KB1OIQ Fox is On the Loose, Westford, May 8, 2022 (Updated)

Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on May 10, 2022 at 6:36 AM:

Good morning fox hunters!

I have moved the KB1OIQ 2m fox.  It is still in Cider Mill Pond, but now you should(?) be able to hear the fox from the parking area.  The battery has been replaced and it should be good for the entire day.

Have fun and 73,

Andy

Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on May 8, 2022 at 10:02 AM:

146.565 FM is the fox frequency.

Go to the Cider Mill Pond conservation area in Westford.

A fox awaits you.  Have fun and good luck!  Cider Mill Pond is a very large
area (100? acres).

I’ll leave it out there for today and Monday.

73,

Andy

Four-Week, In-Person Technician Course Offered by Nashoba Valley ARC Beginning May 16, 2022

Nashoba Valley ARC logoBruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

Please share this with friends and family members who are interested in getting an Amateur Radio License.

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club (NVARC) is offering a free amateur radio licensing course beginning on May 16th. The eight night course will prepare students for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technician licensing exam that will be offered at the completion of the course. The Technician level radio operator’s license is the first of three amateur licenses offered by the FCC. Each license has increased levels of operator privileges.

The course consists of twice weekly sessions beginning on Monday, May 16th, and meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays for four weeks (May 16th through June 8th ). The course will be held at the Pepperell Community Center, 4 Hollis Street, Pepperell, MA 01463. Sessions will start at 7 PM and last for 2 hours. An FCC license exam will be scheduled for the end of the sessions. The course is free, but there will be an FCC required $15 testing fee if you take the exam. The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, Level 1, Technician, 4th ed, will be the study guide used for the class. A limited number of study guides may be purchased from the instructor for $20 or online from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) or Amazon.

This course is open to all, there are no age limits. Pre-registration is required, no walk-ins will be allowed. To register you must contact the instructor, Bruce Blain at (508) 341-5124 or via email at bruce.blain@charter.net.  

Interest for an 80-Meter Foxhunt?

Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on May 8, 2022:

I have a fox for the 80m band, and I’m wondering who has gear to receive the signal.

It is a real CW signal on the color burst frequency, roughly 3.579 MHz.

One possible receiver is shown here: http://crkits.com/r3500d.jpg

The fox has not been deployed.  I’m just assessing the interest level of such a fox hunt.

73,

Andy

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday 5/7/22 at 1000 AM

John O’Neill-K1JRO writes:

Good evening,

May 7,2022 Saturday, the South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10AM.

We realize that the usual locations for some individuals and groups are still unavailable due to ongoing COVID restrictions.

We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net.

We will use the following repeaters and NEDECN DMR system in the order listed.

1. W.Bridgewater Repeater 146.775 dcs 244
2. Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
3. Plymouth Repeater 146.685 tone 131.8
3. DMR – EMHN Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot 1 on select NEDECN repeaters:
Boston 449.175 CC1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC1, Bourne 145.200 CC10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC11, and Martha’s Vineyard145.180 CC10 repeaters
4. Boston 145.230 tone enc. 88.5 dec (in) / dec (out) 100.0
5. Return to W.Bridgewater Repeater for 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, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

John O’ and the SSH group
K1JRO – W1SSH

North Attleborough Repeater NA1HS is QRV

Ray Cord, K2TGX, writes on the Study Memorial Hospital ARC mailing list:

Hello All,

This is to announce that the North Attleborough Emergency Management Agency UHF Repeater NA1HS  is back on the air at full legal strength, 447.975 – Split PL 88.5. We would appreciate your trying it out in your travels and from home, and sending us your signal reports. I know Pierre, N1EZT, and John, KA1EWN, put a lot of hours in getting it back up with the new antenna.

Tnx, 73

Ray K2TGX

Ray Deputy Director Norton EMA-CERT70
East Main St
Norton, Ma. 02766
508-726-1054 cell 

Cape Ann ARA “Meet Up” at Haskins Park, Rockport, May 29, 2022

CAARA logoCape Ann Amateur Radio Association President Brandon Hockle, NQ1W, writes on the CAARA list:
 
We are going to have a little informal meet up at Hospital Hill aka Haskins Park at the top of Summit Avenue in Rockport, MA during Memorial Day weekend on May 29th. We’ll get up there a little after breakfast and operate until we get bored or the hotdogs are finished. Some hotdogs and burgers will be provided please bring a beverage or water.
 
We hope to use this get together as a bit of a dry run for the upcoming Field Day 2022 event which we hope to have at the same location.
 
There will be radios and grills operating so please join us if you can!
 
Here is the location in Google Maps:
 
Haskins Park
 
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
 
Regards,
Brandon NQ1W

YuKanRun Fast Half Marathon Seeks Amateur Volunteers, Hamilton-Wenham, May 7, 2022

[Cape Cod Amateur Radio Association] has a great public service team. Come out and have some fun with us. We have loaner radios if you need one. Come out and join the event. Just contact us and we will set you up with a radio.

We are looking for operators to staff the YuKanRun Fast Half Marathon, Saturday May 7th, Hamilton-Wenham, MA. Please be on location at your check point by 8:30 AM. Starts At 9:00 AM Hamilton-Wenham, MA. 

