Public Information

Public information, amateur radio publicity

Operating / Public Information

Maine Bicentennial Special Event Operation Pays Homage to the Original Nine Counties–and Boston, Massachusetts

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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.
 
Boston is the “longest continuously serving capital” in the United States, and served as capital for the District of Maine until 1820.

The Maine Bicentennial Special Event committee was formed from members of the Wireless Society of Southern Maine, along with members from the PenBay ARC.

According to the Committee, “We suspect most participants will be operating from their QTH.  We are asking those interested in participating in this event to discern where their QTH would have been in 1820 relative to that town, and county in 1820, and to participate in this event in that original county. The webpage will have a map as an aid for that amateur operator;  e.g., if you are now in Knox County, in 1820 you were likely in Lincoln or Hancock counties and would participate as a station in that county.” The Committee has created an online spreadsheet listing as many towns as possible related to the nine original counties.  

Operations will take place on HF, 6, and 2 meters (no repeaters).  Modes are CW, phone, and digital. This allows all Maine Amateur Radio operators to participate in some form.  

“There will be Certificates available once we receive logs from the various stations that contacted the special event operators.  We’ll also need logs from participating operators to corroborate what is sent in. It is recommended that your log is sent in ADIF format. We’ll need the logs ASAP after the event.  More details on that will be available on the special event website.”
 
Please send an email to:  ws1sm@yahoo.com  if you are interested in operating, or if you have any questions. Be sure to title your message as: Maine 200 Special Event.

The Maine Bicentennial Special Event Stations are:

Cumberland: W1C
Hancock: W1H
Kennebec: W1K
Lincoln: W1L
Oxford: W1O
Penobscot: W1P
Somerset: W1S
Washington: W1W
York: W1Y

Jameson Tavern (Freeport): K1J
Town of Portland: K1P
City of Boston: K1B
 
According to the Executive Board member Tim Watson, KB1HNZ, there is still a need for individuals to operate the Boston special events station, K1B. “We have at least one ham who may be able to make it down [to Boston] for a portable operation, but it would be great to have a few more operators. The more, the better! Please help spread the word.”
 
Public Information / Youth

Enthusiastic Third-Graders Learn about Amateur Radio at St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton

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Phil Temples, K9HI, has combined his passion for ham radio and involvement in the Boston College “Read Aloud” program to bring a message about ham radio to Mrs. Cafarelli’s third grade class at the St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton.

A BC Read Aloud volunteer for the past sixteen years, Phil shared his unpublished children’s story manuscript entitled “Ashanti’s Ham Radio Saves the Day” with the class last month. It was well-received, despite the fact the manuscript lacked illustrations.  (Several of the kids volunteered to draw pictures for the book.)

This month, K9HI brought along a Baofeng dual-band handheld for show-and-tell. He was able to establish a QSO on the Waltham repeater with John, K1BSO, who was mobile in Woburn. John told the class about himself, and stood by while Phil passed the radio around. All sixteen children had an opportunity to say hello over ham radio. At the end, they shouted out an enthusiastic “Goodbye!” that could be heard throughout the floor. 

Licensing Education & Training / Public Information

Message to US Educators: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity

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ARISS logoThe Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal US education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS will open a proposal window February 1, 2020 for ham radio contacts that would be held between January 2021 and June 2021. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations whose proposal features a way to draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. The window for accepting proposals closes March 31, 2020.

Proposal information and documents are at www.ariss.org.

The Opportunity

Crew members aboard the International Space Station will support scheduled Amateur Radio contacts for students and their communities. These radio contacts are voice-only, approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts in a question-and-answer session. ARISS radio contacts and plans in submitted proposals can afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts about space research conducted on the ISS and what it is like to live and work in space, and to learn about ham satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of spaceflight and complexity of scheduling on-board ISS activities, education organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of a radio contact. Local ham radio groups volunteer to provide educational radio activities and the equipment and operational support to enable communication between the ISS crew and students using Amateur Radio.

More Information

For proposal information and more details, i.e., expectations, proposal guidelines and proposal form, go to www.ariss.org.  Please direct any questions to ariss.us.education@gmail.com .

About ARISS:

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).  In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the ISS National Lab, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or large public forums. Before, during and after these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.

