Month: May 2005

The April, 2005 EMA traffic net and Public Service Honor Roll totals have been posted to http://nts.ema.arrl.org under “Main Menu | STM Monthly Report“.

Bill O’Hara, N1EY, writes:

* 14 May – 247 K1RV
* 21 May – 225
* 4 June – 151
* 11 June – 209
* 18 June – 85
* 16 July – 58

This is our current schedule. I have not received any updates. Pi will be there on this Saturday. Can I get anyone to help us with Radio Room 5? Does anyone want to do the Morse Code Room?
I have not heard of plans for Memorial Day, yet. Please be prepared to come operate the radio room for the Veterans.

Maura always calls me asking for radio operators. She has told me that we put together a good program and the ship needs us.

Additional news regarding the scouting program is the apparent installation of a computer to the PA system to provide announcements. The class whistle is prompt. Do not expect any delay and manage your time very well while giving demonstrations or morse code instruction.

For those who have an interest in emergency preparedness the CERT instructor has successfully introduced many scouts and their parents to the CERT program. They have been a good part of the scouting program and show up every week.

We had a successful day with the Morse Code instruction, yesterday. Jack W1JAW led the class and got many scouts tapping away on their practice oscillators.

I have reviewed Radio Shack’s website. They no longer list the one piece code practice oscillator.

One of the only choices to recommend to scouts is to get the MFJ through HRO at $34.95. I remember seeing a sale at Radio Shack for less than $20.

N1EY

For more info:
Allen Pitts, W1AGP
Media and Public Relations Manager
(860) 594-0328
apitts@arrl.org

Hams and Military to Jointly Test Communications May 14-15

May 3, 2005 Newington CT– The 2005 Armed Forces Military/Amateur crossband communications test will take place May 14-15. The US Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are co-sponsoring the annual event in celebration of the 55th anniversary of Armed Forces Day, which is Saturday, May 21. The test features military-to-amateur crossband communications using both voice radio and digital communications. The Secretary of Defense will also have his own message-receiving test. The Armed Forces Day radio event is scheduled a week earlier to avoid conflicts with the ham operators national “Hamvention”, May 20-22. Special cards confirming the contacts will be provided to those Amateur Radio operators making contact with the military stations and certificates will be awarded to those hams who receive and copies the digital Armed Forces Day message from the Secretary of Defense.

Amateur Radio, often called “ham” radio, has been shown to be a critical piece in modern emergency management planning. Amateur Radio operators provide volunteer communications for the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and thousands of state and local emergency management offices across the country. The hams are also an integral part of the new DHS Citizen Corps home defense programs. In the recent tsunamis and in many areas during the 2004 Florida hurricanes, Amateur Radio was the only effective communications that survived.

Military/Amateur Radio cross band operations will take place on selected radio frequencies. Voice contacts will include operations on single sideband radios. Digital communications using a blend of radios and computers will also be used. Participating military stations will transmit on selected Military Amateur Radio Service frequencies and listen for amateur radio stations in the Amateur bands. Each of the military station operators will announce the specific amateur band frequency being monitored at their location. The duration of each individual contact will be limited to 1-2 minutes to allow as many stations as possible to participate

Arlene Arruda, KB1KGG, writes on SEMARA members list:

The [Southeastern Massachusetts Amateur Radio Assocation] 2 meter YL Net will be held weekly starting on Tuesday evening June 7, 2005 at 8 PM local time on The W1AEC Repeater, 147.000 with a PL tone of 67.0.

All YLs in RI, southeast MA , Cape Cod and beyond are welcome and encouraged to participate.

OK……your husband or boyfriend is a ham and finally convinces you to take that Technician Class Exam. You study hard and get your ticket! Congratulations! Now what???

Most YLs talk to their OMs, maybe a few friends close by, and then disappear into the woodwork or at best seldom hit that PTT button!

Well ladies……here is a great opportunity for us to have our own net, with some operating time to talk about the many things we have in common. It gives us a chance to have some fun as a group in a relaxing low key manner.

I would welcome your help in passing this info on to as many YLs as possible via internet, the local repeaters and some of the club newsletters.

First YL Net is Tuesday June 7, 2005 at 8PM local time on The SEMARA Club Repeater.

Hope to hear you on the air.

