MA Senate Passes Amateur Radio Week Declaration

2011 MA Senate Resolution honoring Amateur Radio WeekIn conjuntion with ARRL Field Day, the Massachusetts State Senate passed a Resolultion late last week “honoring Amateur Radio operators as they celebrate Amateur Radio Week and participate in Field Day.”

Like the Governor’s Proclamation, the Senate Resolution was brought about through the efforts of State Government Liaison, K3HI, Local Government Liaison Hank McCarl, W4RIG, by several club presidents; and, by one licensed Amateur in particular who happens to be a Massachusetts State Senator: Bruce Tarr, N1UIU.

Although a copy was not available to tour during Field Day, hard copies of the Resolution have been transmitted to ARRL Headquarters, and to Eastern and Western MA Section Managers Phil Temples, K9HI and Ed Emco, W1KT, respectively.

Sen. Tarr writes about the Resolution in his blog at http://www.tarrtalk.com/2011/06/arrl-field-day-event.html.

[See also: Governor Proclaims “Amateur Radio Week” in Massachusetts!]

 

 

 

 

How to Read a Technical Article (in QST)

How long does it take you to read your monthly copy of QST? Half an hour? Twenty minutes? Do you jump to the contest results and skip the rest? Maybe spend more time on the ads than editorials? Maybe you looked at some article title and thought, “That sounds interesting, but I could/would never do that!”

Here’s a guide to reading those skipped-over articles, especially the technically oriented ones, by Eastern MA ARRL Technical Coorinator Eric Falkof, K1NUN entitled, How to Read a Technical Article (in QST).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Framingham ARA Honors W1NXC, KA1HGL For “Decades Of Dedication”

Mary and Ed Weiss Award Presentation at FARA Banquet, 6/18/11The Framingham Amateur Radio Association honored two very special club members at a dinner banquet on June 18, 2011. Mary and Ed Weiss, KA1HGL and W1NXC, respectively, received honors, presents and congratulations before a packed audience of family, friends, and radio club members at the La Cantina Restaurant in Framingham.

ARRL Section Manager Phil Temples, K9HI presented a special plaque on behalf of FARA to Ed and Mary which read,

“The Framingham Amateur Radio Association takes great pride in awarding this certificate for decades of dediction in teaching ham radio to those caring and hard-working club members, Ed Weiss, W1NXC and Mary Weiss, KA1HGL.”

W1NXC received the prestigious Herb S. Brier Award from ARRL in 2003 for his years of dedication in volunteer teaching of ham radio coures. He is also thought to be one of the first instructors in the nation to promote the concept of a “License-In-A-Weekend” class.

Mary was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers; Ed was given a Special Edition Vibroplex “bug” by FARA, and a copy of the 2011 ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook courtesy of the Eastern MA ARRL Section. Both Ed and Mary received baseball caps embroidered with their call signs.

Event planning was handled by Sumner Weisman, W1VIV. Master of Ceremonies Jim Weckback, W1EQW kept the evening lively and animated with light-hearted humor. Numerous other club members contributed remembrances and congratulatory remarks.

[Photo courtesy WA1HAM]

Governor Proclaims “Amateur Radio Week” in Massachusetts!

MA Amateur Radio Week 2011 ProclamationJust in time for Field Day–Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick has declared June 25-26, 2011 to be “Amateur Radio Week” in Massachusetts.

The Proclamation was signed at the Executive Chamber in Boston on June 15. The official document was awarded on June 21 to ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager Phil Temples, K9HI who met wtih Bianca Hoffman in the Governor’s Office on Beacon Hill. Last year’s proclamation was secured through the diligent efforts of the Hampden County Radio Association in Western Massachusetts. (See <http://ema.arrl.org/node/1712>.)

Several individuals worked to secure this year’s proclamation, according to Temples. “I want to acknowledge the work of our State Government Liaison, K3HI, along with effort by several club presidents–and in particular, one of our Local Government Liaisons, Hank McCarl, W4RIG of Gloucester,” remarked Temples. “Hank set up conversations with the office of the Senate Minority Leader–who is, coincidentally, a licensed amateur, and a member of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association.” Temples added, “We hope also to secure a Senate Resolution honoring Amateur Radio before the start of Field Day.”

