Author: k9hi

Jim Bradley, KB1JKJ writes:

For the second year, hams are needed for the Boston Brain Tumor Society bicycle rides on Sunday, 20 May 2012. We have been asked to help ensure the safety of the riders and make this event a success. There are three routes: a 10 miles, 25 miles, and 50 miles. All rides start and finish at the front parking lot of Reservoir Woods, Waltham, MA.

Ride starting times are between 0800 and 1000, and and will end in the early afternoon. The routes have similarities and have paths in Waltham, Lincoln, Concord, Carlisle, Acton, Westford, and Weston. Ham assignments will be at water stops, in sweep and recovery vehicles, and shadows. Hams are asked to be at the various assignments between 0700 and 1000. There will food and entertainment available afterward at Reservoir Woods.

A 2-meter, 5 watt hand-held radio is satisfactory for this event. A better antenna then the “rubber duck” antenna that came with your radio is desirable, and a magnetic mount antenna would be helpful if you are assigned to a vehicle.

Our ham supported public service events are interesting and fun experiences. The communication load is light, but safety and support for the participants are always primary. If you are new to this facet of ham radio, and want to get more public service experience, this is an excellent opportunity to learn the ropes. If you are an experienced public service volunteer, we definitely need your help.

If you are available for this event, please reply to me with all of the following information as soon as possible. Reply by email is the best method. If you know other hams who would like to volunteer, ask them to send the following information to me.

Your assistance is valuable. Please let me know promptly if you can help. I will get the assignments and more details to you as soon possible. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Full name

On-air name

Call sign

Postal mailing address (including 9-digit ZIP code)

Evening phone

Day phone

Cell phone

Email address

Does your 2-meter radio have CTCSS (PL)?

Do you have a dual-band radio?

Do you have a magnetic mount antenna?

T-shirt size

73,

Jim Bradley, KB1JKJ
kb1jkj@arrl.net
978.663.7114

N1WCO writes on Facebook:

The Southcoast CERT Collaborative comprised of the Emergency Management Agencies from the communities of Dartmouth, Freetown, New Bedford and Westport will be conducting TWO Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training courses in our area beginning next month. The first class to be held in New Bedford will start on Wednesday 02 May and every Wednesday until the 27th of June. The New Bedford class will run from 18:30 hrs (6:30pm) to 21:30 hrs (9:30pm) and will be held at the Brooklawn Park Senior Center, 1997 Acushnet Ave., New Bedford.

The second class will be held at the Westport Fire Headquarters located at 54 Hix Bridge Road, Westport and will start on Thursday 03 May and will continue every Thursday evening from 18:30hrs to 21:30hrs through the 28th of June. Participants must attend all sessions to be eligible for a Certificate of Completion.

THE 24+ HOUR BASIC CERT TRAINING COVERS:

Disaster Prepardness
Disaster Medical Operations Part 1- Triage and Treating life
threatening Injuries
Disaster Medical Operations Part 2- Assesment and Treatment of Common
Injuries
Light Search and Rescue
Terrorism Awareness
Fire Safety Disaster Psychology
Course Review and Disaster Simulation

There is no cost for this training the CERT Classes are FREE!

Rick Savage, KB1LYJ writes:

The Multiple Sclerosis Journey of Hope Walk on Saturday, 12 May 2012, is a 7.5 mile course which starts and finishes at Natick High School, with the course on the streets of the town. We have been asked again to help make the event safe for the walkers, spectators and staff. We will assign hams to key intersections and as shadows for staff and medical support.

The communication load for this event is light and is an excellent opportunity for those who are new to ham public service. For those who have done this before – your help is needed again more than ever.

Hams are asked to assemble at 0800 and our assignments should be complete by early afternoon. Lunch will be provided for all participants and volunteers. The Natick High School is located at 15 West St in Natick, MA

A 2-meter and 70-cm, 5 watt dual band hand-held is required for this event. A better antenna than the “rubber duck” antenna that came with your radio is best for public service events. Be sure to have sufficient batteries to last the day.

