Author: k9hi

Youth

NVARC Members Participate in Bromfield Science Fair

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NVARC display at Bromfield Science Fair
W1PJE photo

Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes in the March, 2019 issue of Signal:

As part of my continued effort to explore how to connect youth with Amateur Radio, I decided to learn more about an annual activity that I know takes place in my town—The Bromfield Science Fair. The Bromfield School is the public middle/high school in Harvard, MA. I’ve been aware of their science fair ever since my children attended school there. During the past year, I reached out to Deb Pierce, the teacher at Bromfield who coordinates the event, and found out how to participate.

I had two broad goals: to introduce young people to amateur radio, and to find a champion amongst the Bromfield faculty—someone who would incorporate amateur radio into the curriculum, or sponsor an after school activity like an amateur radio club. Four of us actively participated in judging the event on the afternoon of March 8th—me, Jim AB1WQ, Phil W1PJE, and Skip K1NKR. Community organizations like NVARC select projects that fit into their broad scopes of interest and judge those projects. Frankly, none of this year’s projects were specifically amateur radio related, but a number had some connection to the broad subject of “electromagnetics”. We split into two teams of judges – Jim and I and Phil and Skip. Of the seven projects we reviewed, three jumped out at all of us:. “Constructing a Polarimeter” by seniors Liam Makosky and Jacob Catalina, “Remote Sensing” by junior Lucy Bodtman, and “Harnessing Kinetic Energy from Footsteps for Electricity” by 8th grader Imogen Slavin. Awards were presented in the evening.

NVARC was also given the opportunity to have a table to display information regarding amateur radio. Stan KD1LE, Ralph KD1SM, and Phil W1PJE helped with the table and took some photographs. The science fair winners were given an introduction into amateur radio as well, and a number of teachers showed interest in what we are doing (no volunteer yet). We had two parents (of students) and two other students show great interest in our table. So the long term outcome of this effort is yet to be determined. The best part about an activity like this is that it can be duplicated at any science fair at any high school anywhere. I live in the town of Harvard, but NVARC members live in some 20 or so communities in the area. It all takes a few hours of time one day a year, and is an amazingly rewarding activity. I’m already planning on doing it again next year. If two kids per science fair per year across the country got interested in amateur radio, the number of kids getting into the hobby would explode overnight. Please let me know if you are interested in helping out in YOUR town. You can reach me at k1bg.bruce@gmail.com or at 508-341-5124. 

Clubs / Public Service

Groton Road Race Requests Amateur Radio Support, April 28, 2019

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Ralph Swick, KD1SM writes in the March, 2019 issue of NVARC “Signal”:

Sunday, April 28 will be the 28th running of the Groton Road race. The Groton Police Department and the Race Committee are again formally requesting support from the Amateur Radio community for logistics and safety communications for this high-profile event. The Groton Road Race has been a major event for Amateur Radio in North Central Massachusetts. [The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club] has been coordinating the ham participation since the second year of the event. Many NVARC members are 26-year (soon to be 27-year) veterans. Those of you who have joined us in past years know that the runners sincerely appreciate our presence. Many say so as they run past. This event is so large that Police Departments from several other communities come to assist the Groton PD. Part of our role is to provide the communications from the Groton Police to these out-of-town officers who come to help with the event. 

Contributing to the public good is one of the reasons Amateur Radio exists. Our public service events are a key opportunity for us to show our colors, volunteer our skills and equipment, and demonstrate why it is in the public’s interest to continue to allocate precious RF spectrum to our the Amateur Radio service. The Groton Road Race is a low-stress event and a great way to gain more experience with the public service aspect of Amateur Radio. Please consider joining us on the 28th. If you are interested in helping at events like this but are unsure of what is expected of you or what equipment you may need, please do not hesitate to ask Ralph KD1SM, Stan KD1LE, or John, KK1X. You can also find detailed information about the operations in previous years at <https://www.n1nc.org>.

Public Service

YuKanRun Fool’s Dual 5K Run, Gloucester, March 31, 2019

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Christopher Winczewski, K1TAT, writes on the CAARA list:

It’s that time of the year again. Public service 2019 is starting with the YuKanRun Fool’s Dual 5K on March 31.

CAARA has a great public service team. Come out and have some fun with us. Why?  You are using Amateur Radio to provide a needed public service to ensure the safety and smooth running of a public event in local communities.

“I would but I do not have a radio.” No excuse, we have loaner radios available with a magnetic mount that will work in your car just by just plugging it into the cigarette lighter socket. We have loaner hand held radios as well!

“I don’t have transportation.” No excuse, we will pick you up and drop you off at your house.

“I do not have the time to spare for a whole race.” Well, you can commit to a time slot for just two hours. We will bend over backwards to get you to participate.

YuKanRun Fool’s Dual 5K
March 31, 9:00 AM 
5K Race Start 10:00 AM Half Marathon
O’Maley Middle School
32 Cherry Street Gloucester, MA

Clubs

QRA Presentation: HCJB “The Voice of the Andes,” March 21, 2019

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QRAThe Quannapowitt Radio Association will present Harry Chase, WA1VVH who will speak at the club’s March 21, 2019 meeting about his adventures while working at “The Voice of the Andes,” HCJB shortwave station in Ecuador. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM.

