a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
The Nantucket Amateur Radio Association (W1TUK) will hold its next meeting on March 7, 2020 at 12 noon at the Nantucket Police & Fire Department in the second floor conference room, 4 Fairgrounds Road , Nantucket, MA 02554.
NARA is an ARRL affiliated club. It meets quarterly on the first Saturday of each month in: December, March, June, and September.
From the Sci-Tech ARS Newsletter, March 3, 2020:
The next club meeting of the Pilgrim Amateur Radio Club will be Monday, March 9, 2020, 7:00 PM at The Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, 195 MA-137, Harwich, MA.
Pilgrim ARC members have been active in amateur radio emergency communications, class/test instruction, and maintaining two repeaters in Truro and Harwich. PARC is an ARRL affiliated club.
The Southeastern MA Amateur Radio Association (SEMARA) will hold its monthly business meeting on March 5, 2020 at 7 PM at the clubhouse at 54 Donald Street, Dartmouth, MA.
About SEMARA: Founded in 1932, SEMARA is an ARRL affiliated club. It owns a clubhouse which sits on three acres of land. The clubhouse contains three separate operating positions, each with HF/VHF/UHF gear and desktop computers/monitors, all networked together with high-speed business-class internet. There is also a meeting hall, kitchen area and two restrooms. The club owns and operates three analog repeaters, plus an APRS digipeater and iGate.
The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will meet on March 4, 2020 at 7:00 PM. WARC member Ross Hochtrasser, W1EKG, will present on vintage aircraft radios.
WARC holds a winter flea market, conducts licensing classes, and participates in a number of high-profile public service events. Meetings are held at the Whitman Knights of Columbus Hall on route 18 just south of the Abington line.
This year we have worked hard to build up our volunteer numbers so that the mission may be accomplished. Unfortunately we’ve been met with lower than hoped for volunteer applications. So here’s our urgent appeal for help.
Please spread the word, personally, that comms volunteers are needed at the Marathon. In particular, we are seeking Amateur Radio communications for Course Medical tents, Hydration stations, Transportation medical Sweep and Express buses, and operators in the Course Net Control Operations Center.
Please tell your local Amateur Radio clubs and your licensed friends about the need.
To volunteer, send the following information immediately to contact@hamradioboston.org:
THANK YOU for stepping up as a volunteer. You are a vital part of a highly-trained, able team of Amateur Radio communications specialists who are making a huge, and very positive impact on this complex and expansive event. We cannot possibly thank you enough and simply cannot do the job without everyone’s enthusiasm, energy, and super volunteer spirit!
See you at the training!
Yours sincerely,
Boston Marathon Communications Committee
contact@HamRadioBoston.org
For junior high and high school students, homeschool students, and adults who already have a Technician level license, this fast-paced, two-day course will get you ready to take the GENERAL license exam. Topics range from the science of radio electronics to the FCC rules governing the radio spectrum. Some preliminary reading and study is necessary to get the best results from this course. Material will be sent approximately a week before the course.
The GENERAL level course runs Saturday, 8:30 am – 5 pm and Sunday, 8:30 am to noon, followed by the FCC General exam at noon, at New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle, Natick.
Included with course fee: printed handouts, lecture study guide, license fee if tested at our location, a guest pass to the NEAR/STARS Radio Room and radio club meetings for 2 months, and free coffee, tea, or hot chocolate during the course. Advance registration and payment required.
For more information and to register, visit <https://www.nescitech.org/product/weekend-general-class/>. For questions, e-mail bobphinney at nescitech.org or call 508-720-4179.
The February, 2020, Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/february-2020-section-news/.
Lou Harris, N1UEC, was awarded the first Louis H. Schall, W1JLI, Memorial Award at the Norwood Amateur Radio Club Dinner on February 27, 2020. The Walpole resident was “recognized for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Norwood Amateur Radio Club exemplifying the best spirit of Amateur Radio.”
Schall became a Silent Key in 2006. A longtime member of the Norwood Amateur Radio Club, W1JLI was also a founding member of the 19/79 Amateur Radio Association (K1VTE) in Malden, and a pioneer in New England Amateur Television.
Kudos to Lou Harris, N1UEC!
(via Facebook)
The Maine Bicentennial Special Event, March 16-22, 2020, recognizes Maine’s original nine counties from when the state was chartered in 1820. There will also be three other special event stations operating from Jameson Tavern in Freeport, Portland, and Boston in recognition of their contributions to Maine’s Statehood. From ARRL Web:
02/27/2020 – ARRL is seeking an experienced radio amateur to be Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at its headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. The CEO is the top compensated employee in ARRL’s management structure and oversees all operations in collaboration with the President and the Board of Directors, in accordance with ARRL’s Articles of Association, Bylaws, and Board policies. The successful candidate will ensure day-to-day management of ARRL, including fiscal operations and will oversee and make certain that its fund-raising, marketing, human resources, technology, advocacy, and governance strategies are effectively implemented.
