Clubs

Tuesday, July 18 at 7 PM: “SOTA and POTA while Traveling Abroad” by Paul Mower, VA6MPM and Peter Shmerko, VE6FPV.

Description: Traveling abroad is a great way to explore new and unique destinations as well as to embrace different cultures. As an amateur radio operator, traveling abroad can become much more interesting. Paul and Peter will share their experiences and techniques after operating SOTA abroad in Japan and Switzerland, respectively. They will also provide advice on what they recommend preparing before travelling, since certain countries require intricate procedures before they allow you to operate. Furthermore, Peter will conclude the presentation with an introduction and brief overview of his team’s CubeSat project (CalgaryToSpace) at the University of Calgary.

Bio for Peter VE6FPV: Peter started flying radio-controlled model aircraft at the age of 12 and started to develop an interest in first-person-view (FPV) and long range aerial systems. This prompted him to get his Basic amateur radio license to operate model aircraft on UHF radio systems. After joining the CalgaryToSpace CubeSat team in 2021 as the radio-communications lead, he received his Advanced amateur radio license to start developing the CubeSat’s ground station. Lacking a home station, Peter became curious about SOTA since it could combine his interests of amateur radio and mountaineering. Peter has been an active SOTA operator since 2022.

Bio for Paul VA6MPM: Paul’s interest in radio began while growing up in Kenya, listening to the BBC on a shortwave radio. However, the desire to become a licensed HAM came with the necessity to communicate from the remote backcountry hut network operated by the Alpine Club of Canada. From a very young age, mountaineering pursuits have been a large part of Paul’s life. Living in North America, Africa and Asia created a curiosity about mountain culture in various parts of the world. Traveling and operating SOTA has become one of the most rewarding aspects of the hobby for Paul.

Our guest speaker at our meeting on Wednesday, July 5 at 7 PM, will be Ria Jairam, N2RJ. Ria is from Sussex, New Jersey and is well known and respected around the ham radio community. Among her many credentials are:

• Life member, ARRL
• Past Director, Hudson Division, ARRL (2019-2023)
• Member of : Amsat, NJDXA, FRC, YLRL, RSGB, Sussex County ARC, Fair Lawn ARC, RIO DX group
• FRC Section Manager, Northern NJ
• SKCC #2725, 100WAAW #927, BH #155

Ria’s many awards include the following:

• DXCC 327 mixed (329 including deleted)
• 9 bands DXCC (5BDXCC + 30, 17, 12, 160)
• Challenge 1900+ confirmed (2050+ worked)
• VUCC 388 grids, as well as many Hudson Division and W2 call area wins in ARRL DX SSB, ARRL DX CW, CQWW SSB, etc.

Her most memorable DXCC QSO: Bouvet 3Y0E. “Weak but workable” – to me, anyway. and Honorable mention – ZD8I – was calling CQ on PSK31 and he answered! Ria will be speaking to us about a fast upcoming trend in ham radio, SDR radios, and how they are used in ham radio. I am sure this will be a very interesting and informative presentation. Please join us on Wednesday, July 5! You won’t want to miss this presentation.

BARS 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.

We are looking forward to “seeing” many of you on Wednesday 7/5 here at 1900.

Doug, N1WRN

Minuteman Repeater Association membership meeting: Wednesday, June 21, 2023 ~7:30—9:30 pm: Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN). Jim Garner, KC1BHD; and Michael Ford, WZØC. This is a Hybrid meeting at New England SciTech in Natick + ZOOM.
(Members: log into your account on MMRA.ORG to obtain the ZOOM info.
Non-members: send an email to contact@mmra to request the ZOOM info.

Michael, WZ0C, lives in Maynard and enjoys the amateur radio digital modes. Michael became interested in AREDN last year, connecting with Orv, W6BI, and Jim and learning about their efforts. Michael is hoping to use AREDN to increase the digital presence in Massachusetts. 

Jim, KC1BHD, has always been interested in data transmission in general and for several years, AREDN mesh networking in particular. He lives near Worcester and envisions creating RF access to an AREDN mesh for hams. He will give a demonstration of his AREDN go-kit prototype to be used in ARES activations, at disaster locations, or public service events.

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s June meeting is Thursday, June 15th at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell). We start gathering at 7 PM to socialize before the meeting starts.

Besides discussing plans for ARRL Field Day (June 24th and June 25), our guest speaker will be Tim Duffy, K3LR. Besides the sponsor of a world-class multi operator contest station, Tim is the face behind DX Engineering, one of the most successful Amateur Radio dealers in the country. I’m sure this will be an interesting talk

Also, NVARC will be taking ARRL Membership Applications (new, renewals, and extentions) at the meeting. The club gets a nice commission on each application we submit..

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

Donna Halper will be presenting about the role amateurs played in early commercial radio and sports broadcasting [on June 7 at 7:00 PM.]

Donna was born here in Massachusetts and began working in the broadcasting field in 1968 as a DJ and music director. In 1974, while at WMMS in Cleveland she “discovered” the progressive rock band Rush.

She has written several books, including the first book-length study devoted to the history of women in American broadcasting, Invisible Stars: A Social History of Women in American Broadcasting. She also has taught college-level courses in broadcasting, media criticism, media history and radio programming and has a PhD from UMass Amherst.

There’s a Wikipedia article about her at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Halper and she has a website (and blog) at http://donnahalper.com/.

Tue, May 23 at 7:00 PM: “Radio Orienteering” by Bob Frey, WA6EZV

Description: Radio Orienteering combines the skills of Orienteering, the equipment and expertise of Radio Direction Finding, and the athleticism of cross country running and combines them into a fun and competitive sport. Besides an introduction into basic orienteering using topographical maps, this presentation will cover how to get started in Radio Orienteering/ARDF (Amateur Radio Direction Finding) focusing on 2M hunts. Discussion will include how Radio Orienteering differs from classic orienteering, and what equipment is required for 2M and 80M hunts. A variety of receivers, different attenuators, and an inexpensive Yagi antenna for 2M ARDF/RO along with some basic transmitters and an inexpensive controller will also be discussed. Suggestions for practice events and where to get additional information will also be covered.

Bio: Bob holds an Extra Class license and was first licensed in 1968. He has been active in Foxhunting for over 50 years and has been a speaker for the Foxhunt/ARDF forum at Dayton Hamvention for nearly 30 years. Bob sets ARDF practice courses, including at the YOTA Camp in 2021 and 2022. He has competed in 20 U.S. National ARDF Championships, and is a four time champion. He has co-chaired three championships and participated in four World Championships. Bob’s ARRL appointments include ARRL Volunteer Examiner, DXCC Field Checker, HF Awards Manager, and Member of ARRL RO/ARDF Sub-Committee.

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s May meeting is Thursday, May 18th at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell). We start gathering at 7 PM to socialize before the meeting starts.

May’s speaker will Ray Lajoie, AA1SE, who will speak to us regarding “The BIG E.” The BIG E (short for the Eastern States Exposition) is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the filth-largest fair in the nation. The BIG E represents all six New England States and features entertainment, unique foods, competitive livestock shows, shopping, a circus and much more. In 2022, Amateur Radio got top billing at the BIG-E, and plans are underway for 2023. I’m sure this will be an interesting talk. Please join us.

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

The New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society will meet on-line and in-person on May 9, 2023 at 7 PM and feature: “FlexRadio – Not Your Grandfather’s Superhet Radio” by Michael Walker, VA3MW.

Mike, from FlexRadio Systems, will spend about an hour showing how today’s HF radio is not only better than yesterday’s super-het radio, but you get more performance for your dollar. He will show how your radio now ‘scales’ towards the future and does not grow old beginning the day you buy it.

Bio: Mike has been active in amateur radio since 1974 and loves every minute of it – from repeaters, HF, HF Contesting, satellites, and tinkering in EME digital modes and 10 GHz microwave. As well as being a GA Pilot, he loves HF station integration and remote HF operation. Mike currently represents FlexRadio Systems with its Marketing and Education team. He is very well versed in FlexRadio technology and he is someone for whom technology is genuinely his hobby.

Doug Bruce, N1WRN, writes on the Billerica ARS web site:

Our guest speaker for the May 2023 [Billerica Amateur Radio Society] club meeting will be Dennis Boye, AH2O, from Syosset, NY. Dennis will be sharing a presentation on POTA (Parks On The Air), which is fast becoming very popular, especially now that Spring has finally come after a long cold winter.

Here is a list of parks that Dennis has activated recently:

K-2152: Trail View State Park, NY; K-2014: Bethpage State Park, NY; K-2013: Belmont Lake State Park, NY; K-8628: Caumsett State Historical Park, NY; K-0480: Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge, NY; K-0856: Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, NY; K-5224: Old Westbury State Forest, NY; K-2150: Taughannock Falls, NY; K-2098: Lodi Point State Park, NY; K-2023: Buttermilk Falls State Park, NY; K-2114: Nissequogue River State Park, NY; K-0761: Valley Forge National Historic Park, PA

Please come join us for a very interesting and informative presentation on a very popular activity in our hobby that experienced and new hams alike can enjoy and have fun with! This activity emphasizes our commitment to being a GOTA (Get On The Air!) club!

BARS 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.

We are looking forward to “seeing” many of you on Wednesday 5/3 here at 1900.

Terry Stader, KA8SCP, will present on Emergency Communications at the next meeting of the Framingham Amateur Radio Association.

This meeting is hybrid, meaning on Zoom and in person, and will be held at the Framingham Library McAuliffe Branch starting at 7 pm. Members will receive a zoom invitation. Non-members may request an invitation by sending an email to John at president@w1fy.org.

The New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society will meet on-line and in-person on April 25, 2023 at 7 PM and feature: “Dual Band Antennas” by Ed Fong, WB6IQN.