K9HI plans to tour with the official Proclamation throughout Eastern Massachusetts during the Field Day weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ham Help Needed for BAA 10K Race

Boston ARC logoThe BAA has added to its racing menu a 10K race on Sunday June 26, 2011. The race starts at 0800 on Charles St near the Boston Common and follows Commonwealth Ave and Bay State Rd to a turnaround at Babcock St. The return course is almost the same. The race is expected to attract around 5,000 runners of all abilities. It is believed the race should take no longer than two hours. Ham support for this event involves communications for medical, water station support and runner safety. Most ham assignments are scheduled to begin at around 0700 and should end around 0930.

This new BAA event is now added to the highly acclaimed Boston repertoire. Because of the BAA reputation it quickly attracted an international field including famed local runners as Bill Rodgers and Joan Benoit Samuelson. We have been asked to assist in maintaining the established quality level.

We know this is the Sunday of Field Day, but if you do not participate in Field Day or another ham event, please consider supporting this race. If you can help, please contact Tom Bertolino by email at kb1p at arrl dot net, or by phone at 781.608.6186; or Bob Salow by email at wa1ida at arrl dot net, or by phone at 617.650.0062. We need your help for this important community service.

–Thanks, BARC’s The SPARC, June 2011

Volunteer Exams At Cape Ann ARA Field Day

ARRL Field Day 2011 logoDean Burgess, KB1PGH writes on CAARAmail list:

The Caara VE team will hold an FCC Amateur Radio license exam session at this year’s field day event site at the Fuller School in Gloucester. The VE session will be on Sunday June 26th, from 10 AM until noon.

If you are planning to take a test please bring two forms of ID. One must be a picture ID and the other your Social Secuity number. Please bring $15.00 as well for the FCC testing fee. You may reserve a spot by e-mailing CAARA VE team leader Bob Quinn, WV1A at bquinn32 at comcast dot net.

We will also welcome walk-ins as well if you want to become a ham or upgrade your license at the last minute.

Norfolk County RA Demonstrates Amateur Radio at Walpole Fair

Norfolk County Radio Association members, led by Jeff Marden, KB1TJI, put together a very nice display about Amateur Radio on June 11, 2011 at the annual Walpole Village Fair on the grounds of the Episcopal Church in Walpole Center. Roger Turner, W1ZSA, generously provided equipment to round out the station that operated on 2, 10, and 20 meters. Several contacts were made.

Jeff also had a lap-top computer running a repeating video provided by the ARRL that gave a quick overview of ham radio entitled “Hello”.

Shown, below (l-r): Norfolk Co. RA Amateur Radio display at 2011 Walpole Village Fair; Jeff, KB1TJI, operating

 

Amateur Radio display at 2011 Walpole Village FairKB1TJI at 2011 Walpole Village Fair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microwave Update 2011 & 37th Eastern VHF/UHF Conference, Call For Papers

Microwave Update 2011 & The 37th Eastern VHF/UHF Conference. Both sponsored by the North East Weak Signal Group at:

Holiday Inn
1 Bright Meadow Blvd
Enfield, CT, 06082 USA

October 13 – 15, 2011

This year the premier amateur radio microwave conference and the Eastern VHF/UHF conference will include tours, hospitality, swap session, equipment for measuring and tweaking, banquet and, of course, technical presentations.

Please visit http://www.microwaveupdate.org/ for the latest updates, registration and hotel information. Contact Paul Wade W1GHZ at  w1ghz at arrl dot org by July 15, 2011 for paper and talk arrangements. Papers must be submitted by August 30.

K1USN RC International Museum Ships Weekend Wrap-up

USS Lawence/ K1USN QSL card“Pi” Pugh, K1RV writes on K1USN RC list:

The 2011 International Museum Ships Weekend was a resounding success!

