Author: k9hi

Clubs

W1VU: CQ Magazine at K1USN Radio Club Online Meeting, May 11, 2021

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CQ Magazine Cover“Pi” Pugh, K1RV, writes in K1USN Happenings, 5/7/21:
 
Our next K1USN Radio Club Zoom session will take place on Tuesday, May 11th @ 7:30 PM. We are happy to announce that our featured speaker will be Rich Moseson, W2VU, editor of CQ Magazine.
 
CQ Magazine has been in circulation since 1945 and is still considered THE magazine for active Hams!
 
FYI, if you have already been receiving our bi-weekly Zoom invitations then you will receive one on Sunday for this upcoming Tuesday session. If you would like to be added to our separate K1USN Zoom invitation list then send me a request (k1rv@arrl.net) and I’ll add you to that growing list.
 
As always, I ask that you pass along the news about this upcoming session, but do not share the Zoom invitation info. Instead, have your friends send me a request to be added to the list. We do this to reduce the possibility of any “Zoom bombing” – tnx.
Foxhunting / Operating

KD1D Fox is Out and About in Westford

- by k9hi - 1 Comment
Alan Hicks, KD1D, writes on NEMassFoxHunters list on May 7, 2021 at 10:23 AM: 
 

The KD1D Fox is out and about as of 0900 EDT on Friday May 7. The transmitter is on 146.565 MHz FM and begins a 30-second message every 60 seconds. 

Begin your search near the intersection of North Street and Groton Road (Rt, 40),  and you should be able to locate it  easily on nearby Westford Conservation Land. For maps and guides, check out https://westfordconservationtrust.org/trails/ and check out the main page https://westfordconservationtrust.org for an overview of Westford’s extensive program of public lands and trails.

Just one clue this time:   Herpetology and Horses – mind your step!

If you need additional help locating the trail, email me at kd1d@arrl.net.

73 and Happy Hunting de KD1D, Alan

Licensing Education & Training / Regulation & Advocacy / Technical

RF Exposure Rules Presentation Video Recording

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screen grab from RF Exposure PresentationMany amateurs have requested a recording of the RF Exposure Rules presentation featuring Eastern MA Technical Coordinator Dan Brown, W1DAN on May 4, 2021.  ARRL Laboratory Supervisor Ed Hare, W1RFI also participated in the call, fielding questions from the audience.

The presentation can be viewed at: <https://youtu.be/7dSieKF3rm0>. 

[See also: Additional RF Exposure Rules Presentation, May 4, 2021]

Operating

BCRA POTA Operation at Colt State Park, Bristol, RI, June 5, 2021

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Parks On The Air logoFran Kelly, KC1NDQ, writes on the Bristol County Repeater Association mailing list:

I have registered with POTA and scheduled a park activation at Colt State Park, Bristol, RI for June 5 from 9 AM to 2 PM. Colt Park is park K-2872.

I will set up my Yaesu Ft-450d with Shark hamsticks for 20- and 40 meters on my vehicle.

Anyone interested come on by and bring whatever gear you like. I have a 10 ft x 10 ft pop up tent for shade or rain cover. I will stop by the park soon to map out a good spot and will let everyone know where that might be.

Talk to you soon.

Fran, KC1NDQ

Clubs

Congrats to PART QST Authors

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PART of Westford logoGeorge Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:

Congratulations to PART of Westford member Bob, W1IS, who, along with Bob, KC1DSQ, have the lead article in the June 2021 issue of QST! Their article, “A Portable Two-Element 40-Meter Wire Beam,” describes an antenna that PART has used successfully in several Field Days.

ARRL members can cast their vote for the QST Cover Plaque award by visiting this site starting May 10.

 

Clubs

NN1C: “Contesting” at New England Sci-Tech ARS Meeting, May 4, 2021

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NN1C QSL cardNew England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society Online Meeting: Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 7:00 pm – “Contesting” by Marty Sullaway, NN1C

The presentation is an introduction to contesting, a discussion of serious competition, including the world radiosport team championship, contest DXpeditioning, and some highlights of nearby contest stations. We’ll cover everything from what to do to get involved, to a fun drone video of some of the largest stations in the world, and audio recordings of the highest level of competition. 
 