 

 

Public Information

“Ham Radio: a Hobby Still Alive and Thriving”

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An operator at the Plimoth Plantation special station event on November 30, 2019. Photo by Lillian Eden/ BU News Service

The Boston University News Service carried this favorable story about Amateur Radio, Alan Lewis, K1ALL, and Whitman Amateur Radio Club members, written by Lillian Eden, published January 22, 2020, entitled, “Ham radio: a hobby still alive and thriving.”

“Alan Lewis pledged to do two things when he retired: learn to weld and get an amateur radio license. He did both, and then took his amateur radio license one step further.  

“Almost immediately after getting his license, Lewis said he started getting involved in the public service aspects of amateur radio, including emergency communication. 

“Amateur radio, or ham radio, for a very long time was the only federally licensed hobby. The word ham refers to amateur radio operators.

[Full story]

 

Emergency Communications / Public Information / Public Service

ARES/SKYWARN Exhibit at 19th Weatherfest-AMS Annual Meeting

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Stu Solomon, W1SHS, writes:

On Sunday, January 12, 2020, ARES/SKYWARN for Eastern Massachusetts and WX1BOX of the National Weather Service Boston/Norton office were represented at the 19th annual Weatherfest component of the 100th annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS).  The Boston Weatherfest event was free to the public and very well attended.

The ARES/SKYWARN group were in good company with approximately 50 other exhibitors including NASA, The Blue Hill Observatory, The Mt. Washington Observatory, NOAA, The National Weather Service, New England Sci-Tech, local news stations, multiple universities as well as industry leaders in climate and environmental research and reporting.

Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY; District Emergency Coordinator Jim Palmer, KB1KQW; Matt Goldstein; and Assistant Section Manager Stu Solomon, W1SHS, manned the ARES/SKYWARN booth and spent the day speaking with weather enthusiasts young and old.  Not only were they able to promote the importance of the SKYWARN program and the part it plays in assisting the weather service and emergency services with realtime, on the ground weather and damage reports, but also the important role Amateur Radio and its dedicated volunteer operators also play.  On display in the SKYWARN booth were computers with real time displays of current incident reports (it was a day of high winds in the Boston area) as well as videos of past storms and the damage resulting from them. Good questions were asked by the many people that stopped by with numerous folks signing up to receive SKYWARN emails as well as information on upcoming SKYWARN training.  

Public Information

Local Amateurs Featured on WBZ Late Night Talk Show

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Three Eastern Massachusetts amateurs appeared January 13, 2020, on Bradley Jay’s “Jay Talking” on WBZ-AM (1030 kHz) to discuss Amateur Radio.

Jim Idelson, K1IR, Bruce Tinkler, N9JBT, and Marty Sullaway, NN1C, described the hobby, history, types of equipment, DXing, radiosport, and how to obtain a license. They also described their own experiences getting started in the hobby.  

NN1C emphasized the fact that the hobby allows one to make friends with people all over the world. Through Amateur Radio, Marty had the opportunity to meet with a number of other hams on his first trip to Israel.

Bradley took several callers’ questions during the hour-long show, including one from a Michigan caller who was blind. 

According to Wikipedia, “WBZ (1030 kHz) is a Class A clear channel AM radio station licensed in Boston, Massachusetts. Formerly owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting and CBS Radio, the station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia… Its signal can be heard at night across most of Eastern North America.”

Bradley JayBradley Jay

Left-right: Bradley Jay; Bruce Tinkler & Jim Idelson. Photos courtesy Marty Sullaway.

You can listen to an over-the-air recording of the show on Jim Idelson’s blog, The Driven Element.

Clubs / Public Information / Youth

New England Sci-Tech, STARS Exhibit at AMS Annual Meeting, Boston, January 12, 2020

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New England Sci Tech logoNew England Sci-Tech (NEST) / Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (STARS) will staff an exhibit at the 19th Annual WeatherFest at the American Meteorological Association Annual Meeting in Boston on Sunday, January 12, 2020 from 12 noon to 4 PM, according to NEST’s Bob Phinney, K5TEC.

According to the WeatherFest web site, “We love to have hands-on, interactive experiments and booths by organizations, university, government, television, radio and private industry.  Exhibit space is free.  All you need to do is staff your booth with enthusiastic people who can capture the imagination and inspire children of all ages.”

Public Information / Technical

K1IR Promotes Tower Safety Month on “Ham Nation” Broadcast

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Jim  Idelson,  K1IR,  was  featured  in  the first of three episodes  on the Ham  Nation video blog  as a part of “Tower Safety Month.” 

