a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will conduct a General class starting Thursday November 5, 2020 lasting for six weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays except Thanksgiving week. Due to the Coronavirus crisis, training classes are now being held via Zoom.
For all training inquiries please send an email to warc.training@gmail.com. A VE session will follow the class.
The October, 2020, Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/october-2020-section-news/.
From the Waltham ARA website:
This month we welcome Greg Algieri, WA1JXR, who will be presenting. The presentation will be an Introduction of Principals, Techniques, and How to Use the popular MFJ 259B Antenna Analyzer and the SDR-Kits Vector Network Analyzer. We will show How they Work, What is inside Under the Hood, and what are some of the things you can do with them.
If you are not a [Waltham Amateur Radio Association] member and would like to be invited to the presentation, please fill out this form and we will email you an invite before the presentation starts.
Sign up here ——> https://forms.gle/4F6VKj53cBesKxVb9 <—–
Note: WARA uses Amazon Chime for online meetings. It will work with just Firefox or Chrome, but you may want to consider downloading the client to avoid issues. Also consider signing in for the “pre-net” where we start an hour early to test your A/V setup.
Updated October 28, 2020 at 10:00 AM
All Massachusetts hams with Ham Radio passenger special plates must renew their plate registration by the last day of November. Eastern MA ARRL staff are receiving reports of license plate renewal problems when attempting to use the online system. Apparently the Registry of Motor Vehicles’ computer system doesn’t recognize the “slash” representing the “lightning bolt” icon. For example, the call sign WX1XXX is actually coded in the system as “WX1/XXX”; KX1X is “KX1/X.”
Renewal by phone DOES appear to work when you input the phone ID code listed on the application.
Another ARRL member adds, “I found that Registry services at AAA offices can overcome the issue. One must be a AAA member, and an appointment is necessary.”
This latest problem is in addition to the fact that MA RMV cannot process new Ham Radio Plate applications. See: https://nediv.arrl.org/2020/10/01/massachusetts-department-of-motor-vehicles-is-not-processing-ham-operator-plate-applications/.
STARS Online Meeting: Tuesday, Oct 27, 7:00 pm.The FCC proposal is contained in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in MD Docket 20-270, which was adopted to implement portions of the “Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act” of 2018 — the so-called “Ray Baum’s Act.” The fees Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the October 15, 2020 Federal Register (https://tinyurl.com/yyk8f2yp)
Thank you for your past support of domestic SSB contests, such as the ARRL Sweepstakes. How about trying a fun 4 hour SSB contest? It’s the North American SSB Sprint Contest, Saturday evening October 31st here in North America — that’s November 1, 2020 0000 – 0359 UTC. It has some very interesting rules that make it a bit unique and exciting. Certificates to the top scores in each state/province and/or anyone scoring over 1,200 points.
There are door prizes (some call them “Score Prizes”) available for recipients who score at least 1,500 points (just takes 50 QSOs and 30 multipliers) as well as a SSB Sprint Worked All States T-Shirt for those that manage to work all 50 states in the four hours. It’s actually has been done by multiple participants in the past! In the last session, five stations worked 48 states and seven more worked 47 states in the four-hour contest.
We’ve added a SSB Sprint Worked Canada T-Shirt for those that manage to work all 13 Canadian multipliers in the 4 hours. We want to be sure to have every state and every Canadian multiplier on the air. If you have a chance, please enter your planned activity at https://ssbsprint.com/planned-
Be sure to send in your score for a chance to win a door prize! (“Score prize!”) https://ssbsprint.com/awards-
73,
Bob KW8N & NA SSB Sprint Contest Committee
Skip Denault, KB1CNB, writes on the BCRA club list on October 26, 2020 at 3:20 PM:
The [Bristol County Repeater Association] has acquired a fox hunt transmitter and we are planning to have a fox (hidden transmitter) hunt in the near future. The fox is currently on the air and we would like to see if you can hear it. It is on 146.565 MHz and is transmitting a 15 second beacon tone and CW ID every ten minutes “on the 4’s” (2:04; 2:14; 2:24 etc) it is located at latitude 41.7152679 and longitude -71.1486613. If you hear it, send me an email at KB1CNB at arrl.net with the time and location (address or long./lat.). It will be running until 5:00 pm Tuesday, October 27.
