ARRL EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION
Section Manager (SM) – Phil Temples, K9HI
Assistant Section Manager (ASM) – Jeremy Breef-Pilz, KB1REQ
Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) – “Bo” Budinger, WA1QYM
Official Observer Coordinator (OOC) – Ed Parish, K1EP
Public Information Coordinator (PIC) – Bob Salow, WA1IDA
Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) – Rob Macedo, KD1CY
Section Traffic Manager (STM) – Marcia Forde, KW1U
State Government Liaison (SGL) – Shawn O’Donnell, K3HI
Technical Coordinator (TC) – Eric Falkof, K1NUN
APRIL 2012 SECTION NEWS
Things are going to get very exciting soon for amateurs in our section.
The 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship is coming to the United
States and New England. In fact, much of the activity will be centered
right here in Eastern Massachusetts!
“2014 is a long way off, right?” No, not at all! Especially when you’re
talking about an international event of Olympic-sized proportions.
“WRTC is held every four years and consists of approximately 50
two-person teams of amateur radio operators competing in a test of
operating skill. Unlike most on-the-air competitions, all stations are
required to use identical antennas from the same geographic region,
eliminating all variables except operating ability.” (WRTC2014.org)
The world’s topnotch operators will arrive into Boston’s Logan Airport
in July 2014 and participate in the international competition along
with weeklong pre- and post-operating events and activities. WRTC
showcases Amateur Radio international goodwill at its best! And many of
us will have the opportunity to represent our hobby-service,
American-style, as we play host to these special visitors.
WRTC is truly comparable to an Olympic event, and like all Olympic
events many volunteers, a lot of money, and much effort will be
required to ensure its success. How can you get involved? According to
WRTC2014 President Doug Grant, K1DG, “We will be looking for volunteers
to help with tasks ranging from airport transportation to setting up
over 60 stations for the competitors.” Doug adds, “There’s plenty to do
before the contest such as working on fund raising, promotion, and event
planning.”
Will you volunteer to drive people to/from the airport? Are you
comfortable speaking to the media, or serving as an official greeter?
Can you help with setup or teardown? Can your club sponsor one of the
operating stations?
Excited? _I_ sure am! Clubs can arrange to hear an informative
presentation by one of the WRTC2014 officers at an upcoming meeting.
Also, a well-produced video about the event can be viewed at
<http://tinyurl.com/75sy8fa>.
The Cape Ann ARA is sponsoring a “Tech in a Day” course on April 28
from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Email <techinaday@caara.net> for more
information.
W1MPN spoke to Minuteman Repeater Association members on emergency
communications at their March 21 meeting in Concord.
K1DG presented on WRTC 2014 to the friendly folks at the Norwood ARC on
March 22.
According to Pentucket RA’S K1LGC, the Northern Essex Regional
Emergency Planning Committee is holding a six-week CERT Training Class
beginning April 9 in West Newbury. For more info, email
<ema@westnewburysafety.org>.
Quannapowitt RA’s W1HL is coordinating a License In A Day event on May
5 in the Community Room at the Reading Police Station.
N1IW will present on meteor scatter at the Billerica ARS meeting on
April 4.
Is your club meeting or flea market listed accurately in the Eastern MA
ARRL web calendar of events? Check your listings’ times/dates/locations
at <http://ema.arrl.org> in the right hand column, or visit
<http://tinyurl.com/bma4bqm>.
KB1TEH’s presentation on the “Handifinder” directional antenna kit was
well received at the March meeting of the Whitman ARC.
Congratulations and a “job well done” to outgoing QCWA General Manager
Chuck Walbridge, K1IGD of Framingham. Chuck and his XYL Jan provided
stewardship for eight years to this much-respected organization.
Many in the international Amateur Radio community mourned the loss of
John Thompson, W1BIH/PJ9JT of Plymouth who became a Silent Key on March
8. As reported in last month’s column, John was 97. He was a lifetime
ARRL member and a CQ Contest Hall of Famer.
Eight amateurs from the Whitman ARC and South Shore ARC teamed up to
provide communication support for a Saint Patrick’s Day Road Race on
March 17 in Norwell.
Have you taken the “virtual tour” of the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial
Station W1AW? Visit <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw>.
PART of Westford will operate special event station K1P over the
Patriots’ Day weekend, April 14-15 to commemorate the battle of
Lexington and Concord at the start of the Revolutionary War. K1P will
be QRV from noon until 6 PM each day. PART’s President KB1OIQ says
(tongue-in-cheek), “Be careful how you say it if any G3 stations call
— we’re supposed to foster on-air goodwill, after all.”
Don’t forget to ask, “Is the frequency in use?” on area repeaters on
Patriots’ Day, April 16. Boston Marathon communications will be using a
large number of repeaters throughout the day.
The Cape Ann ARA will host a National Weather Service SKYWARN course on
April 21 in Gloucester from 10 AM until 1 PM. Details on this course and
other area courses can be found at <http://www.wx1box.org/node/36>.
Wellesley ARS’ February meeting presentation by WA3ITR on sunspots and
solar flares had club members wondering, given the timing, if Charlie
was responsible for triggering the early March Coronal Mass Ejection
and resulting X-1 class solar flare!
On a personal note: this SM can be pretty gullible sometimes. While
there were many clever (and not-so-clever) April Fools’ Day stories
circulating this weekend on the web, on mailing lists and in
newsletters, I was totally taken in by Google’s new “Tap” application
(see <http://tinyurl.com/7btv4tr>). In a nutshell, the app claimed to
add a Morse code interface to Android smartphones consisting of a “dot”
and a “dash” key in lieu of the normal soft keyboard. It seemed too good
to be true, especially since KB1OOO had released an actual Morse
interface for jailbroken iPhones called iDitDahText some years ago. I
thoroughly enjoyed it before I traded my iPhone for an HTC Sensation
4G. Well, I anxiously attempted to download the app, but was greeted
with this message:
“Oops! Gmail Tap is a bit too popular right now. We suggest you try
downloading it again next year.”
Sigh.
73,
K9HI
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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Phillip Temples, K9HI
k9hi@arrl.org
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