The Sudbury native has created a nationwide initiative called the Zero Falls Alliance to promote safe tower practices and “a vision of an always-safe amateur radio where every ham fully understands the potential risks – and has the knowledge and tools to keep those risks at bay.”

The first in the series aired on December 4, 2019. The second is scheduled to be shown on December 11.

Emergency Communications / Public Information / Public Service

WX1BOX QRV for SKYWARN Recognition Day, December 7, 2019

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SKYWARN Recognition Day, Dec. 2017 at WX1BOX

The National Weather Service in Boston/Norton Amateur Radio Station, WX1BOX, will once again be active for SKYWARN Recognition Day 2019. In addition, for the thirteenth straight year, the National Weather Service Gray, Maine Office will also be active under call-sign, WX1GYX. The Boston Amateur Radio Club will also be active as they have been over the past several years at the Blue Hill Observatory under call-sign WX1BHO from 9 AM-3 PM Saturday December 7th, 2019.

This will be the 20th year of SKYWARN Recognition Day and its anticipated that 80-100 NWS Forecast Offices will be participating once again this year. A Web link to information on SKYWARN Recognition Day can be seen at the following link:

http://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarnrecognition

WX1BOX will be monitoring the *NEW-ENG3* conference node 9123/IRLP 9123 system throughout the SRD event from 7 PM-12 AM Friday Evening 12/6/19 and from 7 AM-7 PM Saturday 12/7/19. Our HF station will be active on the various HF bands during the same time period. What bands/modes we operate on will be dependent on propagation and operator availability. We will attempt to announce the different HF frequencies will be on via our Facebook and Twitter feeds as well as on the DX Spotter/cluster system dxsummit.fi for people that wish to contact us on HF.

WX1BOX will also be on DMR. Timeframes and location on DMR will be determined and updated in the next update.

[Full story]
Clubs / Public Information

Whitman ARC to Operate at Plimoth Plantation, November 30-December 1, 2019

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Whitman ARC Plimoth Plantation Operation 2010 CertificateWhitman Amateur Radio Club members will operate a special events station over the Thanksgiving weekend, November 30-December 1, 2019, at the Plimoth Plantation, the home of the Mayflower II in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  The participants will demonstrate Amateur Radio to tourists and visitors.  In the past the group has logged over a hundred HF and VHF contacts with US and foreign amateurs, including a contact with Plymouth, England.

Volunteers are need for setup, breakdown, and station operations. Antenna and setup takes place on Friday, November 29 from 10 AM to 12 noon. On-air operations run in shifts on Saturday from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM (shift 1); 12:00 PM –  4:30 PM (shift 2); Sunday at 8 AM – 12:30 PM (shift 1); 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM (shift 2). Antenna and station breakdown occurs from 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM on Sunday. ” Multiple volunteers are needed for each shift. Email wa1npo@gmail.com with your name, callsign, cell phone number and the shifts you’re committing to.

The station will be on the air on or near the following frequencies: 18.160 14.260 7.260 and 3.860, as well as the Whitman 147.225+ PL 67.0 repeater (EchoLink: WA1NPO-R and IRLP node 8691).

If you make contact and would like an event certificate mailed to you, please send QSL/contact details and a full size 8.5 x 10 envelope to their call book/QRZ.com address. A “green stamp” would be appreciated as well.

Clubs / Licensing Education & Training / Public Information

Nashoba Valley ARC Members Participate in “Massasoit Fall Camporee,” October 4-5, 2019

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Members of the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club (NVARC) participated in Eastern Massachusetts Council of the Boy Scouts of America’s “Massasoit Fall Camporee” at Camp Collier, near Gardner on October 4-5, 2019. The camp is situated deep in the woods on a 500-acre tract of land owned by a preservation trust and leased to the Boy Scouts. Participating were: Bruce Blain, K1BG; Stan Pozerski, KD1LE; Jim Wilber, AB1WQ; Owen Salter, KC1KZT; Skip Youngberg, K1NKR; Phil Erikson, W1PJE; Dan Pedtke, KW2T; Dennis Marandos, K1LGQ; and George Kavanagh, KB1HFT. 

A 130-foot long wire and a vertical were erected for HF contacts, thanks to the efforts of AB1WQ, K1BG, and K1NKR. Bruce, K1BG, along with Phil, W1PJE, and George, KB1HFT, showed the Scouts several facets of Amateur Radio. Bruce, K1BG, made numerous contacts and allowed the scouts to talk with people thousands of miles away. 

