HAPPY TAX DAY! And coming this weekend, the anniversary of “the shot heard ‘round the world,” the opening shot of the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which sparked the American Revolutionary War. This month’s stories are titled after Paul Revere’s ride (“The British are coming!”). Enjoy!
* Celebration of Marconi Day is Coming!
Marconi’s 151st birthdate is April 25, 2025 (born 1874). International Marconi Day this year is Saturday, April 26, 2024. Historic Marconi radio stations around the world go on the air to make two-way contacts with each other and other amateur radio operators.
Where: Marconi Station Site, Wellfleet, MA Saturday April 26 from 10 AM-3 PM.
The Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club and the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club are partnering with Cape Cod National Seashore to serve as an official International Marconi Day Station. Please visit the site to learn about Marconi’s historic Wireless Station that is famous for sending the first wireless transatlantic message from the USA to Europe (1903) and its ship-to-shore messages. HF radio operators will make live contacts around the world using Morse code and voice.
For more information:
Barbara Dougan, trustee Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club-KM1CC
km1cc.capecod.fn51@gmail.com
* NEAR-Fest is Coming!
NEAR-Fest is coming VERY soon! Like May 2-3! Join the crew this May as NEAR-Fest returns to its NEW home in New Boston, NH!
The organizers have an incredible flea market lined up, packed with radios, electronics, unique finds (You never know what you might find!), and all the camaraderie that makes NEAR-Fest the legendary gathering it is.
Whether you’re a seasoned ham, a first-time attendee, or love the thrill of the hunt, there’s something for everyone!
Full details at https://near-fest.com/
* NE QSO Party is Coming!
The New England QSO Party, on May 3-4, is a great time to check out antenna systems and offers a moderately paced opportunity to work new states and countries. You’ll find a wide variety of participants, from newcomers to experienced contesters, all interested in making contacts with New England stations.
Our goal is to get every one of the counties in New England on the air so we hope you will join in the fun! Even if you can join the fun for a couple of hours, contest organizers will appreciate it! Will you be QRV? Let the NEQP team with a message to info@neqp.org.
The New England QSO Party is 20 hours long overall, in two sections with a civilized break for sleep on Saturday night. It runs from 4 pm Saturday until 1 am Sunday, then 9 am Sunday until 8 pm Sunday. Operate on CW, SSB and/or digital modes on 80-40-20-15-10 meters. For each QSO you’ll give your callsign, a signal report and your county/state. Top scorers can earn a plaque and everyone who sends in a log with 25 QSOs or more will get a certificate. The goal is to work stations anywhere in the world – and their goal is to work New England stations, so you’ll be very popular!
For more information, visit the NEQP website at https://neqp.org
* 13 Colonies Special Event is Coming!
13 Colonies Massachusetts is looking for a few new ops to join Team K2H.
13 Colonies takes place every July 1-7. We’re looking for volunteers who can operate for at least 2 hours per day for at least 4 of the 7 days.
Operating as K2H is a blast. You become the DX, and stations want to work you. You don’t have to be a contest op to volunteer. Anyone interested and available is welcome. As part of team K2H for the past few years, we have made around 20,000 contacts.
If you are interested, please contact Larry, W1AST, 13 Colonies Massachusetts state manager, at W1AST@arrl.net before May 15th.
* Field Day 2025 is Coming!
I hope you have started planning for Field Day 2025! It’s coming up quick – June 28-29 this year. The League has all manner of materials to help you and your club get started, including the FD site locator (please register your site!!), and the 2025 ARRL Field Day Public Relations Kit [PDF] at https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zMzEwNjY0JnA9MSZ1PTUyNDYxMTkzMiZsaT0zNzcwMTg1MA/index.html to get you started – including a press release template that you can use for your activation. Full details at https://arrl.org/field-day
* 2025 Northeast HamXposition is Coming!
Mark your calendars! The 2025 Northeast HamXposition is not that far away: August 21-24, 2025, in Marlborough, MA. This is New England’s premier ham gathering. I hope to have an eyeball QSO with all of you at HamX! More info at https://hamxposition.org/
* Recruiting IT/Website Talent to Help Maintain EMA Section Website
Are you an IT person with some experience with WordPress? Could you volunteer an hour or two per week to help keep the EMA website? I’m looking for someone to provide some backup/relief for our tireless web site administrator, to keep an ear open for goings-on in the section, and to timely post short articles to the site, keeping the news fresh. If you are interested, please email me at n1ilz@arrl.org.
* Virtual NTS Traffic Net Going Strong
Many Technician class amateurs miss out on fun and skills learning of traffic handling because they reside in areas of the country where local traffic nets on VHF repeaters don’t exist. The Virtual NTS Traffic Net (VNTN) seeks to address this problem with the creation of a Zoom-based local traffic net that can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.
The Net meets weekly, and held its inaugural session on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 7:00 PM ET. The VNTN URL is: https://bitl.to/3xj4 The net will be changing time to 8 PM ET soon – stay tuned for details.
Full details at https://ema.arrl.org/2025/03/05/virtual-nts-traffic-net-begins-march-5-2025/
* Still Recruiting a New Section Youth Coordinator
Sadly, our Section’s former Section Youth Coordinator, Paul K1YUB, is now a Silent Key. I need to fill this important position on the EMA Section Staff. The SYC requirement and job description is at https://www.arrl.org/section-youth-coordinator If you are interested in this volunteer position, please contact me at n1ilz@arrl.org – I’ll appreciate it greatly!
* N1ILZ for a Final
Spring has definitely sprung! Flowers are coming up, grass is turning green again, and it SEEMS like we’re done with snow. At least I hope so. What are your spring ham radio plans? Doing some antenna work? Tidying up the shack? Taking some of that extra equipment to NEAR-Fest to sell to its new happy owner? Stay warm and dry and get ready for some great Spring fun!
Can you write a paragraph or two about what you’re up to, so I can publish it in the Section Update? Let me know via email at n1ilz@arrl.org!
* For always up-to-date news, please visit the EMA Section website at http://ema.arrl.org
This Section News Update was brought to you by Section Manager Jon N1ILZ.
The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club will conduct a General Class course for Technician license holders on May 24 and 25 from 8 AM to 5 PM, at the Brewster Police Station Community Room, Route 124, in Brewster.
Chris Winczewski, W1TAT, writes on the Cape Ann ARA mailing list:
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Ross W1EKG writes:
Ken Horton, KA1GFN, writes on the Algonquin ARC mailing list:
Rich Zack, KK1RZ, will present “Comparing all Five Digital Modes Found on New England Repeaters” at the Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society hybrid meeting on April 15, 2025 in Natick and online.