Boston ARC Parks On The Air Activation, July 27, 2024

Boston ARC logoBrendan Baldonado, NW1S, writes on the Boston ARC mailing list:
 
The BARC Summer POTA event is this Saturday!
 
What: 2024 BARC POTA event
Where: Herter Park / Charles State Reserve
When: 10 am on July 27th
 
Bring yourself and a radio if you have one, and lunch and refreshments.
 
I am planning to Park at the parking lot labeled Christian Park Parking, the address is 1075 Soldiers Field Road. When coming from Downtown or Easterly routes, It is the third parking lot after the set of lights  after the Arlington/Route 3 split near the Elliot Bridge. From Westerly routes it’s the third parking lot after making the reverse direction on Soldiers field road. We will plan to be East of the Herter Park amphitheatre. Any changes will be posted via this thread on the morning of. 
 
 
We will meet around 10 am and set up, for any new people to POTA we can help you activate your first park. I will plan to be there for a while for anyone that can’t make 10 am. Let me know when you can be there and I’ll make sure to stick around. 
 
We can all go for some adult beverages at the Owls nest around the corner after. 
 
A review of the POTA website for rules is encouraged, https://parksontheair.com/
 
Otherwise the goal is to have some fun, play some radio, get on and learn HF if you’ve never done so before.
 
Questions and Comments can be answered here or in a less public way with a direct email to me, nw1s.brendan@gmail.com
 
Reply if you are planning on or thinking of coming to the POTA event!
 
Thanks and see you all there.
 
 
Brendan – NW1S

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) – Saturday 7/13/24 – 1000 AM EDT

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH writes:

Good Afternoon,

On Saturday July 13, 2024 the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM.

We realize that some locations, individuals, and groups may be subject to COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net if possible. Even if you cannot reach all the systems being used, please check-in on those you can.

We will use the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. West Bridgewater Repeater 146.775 dcs 244
2. Dartmouth Repeater 147.000 tone 67.0
3. DMR -Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot :1 on the following NEDECN repeaters: Boston 449.175 -5.M CC:1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC:1, Sagamore 145.200 – 0.6M CC:10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC:11, East Falmouth 145.210 -0.600 CC:9, Martha’s Vineyard145.180 -0.600 CC:10, and Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC:12.
4. Attleboro Repeater 147.195 tone 127.3
5. Simplex 147.420

We will then return to the West Bridgewater Repeater for Net closing.

NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check-in procedure which is: Here is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

73,

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH

South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
55 Fogg Rd. Mail-Stop 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Saturday July 6, 2024 Eastern MA hospital Net postponed to Saturday July 13th, 2024 at 1000 AM EDT

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH writes:

Good afternoon everyone,

The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group will hold the Eastern MA Hospital Net on July 13,2024.

The NET usually held on the first Saturday of the month is being postponed 1 week until July 13th.

Given the first Saturday in July is so close to the July 4th holiday, and many folks are extending the holiday through Friday and into weekend, we thought it best to hold the NET on the following Saturday.

Jeff N1SOM, will send out a notice with the repeaters being used on the 13th sometime this week giving everyone an ample opportunity to be prepared for the NET.

Happy 4th of July! We hope to hear you on the air Saturday July 13th.

73,

John K1JRO and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH

South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
55 Fogg Rd. Mail-Stop 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Reminder: July 1st, 2024 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Mike “Sparky” Leger, N1YLQ, Region 2 RACES Radio Officer writes:

Hello to all,

This email is the typical monthly message to let everyone know that
Monday evening, July 1st, 2024 is our first non-holiday Monday of the month
and, as such, will be the next RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. I would
like to thank the stations that checked into our nets last month. I would also like to
thank those stations that have helped with Skywarn operations over the last few
weeks as the weather has kept that comms team particularly busy!

Please note that the 80m HF Voice net will have a Net Control Op with lower than
usual power. Please use relays and patience as necessary to move messages through
the net this time around.

