Historic W1BB Callsign Returns to the Air for International Museums Weekend, June 20, 2026

The historic W1BB callsign, long associated with amateur radio pioneer and ARRL icon Stew Perry, will return to the air on June 20, 2026, as part of International Museums Weekend. Operators Eric Pfeifer, N1JUR, and Shannon Gibney, KC1OHT, will activate a special event station from the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation in Waltham, Massachusetts, celebrating both the rich history of amateur radio and the legacy of one of its most influential figures.

Known worldwide as “Mr. 160 Meters,” Stew Perry, W1BB, helped shape low-band operating and remains a respected figure in amateur radio history. His contributions to the hobby continue to be recognized through the Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge and the countless operators he inspired throughout his lifetime. The special event station will provide visitors and amateur radio operators an opportunity to learn about Perry’s contributions, the history of the W1BB callsign, and the role amateur radio has played in technical innovation and public service.

Members of the public are encouraged to visit the museum, follow along online, or listen for W1BB on the air during the event. Additional information about the activation, Stew Perry’s history, and operating details can be found at n1jur.com/w1bb. For questions or media inquiries, please contact Eric Pfeifer, N1JUR, at eric@n1jur.com.

W1BB Station event

Section Update for June, 2026

Wow, Spring has come and is now almost gone! We’re just a few days away from the solstice, the longest day of the year. It’s been a bit warm for my taste, and we’re still in a bit of a drought. Traffic on the Cape is definitely on the uptick, but the real deluge will start on July 4th weekend. Oy! 

Field Day 2026 is literally just around the corner, and preparations are coming together for HamXpositon in August. Wow, how time flies! Now, on with the show. 

 

* Field Day 2026 is Just Around the Corner! 

Yow, Field Day 2026 (June 27-28) is less than two weeks away. Has your group finished its plans and operating schedule? Tested all the coax, antennas, and other gear? Made your plans to send a Radiogram to your Section Manager (earn bonus points!).  

A reminder to please update the FD locator site on the ARRL.org website, and also the EMA website at https://ema.arrl.org/field_day/. Bill N1VUX works hard to make this site useful for folks in the EMA Section, and especially “FD tourists” such as myself – folks that are planning to visit sites over the two days. As in previous years, I will be bringing around a signed original copy of Governor’s proclamation of Amateur Radio Days. Would you like me to visit your FD site this year? Would you like to snap some photos of the Governor’s proclamation? Send me an email! 

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New Amateur Report for June 1, 2026

Here is the new ham report as of June 1, 2026, listing newly licensed hams. Club officials, please review the list and reach out to those in your footprint and invite, welcome them. To all: please welcome these folks when you hear them on local repeaters. Offer assistance as well!

Report for 2026-06-01

Patricia P Gale, KC1ZNA – FCC
86 Heald St
Pepperell, MA 01463-1249

David F Gale, KC1ZMQ – FCC
86 Heald St
Pepperell, MA 01463-1249

Lee L Duckett, KC1ZML – FCC
23 Ponderosa Dr
Townsend, MA 01469-1320

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Middleton MA Field Day Exercise & Training – Saturday June 27th, 2026 – 8 AM-4 PM

Ronald Draper WA1QZK RACES/Emergency Mgt Communications and Former FEMA MATF 1 Communications Specialist writes:

This year we will be at the Middleton Mass New Municipal Building Saturday in Conjunction with Middleton Fire Dept and Chief Doug LeColst, Emergency Management Director for town. (This also coincides with Chief Wills Day which starts after 4pm). Open To Public and for Scouts who are going for Merit Badge skills.

Emergency Preparedness & What you can do…

1. Interaction with Local responders in Augmentation of their Needs

2. Assist in Emergency Shelter operations

3. Ready your Family for situations that might occur.

Boy Scouts of America (BSA) offers extensive emergency management training, primarily through the Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge (an Eagle-required badge) and the Ready Scout initiative. These programs teach scouts to plan, respond to, and recover from disasters (natural/man-made). Key elements include creating family/troop plans, practicing emergency drills, and earning the First Aid merit badge.

Key Emergency Management Training Components:

Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge:
Focuses on actions before, during, and after emergencies, including fire, natural disasters, and hiking emergencies.

Ready Scout Initiative:
A specific patch and certificate program that includes three main merit badges (Emergency Preparedness, First Aid, Fire Safety) and three optional ones.

Skills Developed:
Scouts learn to create emergency supply kits, build home escape plans, understand incident command, and train in CPR/First Aid.