QRA membership meetings are held in the Reading Senior Citizen Center at 49 Pleasant Street in the old fire house. All are invited and holding an Amateur Radio license is not required.

Clubs / Organization

Section Manager Presentation at PART of Westford, March 19, 2019

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PART of Westford logoAt the [PART of Westford] meeting next Tuesday, March 19, our speaker will be Tom Walsh, K1TW, Section Manager for the ARRL Eastern Massachusetts section.  He will explain the various activities and appointments within the section:

“My talk is focused on the ARRL Field Organization which consists of the volunteers in a section, many of which make ARES run among many other kinds of activities.  I have a volunteer staff of 11-12 who in turn manage about 100 volunteers throughout the section, many of who are PART members already.  I explain how a section is organized and how people can be involved.”

Please come with questions about ARRL activities within the section.

Emergency Communications / Licensing Education & Training / Public Service

SKYWARN Training, Natick, May 4, 2019

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SKYWARN logoThe National Weather Service (NWS) in Boston/Norton Massachusetts will be sponsoring a severe weather spotter training session, part of its SKYWARN program.

The session is open to the public at no charge. Amateur Radio operators, emergency managers, police, fire, and other first responders are encouraged to attend. Everyone age 16 and older who stays to complete the training will be able to become trained NWS weather spotters.

The training session includes a two-hour thirty-minute computer-based presentation, which discusses the development of thunderstorms, the criteria for “severe” thunderstorms, as well as the cloud features associated with severe thunderstorms and tornados. Additional information will be presented about winter storms and proper snow measurement and reporting of coastal flooding, river, stream, and urban flooding and rainfall measurements. The session will also present the procedure for reporting weather information to the National Weather Service. Safety procedures for the various forms of summer severe weather (severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and lightning), winter storms, and flooding will also be covered in the training session. Anyone attending should bring a pen or pencil and bringing a notebook is optional.

To register, visit <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-training-class-natick-ma-tickets-57356953191?aff=ebapi>

Contact Rob Macedo, KD1CY, at rmacedo@rcn.com for any questions or further info on the SKYWARN training class.

Clubs

Mystic Valley ARG Meets, March 17, 2019

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Nick Magliano, KC1MA, writes:

The March  meeting of the Mystic Valley Amateur Radio Group will be held on Sunday, March 17, 2019 @ 9 a.m.  The meeting will be held at the Milton Auxiliary Fire Department Station, 2nd floor, 509 Canton Ave. Milton Mass. 

The building is behind the gazebo to the right of the Milton Fire Headquarters where we’ve held our Field Day Operations in past years.  Local map is attached below as a post script.

We will be monitoring the 145.43 Belmont repeater for talk-in.  Please feel free to email me with any 
questions.    kc1ma at arrl dot net

https://www.townofmilton.org/sites/miltonma/files/uploads/towncommontrafficdirectionfinal.pdf

Technical

Dan’s Tech Night, Ayer, March 14, 2019

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Dan Pedtke, KW2T, writes:

TechNight is Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 7 PM, at the Grady Research building in Ayer. See www.DansTechNight.com for details and directions.

This week we are back to the Tech Night Radio project.  I now have most of the schematic done and getting ready for the proto board layout.  We’ll go over some of the schematic, then I want to talk about one of the most useful and cheap electronic parts there is, the XOR logic gate.  I’ll show how it can be used as a buffer, inverter, schmitt trigger, level translator, polarity control, frequency doubler, phase detector, relay driver, and maybe other things I think of.  And it’s 8 cents!  I will also bring in the latest electronic mouse trap and show you what’s inside.  There is very high voltage…

Hope to see you there.

Clubs / Youth

Northeastern University Wireless Club Guest Speaker: Pete MaLellan, March 14, 2019

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From the NU Wireless Club web site:

This week during our usual meeting time [Thursday, March 14, at 503 Hayden Hall] we will be hosting Pete MacLellan from Lutron, who will be speaking about his experience at Northeastern and at Lutron.  Come to hear about coop experiences, and an exciting company in the Boston area who hosts many Northeastern coops, many of which are part of Wireless Club!

All

K1IG Featured on “QSO Today” Podcast

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The March 9, 2019 QSO Today podcast features George Allison, K1IG, Westford. Here is an excerpt:

“Sputnik and an uncle inspired George Allison, K1IG, to become a radio amateur. George had a long and successful US Navy career where radio was always the center of his activity including MARS stations, a visit to the South Pole, and the operation of very high powered VLF and ELF stations around the World. George promotes the Wordsworth method of raising CW speed above 40 words per minute.”

Operating

KM1CC Marconi Birthday Special Event Operation, April 26-27, 2019

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KM1CC signBill Kretschmer, N2KNL, writes on Facebook:

Hello fellow KM1CC friends:

We are seven weeks away from the next Marconi radio event celebrating Guglielmo Marconi’s birthday, April 25, 1874. The event will be held at the Cape Cod National Seashore, Coast Guard Station, Eastham, on Saturday, April 27, 2019. Visiting hours are 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Operating hours are Sat. 0000 UTC thru 2359 UTC. (8:00 PM Friday until 8:00 PM Saturday).

