“W1AW Virtual Tour” at Quannapowitt Radio Association Meeting Online, April 15, 2021

QRAFrom the QRA website:

The upcoming zoom meeting on April 15, 2021 at 7 PM of the Quannapowitt Radio Association will show the W1AW tour video. It’s approximately 14 minutes long and a very informative video for those who have never visited W1AW. It is presented by Jeff Fox, K1GF, and W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q. Please join us for this tour.

As always please e-mail Bob, AA1M at QRAW1EKT@GMAIL.COM or 781-272-6219 for Zoom Meeting ID and Password.

 

Nantucket ARA Members Show Their Appreciation to Sconset Trust for Use of Sankaty Head Lighthouse

The Nantucket Amateur Radio Association membership recently voted to make a donation to the Sconset Trust in a show of appreciation for allowing the use of the Sankaty Head Lighthouse for last year’s International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. [See: International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend on Track for 2020.]
 
In a March 29, 2021 letter, ‘Sconset Trust’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Grubbs, wrote to NARA Treasurer Greg Cokorinos, K1UH, on behalf of the ‘Sconset Board of Trustees, “Thank you for your 2021 membership contribution … we were pleased to collaborate with NARA for the 2020 International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend last August. Apart from our enjoyment of this collaboration, this may have been the most activity Sankaty Head Lighthouse saw last year!”
 
The ‘Sconset Trust has worked since 1984 to preserve historic buildings and lands in the Village of Siasconset.
 

N1QD: “DMR Basics” at Boston ARC Meeting Online, April 15, 2021

Boston ARC logoFrom the Boston ARC website:

The speaker at the April 15 [Boston Amateur Radio Club] general meeting will be Joe Harris, N1QD. Joe will give a presentation on DMR basics, with a focus on how to get set up on the club’s UHF repeater! The meeting will be on the Zoom platform at 7:30 PM EDT.

[For Zoom meeting information, email Doc Kinne, KE1ML at ke1ml -at- arrl -dot- net.]  

Barnstable ARC Compiling “Elmer” List

Barnstable ARC logoThe Barnstable Amateur Radio Club is compiling a list of volunteer “Elmers” to help new amateurs, according to BARC president Norm Cantin, WA1NLG.

“New hams have a number of needs and questions ranging from: what equipment to start with, selecting antenna(s), what bands to operate, operating best practices to a whole host of other topics,” writes Cantin.  “I know we were all new hams at one point and really benefited from our Elmers.  I’m sure each one of us can contribute in some way.”

WA1NLG says that BARC is also putting together a “New Ham Kit” of which the Elmer list will be a part. This effort is being led by board member Rob Leiden, K1UI.

The Barnstable ARC is currently one of four Special Service Clubs in the Eastern Massachusetts section.

KM1NDY: “Practical Portable Radio Operation” at Sci-Tech ARS, April 6, 2021

Mindy Hull, KM1NDYThe Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society will feature a presentation by Mindy Hull, KM1NDY, on “Practical Portable Radio Operation” on April 6, 2021 at 7 PM. 

With the availability of lightweight lithium batteries, portable operations is an increasingly mainstream and accessible pursuit of the amateur radio hobbyist. The excitement of radio field operations no longer needs to be relegated to official Field Days, with structured “On-the-Air” programs such as the Summits-on-the-Air (SOTA) and Parks-on-the-Air (POTA) providing endless and timeless remote communication opportunities. Portable radio is also where the outdoorist meets the amateur operator, requiring a complementary but different skill set from its participants than that acquired in the home station. While amateur radio is often (rightly) showcased for its highly technical foundation, portable operation brings in the interest and skills of hikers, backpackers, campers, survivalists, and preppers. This talk will discuss gear choices (both radio and outdoor), strategies for various types of portable operation, and activities that promote field communications. The goal is to give you the info you need to go do this yourself.

For Zoom conference information, email Bob Phinney, K5TEC, at bobphinney -at- nescitech -dot- org or call 508-720-4179.

W1LEM, WA3SWJ: “Winlink” at Barnstable ARC Meeting Online, April 5, 2021

Barnstable ARC logoNorm Cantin, WA1NLG, writes on the Barnstable ARC list:
 
This month our guest speaker is  Lem, W1LEM.  Lem and Bruce, WA3SWJ, will provide an introduction and live demo of WinLink.
 