Marty Sullaway is a 19-year-old radio aficionado living in Eastern Massachusetts. A lover of all things technical, his time in amateur radio has been spent designing and selling station automation hardware, teaching licensing classes, and pushing the limits in remote contesting. Marty has been extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to pilot many larger contest stations, both as a single operator and as part of multi-operator teams. Marty will be a competitor at the World Radiosport Team Championship in Italy in 2022, and frequently operates from the Cayman Islands where he is a partner in maintaining a contest station there. Marty is a frequent digital content producer in amateur radio, acting as a frequent amateur radio club speaker, podcast guest, and has been published in The National Contest Journal as well as CQ Magazine, and various other media channels. Marty is currently a student at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he is pursuing a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and works in mmWave radar systems and image processing. 

[For Zoom conference information, email Bob Phinney, K5TEC, at bobphinney -at- nescitech -dot- org or call 508-720-4179.]
Clubs

KA8SCP: “D-STAR Digital Mode” at Billerica ARS Meeting, May 5, 2021

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Billerica ARS logoThe next [Billerica Amateur Radio Society] Zoom Meeting will be Wednesday,  May 5, 2021 at 7:00 PM.

Our guest speaker will be Terry Stader, KA8SCP. Terry will give a presentation on the D-STAR digital mode which has been, and will be, a popular digital mode. I am sure Terry’s presentation will be interesting and informative, so please join us!

We will announce the link to join the Zoom meeting before the meeting, but it will be posted to the BARS email list .  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 5/5 here at 1900.

Doug, N1WRN
President, Billerica Amateur Radio Society

Operating

Parks On The Air Activation, Blue Hills, Milton, MA K-8402, May 15, 2021

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Parks On The Air logoFellow WARS members and friends:

Mindy KM1MDY has organized a new POTA Saturday may 15 at Blue Hill in Milton, MA. Her notice is below.
 
Dan
W1DAN

 
—

Hello Radio Friends! Here is the OFFICIAL invite to the Blue Hills POTA activation. We will start out playing radio in a field at Houghton’s Pond, and then if we feel like it, some of us will hike to the top of Great Blue. As always, these are come if and when you want, and are meant to be very relaxed free-flowing get-togethers. Bring any equipment you want to test out, or just use ours. With band pass filters we can get several HF bands on the air simultaneously. If you get a preferred parking spot (see below), you will be able to operate with your car close by.  We are starting out on the early side to try to secure good parking. Restrooms are closed, so keep this in mind. You will get one more confirmatory email from me the week before (mostly watching the weather). 
 

WHO: Anyone interested in Ham Radio. No need to be a licensed ham operator. No need to be a hiker. 

WHAT: Parks-On-The-Air (POTA) activation of Blue Hills Reservation
 
WHEN: Saturday May 15th, beginning at 10am until you go home.  
WHY: Just because darnit! And you can get a POTA point…
 
WHERE: Houghton’s Pond in the Blue Hills Reservation (in the field near Picnic Site 5 on the Houghton’s Pond Brochure). 
 
PARKING: Preferred Parking is across from the intersection of Blue Hill River Road and Eileen Road (42.207692, -71.100664).
Additional parking along Blue Hill River Road toward the ball fields and Hillside Street. See Maps.
 
HIKING: If there is interest, some of us will hike up Great Blue (from the Reservation Headquarters to the Eliot Tower/ Blue Hills Observatory). Great Blue is the tallest hill in the blue hills. We will take the Racoon Hollow Path which starts across from Houghton’s Pond. See map. We will see who is interested the day of, and decide how/when to proceed then. NOT EVERYONE HAS TO GO! Flatlanders can stay in the field and keep activating POTA!  There is no road to the top of Great Blue that is open to the public to my knowledge. 
 
Notes: 
 
1) The Blue Hills is tremendously popular. People are constantly coming and going. There is a ton of parking, but it still may fill up. Just be patient and you’ll get a spot. We are going to try to get there on the early side though. I of course have an unmistakable green van…look for it! 
 
2) Bring your own radio equipment or use ours!
 
3) No ham radio license necessary to enjoy this outing. 
 
4) Bring a handi-talkie.  Set it to the STARS W1UQ repeater (see #4).   We will have a Radio Adventure NET on the W1UQ (i.e. STARS) Repeater at noon. (146.985 Output, 146.385 Input, PL In 88.5, PL Out 88.5). We will monitor the repeater. I’ll try to monitor 146.52 as well. 
 
Yours Truly, 
KM1NDY
Foxhunting / Operating

KD1D Fox Hiding in Westford, May 1, 2021

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Alan Hicks, KD1D, writes on NEMassFoxHunters list on May 1, 2021 at 12:50 PM:
 
The KD1D Fox is now transmitting from an undisclosed location in Westford.
 
