Month: June 2005

Members of Whitman’s Emergency Management Agency took part in a hurricane drill in the Commonwealth on June 19. Among those volunteering were Bill Hayden, N1FRE, and Emergency Management Agency Director Bob Schmitt. In addition, four members of the Whitman Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) assisted at the event by plotting the course of hurricane “Yolanda” and assessing the situation.

The CERT members are currently studying to earn their Amateur Radio licenses.

[Photo: L-R: Erika La Flamme, Skip O’Mally, Jean Duncan and Bob Schmitt]

—Thanks, Whitman ARC Spectrum June, 2005

Carlos Wharton, WP4US assisted the National Weather Service in Taunton when a hurricane struck the Pacific coast of El Salvador earlier this month. NWS SKYWARN Coordinator and Eastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY contacted Wharton and asked if he could obtain information or reports from the affected area via EchoLink. WP4US contacted a Spanish net in El Salvador and provided Spanish translations for NWS personnel.

[photo: WP4US operating the Echolink station from the Taunton Emergency Operations Center.]

—Thanks, Whitman ARC Spectrum, June 2005

The Gay Head Light House on Martha’s Vineyard was activated on May 5-7, 2005 by Southeastern Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association member Ron Silvia, WB1HGA. Silvia traveled to the island by ferry from his home in Fall River, MA. Silvia set up three separate stations, including VHF/UHF operation and fast scan Amateur TV in his camper. His visit to Gay Head Light coincided with the 2005 New England QSO Party.

“We did as well as expected despite some lost antennas,” writes Silvia, who had to contend with “gusts of near hurricane force winds and driving rain.”

WB1HGA hopes that “it’s nice and warm” when he returns next year.

—Thanks, SEMARA Zero Beat, July 2005

Mark Duff, KB1EKN was sworn in by town officials as the new Fire Chief of the Hingham Department of Fire and Rescue Services on June 23.

Duff, who had served as Deputy Fire Chief, is Hingham’s Emergency Management Director. The life-long resident of Hingham also serves as Chairman of Hingham’s Emergency Planning Committee. KB1EKN is ARRL Assistant Section Manager for Eastern MA.

[Mark Duff, KB1EKN is sworn in by Hingham Town Clerk Eileen McCracken. Center: Geri Duff, KB1ISG. Photo courtesy W1MPN]

The Police Amateur Radio Team of Westford has voted to support a ham radio project in the Chelmsford High School, according to PART’s Arthur “Bo” Budinger, WA1QYM. “A unanimous vote was taken at the June PART meeting to support the project with a $200 donation, writes Budinger. “The funds will be used to purchase a ‘classroom bookshelf’ of ARRL publications related to wireless communications. In addition, it establishes PART as the sponsoring ham radio club for this activity.”

The request was presented to the club by KB1LD and KB1LQC. In addition, Dave Steeves, KB1MKW, a physics teacher at the school also spoke of the project. Steeves, a newly-licensed amateur, sees ham radio as a great classroom teaching tool. Steeves intends to apply for Chelmsford High School to be a pilot school under the ARRL’s Big Project. One prerequisite of a successful pilot school project is the willingness of local ham radio volunteers to provide technical assistance to the teacher and students.

“This is an excellent way to give young people a greater appreciation of ham radio,” comments Budinger. In writing to the PART membership, WA1QYM adds, “I fully support this project and hope that the rest of you will do the same. I suspect in the following months we will be called upon for some support in the form of equipment or technical knowledge.”

For the second time in less than a month, the MIT Flea Market has attracted publicity in a major media outlet. Today’s Boston Globe ran an AP story entitled “‘Flea at MIT’ draws nerdy”. Boston.com also carried an on-line version of the article. (Free registration required to view.)

As with the May 25 Wired On-line’s story, “Hamming It Up At Radio Meets,” the AP item also stressed the “Nerd” factor. Steve Finberg, W1GSL, who started the Flea at MIT 21 years ago is quoted several times in the article.

The Flea at MIT is sponsored by the Harvard Wirless Club, the MIT Electronics Research Society, the MIT UHF Repeater Association, and the MIT Radio Society.

