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
DECEMBER 2012 SECTION NEWS
Recently this SM eavesdropped while members of PART of Westford
discussed an interesting Radio Frequency Interference problem,
experienced by a club member on the club’s listserv. Peter, KB1PBA
reported, “I’ve just had a new high efficiency gas furnace installed.
It produces noise from the AM band through 6 meters when calling for
heat. It’s probably the combustion air/flue gas blower. The old
sparking oil burner never had this problem.” Helpful suggestions
included the addition of clip-on ferrites on all cables, as well as
ground straps.
Eric Falkof, K1NUN, commented: “One other area not mentioned is in the
high efficiency system’s requirement to have a chimney liner which can
provide diode junctions between flue sections within the chimney. Not
good! These can re-radiate, as well as provide new sources of RF noise
in many bands of interest.” Eric added, “If the heating plant is forced
warm air, there is just a motor that drives the blower. An integrated
air conditioning system adds another control point, and therefore more
computerized controls and stuff. If it’s forced hot water, then there
are pumps involved, too.”
Bottom line: RFI from heating/cooling systems can be very tricky;
resulting from a combination of issues requiring step-by-step
elimination, and multiple stages of attack. Fortunately, there are
resources at your disposal if you’re experiencing RFI. In addition to
calling upon the local expertise within your nearby affiliated ARRL
club, our Eastern MA Technical Coordinator, Eric Falkof, K1NUN is an
excellent resource. There’s also the ARRL Technical Information Service
(http://www.arrl.org/technical-information-service) who will provide
helpful suggestions by phone, email or US Mail. Finally, don’t forget
the ARRL RFI Handbook.
Thanks to the efforts of several members of the Falmouth ARA, children
at the East Falmouth Elementary School were presented with the exciting
opportunity to speak with astronauts aboard the International Space
Station. Details are available at <http://tinyurl.com/cobuvmr>.
This SM spoke to members of the North Shore RA at their November
meeting in Danvers about the ARRL.
The 14th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day Special Event will take place
on December 1, 2012. Co-sponsored by the ARRL and the National Weather
Service, it’s a way to recognize the commitment made by Amateur Radio
operators in helping to keep their communities safe [ARRL Letter].
Locally, the Taunton SKYWARN ARC (WX1BOX) will be QRV–on HF, VHF and
Echolink–giving out contacts. Also planned is a special operation from
the Great Blue Hill Observatory by the Boston ARC (W1BOS/MQE).
Venture Crew 47 participated in the Tri-District Camporee in Amesbury
on November 11-13, 2012. The KB1PAL crew operated on Amateur Radio
frequencies as well as FRS and GMRS during the event. In existence
since 2006, the North Shore Radio Association supports the
Peabody-based Venture Crew 47’s young amateurs. Venture Crew members
have participated in numerous events, including the Head of the Charles
Regatta, HF contests, and Field Day.
The Boston ARC is holding its annual holiday party on December 12 at
Not Your Average Joe’s in Arlington.
Attention North Shore hams: The Ipswich Emergency Management Agency
will start a net on December 17, 2012 on the third Monday of every
month at 8 PM on the W1IEM repeater, 145.490, PL 131.8. W1HUB says all
check-ins are welcome.
Congratulations to the ham radio class graduates at the Chatham Marconi
Maritime Center who studied and took their exams over Thanksgiving
weekend. All seven individuals passed the exam! Special thanks go to
instructor Dana S. Henrique, WA1KYU, who led the second Amateur Radio
class to be held in this newly restored historic building; and to
co-instructor W1NP for his help; to W1CMD for coordinating the VE team
effort; and to the VE team. Event photos can be viewed at
<http://tinyurl.com/bm4sw7l> http://web.archive.org/web/20141012072641/https://pilgrimarc.org/Photo_Albums/Pages/Tech_Class_2012.html. –Thanks, Pilgrim ARC
Falmouth ARA is conducting its fourth annual FARA QSO Party, which will
run in conjunction with the ARRL 10-Meter Contest on December 9. All
contacts made in the ARRL contest will count towards the FARA QSO Party
and vise versa. Submit logs to <FARACapeCod@gmail.com>.
