Clubs

Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s next meeting is April 15 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.

The April meeting will feature Frank Donovan, W3LPL, who will talk about the Centennial of the 1921 Transatlantic Tests. This was a historic achievement for Amateur Radio. I’m sure this will be an interesting meeting, and I for one am looking forward to it. 

April is also significant because the club holds elections for club officers and board members. Skip, K1NKR and I are on the nomination committee. If you are interested in volunteering for office, please contact Skip or myself. Nominations are open, and will be accepted until the elections take place.

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

Bruce, K1BG

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

From 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.

From 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.

The 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.

The 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.

Douglas Bruce, KC1MJK, writes on the W1HH.org website:

The next [Billerica Amateur Radio Society] Zoom meeting will be Wednesday 4/7/21 at 7:00 PM and our guest speaker will be Bill Barber, NE1B. Bill will be doing what will be a presentation on the DMR Digital mode. I am sure this will be a very interesting and informative presentation. Please be sure join us!

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>.

Ron 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.

On 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.

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 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.

Bruce 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 

 On Tuesday March 23, 2021 at 19:00, John Ellsworth will present, “The Vintage Radio
and Communication Museum of Connecticut.” Ellsworth is the museum director.

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