August 2019: EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS (EMA) SECTION NEWS
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Welcome to the Eastern Massachusetts ARRL section newsletter.
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To see the complete monthly section news, which is updated regularly,
visit <https://ema.arrl.org/>.
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UP FRONT
As we enter the “dog days of summer”, we learn the Massachusetts
Legislature still has not concluded work on the distracted driving bill.
Massachusetts Distracted Driving Legislation Stalled
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WBZ/ CBS Boston reported House and Senate Democrats “failed to reach a
compromise on long-discussed distracted driving legislation after a
marathon session Wednesday [July 31, 2019], abandoning the issue about
four hours after Senate President Karen Spilka said a resolution
appeared imminent.”
In its current form, the legislation–also known as the “handheld
cellphone ban”–would exempt “federally-licensed 2-way radios”
allowing for the unimpeded use of amateur radios in vehicles.
Read the full story at
<https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/08/01/distracted-driving-bill-massachusetts-legislature-recess/>
August 3, 2019, Eastern MA Hospital Net
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South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group, W1SSH, will once again act as
Net Control. The net will commence at the usual time of 10:00 AM using
the following repeaters and simplex frequency in the order listed.
1. Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
2. Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
3. Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
4. Simplex 146.580 MHz
The Net will then return to the Sharon Repeater for any final comments
and Net closing.
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.
August 7, 2019 CW Academy (CWA) presentation at BARS in Chelmsford
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Are you interested in learning CW? CWA has become a very popular
training program for hams wanting to learn and USE CW. Bruce, K1BG, is
a “Level 1 Advisor” who will talk about CWA’s history, methods,
and programs. CW academy is a web-based CW learning system where
classrooms are held in Skype chat sessions and instructors evaluate
students’ progress. There are practice sessions and assignments.
Resources and classes handle all skill levels, even those hams who do
not know morse code characters yet.
<https://www.w1hh.org/next-bars-meeting-wednesday-august-7-700pm-bruce-blain-k1bg-and-cw-academy/>
September 6-8, Ham radio convention in Boxborough Mass
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The ARRL New England Division Convention has a new name and website at
<https://hamxposition.org/>.
The weekend after Labor Day, September 6-8, 2019, is a packed full of
ham radio fun and learning. The venue as before is the Boxboro Regency
Hotel & Conference Center, in Boxborough, Massachusetts. Read more at
<www.hamxposition.org>
Highlights include:
* Top-notch Forums and Talks all three days
* Large Exhibit Hall & Flea Market: Sat 9 AM to 5 PM & Sun 9 AM to 1 PM
* Major prize drawings
* Friday DXCC/Contesting Dinner featuring special guest Adrian Ciuperca,
KO8SCA
* Saturday Grand Banquet featuring Dan Barstow, KA1ARD, Senior Education
Manager for the International Space Station National Lab
* Ham Radio Bootcamp, designed to help newly licensed Technician and
General’s to get on the air and use their Amateur Radio license
* Post banquet fun – movie night – open mic storytelling – jam session
* Jazz Band for Sunday Brunch
* ARRL VE Exams
* Tech-in-a-day™ license study course, $5 fee for materials and
snacks
* W1N special event station. Reserve your time at
www.hamxposition.org/special-event-station
Also included is the Amateur Radio Exposition for Young People presented
by the Nashua Area Radio Society, September 7th and 8th. This exposition
will include many hands-on activities, videos, and displays about
amateur radio and wireless communications, including:
* Software Defined Radios
* High-Altitude Balloons
* Portable and Mobile stations
* Emergency Communications
* Fox-hunting
Tickets can be purchased on-line. Read more at <www.hamxposition.org>
EMA Section Manager visits to Field Day locations in June
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Eastern MA Section Manager Tom Walsh, K1TW, accompanied by Assistant
Section Manager Phil Temples, K9HI, toured across the section on
Saturday, June 22:
Boston ARC, Hingham
Northeast ARC, Scituate
Barnstable ARC, Brewster
Falmouth ARA, Falmouth
Southeastern MA ARA, Dartmouth
On Sunday, Jun 23, Tom continued the tour “solo,” visiting:
Billerica ARS, Billerica
PART of Westford, Concord
Nashoba Valley ARC, Pepperell
Tom reports a total of 365 miles driven with visits to 8 Field Day
locations.
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THAT RADIO CLUB?
Please visit
<https://ema.arrl.org/affiliated-clubs/radio-clubs-of-yesteryear/> and
send any information you might have to our Assistant Section Manager
(ASM) Phil Temples, K9HI, at <k9hi@arrl.org>.
