Save the date: Upstate New York POTA Meetup - Sept. 6&7, 2025

 Upstate New York POTA Meetup

Get ready for an action-packed weekend of POTA at Watkins Glen State Park the first weekend in September! Whe have the South Pavilion all day Sunday, September 7, and we hope you'll join us on Saturday, September 6, for exploring the park. There is also the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival on Friday, for those who want to come earlier. Many of us are camping all weekend, from Friday evening into Monday morning. The North Country Trail runs through the park, and behind the pavilion, making it a 3-fer! We can't wait to see you there!

More details and RSVP on the Upstate New York POTA Facebook group: 

https://www.facebook.com/share/1BoELhgoxi/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Spring SkyWarn training - CNY & Northern PA

 US National Weather Service Binghamton NY - Spring 2025 SkyWarn Training

More info: https://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachSKYWARNtraining

AWA Spring Meet - May 3rd, 2025

         Antique Wireless Association 

                      Spring Meet 2025

   

More details at: https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/2024-spring-meet/

CVARA BULLTHISTLE HAMFEST - 3/29/25

[Repost]

 Chenango Valley Amateur Radio Association Hamfest, Norwhich, NY

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

Save the date: 4th Annual Mid-Atlantic POTA Meetup - 7/19/25

 4th Annual Mid-Atlantic POTA Meetup (Northern Pennsylvania/Southern Tier NY)

🚨 Calling all radio adventurers! 🚨

Get ready to tune in, chow down, and log some serious fun at the 4th Annual Mid-Atlantic POTA Meetup! Mark your calendars for July 19, 2025, and join us at Little Pine State Park (US-1377) Waterville, PA for a day packed with radios, good company, and maybe even a few unexpected pileups.

We’ve secured Pavilion 2 for the day (8 AM – 8 PM), so whether you’re an early riser or a casual roll-in-whenever operator, you’re covered. The main event kicks off around noon with a potluck-style feast—bring something tasty to share!

☕ Bonus Event: Kickstart the day with coffee and caching! KB3KLT is hosting a Geocaching Meetup from 9:30 – 11:30 AM, so if you like hunting for hidden treasures (besides DX contacts), don’t miss out.

📍 Pavilion Coordinates: 41.363855, -77.355551

🚽 Facilities? Yep, just a short walk away.

🚗 Parking? Plenty.

Expect radios, food, friendship, and the usual POTA shenanigans. Let us know if you’re coming—see you there! 🎙️🌲

More details and RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1bh8q7KcMQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Parks on the Air - Erie Canal Bicentennial Celebration - Sept. 2025

 September 16-25, 2005 - Parks on the Air - Erie Canal Bicentennial Celebration 

The Erie Canal turns 200 in 2025! We are excited to invite you and your club to join us for a special Parks on the Air (POTA) activation of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (POTA US-6532) in September. The event will take place during the World Canal Conference which is being hosted this year in Buffalo, New York, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Erie Canal!

 

Experience the canal that transformed America and join amateur radio operators from across New York State as we activate the Heritage Corridor from September 16-25.While the World Canal Conference officially kicks off on Sunday, September 21, at Canalside in Buffalo, there are also pre-conference events across the state starting on Thursday, September 16.

 

We're looking for as many clubs and individuals as possible to plan POTA activations within the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (US-6532) over the 10 days. For those activating along the canal (which is encouraged), the Empire State Trail (US-8098) is a common two-fer you may wish to include. The Heritage Corridor is a large area that also includes Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, and even north of Albany, so regardless of where you are in the state, there are a lot of eligible locations and possible n-fers (activating from multiple POTA entities at once).

 

We invite all surrounding amateur radio clubs and individual operators to join us in promoting Amateur Radio and Parks on the Air, as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal! Clubs are encouraged to make this event their own, engaging members and newer hams to participate, possibly creating a custom QSL card, and promoting their activity across social media.

