March 2024 Section News Now Available
The March 2024 Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/march-2024-section-news.
Author: k9hi
International Marconi Day Honoring Marconi on his 150th Birthday, April 27, 2024
For more information:
Barbara Dougan, trustee Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club-KM1CC
km1cc.capecod.fn51@gmail.com
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
What: International Marconi Day – Honoring Marconi on his 150th Birthday
Marconi’s 150th birthdate is April 25, 2024 (born 1874). To celebrate his contributions to wireless, simply turn on a radio and give a nod and a smile to Marconi for his lifetime efforts in advancing wireless.
International Marconi Day is Saturday, April 27, 2024. Historic Marconi radio stations around the world go on the air to make two-way contacts with each other and other amateur radio operators.
Where: Marconi Station Site, Wellfleet, MA Saturday April 27 from 10 AM-3 PM. (The event will be held inside the Salt Pond Visitor Center, Eastham in case of inclement weather.)
Who: The Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club and the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club are partnering with Cape Cod National Seashore to serve as an official International Marconi Day Station.
The public is invited to visit the site to learn about Marconi’s historic Wireless Station that is famous for sending the first wireless transatlantic message from the USA to Europe (1903) and its ship-to-shore messages. High frequency radio operators will make live contacts around the world using Morse code and voice. A radio talk in station is planned for visitors to make local radio contacts and learn how to become amateur “ham” radio operators. Weather permitting, a kite antenna will be used for some radio contacts.
VE6HQ: “VHF-UHF Test Bench Equipment—A Practical and Cost-Effective Approach” at Sci-Tech ARS Hybrid Meeting, March 19, 2024
The Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society will meet on-line and in-person on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 7 PM and feature: “”VHF-UHF Test Bench Equipment—A Practical and Cost-Effective Approach” by Don Westacott VE6HQ,
Description:
Amateur radio operators are sometimes faced with the challenge of making effective test measurements while limiting investment in a large range of expensive test equipment. This presentation is aimed at practical and cost-effective methods that provide useful results for testing radio equipment operating at VHF and UHF frequencies.
Bio:
Don has pursued a lifelong interest in science and engineering beginning as a youth in western Canada, receiving his first amateur radio license at the age of 15. Don has a degree in Electrical Engineering and has worked in the Energy Exploration industry in Canada, the United States, Europe, South America, the Middle East and the Far East. He is the holder of numerous U.S. patents, has been a guest lecturer at the Colorado School of Mines, and received the prestigious Hart Energy Innovators Award. After more than 50 years, he rejoined the amateur radio ranks and is currently active on 20 meters and VHF / UHF bands.
K9HI: “Project ASCEND” at the North Shore Radio Association Hybrid Meeting, Peabody, March 18, 2024
The North Shore Radio Association meets on Monday, March 18, 2024 at 7:30 pm. Doors open at 7 pm at Peabody Municipal Light Plant. This evening’s meeting will be both in-person and via Zoom.NOTE: To get to the meeting location of the Peabody Municipal Light Plant, Warren St Ext. for the next few months, you MUST turn right on to Endicott St from Rte 114; Endicott Street at Lowell Street has been closed.
Phil Temples, K9HI, will present on Project ASCEND (“Amateurs Supporting a Collaborative Environment for New ham Development”), a comprehensive program designed to advance the Amateur Radio experience for the Technician class amateur and provide the needed mentoring and connection with the active ham community. It is a multi- faceted, high-touch program that leverages the time- honored tradition of mentoring – but with the goal to support and nurture hundreds to thousands of new and inactive hams.
Barnstable ARC To Begin Girl Scout Outreach Initiative
Lem Skidmore, W1LEM, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:
As I mentioned at the BARC Membership meeting last Monday, we are beginning to work with Girls Scouts on the Cape.
Our focus will be the ARRL Radio and Wireless Technology Patch Program and World Thinking Day on the Air
Both programs are naturals for introducing STEM topics, which are a focus for Girl Scouts.
With 10 troops on the Cape, we need a lot of support for this program. Anyone interested in this initiative would be a great asset. In particular, we would like to invite women and anyone with Girl Scout experience, including those with daughters or granddaughters in Girl Scouts
BARC’s Girl Scout Programs Liaison is Mary Jo, KC1TNF (mayjocrna@comcast.net).