Emergency Service Project:
Participants must take part in a real or simulated emergency drill, ( ARRL Field Day) such as a disaster simulation or fire drill.

Afternoon Training Noon

Emergency Communications and Field Day Exercise

Radio Merit Badge Overview
Radio is a way to send information, or communications, from one place to another. Broadcasting includes both one-way radio (a person hears the information but can¹t reply) as well as two-way radio (where the same person can both receive and send messages).

Radio Safety
Explain the safety precautions for working with radio gear, including:
Grounding for direct and alternating current circuits, power outlets, antennas, and lightning.

Generators Safety
Preventing and treating electrical burns

Radio Fundamentals.
Setting up a Real Amateur Radio emergency Station and communicate with other stations across the USA and World.

Our Guest Instructor
Mr. Ronald Draper WA1QZK RACES/Emergency Mgt Communications and Former FEMA MATF 1 Communications Specialist
MEMA and CERTS, FCC certified Instructor and Examiner.
Email: rondraper@verizon.net
FIND US: https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

-Ron-WA1QZK

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) Saturday 6/6/26 – 1000 AM ET

Jeff-N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH writes:

Good Afternoon,

On Saturday June 6, 2026 the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM.

Home or alternative locations are also welcome to check into the net. Even if you cannot reach all the systems being used, please check-in on those you can.

We will use the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. West Bridgewater repeater 146.775 dcs 244
2. Attleboro Repeater 147.195 tone 127.3
3​. Sharon Repeater 146.865 tone 103.5
4. Simplex 147.420

We will then return to the West Bridgewater Repeater for Net closing.

NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check-in procedure which is: Here is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

73,

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH

Lightship Nantucket QRV, June 6, 2026

Nantucket LightshipWayne Geiset, KC1ONM, writes on June 4, 2026, on the the Billerica ARS list:

In less than 48 hours we should be set up and on the air from the radio room on the Lightship in Boston Harbor.  LV-112 hasn’t been activated since 2019!

I expect to be able to spot us once we find a suitable frequency.  For those of you who won’t be joining us, I hope you will find yourself near a radio and be able to get in our log.  We will be operating as W1NLS.

Cheers & 73,

Wayne (KC1ONM)

http://www.w1.nls.com

Section Update for May 2026

Goodness, how I love Spring! The weather is warmer and the chance of snow is nil.  April showers are bringing May flowers, which always makes me smile. Traffic on the Cape is starting to pick up, but it’s still mostly manageable.  

NEARFest-Spring has come and gone. I’ve heard from many folks that went for one day or the other, and all report having a really good time. And HamVention (Dayton) wraps up tomorrow (Sunday). To all those who are going, have fun and please email me updates on all the fun you had! 

* New Version of Andy’s Ham Radio Linux Released 

Andy KB1OIQ is pleased to announce the release of version 27 of “Andy’s Ham Radio Linux.” This popular software collection contains roughly 90 programs which are Free Software, Open Source Software, or equivalently licensed. One can download the software from: 
https://sourceforge.net/projects/kb1oiq-andysham/  

PS: If you’re going to HamVention (Dayton), drop in on Andy’s talk! 

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New Ham Report for May 1, 2026

Here is the new ham report as of May1  2026, listing newly licensed hams in the Eastern MA Section. Club officials, please review the list and reach out to those in your footprint and invite, welcome them. To all: please welcome these folks when you hear them on local repeaters. Offer assistance as well!

Report for 2026-05-01

Jason Lasorsa, KC1ZJR – FCC
PO Box 11
Ashby, MA 01431-0011

Mark J Meninger, KC1ZIQ – FCC
67 Maplewood Dr
Townsend, MA 01469-1381

Daniel A Coburn, KC1ZHN – FCC
536 Old Stone Brk
Acton, MA 01718-1008

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Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) – Saturday 5/9/26 at 1000 AM

Jeff-N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH writes:

Good Afternoon,

On Saturday May 9, 2026 the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM.

Home or alternative locations are also welcome to check into the net. Even if you cannot reach all the systems being used, please check-in on those you can.

We will use the following repeaters in the order listed.
1. West Bridgewater repeater 146.775 dcs 244
2. Plymouth Repeater 146.685 tone 131.8
3. DMR -Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot :1 on the following NEDECN repeaters: Boston 449.175 -5.M CC:1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC:1, Sagamore 145.200 – 0.6M CC:10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC:11, East Falmouth 145.210 -0.600 CC:9, Martha’s Vineyard145.180 -0.600 CC:10, and Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC:12.
4. Sharon Repeater 146.865 tone 103.5
5. Simplex 147.420

We will then return to the West Bridgewater Repeater for Net closing.

NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check-in procedure which is: Here is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

73,

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH

MEMA Region 1 RACES Net Control Stations (NCS) Needed

KA8SCP-Terry Stader, Middlesex County MA ARES DEC & Region 1 RACES Radio Officer writes:

We are currently looking for NCS stations for MEMA Region 1 “sectors” both as primary and backup NCS. Region 1 has multiple “sectors” as shown below.

Our nets run on the first Monday of every month, except when it’s a holiday where they are the following Monday. These sector nets start at 1930 local time. The sector nets are conducted on repeaters that are shown at the top of each column below. Nets are generally less than 30 minutes in duration.

Primary need is for the Sector 1A/B. Need backups the other sectors.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me directly.

146.640 (136.5) /146.79(146.2) 146.955(74.4) 147.120 (146.2)/146.715(146.2) 146.625(PL 156.7) /145.490(131.8) 147.390 (162.2 in/127.3 out)/147.285 (100.0)  
Sector 1A/B Sector 1C Sector 1D Sector 1E Sector 1F  
Arlington Acton Bedford Amesbury Beverly  
Ashland Ashby Billerica Andover Chelsea  
Belmont Ayer Burlington Boxford Danvers  
Brookline Boxborough Everett Georgetown Essex  
Cambridge Carlisle Lexington Groveland Gloucester  
Framingham Chelmsford Lincoln Haverhill Hamilton  
Holliston Concord Lynnfield Ipswich Lynn  
Hopkington Dracut Malden Lawrence Manchester  
Marlborough Dunstable Medford Merrimac Marblehead  
Natick Groton Melrose Methuen Middleton  
Newton Hudson N Reading N Andover Nahant  
Sherborn Littleton Reading Newbury Peabody  
Sudbury Lowell Somerville Newburyport Revere  
Waltham Maynard Stoneham Rowley Rockport  
Watertown Pepperell Tewksbury Salisbury Salem  
Wayland Shirley Wakefield Topsfield Saugus  
Weston Stow Wilmington W Newbury Swampscott  
  Townsend Winchester   Wenham  
MEMA SEOC Tyngsboro Woburn   Winthrop  
Boston Westford        
MBTA          
DCR          
           
NOTES:          
MEMA HQ to Area Net – 53.31(-) MHz      
Area 1 to Sector Net – 53.69(s) MHz      
Sector frequencies in BOLD are Primary      
Bold is Primary Net Control Station      
Bold/Italics is Alternate Net Control Station  

Thank you for considering this opportunity to be a NCS or participant in the nets.

R/

Terry

Terry M. Stader – KA8SCP
MEMA Region 1 RACES Officer
ARRL ARES Eastern MA District Emergency Coordinator for Region 1 RACES

Reminder: May 4th, 2026 – MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Mike “Sparky” Leger, N1YLQ, ARES DEC – MEMA Region 2 RACES Radio Officer writes:
 
Hello to all,
 
        This email is the typical monthly message to let everyone know that this evening, May 4th, 2026 is our first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, will be the next RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. 
 
    I plan to be able to perform the duties of Sector 2A Net Control this evening. However,if anyone is interested in trying a hand at running the net, please let me know. 
 
     For those who participate in the WinLink net, please note that please take not of the Net Control Operator for this month with messages being routed to KC1VMZ with a copy to AB1PH. 
 
      For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role-call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they may mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator is asked to please send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com <mailto:WC1MAB@gmail.com>  letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We cannot always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In  6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: Net activity on this repeater has been hit and miss. Please report any activity.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3942 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency 18:45 Local
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local
Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 
 
*Winlink Net*
To participate:
– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard check-in form
– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. May 4th and before midnight EST May 5th (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KC1VMZ with a copy to AB1PH.
 
   I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to
check into sector nets from near-by sectors. This will allow our Net
Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and
will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments
in the event that a single repeater is out of service.
 
   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to
remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into
your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of
participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to
show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may
need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide
back-up communications in an emergency.
 
    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain
prepared as we close out the year for RACES/ARES operations. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.
 
 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at   <mailto:WC1MAB@gmail.comWC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!
 
      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or
cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to
hearing back on who can participate this month.
 
Sincerely,
 
Michael Leger (N1YLQ)
MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer
C: 508_995_0203 

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday May 4th, 2026 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The May Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday May 4th, 2026 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.

