“Where is Quincy Granite?” Special Event Station, October 7, 2023

From K1USN Happenings, September 29, 2023:

“Where Is Quincy Granite?”

Quincy Radio Club Special Event “Where Is Quincy Granite?” is scheduled for Saturday, October 7 from 1400 – 1900 UTC. We will be transmitting from the Quincy Quarry & Granite Workers Museum located in Quincy, Massachusetts. Our SES is in honor and remembrance to the once vibrant granite quarry industry in Quincy during the 19th and early 20th century.

Granite from the numerous quarries was used in construction and monument bases all over the eastern US. We hope to make contacts with stations that have Quincy granite in their communities. New York, Maryland, Illinois, Rhode Island and many other places are where you can find “Quincy Granite” Our members will be on the HF bands SSB/FT8/CW as well as WiresX—Quincy Room #63826. We hope to have an APRS station up as well—KW1NZE-7.

Certificate for Special Event

Where is Quincy Granite? Special Event Station sample certificate

A Certificate for working our Special Event Station (SES) can be obtained in 2 ways.

1. Send a NTS radiogram with QSO info. A certificate will be emailed to you at the email listed on your QRZ page or email indicated in your radiogram signature. If you send a radiogram and a SASE you will also qualify to receive a collectible wooden nickel for your efforts and commitment to NTS.

Where is Quincy Granite? sample radiogram

 

Where is Quincy Granite wooden nickels

 

2. Send an email to KW1NZE@hotmail.com with QSO information and the club will email you a certificate.

We hope to get you in the log!!

73,

Peter, KC1HHO

W1IS, KC1DSQ: “Why and How of Simple Antennas That Work” at Framingham ARA Hybrid Meeting, October 5, 2023

Framingham ARA logo“Why and How of Simple Antennas That Work” by Bob Glorioso, W1IS and Bob Rose, KC1DSQ, October 5, 2023

Bob and Bob will introduce some basic concepts that are applied to antennas that don’t cost a King’s ransom to build and work well. Topics covered include, resonance, Voltage and Current distributions, RF Feedback, End Effect, Dipoles, Verticals, C-poles, Wire Beams and Stacked Dipoles.

Meeting will start at 7 pm. This meeting is hybrid, meaning on Zoom and in person, and will be held at the Framingham McAuliffe branch library. Members will receive a zoom invitation. Area hams and those not yet licensed but interested in amateur radio are welcome to attend. Non-members may request an invitation by sending an email to John president@w1fy.org.

Amateur License Exams Offered at Northeastern Universitiy

Marty Sullaway, NN1C, writes on the Northeastern University Wireless Club mailing list:

I am also excited to announce our upcoming series of amateur radio licensing exams. Each exam session is free for Northeastern Students, and getting your ham radio license looks great on your resume, and is a great proxy for learning electrical engineering skills. Our first exam will be on Oct 2, 2023 followed by another on Oct 16, 2023. Learn more on our website, and please sign up there if you wish to attend. Each will be held at 7:00 PM in 503 Hayden. 

“W1MJ Fox Design” at Waltham ARA Hybrid Meeting, September 27, 2023

W1MJ FoxRich Comer, K1RBC, writes on the Waltham ARA mailing list:

Hope you all had a great summer! The next meeting of the Waltham Amateur Radio Association will be this Wednesday at 7:00 pm via Zoom. (Zoom opens at 6:30 pm.)

After a short business meeting, Eliot, W1MJ, will give a presentation on the complete redesign of his “fox” and we will have a quick recap of Field Day.

Hope to see you there.

[Contact Rich Comer, K1RBC, at <rich.comer@live.com> for Zoom information.]

Massachusetts Rhode Island STM Report for August 2023

The Massachusetts Rhode Island STM report for August 2023 is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/massachusetts-rhode-island-stm-report-for-aug-2023/. Note recent NTS news in QST and On the Air magazines plus podcast featuring KC1OIP. Also upcoming NTS Letter, patterned after ARES Letter, soon to be sent to ARRL field appointees. ARRL members can subscribe to this monthly newsletter featuring NTS. Also spotlight on Michael Ford, WZ0C.

..

PART Portable Operation at Westford Sportsmen’s Club, September 30, 2023

Westforrd Sportsmen's Club 75th party open house flyerGeorge Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:

On Saturday, September 30, from noon to 4:00 PM, the Westford Sportsmen’s Club will be holding an open house to celebrate its 75th birthday, and PART will be setting up a portable station to show off ham radio. Everyone is invited to attend, and PART members can help operate the station. Free hot dogs and refreshments will be served.The Sportsmen’s Club is located at 80 West Street in Westford.

Project BIG E—Urgent Request for Additional Volunteers, September 23, 2023

Project Big E GrantLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

We need at least one extra person for the first session from 9:30 to 4:00 pm and the second session from 3:30 pm to 10:00 pm.

Can you please help? Saturdays are very busy days and at least three people are needed in the booth.

You will be reimbursed for admission and parking after the Big E has ended.

Contact Larry Krainson, W1AST, at <wb1dby@gmail.com>.

[See https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e/ for details]

AB1PH Published in QEX!