Description: Ed Fong, WB6IQN, is the inventor of the DBJ-1 and DBJ-2 antennas that were featured in the February 2003 and March 2007 QST. His most recent antenna is the TBJ-1, a tri-band base antenna that was published in the March 2017 QST. The DBJ-1 is a highly effective dual band VHF/UHF base station antenna and the DBJ-2 is the portable roll up version.  The DBJ-2 won the QST Plaque of the Month Award. Both of these antennas are featured in the ARRL VHF antenna Handbook and also in the ARRL Antenna Classic Handbook. There are over 40,000 of these antennas in use today.  About half are used by hams and the other half by government and commercial agencies. Ed will give a history on how these antennas were developed and the theory on how and why they work so well.  

Bio: 

Ed obtained BSEE and MSEE degrees from the Univ. of California at Berkeley and his Ph.D. from the Univ. of San Francisco. A Life Senior Member of the IEEE, he has 12 patents and over 40 published papers and books in the area of communications and integrated circuit design. Presently, he is employed by the University of California, Santa Cruz as an instructor teaching graduate classes in Antenna Design, RF design and high speed interface. In his 35 year career, he has done work for Stanford University, National Semiconductor, Advanced Micro Devices, and numerous startup companies in Silicon Valley.

Alan H. Martin, W1AHM, reposts on the PART of Westford mailing list:

From: Friends of the J.V. Fletcher Library

MIT Haystack Observatory Visit

Thursday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Meeting Room

Join us for part of our Earth Month celebration as we host the MIT Haystack Observatory, a radio science & technology research center located right in our hometown of Westford! A representative from the Observatory will be on hand to discuss what the Observatory does and what exciting projects they are working on. This program does not require registration and will be offered in a hybrid format. Attend in person or virtually.

Please contact Justin Liberti for the Zoom link at jliberti@westfordma.gov.

This program is hosted in conjunction with Westford Climate Action.

Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s April meeting is Thursday, April 20th at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell). We start gathering at 7 PM to socialize before the meeting starts.

April’s speaker will be Tom Frenaye, K1KI, whose presentation is “The New England QSO Party Today and Yesterday”. The NEQP has become one of the most popular regional ham radio operating events, gathering worldwide attention. Personally, it’s my favorite local event. Held May 6 – 7 this year, it’s fast approaching. Old timers and new hams alike will get a lot out of this presentation. Please join us.

April is also when NVARC holds our annual elections. Please consider running as an officer or a director!

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

Gary Sutcliffe, W9XT, will give a presentation “Antennas – The Third Dimension” [at the Billerica Amateur Radio Society meeting on April 5, 2023 at 7 PM.]

Gary was licensed as WN9FRG in 1970. Other calls he has held: WB9FRG, WB9FRG/6W8, W0XT. He also has an FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (Commercial). He has achieved number one on the DXCC Honor Roll, 5BDXCC, with over 100 countries confirmed on each band 160-10M (except 60M) His main radio interests include contesting, experimenting, designing, building equipment and antennas, so he is well versed in what makes a great antenna system for your QTH.

Topic: April 5 BARS meeting Gary Sutcliffe, W9XT, “Antennas – The Third Dimension”
Time: 7:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every month on the First Wed
April 5, 2023, 07:00 PM

The next meeting of the Waltham Amateur Radio Association will be this Wednesday [March 29, 2023] at 7:00. (Zoom opens at 6:30.) The meeting will be held on-line with no in-person gathering this month. (zoom links below). After a short business meeting, Fred/W6BSD will be giving a presentation providing an overview of the various Digital Voice Modes: Digital Voice Modes for Amateur Radio.

You don’t need a General or Extra class license to enjoy QSOs with people worldwide. All amateur license classes can use Digital Voice (DV) modes such as Fusion, D-Star, DMR, and many others to connect with people throughout the US and other countries using digital repeaters or amateur hotspots. During his presentation, Fred will discuss the differences between the DV modes and how the backend infrastructure works.

The New England Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society will meet on-line and in-person on March 21, 2023 at 7 PM and feature: “Management of AMSAT Orbital Elements Resources” by Ray Hoad, WA5QGD and Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P.”

Description: This presentation describes the history, format, preparation, and distribution process for Two Line Elements (TLE) satellite tracking data by the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). This process supplies TLE on a weekly (or daily) basis to be used by radio amateurs to track and communicate via radio amateur satellites to other amateur radio stations. The source of TLE data is the U.S. Air Force SpaceTrack.org website.  

Bios: Raymond F. Hoad received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1971 and 1973, respectively. After four years in the U.S. Air Force, he joined what is now ONCOR Electric Delivery, Fort Worth, Texas in 1977 as a System Protection Engineer. He retired as Consulting Engineer-Relay from the ONCOR System Protection Group in August 2014. He is currently a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. He is a life member of ARRL and AMSAT-NA and currently serves as AMSAT-NA Orbital Data Manager. He holds an Amateur Extra License.

Joe Fitzgerald was originally licensed as KA1EMW in 1980 and is an active member of the HF contesting and amateur satellite community. His interest in amateur satellite telemetry has led him through two engineering degrees and he presently works managing the telemetry and control of electric grids around the world.