Month: January 2023

Operating / Youth

Barnstable ARC holds Winter Field Day at Scout Camp

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

From nediv.arrl.org:

Barnstable ARC logoRob Leiden, K1UI, writes:

The Barnstable ARC (BARC) held its first Winter Field Day (WFD) at Boy Scout Camp Greenough in Yarmouth, MA this weekend.  The Club and the Boy Scouts are working together to put a permanent amateur radio station at the camp.  As part of the close relationship being forged with scouting, BARC (W1MA) set up a 2O station in the camp and manned it around the clock with a dozen volunteers.  Since the Administration building was winterized with no heat or water, it was an ideal location for an outdoor experience including temporary heaters and bringing in water.  Although the effort was smaller than BARC’s summer Field Day, setting up the antennas and operating in cold weather gave both old timers and newer operators valuable experience.  Don, KT1OK (foreground) and Lem, W1LEM were finishing the operation on Sunday afternoon, logging a few last-minute contacts on 15 and 40 meters.

665 contacts were made on 5 bands using emergency power with stations as far away as Hawaii.  BARC is taking every opportunity to showcase amateur radio at Camp Greenough that hosts camp outs to scouts from all over Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Winter Field Day continues this effort that began with Jamboree on the Air last Fall and continues with WFD and the removal of trees in preparation for Eversource to install three donated poles for the permanent radio station antenna supports.

 

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) Moved to Saturday 2/11/23 at 1000 AM ET

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Good morning,

This coming Saturday is the first Saturday of the month during which we usually hold the Eastern MA Hospital Net.

Given the weather forecast for Saturday morning with severe and dangerously cold temperatures, we decided it best to postpone the Net until the following Saturday, February 11 @ 10AM.

Stay warm
Regards,
John O’Neill – K1JRO
W1SSH Group

Clubs

WA3SWJ: “All About Home Automation” at Barnstable ARC Hybrid Meeting, February 6, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Barnstable ARC logoThe Barnstable Amateur Radio Club will meet  in-person on February 6 at 7:00 PM at the Brewster Police Department Community Room, 631 Harwich Road (Rt 124), Brewster, MA 02631. In addition we will provide a Zoom link to the meeting. This month, Bruce, WA3SWJ, will present “All about Home Automation.”

[Contact Norm Cantin, WA1NLG, at norman.cantin@gmail.com for Zoom details.]
Clubs

N1QY: “Measuring SWR” at Framingham ARA Hybrid Meeting, February 2, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Framingham ARA logoYou are invited to the next Framingham Amateur Radio Association meeting to be held on February 2, 2023 beginning at 7 p.m. via Zoom and at the McAuliffe branch of the Framingham Library at 746 Water Street in Framingham.  The program will feature Ron Evett, N1QY, on Measuring SWR. 

 
Members will receive a zoom invitation.  Non-members may request an invitation by sending an email to John president@w1fy.org.
Operating / Youth

New England Sci-Tech Winter Field Day Festivities, January 28, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
New England Sci Tech logoNew England Sci-Tech will participate in Winter Field Day and also host a number of fun and educational activities on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from 2:00 to 9:00 PM at 16 Tech Circle in Natick, Massachusetts. “We will stay warm and take a points loss but still have fun! Non-licensed adults and children can get on the air with one of our control operators.”
 
In addition, NEST will feature maker activities from 4 to 6 PM for children of members and visitors, and hands-on activities led by volunteers. “Make a meteorite necklace, make 3-D paper art, make an electronics gadget, make a laser-cut art project, make a woodworking project, and more.” Also planned are thirty-minute planetarium shows at 5 and 7 PM, a pot luck dinner from 6 to 8 PM, and a ham radio “movie marathon” from 7 to 9 PM. 
Clubs

K1BG: “CW Basics” at Billerica ARS Meeting Online, February 1, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Billerica ARS logoBruce Blain, K1BG, will present on “CW Basics” at the Billerica Amateur  Radio Society on February 1, 2023 at 7:00 PM.

