KW1U to be Featured on Pittsfield Community TV, WTBR-FM, February 10, 2021

KW1U at WTBR-FM studio

Massachusetts Section Traffic Manager Marcia Forde, KW1U, will again be the featured guest on Ham On!, simulcast on Pittsfield Community Television and WTBR-FM 89.7. The early morning program is produced and moderated by Western MA Assistant Section Traffic Manager Peter Mattice, KD2JKV. Marcia will speak about the ARRL National Traffic System and message handling.

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for February – Monday February 1st, 2021 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The February Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday February 1st, 2021 at 830 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. For this month’s ARES Net, given the major winter storm affecting the region, we’d like to ask all stations to provide a measured snowfall total, whether precipitation is occurring and their current temperature if they have thermometer. We will also have comments on the Eastern Mass ARES Section Exercise for Saturday February 6th, 2021 from 1000 AM-1200 PM.

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES 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
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Eastern Massachusetts ARES Exercise – “Operation Frozen Days” – Saturday 2/6/21 – 1000 AM-1200 PM EDT

The Eastern MA Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) will conduct an exercise in conjunction with the Cape Cod ARES exercise Operation “Frozen Days” on February 6, 2021 from 10 AM to 12 Noon (setup to start at 830-9 AM where needed) to test its capability in establishing communications with stations inside and outside of the section. Operation “Frozen Days” will attempt to build upon the lessons learned from past operational exercises.

The exercise scenario involves a series of coastal storms battering Cape Cod and the Islands with winds over 90 MPH over several storms. Eventually, hundreds of thousands of people in Eastern Massachusetts are left without power due to this series of coastal storms.

“This exercise guideline is deliberately broad and generic in nature like the fall exercise. ARES groups are free to adapt this scenario and conduct their exercise as needed for their group,” writes District Emergency Coordinator Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O.

“This is another great opportunity, similar to the Fall exercise, for new Amateur Radio Operators, whether they are involved in ARES or not, to check into nets, provide simulated information and exercise traffic, or just check in and learn how nets work and what ARES can do during an actual event. This includes the National Weather Service SKYWARN component of ARES” writes Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator.

With the ongoing COVID-19 situation in MA, it will be unlikely that groups will be able to operate at EOCs and other municipal locations. Therefore any activation of shelters will be simulated by role play. It is likely that most of the operations involved in this exercise will utilize home stations along with field sites on Cape Cod and at other local ARES groups and those local groups’ discretion.

Some exercise objectives include:
• Simulate the activation of shelters in your area;
• Simulate the activation of EOC stations in your area;
• Establish and conduct a tactical net on simplex 2m FM/ repeater for your group;
• Simulate contact with any Town EOC RACES stations;
• Establish contact with other ARES districts where possible;
• Establish an HF 75 meter voice net for all of MA (and potentially other areas);
• Pass an NTS type message on 2 meters VHF and/or 440 MHz;
• Pass a SKYWARN and/or tactical message on voice 2 meters and on the HF net;
• Optional components of the exercise to pass information digitally via Winlink and NBEMS (Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System)

For full details, see the “Eastern MA Exercise Scenario and Guidelines” document at Eastern Massachusetts ARES Winter Exericse – Saturday February 6th, 2021

Amateur Extra License Class Offered by Whitman ARC Beginning January 28, 2021

Whitman ARC logoThe Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold a weekly Amateur Extra license classes for about ten weeks sessions on Thursdays beginning on January 28, 2021. Additional classes may be available and will be offered on Tuesdays. A VE session will follow the class.  Material will be based on the ARRL Amateur Extra Class License Manual.

Interested parties are asked to contact the course instructor, Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG, via email at warc.training@gmail.com and cc to bavarianradio@comcast.net, by phone at 781-447-9104 or visit http://www.wa1npo.org/training/training.htm for additional information.

Waltham ARA Meetings Online Available to Non-Members

Waltham ARA logoWaltham Amateur Radio Association President Ron Senykoff, KG1T, has established a Google form signup page to allow non-WARA members to sign up for online meeting notifications “while giving us protection against ‘Zoom bombers.'”
 
Please visit https://walthamara.org/meetings/ to find the sign up form.
 
The Waltham ARA meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the month from September through May.

N3QE: “CW Speeds and Prosigns In Ham Radio Contests” at K1USN Radio Club Meeting Online, February 2, 2021

Tim Shoppa, N3QEK1USN Radio Club Zoom session on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 @ 7:30 PM EST by Tim Shoppa, N3QE, CQ Magazine Contest Editor
 
Topic: “CW Speeds and Prosigns In Ham Radio Contests”
 
Tim will explore not just the modern range of speeds (typically 20-40 WPM but some are slower) and will play back some recorded audio of CW preserved from the 1957 ARRL DX Contest for contrast with modern contesting.
 