Please contact Mary Jo or me if you are interested or would like more information.
—
73, Lem W1LEM
Barnstable ARC Hosts Eversource Honorees
[At the March 4 Barnstable ARC meeting,] Eversource was thanked by Representative Christopher Flanagan for doing good work for the community getting the private power system restored to the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club’s repeater.
Rep. Flanagan is a true leader and gets it done.
—Barnstable Amateur Radio Club Facebook page
K1BG: “Affiliated Club Coordinator Role and Suggestions For Our Club” at Billerica ARS Hybrid Meeting, March 6, 2024
Bruce Anderson, W1LUS, writes on the Billerica ARS mailing list:
The March 6 meeting of the Billerica Amateur Radio Society will be in person, at the Church 182 Gorham Street Chelmsford, and on Zoom.
<…>
Topic: ARRL Club Coordinator Role and Suggestions For Our Club
Time: Mar 6, 2024 07:00 PM
Presenter: Bruce Blain K1BG
Bruce is the ARRL Eastern Mass Affiliated Club Coordinator, past president of the Norwood Amateur Radio Club, founding member, and past Vice President of the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club where he currently serves as a board member. 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.
N1JDH: “Magnetic Loop Antennas” at Cape Ann ARA Meeting, March 9, 2024
Cape Ann ARA President Brandon Hockle, NQ1W, writes on the CAARA list:Just a quick reminder that CAARA’s members meeting will be held this weekend Saturday 3/9 at noon inside the Stanwood St. clubhouse.
This month we’ll be treated to another presentation in Paul Kreuger’s Antenna Talks Series. This talk will focus on magnetic loop antennas, their design, performance, and radiation patterns. These have been a lot of fun and I always learn something new from Paul. Hopefully you will too,
Lunch will be provided by Bill Morris W1WMM for a small donation to the CAARA repeater fund. This fund is being established to help CAARA cover the many thousand dollar upgrade and repair work on our 2m antenna at Blackburn Park.
I look forward to seeing you all up there, it should be a great time!
WA1JXR: “NanoVNA” at Waltham ARA Online Meeting, February
Rich Comer, K1RBC, writes on the Waltham ARA mailing list:
The next meeting of the Waltham Amateur Radio Association will be on February 28, 2024 at 7:00 pm via ZOOM. (Zoom opens at 6:30 PM.)
We will start with a short business meeting. In the interest of time, the DRAFT minutes from the Jan 2024 meeting are provided below and will not be read during the meeting. Please take a minute and review.
+++++++
Following club business, Greg/WA1JXR will give a presentation: Introduction to the NanoVNA Vector Network Analyzer
The presentation is on the NanoVNA Vector Network Analyzer, an inexpensive unit used to measure antennas and other RF devices. The presentation will introduce the NanoVNA and show you how it works and performs RF measurements. Finally we will perform a measurement on an actual Amateur Radio Antenna and demo the free NanoVNA software.
<…>
73,
Rich, K1RBC
Club Treasurer
February 2024 Section News Now Available
The February 2024 Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/february-2024-section-news.
Balloon Kerfluffle Redux
Rusty Moore, K1FVK, writes on the Sci-Tech ARS mailing listL
We just passed the one year anniversary of the great 2023 balloon turkey-shoot, during which the USAF downed a Chinese spy balloon plus three small unidentified balloons, one of which was almost certainly K9YO-15, a radio-equipped pico balloon flown by the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade. Today the press reported that NORAD is currently tracking another small unidentified balloon, but has determined that it poses no threat to national security. As soon as I heard about this I did a quick check of SondeHub and whatddaya know, there’s K9YO-7 on the same track, over the same area, and at the same altitude as the mysterious unidentified balloon everyone is talking about. The media reports characterize it as a small Mylar balloon, about 50 feet tall (which I take to be the estimated overall height from payload to top of balloon), with a 2-foot square box hanging underneath. None of the news stories I saw mentioned anything about the K9YO balloon’s presence, or about the existence of amateur balloons in general. Surely NORAD would be checking the amateur ballooning maps, wouldn’t they? For that matter, so should serious news teams. Journalism ain’t what it used to be.
