a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
The Northeast HamXposition (a.k.a. ARRL New England Division Convention) organizing committee has confirmed the dates for the 2022 convention: August 26-28, 2022. 
As we get ready to return to Deerfield NH in a couple days to resume our beloved hamfest that we have all missed so much for two years it is obvious that there are some fundamental precautions we must institute in order to be in full compliance with all CDC, State and Town Departments of Public Health guidelines. We do not want to wear out our welcome. NEAR-FEST IS SAFE FOR ALL must be our motto!
It is our hope that everyone will have been vaccinated. However we realize that not everyone will be. If you have not had your shots please take extra care: wear a mask especially inside and use hand sanitizer often. We don’t want anyone getting sick at our event.
The State of New Hampshire does not currently have a mask mandate so neither does NEAR-Fest. However, we have some common sense requests and recommendations because we want everybody to feel safe at our hamfest:
1: We are strongly requesting that everyone wear a mask or face shield while inside the commercial buildings, when attending forums and when at the exam session. Masks will be available at the entrance to these buildings but it is advisable to bring your own as well. We are also strongly requesting that all attendees wear a mask when buying or presenting your admission ticket or otherwise interacting with any of our staff members.
2: Our staff volunteers have expressed some concerns and we want them to feel comfortable helping us run the fester. Remember we cannot do the hamfest without them. They did not volunteer to get Covid. Many of them aren’t the young healthy kids we once were and have serious concerns about covid either personally or with immediate family members. We are requesting that everyone put aside all political and personal views about mask wearing and wear them where we have requested out of respect for the dedicated volunteers who run this event.
We are committed to keeping everyone safe and this request from me is part of this commitment.
3: The use of hand sanitizer is advised especially after handling any items in the flea market and commercial buildings. We will have hand sanitizer in automatic dispensers as well as masks available at the entrances to the buildings.
Additionally, we ask that all attendees attempt to maintain a distance of six feet (or two metres) from others as much as possible and avoid crowding others at flea market and commercial vendor tables. I know this is difficult especially if there is “good stuff cheap”.
These are still difficult and trying times. We are glad to be back running the hamfest again but the world has changed in the past 18 months and we must change with it. We appreciate your cooperation which is particularly important because we want to continue holding the hamfest while assuring the local community that we pose a minimal health threat with our presence.
HELP MAKE NEAR-FEST SAFE FOR ALL!
Stay well!
MisterMike, W1RC, and the entire NEAR-Fest gang
Michael Crestohl, W1RC, writes:
Attention All Units! NEAR-Fest XXX is Next Weekend… We Are Back Live and Online!
Falmouth ARA’s FARA Fest will be held November 6, 2021 at the Upper Cape Regional Technical School, 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA, from 9AM to noon. Sellers can set up beginning at 7AM. 
Michael Crestohl, W1RC, writes:
NEAR-FEST XXX is ON! We are looking forward to seeing all our friends, new and old, after a very long two-year absence at Deerfield at 0900 on Friday October 15th.
Although there are no state or local mandates we want everybody to feel safe at NEAR-Fest. We are asking all attendees to bring their own masks and hand sanitizer. PLEASE respect the wishes of others and wear a mask when inside any of our buildings and observe a 10’ or 2m distance from others whenever possible. We also request that you don your mask when interacting with any member of our staff, inside or outside. They have expressed their concerns. Remember if we didn’t have them we could not do NEAR-Fest! Kindly honor their wishes.
Tickets will be on sale at the gate. Admission is $15 per person and $10 for inside parking which includes flea market selling space. You can save $5 on your admission tickets if you buy them in advance. They are available BY MAIL (do not mail later than Monday October 5th)Mail to NEAR-Fest, 316 Atlantic Avenue, Marblehead MA 01945, checks or amo payable to NEAR-Fest and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Also available in person at Ham Radio Outlet in Salem NH and at Ross W1EKG’s clock shop, 40 Walnut Street in Whitman MA.