It will only be a tiny fraction of the whole talk to play back the ancient audio, but it’s really neat to hear famous contest calls from the 1950’s booming through loud and clear, many using a straight key or even having a bit of chirp.
 
Also noticeable in the 1957 archive, most speeds were 15 WPM or so (some were above 20 WPM), most everyone was giving honest RST’s, and full “HIS CALL DE MY CALL 579 579 MASS MASS KN” with prosigns etc being used. It’s quite a contrast with everyone being 5NN now, and prosigns not generally being used today.
Included in the survey of speeds is, of course, the SST’s 🙂
 
Presentation is not long, under half an hour. There will be opportunity for Q & A followup. The session will be recorded for upload to our K1USN radio Club YouTube channel.
 
If anyone would like to attend, they just need to send me an e-mail (k1rv@arrl.net) and I will be sending out invitations starting on Sunday, Jan 31st. As always, we ask that the Zoom login information not be shared with others to help us minimize the possibility of “Zoom Bombing”.
 
By the way, anyone who has previously signed up for K1USN Zoom sessions is already on the invitation list.
 

KC1DKY Foxhunting Activities Highlighted on Wilmington Cable TV

KC1DKY foxhunting featured on Wilmington cable TVNick Mollo, KC1DKY, writes:
 
I recently interjected on a Facebook post on one of the Wilmington groups where they were talking about letterboxing and geocaching and I mentioned fox hunting using radios.  This got picked up by one of the content producers at Wilmington Cable TV.  He contacted me to ask about fox hunting and how it related, and told me he was going to put together a piece on what he called “modern day treasure hunting”.  We set up a Zoom interview, and even my daughter got involved, and he interviewed us.
 
If you are interested, you can watch the video – the whole program is just over 13 minutes, and our segment is the first six minutes or so.  I hope I did the sub-hobby the justice that it deserves.
 
 
Enjoy!  My daughter and I look forward to getting back out there when the weather starts getting warmer again.  I hope you are all staying safe and healthy!
 
73 for now!
 
Nick
KC1DKY
 

“Boston Marathon 2021 Set For Monday, October 11 If Races Are Allowed”

From WBZ CBS BOSTON, JAN. 26, 2021:

The Boston Marathon will be run on Monday, October 11, 2021, Columbus Day, if road races are allowed then under the Massachusetts reopening plan, the Boston Athletic Association announced Tuesday.

Road races are not permitted to resume until Phase 4, when most of the public is fully vaccinated.

The B.A.A. said additional details including field size, registration dates, safety measures and protocols, and runner requirements “are forthcoming.”

The plan must also be approved by the eight cities and towns on the marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston.

“We announce the 2021 Boston Marathon date with a cautious optimism, understanding full well that we will continue to be guided by science and our continued collaborative work with local, city, state, and public health officials,” Tom Grilk, President and C.E.O. of the B.A.A., said in a statement.

“If we are able to hold an in-person race in October, the safety of participants, volunteers, spectators, and community members will be paramount.”

The 2020 marathon was initially moved from April to September and then later canceled because of the pandemic.


The BAA (“Boston”) Marathon is one of the largest Amateur Radio public service events in the country. Approximately 350 hams, organized by the Boston Marathon Communications Committee, are positioned with buses, the starting line in Hopkinton, along the 26.2 mile course, at a remote Net Control location, and the finish line in downtown Boston. 

[See also: “Boston Marathon Volunteer 2021 Race Update“]

ARISS SuitSat-1 Experiment is the Star in this Haunting New Sci-Fi Video, “Decommissioned”

screenshot from the short sci-fi movie "Decommissioned"Most of you will remember SuitSat. In 2006, the ARISS team managed to acquire a Russian spacesuit with an expired expiration date that would have just been thrown overboard to burn up. ARISS designed and built an antenna and radio gear that was approved for installation into the suit and the whole shebang got deployed by a cosmonaut and Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR at the start of a spacewalk.
 
It transmitted a lot during its short life. After the ARISS engineers figured SuitSat-1’s orbit and spin characteristics, they knew the legs and arms would have to be filled with something, so they asked the crew to stuff dirty laundry inside. That’s just what they did.
 
