Month: April 2018

Emergency Communications / Public Service

Storm & Boston Marathon Weather Coordination Message #2 – Sunday April 15th 2018-Monday April 16th 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

..Coordination Message updated for Winter Weather headlines. No changes to current thinking for Marathon Monday. Updates on Marathon Monday Forecast will be posted in the evening coordination message update..
..Winter to be felt through early Monday Morning followed by heavy rain and strong winds for Patriots Day/Marathon Monday. This is a combined Storm & Boston Marathon Weather Coordination Message and these will continue to be combined through Sunday Evening/Monday Morning..
..A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect through 8 AM Monday for Franklin, Western Hampshire, Western Hampden, Northern Worcester and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for up to 0.20″ radial ice accumulations and result in slippery road conditions. If 0.20″ or more of icing occurs, isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages may develop..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect through 2 AM Monday Morning for Central and Southeast Middlesex, Essex, and Southern Worcester Counties of Massachusetts for light icing and accumulations up to 0.10″ inches and slippery road conditions..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect through 2 AM Monday Morning for Northern Connecticut, Eastern Hampden and Eastern Hampshire Counties of Massachusetts for up to 0.10″ radial ice and slippery road conditions..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect through 9 PM Sunday Evening for Providence and Kent Counties of Rhode Island, Norfolk, Suffolk and Northern Bristol Counties of Rhode Island for a trace of radial ice accumulation and slippery road conditions..
..Patriots Day/Marathon Monday will have widespread rainfall with the heaviest rainfall during the late morning to early evening timeframe. Strong wind gusts of 30-45 MPH are possible across interior Southern New England with wind gusts of 45-50 MPH possible in Southeast New England. Isolated thunderstorms and lightning are also possible. This is detailed in the Boston Marathon Weather portion of this coordination message..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the icing conditions Sunday into early Monday Morning. SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton will commence at 600 AM Monday for the storm on Marathon Monday lasting through 600 PM Monday Evening..

The light icing conditions for late tonight through early Monday Morning are covered in the headlines of this coordination message. SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the icing conditions Sunday into early Monday Morning. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

The second part of this message is a special announcement – Boston Marathon Weather Coordination Message as issued in prior years:

While this may be a bit off topic for some SKYWARN Spotters, Amateur Radio Operators and Red Cross volunteers, many of which are SKYWARN Spotters, will be involved in the Boston Marathon on Monday April 16th. To reach out to the highest level of Amateur Radio Operators involved in the event, this coordination message is being sent out to the SKYWARN email list and posted to the various Amateur Radio lists. We appreciate everyone’s patience with this message. This is a joint message between the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)-SKYWARN program at NWS Boston/Norton and Eastern Massachusetts ARES. Due to the storm conditions and the fact some level of SKYWARN Activation will occur, messages will occur through at least Sunday Evening on the storm event.

Eastern Massachusetts ARES members not participating in the Boston Marathon are requested to be on standby for marathon activities on Monday April 16th from 6 AM-7 PM for any significant issues outside of the Boston Marathon that may require Amateur Radio Emergency Communications support and for any unexpected issues on the Boston Marathon route. With over 280 Amateur Radio Operators staffing the Boston Marathon route, the start line and the finish line, if an issue arises needing Amateur Radio support outside of the Marathon route or an unexpected issue arises in marathon operations, it is important that any ARES members not involved in the marathon can help with any response that is required. The Amateur Radio Station at the National Weather Service in Boston/Norton, WX1BOX, will be active on Monday April 16th for the Boston Marathon to provide weather support to the Amateur Radio community participating in the marathon and to gather any weather reports of significance during the marathon. This station will also be used to coordinate any ARES response to any significant incidents regarding Amateur Radio support outside of the marathon zone including any incidents that need to be provided to the State EOC for situational awareness information.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) at the SEOC (State Emergency Operations Center) will be active for the Boston Marathon. Amateur Radio Operators will be at the SEOC to support Amateur Radio communications and will be on the air under call sign, WC1MA, while many agencies will be there performing primary operations for the marathon.