It is in a Conservation Area near a body of water with the name of a famous Massachusetts political family.
The area has two official parking areas:
 

One has an obvious name referring to a trail.  The other is on a road named after a particularly large State.

Another access point is at the end of a road named after what grapes grow on and a mini river, often thought of as “babbling.”

This entry way is graced with “No Trespassing” and “Private Property”  signs, but if you walk to the left of the gate, you will actually be on Town land.  Just be sure to park up the street.  I mention this alternate entry for those wishing to avoid a long walk.

If you need additional clues, email me at my callsign @arrl.org

The Fox has a new voice message.  It contains some unwarranted braggadocio, which I will change next time.  Meanwhile, enjoy the area!

73 de KD1D
Regulation & Advocacy / Technical

Additional RF Exposure Rules Presentation, May 4, 2021

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Dan Brown, W1DANEastern MA Technical Coordinator Dan Brown, W1DAN, will hold another presentation addressing the new FCC RF exposure rules on May 4 at 7:30 PM using the ARRL GoToWebinar platform. 

His April 27 talk was a hugely successful–a maximum number of 100 connections for the call was reached just as the discussion started. The GoToWebinar has a much higher limit and should accommodate all who are interested.  ARRL Laboratory Manger Ed Hare, W1RFI, will serve as Technical Moderator on the call.

To sign up for the presentation, visit:

Tech Support: (833) 851-8340
 
Clubs

N8HM: “Ham Satellites and AMSAT” at Barnstable ARC Meeting Online, May 3, 2021

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Barnstable ARC logoNorm Cantin, WA1NLG, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:
 
This month our guest speaker for [the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club‘s May General Meeting on May 3, 2021 at 7 PM] is  Paul Stoetzer (N8HM), AMSAT Exec. VP, who will present an Introduction to Ham Satellites and AMSAT. 
 

[For Zoom conference details, contact Rich Cady, N1IXF, at recady -at- att -dot- net.]

 
Regulation & Advocacy / Technical

RF Exposure Rules Discussion Video Posted to Internet

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Dan Brown, W1DANThe April 27, 2021 RF Exposure Rules Zoom Discussion by Eastern MA Technical Coordinator Dan Brown, W1DAN, has been posted to the Eastern MA ARRL website at: <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_qIGZhHyMrha-axJt87Dcu0UZuJO0t8F>. 

The discussion was a huge hit. The maximum number of 100 connections for the call was reached just as the discussion started; many late arrivals were disappointed to be turned away, but W1DAN plans to hold at least one additional online discussion before the May 3 deadline using a larger “Zoom room.” 

Watch this space for details. 

Emergency Communications / Public Service

Falmouth CERT Team Assists at Local Vaccination Clinics, April 26, 2021

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CERT logoHenry Brown K1WCC, Falmouth CERT Communications Officer, writes:

Falmouth (MA) CERT Team has so far assisted Barnstable County with operations at six vaccination clinics set up at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds in East Falmouth.

The clinics usually run from 1000 to 1600 local time, with over 500 people being vaccinated in most cases.

Falmouth CERT Team has been given the use of a retired Town of Falmouth ambulance as a Responder vehicle. The Responder is equipped with Falmouth Fire/Police communications gear as well as a 2 meter amateur transceiver and handheld radios. CERT members supervise incoming and outgoing vaccine patient vehicles, since the clinic is “drive through”, patients getting their shots in their cars.

Having the Responder on-site is a great advantage, as it gives the Team a place to take a quick break as well as holding the necessary comms and safety gear.

In addition to unlicensed CERT members, Falmouth CERT consists of nine licensed hams, including Henry, K1WCC; Mel, KC1ELB; Dan, KC1MUA,;Andy, K7ADA; Bob, K1MJJ; Lauren,W1LKF; Gene, KX1C; George, K1GRH and Jean, KC1JLO. During shelter activations on Cape Cod, Falmouth CERT is responsible for operating the shelter as well as setting up shelter communications with Falmouth ARES.

 

Clubs / Technical / Youth

AK1WI: “Adventures in Home Brew SDR Design” at New England Sci-Tech ARS, April 27, 2021

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AK1WI homebrew SDR radioAK1WI will present “Adventures in Home Brew SDR Design” at the New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society on April 27, 2021 at 7:00 PM. 

In this talk, Derek will describe his multi-year project to develop the hardware and software for a stand-alone SDR system using the “Teensy” family of microcontrollers from PJRC.  In particular, it uses the Teensy Audio Library structure, hence its name “AudioSDR.”   The software is now freely available from GitHub.

