Author: k9hi
W1HUD Hudson High School Updates
W1HUD Update: April 2024
- The Hudson High School Facilities installed a Diamond Vertical on the roof to complement the 18 ft tall Hy-Gain 5-band vertical antenna. Collectively we now have HF/VHF/UHF coverage. – Thank you to Facilities! A special thanks to W1TF for his generosity for needed parts and N1CNG for testing.
- AARC – Kicked offed the Technician License Prep course. We have have a very excited group taking part and look forward to taking the test at the end of the year.
- Spring – Fox Hunt Equipment – Special thanks to KV1J for organizing the equipment list and Hudson Home and School Association for purchasing the materials.
- Reminder W1HUD is on the Marlborough Repeater 446.675 every Friday 9:40-10:15. We typically discuss weekly topics and jump on around 10am. – Join us!
W1HUD Update: May 2024
- AARC – Is wrapping up the very first Technician License Prep Course. We have three students looking forward to taking their test some time this Summer.
- The First W1HUD Fox Hunt – Special thanks to AARC for organizing a successful Fox Hunt. The students had a great time working with AARC and HHS Volunteers to learn about the technology and techniques needed to find a low frequency transmitter on the HHS campus.
- The club will get together will get together one last time for the 23-24 school year on Friday 6/7 – Reminder W1HUD will likely be on the Marlborough Repeater 446.675 around 10am. – Join us!
![Hudson High School W1HUD group photo](https://ema.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HHS-W1HUD-May2024.jpeg)
Field Day Publicity Suggestions
Bill McIninch, KA1MOM, writes:
This is from the Facebook open group for Field Day, a page read almost entirely by hams:
- What the event is all about (make it understandable for non-hams)
- Why someone might want to visit
- Where the event is (include an address)
- When the event is (use local times), especially when it’s open for public tours
- Who is involved (include point of contact info) and who is invited
- How to get more info (maybe use a QR code that takes people to a website)
ARRL Service Disruption
Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, writes:
Hello everyone,
Many of you have probably noticed that several ARRL online services and the HQ phone system have been down. The ARRL is working as quickly as possible to restore all services, and progress is being made. You can see the current status of the restoration at this link –
http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-systems-service-disruption
You can check this link periodically for further updates. It will likely take some time to get everything fully back up and running. We appreciate your patience.
——————————————————————–
ARRL New England Division
Director: Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
ab1oc@arrl.org
——————————————————————–
You-Do-It To Close
An iconic Boston-area store, You-Do-It Electronics Center in Needham, will soon close its doors:
N1DM: “OSCAR Program” at Wellesley ARS Hybrid Meeting, May 21, 2024
General Meeting, May 21, 7:30 PM
Topic: The OSCAR Satellite Program, presented by Dom N1DM
Warren Recreation Center, 90 Washington St., Wellesley, near the intersection of Route 16 and Walnut St.
https://wellesleyma.gov/720/Warren-Recreation-Center
Parking is in the rear of the building and folks can enter at the basement level double doors, through the light tan wood doors, then take a left and up an ADA ramp. We will be in Room 008 on the right near the end of the hallway. If entering through the main front doors, one simply takes the elevator or stairs down to the basement.
This meeting will also be available on Zoom. [Contact danbrownw1dan (at) gmail -dot- com for details]
W1MJ Fox Deployed, Belmont, May 17, 2024
![Map of Lone Tree Conservation Area](https://ema.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/lone-tree-conservation-area.png)
KD1CY: “SKYWARN” at PART of Westford Hybrid Meeting, May 21, 2024
![PART of Westford logo](https://ema.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/part.jpg)
- A presentation on SKYWARN by Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator. Rob has also served as the ARES SKYWARN Coordinator for NWS Boston/Norton (formerly Taunton) since 1996 and has been an avid SKYWARN Spotter since he got his Ham license in 1988.
- Field Day plans.
President, PART of Westford
[Contact George Allison, K1IG, at geogeall@me.com for WebEx meeting invite]
NA1T: “Emergency Management and American Red Cross,” Nashoba Valley ARC Meeting, May 16, 2024
The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s May meeting is Thursday, May 16th at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell). We start gathering at 7 PM to socialize before the meeting starts.
May’s guest speaker will be Steve Davidson, NA1T. Steve is heavily involved with emergency management and the Red Cross in the New Hampshire amateur radio community. Steve will be describing and demonstrating some of the equipment he uses in emergency deployments, as well as what he and his ARC cronies were up to during the recent Solar Eclipse.
I’m looking forward to Steve’s presentation!