Dr. Donna Halper of Leslie College spoke, about “What We Owe the Early
Hams” and about the early days of wireless, to members of the Minuteman
Repeater Association at their November meeting.
The telegraph key of long-time Lexington resident Joseph Santangelo,
N1JS recently became silent. He was an active QCWA member and a Life
Time Yankee Chapter member.
This SM, and Affiliated Club Coordinator Bo Budinger, WA1QYM, visited
the Nashoba Valley ARC in Pepperell at their November monthly meeting
to congratulate the membership on renewing their Special Service Club
status!
Congratulations to those Eastern MA amateurs who authored or
contributed materials for the newest addition to the ARRL
bookshelf–the Amateur Radio Public Service Handbook. “Marc Stern,
WA1R, of Sudbury, contributed to the MARS chapter, and Steve Schwarm,
W3EVE, of Wrentham, wrote the Boston Marathon chapter,” according to
QST Managing Editor Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY. In addition, SEC Rob
Macedo, KD1CY authored a chapter on SKYWARN, and SM Phil Temples, K9HI
co-wrote a chapter with Courage Center Handiham Program Manager WA0TDA,
describing amateurs with disabilities who participate in public service.
For order information, see
<http://www.arrl.org/shop/Amateur-Radio-Public-Service-Handbook/>.
Harvard Wireless Club members operated in last month’s ARRL Sweepstakes
Phone weekend. HWC Station Manager W1PL reports the W1AF crew obtained a
clean sweep of all sections!
Northeastern University Wireless Club, W1KBN was also QRV for
Sweepstakes. In addition, club members held a radio repair
demonstration in the shack for those interested.
Walpole area amateurs mourn the loss of Patricia L. Kelly, N1HGJ who
recently became a Silent Key. According to SEC KD1CY, “She was
instrumental in creating the first SKYWARN database.”
John, KK1X reminds everyone of the Worked All Massachusetts Counties
Award, sponsored by the Nashoba Valley ARC. Details can be found at
<http://www.n1nc.org/WAMC/>.
Once upon a time, the public’s impression of Amateur Radio was solely
along the lines of, “My television’s on the fritz; it must be that %#*!
ham operator!” For a humorous (or perhaps not-so-humorous) stroll down
memory lane, check out this old Twilight Zone episode on YouTube, at
<http://tinyurl.com/bojueut>.
It’s refreshing when Amateur Radio and Morse code _are_ featured in an
authentic and positive light in the entertainment industry. Producer
Steven Spielberg has used Amateur Radio or Morse code in three of his
last four movies: Super 8 (2011), The Adventures of Tin Tin (2011) and
Lincoln (2012). Members of the Morse Telegraph Club — an association
of retired railroad and commercial telegraphers, historians, radio
amateurs and others with an interest in the history and traditions of
telegraphy and the telegraph industry — played an integral part in the
production of Lincoln. [ARRL Letter] The story quotes Morse Telegraph
Club International President James Wades, WB8SIW, who says, “Nine of
the 16 telegraph positions depicted in the War Department were fully
operational.”
watched, mesmerized, alongside everyone in the theater. I’m fairly
fluent with International Morse code, but my expertise with the old
landline American Morse is practically non-existent; I was unable to
decipher any of the “clicks” of the authentic messages being sent and
received. Nevertheless it was exciting.]
Finally, on the subject of old time Morse: One hundred and eleven years
ago, on December 12, 1901, Guglielmo Marconi received the first
transatlantic radio signal at Signal Hill, St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The transmitter was located in Cornwall, approximately 2,200 miles
away. The wavelength was about 350 meters, and the entire path was in
daylight. The signal–a Morse code letter S–was arranged in advance,
and the clicks were reported to have been heard “faintly and
sporadically.” There were some skeptics at the time, and one might even
be skeptical even now. –Thanks, Boston ARC “The SPARC”
Happy holidays, and a very healthy and prosperous New Year to all!
73,
Phil, K9HI
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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Phillip Temples, K9HI
k9hi@arrl.org
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