We had quite a group of operators, helpers and visitors last weekend and we were able to make close to 1000 contacts with 46 states, 31 DXCC countries and 24 participating Museum Ships! The K1USN QSL requests are already pouring in! We hope to have our new cards printed ASAP.

We arrived at 7 PM Friday evening to get the HF stations ready to go. We ran the Yaesu FT-920 and 500 watt Ameritron Amplifier on 20 meters into the Sommer yagi. It performed flawlessly.

We decided to use the Kenwood TS-690-S into the G5RV antenna as our second station and concentrated on 40 meters.

We had over 250 contacts before shutting down for the night at 11:30PM.

Many of the K1USN crew went to Jamies in Braintree at 7 AM for breakfast before heading over to operate. Saturday morning we had both stations operational throughout the day and continued to rack up contacts. Although we did some operating on 17, 15 and 6 meters we pretty much stuck to the “bread n’ butter” bands of 20 and 40 meters.

Special thanks goes to Warren, WA1YKF, for doing a fine job preparing the ends of our hardline cable run to give us the option of using the R-5 vertical which is mounted on the phone pole at the lower end of the parking lot. This enabled us to add a third HF station using the IC-746-PRO and R-5. As an added bonus we found that six meters was open on Saturday and the R-5 loaded quite well on that band, too.

BTW, we were able to work a number of old friends including several who spent many hours operating with us during previous MSW events onboard the USS Salem. Bruce, K1HTN and Norm, WA1DBR as well as former USS Salem crew member, Radar, N2GDY.

We were unable to get our vintage station operational this year, but we already have plans for some station improvements by W1EKG and KB1IIU. BTW, Bill has offered to supply a watertight box for completing the hardline installation.

We had a total of 976 contacts with 262 on CW and the rest on SSB.

We worked 46 states missing only Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota and Wyoming.

Here is a list of the 31 DXCC countries worked: K United States VE Canada EA8 Canary Islands KP2 US Virgin Islands KP4 Puerto Rico TI Costa Rica HA Hungary DL Germany OE Austria V3 Belize UR Ukraine UA European Russia SP Poland I Italy EA6 Balearic Islands YO Roumania ZA Albania PA Netherlands ON Belgium V4 St Kitts YU Yugoslavia S5 Serbia UL Kazakhstan F France LX Luxembourg G England CU Portugal HP Panama EA Spain LZ Bulgaria SM Sweden

Here is a partial list of those who particIpated with us during MSW 2011. My apologies for any omissions.

K1RV, K1WN, W1JT, W1ICU, KB1PVC, W1AY, W1BT, N1VTI, WA1YKF, KA1KIJ, KB1TEE, KB1SVY ( and XYL, Michelle), N1DC, KB1UBX, KB1VGN, KB1REQ, NI1X, W1EKG, KB1IIU, WA1TPC, K1WCC, N1CVI, KC1JET.

Here is a list of the 24 participating ships we worked this year:

Please QSL each ship directly

USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier Corpus Christi, TX W5LEX

USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier Charleston , SC WA4USN

USS New Jersey Battleship Camden, New Jersey NJ2BB

USS Massachusetts Battleship Fall River, MA N1EPL

SS Willis B Boyer Bulk Carrier Toledo, OH W8WBB

HMS Belfast Cruiser London, UK GB2RN

USS Littlerock Cruiser Buffalo, New York W2PE

USS Turner Joy Destroyer Bremerton, WA NS7DD

USS Slater Destroyer Escort Albany, NY WW2DEM

USCGC Mackinaw Icebreaker Mackinaw, MI W8AGB

*LS Nantucket Lightship East Boston, MA W1NLS

*LS Overfalls (LV 118) Lightship Lewes, DE KB3MIP

*Carl D Bradley Limestone Carrier Rogers City, MI W8CDB

USS LST-325 LST Evansville, IN WW2LST

MS Atlantis Minesweeper Dresden, Germany DK0MHD

SS Keewatin Passenger Steamship Saugatuck, MI K8CJQ

U-5075 Seehund Submarine Quincy, MA. WW2MAN S637 Espadon Submarine Saint-Nazaire France F6KBG