 The meeting agenda is attached.  Please note: I plan to kick the meeting off and ask each participant for a brief intro (Name, Call and Current Location).  To help facilitate this and not cause too much cross talk, please mute your audio.  I will call out your call and ask you for your intro.  While muted, press and hold down the “space” bar on your computer to unmute (ie PTT).  Note, unfortunately this feature may not work on a tablet.
 
[Please contact Norm Cantin, WA1NLG, at norman dot cantin at gmail dot com for meeting details.]
 
 

NV9L: “Contesting” at Algonquin ARC, April 8, 2021

Mike Powell, W1KU, writes in the April, 2021 issue of Algonquin ARC’s newsletter, QRZ:

The next [Algonquin Amateur Radio Club] meeting will be held on April 8, 2021 at  7:30 PM online via Zoom. Information on joining this virtual meeting will be sent out in advance via email.

Our guest speaker will be Val Hotzfeld, NV9L, discussing contesting. [Hotzfeld is co-host on the show Ham Nation which can be seen live every Wednesday night in Twit.tv or anytime on YouTube.]

For Zoom conference information, email Mike Powell, W1KU, at <president@n1em.org>.

Update on MIT Radome Project, March 2021

From the MIT Radio Society website:

Our perseverance is beginning to pay off! After much discussion and collaboration with MIT Facilities and various contractor groups involved in the Green Building renovations project, we have completed an initial design and project cost for the renewal of our Large Radome.

MIT has informed us that, if we raise $1.9 million before May 1st, 2021, the restoration of the radome can be included in the Green Building renovation project. While this is an enormous challenge, we believe it is not insurmountable.

We have already raised a part of this in the process of our overall station renovation fundraising drive, and there is additional interest in this project across MIT — from Physics’ J-Lab, to AeroAstro’s Small Sat Center and STAR Lab.

If we can raise this, we can ensure that this historic radome can continue to serve the MIT Radio Society and the MIT community overall. With your support, we can safeguard this treasure. [Full story] [See also: MIT Radio Society Update: Station Renewal and COVID Response]

K1BG: “CW Ops’ CW Academy” at Waltham ARA, March 31, 2021

CW Ops CW Academy logoRon Senykoff, KG1T, writes on the Waltham Amateur Radio Association mailing list:

Please join us in welcoming Bruce Blain, K1BG, to discuss the free CW Academy program offered by CWops.org. https://cwops.org/cw-academy/

Non-members are welcome to attend. Please fill out this Event Notification form to be notified of upcoming presentations and to receive the meeting call invitation details.

Wednesday, March 31st @ 7:00 PM

Location: Amazon Chime https://aws.amazon.com/chime/download/

Meeting dial in details will be sent to club membership and those registered with the event notification form.

K1TW & K9HI: “What Your ARRL is Doing for You” at K1USN Radio Club Online, March 30, 2021

k1usn qsl cardWe are happy to announce that our next K1USN Radio Club Zoom session on Tuesday, March 30th @ 7:30 PM EDST will be a presentation by our ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager Tom Walsh, K1TW, along with Phil Temples, K9HI, our  New England ARRL Division Vice Director.
 
The topic will be “What your ARRL is Doing for You.”
 
The presentation will be followed by a Q & A session, so try to come up with some good questions for them since this will be an opportunity to speak directly to our local ARRL leaders.
 
As always, we will be sending out the Zoom session invitations via separate e-mail. If you have received previous invitations then you are already on the list. if you, or anyone you know, would like to be invited then you can contact me (k1rv@arrl.net) and I will add you/them to the growing list.

Farhat: “The Essential Oscillator in Wireless Communications: Theory & Applications” at Northeastern University Wireless Club, March 24, 2021

Northeastern Univ Wireless logoOn Wednesday, 3/24/21 at 11:45 AM, Professor Amir Farhat will talk about the all important RF element, the oscillator. This element is responsible for frequency generation that allows filtering and carrying of the data signal being received and sent. In order to operate any RF device and allow proper communication, very clean and consistent sine waves of desired frequencies needed to generate. The theory, the implementation and the application of this will all be discussed for this all important device.

