ARRL EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION Section Manager (SM) - Phil Temples, K9HI Assistant Section Manager (ASM) – Jeremy Breef-Pilz, KB1REQ 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) - Rob Macedo, KD1CY Section Traffic Manager (STM) – Marcia Forde, KW1U State Government Liaison (SGL) - Shawn O'Donnell, K3HI Technical Coordinator (TC) – Dan Brown, W1DAN FEBRUARY 2014 SECTION NEWS On January 25, Cape Cod & Islands District ARES conducted a successful winter operations exercise named "Glacier Bay" to test amateurs' emergency communications capabilities between stations inside and outside of the District. Various EOCs were charged with maintaining communications with a command station in Sandwich. In addition, hospital stations, shelters, and other ARES member home stations participated. According to DEC Frank O'Laughlin, WQ1O, "[Glacier Bay] built upon the lessons learned from our past operational exercises." Digital NBEMS communications and NVIS HF voice modes were employed for the event. The Algonquin ARC flea market will be held on February 15 at the 1Lt. Charles W. Whitcomb School (formerly the Intermediate/Middle School), 25 Union Street, Marlborough. Doors open at 9:00 AM for general admission; setup starts at 6:30 AM. Talk-in will be conducted on the 147.27 MHz repeater (PL 146.2). See <http://tinyurl.com/n4gumuf> for more details. Cape Ann ARA President W4HIX reports the recent painting party at the club shack was a great success. Stan alludes to a "mysterious message" painted above the first floor station. Hmm... W1UE and crew held a WRTC2014 work party on January 7 in Milford where they installed rotor shelves, rotors, masts, and checked Rohn top section installations. Many more volunteers are needed to perform a variety of tasks for this international event, which will bring renowned contesters from around the world to Massachusetts and New England in July. To learn how you can become involved, visit <http://wrtc2014.org>. Do you know a deserving young amateur attending college who could benefit from financial assistance? The non-profit Foundation for Amateur Radio is inviting applications for the Amateur Radio-related scholarships it administers. These academic awards are sponsored by both individuals and by Amateur Radio clubs from across the US. The FAR scholarship application process is open to Amateur Radio licensees worldwide. Awards range from $500 to $5000. Applications are due by April 30, 2014. More info can be found at <http://tinyurl.com/n2j6ul7>. Congratulations to Brett Smith, AB1RL, who was the recent recipient of the Boston Amateur Radio Club's Ham of the Year Award. The Minuteman Repeater Association anticipates that renovations at its Sligo repeater site should be completed in the next few months. Accordingly, the MMRA board is discussing the possibility of holding an open house this spring to showcase the site. Details will be announced in the future. Official Observer Coordinator Ed Parish, K1EP is scheduled to speak about the OO/Amateur Auxiliary Program to members of the Framingham ARA at their February 6 meeting. Technical Coordinator Dan Brown, W1DAN will present on "How to Use an Oscilloscope" at the February 18 meeting of the Wellesley ARS. The NTS traffic net MARI achieved 100 percent representation for all its early and late 1RN sessions in January, according to 1RN Net Manager W1KX. Be sure to mark your calendars for the annual Framingham ARA flea market on April 6 from 9 AM to 12 Noon at the Keefe Technical School in Framingham. More info at <http://fara.org/flea>. This SM was privileged to attend a recent meeting of the Southeastern MA ARA in Dartmouth. Guest speaker W1TAV spoke about power generation. KW2T and W1XP recently hosted the first in a series of Tech Night meetings for the Nashoba Valley ARC in Pepperell. The ARRL DX CW Contest is happening February 15-16. Propagation guru W1HIS writes on the YCCC reflector, "Propagation looks better for this contest than it has looked for years. It's scary. So many bands will be open to so many places for so many hours; it's going to be exhausting. There won't be any slow time." The ARRL DX Phone weekend is March 1-2. You can find the contest rules at <http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx>. KM1CC ("Kilo Marconi One Cape Cod") was QRV on the airwaves January 17-18 to commemorate the 111th anniversary of Marconi's "Atlantic leap," the first wireless message transmitted from the United States to Europe. KM1CC used three operating stations. QSL via SASE to the KM1CC QRZ.com address. Members of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club and other area hams mourn the recent loss of Silent Key Raymond A. Shoop, III, N1CW, of Marlborough. I enjoyed the fellowship of the friendly folks of the Genesis ARS in Plymouth at their January 27 monthly meeting. A good crew was on hand at the K1USN Radio Club in Braintree on January 11 to erect a new Carolina Windom antenna. According to K1USN's Pi Pugh, K1RV, the 266-foot-long antenna "will now give us access to 160 meters, as well as being able to handle high power from either of our HF operating positions." The Wireless Society of Southern Maine invites radio amateurs from Maine and across New England to participate in the fourth annual Maine Two-Meter FM Simplex Challenge contest on February 16. Details can be found at <http://tinyurl.com/olfg9cb>. KD4OFZ will serve as NCS for the Eastern MA Hospital Net on February 1 from the Plymouth EOC. The net will commence at 10 AM, cycling through the following repeaters: Plymouth 146.685, tone 82.5; Dartmouth 147.000, tone 67.0; Bridgewater 147.180, tone 67.0; Falmouth 147.375; tone 110.9; simplex 147.42; before concluding on the Plymouth repeater. Says WZ1B at the Cape Ann ARA: "We started our annual code class week, focusing on those JUST beginning their CW learning. It was fun and the new folks are impressive. Practice is designed for all levels, participating when you can, on your schedule." Rick adds, "I just received from Germany a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot leg key. It is a working key and available to those in the class to play with a solidly designed piece of history." On the subject of improving your Morse code skills, KW1U writes, "Check out the CW Operators Club, at <http://tinyurl.com/nwxdqc2>. It's a lot of fun." The Eastern MA ARRL cabinet and invited guests will meet in Hopkinton on February 24. Attention antique radio aficionados: the New England Antique Radio Club will hold its swap meet on February 16 from 8 AM to 12 Noon at the Westford Regency Inn in Westford. Details can be found at <http://tinyurl.com/mfulzoa>. The United States Army web site prominently featured a story about MARS, entitled "Army's Military Auxiliary Radio System still relevant in Internet age" at <http://tinyurl.com/mbnqs5p>. The ARRL has just released a new video, "ARRL at 100: A Century of Ham Radio." "This is a well thought out presentation, with crisp graphics and production values," writes Pete Kemp, KZ1Z on the QCWA reflector. "It's a 25-minute retrospective of amateur radio, presenting not just our illustrious past but a peak at the future. I would highly recommend this video for non-ham public relations, as well as Amateur Radio clubs and gatherings." The video can be viewed online at <http://tinyurl.com/kg8sz3f>. 73, K9HI -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Section Manager: Phillip Temples, K9HI k9hi@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
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