U-995 Submarine Laboe Germany DL0DMB

USS Batfish Submarine Muskogee, OK WW2SUB HMCS Onondaga Submarine Rimouski, Quebec VA2GNQ

SS American Victory Victory Ship Tampa, Florida W4AVM

*SS Lane Victory Sat Only 1600 to 2200Z Victory Ship Los Angeles, CA W6LV

Naval Tech’l Museum La SPEZIA A.R.M.I. Italy II1ICS

One final word to mention the VE exams this Saturday at K1USN! Please contact Bill, K1WN (k1wn@aol.com) if you want to take an exam.

73,

Pi – K1RV

New England Flea Markets, 06/02/11

New England Area Ham – Electronic Flea Market *** DATES *** 2011 P 1 of 2
All events are Ham Radio/ Electronic related except ~_____~

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2011 Contact Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 June Feeding Hills MA HCRA Tailgate Party @6PM Free Jim KK1W 413 245 3228

4 June Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN John 860 673 0518

4 June Goshen CT SBARC @FG Lee K1LEE 860 435 0051 A

4 June Hermon ME PSARC 8AM @HS Roger KA1TKS 207 848 3846

5 June Bethpage NY LIMARC @Briarcliff $6@9 s@7:30 Richie K2KNB 516 694 4937 W

11 June Windsor VT CVFMA @HS Free Ray K1XV 802 875 4525 +

12 June Queens NY HoSARC $5@9 $10/sp@7:30 Stephen WB2KDG 718 898 5599 W

18 June Newington CT NARL @StMarySch Steve WV1X 860 594 0265 A+

19 June Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F

17 July Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F

23 July N Haven CT YankeePeddler @HI $7@8$19/sp$15/T John N1GNV 203 440 4468 +

13 Aug Milo ME PARC @HS was StAlbans ME George WA1JMM 207 441 6112 A+

20 Aug St Albans VT StARC @VFW $5@9 Arn N1ARN 802 309 0666 W

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LAST UPDATE 6-2-11 de W1GSL http://swapfest.us P 1
List is normally updated twice a month – look for the latest version
*******************************************************************************
Additions/ Corrections via e-Mail w1gsl@mit.edu <- SUBSCRIBE
US Mail W1GSL POB 397082 MIT Br Cambridge MA 02139
(c)2011 unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety
^
New England Area Ham – Electronic Flea Market *** DATES *** 2011 P2 of 2

*******************************************************************************
2011 Contact Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