The weather outlook is definitely less than ideal for volunteers and is also not ideal for runners though not as significant as a warm weather event would be for the runners. Rain will be widespread across the marathon route in the morning hours and the heaviest rain is expected in the late morning through early evening. This may result some poor and drainage street flooding in the region. Strong winds are also possible with wind gusts in the 30-45 MPH range in the interior with the highest gusts as you get closer to the Metro Boston areas. Areas of Southeast New England will have wind gusts to 45-50 MPH and this may result in Wind Advisories as we get closer to the event. This could result in isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages. An isolated thunderstorm or two with attendant lightning risk is also possible but exact locations and whether they would occur on the marathon route are difficult to determine. All runners, volunteers and spectators should monitor future weather forecasts and should prepare accordingly for these conditions. SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton will commence at 600 AM Monday for the storm on Marathon Monday lasting through 600 PM Monday Evening.

From a SKYWARN perspective, the 146.64-Waltham Repeater and 145.23-Boston Repeater are being utilized for Marathon operations. From an ARES perspective, the Minutemen Repeater Association Repeater Network is being utilized for marathon operations. Please review the SKYWARN Frequency listing for your closest alternate repeater from a SKYWARN or ARES perspective.
http://www.wx1box.org/node/37

For Amateur Radio, Red Cross and all other volunteers along the route, it is recommended that you dress in layers for this event so that you can put on or take off clothes as needed for comfort. Rain gear is a must either with a clear poncho or a rain coat where you can still display appropriate credentials outside of the raincoat. Be sure to drink liquids and eat properly during the event and that you are self-sufficient so that you can be of full help to the function and not distract everyone from the main purpose of supporting the runners by having a health issue on your end that can be avoided. For volunteers, the BAA has sent around via email weather safety tips and suggestions on clothing and other safety tips.

For those people that are planning to go to the Boston Marathon as spectators, the following link details guidelines for spectators for the 2018 Boston Marathon:
http://www.wx1box.org/local/2018_Marathon_Spectator_Guidelines_Final.pdf

Another coordination message will be posted by 1100 PM Sunday Evening. We appreciate everyone’s support in this event and hope those that volunteer enjoy themselves and feel the self-satisfaction of supporting this historic event and those that are monitoring the Marathon or events outside of the Marathon realize that the monitoring is an important function as well and is a testament to being able to scale other incidents beyond the marathon if required. Thanks to all for their support!

Respectfully Submitted,

Marek Kozubal
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Email Address: kb1ncg@gmail.com

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Public Service

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day Report, 14 April 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Eric Williams, KV1J writes on the Algonquin ARC list:

We had perfect weather today and great support for another successful joint Hudson-Marlborough Household Hazardous Waste Collection day!   Everything went smoothly with the usual rush in the beginning that stayed at a steady flow for the first 3 hours.  The total was 432 cars, 33 more than last Fall’s event.  Marlborough had 246 vehicles and Hudson had 186. We used the new Kenwood UHF portables.  We share the frequency with a regional public service communications in Worcester county.  We could also hear their communications and they were also conducting a Hazardous Waste Collection day so it made it interesting.  I’ll see if I can add a PL tone squelch to the radio programming to eliminate that in the future.

We were under the able leadership of Ted Scott, Marlborough DPW. Thanks to the following volunteers from the Algonquin Amateur Radio Club and the Marlborough Emergency Management Team:

Charlie Regan
Ann Weldon KA1PON
Frank  McInnis K1IX
Tim  Ikeda KA1OS
Rich Landau W1IBN
James Houston AB1YQ
Joe  Reynolds KA1GDQ
Eric Williams KV1J

Also thanks to Kelli Calo and Eddie St Louis from the Hudson Heath Department and  Bill Dunbar from the Marlborough Conservation Commission.

Thank You,
Eric Williams
Communications Officer – Marlborough EMA 

Emergency Communications / Public Service

ARES & SKYWARN Prepare for the 2018 Boston Marathon

- by KB1NCG - Leave a Comment

SKYWARN link: http://www.wx1box.org/node/4071
EMA ARRL link: https://ema.arrl.org/2018/04/14/marathon-2018-1/