As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector
nets for the evening. This month I am working my shift with the fire department and will
be unreliable at best as NCOfor the Sector 2A net. If anyone would like to act as NCO, for the 2A net please let me know! The other Sector Nets and the HF and Winlink nets should all be covered this month for NCOs.

For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control
Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple
and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at
http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and
http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role-call lists on the left column near
the bottom. If anyone is worried that they may mess up running a net, please
remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no
net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net
Control Operator is asked to please send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com
letting me know who ran the net and who checked
in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We
cannot always count on our normal net control operators to be available in
the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be
prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph:

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. June 3rd and before midnight EST June
4th (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D

I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to
check into sector nets from near-by sectors. This will allow our Net
Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and
will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments
in the event that a single repeater is out of service.

For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to
remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into
your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of
participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to
show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may
need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide
back-up communications in an emergency.

I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain
prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that
we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the
Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and
served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to
serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where
they need to be.

If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have
them contact me at WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution.
Thank you all!

If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or
cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to
hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)
MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer
C: 508_995_0203

New Amateur Satellites Expected to Launch on July 2, 2024

AMSAT logoJoe Fitzgerald, KM1P, writes on the Sci-Tech ARS mailing list:
 
Several satellites carrying Amateur radio payloads are expected to launch next week.    While launches are often delayed due to technical and weather issues, presently the launch is scheduled 0403 UTC July 2, or slightly after midnight local time.  New England Sci-Tech and its crack team of orbital analysts stands ready to supply the amateur radio community with the Two Line Elements, AKA TLEs that describe the orbit of an earth satellite via daily bulletins.  TLEs are used by tracking software to determine exactly when satellites will pass overhead, and where to point your antennas.

The satellites in this mission are designed to be in a “sun synchronous” orbit which takes advantage of the slight bulge of the earth at the equator nudge the orbit the orbit such that it passes over ground stations  at approximately the same times every day.    Since this launch is at 9 pm local time, we expect these satellites to pass over us at about 9AM and 9PM daily .   This orbit was chosen in part to assure that these spacecraft are always in sunlight reducing the need for on board batteries.    If you don’t want to stay up to watch the launch, don’t despair, you can listen for the new baby satellites on Tuesday morning once the rotation of the earth places us under the orbital plane of these birds.    Below is a summary of the satellites transmitting in the amateur satellite service, more details of these and other payloads transmitting in other services are available.

MESAT-1 has a 30 kHz wide V/U Transponder plus a 1k2 BPSK telemetry downlink. Telemetry downlink 435.800 MHz with transponder downlink 435.810-435.840 MHz, and transponder uplink 145.910-145.940 MHz   Note:   the ham radio equipment on this spacecraft was provided by NEST partner AMSAT.
 
Serenity has a  4k8 FM with AX25 on 437.100 MHz
 
CatSat UHF downlink using 9k6 or 38k4 GMSK but will also relay WSPR and FT8 signals from HF. Downlinks on 437.185 MHz and 10470.00 MHz
 
KubeSat 1 UHF downlink using 9k6 GMSK. A downlink on 437.085 MHz
 
SOC-i UHF downlink using 4k8 GMSK. downlink 437.125 MHz
 
 
-Joe KM1P

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday July 1st, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The July Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday July 1st, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.

For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net and if a NTS practice message is made available, we will have a NTS practice message sent over the net as we started doing those messages in these nets starting in October 2023.

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
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Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 7/1/24 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph, AB1PH, Walpole area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week, For July 2024, the RACES nets will be held on Mon July 1 at:

********************************************************************************

Time: July 1 @ 6:45 PM ET
Frequency: 3930 KHz moving up to the first free frequency

Net Control: Matt KC1FA

*********************************************************************************

Region 2D VHF net:
7:30 PM ET VHF net on 146.865 MHz PL 103.5 (Sharon Repeater)
We will have a general call up of any RACES, ARES, or other interested stations. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.
Jim WJ1R will be net control.

