January 2023 Section News Now Available
The January, 2023 Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/january-2023-section-news/.
Author: k9hi
N1QY: “Measuring SWR” at Framingham ARA Hybrid Meeting, February 2, 2023
You are invited to the next Framingham Amateur Radio Association meeting to be held on February 2, 2023 beginning at 7 p.m. via Zoom and at the McAuliffe branch of the Framingham Library at 746 Water Street in Framingham. The program will feature Ron Evett, N1QY, on Measuring SWR.
Members will receive a zoom invitation. Non-members may request an invitation by sending an email to John president@w1fy.org.
New England Sci-Tech Winter Field Day Festivities, January 28, 2023
New England Sci-Tech will participate in Winter Field Day and also host a number of fun and educational activities on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from 2:00 to 9:00 PM at 16 Tech Circle in Natick, Massachusetts. “We will stay warm and take a points loss but still have fun! Non-licensed adults and children can get on the air with one of our control operators.”In addition, NEST will feature maker activities from 4 to 6 PM for children of members and visitors, and hands-on activities led by volunteers. “Make a meteorite necklace, make 3-D paper art, make an electronics gadget, make a laser-cut art project, make a woodworking project, and more.” Also planned are thirty-minute planetarium shows at 5 and 7 PM, a pot luck dinner from 6 to 8 PM, and a ham radio “movie marathon” from 7 to 9 PM.
K1BG: “CW Basics” at Billerica ARS Meeting Online, February 1, 2023
Bruce Blain, K1BG, will present on “CW Basics” at the Billerica Amateur Radio Society on February 1, 2023 at 7:00 PM.
Bruce was first introduced to amateur radio by his neighbor Jim Payne, W1GPN, when he was 4 years old. He was first licensed as WN1KBG in 1968 (Canton, MA) and upgraded to WA1KBG. He earned a BSEE from Northeastern University in 1976, and became K1BG in 1977.
Bruce is past president of the Norwood Amateur Radio Club, and is a founding member and past Vice President of the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club where he currently serves as a member of the board. He is also a member of the First Operators Club, CW Ops, the Yankee Clipper Contest Club, and the Radio Club of America. Bruce has been a member of the ARRL for over 50 years.
He has been “advising” CW Academy classes for the past 4 years, where he is currently a “youth academy” advisor. Attracting and mentoring young people and supporting local radio clubs are areas that Bruce is passionate about.
[For Zoom conference details, email Bruce Anderson, W1LUS, at w1lus -at- hotmail -dot- com.]
VOTA / W1AW Massachusetts Needs More Operators
Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:
VOTA Massachusetts is looking for more ops. As of January 27, 2023 we have 10 operators signed up to operate as W1AW/1 for the Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) and are looking for more for the April 12th to 18th week-long session.
If you are interested in learning more or becoming an operator, please contact Larry, W1AST, at W1AST@arrl.net.
Cape Ann (MA) Amateur Radio Association Technician In A Day Session, February 25, 2023
Our Technician In A Day Session is a study course. The course allows you to become licensed by the Federal Communications Commission.
You should obtain a copy of the ARRL Technician Class License Manual. You may purchase this book at Ham Radio Outlet or any other amateur radio related store.
You should read the book. The information contained therein will allow you to answer questions on a 35 question test for obtaining your Technician License.
There are videos on Youtube at W4EEY that explain the theory and cover the questions to enhance your knowledge. You may also take practice exams at hamstudy.org for comprehension.
TECH IN A DAY CLASSROOM SESSION
- You should apply and obtain a FCC Registration Number at: https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do
- You will be charged a slight fee for this course. Normally, $15.00 for the Examination and $10.00 for materials, snacks and drinks which will be provided for the session.
- The Tech In A Day Session will be almost a full day session (8 am to 5pm)
- The first Study Session begins at 9:00am for 45 minutes and you will be given a 15 minute break before the next session begins at 10 am.