21 Aug Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F
Third Sunday April thru October

28 Aug Adams MA NoBARC @FG $4@8 TG$10@7 Timothy KE3HT 413 822 7075 W

10 Sept Ballston Spa NY SCRACES @FG @7 Darlene N2XQG 518 587 2385 W

10 Sept Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN John 860 673 0518

11 Sept Newtown CT CARA @TownHall @8:30 sell@7 Joe AB1DO 203 938 4880 W+

17 Sept Alexander ME StCVARC @ElSch William AA1ZR 207 853 2951 A

17 Sept Forestdale RI RIFMRS @VFW Rick K1KYI 401 864 9611 A+

18 Sept Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F

2 Oct Queens NY HoSARC $5@9 $10/sp@7:30 Stephen WB2KDG 718 898 5599 W

9 Oct Wallingford CT Nutmeg Conv $20/sp $7@8 John N1GNV 203 440 4468

14,15 Oct Deerfield NH Nearfest X @FG Mike K1TWF 978 250 1235 T

15 Oct Greenwood NS GARC @CommCtr $4@10 T/Free Guy VE1NC 902 825 6151 W+

16 Oct Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F

22 Oct Longueuil PQ MSSARC @PlDesauln $5@9 $10/T@6 David VE2EDF 450 672 9791 W+

29 Oct Gales Ferry CT TCARC Auction @FireCo @10 Darryl WA1DD 860 443 7799

4 Nov Feeding Hills MA HCRA Auction @CongCh @6:30PM Jim KK1W 413 245 3228

5,6 Nov Wakefield MA Photographica @AmericalCtr ~photo~ John 781 592 2553

5 Nov Londonderry NH IRS @Lions @8AM Chris KB1QVM 603 434 6137

12 Nov Bourne MA FARA @UpperCC VoTech $5@9 $10/S@7 Ralph N1YHS 508 548 0422

3 Dec Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN @8AM Indoor John 860 673 0518

*******************************************************************************
LAST UPDATE 6-2-11 de W1GSL http://swapfest.us P 2 of 2
List is normally updated twice a month – look for the latest version
Source F= Flyer T= tentative early info + = new info this month
A= ARRL R= RAC list W= web WR NV CQ QST = Mags
This list has been compiled from many sources. While we believe the info to
be accurate the author can not be responsible for changes or errors.
Check with the sponsoring organizations for more details. This list will be
posted monthly to USENET. Mailed copies are sent when additions are made.
*******************************************************************************
Additions/ Corrections via e-Mail w1gsl@mit.edu <- SUBSCRIBE
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(c)2011 unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety

New England Area Ham – Electronic Flea Market *** DATES *** 2011 -> ***
Page 3 Electronic distribution only. This page has the overflow if any P3
from the paper version.
*******************************************************************************
2012 Contact Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 Mar Feeding Hills MA MtTARA @TurnverneinClb Mary N1TOY 413 967 4008 +

25 Mar Framingham MA FARA @KeefeTech Bev N1LOO 508 626 2012 +
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LAST UPDATE 6-2-11 de W1GSL P 3
List is normally updated twice a month – look for the latest version
Additions/ Corrections via Internet w1gsl@mit.edu
US Mail W1GSL POB 397082 MIT Br Cambridge MA 02139
(c)2011 W1GSL http://www.swapfest.us SASE for updated copy as issued.
unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety
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List is normally updated twice a month – look for the latest version

Be sure to check for the latest version as updating is under the control
of the page owner.

* You can have the list e-mailed directly to you as it is updated. *
* Just send a request to be added to the distribution to w1gsl@mit.edu *

73 Steve F
W1GSL

***********************************************************************
New England Area Ham – Electronic Flea Market *** DATES *** P4
Links to New England Hamfest Web Sites (c) 2010 W1GSL
***********************************************************************
This section is only included in the electronic distribution.