[See also: Wired.com Showcases Amateur Radio, MIT Flea] [The same AP story was picked up by CNN.com on June 24, 2005, entitled Nerds unite at MIT Swapfest. -k9hi]

Members of the Massasoit Amateur Radio Association faced a conflict in supporting both Operation Atlas from the Bridgewater Emergency Operations Center (rescheduled to June 4, 2005) and the 10k Road Race at Camp Yomechas in Middleboro. Fortunately there were enough members available to support both events, with W1GMF, N1PYN and N1LHD pulling a shift at both locations. —MARANews, June 2005

Photo #1 (l-r): N1LHD, W1GMF, N1LCY; Photo #2: N1XTB, KD1CY; Photo #3: the Camp Yomechas Crew: NI1X, W1GMF, N1lHD, N1NVV, N1LCY, N1PYN. Photos courtesy KB1CYV and NI1X

The North Shore Radio Association is conducting several public service communications events this summer and is seeking volunteers:

* 7/3/05, 1700-1900 ET – Horribles Parade, Gloucester, MA

* 7/4/05, 0900-1200 ET – July 4th Parade, Manchester by the Sea, MA

* 7/16/05 – Blackburn Challenge, Gloucester, MA (Rowing Race around Cape Ann)

* 7/24/05 – Bike Ride from Lynn, MA to Gloucester, MA (for a Cancer Charity)

Contact Eric Horwitz, KA1NCF at ka1ncf@nsradio.org to volunteer.

—Thanks nsradio.org

An innovative ham radio promotional activity called “Bring Your HT To Work Day” is gathering national momentum.

“On June 21st we are encouraging all hams in the US that have an HT to take it with them to work. Wear it on your belt, put it on your desk or some other place where your co-workers can see it. We hope that it will raise curiosity and questions,” writes John Williams, KF4VGX on the eHam.net web site.

“This is a chance for you to talk to them about ham radio! At lunchtime, show them how it works. Make some contacts while they are watching. Even better, let them talk on the radio. Then invite your co-workers to come see you at Field Day weekend.”

Williams requests all participants of “Take Your HT To Work Day” to send in a report afterwards to ARRL Headquarters, at:

HT Workday
ARRL
225 Main St
Newington, CT 06111

Include in the report: your callsign; the number of non-hams who observed you making contacts; how many non-hams spoke over your radio; and, how many non-hams indicated they would visit your Field Day site.

The people with the highest activity levels will be eligible for prizes, including the new ARRL Handbook, or Antenna Book or Operating Manual.

According to Williams, there will be monitors on various repeaters randomly scattered throughout the country. “If you’re heard during the lunch hour from 12 noon to 1 PM local time demonstrating ham radio to a non-ham, you may automatically win a new ARRL Repeater Directory.”

In addition, W1AW will be checking into repeaters and sites across the country via EchoLink, giving away repeater directories to hams who participate in Bring Your HT To Work Day.

This is a chance to have a lot of fun, recruit new hams, invite people to Field Day, get publicity, and show off Amateur Radio. “I hope you have fun and make the most of it,” adds Williams.

The Framingham Amateur Radio Association has awarded its 2005 FARA Scholarship to a college-bound young amateur from Milford, MA, according to Framingham ARA Vice President Gordy Bello, K1GB and FARA Scholarship Committee Chairman Richard Cosma, AA1VI.

“I am pleased and honored to announce that this year’s recipient of the FARA scholarship is Tim Nau, W1NAU,” announced Bello. “Tim will be attending Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston to study electrical engineering.”

Nau, a life-long resident of Milford, initially became interested in radio while in the third grade. “My father, a firefighter in Framingham gave me a scanner to listen to him on the radio,” writes Nau. “And my uncle was the Director of Communications for Boston EMS. He gave me a lot of radio knowledge.”

W1NAU credits two hams in particular for spurring his interest in ham radio: Bryan Cerqua, W1BRI and George Cleveland, WA1QGU, both of Milford. “George is the first ham that I ever knew and Bryan is my neighbor who has taught me the many technical aspects of radio, including repeater building.”

W1NAU was first licensed in August, 2003. He is a member of the Framingham ARA, the Minuteman Repeater Association and the ARRL.

[Left-right: Tim Nau, W1NAU; Gordy Bello, K1GB. Photo courtesy KB1FHJ]

[See also: Framingham ARA Announces Scholarship]

The Winn School (Belmont) Elementary School “HAMsters” received a visit last week from Martin Bayes, AA1ON, of Hopkinton. Bayes helped design the HAMster’s web site (“Welcome to the Wonderful World of Ham Radio”). And he’s been a regular volunteer and advisor to their first-grade teacher, Donna LaRoche, KB1LWY.

[See also: “Belmont First-Graders Want to ‘Ham It Up'”]

[Photos by KB1LWY]

Ron Silvia, WB1HGA writes on SEMARA Members List:

Don’t forget that June 18 from 1800Z to 2400Z is Kids Day. Now is a good time to bring potential young hams into the fold.

If you know anyone, do plan to attend this event at the [Southeastern MA Amateur Radio Association] club station. I will be looking for some volunteers to man the station as “control ops” while the kids have fun being exposed to a “cool” hobby.

The May, 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“.