73,

Arlene – KB1KGG,
NCS, SEMARA YL Net

To: ARRL members in New England

Just over a week ago Representative Michael Ross, WD5DVR, of Arkansas, introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives calling on the FCC to “conduct a full and complete analysis” of radio interference from broadband over power line (BPL). A copy of HRes 230 is available on the ARRL Web site in .PDF format at:

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/filings/hres230/HRes230.pdf

It was too late to get the news into June QST but it did go out via ARRL Bulletins and the ARRL Letter: http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/2005-arlb012.html and http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/05/0429/

This is an important step in our effort to slow and stop the deployment of BPL. In recent months there have been a couple of test BPL systems installed in Massachusetts (Western Massachusetts Electric) and Connecticut (United Illuminating). They really do cause significant interference even in the limited test areas that already have been installed.
1) It is important for you to contact your representative in the House of Representatives now and ask them to support House Resolution 230. Please send a letter in the next two weeks if at all possible. Ask him or her to sign on as a co-sponsor for H Res 230. There are roughly 1500 licensed Amateurs in each congressional district. A sample letter is available on the ARRL Web site:

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/filings/hres230/HRes230-SampleLtr.doc

Express your support in your own words. If you’re not sure who represents your congressional district, visit the United States House of Representatives Web site at http://www.house.gov/

To expedite delivery, send all correspondence bound for Members of Congress–preferably as an attachment–to hres230@arrl.org; or fax it to 703-684-7594. The ARRL will bundle correspondence addressed to each Member of Congress for hand delivery.

2) Two New England Congressmen are on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and will have a direct role in what happens with H Res 230. They are Rep Charles Bass (D-2) who represents much of southern and all of western New Hampshire, and Rep Tom Allen (R) who represents northern and eastern Maine. We’re interested in working with ARRL Members in those districts who know either Representative or someone on their staff – we’d like to make sure they are well informed about BPL. Please contact me if you can help out.

3) Finally, we need those of you with contacts within the law enforcement and public safety community to help us out. If you know any officials in your area who participate in the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) or the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO), please encourage them to continue their efforts to block BPL interference. These two groups have filed comments with the FCC with concerns of BPL interference. These groups represent associations such as the American Red Cross, The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Association of Emergency Managers.

In summary, it is important to get the point across that this resolution does not hinder Broadband, but, rather seeks to delay the BPL docket (FCC ET 04-37) until further study can be made. We need to stress the importance of how BPL is not only causing interference to Amateur Radio operators, but it is causing interference within the Law Enforcement and Public Safety area. While contacting your representatives it needs to be mentioned that ARRL has filed a petition for reconsideration to the FCC.

Thanks for your support and direct action on this important topic!

Tom Frenaye, K1KI
ARRL Director
New England Division
860-668-5444
k1ki@arrl.org

PSLIST                          May 4, 2005

    Public Service Volunteer Opportunities in the New England Division
Listing public events at which Amateur Radio communications is providing

a public service and for which additional volunteers from the Amateur

Community are needed and welcome.  Please contact the person listed to

identify how you may serve and what equipment you may need to bring.
The most up-to-date copy of this list is maintained as

http://purl.org/hamradio/publicservice/nediv
   **** Every event listed is looking for communications volunteers ****
Date    Location      Event                       Contact      Tel/Email
May 7   Grafton    MA Grafton Road Race           Bob KA1OTQ   508-865-6957

                                                           ka1otq@@arrl.net

May 14  Westford   MA Apple Blossom Parade        Bo WA1QYM    978-692-6084

                      (8:30AM - 12:00 Noon)                 wa1qym@arrl.net

May 15  Devens     MA Parker Classic Road Race    Stan KD1LE   978-433-5090

July 2  Princeton  MA Longsjo Bicycle Race        Ralph KD1SM  978-582-7351

                                                             kd1sm@arrl.net

July 3  Fitchburg  MA Longsjo Bicycle Race        Ralph KD1SM  978-582-7351

                                                             kd1sm@arrl.net
This list is published periodically as demand warrants by Stan KD1LE

and Ralph KD1SM.  Our usual distribution is via packet to NEBBS, via

Internet mail to the arrl-nediv-list and ema-arrl distribution lists,

and on the World Wide Web (see URL above).  If other mailing list

owners wish us to distribute via their lists we will be happy to

oblige.  Permission is herewith granted to republish this list in

its entirety provided credit is given to the authors and the URL

below is included.  Send comments, corrections, and updates to:
(via packet) KD1SM@K1UGM.#EMA.MA.USA,

(via Internet) KD1SM@ARRL.NET.
We make an attempt to confirm entries with the coordinator unless the

information is from another published source.  We very much appreciate

the assistance we have been receiving from our 'scouts'; everyone is

welcome to send us postings.
Refer to http://purl.org/hamradio/publicservice/nediv for the most

recent version of the PSLIST.
-30-

		

The establishment of an internet gateway/ remote base in Iraq using the callsign YI9DXX is a step closer now, according to Easton amateur Keith Lamonica, W7DXX.

