HAPPY SUMMER, AGAIN! Well, we’re deep into Summer. Hot days, warm nights. Lots of sun. High humidity. But we love it, ‘cause we know that in a few months we’ll be whining about cold weather and snow. Oh well! And we even have Patriots pre-season games to watch now (with apologies to those who think of those games as “fake football”)
* Barnstable ARC Activates Chatham Lighthouse US-0158
The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) activated Chatham Light the weekend of August 9 and 10 using three operating positions, 1-VHF and 2-HF, for 8 hours both days. Setting up on the grounds of Coast Guard STACHATHAM adjacent to the heavily travelled walkway in front of the station, operators greeted the public and explained how amateurs have an annual lighthouse event, both in the USA and worldwide, where hams at lighthouses exchange greetings on the radio. This was an excellent Public Relations opportunity. Full story at https://nediv.arrl.org/2025/08/11/barnstable-arc-activates-chatham-lighthouse-us-0158/
Did you activate a lighthouse for Lighthouse Day? Let me know so I can give you a shout out in the Section Update!
* Eastern MA Section Ham of the Year
The ARRL New England Division is pleased to announce the results of the 2025 Ham of the Year Awards. The nominating committee and judges consisted of all seven Section Managers with New England Director Tom Frenaye, K1KI, and Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, participating as non-voting members.
The judges selected one nominee from each New England ARRL Section. In Eastern Massachusetts, Max Kendall, W0MXX was nominated for this prestigious honor.
Max serves as vice-president of the STARS radio club at New England Sci-Tech, teaches Arduino, PCB design, and coding classes at New England Sci-Tech, and is the founder of the New England Weather Balloon Society. He recently organized a high-altitude balloon (HAB) hackathon for students from all over the world, and he has designed and fabricated a four-layer printed circuit board (PCB) implementing a new Radio Frequency (RF) telemetry module that has been successfully used in the field now for many HAB launches. Max has also given public talks sharing his interest in high altitude ballooning and engineering projects at radio clubs and HamXposition for several years.
Please join me in congratulating Max on his award as Eastern MA Ham of the Year! The New England Division Ham of the Year awardee will be revealed at the ARRL Forum at HamXposition. I hope to see you there!
More details at https://ema.arrl.org/2025/08/04/2025-eastern-ma-section-ham-of-the-year-announced/
* 2025 Northeast HamXposition is Coming!
OK, last reminder: The 2025 Northeast HamXposition is coming NEXT WEEKEND: August 21-24, 2025, in Marlborough, MA. This is New England’s premier ham gathering. I hope to have an eyeball QSO with YOU at HamX! Full info at https://hamxposition.org/
PS: HamX still needs volunteers. Volunteers get perks:
- If you work 2 x 2 hr shifts:
- Free admission (or)
- Lunch voucher for Friday or Saturday (no lunch on Thursday or Sunday) (or)
- Another ticket for the Sunday drawings
- If you work additional 2 x 2 hr shifts, you can get one additional lunch voucher-if you haven’t taken the admission option.
Volunteer at https://registration.hamxposition.org/volunteer/ )
* Still Recruiting a New Section Youth Coordinator
Sadly, our former Section Youth Coordinator, Paul K1YUB, is now a Silent Key. I need to fill this important position on the EMA Section Staff. The SYC requirement and job description is at https://www.arrl.org/section-youth-coordinator If you are interested in this volunteer position, please contact me at n1ilz@arrl.org – I’ll appreciate it greatly!
* N1ILZ for a Final
I hope you’re all enjoying the joys that Summer brings, and – my personal favorite – ice cream!! Get out there and get those new antennas up or fix the damage from the ravages of winter. Stay cool and – especially – stay hydrated. Most of all, get on the air and have fun!
Can you write a paragraph or two about what you’re up to, so I can publish it in the Section Update? Did you activate a POTA? Some other event? Shoot me an email at n1ilz@arrl.org!
* For always up-to-date news, please visit the EMA Section website at http://ema.arrl.org
This Section News Update was brought to you by Section Manager Jon N1ILZ.