January 2019 Section News Now Available
The January, 2019 Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/january-2019-section-news/.
Month: January 2019
Vermont QSO Party, February 2-3, 2019
Joe Vanat, Jr., K1VMT, writes on the YCCC reflector:
The 61st Vermont QSO Party will take place during the first full weekend of February 2019. It will begin at 0000 UTC Saturday February 2 and will end at 2400 UTC Sunday February 3. Details and rules are at http://www.ranv.org/vtqso.html .
To my knowledge, all counties will be active. I’m told there will be rovers in northern counties on Saturday. Also, an Essex County operator might be on 6- and 2 meters if rotors turn. It’s only -11F this morning, hi.
FT8 operators will be on. (Check for the special rules that apply.)
I will operate mostly CW and RTTY, even PSK31 (when on lunch break) and some SSB from Lamoille County.
Hope to work you all.
Eastern MA Hospital Net Schedule, February 2, 2019
John O’Neill, K1JRO writes:
Net Control for the February 2,2019 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH, the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club . The net will commence at the usual time of 10 AM using the following repeaters in the order listed.
- Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
- Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
- Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
- Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
- 5. 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 facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.
We extend an invitation to any health care facility or 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 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.
REMINDER: The BARC Repeater is now using split tone. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Repeaters
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.
Respectfully,
John O’
K1JRO
W1DAN Featured on Ham Nation Podcast
Bruce MacKinnon, KC1FSZ, writes on the Wellesley ARS list:
If you don’t normally listen, be sure to check out yesterday’s edition of the Ham Nation podcast. Our very own [Dan Brown,] W1DAN is mentioned (around 1:10) in connection with the upcoming AM Rally and the installation of a monster AM station at W1AW HQ. Way to go Dan!
Proposed MA Legislation Seeks to Require “Hands-free” Cell Phone Use While Driving
UPDATE: https://ema.arrl.org/2019/05/22/massachusetts-hands-free-mobile-device-legislation-update/
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday “proposed his most sweeping set of road safety rules yet, calling for Massachusetts to join 16 other states in requiring hands-free cell phone use while driving and proposing to allow police to stop motorists for not wearing a seat belt,” according to Boston’s PBS station, WGBH.
Various pieces of “hands-free” cell phone legislation have been introduced in recent years by members of the State House and Senate and while some have included clear exemptions for Amateur Radio operators, others have been vague or non-existent on the matter.
State Government Liaison Hank McCarl, W4RIG, quickly alerted ARRL section and division leadership about the proposed legislation.
McCarl reports he has already spoken with his State Senator’s office legislative assistant about the ARRL’s concerns regarding the wording of proposed legislation on hand held cell phones while driving. They “will keep a close eye on the wording of that legislation and let us know if there seems to be any problems for our mobile operations as licensed amateurs in community service or training,” McCarl said.
ARRL Headquarters Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1NC was also notified of the proposed legislation by Section Manager Tom Walsh, K1TW.
The full story about Baker’s proposed hands-free cell phone and other road safety rules can be found at <https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2019/01/22/baker-proposes-hand-free-cell-phone-driving-bill>.
See also: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S7
WCC ARA Celebrates RCA Centennial
The WCC Amateur Radio Association (WA1WCC) in Chatham will celebrate the centennial of the Radio Corporation of America throughout 2019. According to the organization’s web site, RCA was incorporated on October 17, 1919.
“In November 1919, RCA acquired the assets of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America, which then ceased doing business in the US. At the outset, RCA consisted of only five radio stations, in various stages of completion, and Chatham was one of them. Chatham would later become RCA’s flagship coastal station WCC, known as “Marine Radio Central”.
WA1WCC is commemorating the founding of RCA in a year-long celebration. Watch for WA1WCC/100RCA on the bands during 2019. Participants can request the RCA Special Event Certificate.
For additional information, visit https://www.qrz.com/db/wa1wcc.
Whitman ARC Offering Amateur Extra Course, January 3 – March 7, 2019
The Whitman Amateur Radio Club is offering an Amateur Extra License Class lasting approximately eight weeks, beginning Thursday, January 3, 2019 at the Whitman Police Station, 20 Essex Street, Whitman. The class meets each Tuesday and Thursday (except February 14) from 7 to 9 PM and will culminate in an exam session March 7. The training coordinator is Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG. He can be reached at: (781) 447-9104 or email at: bavarianradio@comcast.net.
Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG, and Paul DeLory W1GTX, will use the ARRL Amateur Extra Class License Manual. The current version of the manual and question pool are valid through June 30th, 2020. The class is free of charge.
For more information, see <http://www.wa1npo.org/training/training.htm>.
PART of Westford Shows Caring for the Community
An Eastern MA ARRL-affiliated club has taken community service to the next level.
PART of Westford meets each month at the Cameron Senior Center in Westford. The senior center runs a food pantry for local people in need. Each month, PART members bring non-perishable food items to the meeting, and these items are given to the food pantry. According to PART president Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, “A favorite of the the food pantry clientele is Dinty Moore® Beef Stew, and we collectively donate several cans each month. I’m told that the food pantry and its clientele are very appreciative of these donations.”
PART is just one of four “Special Service Clubs” in the section. Kudos to PART of Westford and its caring members!
Foundation for Amateur Radio Scholarships
The Foundation for Amateur Radio, Inc., will be administering the scholarships listed below for the coming academic year, ranging from $500 to $5,000 each. All applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
• Hold a valid US or foreign amateur radio license,
• Be enrolled, or have been accepted for enrollment, at an accredited university, college or technical school.
• Submit a recent transcript covering their last term of school.
• Applicants who attend a school located outside of the United States must enclose a brochure describing the school.
KD1CY Featured on WeatherBrains Podcast
Eastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator and ARES SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, was one of three featured guests on the podcast “WeatherBrains” on January 7, 2019. The 90-minute program discussed Amateur Radio, SKYWARN, and the VoIP Hurricane Net. Other guests included Jay Farlow, W9LW, and Jeff Stapel, W8SWX. The audio and YouTube video can be found at https://weatherbrains.com/?p=7531.According to Macedo, “The program was well received by the meteorological panel and those that have watched/listened to date.”
AA1M, W1USN QRV from Costa Rica, February 2-13, 2019
Quannapowitt Radio Association members Bob Reiser, AA1M, and Mike Rioux, W1USN, will be making their annual mini-dxpedition this year to Costa Rica. Their trip begins on February 2; they return home on the 13th. Bob and Mike expect to use all HF bands on SSB, CW and digital with “some trials on the AMSAT satellites.” Last year, the two discovered they could operate simultaneously using FT8 because the timing for transmit and receive are the same.
AA1M and W1USN will be on the lookout for calls from QRA members. They indicate skeds can be arranged via email while they are in TI-land.
—Thanks, QRA Newsletter, January 2019
Whitman ARC Winterfest, January 19, 2019
The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold its Winterfest on January 19, 2019 from 9 AM until 1 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Route 18, in Whitman. A VE testing session will be conducted at the event. Admission is $5; tables cost $15. Raffle prizes will be drawn at noon. Talk-in will be provided on the Whitman ARC repeater: 147.225Mhz+ PL67. For vendor information, call: 781-523-5010 or visit http://www.wa1npo.org/WF/Winterfest2019Flyer.pdf.
Nominations Solicited for Six ARRL Awards
The ARRL invites nominations for awards that recognize educational and technological pursuits in Amateur Radio. Nominations are also open for ARRL’s premier award to honor a young licensee — the Hiram Percy Maxim Award. [Full story]
MIT Radio Society, EE and Computer Science Department Hosting Radio Technology Lectures
From www.ARRL.org:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Radio Society (W1MX) and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) are hosting a series of public lectures on “everything radio,” presented by academics and industry professionals. The series begins on Tuesday, January 8, at 5:30 PM ET in Building 3, Room 270.
Each self-contained talk will address a different facet of radio, ranging from modulation, propagation, and Amateur Radio, to radar, radio astronomy, space-based applications, and cellular and 5G technology. [Full story]
MMRA To Present K3LR Contest University, January 16, 2018
Well known contester Tim Duffy, K3LR, will present Contest University via Skype at the Minuteman Repeater Association meeting on January 16 at 7 PM. The meeting will be held at New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle, Natick.