Hello to all…

..Winter to be felt late tonight through early Monday Morning followed by heavy rain and strong winds for Patriots Day/Marathon Monday. This is a combined Storm & Boston Marathon Weather Coordination Message and these will continue to be combined through Sunday Evening/Monday Morning..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect through 8 AM Monday for Franklin, Western Hampshire, Western Hampden, Northern Worcester and Northern Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts for up to 0.20″ radial ice accumulations and result in slippery road conditions. If 0.20″ or more of icing occurs, isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages may develop..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 4 AM Sunday Morning to 8 PM Sunday Evening for Central Middlesex, Western Essex, and Southern Worcester Counties of Massachusetts  for light icing and accumulations up to 0.10″ inches and slippery road conditions..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 6 AM Sunday Morning to 8 PM Sunday Evening for Northern Connecticut, Eastern Hampden and Eastern Hampshire Counties of Massachusetts for a light glaze of ice and slippery road conditions..
..A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect from 6 AM Sunday Morning to 5 PM Sunday Evening for Providence and Kent Counties of Rhode Island, Norfolk, Suffolk and Northern Bristol Counties of Rhode Island for a trace of radial ice accumulation and slippery road conditions..
..Patriots Day/Marathon Monday will have widespread rainfall with the heaviest rainfall during the late morning to early evening timeframe. Strong wind gusts of 30-45 MPH are possible across interior Southern New England with wind gusts of 45-50 MPH possible in Southeast New England. Isolated thunderstorms and lightning are also possible. This is detailed in the Boston Marathon Weather portion of this coordination message..
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the icing conditions Sunday into early Monday Morning. SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton will commence at 600 AM Monday for the storm on Marathon Monday lasting through 600 PM Monday Evening..

The light icing conditions for late tonight through early Monday Morning are covered in the headlines of this coordination message. SKYWARN Self-Activation will monitor the icing conditions Sunday into early Monday Morning. Below is the NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement:

NWS Boston/Norton Winter Weather Advisory Statement:
http://kamala.cod.edu/ma/latest.wwus41.KBOX.html

The second part of this message is a special announcement – Boston Marathon Weather Coordination Message as issued in prior years:

While this may be a bit off topic for some SKYWARN Spotters, Amateur Radio Operators and Red Cross volunteers, many of which are SKYWARN Spotters, will be involved in the Boston Marathon on Monday April 16th. To reach out to the highest level of Amateur Radio Operators involved in the event, this coordination message is being sent out to the SKYWARN email list and posted to the various Amateur Radio lists. We appreciate everyone’s patience with this message. This is a joint message between the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)-SKYWARN program at NWS Boston/Norton and Eastern Massachusetts ARES. Due to the storm conditions and the fact some level of SKYWARN Activation will occur, messages will occur through at least Sunday Evening on the storm event.

Eastern Massachusetts ARES members not participating in the Boston Marathon are requested to be on standby for marathon activities on Monday April 16th from 6 AM-7 PM for any significant issues outside of the Boston Marathon that may require Amateur Radio Emergency Communications support and for any unexpected issues on the Boston Marathon route. With over 280 Amateur Radio Operators staffing the Boston Marathon route, the start line and the finish line, if an issue arises needing Amateur Radio support outside of the Marathon route or an unexpected issue arises in marathon operations, it is important that any ARES members not involved in the marathon can help with any response that is required. The Amateur Radio Station at the National Weather Service in Boston/Norton, WX1BOX, will be active on Monday April 16th for the Boston Marathon to provide weather support to the Amateur Radio community participating in the marathon and to gather any weather reports of significance during the marathon. This station will also be used to coordinate any ARES response to any significant incidents regarding Amateur Radio support outside of the marathon zone including any incidents that need to be provided to the State EOC for situational awareness information.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) at the SEOC (State Emergency Operations Center) will be active for the Boston Marathon. Amateur Radio Operators will be at the SEOC to support Amateur Radio communications and will be on the air under call sign, WC1MA, while many agencies will be there performing primary operations for the marathon.

The weather outlook is definitely less than ideal for volunteers and is also not ideal for runners though not as significant as a warm weather event would be for the runners. Rain will be widespread across the marathon route in the morning hours and the heaviest rain is expected in the late morning through early evening. This may result some poor and drainage street flooding in the region. Strong winds are also possible with wind gusts in the 30-45 MPH range in the interior with the highest gusts as you get closer to the Metro Boston areas. Areas of Southeast New England will have wind gusts to 45-50 MPH and this may result in Wind Advisories as we get closer to the event. This could result in isolated pockets of tree and wire damage and isolated power outages. An isolated thunderstorm or two with attendant lightning risk is also possible but exact locations and whether they would occur on the marathon route are difficult to determine. All runners, volunteers and spectators should monitor future weather forecasts and should prepare accordingly for these conditions. SKYWARN Activation with Ops at NWS Boston/Norton will commence at 600 AM Monday for the storm on Marathon Monday lasting through 600 PM Monday Evening.