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FLEA MARKETS:
18 August, Cambridge MA
Flea at MIT
Third Sunday April thru October
7-8 September, Boxboro MA
New England HamXposition @Boxboro 2019! <https://hamxposition.org/>
A full list of New England flea markets can be found at
<https://ema.arrl.org/2019/07/31/new-england-area-flea-markets-july-31-2019/>
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PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS:
August 4: Triple Threat 1-Mile/Half Marathon/5K Race, Rockport, Cape Ann
ARA
August 18: Falmouth Road Race, Falmouth ARA
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SPECIAL OPERATING EVENTS:
August 3-4: National Lighthouse Weekend, Highland Lighthouse, Truro,
N1ERC, Northeast ARC
August 3-4: Salem Maritime Festival, N1S, Nick Mollo, KC1DKY
August 16-25: Annual Marshfield Fair Amateur Radio Exhibit (NN1MF),
Whitman ARC
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NEWS FROM EMA.ARRL.ORG:
Each day on the section web site we bring you news and information from
Eastern Massachusetts and beyond. Visit https://ema.arrl.org for the
latest.
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EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES
The first Monday of every month is a test of the Massachusetts RACES and
ARES communication capabilities. The monthly ARES VHF Net is at 8:30 PM
on the MMRA Repeater system.
To see all the recent news on Eastern Massachusetts ARES please visit
<https://ema.arrl.org/category/emcomm/>. This site is constantly
maintained with the latest happenings by our EMA SEC, Rob, KD1CY.
If you are interested in joining Eastern Massachusetts ARES, visit
<https://secure1.ema.arrl.org/qilan/ares/EMA/ARES_about>.
To find out more about EMA ARES visit <https://ema.arrl.org/ares/>.
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Section Traffic Manager (STM), Marcia KW1U
The June section traffic manager report may be viewed at
<https://ema.arrl.org/2019/07/28/massachusetts-traffic-report-for-june-2019/>.
This report lists all the PSHR and BPL recognitions for the month of
June and details the very extensive level of NTS activity across the
state.
Peter Doherty, KC1HHO, is the new net manager of the Eastern
Massachusetts 2-meter Traffic net effective August 1, 2019.
Find the list of all NTS daily nets in Massachusetts here:
<https://ema.arrl.org/national-traffic-system/net-schedule/>.
To see more news on Eastern Massachusetts Traffic Handling and Nets
visit <https://ema.arrl.org/category/nts/>.
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NET REPORTS
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FIRST REGION NET (1RN) REPORT (CW)
Eric, W1RVY, manager of 1RN Cycle 4, the evening CW net reports that
in June there were 59 sessions, 61 pieces of traffic handled and
177 check-ins.
FIRST REGION NET (FRN) REPORT (SSB)
Betsey, K1EIC, manager of FRN Cycle 2, the daytime SSB net reports that
in June there were 60 sessions, 146 pieces of traffic handled and 258
check-ins.
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SILENT KEYS
It is with deep regret we report the passing of the following radio
amateurs:
Arthur B (“Bo”) Budinger, WA1QYM, Westford. Bo was the former ARRL
Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) in Eastern Massachusetts
James T. Ward, N1LKJ, Raynham. James was a former Section Traffic
Manager (STM) in Eastern Massachusetts.
Gregory A. Bennett, KC1CIC, Hull was the current Assistant Traffic
Manager (ASTM) and a District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) in Eastern
Massachusetts.
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Section website:
<https://ema.arrl.org/>
Section Facebook page:
<https://www.facebook.com/easternmaarrl/>
Section Leadership:
<https://ema.arrl.org/organization/#Section_Leadership>
Section Public Service List:
<https://ema.arrl.org/2019/03/05/ema-public-service-list/>
Section Speaker List:
<https://ema.arrl.org/2018/04/16/eastern-ma-club-speakers-list/>.
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FINAL WORD
On July 23, Cape Cod was hit by no less than three tornadoes; centered
around the towns of Hyannis, Yarmouth, West Yarmouth and Harwich.
Nearby towns also suffered extensive damage from micro-bursts and severe
weather. Luckily no fatalities were reported.
Before these devastating storms hit, SKYWARN was issuing warnings and
both SKYWARN and ARES were activated and provided valuable support.
This can only happen if we have trained amateur radio operators in our
section who can support various activities in time of need.
If you can help, consider joining EMA ARES and consider attending the
many Friday sessions on September 6 at the New England Division
Convention which are devoted to ARES and SKYWARN.
To join EMA ARES visit
<https://secure1.ema.arrl.org/qilan/ares/EMA/ARES_about>
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ACKOWLEDGEMENT
This August section news has been jointly produced by K9HI and K1TW.
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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Thomas D Walsh, K1TW
k1tw@arrl.org
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