Public Information

Public information, amateur radio publicity

Operating / Public Information

Swampscott High School Special Event Station W1B “Permission for Fun Day,” November 27, 2024

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Swampscott High School logoEric Cottrell, WB1HBU, writes on the Billerica ARS mailing list:

Swampscott High School , MA, USA . SPECIAL EVENT

Listen for us on the on the Air today Wed 11/27 as W1B

2024 Permission For Fun Day! Wed 27 Nov, 2024

Each year on the day before Thanksgiving break, our school holds a “Permission for Fun” day where teachers and students share their hobbies and interests and take part in fun and creative activities together.

This year we will be hosting an amateur radio station using the special event 1×1 callsign, W1B and having students try their hand at making contacts around the globe!

Control operator for the station is Brian, KC1OOH, a Chemistry/AP Environmental Science/Earth Sciences teacher at the school.

We will be operating voice on 10m SSB (possibly 17m, and 20m) depending on band conditions and propagation.

Some local VHF/UHF possible too.

No digital modes

Emergency Communications / Public Information

Cape and Islands ARES AREDN Test Nets Press Coverage in Sandwich’s “The Enterprise”

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Screenshot from Sandwich's "The Enterprise"Lem Skidmore, W1LEM, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:
 
Members of the Cape And Islands Emergency Communications Network–Frank WQ1O, Bruce WA3SWJ, Al WW1RF, Rich KC1TCA, Rob K1UI, Chris WA1CMR, and Paul NM1Z–assisted Sandwich Public Safety with a successful exercise.
 
Here’s some press coverage of the event (focus is on the Sandwich personnel, which is where it should be):
 
 
Public Information

“Foxboro family makes worldwide connections with ham radio”

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Joanne McLaughlin, KB1FVNFrom The Foxboro Reporter, September 26, 2024:

A local woman found a unique skill to be helpful to the community and beyond.

Joanne McLaughlin of Foxboro, a retired teacher, has been a licensed amateur radio operator since October 2000 when the Federal Communication Commission issued her call sign, KB1FVN.

McLaughlin said she started the hobby because she saw first hand some family members who are licensed amateur radio operators. Amateur radio operators can talk across town or across the world without a phone or internet.

“It also allowed me to learn something new and share a hobby with my husband and son,” she said.

[Full story]
Clubs / Public Information / Youth

Amateur Radio Presentation to Middle Schoolers, Mass Maritime, July 15, 2024

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Barnstable ARC logoLem Skidmore, W1LEM, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:

[Barnstable Amateur Radio Club] members will be presenting to  approximately 200 seventh and eighth graders at Mass Maritime on Monday, July 15, 2024.  This is a two-week program for “very smart” junior high schoolers. Evening programs are presentations o a variety of topics–ours will be Amateur Radio.

We will present from 6 PM to about 7 PM, then do Q&A and demonstration. We will be on 2m (both the BARC 146.955 repeater, and the FARA 147.375 repeater as well as HF on 10m on 28.300 and upwards, depending on band activity, and 20m 14.225 and upwards. We should be on from about 7 PM to about 8 PM .

Please look for W1MA on the air. We did this last year and the students loved it. In particular, the female students enjoyed talking with Shannon, K1WIT, on VHF, so it would be great if some of our women members could join us.

Clubs / Public Information

Harwich Brooks Park Craft Fair, Harwich, July 13-14, 2024

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Barnstable ARC logoLem Skidmore, W1LEM, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:

We will be setting up HF and VHF stations for GOTA and general contacts. 

The objectives are: public awareness of BARC and Amateur Radio, operating practice, team building, and fellowship.

We will need [Barnstable ARC] members to set up Saturday AM and teardown Sunday PM, as well 4-hour shifts all all day Saturday and Sunday to operate, and to meet and greet the public.

Please contact Mark, K4LFL, the event leader.

Field Day / Public Information

Field Day Publicity Suggestions

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ARRL Field Day 2024 logoBill McIninch, KA1MOM, writes:

This is from the Facebook open group for Field Day, a page read almost entirely by hams:

1) Posting in the Field Day group on Facebook is not likely to get you any more visibility with the public or get people to come visit your site. So if your goal is to get visitors, especially non-ham visitors, rethink where you are posting.
 
2) Make sure that your posts contain all the necessary information such as:
 
  • What the event is all about (make it understandable for non-hams)
  • Why someone might want to visit
  • Where the event is (include an address)
  • When the event is (use local times), especially when it’s open for public tours
  • Who is involved (include point of contact info) and who is invited
  • How to get more info (maybe use a QR code that takes people to a website)
3) Consider creating an Event, not just a post. Events are shared by Facebook.
 
4) Avoid technical jargon.
 
5) For other hams to find you, make sure you put your location in the Field Day Locator.
Field Day / Public Information

Boston ARC Field Day Promotional Story

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Boston ARC field day photoFrom the Westwood Minute:

Amateur Radio “Field Day” June 24 and 25, 2023, Demonstrates Science, Skill, and Service.