From a SKYWARN perspective, the 146.64-Waltham Repeater and 145.23-Boston Repeater are being utilized for Marathon operations. From an ARES perspective, the Minutemen Repeater Association Repeater Network is being utilized for marathon operations. Please review the SKYWARN Frequency listing for your closest alternate repeater from a SKYWARN or ARES perspective.
http://www.wx1box.org/node/37

For Amateur Radio, Red Cross and all other volunteers along the route, it is recommended that you dress in layers for this event so that you can put on or take off clothes as needed for comfort. Rain gear is a must either with a clear poncho or a rain coat where you can still display appropriate credentials outside of the raincoat. Be sure to drink liquids and eat properly during the event and that you are self-sufficient so that you can be of full help to the function and not distract everyone from the main purpose of supporting the runners by having a health issue on your end that can be avoided. For volunteers, the BAA has sent around via email weather safety tips and suggestions on clothing and other safety tips.

For those people that are planning to go to the Boston Marathon as spectators, the following link details guidelines for spectators for the 2018 Boston Marathon:
http://www.wx1box.org/local/2018_Marathon_Spectator_Guidelines_Final.pdf

Another coordination message will be posted by 1100 AM Sunday Morning. We appreciate everyone’s support in this event and hope those that volunteer enjoy themselves and feel the self-satisfaction of supporting this historic event and those that are monitoring the Marathon or events outside of the Marathon realize that the monitoring is an important function as well and is a testament to being able to scale other incidents beyond the marathon if required. Thanks to all for their support!

Respectfully Submitted,

Marek Kozubal
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Email Address: kb1ncg@gmail.com

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Emergency Communications

EmComm Vehicles Showcased at Dayton

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
EmComm Vehicles Showcased at Dayton
From across the country EmComm vehicles will gather this year at the 2018 Hamvention to showcase Amateur Radio Emergency Communications and Community Services. Emergency communications groups such as ARES, RACES, MARS, CERT, SALVATION ARMY, DHS, NATIONAL GUARD, CGAUX or any groups who have a sincere interest in emergency communications are invited to display their emergency communications TRAILERS, VANS, TRUCKS or other displays at Dayton Hamvention®.
Emergency Communications

WX1BOX Communications Test, April 14, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

SKYWARN logoRob Macedo, KD1CY writes:

WX1BOX, the Amateur Radio Station at NWS Boston/Norton, will conduct an Amateur Radio VHF/UHF Communications Test this SaturdayAfternoon/Evening 4/14/18 to test out the VHF/UHF Amateur Radio Gear at the NWS office..

Over the last 2 weeks, NWS Boston/Norton Electronics Technician staff installed and connected up the 2 VHF/UHF antennas for the WX1BOX Amateur Radio Station. On Thursday 4/14/18, a very brief test was run and proved that one of the antennas is in proper working order for at least VHF if not UHF.

For Saturday Afternoon into early this evening, two Amateur Radio Operators will be at the NWS Boston/Norton office. The purpose will be to do a full communications test and to look for any problems with the current installation and assess capabilities. An initial assessment is that there will be a slight reduction in coverage due to the fact that the new NWS office facility is at a somewhat lower elevation. The original facility was on top of a hill in the Myles Standish Industrial Park. The newer facility does not have the same height above sea level. The antenna tower is the same height (if not higher) than the prior facility. The antennas are on the top of the antenna tower.

We will be doing a rotation around various SKYWARN Amateur Radio repeaters to conduct testing. Due to the fact that we will likely be doing radio programming, potentially debugging any issues with the setup and doing other setup work as part of the communications test, we can’t commit to a set schedule for this testing, however, the rough time window of testing will likely be from 3-8 PM this evening. Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters are encouraged to monitor local SKYWARN frequencies per the WX1BOX Amateur Radio frequency listing via the link below:

http://www.wx1box.org/node/37

We will announce that we are testing and feel free to answer back to us and give us signal reports. We will also try and post to our Facebook/Twitter feeds the frequencies we will be moving to as part of this testing.