- Three study sessions will be held before a lunch break (approximately 11:45am-1:00pm)
- There will be three more study sessions in the afternoon to run to 4:45 pm.
- Testing will begin approximately at 5:00 pm.
You will be administered an examination of 35 questions of which you must score at least 26 out of 35 or better to PASS.
Upon completion and passing of your examination you will be handed a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination) (CSCE Form).
Your call sign should be process in 10-12 business days.
If you would like more information, you may email us at caarave@caara.net or Telephone (978) 504-9112 for more information.
Whitman ARC Winterfest, January 21, 2023 (NEW VENUE)
The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold its annual Winterfest on January 21, 2023 from 9 AM until 1 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Route 18, in Whitman. A VE testing session for Tech, General, and Amateur Extra will be conducted at the event. Raffle Prizes include four high power HTs and gift certificates.
Admission is $5; tables cost $15. Checks for tables can be mailed to:
Whitman Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 48
Whitman MA 02382
For vendor information, call: 781-523-5010 or visit http://www.wa1npo.org/WF/2023Winterfest_hasPayPal.html.
Allen, WA1BEE, writes on January 18, 2023:NOTICEChange of location of the Whitman WinterFest 2023
Was in contact with Ross, W1EKG, today. Due to an unexpected situation, a move had to be made.The location is the Tri-Town Masonic lodge, 38 Franklin Street ( RT27 ), East Bridgewater, MA, 02333
The next Wellesley Amateur Radio Society Zoom meeting on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 7:30 PM will feature Dom, N1DM, who will discuss satellite communications.Fox Hunting of a Different Kind
Mike Cormier, K1MJC, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list:
This morning, as I often do, when, listening to various things with my RTL-SDR, I sometimes go to the “SondeHub Tracker” website to see if there are any weather balloons I might be able to hear using my RTL-SDR.
This morning, I was surprised to see a balloon tracking north eastward over Millis, MA, and heading directly overhead where I live in Waltham MA.
I decided to zoom in on it, and follow it, and to my surprise, it had it landing somewhere in Lexington MA.
As it descended and got closer to the ground, I zoomed in on that area and realized it was just a short drive from where I lived. So I decided to get my 70 cm meter Yagi, jump in the car and head in that direction more precisely Pretty close to the location. It predicted it would be on the ground.
To my surprise, when I got in the area, I could hear the Radio-Sonde loud and clear, and I proceeded to an address that I had put in my GPS, got out of the car with the Yagi in one corner of the parking lot, (it was the horseshoe type, which will go behind the building and come out to the street on the other side of the property) and discovered that it was more towards the street.
Looking in the trees and over the roof of the building, I couldn’t see it, but the signal was strong. Having gotten that far and figuring it could be on the flat roof of the building and it being cold and drizzly outside I decided to head home.
To my surprise, on the way out of the driveway, what do I see? An orange parachute laying across the lane, I immediately jumped out of the car, went around to the front of the building, and there hanging on a string was the Radio-Sonde. Seeing nobody was around, I tugged the Radio-Sonde down out of the bush, wrapped it up and jumped in my car. (I hope nobody will be upset with me for grabbing the Radio-Sonde).
After I got in the car, I noticed it was an on off switch, turned it off, read the label, and this particular Radio-Sonde requests that you do not send it back to the national weather service.
Well, I have a parachute and Radio-Sonde what to do with it? I don’t know, perhaps, just keep it as a souvenir, and toss the plastic parachute, which I cannot seem to find any kind of use for.
All in all, a fun and interesting new kind of hunt for me!
73 Mike K1MJC
KB1OIQ: “Andy’s Ham Radio Linux” at North Shore Radio Association Meeting, January 17, 2023
Eric Horwitz, KA1NCF, writes on the North Shore Radio Association mailing list:
This month’s meeting is on Tuesday! Speaker will be in house this month.