We need your assistance to help make this event successful. If you can help with this event, please reply to me with all of the following information as soon as possible. Email is the best method.

Full name
On-air name
Call sign
Postal mailing address (including 9-digit ZIP code)
Evening phone
Day phone
Cell phone
Email address
Do you have a dual-band radio?
Do you have a magnetic mount antenna?
T-shirt size

If you know other hams who would like to volunteer, ask them to send the above information to me. If you are new and want to get public service experience, let me know and you will be accommodated as best we can.

Please let me know promptly if you can help. Assignments and more details will be sent shortly before the event. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

73,

Rick Savage, KB1LYJ
rpsavage@comcast.net
781.289.7364 (H)
617.905.9686 (C)

The Algonquin Amateur Radio Club, N1EM, recently donated five 2012 editions of the “ARRL Library collection” books to libraries of the metro west towns of Hudson, Bolton, Stow, Northborough, and the 1st Lt. Charles W. Witcomb Middle school in Marlborough.

Shown here (L-R): K1DIN, W1UE, Don Cusson, KB1WTO, KB1WTB, KV1J, WB6VVA, KA1OS, W1SHK, N1ZCD, N1QQP, KA1HIH and K1IX.

 

 

Tom Frenaye, K1KI writes:

Greetings!

The New England QSO Party is coming in just one month – the weekend of May 5-6 – and we’d sure appreciate it if you would spread the word within your club through your newsletter or at the next meeting and help us to encourage activity from Eastern Massachusetts. Last year we had 222 different stations from all Eastern Massachusetts counties on the air, and we’d like to have more activity this year.

The NEQP is a great way to test your antennas on 80-10 meters and to be the focus of a lot of activity as stations from around the world look for Eastern Massachusetts stations.

Here is a summary of the New England QSO Party rules:

Object: To contact as many New England stations (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) in as many New England counties as possible on 80-40-20-15-10m. (New England stations work anyone)

Date: First full weekend of May. (May 5-6 in 2012)

Contest Period: 2000Z Saturday until 0500Z Sunday (4pm EDT Saturday until 1am EDT Sunday) and 1300Z Sunday until 2400Z Sunday (9am EDT Sunday until 8pm EDT Sunday).

Categories: Single-operator high power, low power(150w or less) and QRP(5w or less) categories, plus multi-operator, single transmitter. Same four categories for mobiles. Single-operator stations using assistance during the contest (packet or Internet spotting nets, etc.) will compete in the multi-single category.

Contest Exchange: Send signal report and state/province (DX stations send signal report and “DX”). New England stations send signal report, county and state.

QSO Points: Count one point per phone QSO, two points per CW (includes digital modes)QSO.

Multiplier: Stations outside of New England use counties as multipliers for a total of 67 (CT/8 MA/14 ME/16 NH/10 RI/5 VT/14). New England stations use states(50)(Count DC as MD), Canadian provinces(14) and DXCC countries as multipliers.

Scoring: Total score is QSO points times the multiplier. Mobiles count QSO points per county and multipliers from all counties (counted once).

Suggested frequencies: CW – 3540 7035 14040 21040 28040, SSB – 3850 7280 14280 21380 28380. ** Now that the broadcast stations are mostly out of 7125-7200, try 7180 on 40m SSB.**

Reporting: Logs should indicate times in UTC, bands, modes, calls and required contest exchange. All stations include your club’s name in the log header or summary. Entries must be submitted within 30 days and sent to NEQP, P.O.Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 or via e-mail to logs@neqp.org (Cabrillo format preferred).

Awards: Certificates will be awarded to the top scorers (25 QSO minimum) in each New England county, U.S. state, Canadian province and DXCC country. A number of special plaques will also be awarded to top scorers.

Additional details can be found on the NEQP web site at http://www.neqp.org

See if you can have a competition within your club for the top scorer. Several Massachusetts clubs are challenging each other for the best club score.