Cambridge MA Flea at MIT http://www.swapfest.us

Hopkinton NH Hosstraders RIP 🙁 http://www.qsl.net/k1rqg/

Adams MA N BerkshireARC http://www.nobarc.org/hamfest.htm

Boxborough MA NE ARRL Conv http://www.boxboro.org/

Dartmouth MA SEMARA http://www.semara.org/flea.htm

Falmouth MA FARA http://www.falara.org/

FeedingHills MA MTARA http://www.mtara.org/

Framingham MA FARA http://www.fara.org/

Marlboro MA AARC http://www.qsl.net/n1em/FleaMarketFlier2008a.pdf

Newton MA Waltham ARA Auction http://www.wara64.org/auction/

Rockport MA CAARA www.caara.net

S Dartmouth MA SEMARA http://www.semara.org/

Wakefield MA Photographica http://www.phsne.org/

Whately MA FranklinCARC http://www.fcarc.org/news.htm

Worcester MA WPI ACM http://acm.wpi.edu/swapmeet/

Enfield CT VHF/UHF Conf http://www.newsvhf.com/vhfconf.html

Gales Ferry CT RASON http://www.rason.org/

Goshen CT SBARC http://www.w1baa.org/

Newington CT NARL http://www.narlhamfest.org/

Newtown CT CARA http://www.danbury.org/cara/Hamfest.html

North Haven CT http://www.yankeehamfest.com

Southington CT SARA http://www.chetbacon.com/sara.htm

Vernon CT NARC http://hamfest.na1rc.org/

Wallingford CT Nutmeg CT Conv http://www.nutmeghamfest.com

Windsor CT Vintage R Mus http://vrcmct.org/

Chelsea ME AARA http://www.w1tlc.com/

Hermon ME PSARC http://n1me.org/index.php?pr=Hamfest

Lewiston ME AARC http://www.mainearrl.org/convent.htm

S. Portland ME PAWA http://www.pawa-maine.org/

St. Albans ME PARC http://www.qsl.net/parc/hamfest/hamfest.html

Thomaston ME PBARC http://penbayarc.org/

Windsor ME AARA http://www.w1tlc.com/

Deerfield NH NEAR-Fest http://www.near-fest.com/

Henniker NH CVRC http://k1bke.org/

Manchester NH NEAntiqueRC http://www.nearc.net/

Londonderry NH IRS www.irs.nhradio.org/

Rochester NH GBRA http://www.w1fz.org/

Bergen NJ BARA http://www.bara.org/

Sussex NJ SCARC http://www.scarcnj.org/www.scarcnj.org/flyer_2007.htm

Ballston Spa NY SCRACES http://k2dll.net/

LaGrangeville NY MtBARC http://www.wr2abb.org/

Lake Placid NY NNY ARA http://www.northnet.org/nnyham/hamfest_flyer2004.htm

Lindenhurst NY ToB ARES http://www.tobares.org/hamfest.html

Lindenhurst NY GSB ARA http://www.gsbarc.org/Hamfest.htm

Long Island NY LIMARC http://www.limarc.org/fest.htm

Middletown NY OCARC http://www.ocarc-ny.org/

Queens NY Hall of Science http://www.hosarc.org/

Rensselaer NY E Greenbush ARA http://www.w2egb.org/

Rochester NY AWA http://www.antiquewireless.org/

Rochester NY RARA http://www.rochesterham.org/hamfest.htm

Wallkill NY OCARC http://www.ocarc-ny.org/

Greenwich RI Fidelity ARC http://users.ids.net/~newsm/dates.html

Colchester VT HAM-CON VT Conv http://www.ranv.org/hamcon.html

St. Albans VT STARC http://www.starc.org/

Windsor VT CVFMA http://www.cvfma.org/

Moncton NB TCARC http://www.ve9tca.org/

Quispamsis NB LCARC http://www.lcarc.ca/

Greenwood NS GARC http://www.greenwoodarc.org/ +

Drummondville PQ leCRdeD http://www.raqi.ca/ve2crd/hamfest/index.html

Greenwood PQ GARC http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/esmith/GARC/activities.htm

Laval PQ CRALL http://www.ve2crl.qc.ca/

Montreal PQ MARC http://www.marc.qc.ca/fest/fest.html

Montreal PQ WIARC http://www.wiarc.ca/

Montreal PQ MS-SARC http://www.ve2clm.ca/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=120

Montreal PQ UMS http://www.ve2ums.ca/agenda/pub_2007_hamf.pdf

Sorel-Tracy PQ CRAS-T http://www.hamfest.qc.ca/

St Romuald PQ ARES http://www.aresqc.org/

St Therese PQ CRALL http://www.ve2crl.qc.ca/hamfest2002.htm

Summerside PEI SPARC http://www.summersidearc.com/fleamarket2009.htm

Greenwood NS GARC http://www.greenwoodarc.org/

Halifax NS HARC http://www.halifax-arc.org/

Timonium MD GBHC http://www.gbhc.org/

Montreal Area MARC List http://www.marc.qc.ca/fest/festcal.html

Canada RAC List http://rac.eton.ca/events/upcoming.php

Phila. Area VARA List http://www.qsl.net/w2vtm/hamfest.html

USA ARRL List http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html

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P4 LAST UPDATE 6-2-11 de W1GSL P 4
Additions/ Corrections via Internet w1gsl@mit.edu
US Mail W1GSL POB 397082 MIT Br Cambridge MA 02139
(c)2010 W1GSL http://www.swapfest.us SASE for updated copy as issued.
unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety
*******************************************************************************

Whitman ARC’s Annual Saftler’s Fundraising Event, May 29-30, 2011

Bruce Hayden, NI1X writes:

The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold its annual fundraiser at the Saftler’s flea market in Whitman on Sunday, May 29 and Monday, May 30. The flea is located at Saftler’s parking lot at the intersection of Routes 14 and 18 in Whitman. This is a general flea market with only one other vendor selling amateur radio equipment.

