Clubs
Radio clubs
Blue Hill Observatory Radio Club Forming
New England Sci-Tech writes on its website:
New England Sci-Tech and New England Amateur Radio are working with Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center to establish an educational amateur radio club. You can be a charter member!
The Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory has a long history of amateur radio going back to the turn of the last century. We are working to help BHO establish a new club that can meet occasionally on top of Blue Hill and more regularly in locations around greater Boston.
If you are interested in finding out more, please fill out the form below. Be patient as we send out updates occasionally. The main building and weather tower are closed for renovations, so it will be a while before the radio club will have a permanent home. [Full story]
Matt Zullo: “U.S. Navy Telegraphic Code” at PART of Westford Meeting Online, February 15, 2022
George Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:The February PART meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, beginning at 7:30 PM via Webex video conference. A meeting link is below; just click on the green button to join in. You can join the conference any time after 7:00 PM to check out your gear or just rag chew until the meeting starts. We will NOT be meeting in person at the Senior Center until further notice.
KW1U: “National Traffic System (NTS) & Message Handling” at New England Sci-Tech ARS Meeting, February 8, 2022
The New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (NEST) will meet on-line and in-person on February 8, 2022 at 7 PM and feature “National Traffic System (NTS) & Message Handling” by Marcia Forde, KW1U.KM1NDY: “Parks On The Air” at Wellesley ARS Meeting, February 15, 2022
The next Wellesley Amateur Radio Society Zoom meeting on Tuesday, February 15 will feature Mindy Hull, KM1NDY, presenting on Parks On The Air.
WARS President Dan Brown, W1DAN, will email a Zoom meeting invite link before the meeting. If you are not by your computer, you can call in to the meeting via telephone.
PART Members’ Antenna Article Featured in March 2022 QST
George Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:
The two Bobs have done it again!
The March 2022 issue of QST (available now on the ARRL website) has another antenna article written by the prolific team of PART club member Bob Glorioso, W1IS, and Bob Rose, KC1DSQ! This article, “Portable 20-Meter Phased Dipole Beam,” describes a two-element wire beam antenna that can be electrically reversed 180 degrees. We used this antenna at Field Day last year and it’s very effective.
As usual, you can vote for this article for the QST Cover Plaque award. The award website should be available for voting in a week or two.
—
George K1IG
PART President
WB1GOF.org
W1GBH: “Working at WGBH” at Boston ARC Meeting, February 17, 2022
The next general meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club will take place on Thursday, February 17, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. on the Zoom teleconferencing program. Our speaker will be Christopher Kelly, W1GBH. Chris is the broadcast engineer for WGBH and its affiliated stations, and he will give a talk about his job and responsibilities.
Joe Chapman NV1W / Secretary
Boston Amateur Radio Club
[For Zoom conference information, email Joe Chapman, NV1W, at nv1w -at- arrl -dot- net]
W1UE: “HF Propagation – A Different Look” at Billerica ARS Meeting Online, February 2, 2022
Next [Billerica Amateur Radio Society] Meeting: Wed Feb. 2, 7 PM on Zoom
Speaker: Dennis Egan, W1UE
Topic: HF Propagation – A Different Look
Dennis Egan, W1UE, has been licensed for 53 years. He is an avid contester, and his main interest in propagation is to improve his contest scores. He is Past President of the Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) and is Past Chairman of the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee. While Dennis has no transmitting antennas at his residence, he has used Remote Stations for the past 12 years to satisfy his need for contesting.
BARS will announce the link to join the Zoom meeting before the meeting, and it will be posted to the BARS email list and should not be shared outside our Club. Are you on the email list? If not, please send an email to bars-subscribe@w1hh.org and then simply reply to the robot response from the server and you will be subscribed.
Observing our Zoom meeting requires only a web browser and headphones/speakers. You do not need a webcam or microphone unless you want to speak or be seen.
Before our meeting date, please go to https://zoom.us/test and see if it will function for you. If you have problems, we can try to assist – feel free to ask questions on the BARS email list.
[For Zoom conference details, email Bruce Anderson, W1LUS, at w1lus -at- hotmail -dot- com.]“The History, Renovation, and Future of MIT’s Green Building’s Radomes” at New England Sci-Tech ARS Meeting, January 18, 2022
The New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (NEST) will meet on-line and in-person on January 18, 2022 at 7 PM and feature “The History, Renovation, and Future of MIT’s Green Building’s Radomes” by MIT Professor Kerri Cahoy, Daniel Sheen, KC1EPN, and members of the MIT Radio Society.ARRL Foundation to Create Club Grants Program
From ARRL web:
1/13/22–A new ARRL Foundation Club Grants program, funded by a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), will make $500,000 available to radio clubs. The program will provide up to $25,000 for worthy club projects. Requests for more than that will be referred back to ARDC.
