Author: k9hi

Licensing Education & Training

New England Sci-Tech Amateur Extra Course Begins June 1, 2020

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New England Sci Tech logoFor anyone interested in wireless communications and electronics, this ON-LINE course will get you ready to take the AMATEUR EXTRA Radio license exam. Geared toward adults, as well as high school and homeschool students.

This is a FULL course taught by a 40-yr veteran teacher, not a discussion group or video service. You will learn so much more than just watching a video.

Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Recommended text: ARRL Extra Class License Manual, 12th edition, for exams through June 30, 2024, (purchase on ARRL website). Regular practice and study is necessary to get the best results from this course.

NOTE: You MUST have a thorough understanding of the Technician and General material before taking this course.  If you are already a licensed Tech or General but have been away from radio for a while, you may request to audit (at half price) one of our Tech and/or General courses to catch up.

Current offerings:

ONLINE for 8 days, Mondays June 1 – July 20, from 6:00-9:00pm Eastern time. (Content is NEW AE material for the July 2020-2024 exams)

The FCC Amateur Extra test must be registered separately; our VE team is authorized to give ONLINE exams, so you can schedule an exam within a week of the course.

System Requirements: Computer or Chromebook capable of running ZOOM Meeting, either by Zoom app or through a browser, a built-in camera/mic, and a color printer.

Included with course fee: downloadable lecture study guide and charts, free access to our weekly Online Radio Shop Talk sessions, and a guest pass to the NEAR/STARS Radio Rooms and radio club meetings for 3 months once the facility reopens.

One additional member of the same family may take this course for the price of one, if sharing one computer, video screen, and materials.

For questions, e-mail bobphinney at nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.

Clubs

Wellesley Amateur Radio Society Meeting Online, May 19, 2020

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Dan Brown, W1DAN, writes on the Wellesley ARS mailing list:

QST!

I hope you are healthy. 
 
Our next [Wellesley Amateur Radio Society] meeting will be online via Zoom next Tuesday [May 19, 2020] at 7:30PM. Here we will vote to have online elections due to COVID-19, and then I will give a non-amateur radio talk about the Boston DTV transmission.
 
I will send out a Zoom meeting invite Tuesday. 
 
Be well and 73,
Dan W1DAN
Organization

ARRL Announces New Life 70+ Membership

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The ARRL Board of Directors recently voted to create a special Life Membership opportunity for individuals who are at least 70 years old. Starting on June 1, the Life 70+ Membership will be available to individuals who have turned 70 and have a combined 25 years of paid annual ARRL membership.

Life 70+ Members receive all benefits of an annual membership, including their choice of print magazine delivery (QST or On the Air), and digital access to these publications, plus the digital versions of QEX and National Contest Journal (NCJ). In addition, each Life 70+ Member will receive a Life Member pin and a window decal and may purchase an exclusive Life Member plaque. [Full story]

Clubs

K1USN Radio Club Holds First Zoom Session

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“Pi” Pugh, K1RV, writes on the K1USN mailing list:

Tuesday evening we launched our inaugural K1USN Zoom session. It was a great success with 27 check-ins. Future sessions will be announced and we will send out invitations to those who have indicated that they wish to participate.

Drop me a e-mail if you wish to be added to our K1USN Zoom list. Send it to pi.k1rv@gmail.com.

Looking for presentations for upcoming K1USN ZOOM meetings. Already have several planned by Rick – N1DC.

Possible subjects of interest:

  • Reverse Beacon Network
  • Contesting
  • Antennas
  • CWOPs and CW Academy
  • Propagation
  • Station Logging Software – HRD, Logic, others?
  • Contest Logging Software – N1MM+, Writelog
  • DMR
  • HT Programming
  • IRLP
  • SDRPLAY
  • Flex Radios
  • DX Cluster Filtering
  • Satellite Operation
  • Operating Aides – DX Atlas, Ionoprobe, VE3SUN DX Monitor, CW Skimmer, etc

If you have knowledge in any of these areas and would like to help or can think of additional subjects of interest, let me know.

