PART of Westford Meets November 17, 2020

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

The topic for [the PART of Westford‘s] November 17 meeting will be Show and Tell.  This is the opportunity to show off the projects you’ve been working on during quarantine. Things we’d like to see include:

  • Electronic projects completed or in progress
  • Shack and antenna improvements
  • Operating awards you’ve recently earned
  • POTA, SOTA, IOTA, or other portable/mobile operations you’ve activated
  • Public service events you’ve participated in

If you have something you want to show, send me an email (K1IG (at) arrl.net) by November 15 with a short description and an estimate of how much time you need. Slides, photos, and even videos are welcome; you can show them from your computer or email them to me and I’ll show them while you do the talking.

WA1JXR: “Antenna Analyzer Usage” at Waltham ARA, October 28, 2020

Waltham ARA logoFrom the Waltham ARA website:

This month we welcome Greg Algieri, WA1JXR, who will be presenting. The presentation will be an Introduction of Principals, Techniques, and How to Use the popular MFJ 259B Antenna Analyzer and the SDR-Kits Vector Network Analyzer. We will show How they Work, What is inside Under the Hood, and what are some of the things you can do with them.

If you are not a [Waltham Amateur Radio Association] member and would like to be invited to the presentation, please fill out this form and we will email you an invite before the presentation starts.

Sign up here ——> https://forms.gle/4F6VKj53cBesKxVb9 <—–

Note: WARA uses Amazon Chime for online meetings. It will work with just Firefox or Chrome, but you may want to consider downloading the client to avoid issues. Also consider signing in for the “pre-net” where we start an hour early to test your A/V setup.

https://aws.amazon.com/chime/download/

K9HI: “License Fee NPRM—Filing Comments to MD Docket 20-270” at Sci-Tech ARS, October 27, 2020

New England Sci Tech logoSTARS Online Meeting: Tuesday, Oct 27, 7:00 pm.
 
7:00 GUEST SPEAKER
– “FCC Proposal for $50 Fees” speaker tonight – Phil Temples K9HI will do a presentation about the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for new fee structure and how YOU, as an individual, can easily and appropriately participate in a writing campaign to fight it.
 
8:00 RADIO SHOP TALK
Open forum – all topics welcome! Each Tuesday after the regular meeting, join us for Ham Radio Shop Talk begins after the meeting, approx. 8:00 pm, on the same Zoom link. Hang out and join us.
 
Phil will explain the issues and how your voice can be heard.
 
Amateur radio licensees would pay a $50 fee for each amateur radio license application if the FCC adopts rules it proposed this past August. Included in the FCC’s fee proposal are applications for new licenses, renewal and upgrades to existing licenses, and vanity call sign requests. Excluded are applications for administrative updates, such as changes of address, and annual regulatory fees.
 

The FCC proposal is contained in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in MD Docket 20-270, which was adopted to implement portions of the “Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act” of 2018 — the so-called “Ray Baum’s Act.” The fees Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the October 15, 2020 Federal Register (https://tinyurl.com/yyk8f2yp). The deadline for comments is November 16, 2020, and the Reply comment deadline is November 30, 2020.

BCRA Fox in Test Mode

Skip Denault, KB1CNB, writes on the BCRA club list on October 26, 2020 at 3:20 PM:

The [Bristol County Repeater Association] has acquired a fox hunt transmitter and we are planning to have a fox (hidden transmitter) hunt in the near future. The fox is currently on the air and we would like to see if you can hear it. It is on 146.565 MHz and is transmitting a 15 second beacon tone and CW ID every ten minutes “on the 4’s” (2:04; 2:14; 2:24 etc) it is located at latitude 41.7152679 and longitude -71.1486613. If you hear it, send me an email at KB1CNB at arrl.net with the time and location (address or long./lat.). It will be running until 5:00 pm Tuesday, October 27.

Thanks for your help – Info on the hunt will be out soon!