ARRL has long recognized that it is in the best interests of amateur radio to encourage and support amateur radio clubs. Clubs historically have recruited, licensed, and trained new radio amateurs and have provided the community setting for radio amateurs to continue their education and training. The new Club Grants program will help clubs more easily provide and expand their important services.
Beginning in April 2022, amateur radio clubs will be able to apply for these grants by filling out a simple form on the ARRL website. The ARRL Foundation will evaluate the grant proposals. The Foundation was established in 1973 to advance the art, science, and societal benefits of the amateur radio service by awarding financial grants and scholarships to individuals and organizations in support of their charitable, educational, and scientific efforts.
A key criterion for determining awards will be how the project will advance amateur radio in the grantee’s community. In most cases, this process should take no longer than 90 days.
ARRL Foundation President David Woolweaver, K5RAV, shared his enthusiasm about this new program. “This program will substantially contribute to the growth of amateur radio clubs and their efforts to expand and support the amateur radio community,” he said.
ARDC is a California-based foundation and makes grants to projects and organizations that follow amateur radio’s practice and tradition of technical experimentation in both amateur radio and digital communication science. ARDC Executive Director Rosy Schechter, KJ7RYV, noted that this program will streamline the process for getting club projects funded, so that clubs can get started on these projects more quickly.
“We’re very excited about working with the ARRL Foundation on this program,” said Schechter. “We can’t wait to see what kinds of creative things clubs will do with these grants.”
AB1QB: “Informal DXpedition to French Polynesia,” North Shore Radio Association Meeting Online, January 17, 2022
The [North Shore Radio Association] board of directors has decided due to the rise in COVID-19 cases we are returning to ZOOM ONLY Meetings for at least the next two months, maybe more.
Please join us again on Zoom!
Speaker for January:
Informal DXpedition to French Polynesia – Fred, AB1OC and Anita, AB1QB went on a holiday style DXpedition to Bora Bora less than a year after we were licensed. In this presentation, Anita will talk about planning for the DXpedition, the destination, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, our station and operations, the results, and what we learned from the experience.
KC1QAY: “A Hands-On Approach to Ham Radio” at at New England Sci-Tech ARS Meeting, January 4, 2022
The New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (NEST) will meet on-line and in-person on January 4, 2022 at 7 PM and feature Steve Kondo, KC1QAY, who will present on “A Hands-On Approach To Ham Radio.”K1TWF: ARRL Happenings at Billerica ARS Meeting, January 5, 2022
Tom Walsh, K1TW, writes in December, 2021 Eastern MA Section News:
WA1JXR: “Introduction to NanoVNAs” at Barnstable ARC General Meeting Online, January 3, 2022
Norm Cantin, WA1NLG, writes on the Barnstable ARC mailing list:
[…] Unfortunately, the Dennis Police Department is still closed to the public. [The Barnstable ARC] will meet via Zoom [on January 3, 2022 at 7 PM.]
This month’s guest speaker is Greg Algieri, WA1JXR, who will present a very interesting topic: Introduction to Nano VNA. Due to Greg’s schedule, he will present at 8 PM. We will conduct the business meeting prior to Greg’s presentation.
KD2EAT: “Tracking and Repurposing NWS Radiosondes for High Altitude Balloon Tracking” at New England Sci-Tech ARS Meeting, December 21, 2021
The New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (NEST) will meet on-line and in-person on December 21, 2021 at 7 PM and feature Mike Hojnowski, KD2EAT, who will present on “Tracking and Repurposing NWS Radiosondes for High Altitude Balloon Tracking.”KB1OIQ: “Regenerative Receivers” at PART of Westford Meeting, December 21, 2021
George Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:Algonquin ARC “Lantern Battery Competition,” January 1-March 31, 2022
Algonquin ARC writes:
The intent of the AARC LBC is to foster camaraderie among members and find out—in a light-hearted fashion—just how many QSOs can be extracted from a stack of batteries before they are depleted beyond the point of usefulness. We’re continuing to call this the “Lantern” Battery Challenge even though there is no need to actually use expensive lantern batteries.
Activity period
AARC’s LBC will commence at 0000Z on 1 January 2022 and conclude at 2400Z on 31 March 2022. Participants can join at any time during the challenge period but must finish by the end of the challenge.
Bands, Modes
Consistent with the terms of the participant’s license, operation on any band, using any mode, is permitted.
Energy Source (Batteries)
Batteries must be assembled from the equivalent of “D” cells or smaller. Any combination of cells stacked in series not exceeding 15 volts is acceptable, provided that no more than two cells are connected in parallel anywhere in the stack.