 

73,

Matt K2EAG, Angela N3ARB and Mike N2MAK

 

Note: This event is not sponsored by the Parks on The Air or the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. If you are new to POTA, or club activations, be sure to check out the resources below:

 

Parks on the Air

https://parksontheair.com

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor 

https://eriecanalway.org

World Canal Conference 

https://wcc2025buffalo.com

 

Parks on the Air Club Activation Guide

https://docs.pota.app/docs/activator_reference/activator_guide_clubs.html

 

Upstate New York POTA Facebook Group (Unofficial)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1207733937203773/

We have also collaborated with our friend Mike W4OPS, one of the official POTA vendors, on a shirt design that is available. It has the “blue and gold” canal colors and the official POTA logo on the back and sleeve. Link: https://www.hamstuffonline.com

Drumlins Hamfest - Saturday 4/19/25

 Drumlins Amateur Radio Club - Hamfest - Palmyra, NY

Link: https://drumlinsarc.us/hamfest-info/

Spring SkyWarn training - 2025

 

The 2025 Skywarn Spring Training Season is almost 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

New Bill to Protect Amateur Radio

Congressmen Introduces New Bill to Protect Amateur Radio 

Washington, February 6, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), alongside Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) and U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (MS-R) and Richard Blumenthal (CT-D), introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to enhance emergency response capabilities and safeguard our communities. The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act will ensure that amateur radio operators can continue to play a vital role in ensuring public safety during emergencies by providing critical communication when other systems fail.

ARRL story here: https://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-emergency-preparedness-act-re-introduced

CVARA BULLTHISTLE HAMFEST - 3/29/25

Chenango Valley Amateur Radio Association Hamfest, Norwhich, NY

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

KLARA Hamfest - Sat. Feb. 1st

 

more info at: https://klara.us/

Great Radio E-magazine - The Spectrum Monitor!

 

I recently received my January issue of The Spectrum Monitor (TSM). I really look forward to getting this  publication each month! I am a charter subscriber since its beginning in 2014. It is very similar to the former Monitoring Times magazine which discontinued publication back in 2013.

Check out TSM on their web site at: http://www.thespectrummonitor.com/index.aspx

TSM is usually around 100 pages and is packed with the latest on Amateur Radio, Shortwave, Scanning, Satellites, Radio/TV, Vintage radio, etc. The news and articles are always up to date and relevant. TSM is available only in PDF format and can be read on any device capable of opening a PDF file. I read TSM both on my tablet and PC. I also occasionally print out interesting articles that I might need for future reference in the shack. It's probably the Best $36.00 that we spend each year on this hobby!

The TSM publisher, Ken Reitz KS4ZR, is the former managing editor, features editor, columnist and feature writer for Monitoring Times. As well as a former feature writer and columnist for several other publications. TSM has some very experienced and talented writers that do a great job of covering many interesting topics each month! (learn more about the TSM staff here: http://www.thespectrummonitor.com/about-us.aspx )

Happy New Year!

 

Another year has come and gone!

We wanted to reach out to say Thank You to the many individuals and clubs that send us information and corrections for the UpstateHam web site! Also thanks to our viewers for visiting and supporting our site.

Wishing you all health and Happiness in the new year!

73- From the folks at UpstateHam.com!

Winter Field Day 2025

 

Winter Field Day - January 25th & 26th, 2025

What is WFD?

Winter Field Day is a communications exercise. WFD is held on the last full weekend in January. WFD can be worked from the comfort of your home or in a remote location. You can participate by yourself or get your friends, family, or whole club involved. Winter Field Day is open to participants worldwide. Amateur radio operators may use frequencies on the HF, VHF, or UHF bands and are free to use any mode that can faithfully transmit the required exchange intact. Similar to the ARRL’s Field Day, bonus points are earned in several ways, including using non-commercial power sources, operating from remote locations, satellite contacts, and more.

Send us your plans and or pictures and we will share them with our readers!

more info at: https://winterfieldday.org/index.php

Marathon Hamfest 2025 - Sat. 1/11/25

 Skyline’s Winter Hamfest

The Skyline Amateur Radio Club Winter’fest will be January 11, 2025 at the Marathon Civic Center, 16 Brink St in Marathon NY from 7 AM to noon. 

Admission $6.00. 

35 indoor tables available at $10.00 / 8ft. 

Reserve tables with Pat KC2BQZ at pdunn5@gmail.com.

VE Testing will be available

More info at: https://www.arrl.org/hamfests/sarc-winter-hamfest