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
Amateur Volunteers Requested, Dave Birtwell Memorial Walk for Alzheimer’s, Sandwich, May 18, 2024
![Barnstable ARC logo](https://ema.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/barnstablearc.jpg)
New Eastern MA Amateurs, May 2024
The Eastern MA ARRL leadership would like to welcome the following new amateurs:
Evgeni Belin, KC1UOT, Littleton
Mihir Jain, KC1UQK, Ashland
Michael Miller, KC1URH, Carlisle
Steven Dovich, KC1USD, Andover
John Nolan, KC1UNQ, Haverhill
Pauline Bergeron, KC1UPC, Methuen
Matthew Vigeant, KC1UPN, Lowell
Andrew Hansen, KC1UNS, Beverly
Robert Brewster, KC1USS, Salem
Elvis Lara, KC1UPW, Dedham
Michael Bogan, KC1USP, Franklin
Rumen Gechev, AC1RO, Medway
Scott Lush, KC1UPL, Boston
Alvin Childs, KC1URN, Roxbury
Verma Taylor, KC1URV, Boston
Shawn Burke, KC1UPZ, Boston
Carl Richardson, KC1UPQ, Brighton
Nigel Barnett, KC1URI, Cambridge
Michael Joy, KC1URJ, Somerville
Eric Brown, KC1USK, Medford
George Whitfield, KC1UOI, Melrose
Mary McGrath, KC1UQE, Bridgewater
Nathan Chadwick, KC1UPK, Carver
Michael Borrelli, KC1UQX, Middleboro
Lawrence Genovesi, KC1UPX, Plympton
James Ashley, KM1TWL, Whitman
George Bartlett, KC1URZ, Whitman
Ian Roy, KC1UPE, Waltham
Daniel Levin, KC1UOC, Newton Highlands
Ernest Jones, KC1USJ, Chestnut Hill
Rachel Achituv, KC1USC, Needham
Shira Achituv, KC1USR, Needham
Lior Achituv, KC1USQ, Needham
George Morse, KC1UQL, East Falmouth
Arthur Wullschleger, KC1UON, Siasconset
Nicholas Gray, KC1UQN, Attleboro
Linda Kelley, KC1UNP, North Dartmouth
Jonathan Belt, KC1VMS, Norton
Douglas Rogers, KC1UQY, Swansea
WO1VES: “Fusion, C4FM, and Wires X Yaesu Digital Mode Echosystem” at Cape Ann ARA Meeting, May 11, 2024
Cape Ann ARA Presidenet Brandon Hockle, NQ1W, writes on the CAARA mailing list:
Hello Members and Friends of Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association,
KC1TSA: “Foxhunting 101: Lessons from a USGS Wildlife Tracker”
This is a reminder that the Barnstable ARC will be holding its General Membership April Meeting on Monday May 6, 2024 at 7:30 PM at the Brewster Police Department 631 Harwich Rd, Brewster MA, and on Zoom. Chris LaRosee, KC1TSA, will present “Foxhunting 101: Lessons from a USGS Wildlife Tracker.”
WB2BEZ: “Grounding and Safety In The Ham Shack” at Billerica ARS Hybrid Meeting, May 1, 2024
Doug Bruce, N1WRN, writes on the Billerica ARS web site:
I am pleased to announce that we will be having Donald Kane, WB2BEZ, as our Guest Speaker for the in person/Zoom Meeting at the Church on May 1, 2024 at 7:00 PM. Don will be presenting on Grounding and Safety In The Ham Shack, so you won’t want to miss this talk! Here is Don’s bio for inclusion in the May Newsletter.
Don has been a licensed ham for over 45 years (ARRL Life Member) and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of New York with over 40 years of engineering experience including: Product Safety Evaluation; Electric Utility Substation and Plant engineering; Design and Manufacture of Diesel powered generators, including controls and switchgear; rail transit rolling stock and infrastructure engineering and electrical construction and HVAC. This talk will present an overview of grounding and bonding, as applied to the typical amateur radio installation, with regard to power, lightning protection and RF (antenna) grounding.
We will announce the link to join the Zoom meeting before the meeting, but it will be posted to the BARS email list and should not be shared outside our Club. Are you on the email list? If not, please send an email to bars-subscribe@w1hh.org and then simply reply to the robot response from the server and you will be subscribed.
Observing our Zoom meeting requires only a web browser and headphones/speakers. You do not need a webcam or microphone unless you want to speak or be seen.
Before our meeting date, please go to https://zoom.us/test and see if it will function for you. If you have problems, we can try to assist – feel free to ask questions on the BARS email list.
I am looking forward to “seeing” many of you on Wednesday 5/1 here at 1900.
Doug, N1WRN
The Zola Gang Builds a Kit
Dan Brown, W1DAN, writes:
On a rainy Saturday April 20, members of the Zola-Middlesex amateur radio club gathered at the Brigham House in Newton Massachusetts to build a kit! In attendance were club members Frank, N1FMV,;Nina, N1NGK; Matt, N1IBB; Jerry, W3BBP; Nora, N1GLE and Margaret, KA1BZE. The helpers were Bob, WA1UIY; Tony, K1CEI; Don, KB1OTQ and YL Odette; Dave, W8JVY; Bruce, KC1FSZ and Dan, W1DAN.