Skip, KB1CNB

N1NS: “US Forestry Service Fire Fighting” at K1USN Radio Club, October 27, 2020

Barbara Dougan, N1NS posed with K1USN Radio Club membersK1USN Radio Club is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting:

Topic: K1USN Zoom session: Barbara Dougan, N1NS, and her US Forest Service fire fighting

Time: Oct 27, 2020 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Zoom details: Contact Pi Pugh, K1BV, at pi.k1rv at gmail.com

[To read more about Barbara’s accomplishments and her career with the National Park Service, visit https://ema.arrl.org/public-information/amateur-radio-in-the-media/#Cape_Cod_National_Seashore_Educator_Carried_Torch.]

Genesis ARS Meets October 26, 2020

Michael Bennett, KG1U, writes on the GARS Now mailing list on October 26, 2020:
 
I have been trying unsuccessfully to reach Airport Management regarding our meeting. I have not heard back. Plymouth is now a  hotspot and I really want to be sure the room is clean if we use it. Therefore, we will meet on Zoom. The information is as follows:  [email kg1ugars at gmail.com for details.]

 

Genesis ARS logo
The Genesis Amateur Radio Society will hold its next meeting on Monday, October 26, 2020, at 7 PM in the Plymouth Airport Community Room, 246 South Meadow Road, in Plymouth.

The club thanks the Plymouth Municipal Airport for their many years of support for allowing the use of their facilities for monthly meetings and annual Field Day events.  

K9HI: “ARRL Board Topics” at North Shore Radio Association, October 19, 2020

North Shore Radio Association logoThe North Shore Radio Association will feature Phil Temples, K9HI, ARRL New England Division Vice Director, who will present on ARRL Board Topics and the recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in MD Docket 20-270, on October 19, 2020 at 7:00 PM. 

Zoom conference information will be sent via the NSRA groups.io mailing list.  Contact Eric, KA1NCF, at ka1ncf -at- nsradio -dot- org to be added to the groups.io list.

N1DM: “Natick Public Safety Communications” at Wellesley ARS Online Meeting, October 20, 2020

Wellesley ARS logoDan Brown, W1DAN, writes in the Wellesley ARS Spark Gap:

Our next Zoom meeting will be Tuesday October 20, 2020 at 7:30PM, when Dom, N1DM, will talk about Natick Public Safety communications.

Dom notes: “The presentation will concentrate on radio systems used in Natick’s 911 dispatch center. A discussion of the dispatchers equipment capabilities and the various interagency systems in use at the dispatch center will be included.”

I will email a Zoom meeting invite link before the meeting. Also, if you are not by your computer, you can call in to the meeting via telephone.

K1IW: “Computer Assisted Ham Radio” at Framingham ARA Online Meeting, November 5, 2020

Framingham ARA logoThe Framingham Amateur Radio Association‘s November 5, 2020 meeting will feature Bob DeMattia, K1IW, who will present on, “Computer Assisted Ham Radio.”

This will be a zoom meeting and members will receive the zoom meeting details via email.  A limited number of prescreened guests may be able to attend. If you are a non-member, contact our president, John KB1VXY, president@w1fy.org, to request an invitation.

Much like almost everything else, computers have touched many aspects of ham radio.  From station logging, to the modes we operate – many things have changed.  This presentation will go through a brief timeline of the merging of technologies, and discuss how computers are used in ham radio today.
 
Bob DeMattia, K1IW, is an engineer manager in the Radeon Technology Group of Advanced Micro Devices in Boxborough. He holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from WPI and has been worked the electronics industry since 1984. His ham radio interests include VHF and UHF repeaters, and on the lower bands CW operating.

 

NJ1Q: “ARRL Headquarters W1AW Station Tour,” Billerica ARS Online Meeting, November 4, 2020

W1AW buildingAndy Wallace, KA1GTT, writes on the Billerica Amateur Radio Society website:

All, I am extremely excited to announce our next Zoom meeting will be a tour of the W1AW station at ARRL HQ in Newington CT!

Some of you have been lucky enough to work W1AW on the bands – some even in the A.M. mode. Even QSLed it. Even luckier BARS members have been on a field trip down to tour the station! I have not – and like many of you will find this a great first time experience!

Courtesy of BARS’s Doug Bruce, KC1MJK – who worked W1AW recently and got us in touch – we have arranged a virtual tour of W1AW for our November meeting. Thanks, Doug, and especially thank you, Joe! He has done other virtual tours so helping BARS in this way should go well. As a bonus our meeting time coincides with W1AW actually being on the air so we will see it in operation.