W6WN: “Neighborhood Radio Watch” at Framingham ARA Meeting Online, April 1, 2021

The Framingham Amateur Radio Association‘s next meeting on April 1, 2021  at 7:30 PM will feature  Alan Thompson, W6WN, who will talk about Neighborhood Radio Watch program.

This is a partnership between hams and non-hams using amateur, GMRS and FRS radios to help keep our communities safer in the event of an emergency or disaster. The NRW Program had it origin in the ashes of the Camp Fire, and has been a tremendous boost for the El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club.

This meeting will be on zoom and FARA members will receive an invitation. [Email KB1VXY at president@w1fy.org to to receive the Zoom registration link.]

Cape Ann ARA Schedule

CAARA logoCape Ann Amateur Radio Association Schedule:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unless otherwise noted, all scheduled meetings will be held via our 2-meter repeater W1GLO 145.13 MHz in Gloucester.

The next Directors Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 11:00 AM.

The Members Meeting scheduled for Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 12:00 PM has been canceled due to restrictions imposed on gatherings due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The VE Exam Session scheduled for Sunday, April 11, 2021 at 9:00 AM has been canceled. Please email our VE Team Contact, Bill, WZ1L, for further information.

The club operates a Sunday evening 2-meter net (CAARAnet) at 9:00 PM on 145.130 MHz with a 107.2 PL tone. This is an open and informal net that disseminates club news, ARRL bulletins and traffic of interest to the ham radio community and prepares operators for emergency communications work. All are invited to check into the net as club membership is not a requirement.

The CAARA club net is also available and accessible via Echolink. W1GLO-R will connect you to our Cape Ann repeater on 145.130 MHz.

WA1JXR: “Nano VNA” at Nashoba Valley ARC Meeting Online, March 18, 2021

Nashoba Valley ARC logoBruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s March meeting is Thursday, March 18th at 7:30 PM. This meeting will be conducted via Zoom. Meeting details are below. Thanks to Jim Hein, N8VIM, and Medtronics for the Zoom conference. I apologize for such late notice.

The March meeting will feature Greg Algieri, WA1JXR, whose presentation is on the Nano VNA. Greg is a great speaker and I’m personally looking forward to his presentation.

Thanks and 73. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Bruce, K1BG

978-772-2773 or bruce.blain@charter.net 

“Great Hill Gang” Meets in Weymouth on March 13, 2021

photo of Great Hill Gang setup in Weymouth MAScott Beers, N1KMX, writes on the W1ATD Marshfield Facebook page:
 
Tomorrow the “Great Hill Gang” will be getting together once again atop Great Hill in Weymouth, MA. We will be there on Saturday March 13.
 
Masks and Social Distancing Please!
 
We don’t have a particular schedule set up for frequencies and times but here are some good possibilities for reaching us:
 
146.52 FM Simplex (good for talk-in’s if you are trying to find us)
146.67- PL 146.2 (good for talk-in’s if you are trying to find us)
145.39- PL 67.0 (9AM most of us check into the K1USN Net)
144.200 USB
144.244 USB (Specifically 11AM – 11:30AM I will try to be here)
 
Call out to “The Great Hill Gang” and someone will get back to you.
 
If you look at aprs.fi (Thanks to KC1HHO) you can find an icon showing where we are along the Weymouth Fore River in North Weymouth.
 
N1KMX and K1UVH are just a couple of callsigns you can reach out to for directions into the hill.
 

W1IS & KC1DSQ: “Baluns Basics” at PART of Westford Online Meeting, March 16, 2021

PART of Westford logoGeorge Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:

The March PART meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, beginning at 7:30 PM via Webex video conference.   […]  You can join any time after 7:00 PM to check out your gear or just rag chew until the meeting starts.

Important: For increased security, we’ve implemented a waiting room for the meeting. After you log in, you’ll be sent to the waiting room for a minute or two while we check you in.
Our speakers for the meeting are Bob, W1IS, and Bob, KC1DSQ, who will be speaking on “Baluns Basics.” Their article on this topic appeared in the January 2021 issue of CQ magazine.
 
See you there!
 
73, George  K1IG
 
[To request conference login information, contact George Allison, K1IG, at k1ig -at- arrl -dot- net]