Please let me know if you can staff a communications check-point for the event so I can plan staffing positions for the event.
 

While CAARA’s repeater performance has greatly improved the northern regions of this course may still experience some difficulty with communications especially with low-powered HTs, so we’ll be looking for higher powered equipment to staff those areas

Please let us know what type of equipment you plan to use (ie: mobile unit best HT; ¼-Wave Mag-Mount; OEM Rubber-Duck; etc.) so we have a better idea of where to locate you along the event course per the potential of your equipment.

The course will be open and supported By CAARA. for four hours. Runner safety is everyone’s top priority. Local EMT crews and ambulances will be available for three hours to help.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

WA1ESU

Reminder: May 2nd, 2022 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Mike Leger, N1YLQ, Region 2 RACES Radio Officer writes:

Hello to all,

      This email is a reminder that this evening, May 2nd, 2022 is the first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, is our RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. We will be holding our sector nets on the normally assigned frequencies.

      As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I will be able to run the Sector 2A net, but if anyone is interested in trying it out, please let me know.  I am looking for NCS operators to lead the Sector 2B (Plymouth County) nets. Sector 2D has already arranged for an NCS operator for this month’s net and Sector 2C is now a Winlink only net on a monthly basis.

              For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator should send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We can not always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a checkin form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. May 2  and before midnight ET May 2 (any mode, but include  mode in check-in form) to AB1PH

    I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service. 

   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In 6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: 53.31 has been reported to be having difficulties lately.

The appropriate people are aware and working to remedy any issues.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency 18:45 Local
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local

    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.

 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at   WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!

      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)

MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday May 2nd, 2022 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The May Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday May 2nd, 2022 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:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements on upcoming events.

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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Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 5/2/22 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph-AB1PH writes:

For May, Monday May 2 is the first Monday of the month, and will be the date for the MEMA RACES nets.

The Races nets will be held on Mon May 2 at:
********************************************************************************
The HF net will start at 6:45 PM EDT: using the following frequency plan:

We will start at 3930 KHz moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency,

Marc Stern WA1R will be net control.
*********************************************************************************
Region 2D VHF net: please note sector 2D net will be on Sharon Repeater

7:30 PM EDT VHF net on 146.865 MHz PL 103.5 (Sharon Repeater)

We will have a general call up of any RACES, ARES, or other interested stations. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.

Jeff Marden N1JCM will be net control.
********************************************************************************
HF NBEMS net:

7:00 PM EDT
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22

We will have checkins,followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.

Don Rolph AB1PH will be net control.
*********************************************************************************
Winlink Net:

To participate:
– create a checkin form using the Winlink standard checkin form
– send via winlink after 6 AM EDT Mon. May 2 and before 0000 EDT May 3 (any mode, but include mode in checkin form) to AB1PH
– Tues I will create the checkin report and send to all of you
*************************************************************************************

We look forward to you checking in to any or all nets!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph

Cape Ann ARA to Offer Remote Hams Operating Capabilities

CAARA logoFrom CAARA News, May 2022:

The [Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association] Equipment Committee is pleased to announce a trial offering of a remote operations station to our members using the Remote Hams https://www.remotehams.com software. Licensed amateur radio operators subscribe to the service, and both individuals and groups provide access at their discretion stations open for either public or private use.

We will be making available a station to club members who have been a member in good standing for the previous 12 months, for what we expect will be a 1-year trial period after which the CAARA Board of Directors will review to make this a permanent offering. It should be noted that the Remote Hams service is globally oriented so licensed amateurs who participate in the Remote Hams service by extension are also free to use any other station participating in the service whose owner is willing to authorize their use.

We are offering the service on an as-is where-is. There is no service level in place regarding uptime, reliability, suitability for use, security, time to repair if there is an equipment failure, or availability. You are responsible for providing your own computer and internet connectivity that meets the Remote Hams requirements to run the client software. No claim is made regarding the peaceful coexistence of the Remote Hams application with other applications on your computer.

[…]
 

HamXposition Ticketing is Now Live

HamXposition logoNortheast HamXposition General Chairman Bob DeMattia, K1IW, writes:

Our electronic ticketing is now live!  Visit our website to purchase general admission, flea, and Friday and Saturday banquet tickets!

Main Webpage:  https://hamxposition.org
 
New for this year, your organization can also purchase ads for our printed program book as well.  To see the ad purchase section, go here:
 
 
 
73,
Bob – K1IW
Chairman
HamXposition 2022

BCRA Antenna Build, Swansea, MA, May 14, 2022

The Bristol County Repeater Association will hold an “Antenna Build” and in-person club meeting on May 14, 2022 from 1:00-3:00 PM at the Swansea Baptist Church, 25 Church Street, Swansea, MA 02777.

“We will meet in the upper parking lot, near the back of the church/hall.  We’ll have tables setup, tools and help in building your dipole antenna.  Details on the build will be discussed during the Tech Talk at the May 2nd monthly meeting.  We are going to have the builders choose their antenna, within reason.  More details will be sent out by email.