EGARA Special Event Station Honors WGY Centennial

On Sunday, February 20th, WGY will celebrate its 100th anniversary and EGARA members will commemorate the historic radio milestone by running Special Event station W7Y, with the number 7 representing “G” -- the 7th letter of the alphabet.

When the famed broadcasting facility first went on the air on February 20, 1922, it was announced that the “W” stood for Wireless, that the “G” represented the first letter of General Electric, which then owned the station, and that the “Y” stood for the last letter in Schenectady, its city of license. Over the next century the station would become a leader in both programming and technical innovation.

An interview carried by WGY about the Special Event Station can be heard here: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/418-upstate-issues-with-wgys-d-28226668/episode/local-amateur-radio-association-provides-vital-92888587/ .

On the eve of WGY's centennial, members of the Schenectady Museum ARA will operate from their station at the museum from 10 am to 5 pm. The station will be open to the public for those interested in seeing Amateur Radio in operation. Members of the East Greenbush Amateur Radio Association will operate from their home stations on Sunday, February 20th -- commemorating the day of the station's inaugural broadcast on February 20, 1922.

Bands and frequencies to be used are:

160 meter band – 1810

80 meter band – 3810

40 meter band – 7250

20 meter band – 14.250

10 meter band – 28.550

6 meter band – 50.550

2 meter – 147.270 / PL 94.8 (FM)

1.25 meter – 224.800 / PL 94.8 (FM)

70 cm band – 444.700 / PL 94.8 (FM)

Note: The Special Event Station may not operate on all band and frequencies, depending on both band conditions and operator availability. In addition, should a listed frequency be in use, the W7Y Special Event station may operate on adjacent open frequencies.

A Special Event QSL card from the club will be made available to confirmed contacts. Requests should include a self-addressed stamped envelope and be sent to: W7Y Special Event Station, 983 Sterling Ridge Drive, Rensselaer, NY 12144.