Essential CEO functions include:
The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker with a record of significant amateur radio experience and a broad understanding of its operational, technical, regulatory, and social facets. The CEO will be responsible for effective financial and operational management and oversight.
CEO candidates should possess a bachelor’s degree or equivalent (master’s degree preferred), be an active radio amateur who has initiated or led a significant amateur radio activity within the past 10 years, and have 10 years of management and supervisory experience. Candidates should be able to demonstrate ability in providing effective leadership and management of business operations.
The position is located at ARRL Headquarters, and the successful candidate will be required to establish a residence in the Hartford, Connecticut, area.
The CEO Position Announcement includes details. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume via e-mail to ARRL Human Resources Assistant Monique Levesque.
The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, March 2, 2020 at 7:00 PM in the Dennis Police Department conference room in Dennis, MA. Entrance to the meeting area is to your right after entering through the main entrance.
It meets on the first Monday of each month unless otherwise noted.
All radio amateurs and people interested in Amateur Radio are welcome to attend. BARC members will receive a written call to meeting with more detail and a meeting agenda.
From ARRL Web:
02/23/2020 – The ARRL website and other online services will be offline on Friday, February 28, for up to 8 hours in order to conduct necessary maintenance. The outage will begin at 0500 UTC and should end by 1300 UTC. Affected will be the main ARRL website, the ARRL Store, and the ARRL contesting-related pages, including the log submission page. Logbook of The World (LoTW), email, and all ARRL Headquarters systems will not be affected. We apologize for any inconvenience.
FEMA is reporting its Independent Study Exam web materials are currently unavailable. This may impact amateurs who are in the process of taking online training for ARES membership and certification.
Per https://training.fema.gov/is/crslist.aspx: “The Independent Study Exams are currently unavailable. EMI is working to determine the cause. Currently, there is not an estimated time of recovery.”
The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will hold a bi-weekly Amateur Extra license classes for eight sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning on February 25, 2020. Some classes will be held at the Whitman Police Station; others will be conducted at the Whitman United Methodist Church. The course will wrap up with a volunteer exam session on March 19. Material will be based on the ARRL Amateur Extra Class License Manual.
The course is offered free of charge; however students are responsible for acquiring their own textbooks. Interested parties are asked to contact the course instructor, Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG via email at bavarianradio@comcast.net or by phone at 781-447-9104 or visit http://www.wa1npo.org/training/training.htm for additional information.
The Bristol County Repeater Association and Fall River Amateur Radio Club will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, March 2, 2020 from 7 to 9 PM at the Stop and Shop, 816 Grand Army Highway, Somerset, MA in the Community Room (2nd floor).
(Enter on the Fall River side near the Dunkin Donuts in the store. The stairs and elevator will be on the right. Go left on second floor.)
At their February meeting, members of the Norfolk County Radio Association plan to discuss ideas for celebrating the club’s 100th anniversary in 2021. According to NCRA president Dick Bean, K1HC, two ideas suggested are: a special event station, and a commemorative QSL card. 
Applications packages are now available for the Courage Kenny Handiham Radio Camp to be held July 21 – 28, 2020, at True Friends Camp Courage North in Lake George, Minnesota.
April 15, 2020: Due to COVID-19, Radio Camp 2020 has been cancelled. Refunds are being processed for all applicants.
Andy Wallace, KA1GTT, writes on the Billerica ARS mailing list:
Please join me in welcoming back Bruce Blain, K1BG, who is the newly appointed Eastern Massachusetts Affiliated Club Coordinator for the ARRL.
Bruce has been a popular speaker at BARS and other events and is well known for his ability to deep-dive into cause and effect – witness his recent work on the history of Incentive Licensing. As Club Coordinator, it will be very interesting to hear what Bruce plans to do to strengthen the clubs that exist in EMA. We are blessed to have 35 clubs to choose from here! As you can expect, they all bring unique politics, technical focus, membership interests, meeting facilities, etc. Bruce has his work cut out for him in herding these cats.
This will be an interesting presentation and I am sure you will have questions for Bruce about the club world surrounding BARS. See you there!
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Meetings begin promptly at 7:00 PM, first Wednesday of the month. Our meeting location in Chelmsford is at:
Chelmsford Bible Church
128 Gorham St. (Route 3A)
Chelmsford, MA 01824
Please park in back and enter by the rear door. A map can be accessed by the “Club Meetings” notice on the right side of the website.
You-Do-It Electronics is sponsoring Arduino Day 2020 on March 21, 2020 from 11 AM-4 PM at its store at 40 Franklin Street, off Route 128 Exit 19B, in Needham.