a key to the club room at the top of Hammerschlag Hall (room HH401).

Meetings.

Meetings are normally the first Tuesday of each month in HH401.  Watch the bulletin boards around campus or the electronic bulletin board assocs.radio-club for more information about the upcoming meetings.

For more information:

 leave a message in the radio club's dropbox on this server
 send e-mail to ar99+@andrew.cmu.edu
 leave a message in our club mailbox at the Skibo Information Desk
 call the club room at 681-7586