Thanks for your help – Info on the hunt will be out soon!
Skip, KB1CNB
K1USN Radio Club is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting:
Topic: K1USN Zoom session: Barbara Dougan, N1NS, and her US Forest Service fire fighting
Time: Oct 27, 2020 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Zoom details: Contact Pi Pugh, K1BV, at pi.k1rv at gmail.com
[To read more about Barbara’s accomplishments and her career with the National Park Service, visit https://ema.arrl.org/public-information/amateur-radio-in-the-media/#Cape_Cod_National_Seashore_Educator_Carried_Torch.]Michael Bennett, KG1U, writes on the GARS Now mailing list on October 26, 2020:I have been trying unsuccessfully to reach Airport Management regarding our meeting. I have not heard back. Plymouth is now a hotspot and I really want to be sure the room is clean if we use it. Therefore, we will meet on Zoom. The information is as follows: [email kg1ugars at gmail.com for details.]
The Genesis Amateur Radio Society will hold its next meeting on Monday, October 26, 2020, at 7 PM in the Plymouth Airport Community Room, 246 South Meadow Road, in Plymouth.
The club thanks the Plymouth Municipal Airport for their many years of support for allowing the use of their facilities for monthly meetings and annual Field Day events.
Steve Ciavarini, NQ1F, writes on the Wellesley ARS mailing list:As of noon Friday [October 23, 2020], the KD1D Fox is on the air at a Westford Conservation Trust Site. It will remain there through Monday.
The Site is the Veterans Memorial Complex in the Graniteville section of town. There is an excellent write up of the area at: https://
Some Hints:
– The site can be approached from at least two directions. Although one might be tempted to follow a Beacon, greater success may come from finding the Field of Diamonds. You will know you are near the Field when you see many foxes cavorting. Do not be deceived – our Fox is not among them.
– When you come to the table, you will know you are on the right path.
– Like life itself, the trail has several ups and downs. The wise seeker will carry a staff or hiking stick.
– The hunter must traverse a road made difficult by the presence of many fallen ancients.
– Beware the fortress. It is deceitful.
Happy Hunting!
73 de KD1D
The Minuteman Repeater Association will hold its October Business Meeting on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 7:30 PM. MMRA members can obtain Zoom conference information by visiting https://mmra.org/.
The next meeting of the Norwood Amateur Radio Club is Thursday October 22nd, 2020 at 7:30 PM via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 992 8003 0690 – Passcode: 398582.
Club meetings are usually held on the fourth Thursday of the month from January through June.
The North Shore Radio Association will feature Phil Temples, K9HI, ARRL New England Division Vice Director, who will present on ARRL Board Topics and the recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in MD Docket 20-270, on October 19, 2020 at 7:00 PM.
Zoom conference information will be sent via the NSRA groups.io mailing list. Contact Eric, KA1NCF, at ka1ncf -at- nsradio -dot- org to be added to the groups.io list.
From the Boston ARC website:
In a very exciting development, [Boston Amateur Radio Club] member Brendan Baldonado, the newly licensed KC1NEF, lets us know about an upcoming Parks On The Air (POTA) activation he’s about to attempt. He says:
“As you may know I am getting ready to take my General and Extra exam, but thought it could be a fun challenge to “Activate” a park using only Tech bands and Abilities. My Plan is to activate using 5 bands, if I can, with no data and no CW and mostly VHF!