Bruce was first introduced to amateur radio by his neighbor Jim Payne, W1GPN, when he was 4 years old. He was first licensed as WN1KBG in 1968 (Canton, MA) and upgraded to WA1KBG. He earned a BSEE from Northeastern University in 1976, and became K1BG in 1977.

Bruce is past president of the Norwood Amateur Radio Club, and is a founding member and past Vice President of the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club where he currently serves as a member of the board. He is also a member of the First Operators Club, CW Ops, the Yankee Clipper Contest Club, and the Radio Club of America. Bruce has been a member of the ARRL for over 50 years.

He has been “advising” CW Academy classes for the past 4 years, where he is currently a “youth academy” advisor. Attracting and mentoring young people and supporting local radio clubs are areas that Bruce is passionate about.

[For Zoom conference details, email Bruce Anderson, W1LUS, at w1lus -at- hotmail -dot- com.]

All

Massachusetts STM Report for December 2022

- by kw1u - Leave a Comment

The combined Massachusetts sections traffic report for December 2022 is available at https://ema.arrl.org/massachusetts-stm-report-for-december-2022/.  This contains a recap of stats, events and traffic notes for the past year.   1901 net sessions were conducted, with 6,220 messages passed by 12,396 net participants during a total of 539 hours of net operation. These folks love what they do as they also practice for emergencies, and they welcome all newcomers. Training is always available. Just ask!

Licensing Education & Training

Cape Ann (MA) Amateur Radio Association Technician In A Day Session, February 25, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

CAARA logo

Our Technician In A Day Session is a study course.  The course allows you to become licensed by the Federal Communications Commission.

You should obtain a copy of the ARRL Technician Class License Manual.  You may purchase this book at Ham Radio Outlet or any other amateur radio related store.

You should read the book.  The information contained therein will allow you to answer questions on a 35 question test for obtaining your Technician License.

There are videos on Youtube at W4EEY that explain the theory and cover the questions to enhance your knowledge.   You may also take practice exams at hamstudy.org for comprehension.

TECH IN A DAY CLASSROOM SESSION

  1. You should apply and obtain a FCC Registration Number at: https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do
  2. You will be charged a slight fee for this course. Normally, $15.00 for the Examination and $10.00 for materials, snacks and drinks which will be provided for the session.
  3. The Tech In A Day Session will be almost a full day session (8 am to 5pm)
  4. The first Study Session begins at 9:00am for 45 minutes and you will be given a 15 minute break before the next session begins at 10 am.
  5. Three study sessions will be held before a lunch break (approximately 11:45am-1:00pm)
  6. There will be three more study sessions in the afternoon to run to 4:45 pm.
  7. Testing will begin approximately at 5:00 pm.

You will be administered an examination of 35 questions of which you must score at least 26 out of 35 or better to PASS.

Upon completion and passing of your examination you will be handed a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination) (CSCE Form).

Your call sign should be process in 10-12  business days.

If you would like more information, you may email us at caarave@caara.net or Telephone (978) 504-9112 for more information.

Flea markets & Conventions

Whitman ARC Winterfest, January 21, 2023 (NEW VENUE)

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Whitman ARC logoThe Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold its annual Winterfest on January 21, 2023 from 9 AM until 1 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Route 18, in Whitman. A VE testing session for Tech, General, and Amateur Extra will be conducted at the event. Raffle Prizes include four high power HTs and gift certificates.

Admission is $5; tables cost $15. Checks for tables can be mailed to:

Whitman Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 48
Whitman MA 02382

For vendor information, call: 781-523-5010 or visit http://www.wa1npo.org/WF/2023Winterfest_hasPayPal.html.

Allen, WA1BEE, writes on January 18, 2023:
 
NOTICE
 

Change of location of the Whitman WinterFest 2023

 

Was in contact with Ross, W1EKG, today. Due to an unexpected situation, a move had to be made.
 
