Month: May 2008

Bikes Not Bombs (BNB) rehabilitates bicycles by training local kids how to restore old bikes. Besides enabling the kids to earn their own bicycle, they then provide large quantities to youths here and abroad. Their local focus 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.

Non-profit, BNB, promotes their program with many public events each year. For the past 21 years, BNB has staged three concurrent bike rides in and around Boston. Several years ago they realized that ham radio was the way to support riders on the three courses – and we have earned their thanks and praise.

There will be concurrent 15, 25 and 62 mile rides on Sunday, 8 June 2008. More than 250 riders are expected. All three rides start and finish in the park across from the Stony Brook T station (Orange Line). The rides go through Boston and several suburban towns. We have been asked to staff rest stops, and shadows. There will be no assignments on the streets. Some of the rest stops have been relocated. If you are assigned to a rest stop you can drive directly there and maps will be provided. If you want transport to a Rest Stop, meet at 0800 in front of the Stony Brook T Station.

The shorter courses should be finished by 1330, and the long course should finish by 1530. All finishes are at the park. Buffet food for hams and key volunteers is in a separate area nearby.

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?
T-shirt size

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

Members of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association scored air time and valuable PR for Amateur Radio recently on the Cape Ann public access television channel. Dr. Curtis Wright, AA3JE and Charles Downey, N1OCT were among those featured in the video which touched on many aspects of the hobby and included a live demonstration of the club’s repeater.

The club has placed a copy of the video on its web site at: http://caara.net/geeklog/staticpages/index.php?page=20080413104649240.

–Thanks, KG1P and CAARA web site

Terry Stader, KA8SCP writes on mras-leaders:

I’ve been asked by the [emergency management director] in the Town of Lynn to help him put together a RACES team. So I am looking to work with him on selecting hams that would be good candidates for growing this new entity within the community. Can you please send me the names and calls of any likely candidates you might have in your list of hams who can take the initiative in this role? Sure, I can go through the call book and search for hams in Lynn, but there is more to this role than just a name and call sign!

I have quite a few [emergency management directors] asking for assistance lately, much due to the recent Northeast Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council (NERAC) sheltering grant that included 2 FT-7800 transceivers complete with power supplies and antennas. I am hoping to get a list of all of the communities that got these radio systems and will share them with the group. This is another way that the EmComm side of Amateur Radio can reach out to the community officials and get connected with the local operation and become part of the total solution to a local emergency situation.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or suggestions.

Thanks…. Terry

The US Olympic Women’s Marathon Trials were held in Boston and Cambridge on Sunday, April 20, and ham radio provided medical and safety communications. An official 26.2 mile marathon course was laid out, finishing at the BAA Boston Marathon Finish Line near Copley Square. This was a rare event with national attention and all went smoothly. Deena Kastor, Magdalena Lewy Boulet, and Blake Russell will represent the US team at the Olympic Games in Beijing on 17 August.

The hams who participated were: N1NHZ, K1EP, N1OSG, KB1KUY, KB1OKP, WA1IDA, N1LAH, KB1HAD, K1NUN, KB1LPW, K1HU, KB1LYJ and KB1OHB.

Thanks, WA1IDA and Boston ARC SPARC, May 2008

Steve Telsey, N1BDA writes on PART-L:

From: WRRL [mailto:wrrl@cot.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 12:07 PM
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Subject: SPECIAL BULLETIN – ALL RADIO AMATEURS

TO: ALL RADIO AMATEURS
FROM: W7RRL – WORLD RADIO RELAY LEAGUE HQ
DATE/TIME: MAY 14 2008 1600 UTC
SUBJECT: CHINA DISASTER
REFERENCE: MESSAGES BELOW

PLEASE PASS THIS BULLETIN TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS ASAP:

Please do not use 14.270 MHz for the time being. It is being used for relief efforts in China.

——— Forwarded Message ———-

A Magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Sichuan, China on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 06:28:04 UTC. Casualties and loss unknown up to now. According to Chinese Radio Sports Association, 14.270, 7.050 and 7.060 MHz are reserved for amateur radio emergency service in the rescue.

A group of radio amateurs is now transmitting from Wenchuan, the center of quake. Their signal is reported to be very weak. They tried to keep communication with BY8AA in Chengdu, seeking for all resources needed. During a contact finished a few minutes ago, they were asking for raincoats, water, tents, and outdoor living facilities.

Please spread this message as far as you can and keep the frequencies clear for emergency use. Thank you.

Michael Chen, BD5RV/4

Chris Smith, K1CJS writes:

In what our Section Manager Art Greenberg will say is in the interest of amateur radio, I have a news item of some small importance here, please alert your club personnel and publish this news in your club newsletters and on your club websites.

We hams are having to put up with a loss of our ability to use the 440 mhz band in this area because of the Pave Paws installation here, but now there comes another threat to our use of this band–nationwide. It seems that a commercial concern has applied for a waiver to utilize these frequencies for incidental control of a remote controlled surveillance ‘robot’. I’m including the released information here–please make your comments known to the FCC.

A situation like this led to our loss of part of the 220 mhz band to a commercial package carrier–who ultimately gave up on using the allocation, and now the remaining 220 mhz band is hardly used at all–the ham manufacturers don’t really make radios for the 220 mhz band anymore. It can be argued that we don’t want to lose the 440 mhz band in a similar manner. Even though this waiver spells out use only at isolated incidents along with other restrictions, how long would it be until a waiver application was made to remove the restrictions?

It may well be worth our while to send notice to the FCC that this doesn’t sit well with us–the amateur community, and that other similar frequencies are available or may soon be available that would better suit this type application.

Please help spread the word–and help protect our band allocations.

73,

Chris J Smith, K1CJS

Eastern Mass. Affiliated Clubs Coordinator

_________________

PUBLIC NOTICE

Federal Communications Commission
445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 08-1077

Released: May 6, 2008

WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU AND PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY BUREAU SEEK COMMENT ON REQUEST FOR WAIVER BY RECONROBOTICS, INC. TO ALLOW CERTIFICATION AND USE OF REMOTE-CONTROLLED SURVEILLANCE ROBOT OPERATING AT 430-448 MHz

WP Docket No. 08-63
Comment Date: May 27, 2008
Reply Date: June 6, 2008

The complete text can be found at:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-1077A1.txt

A “next generation” American Red Cross mobile Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was on display last month at the State EOC in Framingham. The van features numerous computer and communications systems, including commercial satellite, 800 MHz trunking, conventional amateur VHF/UHF, and EchoLink and IRLP. The mobile EOC can act as a “network hub” to which other systems can connect.

Shown here: (left), one of the operating positions; (right), Lou Harris, N1UEC standing next to the mobile EOC

The guideline for walks sponsored by the Multiple Sclerosis Society is “MS stops people from moving.” On Saturday, April 5 more than 200 walkers (many more than expected) had rave reviews for the management of the walk and the new venue in Newton. The Boston Amateur Radio Club coordinated safety communications support for the MS Journey of Hope with the gratitude of the MS Society.

Assisting were: KB1JKJ, N1RGM, KB1MVJ, KB1MVC, N1TB, WA1IDA, KB1MGD, KB1LPW, N1LAH, and KB1LYJ.

–Thanks, WA1IDA and Boston ARC Sparc, May 2008