The WARC club station WA1NPO will be on the air operating from the event. Event organizers encourage everyone to check in on the Whitman 2-meter repeater on 147.225 (67 Hz PL) sometime during the fundraiser, or stop by.

Shown, right: the WARC crew at Saftler’s from Memorial Day weekend in 2006.

MA RMV Snafu With Ham Plates

KA1ULT MA plateDo you have a MA ham radio license plate? Do you need an inspection sticker?

According to Kevin Paetzold, K1KWP and other amateurs, you might run into a bit of a snafu getting your car inspected–at least for the moment.

Paetzold says he went to get his car inspected on May 12, and was told that the Registry of Motor Vehicles “cannot process inspections” for ham radio plates at this time.

According to Paetzold, “After hearing this from my inspection station I was able to verify this with the RMV itself.”

K1KWP was told there is supposedly “a fix in the works which should be available next week”. He adds, “The guy at the RMV told me [over the phone] that they changed their software to not accept anything but alphas and numbers. Therefore, ‘slant bar’ (the character that represents the “lightning bolt” on the plate) no longer works.”

In the meantime, those who have stickers that expire in May will just have to keep their fingers crossed.

YLRL 2011 Convention, Quincy MA

YLRL logoThe Young Ladies Radio League will hold its 2011 convention July 21-24, 2011 at the Best Western Adams Inn, Quincy, MA. Activities include an all-day tour of Boston, including the Freedom Trail; a general meeting; tours for the OMs; a luncheon tour of the Adams Historical Site in Quincy; a tour of the Marconi Site at Cape Code National Seashore; and a possible tour of ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut.

Hotel reservations must be made by June 21 to obtain the convention room rate. For more information, see the convention flyer at http://tinyurl.com/43xrshn.

Organized in 1939, YLRL is a nonprofit organization of women Amateur Radio licensees. With a membership of approximately 800, it is international in scope. Approximately 100 of its members are DX YLs.

Technician Class in Dennis, July 2011

ARRL Ham Radio License Manual coverA Technician class will be taught in July at the Dennis, MA Police Department at 90 Bob Crowell Road, Dennis MA 02660. The class will be held from 1-5 PM on July 9, 10, 16, & 17, 2011. At the conclusion of the last class, a volunteer exam session will be conducted. The class is free of charge, but participants are asked to purcahase a copy of the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual in advance.

Complete details and a flyer can be found at <http://ema.arrl.org/local/Dennis_Tech_Class_2011_07.pdf>.

 

 

 

Taunton Boy Scout Troop Visits MEMA Region 2 Bunker

Don Burke, KB1LXH writes:

Seven scouts from Troop 40 in Taunton visited the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Region 2 Headquarters in Bridgewater on April 4. To fullfill the requirements for an Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge, the scouts meet with a local Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director and learn how that person prepares, responds to, recovers from, and mitigates and prevents emergency situations in our community.

James Mannion, MEMA Region 2 Director gave the scouts a great presentation about hurricanes, storm surge and tornadoes. Mr. Mannion was recently in Florida to visit the National Hurricane Center in Miami. He came back with new video of damage caused by storms across the Gulf coast and the Eastern US states. Mannion also explained the role MEMA Region 2 and the surrounding cities and towns play in Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant drills. He allowed the troop members a chance to use a Geiger counter and dosimeters.

The scouts also toured the RACES radio room where Mike Leger, N1YLQ, Region 2 Acting RACES Officer, talked about the role Amateurs Radio operators play in EMA events.

Each scout was given an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) which they may make use of on their next backpacking trip.

On hand for the visit were Bruce Hayden, NI1X and Bill Foster, KD1NX, both of whom are Region II RACES radio operators.