CBS News report on the balloon: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/
—K1FVK
Cape Ann ARA Tech In A Day Study Course, April 20, 2024
TECHNICIAN IN A DAY STUDY COURSE
CAPE ANN AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION
GLOUCESTER, MA
Thank you for your interest in becoming an amateur radio operator.
Our Technician In A Day Session is a study course. The course allows you to become licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as an Amateur Radio Operator.
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.com 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 – SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
CLASS – 8:00 AM TO 5:00 PM
1. You should apply and obtain a FCC Registration Number at: https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/
2. You will be charged a slight fee for this course. $40.00. (Normally, $15.00* for the Examination $15.00 for Study Materials and $10.00 for snacks and drinks which will be provided for the session.) *Minors under 18 years Test Fee is $5.00
3. The Tech In A Day Session will be almost a full day session (8 am to 5pm)
a. 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.
b. Three study sessions will be held before a lunch break (approximately 11:45am-1:00pm)
c. There will be three more study sessions in the afternoon to run to 3:45 pm.
d. Testing will begin approximately at 4:00 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 of your successful examination you will be handed a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination) (CSCE Form).
Your Exam results will be forwarded to the American Radio Relay League in Newington, CT for processing to the Federal Communications Commission. When your license has been processed, you will receive an email from the FCC requesting the $35.00 Application Fee.
PLEASE USE A COMPUTER TO MAKE THIS PAYMENT – (TABLETS AND CELLPHONES DO NOT WORK!)
Upon receipt of your payment, you will receive an email with instructions on how to download a copy of your new license.
If you would like more information, you may email us at caarave@caara.net or Telephone (978) 504-9112 for more information.
Sign-up for course: techinaday@caara.net
Titanic Event and POTA Activation, April 12-14
Lem Skidmore, W1LEM, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:
This is an annual event to commemorate the April 15, 1912 sinking of the Titanic, run by The Titanic Marconi Memorial Radio Association Of Cape Cod (a.k.a Barry KB1TLR and friends).
This year we wil also be activating the Cape Cod National Seashore for Parks on the Air (POTA).
We’ll be operating from the Salt Pond Visitor’s Center April 12-14 (the ship struck the iceberg on the 12th). See https://www.nps.gov/caco/
We’ll need operators to make contacts around the world, assist with logging QSOs, meet and greet the public, and enjoy themselves. There will always be a General or Extra class operator present, so all licensed amateurs will be able to operate on HF. This is a good opportunity for Technicians to get some experience on HF.
Contact: Barry KB1TLR
W6BI: “Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network” at Wellesley ARS Hybrid Meeting, February 20, 2024
Wellesley ARS President Dan Brown, W1DAN, writes on the Wellesley ARS mailing list:Hope everyone is enjoying a nice President’s day. <…>
Tomorrow night (February 20, 2024 at 7:30 PM) we will be at the Kingsbury Room at the Wellesley Police Station, as well as on Zoom. Orv Beach, W6BI, will introduce us to the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network.
[To obtain Zoom link, contact Dan Brown, W1DAN, at danbrownw1dan _at_ gmail _dot_ com.]
Fox Hunting Course at Boston ARC Proposed at Artisans Asylum, Allston
Chris LaRosee, KC1TSA, writes on the Boston ARC mailing list:
I’m planning to introduce a 4-weekend RF Foxhunting course and plan to pitch the idea tomorrow at our meeting. The course aims to dive into RF foxhunting, mixing theory with hands-on practice. It’s a chance to sharpen our skills and potentially draw in new faces to the hobby. Here’s the breakdown:
– **Week 1**: I’ll cover the basics—what foxhunting is, the gear we need, and understanding RF propagation with a field demo of polar patterns.
– **Week 2**: Shirley KE1L will guide us in building our own directional antennas. It’s a DIY project with immediate practical use.
– **Week 3**: Liam Platt, an electrical engineer, will help us build diode-based attenuators. We’ve got custom PCBs and all parts ready.
– **Week 4**: We wrap up with a real foxhunt, using the gear we’ve built.
**Costs & Materials**: We’re looking at around $132 per person to cover materials (antennas, attenuators, radios) if we have 5 people join. This includes everything they need to start, with a bit of margin for the unexpected.
**Goals**: Beyond the fun and learning, this could be a great way to get more people into RF and ham radio. It’s hands-on, it’s outdoors, and it ends with everyone actually using what they’ve built.