The location is the Tri-Town Masonic lodge, 38 Franklin Street ( RT27 ), East Bridgewater, MA, 02333
 
Foxhunting / Operating

Fox Hunting of a Different Kind

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list:

This morning, as I often do, when, listening to various things with my RTL-SDR, I sometimes go to the “SondeHub Tracker” website to see if there are any weather balloons I might be able to hear using my RTL-SDR.

This morning, I was surprised to see a balloon tracking north eastward over Millis, MA, and heading directly overhead where I live in Waltham MA.

I decided to zoom in on it, and follow it, and to my surprise, it had it landing somewhere in Lexington MA.

As it descended and got closer to the ground, I zoomed in on that area and realized it was just a short drive from where I lived. So I decided to get my 70 cm meter Yagi, jump in the car and head in that direction more precisely Pretty close to the location. It predicted it would be on the ground.

To my surprise, when I got in the area, I could hear the Radio-Sonde loud and clear, and I proceeded to an address that I had put in my GPS, got out of the car with the Yagi in one corner of the parking lot, (it was the horseshoe type, which will go behind the building and come out to the street on the other side of the property) and discovered that it was more towards the street.

Looking in the trees and over the roof of the building, I couldn’t see it, but the signal was strong. Having gotten that far and figuring it could be on the flat roof of the building and it being cold and drizzly outside I decided to head home.

To my surprise, on the way out of the driveway, what do I see? An orange parachute laying across the lane, I immediately jumped out of the car, went around to the front of the building, and there hanging on a string was the Radio-Sonde. Seeing nobody was around, I tugged the Radio-Sonde down out of the bush, wrapped it up and jumped in my car. (I hope nobody will be upset with me for grabbing the Radio-Sonde).

Radio-sonde
Radio-sonde

After I got in the car, I noticed it was an on off switch, turned it off, read the label, and this particular Radio-Sonde requests that you do not send it back to the national weather service.

Well, I have a parachute and Radio-Sonde what to do with it? I don’t know, perhaps, just keep it as a souvenir, and toss the plastic parachute, which I cannot seem to find any kind of use for.

All in all, a fun and interesting new kind of hunt for me!

73 Mike K1MJC

Clubs

KB1OIQ: “Andy’s Ham Radio Linux” at North Shore Radio Association Meeting, January 17, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

North Shore Radio Association logoEric Horwitz, KA1NCF, writes on the North Shore Radio Association mailing list:

This month’s meeting is on Tuesday! Speaker will be in house this month.

Andy (KB1OIQ) Stewart will talk about a software collection which he created called “Andy’s Ham Radio Linux.” It is based on Ubuntu 22.04 with additional software specific to ham radio. There have been over 100,000 downloads of this software since 2011. Andy’s talk will be an overview of the available software, where to get it, installation hints, etc. No previous knowledge of Linux is required to enjoy this talk.

Andy is an Amateur Extra licensee who has enjoyed this fine hobby since 2007. Related interests include repair of antique radios circa 1930s/1940s, hacking uBITX, Arduino code, the M17 project, and kit building. Andy is a former president of PART of Westford. By day, Andy is a digital logic verification engineer living in simulated reality.

Hope to see you all at the meeting.

Clubs

W1BTR: “Minecraft Ham Radio Mods” at PART of Westford Hybrid Meeting, January 17, 2023

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
PART of Westford logoGeorge Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:
 

The January PART of Westford meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, beginning at 7:30 PM at the Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant Street, Westford, MA, and via Webex video conference. For those attending via video conference, a meeting link is below; just click on the green button to join in. You can join the conference any time after 7:00 PM to check out your gear or just rag chew until the meeting starts. Bear in mind that internet connectivity from the senior center may be unreliable.