The HF antenna installation is not complete yet. This will likely take place some time in May. When that is completed another communications test will be done specifically for the HF capability.

Depending on any issues detected in this VHF/UHF Communications test, we could potentially run another test once any issues that we cannot address on the Amateur Radio side is completed. Communications Test results will be posted if not over the weekend/Monday timeframe, by Thursday 4/19/18.

We appreciate everyone’s support of the NWS Boston/Norton overall SKYWARN program and the Amateur Radio component of the SKYWARN program.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Technical

National Grid Talk at Dan’s Tech Night, April 12, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

high voltage transmission linesDan Pedtke, KW2T writes:

Looks like we’re on this month with the two engineers from National Grid.  They have verified they will be coming this week.  So we’ll learn some interesting things about the local power grid, and be able to ask questions about it.  I mentioned five topics to them as examples:

  • The local large transmission lines – what are they used for, power to/from where, voltage, etc.
  • The Sandy Pond inverter station – not a National Grid asset, but maybe some basic facts
  • Working on live transmission lines – what’s it like to have 13KV in your hands
  • What is the effect of all the solar installations in the area?
  • How to deal with RF Interference issues.

If you’ve ever wondered how the power gets to your house, here’s your chance to find out this Thursday, April 12, at the Grady Research Building in Ayer at  7:00 PM.

See  www.DansTechNight.com for details and directions.

Hope to see you there.

Technical

“Bootleg” CubeSats Earns FCC’s Ire

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Cubesat pixFrom Slate.com: “In January a Silicon Valley–based commercial space startup named Swarm Technologies launched four experimental satellites into orbit aboard an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket… There’s just one problem: It appears Swarm launched the SpaceBEEs without an experimental authorization from the Federal Communications Commission, something that should have been acquired before launching.”

[Full story]
Public Information

CapeCod.com Highlights National Seashore Amateur Radio Events

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

KM1CC QSL cardThe online newspaper CapeCod.com carried a story on April 4 entitled, “National Seashore to Host Events Commemorating Titanic, Marconi.”

The article publicizes two upcoming events: the Titanic Memorial Event on April 14, which will honor the the lives of 1,500 people lost aboard the RMS Titanic. That operation is being conducted by the Titanic/Marconi Memorial Association of Cape Cod, W1MGY.

The Cape Cod newspaper article also describes International Marconi Day on April 21,  an event which will honor Guglielmo Marconi for his contributions to wireless technology. The Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club, will operate KM1CC at the Nauset Coast Guard Station.

This, and other stories publicizing Amateur Radio can be found at Amateur Radio in the Media.

NTS

KW1U Antenna Restored

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

KC1CIC bow and arrow launches G5RV at KW1U's QTHRecent storms in New England took a toll on antennas at the QTH of our Section Traffic Manager Marcia Forde, KW1U.  Last Saturday, Greg Bennett, KC1CIC replaced Marcia’s ailing Alpha Delta antenna with a new G5RV.  However, only days later the high winds took it down.

But April 7, 2018 was “antenna raising day.” Greg used Jack’s (N1OTC) bow and arrow and got the antenna up over a tree branch at least 60 feet up.  Now KW1U is back on the air!

Emergency Communications

Eastern MA Hospital Net, April 7, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

John O’Neill, K1JRO writes:

Net Control for the April 7, 2018 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH, The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club . The Net will commence at the usual time of 10:00 AM using the following repeaters in the order listed:

  • Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
  • Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
  • Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
  • Simplex 147.42

The Net will then return to the Sharon repeater for final comments and 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 facility’s call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility or the EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the Net.

Any hospital or EOC wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month.  More systems are being added to the list on a regular basis.

PLEASE NOTE: The Plymouth Genesis Amateur Radio Society’s Repeater 146.865 is now a dual mode repeater. The analog CTCSS (PL) tone has been changed to 131.8.  The Eastern MA Hospital Net will continue to use this repeater in analog mode with the new tone. Also a reminder that the Boston ARC 145.23 repeater uses split tone of encode 88.5, decode 100.0.

  • Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
  • Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
  • Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
  • Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
  • Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
  • Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
  • Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
  • Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9
  • Mansfield EMA  446.925 tone 100.0
  • Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
  • Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
  • Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
  • Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
  • Salem 146.88 tone 118.8
  • Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
  • Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
  • W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244
  • Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Clubs / Public Service

Amateur Radio Operators Needed: Groton Road Race, April 29, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Ralph Swick, KD1SM writes:

April 29 will be the 27th running of [the Groton Road Race] and the race committee is again asking the Amateur Radio community to provide the logistics and safety communications for this high-profile event.

The Groton Road Race continues to be a major event for Amateur Radio in North Central Massachusetts. Those of you who have joined us in the past years know that the runners sincerely appreciate our presence. Many say so as they run past. This event is so large that Police Departments from several other communities come to assist the Groton PD. Part of our role is to provide the communications from the Groton Police to these out-of-town officers who come to help with this event.

Contributing to the public good is one of the reasons Amateur Radio exists. Our public service events are a key opportunity for us to show our colors, volunteer our skills and equipment, and demonstrate why it is in the public’s interest to continue to allocate precious RF spectrum to our the Amateur Radio Service. The Groton Road Race is a low-stress event and a great way to gain more experience with the public service aspect of amateur radio. Please consider joining us on the 29th.

If you are interested in helping at these events but unsure of what is expected of you or what equipment you may need, please do not hesitate to ask me, Stan KD1LE, or John KK1X.

The Squannacook River Runners and the Groton Police Department repeatedly praise and express their appreciation for your assistance in providing communications for this event. I do hope you will be able to join us this year; please let me know.

More info at https://www.n1nc.org/Events/2017/GRR/. Contact Ralph at ralph(at)kd1sm.net if you’re interested in volunteering.

Clubs / Emergency Communications / Public Service

Plymouth Repeater PL Tone Change

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Genesis ARS logoJohn O’ Neill, K1JRO writes on the South Shore Hospital ARC list:

The Genesis Amateur Radio Society‘s repeater, N1ZIZ, has a new PL tone as of April 1, 2018 . The PL has been changed  from 82.5 to 131.8 CTCS.

It is recommended you change both encode/decode on all your radios since the repeater is transmitting both analog FM and digital FM. This will help listeners to avoid hearing the noise digital operation produces on the analog side.

Short story: change your PL associated with 146.685 the N1ZIZ repeater to 131.8 CTCS post haste.

Please note the Eastern MA Hospital Net will continue to use analog communications.

Clubs / Public Information / Youth

Falmouth ARA to Participate in Cape Cod Mini Maker Faire, April 28, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Falmouth Amateur Radio AssociationThe Falmouth Amateur Radio Association  will again take part in the Cape Cod Mini Maker Faire, April 28 at Mashpee High School.

The Faire bills itself as “a gathering of fascinating, curious people who love sharing what they can do.”

“Because of the din in the room last year, FARA will utilize the digital modes this year,” according the FARA president Brent Putnam, W1NCH. The club is seeking additional volunteers for the event, “especially with construction of the Morse code key.”

Public Service

Wellesley Veteran’s Parade Assistance Requested, May 20, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Carl Nelson writes:

As in the past, I am a volunteer for the veterans parade in Wellesley and I am looking for radio communications help with the veterans parade.

The Wellesley Veterans Parade will be held on Sunday, May 20 and we hope you will be able to help.

This year — due to a generous donation by an individual — each radio personnel will be given a small stipend of $50 to cover their parade day expenses such as gas, mileage and any equipment maintenance.

The time commitment is: 11 AM to 3 PM on Sunday, May 20 in Wellesley.

We meet at 11 AM at the Wellesley Community Center at 219 Washington Street.

The duties are to get the 125 units in order.  The units arrive at Noon and they are told prior to arrival to go to a specific street and location.  We need to check off that the unit has arrived and that it is in the proper location.  Then we need to start the parade at 1 PM and key the units in order down the street.

A radio communications plan has been developed.

Are you able to help?

Please let me know either way if you can join us.   Thank you for your service and help to our veterans.

