DECEMBER 2014 SECTION NEWS

ARRL EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION

Section Manager (SM) – Phil Temples, K9HI
Assistant Section Manager (ASM) – Tom Walsh, K1TW
Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) – Arthur “Bo” Budinger, WA1QYM
Official Observer Coordinator (OOC) – Ed Parish, K1EP
Public Information Coordinator (PIC) – Bob Salow, WA1IDA
Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) – Mike Neilsen, W1MPN
Section Traffic Manager (STM) – Marcia Forde, KW1U
Section Youth Coordinator (SYC) – Jeremy Breef-Pilz, KB1REQ
State Government Liaison (SGL) – Hank Mc Carl, W4RIG
Technical Coordinator (TC) – Dan Brown, W1DAN

DECEMBER 2014 SECTION NEWS

The Taunton SKYWARN ARC station WX1BOX will be active for SKYWARN
Recognition Day 2014. Also, the Boston Amateur Radio Club will be QRV
as they have been over the past several years at the Blue Hill
Observatory using the call sign WX1BHO, from 9 AM to 3 PM on Saturday
December 6.

This will be the 16th year for SKYWARN Recognition Day. It’s
anticipated that over one hundred NWS forecast offices plan to
participate. For more information, visit
<http://wx1box.org/node/3555>.

Marcia Forde, KW1U, has announced she is stepping down as Chair of the
NTS Eastern Area Staff effective December 31–a position she has held
for 14 years. Says Marcia, “I’m hoping to have more time to devote to
section-level activities.” KW1U currently serves as Eastern MA Section
Traffic Manager.

Marcia notes that message-handling skills are a key Amateur Radio
skill. In fact, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate stressed the importance
of NTS and the training it provides, at this year’s ARRL National
Convention. Marcia adds, “December presents an opportunity to practice
those message handling and net operation skills by sending holiday
greetings to friends, families and colleagues.”

Kudos is in order to W1LUS, who was recently recognized as one of the
top five Volunteer Examiners in the New England Division. Bruce has
been an active ARRL VE since February 1988.

Framingham ARA members and other area amateurs are saddened by the loss
of FARA member, Silent Key Beverly D. Lees, N1LOO, of Framingham.

FARA is suffering a further loss, with former member Royce N. Sawyer,
K1DAD, of Hopkinton also reported as a Silent Key.

YCCC’s Tony Brock Fisher, K1KP had “a ton of fun” operating W1AW/1 on
AM mode from his home in Andover in late October. Says Tony, “Several
AM regulars stopped by and they were all very positive, congratulating
me on recognizing the mode. But the biggest surprise was the number of
callers who said this was their first AM contact ever!”

NE1B presented on Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) at the November 5 meeting
of the Billerica ARS. Per the BARS mailing list: “DMR has arrived in
BARS territory. The N1IW DMR repeater has been installed in Chelmsford
on K1SUB’s tower and is networked to the World Wide, National and
Regional Talk Groups.”

Cape Ann ARA members teamed up with Ipswich Emergency Management Agency
to provide communications for the YuKanRun Stache Half Run event on
November 2. KA1BTK coordinated the amateurs’ efforts.

The Town of Marlborough expressed its gratitude to nearly a dozen
Algonquin ARC members for their help in watching over the schools
during the annual Halloween Patrol. The amateurs’ efforts “helped
protect from expensive property damage” and “allowed police personnel
to focus on the other areas of the city during a busy night.”

The Whitman ARC staged its annual special event station at Plimoth
Plantation over the Thanksgiving weekend. They used the call sign NI1X,
to honor beloved member and Silent Key Bruce Hayden.

The W1FY shack looks a lot nicer, thanks to the efforts of club
director W1EQW. According to “The Framingham Circuit,” W1EQW has been
refurbishing the space in the Danforth Museum in the wake of damage
caused by steam heating issues. Jim “stripped away flaking paint,
killed the mildew, cleaned and repainted the walls.”

The Falmouth ARA held its annual FARAFest on November 8.

Bristol County RA will hold its holiday party at White’s of Westport on
December 7.

Cape Ann ARA is conducting its holiday festivities on December 6 at the
St. John’s Episcopal Church Hall in Gloucester.

Members of the Sturdy Memorial Hospital ARC listened to a presentation
from KD1LI on antique radio restoration at their November 18 meeting.

All Braintree area amateurs are invited to check in to the weekly
Braintree Emergency Management Agency Net. The net meets weekly on
Monday night beginning at 8 PM on the 147.30 Weymouth repeater. Once
checked in, stations are encouraged to try checking in on the Braintree
(IRLP) 442.500 repeater. For more info about BEMA, visit
<http://tinyurl.com/nv3v3cv>.

W1UE of Marlborough operated from ZW1B for the CQWW CW contest on
November 29-30. Said Dennis, “I’ll have my YCCC filter turned on.”

Six members of the K1USN ARC in Braintree commemorated Veteran’s Day by
activating the club station and making over a hundred contacts on the HF
bands.

PART of Westford members will conduct their annual holiday party at
Yangtze River Restaurant in Littleton on December 16.

Dennis Marandos, K1LGQ, President of the New England QRP Club, spoke to
Boston ARC members on the topic of QRP operating at BARC’s November 20
meeting.

AA1VO introduced several youngsters to Amateur Radio during the recent
Jamboree On The Air. Jon and crew made eight contacts over the course
of two hours from his home QTH in Chelmsford. Additional assistance was
provided by an unnamed PART of Westford member. The Wellesley ARS loaned
AA1VO the rig and antenna. Thanks, Wellesley ARS’ “The Spark Gap.”

A Chelmsford, England ham is inviting Chelmsford, MA amateurs to
participate in a shortwave radio program about ham radio. 2E0RMI
writes, “I’m involved in a radio program which is airing on WRMI (9955
kHz) monthly, and part of the program is a short documentary piece. I
want to do a small discussion on Amateur Radio, and to talk to hams
from here and then from the USA.” If you’re a Chelmsford amateur and
interested in participating, you can contact 2E0RMI at
<jim.salmon@blueyonder.co.uk>. –Thanks, KB1MGI.

Whitman ARC members conducted a “major cleanout” of their Quonset hut
clubhouse in Whitman on November 15.

PART of Westford members mourn the loss of Silent Key Alexander F.
Hastie, W1PJL of Concord.

The Boston ARC will hold its annual holiday party on December 7 at the
Stockyard Restaurant in Brighton.

Harvard Wireless Club (W1AF) members made over 800 contacts during the
recent ARRL Sweepstakes SSB contest on November 15-16.

Members of the Sturdy Memorial Hospital ARC provided communications for
the annual Santa Parade in North Attleborough on November 30.

The Battleship Missouri ARC, KH6BB, graciously hosted SM-elect Tom
Walsh, K1TW during a recent visit. While there, by coincidence, Tom met
two other visiting Eastern MA section members. Tom reports they were
treated to an “exceptional early morning ten meter opening” to the US
mainland. Tom adds, “Ham radio can bring local hams together–even
5,000 miles away!”

Speaking of random DX encounters, I was delighted to have an
opportunity to visit with my Connecticut SM counterpart, Betsy, K1EIC,
while in Seattle, Washington this past month. Betsy and I learned via
Facebook that the hotels at which we were staying were situated just a
few miles apart. We met for an “eyeball sked” and together toured the
Pike Place Farmer’s Market and talked some ARRL business.

73,

K9HI

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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Phillip Temples, K9HI
k9hi@arrl.org
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