–Thanks, TACG newsletter, May 2011.

Hams Needed for Boston Brain Tumor Ride, May 15

Tom Bertolino, KB1P writes:

Hams are needed to assist in the command and control of the Boston Brain Tumor Ride on Sunday May 15, 2011. Your participation in this event will help to ensure the safety of the riders and make this event a success. The Brain Tumor Ride has three routes; a 10 mile, 25 mile, and 50 mile ride. All 3 rides start and end in the front parking lot of Reservoir Woods, Waltham, MA. The rides start at between 0800 and 1000 hrs and and will end in the early afternoon. The rides follow basically the same route with variations. The all 3 rides will travel through Waltham and Lincoln. The turnaround point for the ten mile ride is in Lincoln and it will return to Waltham through Weston. The 25 and 50 mile route with continue to Concord. The turnaround point for the 25 mile ride is in Concord. It will return to Waltham through Lincoln and Weston. The 50 mile ride continues to Carlisle, with a turnaround point in Westford. It will return to Waltham by way of Acton, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, and Weston.

Assignments will be at water stops, in sweep and recovery vehicles, and shadows at Reservoir Woods. Assignments start between 0700 – 1000 hrs and end between 1200 to 1400 hrs depending on the assignment. There will food and entertainment available after the ride in the start and finish area.

A 2-meter, 5 watt hand-held radio is satisfactory for most of the assignments at this event. A better antenna then the “rubber duck antenna” that came with your radio is desirable, and a “mag mount” antenna would be better still (not required) 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 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 need your help.

If you can help with 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 also 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 or would like to recommend another ham to join us.

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 your event preference. Note that we cannot assure you that all preferences can be granted. Try to get back to me as quickly as you can.

73,
Tom Bertolino, KB1P
kb1p at arrl.net
781-608-6186

Urgent! Ham Volunteers Still Needed for The Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race, MS Journey of Hope Walk

Tom Bertolino, KB1P writes:

I know I have sent emails asking to volunteer for these events, and you might have already volunteered for one of them. If have already volunteered for one of these event could you consider volunteering for the other. If have not volunteered for either event could you reconsider and volunteer for one or both of these events. We need your help.

The Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race on Saturday, 30 April 2010

This is very short notice, but more hams are needed for the Run of the Charles canoe races on Saturday, 30 April 2010. There are critical safety issues which need our communications support, and I would like to have your help.

Because of Easter being on the traditional date that this event is normally held, the Run of the Charles was moved to Saturday April 30, 2011. This has caused the Run of the Charles not only compete with other events which are normally held on the 30th of April, but also Near-Fest. We still need Hams to help insure the safety of the racers. We need your help. Water level of the Charles River is higher than normal this year due to the heavy snow we received this winter resulting in swifter water currents around potages and dams. This could cause some dangerous conditions for the racers attempting to navigate around these areas. Hams are post at these potential danger areas to help ensure the safety of the racers. We do not have enough Hams to cover all these points. Please reconsider and volunteer to support this event .We need your help. Some assignments begin as early as 0700; others begin up to 1200. Most assignments last about four to five hours, there are only, a few which run the full day until 1630. If you have time issue please let me know.

The MS Journey of Hope Walk, Saturday, May 7, 2011, Natick, MA

This is a 7.5 mile walk which starts and finishes at Natick High School (15 West St, Natick, MA), proceeding through several areas of Natick. Our assignments begin at 0700 and should be complete by early afternoon. Hams are stationed at critical intersections and water stations to help to insure the safety of the walkers. We do not have enough hams to fill these assignments. We need your help. This is an excellent event for hams new to public service to get experience.

If you can help for one or both events, please respond with the following information as soon as possible. To manage this I ask that you get back to me as quickly and as accurately as you can. As in all other events that we coordinate, email will be the primary means of communication between us. If you have already volunteered for one of these events please consider volunteering for the other. We need your help.

Event

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,

Tom Bertolino, KB1P
kb1p at arrl.net
781-608-6186