HamXposition Expands Flea Market Start to Friday at 12 Noon

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-market

See you on FRIDAY at HamXposition!

Roger
WA1NVC

QRP Club of New England Schedule of Activities at HamXposition

NE QRP logoThe 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>.

HamXposition Announces COVID Policy for 2021 Convention

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>.

W1A/N6A Special Event Station: “Discover the HF Experience Event,” Elmer Call Up

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:

  • Friday 6pm – Midnight
  • Sat: 9am – Midnight
  • Sun: 9am – 12 noon

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

HamXposition 2021 – Online Ticketing Available

Northeast HamXposition logo

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/tickets

* 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

KO8SCAJoin 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.

 

 

 

Dr. Philip J. Erickson, W1PJESATURDAY 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.

2021 Northeast HamXposition Program Schedule Posted

Screenshot of HamXposition forum schedule pageFrom 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>.

2021 HamXposition Update

Northeast HamXposition logoOnly 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/volunteer

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-bootcamp/>.

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:

  • Intro to ARES
  • HF Propagation for EmComm
  • Getting Started with WinLink Express
  • SKYWARN Refresher
  • Tactical Message Handling
  • Lessons Learned from the “Big Ones”
  • Intro to NEBMS
  • Go-kit Strategies

ARRL Product Development Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, HamXposition 2021 Keynote Speaker

Bob Inderbitzen NQ1R home office 26 Mar 2020Bob 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.

 

HamXposition Grand Banquet Speaker: Dr. Philip J. Erickson, W1PJE, MIT Haystack Observatory/HamSCI

Dr. Philip J. Erickson, W1PJEVia 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).

 

Lobstercon 2021 is a “Go,” Brunswick, Maine, July 9-11, 2021

Lobstercon logoFrom 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>.