Author: k9hi

Clubs

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

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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.]
Clubs / Operating

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

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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.

Public Information

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

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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]
Technical

AB1PH Published in QEX!

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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!
Clubs

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

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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

Foxhunting

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

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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

Public Information

Nantucket ARA Story in “DayBreak Nantucket”

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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.

Public Service

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

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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

Emergency Communications

Hurricane Lee Coordination Message #1, September 13, 2023

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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..
 
Clubs

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

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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. 

Public Service

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

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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

Licensing Education & Training

Minuteman Repeater Association Volunteer Exam Session, Marlborough, September 16, 2023

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MMRA logoKen Horton, KA1GFN, writes on the Algonquin ARC mailing list:

The next MMRA VE exam session will be held on September 16th at 9:00 AM at the City Church Marlborough, 72 Jefferson Street , Second Floor (Shoe Box Building), Marlborough.

For further information check the MMRA website at https://mmra.org/ which includes additional information on their home page.

Ken, KA1GFN

Clubs / Operating

Great Hill Gang “Day of Radio,” North Weymouth, September 7, 2023

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K1GHG QSL CardMike Antoine, K1UVH, writes in K1USN Happenings, 9/7/23:

CQ – CQ – CQ, The Great Hill Gang Radio Club – K1GHG

Mark you calendar for Saturday September 16th, our next “ Day of Radio” on the Summit at Great Hill Park in North Weymouth.

Please bring “your own chair, table, radio, antenna and power source” ! If you are planning on operating. Or just come with “your own chair” and rag chew with some of the best Hams around!

Some sort of food item will be planned, and hopefully the weather will be nice!

Public Service

Amateur Assistance Sought, City of Gardner Centennial Parade, September 17, 2023

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Ethan Hansen, KC1OIP, writes on the Boston ARC mailing list:

Fellow Radio Amateurs,

The City of Gardner is celebrating our centennial, 100 years as a city, with a large parade on Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 13:00 hours.

The City of Gardner Office of Emergency Management is seeking assistance from the ham radio community to provide safety and parade logistics communications. We need about fifteen hams to shadow division Marshalls and three command/relay trailers. A minimum of nine hams will need to be able to walk the parade route of up to 1.8 miles. The first half mile is on a slight uphill grade but it’s all downhill from there. Hams are requested to marshal at 11:00 hours and the parade steps off at 13:00.

To volunteer, please reply to ptopolski@gardner-ma.gov

Please feel free to forward this message to any hams that you know may be interested in helping out.

Be safe es 73,

Paul Topolski, W1SEX, Director
City of Gardner Office of Emergency Management

73,
Ethan KC1OIP
BARC Public Service Chair

Clubs

KE1IU: “Nine-Band DXCC On A Covenant Restricted Lot” at Billerica ARS On-line Meeting, September 6, 2023

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Billerica ARS logoPlease join us at the Billerica Amateur Radio Society meeting on September 6, 2023 at 7:00 PM. Mark Noe, KE1IU will present “9-Band DXCC On A Covenant Restricted Lot.”
 
This presentation will cover Mark’s journey as a DXer—from lowly beginnings as a teenager with only 4 countries to his name before going off to college—to achieving 9-Band DXCC (which happened last year). He will cover how to set up a very capable DX station with only wire antennas, tips for working common DX and the rare ones, the DX Code of Conduct, how to properly work split without getting frustrated, how to use FT8 to work DXpeditions, how to use a DX Cluster, how to use LoTW to confirm DX, and some automated tools that will make DX collecting easier for you. If you want to learn how to work DX without having a yard full of iron and aluminum, then this talk is for you! As a bonus, your station will also be very capable for rag chewing, WAS (Worked All States) and contesting.
 

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

 
Public Service

Amateur Volunteers Requested, YuKanRun Half Marathon by the Sea, Manchester-by-the-Sea, September 17, 2023

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Fred Beaulieu, WA1ESU, writes on the Cape Ann ARA mailing list:

YuKanRun Half By The Sea race course mapWe are looking for operators to staff the YuKanRun Half Marathon by the Sea. Sun September 17, 2023, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944 US

Please let us know if you can staff a communications checkpoint for the event so we can plan staffing positions for the event.

While CAARA’s repeater performance has greatly improved some 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; 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 We do not cover the one-mile event on this day. 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.

Fred WA1ESU

Half by the Sea Communications Team.  
Manchester, Mass  
Last Updated: 09/04/2023 6:22 PM  
Event date: Sunday, September,17, 2023  
On Location: 9:30 AM   
Starts: Half Marathon Run = 10:00 AM  
Freq: W1GLO Repeater. 145.130 – PL:107.2 Back up NS1RA 145.470 – PL136.5  
Public Information

Project BIG E Needs More Volunteers

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[For more information about Project BIG E, visit the Project BIG E page at https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e/.]

Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

We still need 43 people to fill time slots for the Big E booth.

If you haven’t signed up yet, please do so ASAP. We need your help to make this a success this year.

Here are the dates, # of people needed and a “Y” for the session time frame.

image showing Big E assignments

Here is the sign up link:  bit.ly/45Cv6mn

Or contact me direct at W1AST@arrl.net

We need more people to sign up to make this a success!
—

Larry Krainson – W1AST

  • Project Big E Organizer
  • ARRL WMA ACC
  • HCRA President – HCRA.org 
  • 13 Colonies MA State Manager (K2H) – Ask to be an op!
  • Proud Member of: ARRL, FCARC, BARS & YCCC
  • w1ast@arrl.net
Clubs

New Quincy Radio Club Formed: KW1NZE

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Quincy RC logoA new radio club in Quincy has been formed called the Quincy Radio Club. It has been issued the call sign “KW1NZE.”

According to Quincy Radio Club trustee Peter Doherty, KC1HHO, the club will host “a series of special events that focus on the extraordinary cultural, political and social history of Quincy (pronounced “Kwinzee”) and its contribution to our nation and the world.”

“We are excited about our first upcoming event. The list of significant ‘Who, What and Here’  is long and varied.” Peter adds, “It will be difficult to choose the first.”

The Quincy Radio Club will commentate each event QSO with a handsome certificate upon request. 

 

Foxhunting

Double Fox Hunt On the Air in Belmont, September 1, 2023

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Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 11:01 AM on September 3, 2023:

Due to technical difficulties, the double fox hunt in Beverly has been terminated early.

This was Mike’s first deployment of this new fox design, and it is likely that the low-battery cutoff setting was too high for his battery.  My fox became intermittent, apparently due to a bad cable going to the radio (or, hopefully not, a bad jack in the radio). 

We will address these issues and try again.  For now, go find the W1MWS fox in North Chelmsford.

 

Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list at 6:00 PM on September 1, 2023:

K1MJC and I have both put foxes on the air in the Rock Meadow Conservation Area in Belmont, MA for the holiday weekend. 

Map and directions from Google Maps:  https://goo.gl/maps/6sYA2FXTKBXSdJXv7

Both foxes transmit once per minute between the hours of 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily.  They will be on the air until 5:00 PM on Monday, Labor Day.

The K1MJC fox is on 147.54 MHz, and has a log book to sign when you find it  

The W1MJ fox is in 147.57 MHz, and has no log book; please email your report to fox@w1mj.com.

73 DE W1MJ