Andy (KB1OIQ) Stewart will talk about a software collection which he created called “Andy’s Ham Radio Linux.” It is based on Ubuntu 22.04 with additional software specific to ham radio. There have been over 100,000 downloads of this software since 2011. Andy’s talk will be an overview of the available software, where to get it, installation hints, etc. No previous knowledge of Linux is required to enjoy this talk.
Andy is an Amateur Extra licensee who has enjoyed this fine hobby since 2007. Related interests include repair of antique radios circa 1930s/1940s, hacking uBITX, Arduino code, the M17 project, and kit building. Andy is a former president of PART of Westford. By day, Andy is a digital logic verification engineer living in simulated reality.
Hope to see you all at the meeting.
W1BTR: “Minecraft Ham Radio Mods” at PART of Westford Hybrid Meeting, January 17, 2023
George Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:The January PART of Westford meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, beginning at 7:30 PM at the Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant Street, Westford, MA, and via Webex video conference. For those attending via video conference, a meeting link is below; just click on the green button to join in. You can join the conference any time after 7:00 PM to check out your gear or just rag chew until the meeting starts. Bear in mind that internet connectivity from the senior center may be unreliable.
Topic: PART has been awarded a grant of $22K by the ARRL Foundation for a project headed by PART member Lucas, W1BTR, to incorporate ham radio into the popular online game Minecraft. At the January meeting we’ll be showing the presentation on this project given to the ARRL HQ staff last week, and we’ll explain what the project is, how it will be run, what it means for the growth of ham radio, and how it affects PART. If time permits, we also have a presentation on the 2023 Volunteers on the Air event.
Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items (canned soups, stews, etc.) for donation to the Westford Food Pantry.
See you on Tuesday!
George, K1IG
President, PART of Westford
wb1gof.org
[To request conference login information, contact George Allison, K1IG, at k1ig -at- arrl -dot- net]
Boston Marathon 2023 Looking for Ham Radio Volunteers
From K1USN Happenings, January 12, 2023:
Planning is well underway for the 2023 Boston Marathon! The BAA opened volunteer registration today and it will close on Friday, February 10, 2023. Returning volunteers should have received an email from the BAA with details about how to register.
New volunteers can sign up via http://register.hamradioboston.org/. We have also provided a step by step guide on how to select Amateur Radio volunteer positions during the registration process: <https://hamradioboston.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/44002389087-2023-volunteer-registration-step-by-step-guide>.
Massachusetts Volunteers On The Air, W1AW/1 Sign Up
This year, the ARRL is honoring volunteers with its Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) operating event. The event starts January 1 and ends December 31, 2023
Twice a year, for one week, each state will be activated as W1AW/1 (for call area 1 Massachusetts, for example). To make this happen, we need ops to get Massachusetts on the air.
Would you like to be an W1AW/1 activator for the first session this spring? The first MA session is Wednesday, April 12 through Tuesday, April 18.
Would you like to know more? Contact Larry, W1AST, at W1AST@arrl.net.
KM1CC On the Air for 120th Anniversary of Marconi’s Transatlantic Message
(second set of towers shown in this picture, taken about 1910)
Station KM1CC will be on the air on January 18, 2023 from 1800 UTC – 2300 UTC.
Wednesday January 18, 2023 marks the 120th anniversary of Marconi’s first transatlantic message from the USA to the UK. KM1CC will be on the air to commemorate this achievement.
“We plan to operate HF 20 M, 40 M, and other bands as conditions allow. Check dxsummit.fi for frequencies.”
The Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club is a special event club. The club has several on the air events a year to keep the accomplishments and story of Marconi and his South Wellfleet Wireless Station alive. This station is listed as a National Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places (1975) and is now part of Cape Cod National Seashore, a unit of the National Park Service. When possible, KM1CC sets up a temporary radio station inside the park.
Please follow us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KM1CC/ .