We’re especially looking for mobile stations to put the rarest counties on the air. In Eastern Massachusetts, that’s Suffolk and Nantucket.

If you think you might be on for at least a short time in the NEQP, let us know with a brief message to us at info@neqp.org

Thanks!

—
Tom/K1KI for the NEQP Committee

——————————————————————————————–
New England QSO Party – http://www.neqp.org – May 5-6, 2012

The National Parks Traveler has published an article mentioning the Amateur Radio activities planned at the Cape Cod National Seashore on April 13-15, entitled Sinking Of Titanic, Role of Marconi Wireless Station In Rescue Cross Paths At Cape Cod National Seashore.

[See also: Titanic One Hundred Years Amateur Radio Event, Operators Needed.]

The National Hurricane Conference — scheduled for March 26-29 in Orlando, Florida — will feature several Amateur Radio activities during the conference, including a presentation by Eatern MA Section Emergency Coordinator and Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net Rob Macedo, KD1CY.  [More]

Greetings!

This is for Boston, MA area hams. It is that time again… Public service season is here. We are now looking for help for this year’s Project Bread Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 6, 2012.

This will be the 44th running of the event. We need people to provide communications support for the Project Bread staff and volunteers along the 20 mile walk.

If you are interested in helping out this year, go to http://www.mmra.org/wfh/ to log in and fill out the signup form.

If you have questions please send an email to: wfh12@mmra.org.

73,

Eric Horwitz, KA1NCF
Walk For Hunger 2012
Amateur Radio Communications Coordinator

According to a story posted Feb. 27 on Wicked Local, the Arlington Emergency Management Agency is seeking Amateur Radio operators who are willing to assist the Town during emergencies. [Story]

John O’Neill, KB1QEM writes:

The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club has been asked to provide communications support on St. Patricks Day March 17th @ 9:00 am. It is a 4 mile race starting at McGreals Tavern in Norwell on March 17th at 9:00 am. The race last for about 2 hours and is lots of fun. All that is required is a 2m radio (preferably handheld with a fully charged battery). If you are a new ham this is a great opportunity to get some field experience.

They let the runners choose the charities. They have 3 that we setup: Kathy Frank Scholarship Fund, The Boys & Girls Club of Plymouth and Friends of South Shore Hospital. Runners also have the option of setting up their own charity, bringing friends to run for their charity, and then we will make the donations post-race based on the number of runners each charity has run for them.

If you are interested in joining us please write to SSHARC@gmail.com.

Bob Salow, WA1IDA writes:

The Multiple Sclerosis Society has again requested ham support for the 2012 MS Boston Walk on Sunday, 1 April. As it has for the past several years, the walk starts and finishes at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston. The courses are a 3- or 5- mile walk along both sides of the Charles River, ending in mid-afternoon. Our assignments begin at 0900 and should be complete between early and mid-afternoon. An excellent lunch is provided for all walkers and volunteers.

This event has its hazards and quirks, but our communications support will make the day safe and smooth for participants, spectators and staff. For those who are new to ham public service, this event is a good introduction, and we need your help. For those who have done this before, your help is needed more than ever.

A 2-meter, 5 watt hand-held is needed. A dual-band radio is desirable, but not required. An antenna better than the “rubber duck” that came with your radio should be used for all public service Be sure you charge your radio’s battery before the event. An extra battery pack will be most helpful.

Ham public service is interesting and offers fun experiences. The communication load for this event is light, but safety and support for the participants are always our primary concern.

If you can help with the Multiple Sclerosis Boston Walk on Sunday, 1 April 2012, please reply to this email with all of the following information as soon as possible.

Full name
On-air name
Call sign
Postal mailing address (including 9-digit ZIP code)
Evening phone
Day phone
Cell phone
Email address
Does your 2-meter radio have CTCSS (PL)?
Do you have a dual-band radio?
Do you have a magnetic mount antenna?
T-shirt size

Let me know if you have volunteered for this event before and want a similar assignment. While we cannot guarantee requested assignments, we will try our best to meet your preference. Please respond as quickly as you can.