Derek will describe the origins of the project from a graduate course he was teaching in 2010, and how it was not initially intended for ham radio, but rather as an exercise in applied DSP (digital signal processing).   He will describe in very broad terms the structure and operation of the system.    Math will be kept at a minimum. 

The talk will also cover the associated hardware for the RF front-end and the LCD display, as well as how the system is controlled, and the software structure for the Teensy Audio Library coding.   We will look at (extremely) over-simplified seudo-code to demonstrate concepts of real-time software.  We will write such code for an SDR version of the humble crystal-set – the simplest of all radios.

Derek will also discuss current developments and future enhancements for AudioSDR, including the addition of a transmit function to make it a true transceiver. 

If feasible we will have a demonstration of the operation, or at a minimum, pre-recorded sound clips of the output.

Regulation & Advocacy / Technical

New FCC RF Exposure Rules Discussion via Zoom, April 27, 2021

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FCC logoEastern MA Technical Coordinator Dan Brown, W1DAN, writes:

QST!

The new FCC RF exposure rules become effective May 3, but do not fret! I will explain what we should do. Please forward this invite to anyone you may think is interested.

Dan
W1DAN
EMA-ARRL Technical Coordinator

—

Dan Brown is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: RF Exposure
Time: Apr 27, 2021 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98941600273?pwd=TDc2Mjd4NldWdjBtdzlwY0JGRjhkZz09

Meeting ID: 989 4160 0273
Passcode: 134832
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,98941600273#,,,,*134832# US (New York)
+13017158592,,98941600273#,,,,*134832# US (Washington DC)

Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

Meeting ID: 989 4160 0273
Passcode: 134832
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abXuYdDvqm

Clubs / Technical

Tape Measure Antenna Build at Bristol County RA, May 1, 2021

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Fall River ARC bannerThe Bristol County Repeater Association  / Fall River ARC will conduct a tape measure antenna build party on May 1, 2021 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the South Swansea Baptist Church in Swansea.  The club asks for $20.00 to cover materials. They will supply the tape measures, 1/2″ PVC pipe and fittings, clamps, and a connection for your radio.

For more information visit the club web site at <https://bcra.club/bcrawprel/2021/04/06/fox-hunting-antenna-build/>.

Operating

Armed Forces Day Crossband Test, May 7-8, 2021

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MARS logoThe Army Military Auxiliary Radio System will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test, scheduled for May 7-8, 2021. This annual event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators, and will not impact any public or private communications. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event, which is only an exercise scenario, designed to include hobbyist and government radio operators alike.
 
The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly-controlled exercise scenario that does not impact any public or private communications.
 
For a complete list of participating stations, modes, frequencies, and times, go to http://www.dodmars.org/home/armed-forces-day-2021.
Foxhunting / Operating

KD1D Fox Is “On the Run” in Westford, April 23, 2021

- by k9hi - 1 Comment

Alan Hicks, KD1D, writes on NEMassFoxHunters list on April 23, 2021 at 1:43 PM:

The KD1D Fox is out for its first run of the spring operating on 146.565 MHz (FM) with a 30 second transmission at one-minute intervals. 
To find it, try heading out of the Westford Common Area in the direction of the Westford Knight and an educational institution that may remind you of the leader of a monastery.  You should start hearing the signal within a 1/4 mile or less.

More clues will be available upon request.

If you find it, be sure to sign the logbook  and record the time and date or send a photo to my callsign at arrl.net.

The audio seems to be down a bit and it may transmit a few “clicks” between messages.   I hope to iron out these minor problems next time around.

Happy hunting and 73 DE KD1D (Alan)

Regulation & Advocacy

FCC Issues Enforcement Advisory: Radio Users Again Reminded Not to Use Radios in Crimes

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FCC sealARLB013:

On April 20, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau issued a new Enforcement Advisory, repeating the admonishments contained in a January Advisory that no licensee or user of the Amateur or Personal Radio Services may use any radio equipment in connection with unlawful activities of any nature.

The Enforcement Advisory can be found online in PDF format at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-21-453A1.pdf.

The Commission specifically cautioned that individuals found to have used radios in connection with any illegal activity are “subject to severe penalties, including significant fines, seizure of the offending equipment, and in some cases, criminal prosecution.”

In addition, licensees should be aware that illegal operation in any service or band, including completely outside the amateur allocations, could potentially disqualify a person from holding any FCC license in any service, not just the Amateur Service.

Any amateur observing a suspicious infraction that might be of illegal or criminal nature should report it to their local law enforcement office or the FBI.