Here’s a small part of what Rick Lindquist’s ARRL story said about SuitSat-1  (http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2006-02-03):  
 

“The Amateur Radio community, students, scanner enthusiasts, space fans and others have been eagerly awaiting the launch of the most novel satellite ever to orbit Earth. SuitSat-1 will transmit its voice message “This is SuitSat-1 RS0RS!” in several languages plus telemetry and an SSTV image on an eight-minute cycle as it orbits Earth. The three batteries powering the satellite are expected to last about a week, and SuitSat-1 should re-enter Earth’s atmosphere after several weeks of circling the globe. and  SuitSat-1 has piqued the imagination of the news media over the past couple of weeks. In addition to articles in The New York Times, the Houston Chronicle and Associated Press, National Public Radio, Fox News, CNN, Readers Digest, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, MSNBC and others also produced broadcast or cable news reports. A magazine article is set to appear in Aviation Week and Space Technology.”

 
Well, SuitSat is back! It’s featured in an eerie, six-minute sci-fi short, “Decommissioned.” The  video can be viewed at

https://io9.gizmodo.com/an-astronaut-has-an-unwelcome-and-possibly-undead-visit-1846085578.

-Thanks, Rosalie White, K1STO, ARRL ARISS US Delegate

“Pandemic Ham Club Radio Activities–An Opportunity to Grow” at RATPAC, January 27, 2021

RATPAC logoPlease plan to attend Wednesday’s January 27 Zoom presentation. 

10:00 PM AST / 9:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM CST / 7:00 PM MST / 6:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM AKST / 4:00 PM HST

 Topic: Pandemic Ham Club Radio Activities, an opportunity to grow 

Speaker/Presenter:  Anthony Luscre, K8ZT

 This is a Zoom presentation that ALL HAM CLUBS and organizations should attend. 

  • This meeting will be recorded. By participating you consent to being recorded. 
  • Please change your display name to Your First Name, Call Sign and Location, e.g. Dan K7REX Idaho. 
  • Please stay muted until ready to speak. Your space bar works like a PTT for unmuting
  • You may ask questions in chat; please stay on topic while using chat.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2128884758?pwd=WExjZC82b2JiNXd2UXN4MWFvb3RmZz09

Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: CLUBS
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,2128884758#,,,,*446165# US (Houston)
+16699006833,,2128884758#,,,,*446165# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: 446165

“Amateur Radio: From First Voice Transmission to the Space Station” Online, February 20, 2021

Natick residents Dan Brown, W1DAN, and Joe Weisse, W1HAI, will present an enlightening discussion sponsored by the Bacon Free Library in Natick on February 20, 2021 from 10 AM-12 noon on the many facets of amateur radio: what it is, how it works, and how to get started” followed by a question-and-answer session. 

Register at: <http://baconfreelibrary.org/event/ham-radio/>.

Natick Library ham radio presentation press release

“Members’ Short Subjects” at Nashoba Valley ARC Meeting Online, January 21, 2021

Nashoba Valley ARC logoThe Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s January meeting is TONIGHT, Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 7:30 PM. This meeting will be conducted via Zoom. … Thanks to Jim Hein, N8VIM, and Medtronics for the Zoom conference. I apologize for such late notice.

January’s traditional meeting program is our annual “Members Short Subjects” night. If you have a short presentation, please let me or one the officers know. Even if you come up with something at the last minute, come to the meeting, present, and join in the fun!

[Contact Bruce Blain, K1BG, at bruce -dot- blain -at- charter -dot- net for Zoom meeting details.]

Thanks and 73. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Bruce, K1BG

Northeastern Wireless Club Meeting, January 21, 2021

Northeastern Univ Wireless logoWelcome back to all of our returning [Northeastern Wireless Club] members, and also to all of our new members! We hope this semester we will be able to get to know you all better and help everyone in their engineering and academic endeavors. This semester we will still be having general meetings, workshops, discussions, and more! 

Our first meeting is this Thursday, January 21st, 6-7PM. We will be introducing new members to the club and sharing details about the upcoming semester. The meeting will be on Zoom, hope to see you all there! 

Also, make sure to join our Slack channel and check out our website and calendar!

 

Oxbow Nat’l Wildlife Refuge, Devins Activated POTA K-0327, January 17, 2021

Oxbow POTA antenna photoSteve Ciavarini, NQ1F, writes on the Wellesley ARS mailing list:
 
I just returned from activating another POTA, K-0327, at Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, in Devens, MA, at the Bill Ashe Visitors Center. Due to Covid-19, the center was closed and not a soul showed up. But it made for an easy first-activation POTA, since the site has easy access to the forest from the parking lot. 
 