Algonquin ARC Flea Market, Marlborough, February 18, 2023
The Algonquin Amateur Radio Club will hold its Marlborough Flea Market on February 18, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the 1Lt Charles W. Whitcomb School, 25 Union St., Marlborough, MA. Talk-in is on N1EM/R 446.675 – (PL 88.5). Any COVID-related updates will be carried on the AARC website at http://n1em.org.
A VE session will be held beginning at 9:00 AM. General admission is $5. Vendor tables are $15 before February 10, 2023, or $20 at the door if space is available. Each table includes one admission.
For more information, email fleamarket@n1em.org or visit https://www.qsl.net/n1em/AARC_Flea_Market_Flyer_2023.pdf.
WA1JXR: “NanoVNA” at Algonquin ARC Meeting, January 12, 2023
The January Algonquin Amateur Radio Club meeting will feature Greg, WA1JXR, who will give a presentation on the NanoVNA. The meeting will be held in person January 12, 2023 at 7:30 pm in the library of the 1st Lt. Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School, 25 Union Ave, Marlboro, MA. Enter from Agoritsas Drive next to police station and use Door #1 at rear of building.
Special “Ad-Hoc” 6 Meter Net, January 4, 2023
Gene Balinski, K1NR, writes:
From: GENE BALINSKI
Date: January 4, 2023 at 10:38:21 AM EST
Subject: Special Announcement 6M AM TONIGHT 01/04/2023
ALCON,
There will be a special “ad-hoc” 6m AM net tonight
Please join us at 9:30 PM (right after John Flood’s Swap Net the Waltham 2M repeater) on 50.400.
All classes of gear are welcome.
Hope to see you there.
Again, 9:30 PM EST Wednesday 01/04/2023 (02:30AM Thursday GMT) on 50.400 MHz
73,
K1NR
PS Be sure to let the old tube gear warm up and stabilize : – )
Boston ARC Formalizes Its Relationship With Area Makerspace
Boston Amateur Radio Club (BARC) is moving forward with its affiliation plans with the Artisan’s Asylum (A2) makerspace. At its October 2022 general meeting, the BARC membership voted to approve the plan. The step marks a turning point for the thirty-three-year-old club which has been without an official home for a long time.
In 2022, Artisan’s Asylum relocated from offices in Somerville to 96 Holton Street in Boston. According to its website, the popular makerspace “is a non-profit […] devoted to the teaching, learning and practice of fabrication.” It offers classes on a wide range of skills and topics to the general public.
“As you know, we have been looking for a space to hold meetings, conduct testing, and eventually hold license classes,” writes Boston ARC President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S. “Getting a regular meeting space that also allows us to hold events, and host antenna and project builds will help grow the club.
“They (A2) are a maker/hackerspace that includes a wood shop, 3D printers and other heavy machinery.”
Prior to BARC’s decision to affiliate with Artisan’s Asylum, the makerspace was working to develop an RF station, mostly for testing and building other maker projects to bridge the gap between ham radio and DIYers. A2 applied for, and was awarded funding this past year from the Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) to establish an amateur station to “create, build, test and use amateur radio in various ways.”
Artisan’s Asylum currently counts among its ranks several licensed hams, and more are interested in obtaining their tickets.
“A2 is excited to get a club with our experience under their roof and have worked hard to keep the costs of renting a space very low for our club,” Baldonado says.
One important component of the collaboration involves BARC sponsoring courses. A2’s other members currently offer classes to the general public on such wide-ranging topics as woodworking and bicycle repair. BARC hopes to expand upon A2’s class offerings with courses on Amateur Radio-related topics like digital communications and kit construction. BARC is currently polling its membership to find interested individuals who will step forward and volunteer to instruct.
“There is a world of possibility in these spaces,” says Mindy Hull, KM1NDY. She and Greg Kenley, AC1NY, are passholders who have full access to the building and the club space. Soon, additional members will be added as passholders with unlimited access. In the long term, the club hopes to sort out access issues for its entire membership.
Hull notes that the A2 facility is enjoying tremendous popularity. “There are no more suites available at the A2. All suites are now on a waiting list.” She adds, “We got ours just in time.”