********************************************************************************

HF 80 meters NBEMS net:
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22
We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.
Alan WA1AR will be net control

*********************************************************************************

Winlink Net:
Bryan Marcotte KF1D will be net control.
Send a winlink checkin form to KF1D, copy AB1PH, between 0600 Monday July 1 and 2400 Monday July 1.

We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph

Reminder: June 3rd, 2024 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Hello to all,

    This email is the typical monthly message to let everyone know that Monday evening, June 3rd, 2024 is our first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, will be the next RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. I would like to thank the stations that checked into our nets last month as well as those stations that participated in the section emergency exercise that occurred this past weekend. This month kicks off Hurricane Season and we should all be getting on the ball to be able to assist and respond to emergency communication needs in our communities. While the peak timeframe of concern for our part of the country tends to be on the later end of the season, forecasters seem quite concerned that this season may be much more… fruitful… than recent seasons and will bear close watching all season long.

      Please note that the 80m HF Voice net will be cancelled this month as there is expected to be no NCO available for the net. More information should be coming out in the near future regarding trying to bolster the NCO capabilities of this important, statewide and region wide net. The 80m NBEMS net is expected to continue as scheduled in its normal monthly fashion.

      As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I expect to be able to run the Sector 2A net, however, if anyone would like to act as NCO, for the 2A net please let me know! I have NCS operators for the other remaining nets.

      For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role-call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they may mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator is asked to please send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We cannot always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. June 4th and before midnight EST June 8th  (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D

   I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service. 

   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In 6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: Net activity on this repeater has been hit and miss. Please report any activity.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency CANCELLED THIS MONTH
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local

    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.

 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at  WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!

      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)

MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer

C: 508_995_0203 

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday June 3rd, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The June Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday June 3rd, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.

For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net and we will continue the NTS practice message that we started doing in these nets in October 2023.

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – https://twitter.com/wx1box
Subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@wx1box-nwsboston-amateur-radio

Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 6/3/24 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph, AB1PH, Walpole area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week. For June 2024, the RACES nets will be held on Mon June 3 at:

********************************************************************************

No 80 Meter HF net given there is NCS station available this month.

*********************************************************************************

Region 2D VHF net:
7:30 PM ET VHF net on 146.865 MHz PL 103.5 (Sharon Repeater)
We will have a general call up of any RACES, ARES, or other interested stations. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.
Don Rolph as WA1PLE will be net control.

********************************************************************************

HF 80 meters NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22
We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.

Don Rolph AB1PH will be net control.

*********************************************************************************

Winlink Net:
Bryan Marcotte KF1D will be net control.
Send a winlink checkin form to KF1D, copy AB1PH, between 0600 Monday June 3 and 2400 Monday June 3.

We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) – Sunday June 1st, 2024 – 1000 AM ET

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH writes:

Good Evening,

On Saturday June 1, 2024 the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM.

We realize that some locations, individuals, and groups may be subject to COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net if possible. Even if you cannot reach all the systems being used, please check-in on those you can.

We will use the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. Plymouth Repeater 146.685 tone 131.8
2. West Bridgewater Repeater 146.775 dcs 244
3. DMR -Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot :1 on the following NEDECN repeaters: Boston 449.175 -5.M CC:1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC:1, Sagamore 145.200 – 0.6M CC:10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC:11, East Falmouth 145.210 -0.600 CC:9, Martha’s Vineyard145.180 -0.600 CC:10, and Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC:12.
4. Sharon Repeater 146.865 tone 103.5
5. Simplex 147.420

We will then return to the Plymouth Repeater for Net closing.

NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check-in procedure which is: Here is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

73,

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH

Reminder: May 6th, 2024 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Hello to all,

    This email is the typical monthly message to let everyone know that Monday evening, May 6th, 2024 is our first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, will be the next RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. I would like to thank the stations that checked into our nets last month as well as those stations that participated in the section emergency exercise that occurred this past weekend.