Lamonica reports delivery of the remote base equipment to Baghdad is “scheduled to arrive this Friday or Monday.”

(See also “YI9DXX Gateway Plans ‘Hit A Snag'” and “YI9 Internet Gateway Close to Reality”.)

Ben Kellman, WA1SYH and several other members of the Billerica Amateur Radio Society have expressed an interest in starting a ham radio class at the Marshall Middle School in Billerica.

Kellman is considering “basing the class curriculum on the MCAS communications requirements for the 8th grade.” In a presentation at the April BARS meeting Kellman asked for suggestions and volunteers to both organize the class and contribute to the course content.

—Billerica ARS The SPARK, May 2005

The command vechicle demo portion of the 2005 hurricane briefing has been cancelled. This is due to budget constraints with some of the main public safety entities and also because the MEMA Mobile EOC was repositioned for another event at the request of the state director. The Hurricane Drill Briefing will still be done and Amateurs that attend the briefing can get a tour of the State EOC in Framingham.

Mr. Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, State RACES Officer will be hosting a briefing for the upcoming statewide Hurricane Exercise at the State Emergency Operations Center, 400 Worcester Road, Framingham, Massachusetts beginning at 10:00 A.M. This briefing is very important for radio amateurs to attend to learn about the details of the statewide Hurricane Exercise planned for Monday June 6, 2005. All are welcome to attend though this briefing will be geared toward participants in regions 1 and 3 due to a different reporting form utilized in Region II. For Region II participants, a briefing will be held at the Region II HQ in Bridgewater Mass. on Monday May 16th at 7 PM.

The June 6th statewide hurricane exercise is a wonderful opportunity for ARES Operators to practice their emergency communications skills alongside the RACES Officers in their hometown.

If you are interested in attending the briefing and demonstration, please either send an email to Tom Kinahan, n1cpe@arrl.net or call the RACES line at MEMA – 508-820-1428 by Thursday May 12, 2005 so that he can obtain clearance for you to attend the briefing in the SEOC. You will need a government issued photo ID to enter the SEOC. No Walk-ins can be accepted for this event so please pre-register by the deadline of Thursday May 12th, 2005.

We look forward to seeing you on the 14th.
1 1

Bob Salow, WA1IDA, writes:

[It’s] short notice, but it’s important that we continue this community service. Last year, the non-profit organization, Bikes Not Bombs (BNB) realized that ham radio was the way to support riders on the three courses in and around Greater Boston. BNB rehabilitates bicycles and provide them to youths here and abroad. Their present focus locally is to help kids learn mechanics and safety and get to own a bike they work on. The health advantages of bike riding are proven.

There will be concurrent 15, 25 and 62 mile rides on Sunday, 15 May 2005. More than 185 riders are expected. All three rides start near Jamaica Pond, but we will meet at 0800 at a secure parking area in Roxbury Crossing to be transported to the start or to assignments. We have been asked to staff rest stops, follow vehicles and a few shadows. There will be no assignments on the streets.

The shorter courses should be finished by 1400, and the long course should finish by 1630. All finishes are at Mississippi’s Restaurant where an excellent gourmet dinner will be provided.

We want to make a good showing at this local event and demonstrate the community value of ham radio. If you can help for this event, please respond with the following information as soon as possible.

Full name
On-air name
Call sign
Postal mailing address (including 9-digit ZIPcode)
Evening phone
Day phone
Cell phone
Email address
Does your 2-meter radio have CTCSS (PL)?
Do you have a dual-band radio?
Do you have a magnetic mount antenna?

Because of the limited time, let me know as soon as you can. Questions? Just ask.

Bob Salow, WA1IDA
wa1ida@arrl.net
508.650.9440

Roland Daigault, N1JOY, writes:

Just a reminder that the Fall River gang (and a few SEMARA die-hards) will be on Martha’s Vineyard next weekend for the annual DXpedition to the Gay Head lighthouse. Friday will be a fun operating day providing contacts for IOTA (Islands On The Air) and Lighthouse contacts, then Saturday and Sunday will be for the New England QSO Party. Hopefully you can catch us on the air and give us a few contacts!

We will be operating all HF bands, 6m, 2m, and 432 Mhz, including ATV! The camper should be monitoring 144.34 MHz simplex most of the time if you’d like to get hold if us.