Author: k9hi

Licensing Education & Training

Whitman ARC Offering Amateur Extra Course, January 3 – March 7, 2019

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The Whitman Amateur Radio Club is offering an Amateur Extra License Class lasting approximately eight weeks, beginning Thursday, January 3, 2019 at the Whitman Police Station, 20 Essex Street, Whitman.  The class meets each Tuesday and Thursday (except February 14) from 7 to 9 PM and will culminate in an exam session March 7.  The training coordinator is Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG. He can be reached at: (781) 447-9104 or email at: bavarianradio@comcast.net.

Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG, and Paul DeLory W1GTX, will use the ARRL Amateur Extra Class License Manual. The current version of the manual and question pool are valid through June 30th, 2020. The class is free of charge.

For more information, see <http://www.wa1npo.org/training/training.htm>.

 

Clubs / Public Service

PART of Westford Shows Caring for the Community

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An Eastern MA ARRL-affiliated club has taken community service to the next level. 

PART of Westford logoPART of Westford meets each month at the Cameron Senior Center in Westford.  The senior  center runs a food pantry for local people in need.  Each month, PART members  bring non-perishable food items to the meeting, and these items are given to  the food pantry.  According to PART president Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, “A favorite of the the food pantry clientele is Dinty Moore® Beef Stew, and we collectively donate several cans each month.  I’m told that  the food pantry and its clientele are very appreciative of these donations.”  

PART is just one of four “Special Service Clubs” in the section.  Kudos to PART of Westford and its caring members!

Licensing Education & Training

Foundation for Amateur Radio Scholarships

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Foundation for Amateur Radio logoThe Foundation for Amateur Radio, Inc., will be administering the scholarships listed below for the coming academic year, ranging from $500 to $5,000 each. All applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Hold a valid US or foreign amateur radio license,
• Be enrolled, or have been accepted for enrollment, at an accredited university, college or technical school.
• Submit a recent transcript covering their last term of school.
• Applicants who attend a school located outside of the United States must enclose a brochure describing the school.

[Full story]
Emergency Communications / Public Information / Public Service

KD1CY Featured on WeatherBrains Podcast

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Rob Macedo, KD1CY featured on WILI SKYWARN interviewEastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator and ARES SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, was one of three featured guests on the podcast “WeatherBrains” on January 7, 2019. The 90-minute program discussed Amateur Radio, SKYWARN, and the VoIP Hurricane Net. Other guests included Jay Farlow, W9LW, and Jeff Stapel, W8SWX. The audio and YouTube video can be found at https://weatherbrains.com/?p=7531.
 
According to Macedo, “The program was well received by the meteorological panel and those that have watched/listened to date.”
 
 
 
 
 
Clubs / Operating

AA1M, W1USN QRV from Costa Rica, February 2-13, 2019

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Quannapowitt Radio Association members Bob Reiser, AA1M, and Mike Rioux, W1USN, will be making their annual mini-dxpedition this year to Costa Rica. Their trip begins on February 2; they return home on the 13th. Bob and Mike expect to use all HF bands on SSB, CW and digital with “some trials on the AMSAT satellites.” Last year, the two discovered they could operate simultaneously using FT8 because the timing for transmit and receive are the same.

AA1M and W1USN will be on the lookout for calls from QRA members. They indicate skeds can be arranged via email while they are in TI-land.

—Thanks, QRA Newsletter, January 2019

Clubs

Whitman ARC Winterfest, January 19, 2019

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Whitman ARC logoThe Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold its Winterfest on January 19, 2019 from 9 AM until 1 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Route 18, in Whitman. A VE testing session will be conducted at the event. Admission is $5; tables cost $15. Raffle prizes will be drawn at noon. Talk-in will be provided on the Whitman ARC repeater: 147.225Mhz+ PL67. For vendor information, call: 781-523-5010 or visit http://www.wa1npo.org/WF/Winterfest2019Flyer.pdf.

