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
MAY, 2011 SECTION NEWS:
No new major developments to report this month regarding H.R. 607,
discussed in last month’s column. To recap–the Bill would seek to
offset the cost of constructing a new emergency communications system
by auctioning off the 420-440 MHz spectrum. For the latest info, visit
<http://www.arrl.org/hr-607>.
An April 30, 2011 National Public Radio story focused attention on H.R.
607 and the potential loss of our 70 cm frequencies as well as
highlighting the yeoman emergency communications efforts amateurs
provided in the wake of last week’s devastating tornadoes that struck
the South. The audio and text of the news story can be found on the NPR
web site at <http://tinyurl.com/4yd2wrb>.
Will YOU be on the air for the New England QSO Party, May 7-8, 2011?
Details are at <http://www.neqp.org>.
Falmouth ARA, Barnstable ARC, Cape Cod ARES, SKYWARN and Taunton Area
Communications Group members were on-hand on May 2 at Otis Air National
Guard Base in Bourne on Cape Cod for the National Hurricane Service
Awareness Day activities. The event featured tables and exhibits by
FEMA, MEMA, the Coast Guard, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and of course,
Amateur Radio. K1AIR was QRV on several HF bands. Several on-air
contacts were conducted between WX4NHC in Miami, FL and NWS officials
from the Taunton office, and other dignitaries in attendance. The main
attraction featured tours to the general public of a fully operational
Orion P-3 Hurricane Hunter aircraft. Kudos go to SEC KD1CY, DEC WQ1O,
and others who helped to organize ham activities for the event.
This SM had the honor of presenting recently to members of the Norfolk
County RA, the Algonquin ARC, Falmouth ARC, Barnstable ARC, and the
Cape Cod Explorer Post 73 ARC. ACC WA1QYM and PIC WA1IDA accompanied me
on several of these visits.
Cape Ann ARA members attended a benefit breakfast on May 1 to support
the CAARA College Scholarship Fund. A minimum $5.00 donation was
solicited; all monies will go into the scholarship to benefit high
school students who are pursuing a higher education in the science,
mathematics or engineering fields.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) will conduct an
ICS-300 course at the Foxboro Fire Department on May 17, and an ICS-400
course at the MEMA Region II Headquarters on June 21. For details on
registering, along with the complete course listings, visit <
http://tinyurl.com/ypzh5y>.
The Nashoba Valley ARC conducted communications for a successful Groton
Road Race on April 10. Over 40 amateurs coordinated the event that
featured 580 runners over a 10 km course. NVARC has been participating
in the road race now for 19 years.
Mark your calendars for these upcoming SKYWARN training sessions: West
Tisbury (May 7); Amesbury (May 7); Taunton (May 16); Brockton (April
4). For a full listing, visit <http://wx1box.org/node/36> .
Harvard Wireless Club (W1AF) will hold its 2011 Field Day operation at
the Oak Ridge Observatory in Harvard, MA.
Speaking of Field Day, DO check out the special Eastern MA ARRL Field
Day pages at <http://fd.ema.arrl.org>. N1VUX has done an incredible job
with his annual compilation of reference information and statistics
about Amateur Radio’s most visible annual event.
WA1KYU and W1NP are teaching a Technician license class in Dennis
consisting of four 4-hour sessions on July 9, 10, 16, & 17, 2011. To
register, contact Dana at 508-432-1383 or email <dec123@comcast.net>.
Waltham ARA’s EchoLink node is back on-line, thanks to WO1VES.
Members of the Wellesley ARS will provide communications support for
the Wellesley Veteran’s Parade on May 22.
From the “You-Can’t-Make-This-Stuff-Up” Department: If you ever wonder
about the types of questions ARRL Headquarters receives, here is one
example (and it wasn’t an April Fool’s Day joke):
“Someone has been torturing me via a radio frequency since 2009.
Hospitals in Germany and Arizona and Nevada have my EKG/EEG signal.
They are transmitting directly into my brain using (I think) an
extremely low frequency. HELP! I’ve contacted the FCC, FBI and Home
Land Security. How can I capture the signal for evidence?” [Thanks,
Chuck, K0BOG]
The Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association is offering a Tech-in-a-Day
Course on May 7 at the Lanesville Community Center in Gloucester.
W1EAV in Marion suffered tower damage at his QTH from the April 16
storm.
N1IPP asks on the Waltham64 mailing list: “What could happen–or might
happen to [your repeater] in the event of some natural or man-made
catastrophe?” As the warmer weather approaches, it’s a good time for
your club or repeater group to consider how prepared you are to deal
with the effects from a flood, fire, wind or earthquake. A little bit
of planning and effort can go a long way toward minimizing the effects
from these hazards.
Eastern MA ARRL staff members will attend a quarterly dinner meeting on
May 12 to discuss section matters.
Two Eastern MA clubs are tentatively planning to operate special events
stations for the 13 Colonies Event July 1-5: the Southeastern MA ARA and
PART of Westford. More details will be posted as they become available.
Congrats to N1AGE and the Raymond J. Levesque Memorial ARC (K1ZZN) gang
for pulling off a successful special event operation commemorating the
start of Major League Baseball. The group operated as N1B from McCoy
Stadium in Pawtucket, RI. They made approximately 120 QSOs including a
“handful” of DX contacts. The crew also plans to operate in the New
England QSO Party.
Algonquin ARC members are gearing up for a RockMite / SoftRock kit
building project this summer.
Pilgrim ARC (Provincetown) will soon celebrate its 35th anniversary
this July!
W1PL will speak at the May 19 Boston ARC meeting on communicating with
the Space Shuttle.
Are you a comfortable public speaker? Do you like to tell others about
Amateur Radio? Then consider signing up for the new Eastern MA Public
Speaker’s Bureau! We’re looking for a few good men and women who will
volunteer to speak at external organizations (e.g., Rotary, Kiwanis,
service clubs, etc.) and explain not only the enjoyment that comes from
being a ham; but also, why we’re a valuable resource to the general
public. Sound interesting? Drop a note to PIC Bob Salow, WA1IDA at
wa1ida at arrl dot net.
73, K9HI
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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Phillip Temples, K9HI
k9hi@arrl.org
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