We look forward to our “Grand Homecoming”. It has been a very long two years.
73,
MisterMike, W1RC
PS: Don’t forget to attend the ARRL Division Director candidates “Town Hall” meeting on Friday. See our web site www.near-fest.com for details.
HamXposition Chairman Bob DeMattia, K1IW, has released some preliminary numbers for ticket sales for the Northeast HamXposition and New England ARRL Convention in Marlborough, MA on September 10-12, 2021.
“Based on the number of unissued tickets, attendance was 1212,” writes Bob.
“We printed 2200 tickets, and had 988 remaining at the end. We issued approximately 1212 tickets total.” K1IW adds, “For what it’s worth, my prediction was we would issue around 1200.”
The Committee expects to net between $8,000 to $10,000 in profits–most of which will be used to fund FEMARA scholarships.
Roger Coulson, WA1NVC, writes on the Waltham ARA mailing list:
The HamXposition (New England Division Convention) Flea Market is open on FRIDAY this year!
This is new having the FLEA MARKET starting at Noon on FRIDAY!
The Flea Market Hours are:
– Friday: 12 PM to 5 PM
– Saturday: 9 AM to 5 PM
– Sunday: 9 AM to 1 PM
https://hamxposition.org/flea-
See you on FRIDAY at HamXposition!
Roger
WA1NVC
The QRP Club of New England (NEQRP) has published a schedule of activities for its members at the Northeast HamXposition, September 10-12, 2021.
Activities include: Early Birds Meet ‘N Greet, QRP Vendors Night, Night Owls Gathering, QRP Symposium of Talks and more.
For the full schedule, see <https://ema.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NEQRPatNortheastHamXposition2021.pdf>.
The Northeast HamXposition Convention Committee has announced its policy to address appropriate COVID precautions for the ARRL New England Division Convention to be held on September 10-12, 2021 in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
Masks will be required to be worn in all indoor areas, but may be removed for the purpose of eating. Masks will not be required in outdoor areas. The Committee will provide free masks to attendees. In addition, seating capacity will be limited in most rooms.
To view the complete policy, visit <https://hamxposition.org/covid>.
Gerry Hull, W1VE, writes on the YCCC list:
Hi Folks,
For those who are planning to attend the Northeast HamXposition Sept 10-12, we are planning, as usual, a special event station. Marty, NN1C and I will be spearheading the effort.
Rather than just a drop-by-and-say-hi/Quick QSO moment, we thought it would be great to turn this into another “Discover the HF Experience” activity. If you remember, this was done in the past by both YCCC and a group of contest clubs at the Dayton Hamvention. It was a great success.
So, this year, at HamXposition, we will have three operating positions. Two of the stations will be remote, and the third will be a local station at the Xposition, with dipole antennas.
We are excited to show hams what shortwave radio is, and especially what it is like in 2021. We would like to give new hams/non-hams at least a taste for what HF radio is, and why we get so excited about it. We have two fantastic superstations for our remote operations, and they should excite both old and new!
What we need is some of your expertise and time. A new ham or someone interested in the hobby can read books till they are blue in the face — but what they can learn from an Elmer will stay with them forever.
I have a sign-up sheet for Elmers. You sign up for any of the three stations in half-hour increments. We will have another public signup sheet for those new-hams/non-hams/shy-ops wishing to participate. Perhaps you will come and just explain what HF is all about, perhaps make a QSO or two, or just enjoy some operating time. However, explaining what we do and how we do it should be our primary focus.
If you do not want to operate — come by and be an ambassador for our hobby.
We will be setting aside some specific times where we will simply talk to the crowd, and answer lots of specific questions. What’s SSB? What’s CW? What’s Digital? What are the HF bands? What is a remote station? Etc.
Here is the sign-up sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k9z9-oM0copOynmLGlQI4-Nh_HDLYS_n5-MWUkz14xU/edit?usp=sharing
(It is only open to YCCC mail members. If you can figure out how to share publicly, let me know.)