Topic: PART has been awarded a grant of $22K by the ARRL Foundation for a project headed by PART member Lucas, W1BTR, to incorporate ham radio into the popular online game Minecraft. At the January meeting we’ll be showing the presentation on this project given to the ARRL HQ staff last week, and we’ll explain what the project is, how it will be run, what it means for the growth of ham radio, and how it affects PART. If time permits, we also have a presentation on the 2023 Volunteers on the Air event.

Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items (canned soups, stews, etc.) for donation to the Westford Food Pantry.

See you on Tuesday!

George, K1IG
President, PART of Westford
wb1gof.org

[To request conference login information, contact George Allison, K1IG, at k1ig -at- arrl -dot- net]
Public Service

Boston Marathon 2023 Looking for Ham Radio Volunteers

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

BAA MarathonFrom K1USN Happenings, January 12, 2023:

Planning is well underway for the 2023 Boston Marathon! The BAA opened volunteer registration today and it will close on Friday, February 10, 2023. Returning volunteers should have received an email from the BAA with details about how to register.

New volunteers can sign up via http://register.hamradioboston.org/. We have also provided a step by step guide on how to select Amateur Radio volunteer positions during the registration process:  <https://hamradioboston.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/44002389087-2023-volunteer-registration-step-by-step-guide>.

Operating

Massachusetts Volunteers On The Air, W1AW/1 Sign Up

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Volunteer On The Air logoThis year, the ARRL is honoring volunteers with its Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) operating event. The event starts January 1 and ends December 31, 2023

Twice a year, for one week, each state will be activated as W1AW/1 (for call area 1 Massachusetts, for example). To make this happen, we need ops to get Massachusetts on the air.

Would you like to be an W1AW/1 activator for the first session this spring? The first MA session is Wednesday, April 12 through Tuesday, April 18.

Would you like to know more? Contact Larry, W1AST, at W1AST@arrl.net.

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday January 9th 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

The January Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday January 9th, 2023 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 for the net this evening as we kickoff 2023.

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
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – https://twitter.com/wx1box

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 1/9/23 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Don Rolph-AB1PH, Norfolk County ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week,
For Jan 2023, since the first Monday Jan 2 is a state holiday, the RACES nets will be held on Mon Jan 9.
The Races nets will be held on Mon Jan 9 at:

********************************************************************************
The HF net will start at 6:45 PM ET: 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:
7:30 PM ET 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.

Don Rolph using WA1PLE will be net control.
********************************************************************************
HF NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
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:
Between 0600 ET on Mon Jan 9 and 2400 ET on Jan 9, please send a Winlink checkin form to Bryan Marcotte KF1D

We look forward to you checking in!

—

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday 1/7/23 at 1000 AM ET

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

John O’Neill-K1JRO EMA ARES – DEC Healthcare Liaison writes:

Hello Everyone,

Net Control for the January 2023 Eastern MA Hospital Net scheduled for Saturday 1/7/23 at 10 AM will be Nicholas Rondeau from the Mansfield Emergency Management Agency. The net will commence at the usual time of 10AM using the following repeaters in the order listed. 

1. W.Bridgewater 146.775 DCS 244
2. Attleboro 147.195 Tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
3. Dartmouth 147.000 Tone 67.0
4. Sharon 146.865 Tone 103.5 

We will not be conducting a DMR test this month. 

The Net will then return to the W.Bridgewater 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. 

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

South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group is seeking licensed Amateur Radio Operators to join our group. For information on joining us please contact us at ssharg@outlook.com.

We thank the repeater trustees for their continued generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters is 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. 

Analog 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

Digital (DMR) Repeaters.

We have the ability to utilize a TalkGroup on some of the repeaters that are part of the NEDECN Network. Boston, Hingham, Bourne, Dennis, Walpole, and Martha’s Vineyard.

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net. 

Respectfully,

John O’Neill K1JRO
President, South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
EMA ARES – DEC Healthcare Liaison