I’ll go into more detail during our meeting tomorrow, but wanted to give you a heads-up. Looking forward to making this happen!
W1MJ Fox On the Air in Burlington, February 9, 2024
Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the NEMassFoxHunters list on February 9, 2024 at 1:35 PM:
The W1MJ fox is now on the air in Burlington.
Location: Mary Cummings Park
Park web site: https://thetrustees.org/place/mary-cummings-park/
Good GPS address for parking: 30 Blanchard Rd, Burlington, MA 01803
Frequency: 147.54 MHz
Operating Schedule: Transmits once per minute from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM at least until this Sunday 2/11/2024 at 4:45 PM.
Transmitter Power: 4 watts – Be prepared with attenuator, 3rd harmonic in memory, or other techniques for when you get close
This fox has no log. Please email reports to fox@w1mj.com
More info about this fox: http://www.w1mj.com/fox/
N1DG: “DXing” at Billerica ARS Hybrid Meeting, Chelmsford, February 7, 2024
Please join us at the Billerica Amateur Radio Society meeting on February 7, 2024 at 7:00 PM. This month we are holding our meeting both in-person at the [the Chelmsford Bible Church, 128 Gorham St. (Route 3A), East Chelmsford, MA 01824] and on Zoom. We will have a large screen at the church to view the Zoom portion of the meeting. The speaker will be attending via Zoom.Don Greenbaum, N1DG, of Duxbury, MA grew up in New York City and the NJ Shore. His father, WA2UDV, was his radio mentor and two other siblings also had their licenses by the time Don became WN2DND at age 11 in 1962. After Don advanced to WB2DND and became active in traffic nets and DX earning WAS and DXCC before going to college and becoming inactive for 10 years. Upon his return to the bands after incentive licensing, Don upgraded to Extra class and changed his call to N1DG. He has continued his love of DXing and contesting, Don has worked all entities on mixed modes and only needs P5 on CW. His mixed country total stands at 358 and he has DXCC on 9 bands and 5BWAZ. His Challenge total is 3,056.
K9HI: “Project ASCEND” at the Barnstable ARC Meeting, February 5, 2024
Phil Temples, K9HI, will give a presentation on “Project ASCEND” at the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club at 7 PM on February 5, 2024.
Project ASCEND is a comprehensive program designed to advance the Amateur Radio experience for the Technician class amateur and provide the needed mentoring and connection with the active ham community. It is a multi- faceted, high-touch program that leverages the time- honored tradition of mentoring – but with the goal to support and nurture hundreds to thousands of new and inactive hams.
BARC meetings are held monthly on the first Monday of each month, at 7 PM at the Brewster Police Department – Community Room, 631 Harwich Rd (Rt 124), Brewster, MA 02631.
Meetings are conducted in person with a Zoom session for folks who are unable to travel to Brewster. Invitations with the Zoom invite are emailed prior to the Monthly Meeting. For contact information, visit https://barnstablearc.org/?q=node/237.
KC1TSA Fox Deployed, Allston-Brighton Neighborhood of Boston, February 3, 2024
The KC1TSA fox is now deployed.
Frequency: 446.025 MHz
Location: Lower Allston/Brighton Neighborhood of Boston
Transmission Schedule: Every 30 seconds Sunday (2/4) starting 5AM and lasting until10PM
Disclaimer: The fox is NOT on private/residential, church, or school property. Looking in these places is not endorsed and discouraged. Further, I am not providing a starting location where the signal can be heard, but I will say that the fox is operating on pretty high power (UV5R Based), and driving around the area or walking to high places should get you to the signal.
Beginners: text me for additional hints, such as the best parking place or if you wish to borrow a directional antenna.
Happy Hunting,
Chris, KC1TSA
617-378-2354 (text preferred)
617-378-2354 (text preferred)
AED Training at Southeastern MA ARA Club House
Richard A. Netinho, AC1JG, writes on the SEMARA mailing list:
Just a reminder, we are having a training on the new AED [automated external defibrillator] and hands only CPR. This training will be held on Sunday 2/4/24 after the coffee hour at 11:00AM. There is no cost associated with this training. It should not be longer than 1-2 hours. All are welcome to attend. Try to respond to this email, so we will bring enough handouts and certificates.