The public is invited by the Boston Amateur Radio Club to view the proceedings on Saturday from 2 to 8 PM and on Sunday from 10 to 1 PM at Hale Reservation, 80 Carby Street, Westwood, MA. Drop by to see them in action, learn how to join in on the hobby.

Free

Hale Reservation
80 Carby Street
Westwood, MA 02090

[Story]

 

Operating / Public Information

Boston Tea Party 250th Anniversary—Any Takers?

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Boston Tea Party paintingWill Costello, WC6DX, writes:

I read in the news that next month is the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Intrigued, I looked on the Special Events page in my issue of QST for a special call sign and was shocked to see nothing !

There’s still time for a local club to organize some event at Boston Harbor and get a 1×1 call sign and advertise it on the Special Events page on the ARRL web site.

Boston can’t let us down, this is for all America !

73 de Will WC6DX
Monterey, CA

Public Information / Youth

RadioCraft a Big Hit at “Geek is Glam” Girl Scout Event

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Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, shared on the New England Sci-Tech mailing list:

Mike Radz writes:

Dear Colleagues:

I have attached seven pictures from the “Geek is Glam” Girl Scout event held at WPI this past Saturday. My IQP team staffed a booth and offered the girls two STEM/HAM related activities: Morse code and Minecraft.

The former activity utilized Morse code kits from NEST as well as some circuitry built by the students that enabled the Girl Scouts to see the letters associated with the dots and dashes they tapped show up on a computer screen (this shown in the pics).

The later activity utilized a new “mod” that has been created for Minecraft that enables a player to build a HAM radio communication network within the game. It is in beta testing mode right now, but the WPI kids contacted the creator and arranged to get a copy to showcase at the event.

Finally, the kids created a QR code that took each Girl Scout to a survey instrument at which they could specify which activity they preferred. I have not yet seen the survey results, but the WPI kids will develop a “curriculum” based on the most popular activity and test to see whether or not it statistically influences youngsters to re-evaluate their views on STEM in a positive way.

Cheers.

Mike Radz

[The Minecraft radio mod “RadioCraft” made its official debut at the 2023 Northeast HamXposition. -K9HI]

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[Show slideshow]
Public Information

Project BIG E—Urgent Request for Additional Volunteers, September 23, 2023

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Project Big E GrantLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

We need at least one extra person for the first session from 9:30 to 4:00 pm and the second session from 3:30 pm to 10:00 pm.

Can you please help? Saturdays are very busy days and at least three people are needed in the booth.

You will be reimbursed for admission and parking after the Big E has ended.

Contact Larry Krainson, W1AST, at <wb1dby@gmail.com>.

[See https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e/ for details]
Public Information

Nantucket ARA Story in “DayBreak Nantucket”

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Bob Hall, W1RRH, writes on the Nantucket ARA mailing list:

This is the first time NARA has been mentioned in DayBreak Nantucket.  It is a nice article:

—

Celebrating Lighthouses

In case you missed it, last month the Nantucket Amateur Radio Associationcelebrated International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend for 2023 at Nantucket’s Sankaty Lighthouse. The event is part of the US National Lighthouse Week from the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. In 1989, the United States Congress declared August 7 as National Lighthouse Day, so during August amateur radio operators in America set up portable stations at lighthouses and try to contact each other. 

 

On Saturday, August 19, the Nantucket Amateur Radio Association set up two radio stations on the ‘Sconset bluff with short wave antennas draped from the lighthouse, 65’ in the air, with the goal of making radio contact with other lighthouses and ham radio stations around the world. The group wanted to acknowledge lighthouse and lightship history and encourage their preservation. NARA is the local affiliate of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), a national organization established to promote and advance the art, science, and enjoyment of amateur radio. The Nantucket group began casually to bring together amateur radio operators, or “hams,” of varied interests including occasional operators, tinkerers and experimenters, members of the Nantucket Amateur Radio Emergency Service (NARES), and non-resident hams visiting the island.

Public Information

Project BIG E Needs More Volunteers

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[For more information about Project BIG E, visit the Project BIG E page at https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e/.]

Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

We still need 43 people to fill time slots for the Big E booth.

If you haven’t signed up yet, please do so ASAP. We need your help to make this a success this year.

Here are the dates, # of people needed and a “Y” for the session time frame.

image showing Big E assignments

Here is the sign up link:  bit.ly/45Cv6mn

Or contact me direct at W1AST@arrl.net

We need more people to sign up to make this a success!
—

Larry Krainson – W1AST

  • Project Big E Organizer
  • ARRL WMA ACC
  • HCRA President – HCRA.org 
  • 13 Colonies MA State Manager (K2H) – Ask to be an op!
  • Proud Member of: ARRL, FCARC, BARS & YCCC
  • w1ast@arrl.net
Public Information

Project Big E 2023 is Looking for your Support

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Project Big E logo

The Big E is a 17-day New England fair that takes place from September 15th to October 1st this year. The start is just 4 weeks away!