Phil, W1PJE, brought “a very cool demonstration of the capabilities of an RTL-SDR dongle combined with a simple Raspberry-Pi and software setup.” Using his rig, Phil showed an application that decodes telemetry data sent by all aircraft, and displays the data on a map: flight number, heading, airspeed, etc . Another dongle application tuned the RF spectrum. Phil explained that by using such a setup “one can easily become a shortwave listener without being licensed.”

Stan, KD1LE, coordinated a series of fox hunts using NVARC FoxFinder™ rigs.  “Using a small patch of woods on the edge of the field, I put the fox out in three different spots during the day as the Scouts moved through the events. They came by in groups of three or four. I started by giving some examples of applications for radio direction finding. Then I had them draw a sketch of the area using some landmarks such as buildings, the path, the lake, and some others that I provided (plastic buckets). Then we worked our way around the area with the Scouts taking bearings using a FoxFinder and plotting them on the sketch.” Stan led a total of eight groups in direction finding for the fox. 

George, KB1HFT, demonstrated PSK31, PSK63, and WSPR modes of digital radio using a simple wire vertical tuned to 14.070 MHz.

Dennis, K1LGQ, contributed his Xiegu G90 QRP radio, an all band 160-10 XVCR with AM, SSB, and CW. It was powered using a 35amp gel-cell battery. “Conditions were not in my favor and I was competing with kilowatt stations on 40-meter phone. The antenna is a home brew vertical with spare parts from everywhere,” reports Dennis. 

Far fewer Scouts turned out for the Camporee than were expected. However, those that did show up had a full day of Scout activities expertly managed by Rob Kosman of Pepperell Troop 13.  One 17-year-old who had seen the radio demonstrations was overheard saying, “Dad, this is cool stuff; let’s find out more about it.”

The NVARC members plan to follow up with the Scouts to “both assist any that are interested in delving deeper, and to demonstrate to ourselves that our participation is having the desired result.”

–Tnx, Nashoba Valley ARC “Signal,” October, 2019 newsletter 

Clubs / Public Information

Barnstable ARC Exhibition at Harwich Cranberry Festival, September 14-15, 2019

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The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) conducted a highly successful public information effort at the Harwich Cranberry Festival September 14-15 in Harwich. The annual festival drew 150 exhibitors and over 7,000 participants. It featured crafts, music, and food.

BARC set up a special event station K1PBO at the festival entrance to promote Amateur Radio to greet festival attendees.  A large-screen television displayed locations contacted around the world. Magazines and other items were handed out to the public.

Many BARC members helped to make the event a success.  Al Ryan, WW1RF, served as event liaison while Mark Avery, N1ZPO, provided technical coordination. (Mark’s son, Charlie, and puppy Remi roped in many passers-by). Russ Apgar, K1RTA, provided the tower trailer while Mark Petruzzi, WA1EXA, Norm Cantin, WA1NLG, and Rob, Leiden, K1UI, handled the on-the-air communications.  WA1NLG and Mike Lobay, W1MLL, along with the on-the-air crew helped with the setup and tear down of the station.  The crew completed several hundred contacts, including over eighty in the WAE contest.  –Thanks, K1UI

Emergency Communications / Public Information / Public Service

Cape Cod ARES at Falmouth Community Emergency Preparedness & Fire Prevention Fair, September 21, 2019

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Cape Cod radio amateurs participated in the seventh annual Falmouth Community Emergency Preparedness and Fire Prevention Fair at the Gus Canty Community Center, Falmouth, on September 21, 2019 from 10 AM to 2 PM. The fair featured “more than 60 organizations and numerous children’s activities, including a Touch-A-Truck in the parking lot.”

Falmouth Hospital ARES (W1HQH) had a table prominently on display, staffed by Tom Wruk, KB1QCQ, Gene Bradeen, KX1C, and Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O. “We set up some display kit gear and answered questions from the public on communications,” writes Cape and Islands District Emergency Coordinator WQ1O. “It was great to hook up with our friend, NWS Boston/Norton warning coordination meteorologist Glenn Field [KB1GHX].”