Emergency Communications / Public Service

KD1CY Featured on Ham Radio Live! May 7, 2020

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Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Julio Ripoll, WD4R, Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, and Lloyd Colston, KC5FM from the Hurricane Watch Net and the VoIP Hurricane Net were guests on Ham Radio Live! to discuss Hurricane Preparedness Week, Weather Observers Day, the 55th anniversary of the Hurricane Watch Net, and the 40th anniversary of the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC.

The nationwide podcast and live call-in talk radio show is hosted by Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. The weekly show is also simulcast on shortwave station WTWW on 5.830 MHz. If you missed tuning in the episode, you can hear a recording by visiting https://www.spreaker.com/show/ham-talk-live and clicking on Episode #211.

Licensing Education & Training

Final Reminder: Contest University Online, May 14, 2020

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John Dorr, K1AR, writes on the Yankee Clipper Contest Club mailing list:

Good morning everyone!

Just a final reminder that CTU On-Line will be held this Thursday, May 14. Be especially sure to stay connected at the end of the day as there will be a very special presentation of great interest to YCCC members.

Check out https://www.contestuniversity.com/course-outline/ to pre-register
and be ready to go!

[See also: https://ema.arrl.org/2020/04/15/contest-university-usa-2020-on-line-may-14-2020/]
Clubs

PART of Westford Meets May 19, 2020

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PART of Westford logo“The May 19 PART of Westford meeting will be held online via video conference, starting at 7:30 PM. Details will be sent to members via Groups.io. Our guest speaker at the May meeting will be Terry, KA8SCP, who will talk about recent repeater antenna upgrades.

“During this time of “social distancing,” there’s a new PART net on 10 meters. We meet occasionally at 7:30 PM local time on 28.400 MHz. There’s usually someone listening, so if you don’t hear anyone, just announce that you’re on frequency or call CQ. Thanks to Bob, W1IS, for setting this up.” -PART of Westford web site

Clubs

W1DYJ: “Antenna Modeling” at Minuteman Repeater Association Meeting Online, May 20, 2020

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MMRA logoThe Minuteman Repeater Association will hold its May membership meeting and annual elections via Zoom teleconference on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 beginning at 7:30 PM.  MMRA will feature guest speaker Larry Banks, W1DYJ, who will present, “Antenna Modeling  Using TLW, YW, and HFTA.”

All are welcome to join the meeting. If you would like to attend, email contact@mmra.org to request conference information.

Clubs

K1USN Saturday Morning Net Moves to W1ATD 145.39 Repeater

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K1USN QSL card“Pi” Pugh, K1RV, writes:
 
We have been given the opportunity to have our K1USN Saturday morning net on the W1ATD – 145.39 ( 67 Hz ) repeater in Marshfield. I wish to thank the repeater trustee, Jeff, AJ1L, for making this possible.
 
The repeater has wide coverage and should give some additional K1USN  members an opportunity to check in. As many of you might already be aware; the W1ATD repeater has a wide range of digital mode capabilities which we may try accessing in the future, but at the present time the digital modes will be disabled during our Saturday morning net from 9 AM  to approximately 10:30 AM to eliminate any confusion while we make the transition over to 145.39.
Operating

COVID Impact to ARRL Awards Program

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ARRL flagThe following correspondence was posted on the ARRL-Awards mailing list on May 8, 2020 in response to a query about a pending award:

Congratulations on your achievements.

Our return to HQ is dictated first by the Governor of CT, and then by consideration for safety of staff and how best to manage that. 

Returning to HQ (even with minimal staff to ensure social distancing safety) is definitely still a few weeks out, and getting caught up on even the pre-shutdown backlog may take some weeks after that.  Following that are the shutdown receipts, which at this point are an unknown in part as they come from many applicants by mail – mail that has yet to be reviewed.

ARRL Awards are printed on high quality certificate stock – not a PDF printed on to paper. We know that (through this week) we have more than 1,000 Award Certificates near ready/pending printing, which will get our attention once we can safely return staff to the HQ Building.

We ask that everyone continue to be understanding and patient as we and the global community work to come out of this pandemic.