In service,

Carl Nelson
Wellesley Celebrations Committee
Tel: 781-929-9095

Public Service

Run of the Charles Assistance Requested, April 29, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Brett Smith, AB1RL writes:

The Run of the Charles is one of the most unique public service events for hams each year. It’s a series of canoe and kayak races for all different group sizes and course lengths. The variety draws all kinds of participants, and they all rely on us to help keep the event running safely and smoothly.

This year’s Run of the Charles is on Sunday, April 29. The full 26-mile course runs from Riverdale Park in Dedham down to Artesani Park in Brighton. Assignment check-in times vary by location, from 7:00 AM at far start points to 10:00 AM at portages near the finish. Since the CRWA relies on hams for all kinds of logistics, from on-site check-ins to rules infractions, there’s a position for volunteers at any experience level.

Volunteers for this event must have a dual-band (2m and 70cm) handheld radio and an antenna with improved gain over the stock rubber duck. These are necessary because many volunteer sites are low-lying areas where it can be a challenge to reach repeaters. If you can help, please write back with the following information:

  • Your name and call sign
  • Phone numbers where you can be reached (cell, home, office)
  • Details of the equipment you’re willing to bring. Start sites that accept new registrations could benefit from a small field setup—think 10W+ and an antenna like a magmount or better. If you can bring that, please let me know.
  • Your shirt size
  • Do you have any needs or requests we should consider when making your assignment?

If you have questions about the event, please get in touch by e-mail or phone (859) 466 5915.

Thank you, and 73,

Brett Smith, AB1RL
Public Service Coordinator,
Boston Amateur Radio Club

 

Emergency Communications

Monthly EMA ARES Net 4/2 8:30pm

- by KB1NCG - Leave a Comment
Hello to all…

We will be continuing our monthly ARES Net in April. The monthly ARES Net for April is Monday the 2nd, at 8:30 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:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_index_by_linkstate.html

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

As part of our relationship with MARS and our own situational awareness gathering we will be asking for any known infrastructure issues that you are aware of. The information must either be personally observed, or obtained “over the air” via amateur radio. Items considered to be infrastructure include but are not limited to: electrical power, water, medical facilities, sanitation, communications, and transportation. Examples of failure would be: small or large area power failure, water main breaks, hospitals’ ER closed, sewage issues, TV/radio station off the air (including public safety), interstate highway or major road closed. No known issues are just as important as reporting failures.

Additionally we are interested in relay of any weather information from airport ATIS/ASOS stations that you can directly receive via radio. These stations broadcast continuously in the 120.000 – 138.000 MHz frequency range using amplitude modulation. Information from the ATIS should include airport, temperature, altimeter (barometer), wind, precipitation, and visibility.

A list of stations with their frequencies and a map can be found at: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos/?state=MA

We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone’s participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Marek Kozubal, KB1NCG
EMA Section Emergency Coordinator

Clubs / Licensing Education & Training

Fox Hunting Training, Westford, April 21, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

PART of Westford logoAndy Stewart, KB1OIQ writes on PART-L:

Mark your calendars for Saturday morning, April 21st, at 11 AM.  We will  hold a fox hunting training exercise at the Westford Town Common, which is across the street from the JV Fletcher Library, 50 Main Street.  The rain date will be Sunday morning, April 22nd, at 11 AM.

What is a “fox hunting”?  Otherwise known as “Amateur Radio Direction Finding”, fox hunting involves locating a hidden transmitter.  We’ll hide the transmitter, and you’ll find it.  No license is needed to find the transmitter, so ANYBODY can do it!

John (KB1MGI), Andy (KB1OIQ), and anybody else who wants to help will teach you the techniques used to find 2m, 70cm, and 80m low power transmitters.  We will supply the transmitters and some gear that you can borrow as you learn.

PART did this a few years ago.  It was well attended and quite fun.

All

FCC Seizes Equipment From Pirate Broadcasters in Boston

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

The FCC reports that it seized transmission equipment from two pirate radio stations in Boston on March 26. According to court documents, the seizures involved an illegal broadcaster that identified as “Big City” on various FM channels from Dorchester, Massachusetts (with a studio in Roxbury) and pirate “B87.7 FM,” which operated on 87.7 FM from Dorchester. Both unlicensed stations had been issued multiple warnings but continued to operate. Pursuant to federal forfeiture statutes, authorities seized equipment operated by each radio station.  [ARRL Web] [Full story]