The activation is not a contest so spotting is allowed, I only need to make 10 contacts to activate. For more information on POTA, go to http://parksontheair.com/
I am asking for help in activating the park by trying to contact me on the frequencies and modes listed below. I will submit a log through Parks On The Air where your callsign will receive hunter credit for you as well as activation credit for me! In addition to uploading the logs to eQSL and LoTW, I plan to buy either post cards as QSLs, or take a few pictures and turn them into Special Edition QSL cards for all the people who help me activate.
I plan to activate on Wednesday October 21, 2020. I’ll be at the Bunker Hill Monument and Park, a registered National Park, with my battery powered FT897 and Matchbox Random Length End Fed Dipole in a Tree. I’ll be starting around 2:00 PM (1800z) and going until about 6:00pm (2200z).
If you can reach out via these frequencies and let any other hams know to try and reach me I would be greatly appreciative.
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
10 Meters: 28.450 – USB
6 Meters: 50.294 – USB
2 Meters: 146.450 – FM
1.25 Meters: 223.450 – FM
70 CM: 446.00 – FM
For the most up to date spots please look at parksontheair.com and look for my callsign: KC1NEF
==
UPDATE
Special announcement from Ray Lajoie, KB1LRL, Western MA Section Manager to Eastern MA ARRL members:
Ken Burstall, WB8PKK, has secured for us the Masonic Hall in Gardner for a tech in a day class and VE sessions in January and February. This will be done with Covid and Board of Health Guidelines to ensure safety. We need volunteers to aid in conducting these sessions. I am inviting EMA section and others as well. This is a great opportunity. Let’s not pass this up.
Calling all VEs and Teachers:
The Western Mass. section needs your help! As you know Covid has squashed most of the classes and testing sessions this year. I have been informed by Ken Burstall, WB8PKK, that the Masonic Hall in Gardner has a new air filtration system and is allowing us the use of their dining hall to host a Tech-in-a-day course and an open and walk-in VE session. We need volunteer teachers and VEs to assist in conducting the testing and teachings. There are also 25 Boafeng radios preprogrammed for those that have passed.
This will be in compliance with the guidelines of the Board of Health and testing materials will be sterilized using UV-C process and heat-sealed bags. Ken has provided the materials for sterilization and has provided the means to get this off the ground.
Session dates are open and can be either a Saturday or Sunday in January or February. We need to know who can participate to do what and when in order to secure the date to advertise. Please contact Ken at backhoeken@yahoo.com. This invitation will also be open to our EMA neighbors as well.
Thank you, Ken, for your generous effort and donation. Please pass this along to anyone interested. And please let’s not let this opportunity pass by.
Thank you,
Ray KB1LRL
Dan Brown, W1DAN, writes in the Wellesley ARS Spark Gap:
Our next Zoom meeting will be Tuesday October 20, 2020 at 7:30PM, when Dom, N1DM, will talk about Natick Public Safety communications.
Dom notes: “The presentation will concentrate on radio systems used in Natick’s 911 dispatch center. A discussion of the dispatchers equipment capabilities and the various interagency systems in use at the dispatch center will be included.”
I will email a Zoom meeting invite link before the meeting. Also, if you are not by your computer, you can call in to the meeting via telephone.
From nediv.arrl.org:
Amateur radio licensees would pay a $50 fee for each amateur radio license application if the FCC adopts rules it proposed [this past August]. Included in the FCC’s fee proposal are applications for new licenses, renewal and upgrades to existing licenses, and vanity call sign requests. Excluded are applications for administrative updates, such as changes of address, and annual regulatory fees.
The FCC proposal is contained in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in MD Docket 20-270, which was adopted to implement portions of the “Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act” of 2018 — the so-called “Ray Baum’s Act.”
—
“The fees Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the October 15, 2020 Federal Register (https://tinyurl.com/yyk8f2yp). The deadline for comments is November 16, 2020, and the Reply comment deadline is November 30, 2020. As you discuss this [with your fellow amateurs,] or write articles for your newsletters, you might find the following suggestions helpful.” -David R. Siddall, K3ZJ [Full story]
The