73,

Bart Jahnke, W9JJ

Radiosport and Field Services Manager
ARRL – The national association for Amateur Radio®

Clubs

Framingham ARA Meets Online, May 7, 2020

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Framingham ARA logoSumner Weisman, W1VIV, writes on the Framingham ARA mailing list:

Thursday, May 7, 2020, is the date for our usual FARA monthly meeting. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are not holding our meetings at the Framingham Police Station. Instead, we will be holding a virtual club meeting on Zoom. We welcome you to join us at 7:30 PM, and enjoy our meeting from the comfort of your home. All are probably familiar with Zoom by now. If you are not, just click on the link below and you will be in the meeting. You will need a computer with a camera and microphone. If you do not have that, you can still join the meeting by calling one of the phone numbers shown below, where you will have audio but of course no video. We hope to see you there!

73,

Sumner Weisman, W1VIV, Director

Clubs

Pilgrim Amateur Wireless Association Meets On The Air, May 8, 2020

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Hi everyone,

Stop by 5/8/20 to join us for our next upcoming On The Air Event:  the PAWA Friday Night 2 Meter Net 5 /8/20 at 7:00 PM  on our 147.135 MHz KA1GG club repeater. Everyone is welcome to check in to join us

This week:

  • Trivia question: What type of antenna you would use for your portable ham radio station
  • Projects you have been working on
  • The weather in your area

We are always glad to have you with us
___________________________________________

For Updates – Club Events – Activities

Stop by to listen for announcements on our 147.135 MHz KA1GG Club Repeater. Check in with us here on our Pilgrim Amateur Wireless Association Facebook Page. Visit us on our ARRL Club Page

Take care, be safe, please stay healthy

73 de PAWA

Licensing Education & Training

FCC Providing Flexibility to Volunteer Examiners in Developing Remote Testing Methods

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ARRL VEC logo/bannerFrom ARRL Web:

05/03/2020–The FCC has clarified that nothing in its rules prohibits remote amateur radio testing, and no prior approval is needed to conduct remote exam sessions.

“The Commission provides flexibility to volunteer examiners and coordinators who wish to develop remote testing methods or to increase remote testing programs already in place,” the FCC said in an April 30 news release. “We recognize that some volunteer examiner coordinators may not have the immediate capacity for widespread remote testing. We expect those volunteer examiner coordinators with limited remote testing capacity to work closely with those requesting such testing to prioritize any available remote testing slots.”

ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said she’s gratified to see that the FCC appreciates the need for remote testing. “Many of our VEs and VE Teams have been employing remotely proctored exam sessions with both video and in-person components, and following social-distancing protocols, where necessary” she said. “Some ARRL VE teams have shown great promise in administering exams remotely.” Somma also said that as states begin to lift restrictions, the possibility exists to restart in-person amateur radio exam opportunities.

“We urge our VE teams to keep up to date so they can make informed decisions based on local community guidelines, as each community is unique,” she said. “Our volunteers should use their best judgement when deciding whether or not to begin conducting in-person exam sessions. It is important to us that you feel confident when choosing your course of action, because the health and safety of our VEs and the examinees is the top priority. VE teams that choose to conduct in-person sessions should re-start consistent with local restrictions and guidelines.”

To find amateur radio license exam sessions in your area, visit the ARRL website. Candidates should verify with their VE teams that the exam session is being held and if any special procedures are required to attend. 

Organization

RSGB RadCom May 2020 Edition Available to All Radio Amateurs Online

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Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, writes on the ARRL-IARU list:

As another part of the RSGB “Get on the air to care” campaign, the May edition of RadCom is being made available to radio amateurs around the world to read online as a sample edition. A number of IARU national societies have taken a similar step and the RSGB is happy to join those societies in supporting the worldwide amateur radio community during these difficult times:  www.rsgb.org/sampleradcom.