 
I worked 20m SSB and CW, for a total of 25 contacts and many P2P contacts. I finally got to work Mike, K8MRD, who is a POTA addict and produces a wonderful YouTube POTA series.  I set up my full-height vertical with 8 ground radials, operating my FT-891 at 50 W.
 

All photos:   https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AtnjiGa3Hsvj74sbQyUsqAAYMn7hUTXR?usp=sharing

 

 If you are interested in participating in POTA, let me know.

 
73,
 
Steve

KD1CY: “Interesting Stories about Ham Radio & Weather Spotting” on ARRL Learning Network, February 11, 2021

Rob Macedo, KD1CY photoEastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator and ARES SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, will present on “Interesting Stories about Ham Radio & Weather Spotting” on the ARRL Learning Network on Tuesday, February 11, 2021 at 8 PM EST (0100 UTC on Friday, February 12). To register, visit <https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1360666941733861134>.

“One of the most critical ways amateur radio supports agencies such as the National Weather Service (NWS), National Hurricane Center (NHC), and emergency management is through weather spotting via the NWS SKYWARN program. This presentation reviews some interesting stories about how amateurs involved in SKYWARN have saved lives and property and why this is an important amateur radio activity.”

“Jack Binns to the Rescue” at the K1USN Radio Club Online Meeting, January 17, 2021

k1usn qsl cardThe K1USN Radio Club is pleased to announce that our next K1USN Zoom presentation will feature the granddaughter of shipboard radio operator hero, Jack Binns. Virginia Utermohlen Lovelace has just recently published an updated biography about her grandfather.
 
If anyone would like to attend, they just need to send me an e-mail  at k1rv@arrl.net. I will be sending out invitations starting on Sunday, Jan 17th. As always, we ask that the Zoom login information not be shared with others to help us minimize the possibility of “Zoom Bombing.”
 
Book cover: Jack Binns to the RescueCQD! Here MKC! Shipwrecked!
 
In 1909, three years before the Titanic disaster, a massive rescue at sea electrified the world. In the frigid pre-dawn hours of January 23rd, the Italian refugee ship Florida had collided with the luxurious White Star liner Republic off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, ripping a huge gash in the Republic’s side.
 
More than 1500 lives were at stake. All these lives were saved thanks to the heroism of the crews and captains of the two ships, and the pluck and persistence of the Republic’s Marconi Wireless operator, Jack Binns.
 
Here is Binns’ story, brought to life by his granddaughter Virginia, from his birth in an English Poorhouse to his surprising and heretofore unknown roles in the events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic.

KM1CC On the Air for the 118th Anniversary of the First USA-UK Wireless Transmission, January 18, 2021

The Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club, KM1CC, will be on the air on January 18, 2021 to commemorate the 118th anniversary of the very first United States-to-United Kingdom wireless transmission. Check dxsummit.fi for spots/frequencies as well as our KM1CC – Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club Facebook page.
 
(All times are UTC)
 
CW
0000-0100 Slow Speed CW 80M & 160M
0100-0400 CW 40M, 80M & 160M
1100-2359 CW 20M, 30M, 40M, 80M & 160M
 
SSB
0000-0400 SSB 80M.
1300 -1500 SSB 17 or 20M
1500- 2359 SSB 40M, 80M
 
Note: Operators will switch bands if conditions are poor. Check dxsummit.fi for spots. (Just doing the best we can to be on the air during Covid-19.)

Nashoba Valley ARC Conducts Successful License Class

Nashoba Valley ARC logoBruce Blain, K1BG, writes in the NVARC Signals January, 2021 newsletter:

It’s been over 20 years since [the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club] last conducted license classes. Recently, I held technician level classes with the help of Skip, K1NKR. We had eight sessions over a four-week period. Of the seven students who started, four finished. These are: Rachel Schmoyer, KC1OHY, of Harvard, MA; Matt Denaro, KC1OHA, of Nashua; Gio Girasoli, KC1OIR, of Bolton, CT; Asher Mirock, KD9RDR, of Bloomington, IL.

Both Asher and Gio are 12 years old and are previous graduates of my CW Academy beginners Morse code class. Both of them are excited about operating on HF frequencies. We welcome all of them to the fantastic world of amateur radio.

I ran these classes to learn how to conduct a class. It was truly a learning experience! I plan on having more classes in 2021, both using Zoom and in person training (once the COVID restrictions are lifted).

If you know of anyone interested in a class, please let me know. Additionally, if you are interested in volunteering (it’s easy to do!), please let me know.

-de Bruce, K1BG