QEX coverStu Solomon, W1SHS, writes:
 
Don Rolph, AB1PH, ARES Emergency Coordinator for Norfolk County, MA, has an article published in the September/October 2023 edition of the ARRL publication QEX magazine.  The article, “An Open Source Meta-Design for an APRS™ Appliance” describes, in detail, the function, design and testing of a low cost APRS device.
 
Congratulations to Don on the excellent project and its publication in QEX!

Mass Rhode Island Digital Net Move

Net manager of the MARIDN Jon McCombie N1ILZ announces a slight move for this net in order to prevent interference to an ongoing CW net. The net will move down 500 Hz to 3582.5. It is a fun new net that is drawing more interest.  It currently uses the NBEMS suite of software. A Zoom chat precedes this net for informational purposes and can be used to help new folks get started. See N1ILZ@arrl.net for details.

KK1X: “The Basics of POTA” at the Nashoba Valley ARC Meeting, September 21, 2023

Nashoba Valley ARC logoBruce Blain, K1BG, writes on the Nashoba Valley ARC mailing list:

Summer is over and we are meeting again!

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s September meeting is Thursday, September 21st at 7:30 PM, at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell MA). We start gathering at 7 PM to socialize before the meeting starts.

This month’s guest speaker will be our very own John Griswold, KK1X, who will be talking about “The Basics of POTA.”  POTA (short for “Parks on the Air”) has become a very popular operating activity on the high frequency bands. The program encourages and promotes portable operation (and emergency awareness) from national and state parks. John will share his experience and knowledge regarding his POTA operations. I’m sure it will be an interesting meeting!

Need directions? Click here and put your own address in box “A.”

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

Bruce, K1BG

978-772-2773 or bruce.blain@charter.net

Please visit NVARC on the web: www.n1nc.org
https://www.youtube.com/@nvarc
https://www.facebook.com/NVARC

Bristol County RA Fox Hunt, Fall River Vicinity, September 23, 2023

Bristol Co. RA club bannerWhen:
Saturday, September 23, 2023
10:00am to 1:00pm
(UTC-04:00) America/New Yorkhttps://bcra.club/bcrawprel/fox-hunting/

Where:
5-mile radius of a location of 120 President AVE, Fall River, MA.

Organizer: Skip Denault kb1cnb@bcra.club 774-644-3469

View Event

Description:
When:
9/23/2023
10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Where:
5-mile radius from 120 President AVE Fall River, MA. Check back for more details!

BCRA fox hunt map

Organizer: Skip Denault kb1cnb@bcra.club 774-644-3469

The radius is only 5 miles from the center point.

* Time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm  — Check-in starts at 9:45 am on the BCRA repeater, 145.150 MHz PL 123
* Location: The Foxes will be within a 5-mile radius of a location of 120 President AVE, Fall River, MA.

* Fox1 will activate at 10:00 a.m. on 146.565 MHz FM 
* Fox2 will activate at 10:02:30 a.m. on 146.430 MHz FM

Nantucket ARA Story in “DayBreak Nantucket”

Bob Hall, W1RRH, writes on the Nantucket ARA mailing list:

This is the first time NARA has been mentioned in DayBreak Nantucket.  It is a nice article:

Celebrating Lighthouses

In case you missed it, last month the Nantucket Amateur Radio Associationcelebrated International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend for 2023 at Nantucket’s Sankaty Lighthouse. The event is part of the US National Lighthouse Week from the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. In 1989, the United States Congress declared August 7 as National Lighthouse Day, so during August amateur radio operators in America set up portable stations at lighthouses and try to contact each other. 

 

On Saturday, August 19, the Nantucket Amateur Radio Association set up two radio stations on the ‘Sconset bluff with short wave antennas draped from the lighthouse, 65’ in the air, with the goal of making radio contact with other lighthouses and ham radio stations around the world. The group wanted to acknowledge lighthouse and lightship history and encourage their preservation. NARA is the local affiliate of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), a national organization established to promote and advance the art, science, and enjoyment of amateur radio. The Nantucket group began casually to bring together amateur radio operators, or “hams,” of varied interests including occasional operators, tinkerers and experimenters, members of the Nantucket Amateur Radio Emergency Service (NARES), and non-resident hams visiting the island.

Amateur Radio Support Requested, Buzzard’s Bay Triathlon, Westport, September 17, 2023

Matt Brennan, NM1B, writes on the Worcester Emergency Communications Team mailing list:

I’m looking for about fifteen hams to provide communications assistance for the Buzzard’s Bay Triathlon in Westport on Sunday, September 17th. It occurs from 9AM (hams will meet at 8AM) until about 1PM (some assignments should secure by noon). It will be held in Horseneck Beach State Park and includes a swim, bike and run that travels through the town of Westport. There is also a duathlon option. More info  online: www.maxperformanceonline.com. It is a very scenic area.

If you are interested, please fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/fNtP44THUG42xcoV9

If you have any questions, please send a note to events@wect.org

Thanks.
-Matt

Hurricane Lee Coordination Message #1, September 13, 2023

Hello to all…
 
..Hurricane Lee will impact portions of Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island with tropical storm conditions late Friday Night into Saturday. Preparations for tropical storm conditions should begin now in eastern areas of Southern New England..
 
