West Chester Amateur Radio Association members will join thousands of other amateur radio operators nationwide this weekend in a comprehensive evaluation of our nation’s emergency communications capabilities.
Bob Fay, vice president of the local amateur radio group, said the purpose of the event is to train operators and demonstrate the capability of local amateur radio operators to conduct emergency radio communications off the power grid for an extended period of time.
After two years of being shutdown to the public, the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester opened its doors to the public for a few weekend tours in late 2011. After renovations are completed the it will be open on the third Saturday of every month starting in July. Photo by Tony Jones.
Testing will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and will run continuously for 24 hours to 2 p.m. Sunday. The group will gather at the north end of the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting building, 8070 Tylersville Road, in West Chester.
The public is invited and visitors will have the opportunity to operate a radio station for themselves.
- Story: Anniversary of VOA marks beginning of national museum
- Story: Voice of America Museum rich in Cincinnati history
- Follow Voice of America Museum news and updates on WestChesterBuzz.com
The West Chester Amateur Radio Association operates WC8VOA from the VOA building. Club meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the building. Yearly dues are $5. For information about the club, visit www.wc8voa.org or email Fay at wb0npn@arrl.net.
“Anyone – hams and non-hams – interested in learning more about amateur radio or make high-frequency contacts is invited to join us,” Fay said. “This is a unique club because we have highly technically-oriented members who are experts in their field.”
Once the renovations to the VOA building are complete, the group plans to have two 80-foot self-supporting towers to hold its station antennas.
Starting in July, the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting building will re-open for tours from 1 to 4 p.m. on the third Saturday each month.