Proposed Operating Frequencies are.
80M …3.660-3.860 SSB / 3.535 CW
40M …7.130-7.260 SSB / 7.035 CW
30M …10.110 CW
20M …14.260 SSB / 14.035 CW
17M …18.160 SSB / 18.080 CW
15M …21.360 SSB / 21.035 CW
DMR …2 Meter Digital FM 4FSK , ID: 3125281
… and maybe FT8.

There will be an Extra class-licensed operator present for the entire on-air event. Most or all SSB contacts will be in the General class portions of the HF bands.

All are welcome to attend.

73, Bill Kretschmer, N2KNL
KM1CC Trustee

Clubs / Licensing Education & Training

Framingham ARA Flea Market and VE Session, April 7, 2019

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Framingham ARA logoThe Framingham ARA Spring Flea Market will take place on April 7, 2019 at the Keefe Technical School, 750 Winter Street in Framingham. Admission for buyers is $5; under the age of 12 is free. Tables are $20 in advance and $25 at the door if available. There will be refreshments, a VE session and door prizes.

For complete information, visit <https://w1fy.org/flea>.

Licensing Education & Training / Youth

New England Sci-Tech Technician License Course, March 30-31, 2019

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NE1AR logoFor junior high and high school students, homeschool students, and adults interested in wireless communications and electronics, this fast-paced, two-day course will get you ready to take the Amateur Radio Technician 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 a few days before the course.

The Technician level course runs on Saturday, 9 AM-4 PM and Sunday, 9 AM-1 PM, followed by the FCC Technician exam at 1:00, at New England Sci-Tech, 16 Tech Circle, Natick. [Full description]

 

Regulation & Advocacy

FCC Takes a New Tact in Combatting Unlicensed Radio Broadcasting

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FCC sealFrom the ARRL Letter, March 7, 2019:

In what may be a first in the effort to crack down on unlicensed broadcasters, the United States has filed a civil action to stop a church-related pirate radio station from operating in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts US Attorney’s Office is seeking an injunction to shut down the station, operating on 97.1 MHz.

“This groundbreaking step, for an injunction to stop a pirate radio operator’s illegal activities, is part of our continued efforts to combat illegal broadcasting,” FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold said this week. “As we work with our law enforcement colleagues to use every tool in our toolbox to combat pirate radio, I welcome the Justice Department’s renewed use of its Section 401(a) injunction authority. Along with fines, equipment seizures, and warnings, this action underlines our continued interest in combatting this serious problem.”

The FCC already has fined operator Vasco Oburoni and Christian Praise International Church $15,000 for repeated violations of its rules against unlicensed operation. The complaint recounts that Oburoni and the church first began operating an unlicensed station in Worcester on 102.3 MHz. After issuing multiple warnings, the FCC levied the $15,000 penalty, and Oburoni agreed to a payment plan. But later, he began broadcasting again, this time on 97.1 MHz. At least one licensed broadcaster has complained to the FCC, citing interference concerns.

Licensing Education & Training / Youth

New England Sci-Tech General Class Course, Natick, March 16-17, 2019

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New England Sci Tech logoFor 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, 9 am – 5 pm and Sunday, 9 am to 1 pm, 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.

 

Operating

Gloucester 440 Repeater on Wolf Pack Network

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Brian Gudzevich, WO1VES, writes on the Cape Ann ARA mailing list:

 
I am happy to announce that I have the long awaited link from the Gloucester 443.700 Fusion repeater to the Wolf Pack Network up and running.  This network currently features four repeaters that are either part time or full time linked.  This includes:
 
Stoneham 147.075
Gloucester 443.700
Farmington NH 147.240
Methuen 443.825
 
There is also a YSF Reflector available for use with hotspots.  You can connect your hotspot to “US WolfDen”.  Echolink works as well; you can connect to “WO1VES-R”.
 
Note, this link is still in testing.  Expect issues, and let me know if you encounter any problems.
 
I hope to be at the meeting on Saturday if anyone has any questions about the link.
 
Thanks, everyone.  Comments are always welcome.
 
 
Operating / Public Information / Youth

W1BSA Special Event Operation, USS Massachusetts, Fall River, April 27, 2019

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NE1PL QSL cardUncommon Service to Nautical Radio  will host a special event operation W1BSA aboard the USS Massachusetts in Fall River, on Apr 27, 2019 from 1000-1600 ET.  Look for W1BSA on 14.259 and 7.259.

“The Scouts stay overnight on the ship Friday and on Saturday nights,” writes Rick Emord, KB1TEE.  “We have been doing this event since 2015 and have tried to showcase Amateur Radio.” Rick adds, “we have put some of the Scouts on the air and we look forward to seeing them and other visitors to Battleship Cove.”

Stations may QSL via USTNR c/o Rick Emord, 135 Wareham St., Middleboro, MA 02346.