..A Tropical Storm Watch is now in effect from Watch Hill Rhode Island to Stonington Maine including Marthas Vineyard, Nantucket and Block Island. The Tropical Storm Watch includes Eastern Essex, Suffolk, Eastern Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes, Nantucket Counties of Massachusetts and Bristol, Newport and Washington Counties of Rhode Island for sustained winds of 20-40 MPH and gusts 50-70 MPH with isolated higher gusts. The highest sustained winds and wind gusts will be over Southeast Coastal Massachusetts including Cape Cod and the Islands and Eastern Essex County Massachusetts..
 
..Rainfall amounts of 1-4″ are expected in portions of Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island with the highest amounts in Eastern and Southeast Coastal Massachusetts..
 
..A Storm Surge Watch is now in effect for Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket..
 
..SKYWARN Self-Activation will Amateur Radio Call-Up Nets are likely during the tropical storm force conditions and additional activation measures will be reviewed..
 

WC3W: “The CQ DX Marathon Program – A DX Program for Everybody” at New England Sci-Tech ARS Hybrid Meeting, September 12, 2023

New England Sci Tech logoThe New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society will meet on-line and in-person on September 12, 2023 at 7 PM and feature: “The CQ DX Marathon Program – A DX Program for Everybody” by Mark Wohlschlegel, WC3W.

The CQ DX Marathon Program is a worldwide program for hams who love to pursue DX. In 2022, it was the fastest growing DX program in the world, realizing a 42% growth from 2021. The Marathon is a program, not a contest. Many participants choose not to compete but instead use the program as a metric to do self-evaluation on how they are improving year over year. A unique characteristic of the program is that there are various categories to allow comparing DX activities against others around the world having similar station setups. Participation is encouraged in single modes, CW, SSB, Digital, or all modes. It is very simple to participate and tools allow easy uploads of your logs to the website. Results are published in the June edition of CQ Magazine. www.dxmarathon.com.

Bio: Mark grew up in Illinois and lived there through college when attending Bradley University, majoring in Electrical Engineering. Mark and his wife now live in Palm Beach Gardens, FL and have a summer home in Colorado, operating from both locations. Mark has been an active DX’er his entire ham radio career and still enjoys chasing DX. Prior to his appointment to lead the DX Marathon Program, he was a participant. Besides amateur radio, Mark has flown airplanes since he was 18 years old and holds private, instrument, and commercial ratings. He also enjoys motorcycle trips and sailing. 

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday September 11th, 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The September Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday September 11th, 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. It is on the second Monday of the month due to the Labor Day holiday last week.

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 a number of announcements and items for this month’s net.

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
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Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 9/11/23 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

AB1PH-Don Rolph-Walpole area 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,
Since the first Monday in Sep, Sep 4, was labor day, for Sep., the RACES nets will be held on Mon Sep 11.
The RACES nets will be held on Mon Sep 11 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 call sign 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:
Bryan Marcotte KF1D will be. net control.
Send a winlink checkin form to KF1D, copy AB1PH, between 0600 Monday Sep 11 and 2400 Monday Sep 11.

We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph

Amateur Radio Communications Support Opportunity: B.A.A. Half Marathon, November 12, 2023

Boston Athletic Assoc. logoEthan Hansen, KC1OIP, writes on the Boston ARC mailing list:

Some of you may have already seen this from the B.A.A but Volunteer Registration for the Half Marathon on November 12th is open! Please see the information below from the B.A.A.

The B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, returns to Franklin Park on Sunday, November 12, 2023. We invite you to join us as a volunteer to support the third and final event of the 2023 B.A.A. Distance Medley. 
 
Volunteer Registration is ongoing within your B.A.A. Athletes’ Village Account  
  • To apply, log in to your B.A.A. Athletes’ Village account or sign up for an account if you have not yet done so already.  
    • All 2021, 2022, and 2023 Boston Marathon volunteer applicants should have an existing Athletes’ Village account.
  • Navigate to the Volunteers page on your account. Select the “To Volunteer Click Here” button. Follow the instructions on the form. 
  • Your application is complete once you receive an application confirmation number.
The volunteer registration deadline for the B.A.A. Half Marathon is Friday, October 20 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Please note, we do anticipate receiving more volunteer applicants than we are able to accept.

If you haven’t volunteered at a B.A.A event before you will need to create an account and profile. Unlike the full marathon there is only one option for Amateur Radio which can be found after selecting “General” volunteer. 

Hope to see you on race day!

73,
Ethan KC1OIP
BARC Public Service Chair

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) – Saturday 9/9/23 at 1000 AM EDT

N1SOM-Jeff – Secretary of the South Shore Hospital (SSH) group writes:

Good evening,

On Saturday September 9, 2023, the Mansfield EMA will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM. 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 in the order listed.

1. Plymouth Repeater 146.685 tone 131.8
2. West Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244​
3. Attleboro Repeater 147.195 tone 127.3
4. Plymouth 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.

Jeff N1SOM, Secretary, and the SSH group
N1SOM – W1SSH