      As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I am on my 24 hour Fire/EMS shift (Yes, Group A on my department has been landing on net night a lot in the last few months hopefully that will end soon!) and I may not be able to run the Sector 2A net. As such, I am looking for any interested operator that may want to take that net to prevent the net from not occurring. If there is no Net Control Operator at the start of the net I strongly encourage any of the on-frequency stations to take over as NCO and run the net and submit a net report via email. If anyone would like to act as NCO, for the 2A net please let me know! As always I am looking for NCS operators to lead the Sector 2B (Plymouth County) net. Sector 2D has already arranged for an NCS operator for this month’s net and Sector 2C is a Winlink only net on a monthly basis.

              For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role-call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they may mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator is asked to please send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We cannot always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

 Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. May 6th and before midnight EST May 7th  (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D

    I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service. 

   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In 6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: Net activity on this repeater has been hit and miss. Please report any activity.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency 18:45 Local
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local

    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.

 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at  WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!

      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)

MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer

C: 508_995_0203 

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday May 6th, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The May Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday May 6th, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.

For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net and we will continue the NTS practice message that we started doing in these nets in October 2023.

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – https://twitter.com/wx1box
Subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@wx1box-nwsboston-amateur-radio

Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 5/6/24 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph, AB1PH, Walpole area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week, For May 2024, the RACES nets will be held on Mon May 6 at:

********************************************************************************

The HF net will start at 6:45 PM ET: using the following frequency plan:
We will start at 3930 KHz moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency,
Marc Stern WA1R will be net control.

*********************************************************************************

Region 2D VHF net:
7:30 PM ET VHF net on 146.865 MHz PL 103.5 (Sharon Repeater)
We will have a general call up of any RACES, ARES, or other interested stations. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.
Don Rolph as WA1PLE will be net control.

********************************************************************************

HF 80 meters NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22
We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.
Don Rolph AB1PH will be net control.

*********************************************************************************

Winlink Net:
Bryan Marcotte KF1D will be net control.
Send a winlink checkin form to KF1D, copy AB1PH, between 0600 Monday May 6 and 2400 Monday May 6.

We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
_._,_._,_

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) Saturday May 4th, 2024 at 1000 AM ET

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH writes:

Good Evening,

On Saturday May 4, 2024 the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM.

We realize that some locations, individuals, and groups may be subject to COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net if possible. Even if you cannot reach all the systems being used, please check-in on those you can.

We will use the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. West Bridgewater Repeater 146.775 dcs 244​
2. Sharon Repeater 146.865 tone 103.5​
3. DMR -Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot :1 on the following NEDECN repeaters: Boston 449.175 -5.M CC:1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC:1, Sagamore 145.200 – 0.6M CC:10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC:11, East Falmouth 145.210 -0.600 CC:9, Martha’s Vineyard145.180 -0.600 CC:10, and Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC:12.
4. Attleboro Repeater 147.195 tone 127.3
5. Simplex 147.420

We will then return to the West Bridgewater Repeater for Net closing.

NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check-in procedure which is: Here is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

73,

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH

Titanic Event and POTA Operation Update, April 12-14, 2024

W1MGY QSL cardBarry Hutchinson, KB1TLR, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:

 

The Titanic event for 2024 has been delayed and set with stumbling blocks. We originally planned as operating as a POTA station, but after month of attempts never got final approval from the headquarters of the Cape Cod National Seashore. We have operated from the visitors center as well as from the old Coast Guard station in the past. They are new people in charge and new rules.

NOTE: Members of the club will be operating from home stations, 05:00 UTC – 17:00 UTC on the 12th and 13th. On the 14th we will operate from 05:00 UTC until 22:40 UTC and then relay a memorial message.

If you would like to operate in a time slot for this event please contact W1MGY trustee- Barry / KB1TLR. Calling or texting my phone at 508-237-3429 would be the best way at this time. I do not want to smother the bands with operators. I was thinking in terms of 3 hour shifts. CW, SSB, or FT8.