Duffy is a well know contester and the owner of the multi-multi contest superstation K3LR. He will discuss the following topics, followed by a Q&A session:
- What is a contest?
- What do you need to get started at contesting?
- Where can you find resources to help you be a contester
- What are the benefits of contesting?
The workshop is intended for hams who are new at contesting or want to improve their skills.
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for Monday January 7 at 8:30 PM
Hello to all…
The monthly ARES Net for January is Monday the 7th, 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
A brief introduction to ATIS can be found at: https://www.vatsim.net/pilot-resource-centre/general-lessons/understanding-atis
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://ema.arrl.org/ares
Thanks for your continued support of ARES!
Rob Macedo, KD1CY
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Volunteer Registration for 2019 BAA Marathon Now Open
On behalf of the BAA Amateur Radio Communications Committee, we want to wish you a Happy New Year. It’s hard to believe that 2018 has come to a close and we are heading into 2019, and with the new year also comes the 123rd running of the Boston Marathon.
Today, January 3rd, 2019, volunteer registration will open for the marathon which is taking place this year on Monday, April 15, 2019. The sign-up process will be the same as last year and will provide you with a direct link once registration is open. Please be on the lookout for an email from the BAA, and we will also be asking for everybody’s assistance in getting the word out about volunteering to help with recruitment.
If you have any questions about the upcoming volunteer registration period, or the 2019 Marathon generally, please get in touch anytime. Volunteering at the Marathon is a big job, and we appreciate the time and effort everyone puts into it. We’re happy to do what we can to make your work more comfortable or effective.
We look forward to seeing everyone again soon.
Thank you, and 73,
Matthew Forman, K6MCF
for the Boston Marathon Communications Committee
contact@hamradioboston.org
KM1CC QRV for Marconi’s First Transatlantic Wireless Message Anniversary, January 18-19, 2019
Bill Kretschmer, N2KNL, writes:
On January 18, 1903, young inventor Guglielmo Marconi made communication history by sending the first public transatlantic wireless message from his station on the South Wellfleet bluffs to Poldhu, Great Britain. The KM1CC Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club operators will talk to hams around the world on January 18-19, 2019 beginning at 1000 Eastern Time (1500 GMT). Instead of operating at the Coast Guard Station in Eastham this month, we will operate from Russ Apgar’s home, K1RTA, in Wellfleet, MA, at 285 Old Wharf Road off U.S. Route 6 across the street from the original Marconi Site. Grid Square FN51av. Operators are welcome to attend. Here are the operating frequencies and modes:
80M 3.660-3.860 SSB / 3.535 CW
40M 7.130-7.260 SSB / 7.035 CW
30M 10.110 CW
20M 14.260 SSB / 14.035 CW
17M 18.160 SSB / 18.080 CW
15M 21.360 SSB / 21.035 CW
UPDATE:
“Due to our usual operating site in Cape Cod National Seashore being closed as a result of the current federal government shutdown, KM1CC will operate from multiple home operator locations. SSB operations will still be from an amateur station located in grid square FN51 (a Wellfleet location close to original Marconi station site). CW operations will be from amateur radio stations in FN42.
When: Jan 18 1500-UTC through Jan 19, 2100 UTC
<…>
QSL card requests- best to use LoTW Log Book of the World. Please do not direct mail QSL card requests to KM1CC until after the US Federal Government – DEPT OF THE INTERIOR shutdown ends as Cape Cod National Seashore is closed until the shutdown ends.
See also: “Marconi: Beyond the Horizon“
Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (STARS) Winter Field Day and STEM Event at New England Sci-Tech – Saturday 1/26/19 – 2-10 PM EST
Area radio clubs are invited to join us for Winter Field Day in Natick. Open to the public Saturday, January 26, 2019, from 2-10 pm. Pot Luck Dinner, Ham Radio Event, Yard Sale, Maker Activities, Planetarium Shows, Guest Speaker, Movie Night, all in one event! Hosted by the youth members of Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (STARS) and by New England Amateur Radio (NEAR). Held at New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle, Natick, MA. See website for a list of the major items in the yard sale.
Many thanks. Let me know if you need any other information that is not already evident from the web page. https://www.nescitech.org/winter-field-day/
See also: “Winter Field Day Association“