(Note that each of the lantern batteries used last year was the equivalent of four 1‑1/2 volt “D” or “F” cells in series, so two lantern batteries stacked in series yielded 12 volts. Most rigs like 12V or higher and mis-perform at voltages under 10V. Current drain depletes the cells quickly and reduces their voltage. This year’s “connected in parallel” rule allows for starting with twice as much energy, increases the available current, and slows voltage depletion.)
Energy Management
At the participant’s option (or maybe to the extent of his or her technical acumen), only the actual transmitter need be powered by the lantern battery stack. Receivers, logging software, keyers, decoders, etc. need not be on battery.
Antennas
Any antenna is OK. Wire works. So do those “solid state amplifiers” made of aluminum tubing. There is no scoring penalty for using antennas with gain.
Scoring
- A QSO consists of no less than a two-way exchange of callsigns and signal reports. Beware that long QSOs use battery energy!
- Score:
— One point per standard battery QSO with a non‑AARC member.
— Two points per standard battery QSO with an AARC member. Duplicate QSOs with the same member do not count.
— Zero points for repeater QSOs.
- Period. That’s it. No other bonuses, penalties, multipliers, or dividers.
Reporting
Reporting is on the honor system. Submission of paper or electronic logs is discouraged as not being within the intended spirit of camaraderie and fun. On the other hand, expect to have a good time regaling the other members with your LBC exploits at the April meeting. Plus, any participant who posts an LBC-related item on the AARCList during the challenge gets brownie points.
Awards
Recognition (maybe even certificates) and certainly bragging rights will be awarded for:
– Most QSO points
– Most QSOs
– Best DX
– Most unique rig
– Shortest battery life
– Longest battery life
– … more? Suggestions accepted.
“Homebrew Night” at Nashoba Valley ARC In-Person Meeting, December 16, 2021
NVARC President Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:
The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s December meeting will be TONIGHT, Thursday, December 16th, at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell). Doors will open at 7:10 PM for socializing, etc.
This month’s program will feature “Homebrew Night”. Come in and show off what you’ve been working on over the past TWO years. No project is too small—or too large. If your project is physically too big, don’t fret. Bring along some pictures, JPEG files, or anything else. We’ll find a way to project or display graphics. Homebrew, kits, software, restoration, innovative solutions. Come. Brag. Converse. Have coffee. This is one of the best “social” meetings of the year…
Because last year’s home brew night was conducted over Zoom, feel free to bring (and show!) that item you showed last year. Besides “show and tell”, home brew night tends to be “touchy/feely”. It’s hard to do that over Zoom!
Remember, HB Night and the upcoming Short Subjects Night (the January meeting) both rely on member participation. It’s your hobby; brag about it.
Because of the nature of the meeting, this meeting will not be available on Zoom.
Need directions? Click here and put your own address in box “A”.
Thanks and 73. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Bruce, K1BG
978-772-2773 or bruce.blain@charter.net
Algonquin ARC Flea Market, Marlborough, February 19, 2022
The Algonquin Amateur Radio Club will hold its Marlborough Flea Market on February 19, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the 1Lt Charles W. Whitcomb School, 25 Union St., Marlborough, MA. Talk-in is on the MMRA repeater, 147.27+ (PL 146.2). Any COVID-related updates will be carried on the AARC website at http://n1em.org.
A VE session will be held beginning at 9:00 AM. General admission is $5. Vendor tables are $15 before February 9, 2018, or $20 at the door if space is available. Each table includes one admission.
For more information, contact Tim Ikeda, KA1OS at 508-251-9317 (before 9:00 PM), email fleamarket@n1em.org or visit https://www.qsl.net/n1em/2022_flier.pdf.
Quannapowitt Radio Association Comes to an End
Don Melanson, W1DM, writes on the QRA website:
It is sad news that I report that the Quannapowitt Radio Association ( QRA ) has ended.
At the October Board of Directors meeting the Board of directors recommended dissolution of the Association due to the number of factors as explained to the remaining QRA membership in a recent letter. The membership subsequently unanimously voted to dissolve the Association at the November Membership Meeting.
The membership also voted to distribute the remaining QRA treasury toFEMARA to support its scholarship programs.
It was also noted the the QRA dissolved on exactly their 73rd Birthday.
I would like to thank all Members, Board of Directors ( both present and Past ) and all others who supported the QRA in its 73 years of service to the Amateur Radio Field. We made a lot of friends both Nationally and Locally. Friends we will never forget. Hopefully we will catch each other on the bands.
73s de
Don Melanson W1DM
QRA President