 

Clubs / Licensing Education & Training / Technical

MIT Radio Society, EE and Computer Science Department Hosting Radio Technology Lectures

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MIT Radio Society QSL/logoFrom www.ARRL.org:

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Radio Society (W1MX) and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) are hosting a series of public lectures on “everything radio,” presented by academics and industry professionals. The series begins on Tuesday, January 8, at 5:30 PM ET in Building 3, Room 270.

Each self-contained talk will address a different facet of radio, ranging from modulation, propagation, and Amateur Radio, to radar, radio astronomy, space-based applications, and cellular and 5G technology.  [Full story]

Licensing Education & Training / Operating

MMRA To Present K3LR Contest University, January 16, 2018

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Well known contester Tim Duffy, K3LR, will present Contest University via Skype at the Minuteman Repeater Association meeting on January 16 at 7 PM. The meeting will be held at New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle,  Natick.

Duffy is a well know contester and the owner of the multi-multi contest superstation K3LR. He will discuss the following topics, followed by a Q&A session:

  • What is a contest?
  • What do you need to get started at contesting?
  • Where can you find resources to help you be a contester
  • What are the benefits of contesting?

The workshop is intended for hams  who are new at contesting or want to improve their skills.

https://www.nescitech.org/directions/

Public Service

Volunteer Registration for 2019 BAA Marathon Now Open

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On behalf of the BAA Amateur Radio Communications Committee, we want to wish you a Happy New Year. It’s hard to believe that 2018 has come to a close and we are heading into 2019, and with the new year also comes the 123rd running of the Boston Marathon. 

Today, January 3rd, 2019, volunteer registration will open for the marathon which is taking place this year on Monday, April 15, 2019. The sign-up process will be the same as last year and will provide you with a direct link once registration is open. Please be on the lookout for an email from the BAA, and we will also be asking for everybody’s assistance in getting the word out about volunteering to help with recruitment.

If you have any questions about the upcoming volunteer registration period, or the 2019 Marathon generally, please get in touch anytime. Volunteering at the Marathon is a big job, and we appreciate the time and effort everyone puts into it. We’re happy to do what we can to make your work more comfortable or effective.

We look forward to seeing everyone again soon.

Thank you, and 73,

Matthew Forman, K6MCF
for the Boston Marathon Communications Committee
contact@hamradioboston.org

Operating

KM1CC QRV for Marconi’s First Transatlantic Wireless Message Anniversary, January 18-19, 2019

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KM1CC signBill Kretschmer, N2KNL, writes:

On January 18, 1903, young inventor Guglielmo Marconi made communication history by sending the first public transatlantic wireless message from his station on the South Wellfleet bluffs to Poldhu, Great Britain. The KM1CC Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club operators will talk to hams around the world on January 18-19, 2019 beginning at 1000 Eastern Time (1500 GMT). Instead of operating at the Coast Guard Station in Eastham this month, we will operate from Russ Apgar’s home, K1RTA, in Wellfleet, MA, at 285 Old Wharf Road off U.S. Route 6 across the street from the original Marconi Site. Grid Square FN51av. Operators are welcome to attend. Here are the operating frequencies and modes:

80M 3.660-3.860 SSB / 3.535 CW
40M 7.130-7.260 SSB / 7.035 CW
30M 10.110 CW 
20M 14.260 SSB / 14.035 CW
17M 18.160 SSB / 18.080 CW
15M 21.360 SSB / 21.035 CW

UPDATE:

 

“Due to our usual operating site in Cape Cod National Seashore being closed as a result of the current federal government shutdown,  KM1CC will operate from multiple home operator locations.  SSB operations will still be from an amateur station located in grid square FN51 (a Wellfleet location close to original Marconi station site).  CW operations will be from amateur radio stations in FN42.