[December 30, 2022 Update: “Joe Chapman, NV1W, and Brendan NW1S, installed an off-center dipole and coax down into the BARC studio. We have a Yaesu FT-847 that will remain at the club station along with a power supply. There is also a Kenwood for UHF/VHF. Mary Sullaway, NN1C, installed the copper grounding. AC1NY will bring another folding table for the studio, along with a Lenovo laptop and Samsung monitor. He also plans to construct a WFVIEW remote transceiver setup for the studio as well as digital protocols station. We are almost operational!” -AC1NY.]
December 2022 Section News Now Available
The December, 2022 Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/december-2022-section-news/.
ARRL Handbook 100th Edition Includes Prominent New England Amateurs Among Its Contributors
From nediv.arrl.org:
Dave Tessitore, K1DT, President of the Providence Radio Association (W1OP) writes in a December 27 email:
“…Under our Christmas tree, from my XYL, was the hot-off-the-press 100th Edition ARRL Handbook. After our family and friends had all gone home, I sat at my desk and cracked it open.
“There on the title page, under the impressive words, One-Hundredth Edition, is the list of Contributors. Among them are two PRA Members: Frank Donovan, W3LPL and Rick Rosen, K1DS. What an honor to have these two giants in their fields as members of our club!
“I next turned to the middle of the Handbook, to the full-color 100 edition retrospective, and there is a 2-page interview with friend and former PRA member Skip Youngberg, K1NKR, who recently spoke at our 100th anniversary dinner!
“What other radio club has three members contributing to the definitive publication on Amateur Radio?
“But wait, make that four members, for let us not forget our Secretary Domenic Mallozzi, N1DM, who contributed to both the 1986 and 1999 Handbooks!
“Congratulations to Frank, Rick, Skip, and Dom! You make us Proud.”
Well, Dom, N1DM (who will be speaking at the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s (NVARC) January meeting) is a member of Marlborough’s Algonquin Amateur Radio Club (AARC). So that makes two AARC members in the 100th Handbook.
And as far as NVARC is concerned, Phil Erickson, W1PJE, is listed on the title page as a contributor and an article by Joe Dzekevich, K1YOW, is in the Handbook’s supplemental files. That’s three for NVARC.
Also on the local front, Doug Grant, K1DG, has a title page listing and copious acknowledgements throughout the book. Club members remember Doug from WRTC2014 and probably a few talks at meetings over the years. Plus, Jim Idelson, K1IR, and Bob Clarke, N1RC, (whose affiliations are unknown to me) have Handbook title page listings.
It seems like one-land is well represented.
Background (courtesy Skip, K1NKR):
Last Spring, Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, asked me about the status of my QST and Handbook collection. The League was putting together the 100th edition of the ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications and was looking to contact a collector. Fred subsequently put me in contact through League Headquarters with Mark Derks (unlicensed then, now KC1RVQ), a member of the publications staff. Mark and I exchanged phone calls in mid-April, then he and a photographer came over from Newington and visited my shack to conduct an interview. The result in the hardcover version of the Handbook was a sixteen-page color section of radio history which included two pages devoted to the interview.
The whole exercise was quite enjoyable, with the only difficulty being that I was under a nondisclosure agreement until the Handbook came out. I had a hard time keeping the secret between April and October!
The K1NKR collection contains every issue of the League’s monthly “QST” magazine back to 1915 (all library-style hardbound) and all but one year of the Handbook.
Technically, this year’s Handbook edition is the hundredth, not the centennial. The first Handbook edition was published in 1926. The years 1927 and 1928 actually had two numbered editions published per year.
As you know, the Handbook is a massive, almost 1300-page encyclopedia of electronics and communications technology that weighs in at 6.2 pounds—a pretty good pennies-per-page investment even if you only spring for a Handbook “every hundred years or so.” And if you do, go for the hardcopy version.
73 all, and the best of the New Year,
Skip