For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for our monthly net.

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
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Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 5/4/26 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph, AB1PH, Walpole area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week. For May 2026, the MEMA RACES nets will be held on Mon May 4 at:

********************************************************************************
80 meter Voice net

*** Note new frequency of 3942 Khz ****
This is to avoid another established net
6:45 PM
Frequency: 3942 KHz working up or down until the first free frequency

Jeff N1JCM will be net control
*********************************************************************************
Region 2D VHF net:

7:30 PM ET VHF net on 146.865 MHz PL 103.5 (Sharon Repeater)
We will have a general call up of any RACES, ARES, or other interested stations. If there is tine, we will include a Simplex test.

Don using WA1PLE will be net control.
********************************************************************************
HF 80 meters NBEMS net:

7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22

We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.

Don AB1PH will be net control
*********************************************************************************
Winlink Net:

John KC1VMZ will be net control.
Send a winlink checkin form to N1ILZ, copy AB1PH, between 0600 Monday May 4 and 2400 Monday May 4.
********************************************************************************
Experimental APRS net
Operators who wish to participate must send the message “CI” (Charlie Indigo or Check In) to MAARES-1.

This can be done via RF or Internet by any APRS-capable device or software.
Sending “H” for help will provide more commands that you can perform while checked into the net.

Be sure to beacon your location as well so it is logged as part of the net.
To check out of the net, send “CO” (Charlie Oscar or Check Out),

This net will be available from 0600 to 2100 Eastern time.
Questions can be sent to kc1vmz@gmail.com at any time.
*********************************************************************

We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
_._,_._,_

Cape Ann ARA Seeks Volunteers for Upcoming Public Service Events

CAARA logoAre you looking for a practical way to use your amateur radio skills while supporting the community?

At the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association (CAARA), we provide amateur radio support for half marathons in and around Cape Ann throughout the year (roughly one/month, March through December). We are looking for volunteers to join us in our race support activities. You do not need to be a member of CAARA to participate!

Events are on Saturday or Sunday mornings, with a typical race start time of either 8am or 9am. Radio operators are on site about 30 minutes before the race starts, and are generally finished up around noon. For most races we like to have six checkpoints on the course, plus a lead and tail vehicle.

Volunteering for these activities is a great way to get started with amateur radio public service. You get a chance to experiment with field operation of your equipment, you get to interact with other radio amateurs, and you get to support the runners participating in these events. We can pair you with an experienced volunteer, and we can provide you with a radio if you don’t own one of your own. You can volunteer for a single event or you can become a regular member of our
volunteer team.

We have available positions in all of our upcoming races. You can find the schedule of events at https://sites.google.com/view/caararaces; take a look, pick an unstaffed checkpoint location, and email Kevin Lyons, K1KL, at <kevinlyonsk1kl@gmail.com> if you would like to participate.


Lars Kellogg-Stedman <lars@oddbit.com> | larsks @ {irc,twitter,github}
http://blog.oddbit.com/ | N1LKS

Massachusetts – Rhode Island STM Report for March 2026

The Section Traffic Manager’s report for March 2026 is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/massachusetts-rhode-island-stm-report-for-march-2026/. Important dates to be added to your calendars for annual Traffic Handlers Picnic and the New England HamXposition and the annual Traffic Handlers Meet and Greet. Also a new web-based app for logging and radiogram management now available for testing. And a refresher on prowords, introductory words and phrases and why they are important.

April 2026 Section Update

I hope you made it past Tax Day without too much trauma. I think of it as “that’s something I won’t have to deal with for another year.” I hope it’s the same for you. 

Spring has officially sprung! I’m seeing daffodils and crocuses and tulips and all manner of beautiful flowers poking their heads through the leaves. Oh, and the temperatures are consistently well above freezing (yay!). Traffic on the Cape is starting to pick up (boo!) but our favorite seasonal restaurants are getting ready to open (yay!). So… happy Spring to all! And on with the show! 

 

 * Congratulations to EMA’s Newest Special Service Club, STARS 

Earlier this month, I took great pleasure in approving the Special Service Club application from the ham radio club at New England Sci-Tech, the Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (STARS), Special Service Clubs (SSC) exist to go above and beyond for their communities and for Amateur Radio .  They are the leaders in their Amateur Radio communities who provide active training classes, publicity programs, and actively pursue technical projects and operating activities. STARS does all this and more. Please join me in congratulating them on their new designation. 

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