Left to right: Gene Bradeen, KX1C; Glenn Field, KB1GHX; Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O; Tom Wruk, KB1QCQ
NTS / Public Information

KW1U Featured on Pittsfield Community TV, WTBR-FM, September 18, 2019

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Marcia Forde, KW1U, in the WTBR-FM studio

Massachusetts Section Traffic Manager Marcia Forde, KW1U, was the featured guest on Ham On! (episode 3), simulcast on Pittsfield Community Television and WTBR-FM 89.7. The early morning program was produced and moderated by Western MA Assistant Section Traffic Manager Peter Mattice, KD2JKV. Marcia discussed the ARRL National Traffic System and her experiences with message handling.

The 60-minute program can be viewed online at <http://www.pittsfieldtv.net/CablecastPublicSite/show/32638?channel=1>.

[Ed. note: the video may not play properly in all browsers.]

Clubs / Public Information

Blackstone Valley ARC Amateur Radio Day at Bellingham, MA Public Library A Great Success

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Members of the Blackstone Valley Amateur Radio Club (BVARC) in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, conducted an innovative “Amateur Radio Day” at the Bellingham (MA) Public Library on September 14, 2019. 

BVARC Board of Governor’s member Mickey Callahan, K1WMC, proposed the idea to the club officers and received a commitment of support to hold the outreach event in nearby Bellingham. Along with BVARC President Matt Penttilla, N1AQ; Vice President Marc Caouette, W1MCX; and Rhode Island Section Manager Bob Beaudet, W1YRC, they tackled the logistics and formulated “a simple plan on how to present Amateur Radio and promote the club in a fun, positive way.” 

“Teri Diiorio, W1PUP, was instrumental in the design and layout of a new color brochure,” writes Mickey Callahan.  The club also produced signs for the event along with promotional images and text on their website for the event. In turn, the Bellingham Library advertised Amateur Radio Day on their website, Facebook, and Instagram pages, as well as in the Bellingham Bulletin calendar of events.

K1WMC reports the event was a huge success. “We were fortunate to have reasonably good weather and a large group of club volunteers setting up working radio station demonstrations. The HF station that was set up outside, under cover, involved installing a multi-band fan dipole wire antenna from a very large pine tree adjacent to the parking lot. We used the IC-7300 HF radio and power supply, on loan to the club by Bob Beaudet, on the 20- and 40-meter bands. We also had several members set up working QRP and DMR stations.”

BVARC featured various displays of QSL cards, vintage radio equipment, along with laptops displaying videos highlighting various aspects of Amateur Radio. The ARRL supplied a number of informative leaflets, logo pens, and decals  touting the importance of amateur radio in the community and how one could go about obtaining an amateur radio license.

Eastern MA Section Manager Tom Walsh, K1TW, attended at the invitation of the Blackstone Valley club. He was very impressed with the club’s activity and congratulated “our neighbors to the south.”

 

 

Clubs / Operating / Public Information

Annual Marshfield Fair Amateur Radio Exhibit, August 16-25, 2019

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Whitman ARC logoThe Whitman Amateur Radio Club will sponsor a ham radio exhibit and special events station at the 152st Annual Marshfield Fair August 16-25,  2019, from 1600Z-0059Z. The club will operate under the call sign NN1MF on the following frequencies/bands: 18.160, 14.260, 7.260, and 3.860 MHz. The station will also be active on EchoLink via the WA1NPO-R, and IRLP: 8691. Contacts will be acknowledged with a certificate and QSL at: Whitman ARC, PO Box 48, Whitman, MA 02382. 

Clubs / Field Day / Public Information

PART of Westford Field Day 2019: A Successful Public Relations-Public Information Effort

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PART of Westford‘s Field Day Chairman George Allison, K1IG,  reports a successful public relations/public information effort on the part of PIO Lela Smith, KC1ACV and others.
 
“The club entertained a total of 75 participants and visitors this year, including the mayor of Leominster, a representative of the Billerica EMC, a Carlisle selectman, and a contingent of soldiers from the 211th Military Police Battalion who were sent by their commanding officer to get some experience in field communications. One of the officers from this group is now interested in joining PART,” reports George.
 
PART also netted a lengthy article in “Action Unlimited,” a weekly newsletter sent to most of the region’s residents. K1IG says a copy of the article will be submitted to ARRL as part of its Field Day report.
 
“Although our on-air time was diminished by thunderstorms and a hail storm, and propagation was affected by a sunspot count of zero, we made almost 1,300 contacts,” he adds.
 
Photos from the 211th Military Police Battalion’s visit can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/211thMPBN/photos/a.10151631768172189/10157592899137189/?type=3&theater. 
 
 
 
 
Action Unlimited publicity: