Quannapowitt Radio Association Field Day 2019

QRAThe Quannapowitt Radio Association will conduct a Field Day operation on June 22, 2019,  in Topsfield.

According to Ron Draper, WA1QZK, the QTH is situated adjacent to the Topsfield water tank off Route  1 at the top of the hill. “It’s the home of the 147.285 Topsfield repeater, W1VYI. It’s 230 feet elevation, easy access, and there some trees to throw up a dipole.”

Ron adds, “Saturday operation only is planned, maybe until 8 PM.”

Those interested in joining in or visiting the site can ask for talk-in from WA1QZK on 147.285 PL 100, or by calling 978-335-2099.    

 

Barnstable ARC Field Day 2019, Brewster

From the Barnstable ARC web site:

Public welcome! The best time is 3-5pm Saturday or 10-noon Sunday. The event will run for 24hrs. 

During this time you will have the opportunity to get on the air and make contacts with other Field Day stations throughout the country and Canada. All visitors must sign in.

ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June each year more than 35,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.

Field Day offers many things to many people, it is a contest, club cookout, emergency drill, social gathering and more. What ever aspect of Field Day you find the most appealing to you, you will definitely have a good time. The “official” goal of Field Day is to contact as many stations as you can in the twenty four hour operating window. This is also BARC’s largest yearly event and we like to have a good time. Saturday evening we all enjoy sitting down to a large pot luck dinner.

Not a contester? Not a problem! BARC operates field day to have a good time. If you have never operated during a contest or another Field Day come on down and we will guide you through all aspects and have you operating in no time. In fact we have a dedicated station for anyone new to Field Day or Amateur Radio. It is the Get On The Air station (GOTA) At this station you will have a dedicated coach to walk you through everything.

All operating is done from the large pavilion area in the center of the camp. We run as a 3A class (The three is the number of transmitters and “A” designates emergency power) this has kept us operating for the full 24hrs last year. Band pass filters are used to eliminate interference from radio to radio. Due to using the filters each radio is more or less assigned to one band at a time. If you want to switch bands you just change operating stations. The radio equipment used during Field day is all personal property of our members. (please respect it)

[Map, Full story]

K1USN Radio Club QRV for Field Day, June 22, 2019

USS Lawence/ K1USN QSL cardMarty Koszewski, N1VH, writes:
 
ARRL Field Day is this coming weekend.  Marty, N1VH, is currently planning to operate a portable station for a couple of hours from the picnic area next to the parking lot at K1USN.  Marty’s station (Elecraft KX3) will operate 5 Watts via battery and solar utilizing portable antennas for 20M/15M/10M. No K1USN infrastructure (power & antennas) will be used.  Set up around 1:30PM and operations to run from 2:00PM – 4:00PM (will stay longer if others are interested).  Field Day operating class A or B will be used depending on the number of participants.  Computer logging will be available for the KX3 station.  The goal is to have fun, get on the air and test our portable gear & operations skills. Although we will keep a log, we are not “competing” for points.  
 
Please email Marty, N1VH  at mtkoszew@gmail.com if interested in joining him at K1USN Saturday afternoon or if you would like additional info.  Please feel free to bring your portable gear and ‘go’ boxes. A portable generator will be available if needed.   It is a great opportunity to dust off and test your portable gear, including antennas.  
 
The K1USN shack will be open for coffee, rest rooms, etc.

 
Thanks and 73.

HCJB Talk, N1MM Logging at Nashoba Valley ARC, June 20, 2019

Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s June meeting will be tomorrow, Thursday, June 20th at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell).

  This month’s long awaited speaker will be Harry Chase, WA1VVH, who had to cancel at the last minute last month. Harry will talk about his memories of shortwave station HCJB in Ecuador. He made several trips there as a volunteer to set up broadcasting equipment, help with technical issues, and eventually help decommission the stations.

Also, yours truly, Bruce, K1BG, will be giving a brief tutorial on using N1MM logging software on Field Day. When I say brief, it will be very brief! It will, however, be enough to get you comfortable using it. 

And since Field Day is this coming Saturday, I’m sure N1NC’s field day plans will be discussed.

Need directions to the meeting? 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

Falmouth ARA Field Day, 2019

Falmouth Amateur Radio AssociationMembers of the Falmouth Amateur Radio Association, Inc. (FARA) will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise, June 22-23, at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds south parking area at Route 151 and Currier Road in East Falmouth. Visitors are welcome at the site starting at noon on June 22.

 Since 1933, ham radio operators across the united states have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of Amateur Radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. For over 100 years, Amateur Radio — sometimes called ham radio — has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster, all without needing a cell phone or the Internet. Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network. With the rapid advancement in technology this day and age, cell phones, computers, and internet, it’s important for people to understand what ham radio is and how it has also advanced with the rapid change in technology as well. 

Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, and can interface with tablets or smartphones. Most ham radio stations can be setup up quickly by simply throwing a wire over a tree for an antenna and using batteries for power. That is one of the greatest things about ham radio, and it’s also beneficial in times of disasters and other emergencies when other communication infrastructures are down.  Anyone may become a licensed Amateur Radio operator. There are over 822,768 licensed hams in the United States, as young as five and as old as 100. For more information about FARA’s Field Day, contact Matthew Trott, KB1MLP, (matthew.trott@ymail.com) or visit the club website at http://www.falara.org.

Billerica ARS Field Day, June 22-23, 2019

Billerica ARS logoAndy Wallace, KA1GTT, writes:

[The Billerica Amateur Radio Society] will be on the air as W1HH for Field Day 2019 (June 22 and 23) in Billerica! Operation will be class 2F – two 100W HF CW/SSB stations, at an emergency operations center. We will have emergency power available. Bands used will be mostly 80/40/20 with others as they become open and active. A VHF all-mode station and FT8 digital station may be active as well. Talk-in frequency will be 146.52 simplex (Billerica EMA monitoring) or you can try hailing us on the Billerica W1DC repeater (147.12, 103.5Hz).

Our FD Chair is Ken Caruso, WO1N. Please direct questions to him at his QRZ email address. Ken is managing operating teams and schedules so if you would like to get on the air with W1HH do get in touch with Ken. We will be using teams of two for operating and logging using N1MM software. If you are not an expert, don’t be nervous – our experienced ops are happy to coach you in logging and calling/answering CQs and will get you up to speed. Our site will have areas to socialize, and the building has ample ways to shelter from the weather and bugs, too.

This is a joint effort between BARS and the Billerica Emergency Management team. The site is owned by the Town of Billerica and Kevin Fallon, KB1KTR, was instrumental in making this collaboration possible. The site is located at the Billerica EMA Barracks, 67 Alexander Road, Billerica MA 01821. Our setup will be at the first of the large row of buildings.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/67+Alexander+Rd,+Billerica,+MA+01821/@42.5541393,-71.217767,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e3a06a68d1661b:0x4f031d2d9e1f9b36!8m2!3d42.5541393!4d-71.2155783

Please see the details of the site at the ARRL FD Locator site at:

https://ema.arrl.org/field_day/SiteDetail.php?site=BillEMABk

Please note that visitors must abide by the Emergency Management Agency team rules, one of which is that no smoking or alcohol are allowed onsite. Do come by and see us!

I am very happy to see this effort come together and am excited to see how we do!

Thanks to all involved, ahead of time.

Boston ARC Field Day at Bare Cove Fire Museum, Hingham, June 22-23, 2019

Boston ARC logoJoe Chapman, NV1W, writes in the June issue of BARC’s The Sparc:

Field Day is less than two weeks away, on June 22 and 23, and as usual, [the Boston Amateur Radio Club] will be operating from the Bare Cove Fire Museum in Hingham. This is a high point of the year for me and for many other BARC members as well. If you’ve never been to Field Day before, consider joining us on Saturday, Sunday, or both. At the very least, consider coming for the cookout on Saturday.

We’ll start setting up on Saturday morning, and in addition to helping out, you’ll also learn a lot about setting up a station and erecting temporary antennas. It’s always fun to see what equipment others bring, and if you avoid buying ham equipment in the weeks after Field Day you have more self-control than I do.

Operating starts at 14:00 on Saturday. There will be plenty of Extra class licensees available to pair up with Technicians who want to try out HF. You may want to learn about a new mode like PSK31, or just watch experienced operators work. Even old dogs will find plenty of new tricks to learn.

I hope at long last to demonstrate a successful satellite contact. The SSB/CW satellite FO-29 will have a nice high pass starting at 16:40 on Saturday afternoon that looks perfect. To quote Bullwinkle J. Moose, this time for sure!

Framingham ARA Field Day, McAuliffe Public Library, Framingham, June 22

Framingham ARA logoSumner Weisman, W1VIV, writes on the FARA list:

Greetings to all hams,

The Framingham Amateur Radio Association‘s annual Field Day is coming soon!  We hope you will stop by and say hello.

    Date — Saturday, June 22.

    Place — McAuliffe Public Library, Water Street, Framingham

    Operating time — 2 pm to 6 pm.

We can’t promise, but there will be opportunities to operate as well.

We hope to see you there.

73, Sumner Weisman, W1VIV

Waltham ARA Club Picnic and Field Day Operation, June 22, 2019

Waltham ARA logoEliot Mayer, W1MJ, writes on the wara64 mailing list:

On Saturday, June 22, 2018, WARA will combine a club picnic and a 4-hour operation in the ARRL Field Day.

Time:  12:00  – 6:00 PM
Location:  Sunset Shelter, Prospect Hill Park, Waltham (near the repeater site)

The club provides hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, condiments, plates, napkins, etc.    Attendees are encouraged  to  their own (non-alcoholic) drinks and a side or snacks  to share.

The FD operation is very laid back, and everyone is welcome to operate.

To learn more about the ARRL Field Day, see http://www.arrl.org/field-day.

Algonquin ARC QRV for Field Day, June 22-23, 2019

AARC logo[From QRZ, the AARC Newsletter, June, 2019]

This year Field Day will take place from Saturday, June 22nd, to Sunday, June 23rd, in the Training Room of the Central Fire Station located at 215 Maple St, Marlboro, MA.

The event will run from Saturday at 12pm until Sunday at 12pm. Setup will begin on Saturday at 9am. Anyone is invited to participate. You do not need to be a member of the club or a licensed amateur radio operator.

W1LSB: National Company Talk, Waltham ARA, May 29, 2019

Waltham ARA logoThe National Company of Malden, Massachusetts was a world-class manufacturer of commercial and amateur radio communications equipment from the early 1930s until the late 1960s. Their HRO series was used extensively by numerous allies during World War II, and can be credited with helping in the effort to receive coded messages from behind enemy lines. At the May 29 meeting of the Waltham Amateur Radio Association, George Maier, W1LSB, will take us through the company’s history, products, and talk about some National employees that he knew personally.
 
For general information about the meeting, and the meeting before the meeting, see https://walthamara.org/meetings/.
 

Northeast Amateur Radio Club Field Day, June 22-23, 2019, Humarock Point, Scituate

Bill Kretschmer, N2KNL, writes on the Pilgrim ARC web site:

The Northeast Amateur Radio Club, N1ERC, will conduct Field Day at the Fourth Cliff Recreation Area at Humarock Point in Scituate on Friday and Saturday, June 22-23, 2019.

Pilgrim ARC members Russ Apgar, K1RTA, (NEARC President) and Bill Kretschmer, N2KNL,  (NEARC Vice President) and other members will set up a tower trailer, antennas and transceivers on Friday, June 21. We will have cookouts Friday and Saturday evenings, and group breakfasts at the Omelet Factory in Pembroke on Friday and Saturday mornings.

If you would like to attend the event and join our club, feel free to bring food and drinks. The site is about 90 minutes from the Cape Cod area. MA State Route 3, Marshfield Exit 12, then east to Humarock Point overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Overnight camping is available on site.

Humarock Point is located on an Air Force campground. The area was originally used during World War II. There were two active six-inch gun turrets and a control bunker.  A personal note: I have attended many field day events since 1990. This is the most scenic location I have ever been to.

N1DCH: Intro to Radio Hotspots, Minuteman Repeater Association, May 15, 2019

The Minuteman Repeater Association will feature Dave Hornbaker, N1DCH, who will present on “Introduction to Hotspots” at itsMMRA logo annual meeting on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 7 PM.

The presentation will cover different hot spot options with emphasis on MMDVM based hotspots and Pi-Star. 

The meeting will be held at New England Sci-Tech, Inc., 16 Tech Circle, Natick, MA. Directions

 

WA1VVH on Shortwave Station HCJB, Nashoba Valley ARC Meeting, May 16, 2019

Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s May meeting will be Thursday, May 16th at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell).

This month’s speaker will be Harry Chase, WA1VVH. He will be talking about his memories of shortwave station HCJB in Ecuador. He made several trips there as a volunteer to set up broadcasting equipment, help with technical issues, and eventually help decommission the stations.

W1UE: “HQ9X-Building a Station in Paradise” at Algonquin ARC, May 14, 2019

AARC logoDennis Egan, W1UE, will present, “HQ9X: Building a Station in Paradise” at the monthly meeting of the Algonquin ARA on May 14 at 7:30 PM. Dennis operated from Roatan Island, situated off the coast of Honduras, during the recent ARRL DX Contest on February 16-17, 2019.

The Algonquin ARC meets  in the library of the 1st Lt. Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School, 25 Union Ave, Marlboro (enter through door #1 at rear of building).

KB1TLR: Go-Kits, Falmouth ARA Meeting, April 25, 2019

Falmouth Amateur Radio AssociationBrent Putnam, W1NCH, writes on the Falmouth ARA Facebook page:

The April meeting of the Falmouth Amateur Radio Association will be held on Thursday, April 25, at 7:00PM in the Falmouth Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

This month, our own Vice President, Barry, KB1TLR, will be doing a presentation about go-kits.

And we have an announcement about a Go-Kit Contest!

The EOC (also known as the training room) is located at the back of the second floor of the Falmouth Fire and Rescue Department (FFRD) headquarters at 399 Main Street in Falmouth. The public entrance to the building and parking lot are off of King Street.

Several members will be having dinner before the meeting at Liam Maguire’s (273 Main Street, across from the library) at 5:30pm. It’s 900 Thursday, so call in on the FARA 900 repeater on 927.850 -25.7875, PL 88.5. If you don’t have 900, we’ll also be listening on the FARA K1RK repeater, 146.655-, PL 88.5.

All are welcome to join us!

WO1VES: “Digital Voice Hotspots for Ham Radio” at Billerica ARS Meeting, May 1, 2019

Andy Wallace, KA1GTT, writes on the Billerica Amateur Radio Society mailing list:

Everyone, I am excited to announce that Brian Gudzevich, WO1VES, will be our speaker for May.  Brian runs the “Wolf Pack Repeater System” in Stoneham and hosts the “Nut Net” on the Danvers repeater (145.47) at 11:15PM every day.

Brian explains his topic: “I will be presenting an introduction to digital voice hotspots for ham radio.  These hotspots are designed to link digital radios to reflectors over the Internet, and allow you to talk to people anywhere in the world without the use of a Repeater.  They will work with almost any make, model and digital mode.  I will also be giving a run down of the various digital modes, reflectors, and terminology.  Followed by a live demo.  I hope to give people a full understanding of how these hotspots work.”

That says it much better than I could. If, like me, you only use an FM rig to talk on repeaters this could be really eye opening and I am guessing it will also be a way to “work DX” with your HT or computer! I hope the turnout will be excellent.

In addition, the Near-Fest ham flea (May 3 and 4) and ARRL Field Day (June 22-23) are approaching fast and after Brian speaks we will have Club discussion about those events.

Andy, KA1GTT

President, Billerica Amateur Radio Society

Time:

Meetings begin promptly at 7:00 PM, first Wednesday of the month.

Location:
Our meeting location in Chelmsford is at:

Chelmsford Bible Church
128 Gorham St. (Route 3A)
Chelmsford, MA 01824

Please park in back and enter by the rear door. A map can be accessed by the “Club Meetings” notice on the right side of the website.

The Billerica ARS encourages members to get on the air! (GOTA). There are many exciting operating events over the coming cold months to enjoy. Let us know what you’re interested in.

Bring a friend (or aspiring ham) and join us!

Note: The weekly BARS Wednesday night net will not meet on this evening because of the club meeting. Members are encouraged to get on Billerica (147.12) on their way to/from the meeting instead.

 

KV1J on W1 QSL Bureau, New England Sci-Tech, April 23, 2019

Eric Williams, KV1J, Co-manager of the W1 QSL Bureau, is the featured guest speaker at New England Sci-Tech on April 23, 2019 at 7 PM. Eric will explain how the QSL card sorting works, and encourage attendees to do some actual card sorting.
 
Prior to the meeting, at 6 PM the club offers training on how to operate the HF station in the radio room (tours for visitors); at 6:30, everyone is encouraged to check into the net on 449.125 (CTCSS 146.2 Hz).  After the meeting and presentation is the Planetarium show and public telescope night, weather permitting.
 
New England Sci-Tech is located at 16 Tech Circle, Natick MA. Directions