Best regards,

 Steve Thomas, M1ACB
General Manager
Radio Society of Great Britain
01234 832 701
steve.thomas@rsgb.org.uk
rsgb.org

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Eastern MA Hospital Net, May 2, 2020

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Good Morning Everyone,
 
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.  The members of the South Shore Hospital Radio Group are still prohibited from entering the hospital as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. I imagine other hospitals are practicing the same precautions.  This Saturday, being the first Saturday of the month is the Eastern MA Hospital Net. We are seeking an individual to volunteer as Net Control for the month of May as well as volunteers for next few months until we can all get back to our hospital shacks. 
 
If you have access to an EOC, Home Station, or know of a location where you can reach a few repeaters from your vehicle that’s all you need. We will provide a Net Preamble that has been slimmed down taking into consideration the current environment. Attached is the list of repeaters available for our use. Select 3 you can reach from your location and I will send out the monthly notice. 
 
Thanks,
John O’ – K1JRO
 
South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
South Shore Hospital
55 Fogg Rd. Mail-Stop 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

—

Eastern Mass Hospital Net
Repeater and Simplex Frequencies

May 2020

Repeaters:
Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9
Mansfield EMA 446.925 tone 100.0
Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2
Primary Repeater: Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
Secondary Repeater: W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244

Simplex Frequencies:
Primary: 147.420
Secondary: ? (TBD)

Clubs

Billerica Amateur Radio Society Meets Online, May 6, 2020

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Andy Wallace, KA1GTT, writes on the Billerica ARS web site:

Everyone, the need for health safety has caused us to postpone club meetings at the church, our VE sessions, and our Saturday morning breakfasts. I am sure all of you are unhappy and miss getting together as a club. Me, too!

The Board has discussed the idea of virtual meetings and we have decided that next Wednesday, our normal club meeting date, we will hold a VIRTUAL ZOOM MEETING with members. I am happy to say that Phil Temples, K9HI, ARRL Assistant Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager, will help us on our maiden flight with Zoom. I am trying to line up a speaker for the meeting as we speak – likely it will be regarding Field Day 2020 during changing situations regarding stay-at-home advisories.

I will announce the link to join the Zoom meeting before the meeting date, 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 participate. We will likely have some sort of roundtable where folks can catch up.

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 next Wednesday. This will be a fresh experience for us. I can’t believe we only cancelled the April meeting – it feels like it’s been 12 months and I really want to reconnect with ham friends.

Licensing Education & Training / Operating / Youth

ARISS to Experiment with School Contacts Using “Multipoint Telebridge” Approach

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ARISS logoFrom ARRL Web:

04/29/2020 – Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is hoping to adopt a concept it’s calling the “multipoint telebridge contact via amateur radio” that will allow stay-at-home students to take part in amateur radio contacts with members of the space station crew. ARISS has used telebridge stations in the past to enable contacts at times when the ISS orbit does not pass overhead to permit a direct radio contact with the school or other location. In a conventional ARISS telebridge contact, an amateur station ground station in a favorable location for an ISS pass on the scheduled day makes the contact and handles two-way audio between the station and the contact site. ARISS said its new multipoint telebridge approach will permit simultaneous reception by families, school faculty, and the public.

“During the last several weeks, efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus have resulted in massive school closures worldwide,” ARISS said this week in a news release. “In addition, the stay-at-home policies invoked by authorities initially shut down opportunities for ARISS school contacts for the near future.”

ARISS will put its multipoint telebridge scheme to the test during a contact with a group of Northern Virginia students on April 30. For the event, an ARISS telebridge ground station will link with an ISS crew member via radio, and homebound students and their teacher will be linked individually via the telebridge station. Under the teacher’s direction, each at-home student will take a turn to ask the astronaut one question on a prepared list. [Full story]

Emergency Communications / Licensing Education & Training / Public Service

SKYWARN “Virtual” Spotter Training Sessions Offered Beginning May 7, 2020

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From: US National Weather Service Boston MA Facebook page:

[PLEASE SHARE] Are you interested in learning about severe thunderstorms & other types of weather? Next Thursday May 7th, is our first of 3 VIRTUAL Skywarn Spotter trainings! It will be provided via GoToWebinar. Register & get a link to the free training @ https://bit.ly/2We5OsK