I’d like the option of giving an operator two or three bands to work in his/her time slot, in case conditions are poor. If you are working different modes that would not be a problem. I need digital logging that can be merged to a master file. We will make all particulars known to operators. You will also receive a certificate of Appreciation from W1MGY.

This is the 112th anniversary of the loss of the Titanic and over 15 hundred lives. I don’t really have time for a history lesson, but you can readily look up pertinent info on the web.

Looking forward to operating with some or most of you.

73, Barry / KB1TLR; Trustee / W1MGY

[See also: Titanic Event and POTA Activation, April 12-14, 2024]

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) – Saturday 4/6/24 at 1000 AM ET

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH writes:

Good Evening,

On Saturday April 6, 2024 the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM.

We realize that some locations, individuals, and groups may be subject to COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net if possible. Even if you cannot reach all the systems being used, please check-in on those you can.

We will use the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. West Bridgewater Repeater 146.775 dcs 244​
2. Dartmouth Repeater 147.000 tone 67.0​
3. Sharon Repeater 146.865 tone 103.5​
4. Simplex 147.420

We will then return to the West Bridgewater Repeater for Net closing.

NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check-in procedure which is: Here is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

73,

Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH

Reminder: April 1st, 2024 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Hello to all,

    This email is the typical monthly message to let everyone know that Monday evening, April 1st, 2023 is our first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, will be the next RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. I would like to thank the stations that checked into our nets last month as well as those stations that participated in the section emergency exercise that occurred this past weekend.

      As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I am on my 24 hour Fire/EMS shift and I may not be able to run the Sector 2A net. As such, I am looking for any interested operator that may want to take that net to prevent the net from not occurring. If there is no Net Control Operator at the start of the net I strongly encourage any of the on-frequency stations to take over as NCO and run the net and submit a net report via email. If anyone would like to act as NCO, for the 2A net please let me know! As always I am looking for NCS operators to lead the Sector 2B (Plymouth County) net. Sector 2D has already arranged for an NCS operator for this month’s net and Sector 2C is a Winlink only net on a monthly basis.

              For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role-call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they may mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator is asked to please send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We cannot always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. April 1st and before midnight EST April 2nd  (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D

   I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service. 

   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In 6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: Net activity on this repeater has been hit and miss. Please report any activity.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency 18:45 Local
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local

    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.

 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at  WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!

      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)

MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer

C: 508_995_0203 

Operators Needed for 2024 MA Thirteen Colonies Special Event Station

Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:
 
The planning for the 2024 13 Colonies Special Event stations is in motion.  I am looking for more ops for K2H Massachusetts. The event runs from July 1 to July 7 and is usable on all frequencies and all modes. You just need to keep a log that you can submit to me right after the event ends.
 
To be an op, you just need to volunteer AND be able to get on the air for a few hours most of the 7 days. Also, you need to be able to log on to a computer, no paper logs accepted.
 
Have you ever wondered or wanted to be that rare DX that everyone is calling? That’s what it’s like being a K2H op. It’s a rush and a ton of fun.
 
Last year, K2H made 19,209 contacts. With band conditions good, we hope to exceed that and possibly beat our 21,374 from 2022.
 
Are you interested? 
 
Please contact Larry, W1AST at wb1dby@gmail.com for more info by May 1.
 
73,
 
Larry, W1AST
 
 
 
 

Larry, W1AST

  • ARRL WMA Affiliated Club Coordinator
  • Northeast HamXposition Committee Member
  • HCRA President
  • Visit my Ham Radio club website at: www.HCRA.org
  • Team K2H – 13 Colonies Massachusetts State Manager
  • Proud Member of ARRL, FCARC & YCCC
  • 413-348-3289
  • Hamop.W1AST@gmail.com

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday April 1st, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The April Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday April 1st, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.

For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net and we will continue the NTS practice message that we started doing in these nets in October 2023.

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
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