If you know other hams who would like to volunteer, ask them to send in the above information. If you are new and want to get more public service experience, this is an excellent event to get your feet wet. As significant as our communications will be, this event is a low impact opportunity to learn the ropes.

Your assistance is valuable. We will get the assignments and more details to you as soon possible. If you have already volunteered, bear with us and reply to this message.

You might also note that April and May are busy months for public service events requesting ham support. We will also be coordinating hams for the following events:

15 April – BAA 5K and 1 mile Races – Boston
29 April – Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Races – Charles River, Needham to Boston
12 May – MS Journey of Hope Walk – Natick
20 May – Brain Tumor Bicycle Rides – Waltham to Concord
…and more in June and October

Your assistance will be valuable for these events also. Notices will be sent closer to the event schedule. Help if you can.

Got questions? Don’t hesitate to get in touch!

73, Bob Salow, WA1IDA
wa1ida@arrl.net
508.650.9440 (H)
617.650.0062 (C)

The Minuteman Repater Association (MMRA) has created an exclusively 222 MHz repeater network. All the MMRA 222 MHz repeaters are now full time linked together and to each other only. The network currently consists of: 223.94 Hopkinton, 224.40 Quincy, 224.70 Weston, 224.88 Marlboro. All use a PL of 103.5. 222 MHz has superior propagation to 440 MHz or 900 MHz and is free from the interference on those bands. For more information on the MMRA 222 MHz Repeater Network go to www.mmra.org.

New amateur gear for the 222 MHz band has recently come on the market: Jetstream mobile($230), Alinco mobile($230), Wouxun 144/222 MHz portable($100), Alinco 222 MHz portable($170), Alinco 222/900 portable($350), Kenwood 144/222/440 MHz portable($300), etc.

“Tuesday is 220 Day” similar to “Thursday is 900 Day” is being promoted by Jeff, N1ZZN, and Roger, WA1NVC.

The New England IRLP Reflector has created a New England Amateur Radio 220 MHz Network(Near-220) channel (9124) just like the Near-900 channel (9125).

The MMRA 222 MHz Repeater Network will also be connected to the Near-220 channel on Tuesdays. This will be implemented as soon as the IRLP node at the Weston site is working.

It’s official — delegates attending the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) have approved a new 7-kilohertz-wide secondary allocation between 472-479 kHz for the Amateur Radio Service. [Full story]

Rob Macedo, KD1CY writes:

The following is a special announcement from Jennifer Garrett at the Boston Museum of Science on a free presentation on Extreme Weather that will be held at the Museum. The announcement is listed below for any interested people and has been posted on the wx1box.org web site:

“Natural disasters and extreme weather are real events that many people don’t think about until it’s too late.” –Donna Franklin, NOAA’s Lightning Safety Program Lead

On Wednesday, February 1, the Museum of Science will host CNN Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider for the program Extreme Weather, part of the Museum’s Adult Offerings.

From epic floods to historical drought, unrelenting summer heat to arctic blasts of frigid air, 2011 was a year of extremes. Unfortunately, it was also a year of death and destruction: 552 people died in tornadoes, tying 2011 with 1936 as the deadliest year on record. With “a total of twelve weather and climate disasters,” according to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “each causing $1 billion or more in damages,” one of the most expensive.

As a Meteorologist on CNN and HLN, Bonnie Schneider reports on these natural disasters, explaining when they’re likely to strike, and telling viewers how to respond when they do. She has interviewed experts from a wide variety of agencies – including FEMA and NOAA – to provide a comprehensive understanding of the science behind weather patterns and the latest thinking on how to act in dangerous conditions. She’ll share actual survivor stories, reminding us that disaster can strike at any time, changing your life forever.

You can register to attend this FREE program at the following link: http://extremeweather.eventbrite.com/

Best,

Jennifer Garrett
Lectures and Special Programs
Museum of Science, Boston

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org