It attracts attendees from all over New England, northern NJ and eastern NY. The fair takes place in West Springfield, MA.

Last year the Big E had over 1.6 million attendees from all over the northeast!

In 2022, we ran a ham radio booth at the Big E and we are doing one again this year. Twelve clubs and over 100 individuals volunteered last year. We need your help again this year!

We have been provided with a free booth that normally costs $6,000. It’s located in the Better Living Center. It attracts the most visitors and it’s the largest building on the fairgrounds.

The Ham Radio Booth aims to introduce ham radio to the public and demonstrate that the hobby is still relevant in today’s world. By getting a taste of amateur radio, we hope that some members of the general public will sign up for classes and earn their license. Afterward, we hope they will join a local club where they live. This will benefit all ham radio clubs in New England!

We learned a lot from last year, and are changing the way we do things for 2023. For example, we will staff just 3 people in the booth for each six-hour session versus 4 to 6 people last year.

We encourage clubs to reserve a 6-hour session or a full 12-hour day. The booth must be staffed from 10 am through 10 pm. We ask that volunteers for the first session of each day staff the booth from 9:30 am through 4 pm; for the second session, 3:30 pm through 10 pm to provide some overlap.

Clubs may bring banner, handouts, class information and demonstrations to show and use during their time in the booth.

We are also looking for individuals to volunteer. You do not have to be part of a club.

There is an admission fee ($15) and a parking fee ($10 per car) to the fair. We have been awarded an ARDC grant and will be reimbursing those fees to everyone who participated after the fair has ended. The reimbursements will be mailed to your qrz.com address.

We need your support to make this a success!

Please go to this link to sign up:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvo1vUzuuJTHbTtDLeApQQD1m4ZzX9kVe_hF2416e6apho3g/viewform

If you would like further information, please visit: https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e.

For more information, feel free to contact Larry Krainson, W1AST at: W1AST@arr.net.

Licensing Education & Training / Public Information

Cape Cod Ham Clubs Team Up At MA Maritime Summer Camp

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From nediv.arrl.org:

The Falmouth Amateur Radio Association (FARA) and the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) teamed up to present an overview of amateur radio to 200 junior high school boys and girls at a two week summer camp held at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne on Monday, July 17.  The two hour evening program included a demonstration of HF and VHF operation, a cube sat demonstrator, a discussion of the use of amateur radio for public service and emergency operation and an opportunity for the participants to get on the air themselves.  The benefit of  amateur radio for anyone pursuing an engineering career was highlighted.  Local opportunities to get their technician license were offered including mentoring and donations of equipment to get started.  Antennas and other on-air club members were  pre-staged to provide the attendees with an enjoyable on-air experience.

Presenters Norm, WA1NLG (BARC President), Bruce, WA3SWJ and Chris, WA1CMR (FARA President) with support by club members Ralph, N1YHS, Rob K1UI and Lem, W1LEM (taking photo) answered questions following the presentation and helped get some of the attendees on the air. 

Many of the attendees expressed an interest in learning more about amateur radio and obtaining a license. 

The evening continues an initiative being pursued by the clubs to work together on projects that benefit amateur radio on the Cape and especially EmComm.  The two clubs together have a membership of 300 hams.  Cape District Emergency Coordinator, Frank, WQ1O, has recognized the need for the Cape to be self-sufficient for an extended period of time following a natural or man-made disaster.  This makes this cooperation between clubs essential to support emergency operations anywhere on the Cape, regardless of any club affiliation.

Public Information

Project Big E Receives Grant

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Project Big E logoLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

The Big E Project for 2023 has received a grant!

You can now volunteer to help staff the booth and be reimbursed for both admission and parking!

There are two 6-hour shifts per day.
10 am to 4 pm
4 pm to 10 pm

We ask all volunteers to be on their shift for 30 minutes prior to what you’re volunteered for.

Please sign up here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5gYXzEtVilTSkp4RnXuwA1e7h0SNpFfMp2MJAl9pHrFaD4A/viewform

We are trying this again and hoping to inform the public about ham radio and get more people interested enough to sign up for classes.

New hams can benefit ALL our clubs and ham radio in New England! Will you be a part of making this happen?

Please sign up at the above link!

Thank you for your support!

73 and enjoy the holiday weekend.

Larry, W1AST
ARRL WMA Affiliated Club Coordinator
HCRA President
Visit my Ham Radio club website at: www.HCRA.org
Team K2H – 13 Colonies Massachusetts State Manager
Project Big E 2022 & 2023 Organizer
Proud Member of ARRL, FCARC & YCCC
413-348-3289
W1AST@arrl.net