11/17/2023

With a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC)[1] for almost
$200,000 and private donations of more than $20,000, the University of Scranton
Amateur Radio Club in Scranton, Pennsylvania, has installed new amateur radio
equipment and antennas for its station, W3USR.

The station is now located on the fifth floor of the university's Loyola
Science Center and features state-of-the-art operating positions with
heavy-duty controllers, all-mode transceivers, speakers, desktop microphones,
and other components that allow students to operate on amateur radio
frequencies. A 40-foot tower with a high-frequency antenna for 14, 21, and 28
MHz has been installed, as well as VHF/UHF satellite and microwave antennas --
some with rotating mounts.  

The ARDC grant was awarded to the university's Physics and Engineering
Department Assistant Professor Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, and the private
donations were made by Dr. Mary Lou West, KC2NMC; Ed Hayes, N6XEM, and Jeff
DePolo, WN3A.   Dr. Frissell said the impact of the new station means
everything to the club. "When you can bring a group of students into a new
facility like this one, the impact makes a lasting impression that will allow
them to fully experience amateur radio," he said.  

Dr. Frissell added that the first radio contacts have been made, and the
station is working on 10, 15, and 20 meters with additional installation work
remaining. An additional room on the same floor holds equipment and antenna
connections and, will be used as a lab for controlled HamSCI space research
projects. The new capabilities of W3USR will also allow for ongoing and future
HamSCI[2] research projects to be undertaken by Dr. Frissell and university
students.  

W3USR was founded in the spring of 2020 with a mission to educate students on
the ionosphere and the importance of radio communication. The club regularly
participates in the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Program[3].

[1] https://www.ardc.net/
[2] https://hamsci.org/
[3] https://www.arrl.org/WeWantU

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