Of note the Zola gang consist of hams who have sight and emotional impairments. The club was formed by Eric Falkov, K1NUN (SK), in 2012. After his passing in 2013, Bob ran the club and merged the Middlesex club into the Middlesex -Zola Amateur Radio Club. Frank N1FMV is now president.
Figure 1 . The Zola radio members digging into the kits
To get the project started, Bob researched and ordered enough of the $20 TM-Tech DP-TM-0259 FM receiver kits from Amazon for all who wanted to build one. Before our session Bob built one of the kits to gauge the build process and difficulty. Dan and Bruce went to Bob’s QTH to check the kits out as well. These kits contain an RDA Microelectronics RDA5807M single chip broadcast FM radio tuner and an MD8002A thee-watt audio power amplifier IC on a small printed circuit board. The FM receiver IC uses I and Q decoding and a DSP core to process stereo audio. It is essentially a Software-Defined Radio. Two AA batteries supply 3v to the system and a 2.5” speaker that provides surprisingly good sound. This kit requires no soldering and the only tool needed was a small Philips head screwdriver, which was supplied.
Figure 2 . Bruce, KC1FSZ, assisting Matt, N1IBB, with his radio kit build.
After Bruce explained the theory of operation of the receiver IC, club members were introduced to the feel of all parts as the helpers explained the part and how it should be assembled. The case was formed of light wood similar to Balsawood that wrapped around the sides and attached using tongue and groove as well as very small screws. Some of the instructions were not clear and the screw sizes needed at certain locations turned out to be wrong, but once we figured all that out, the process went smoothly.
Figure 3 . Nora, N1GLE, was the first to finish a kit!
After success, folks enjoyed pizza for lunch. This was a fun project that provided the club members with efficient FM receivers for future enjoyment. Who knows, maybe they will hear some distant stations via summertime tropospheric ducting. Many thanks to Bob, Bruce, Don, Odette, Dave and Tony for good assistance!
73,
Dan Brown
W1DAN
April 21, 2024
Amateur Volunteers Sought for Dave Birtwell Memorial Walk for Alzheimer’s, Sandwich, May 18
Chris Ranney, WA1CMR, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:
This year I am coordinating volunteers to provide ham radio support for the Dave Birtwell Memorial Walk for Alzheimer’s at Scusset Beach Reservation, Sandwich on Saturday, May 18th, 2024, 11-2 pm. BARC and FARA have provided this service for the walk for several years and I hope we can do so again this year.
This year we need 6-8 volunteers to be at the walk from 10-3 with a 2 meter handheld radio. Jon N1ILZ will provide Net Control for a 2 meter simplex net and I will be coordinating our activities the walk headquarters.
If you can help please get in touch with me. I will provide more information to the volunteers as the event gets closer.
Chris Ranney, WA1CMR
508-681-9981
HamXposition Club Newsletter Award
Open to all New England Amateur Radio Clubs
- Each club submits:
- Club newsletter from the 2nd quarter of 2024 (April, May, or June)
- Email newsetter to: cq-newsletter@hamxposition.org
- Deadline to submit: Friday, July 5
- Judging by someone impartial who resides outside of New England on the following:
- Layout design
- Content
- The top three get a digitial sticker they can use on their newsletter for the next 12 months showing that they are #1, #2, or #3 best club newsletter in New England for the period September 1, 2024, through August 31, 2025.
- The top three winners for the 2024 HamXposition will be ineligible to participate in the 2025 HamXposition competition to allow other clubs to win.
“Going the extra mile: the radio operators who connect all 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon”
Members of the Northeastern Univ. Wireless Club were featured in the Northeastern student newspaper for their work at Monday’s Boston Marathon:
“Early in the morning April 15, thousands of volunteers and athletes began to check-in and start the race that constitutes one of the biggest days in sports: the Boston Marathon. Among them were a cadre of unseen — but vital — amateur radio operators who kept a constant loop of communications for the duration of the race.”
[Full story]N1SV: “VP9I: Operating from Bermuda” at Nashoba Valley ARC Meeting, April 18, 2024
The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s April meeting is Thursday, April 18th (the day after tomorrow) at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell). We start gathering at 7 PM to socialize before the meeting starts.
April’s presentation will be “VP9I – Operating from Bermuda.”
As you may or may not know, Les Peters, N1SV, regularly operates SSB DX Contests from the island of Bermuda (VP9). Many of us have worked Les from this DX location, and I’m always excited to get him in my log (and get credit for the new country multiplier in the contest!). Les will talk about his Amateur Radio operating adventures from Bermuda – VP9.
I’m looking forward to this presentation!
Other items on the agenda –
NVARC Elections!
NEARFest April 25th and 26th
New England QSO Party May 4 – 5
The Groton Road Race May 5th
Dayton Hamvention May 17-19
Northeast HamXposition August 22-25
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