January 2019 Section News Now Available
The January, 2019 Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/january-2019-section-news/.
Read MoreMonth: 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.) …
Read MoreEastern 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, …
Read MoreW1DAN 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! https://twit.tv/shows/ham-nation/episodes/386?autostart=false
Read MoreProposed 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, …
Read MoreWCC 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 …
Read MoreMASSACHUSETTS TRAFFIC REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2018 AND YEAR END TRAFFIC SUMMARY
Winter is now upon us and showing not only it’s beauty but it’s challenging propagation where NTS nets are concerned. On HF, radiowave skip continues to be long many days and evenings making it difficult to hear local stations on section and region nets. We have been able to make good use of 160 meters on MARI CW net, but have to get creative where not all net participants have 160 meter capability (a 160 meter dipole is approximately 265 feet long). If you don’t find us on 3565 Khz, look on 1810 Khz. The MARIPN continues to operate on …
Read MoreWhitman 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 …
Read MorePART 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.” …
Read MoreFoundation 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. [Full story]
Read MoreKD1CY 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.”
Read MoreAA1M, 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, …
Read MoreWhitman 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.
Read MoreNominations 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]
Read MoreMIT 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]
Read MoreMMRA 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 …
Read MoreEastern 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 …
Read MoreVolunteer 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 …
Read MoreKM1CC 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. …
Read MoreSci-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 …
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