The hours are:
About the stations:
The local station will be a 100w station with low dipoles, located on the property, signing W1A.
W1A@W1KM Cape Cod, Massachusetts Remote:
Greg has graciously given us permission to use his station. It is one of the premiere HF contest stations on the east coast, with antennas literally sitting on the Cape Cod bay.
N6A@WA6TQT Anza, California Remote:
My good friends who are the owners/supporters of WA6TQT (ex W6BH Radio Ranch) have graciously offered the Anza Superstation for this special event. It has a commanding signal into the pacific (worldwide, actually) on 160-10m.
Please help! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
73,
Gerry W1VE
Come join us at our new venue–the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
Friday, September 10 through Sunday, September 12
Flea Market: Friday 12-5, Saturday 9-5, Sunday 9-1
Exhibition Hall: Saturday 9-5, Sunday 9-1
Forums & Seminars: See our schedule
Online ticketing for Northeast HamXposition 2021 is available Wednesday, August 11. You can order General Admission, Flea Spaces, and tickets for the Friday and Saturday dinner events.
http://hamxposition.org/
* Tech in a Day * VE Exams * W1A Special Event * W1B Special Event * Nashua Area Radio Club’s Ham Bootcamp * NEQRP Symposium * New England ARES Academy *
FRIDAY and SATURDAY night movie: “Contact” at 9 PM
All convention attendees are eligible to win at our grand prize drawing on Sunday.
Grand prize: Yaesu FTDX-10
First prize: RFinder B1
Second prize: Icom IC-7300
Third prize: Yaesu FTM-300
FRIDAY DXCC Dinner
Join your fellow hams for a delicious DXCC/Contest dinner on the first night of the convention! Adrian Ciuperca, KO8SCA, will recap his recent DXPedition and IARU Contest activities/activations from the Market Reef, Aland and Brando Islands.
Adrian is a keen DXer with DXCC 317, 9BDXCC, IOTA and a passionate contester who competed in WRTC 2018 in Wittenberg, Germany.
All dinner attendees are eligible to win a Yaesu FTM-300 door prize.
SATURDAY GRAND Banquet
Enjoy dinner as our guest speaker, Dr. Philip J. Erickson, W1PJE, discusses his group’s latest HamSCI’s latest ionospheric science investigations Haystack Observatory, a radio observatory operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is a member of ARRL, RSGB, and TAPR, vice president of the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club.
All dinner attendees are eligible to win a Yaesu FTM-300 door prize.
From nediv.arrl.org:
The program schedule of forums and presentations for the 2021 Northeast HamXposition (a.k.a. “ARRL New England Division Convention”) has been posted online at: <https://hamxposition.org/forums-and-classes/forum-schedule>.
Some 68 events and talks are scheduled for the three-day event which takes place at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts on September 10-12, 2021.
For more information, visit: <https://hamxposition.org>.
Only 5 1/2 weeks to HamXposition 2021: September 10, 11 & 12 at the Best Western in Marlborough!
Hotel rooms are still available at the discounted rate of $99. Contact the hotel on their local phone number (508) 460-0700 and tell them you want the HamXposition rate.
We are still in need of volunteers to assist with parking, ticketing, and the logistics involved with keeping our forums on schedule. Volunteers working at least one 2-hour shift will receive free admission. You can volunteer at https://hamxposition.org/
General Admission Tickets are now available retail at Ham Radio Outlet in Salem, NH and at Electronics Plus in Littleton, MA
Online ticketing is almost ready – stay tuned for an announcement when it goes live.
HAM BOOTCAMP
Nashua Area Radio Society is proud to once again offer Ham Bootcamp. It includes a series of demonstrations and tutorials designed to help newly licensed Technician, General, and Extra class license holders get on the air and use their amateur radio license. Bootcamp is also a great opportunity for prospective Hams who are interested in seeing what the hobby has to offer.
Ham Bootcamp activities are geared towards Technicians and prospective Hams and General class licenses and higher Hams. Bootcamp participants will find all of this material interesting and fun no matter what their focus or license level.
The Bootcamp program is available to all licensed and prospective Hams. You can register for the Friday, September 10 Ham Bootcamp session at HamXposition by visiting <https://www.n1fd.org/ham-
TECH IN A DAY
Bill Poulin, WZ1L, and members of the Cape Ann ARA will once again offer “Tech in a Day” at HamXposition on Saturday, September 11, 2021.
This program has served the local community in getting newly excited people to become licensed amateurs. The program will run approximately 0800-1700. It concludes with a dedicated Volunteer Exam session.
Prospective candidates should purchase the ARRL Technician Class License Manual and read the manual before attending the class. The book can be purchased at Ham Radio Outlet or the ARRL.
If you have any questions, contact Bill at (978) 504-9112 (Cell) or email <billpoulin01913@gmail.com>.
NEW ENGLAND ARES ACADEMY
Complementing our Saturday programming, we’re pleased to host the ever-popular New England ARES Academy featuring workshops and talks aimed at getting you prepared and ready to face any EmComm situation. The program includes:
Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, will be the keynote speaker at the 2021 Northeast HamXposition.
The keynote theme is “Growing Amateur Radio.” There is no shortage of new ham radio licensees each year–approximately 30,000. But only a fraction ever become active. Bob will share stories, perspective, and ARRL initiatives intended to develop more active, involved, and engaged radio amateurs.
Bob Inderbitzen is the Product Development Manager for ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®, and has been on the ARRL HQ staff for 30 years. He advances, with his staff colleagues, ideas that lead to new and improved ARRL membership programs, services, and products. Bob obtained his first ham radio license as a 6th-grader in 1981, and was president of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Wireless Association from 1987-90. Today, Bob’s interests in ham radio include HF and portable operating, and station integration-and-control using the Raspberry Pi. He is an ARRL Diamond Club Life Member and a contributor to ARRL’s Second Century Campaign.
Via nediv.arrl.org:
Dr. Philip J. Erickson, W1PJE, will be the featured Grand Banquet Speaker at the 2021 Northeast HamXposition (ARRL New England Division Convention) in Marlborough, Massachusetts on September 10-12, 2021. W1PJE will discuss HamSCI’s latest ionospheric science investigations and will also highlight research in his group at MIT’s Haystack Observatory. The work brings international and national aspects of amateur ionospheric science into the New England realm.
Dr. Erickson is head of the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences group, a Principal Research Scientist, and an associate director at Haystack Observatory, a multidisciplinary radio observatory operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A licensed radio amateur, he is a member of ARRL, RSGB, and TAPR, vice president of the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club. He is on the scientific steering board of the Ham Science Citizen Initiative (HamSCI). Dr. Erickson is also a member of the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Radio Frequencies, which advocates on scientific radio frequency requirements and interference protection for scientific and engineering research.
Tickets for the Saturday evening banquet are expected to sell quickly, so make sure to get your tickets online when they are available. The meal will be plated (details in progress).
From nediv.arrl.org:
The Lobstercon2021! event will be held at Thomas Point Beach & Campground in Brunswick, Maine on July 9-11, 2021. This is the 22nd year that W1REX has hosted the QRP event.
“… I plan on coming up with a few special activities to make our awakening event from this pandemic very special and an event that you will not want to miss,” writes Rex. “If you’ve thought about coming to Lobstercon but never got a round tuit, you had better make this one.”
Billed as New England’s premiere QRP gathering, Lobstercon is a weekend of QRP camping, BBQ eating, operating, socializing, lobster eating, prize winning, and all-round great QRP time. The $50.00 registration fee includes wake-up coffee, juice, cereal, bagels and donuts (if you wake up early enough) and two giant meals on Saturday: a BBQ lunch and fresh Maine lobster dinner.
“Lobstercon lobsters are fresh out of the ocean for less than an hour before they go into the pot. You can taste the difference.”
For full details and to register, visit <https://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=L21>.