W1AW is the “voice” of the American Radio Relay League and as an ARRL affiliated club BARS has a stake in their heritage. Joe will field questions and it sounds like this tour will be “the next best thing to being there” as they say.

We will have  a bit of club business – our club election in fact – at the beginning of our meeting, and Joe’s tour will commence thereafter.

Let’s show a great turnout for this! Thank you Doug and Joe.

We will announce the link to join the Zoom meeting before the meeting, but 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.

I am looking forward to “seeing” many of you Wednesday 11/4/20.

Andy

KA1GTT

President, Billerica Amateur Radio Society

Sci-Tech ARS, Wellesley ARS Members Participate in Summits On The Air Event from Mt. Wachusett, October 10, 2020

Members of the Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society and the Wellesley Amateur Radio Society activated Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, Massachusetts for Summits On The Air on Saturday, October 10, 2020.

Fourteen STARS and WARS members and friends hiked or drove up the mountain. They logged more than 48 QSOs on 20 meters and several more on 2 meters making contacts from California to France to the base of Wachusett Mountain. The group plans to get the two clubs outdoors and operating once a month.

STARS and WARS members posed atop Wachusett Mountain for Summits On The Air

W1SEX: “History of the Heath Company” at Quannapowitt RA Online Meeting, October 15, 2020

photo of Heathkit stationThe October meeting of the Quannapowitt Radio Association will feature Paul Topolski, W1SEX. Paul will speak about the interesting and colorful “History of the Heath Company,” the company founder, and the subsequent owners of Heath and how the Company’s rapid growth was bolstered by numerous economic factors that came to fruition at the close of World War II.

The meeting is this Thursday, October 15th at 7 PM. For Zoom information, email Bruce Bain, K1BG, at bruce.blain@charter.net.

Zola ARC Meets Online, October 24, 2020

Dear all:

Everyone is invited to our October Zola meeting.

Location: Online only, no in-person component
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM Eastern

Meeting format:

11:00 AM
Introductions and call to order

11:15 AM
Announcements, questions and answers

11:30 AM
Previously we asked ourselves as to what type of topics everyone would be interested in hearing about while we are having remote meetings. One of the subjects that was asked for was information about AMSAT. This month we are privileged to have Leandra, AF1R with us. She will have a presentation about AMSAT and will answer our questions afterwards.

 [Contact Frank Ventura, N1FMV,  at frank -at- littlebreezes -dot- com for Zoom conference details.]

Thanks

Frank, N1FMV

Sci-Tech ARS Online Meeting, October 6, 2020

Olin students at New England Sci-Tech

ONLINE Meeting: Tuesday, Oct 6, 7:00 PM.

 
To join the Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society Meeting at 7:00 pm link your computer to [… contact Bob Phinney, K5TEC, at bobphinney@nescitech.com for Zoom conference details]
 
6:30 Moore’s Code Corner
Learn your call sign or first name in Morse code. Join Rusty Moore for a beginner’s intro to code. Same Zoom link as STARS.
 
7:00 MEETING
– Around the room updates and general chat
– Latest about New England Ham Convention
– Update on Parks on the Air
– Other old business and new business.
 
8:00 RADIO SHOP TALK
Open forum – all topics welcome! Each Tuesday after the regular meeting, join us for Ham Radio Shop Talk begins after the meeting, approx. 8:00 pm, on the same Zoom link. Hang out and join us.

Norfolk County Radio Association Meeting Online, October 14, 2020

Dick Bean, K1HC, writes:

The NCRA conduct its Wednesday, October 14, 2020 meeting at 8 PM using Zoom in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Jim, WJ1R, will be our Zoom host.  Thank you to Jim for agreeing to take on this role!

It will be a good opportunity to see and hear our members!  We have a few business items to cover, but we will let everyone have a chance to speak.

Please note that we do need to end the Zoom session shortly after the meeting ends so please be mindful of our host asking us to end our discussion after the meeting closes.  Thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding!   

73,

Dick, K1HC