 

 When:  Jan 18   1500-UTC   through   Jan 19,  2100 UTC

 <…>

QSL card requests- best to use LoTW Log Book of the World.  Please do not direct mail QSL card requests to KM1CC until after the US Federal Government – DEPT OF THE INTERIOR shutdown ends as Cape Cod National Seashore is closed until the shutdown ends.

 

See also: “Marconi: Beyond the Horizon“

Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Amateur Extra Course, Take Any 9 Sessions

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New England Sci-Tech is offering ongoing Amateur Extra study sessions for high school students, homeschool students, and adults who already have a General level license. This slower-paced course will get you ready to take the Amateur Extra license exam. You may jump into this course at any time, pay one course fee, and take nine weeks worth of classes. A different topic group is covered each week; all topics covered in nine-week intervals. Take the exam whenever you are ready.

The course runs most Thursday evenings, 6-9 PM from November, 2018 until March, 2019 as a combination “study group” and keynote presentations by experienced instructors. Study group meets 6:00-6:30, presentations run 6:30-8:15 approximately, and remainder of time is Q and A with instructors or more study group time. Regular homework reading and study is necessary to get the best results from this course.  [Full description]

Operating

Fessenden Commemorative Transmission Set for Christmas Eve

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From the ARRL Letter, December 20, 2018:

A replica 1921 CW and Heising modulated AM transmitter constructed by Brian Justin, WA1ZMS. [Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, photo]

As he’s done in years past, Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, of Forest, Virginia, will commemorate what may have been the first radio broadcast [from Brant Rock, Massachusetts] to include speech and music by experimenter Reginald Fessenden on Christmas Eve 1906. Justin will fire up his vintage-style transmitter operating on 486 kHz under Experimental license WI2XLQ to mark the 112th anniversary of Fessenden’s accomplishment. Justin will begin his transmission on December 24 at 1700 UTC and continue until December 26 at 1659 UTC. [Full story]
See also: Fessenden’s Christmas Eve Broadcast

Operating

Countdown to Third Annual AM Rally Has Begun

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Townsend amateur Steve Cloutier, WA1QIX, and others are spearheading the third annual AM Rally in February. The event is sponsored by Radio Engineering Associates (REA), in cooperation with ARRL.

From the ARRL Hq. web site:

The third annual AM Rally is on the near horizon — just about 6 weeks away — getting under way at 0000 UTC on February 2 and continuing until 0700 UTC on February 4. The event aims to encourage the use of AM on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, and 6 meters while highlighting the various types of AM equipment in use today. The event is open to any and all radio amateurs running AM using any type of radio equipment — modern, vintage, tube, solid-state, software-defined, military, boat anchor, broadcast, homebrew, or commercial. 

[Full story]

Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Technician Course, December 21, 2018

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NE1AR logoNew England Amateur Radio, Inc. is pleased to offer as part of the school vacation-week workshops, a radio Technician license class course for adults, children, and child-parent pairs to facilitate their successful completion of the FCC radio license test on December 21, 2018 from 9 AM to 12 noon. This course is appropriate for children 4th grade and up. Details are at <https://www.ne1ar.org/event/amateur-radio-course-for-kids-tech-5>.

Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Technician Course, December 20, 2018

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NE1AR logoNew England Amateur Radio, Inc. is pleased to offer as part of the school vacation-week workshops, a radio Technician license class course for adults, children, and child-parent pairs to facilitate their successful completion of the FCC radio license test on December 20, 2018 from 9 AM to 12 noon. This course is appropriate for children 4th grade and up. Details are at <https://www.ne1ar.org/event/amateur-radio-course-for-kids-tech-4>.

Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Technician Course, December 19, 2018

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NE1AR logoNew England Amateur Radio, Inc. is pleased to offer as part of the school vacation-week workshops, a radio Technician license class course for adults, children, and child-parent pairs to facilitate their successful completion of the FCC radio license test on December 19, 2018 from 9 AM to 12 noon. This course is appropriate for children 4th grade and up. Details are at <https://www.ne1ar.org/event/amateur-radio-course-for-kids-tech-3/>.