Operating

Operating, on-the-air events and activities, contests, DXing

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday July 6th 2020 at 830 PM EDT

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

The July Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday July 6th, 2020 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.

For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_index_by_linkstate.html

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. For tonight’s ARES Net, we will do a brief review of severe weather events that have affected the section particularly in the last week and provide a brief COVID-19-Update as we continue to monitor this health emergency from a communications needs perspective and what you can do as ARES volunteers or general Amateur Radio Operators during this health emergency to prepare for any communications issues during this time. A link to a document that we had created for ARES awareness in April 2020 is available at the following link:

https://ema.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Eastern-Massachusetts-ARES-COVID-19-Update.pdf

A reminder that a report on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES exercise will be available by Monday July 13th 2020 and will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at https://ema.arrl.org/ares. Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Emergency Communications / Operating / Public Service

July Eastern MA Hospital Net Cancelled Due to Independence Day Holiday

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

John O’Neill-K1JRO writes:

Good Evening Everyone,

My apologies for the very late note.

Where the first Saturday of July is holiday, we will not have a Net this month. We will have a Net in August. A notice will be sent out about the August Net well in advance.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th.

Regards,

John O’ – K1JRO

South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group – W1SSH
55 Fogg Road, Box 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Operating

W1 QSL Card Sorting Session Cancelled, August 13, 2020

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

assorted QSL cardsEric Williams, KV1J, writes on the Algonquin Amateur Radio Club mailing list:

Hope all are well.

I am cancelling our QSL sort session that was scheduled for August 13, 2020.

Two reasons: one, of course, is the current virus situation.  The Fire Station is not available and our work is not “Essential.” The other reason is with the worldwide precautions, we are not receiving the boxes from the countries.  So at this point that are not enough cards to sort.  It may be that the mail embargoes will be released and we’ll get a surge of cards at some point.  So maybe we can have a smaller scale session later in the summer.

Thank you to the club for your past support of the W1 QSL Bureau and look forward to our future sorting events.

73, 

Eric  KV1J
W1 QSL Bureau Co-Manager
www.w1qsl.org

Operating

13 Colonies Event Week, July 1-7, 2020

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
13 Colonies sample certificateBob Kelley, K1KVV, writes on the Southeastern MA ARA web site:

13 Colonies Event Week

July 1, 9AM to July 7, Midnight, EDT
(1300Z 1 July 2020 to 0400Z 8 July 2020)

Certificate: Only one 13 Colonies QSO gets you a certificate.

For a CLEAN SWEEP, you don’t need to work the Bonus Stations, WM3PEN & GB13COL.
[D-STAR is OK for Bonus Stations]

Working a Colony Station: use DX Summit www.DXSummit.fi to find a 13 Colonies S/E station.

Spotting: after working a colony station, you are encouraged to spot it on DX Summit: i.e., “K2H 13 Col MA.”
Questions? See KU2US & www.13colonies.us.

Operating

Non-ham Signals on 160 Meters

- by k9hi - 1 Comment

Art Bernstein, N2KA, writes on the Yankee Clipper Contest Club mailing list:

Some time ago I posted a bit concerning whether or not anyone was hearing a signal on 160 meters, just at and above the FT8 frequency of 1840 kHz. I received some suggestions and also that no one else was hearing it.

After doing a lot of eliminating around the shack and determining it was coming from the outside, I did some research to find out who transmits on 160 meters in addition to Radio Amateurs.

What I found was interesting and brought back some memories from years ago I had never experienced.

Fishnet Buoy Beacons. For those not knowing what they are, they are buoys that help fishermen locate their nets that have been left to catch fish. I would have thought GPS would be used these days. These beacons typically have a range of 10-15 miles over salt water and I probably live around 10 miles or less from the salt water. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem when using narrower bandwidths on CW or SSB, but on FT-8 bandwidths are typically 3-5 kHz wide. At night the zero beat frequency is about 1841.35, during the day I just checked it to be a couple hundred Hz higher (drift due to heating?)

Anyone have any ideas regarding procedures to follow here? It is likely an unlicensed radiator interfering with a licensed service. It has no identifier. Already sent message to ARRL Regulatory desk and to Division Leader.

Thanks.

73,

Art., N2KA

 

Operating

Volunteer Monitor Program Recognizes Good Operators

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

FCC sealFrom ARRL Web:

06/11/2020 – Volunteer Monitor Program Coordinator Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, said the program has recognized numerous radio amateurs with Good Operator Notices.

“One facet of the ARRL and FCC agreement that set up the Volunteer Monitor Program calls for ARRL to recognize especially good amateur radio behavior, in order to encourage compliance with FCC rules and further the efficiency of the Amateur Radio Service,” Hollingsworth said. “Seventeen operators in 15 states received Good Operator Notices in the first quarter of 2020. The Good Operator Notices went to veteran operators as well as newcomers, including a 13-year-old in North Carolina for CW operation during the Youth on the Air Special Event, and a 14-year-old in Wyoming for SSB operation.” [Full story]

Foxhunting / Operating

KD1D Fox is “On the Loose” in Westford, June 12, 2020

- by k9hi - 1 Comment

Alan Hicks, KD1D, writes on the writes on the NE Mass Foxhunters  list at 5:16 PM on June 12, 2020:

I found a nice den for the fox in Westford.  It has a new case and a bigger battery (which I expect to last well into next week).
 the KD1D Fox transmits about 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off and can be heard telling an old tale. It is transmitting on 146.565 MHz and is in a location that won’t interfere with Barry’s Littleton fox,

If you need some help, just ask and I will provide clues, such as:

“It’s not far off the beaten path.”  and
“Warmly greet the chef.”

There is a logbook next to the transmitter, but you can also just confirm where and when you found it by:

Email: kd1d@arrl.net
Voicemail or text: 978-376-2267

Happy hunting and stay safe!

73,
Alan KD1D

Operating

International Postage Rates

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Dennis Egan, W1UE, writes on the YCCC mailing list:

Effective July 1, International Postage rates for mail destined to the US will rise.  How much depends on what country is doing the mailing, and how much they are currently charging.  What probably is affected the most is the postage cost of parcels under 4.4 pounds mailed from China to the US. Rates for China to USA will roughly double.

These rates, as of now, will NOT be reflected in the rates USPS customers are charged when mailing items internationally.

As part of the Universal Postage Union agreement with the USA, the USA was able to raise rates on incoming mail on July 1; the rest of the world can set their own costs for handling their incoming mail.  The effective day for that is January 1, 2021.

I would anticipate that, early next year, there will be a rate increase for any international mail going from the USA to any country.  How much, no one knows.  Another consequence of the rate change is that the cost for a letter to Europe- which is standard at $1.20 for 1 ounce- could now be different for each European country.

Another forecast is that the increased charges will mean the end of free postage on purchased items.

Clubs / Operating

YCCC SIG: FT4-FT8 Contesting Talk, June 10, 2020

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Dennis Egan, W1UE, writes on the YCCC mailing list:

Please join us Wednesday evening [June 10, 2020] at 7:30 PM.  Our concentration this week will be on operating FT4/8 in digital contests.

Coverage will include WSJT-x, but it won’t include any of the other variations (JTAlert, MSHV, etc.) as I have no experience with them.  If someone wants to cover them, please let me know and I’ll allot time.

Setup, what boxes to click, and how to operate will all be covered.  See  you then!

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

June Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net Canceled

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

John O’Neill – K1JRO writes:

Good Evening Everyone,

My apologies for the late notice. I was hoping that one of the members from the SSHARG would be able to take the net this month. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Therefore, the June 6 EMHN is cancelled.

I believe that with the next phased re-opening on June 8th, Massachusetts health care facilities will be asking their locked-out volunteers to return. Once this happens, we can all get back into our shacks. If all goes well, SSHARG will be able to include Winlink and DMR testing in the monthly net soon.

73’s Stay Safe,
John O’Neill – K1JRO

South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group – W1SSH
55 Fogg Road, Box 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday 6/1/2020 at 830 PM EDT

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

The June Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday June 1st, 2020 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.

For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_index_by_linkstate.html

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. For tonight’s ARES Net, we will discuss the start of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season and provide a brief COVID-19-Update as we continue to monitor this health emergency from a communications needs perspective and what you can do as ARES volunteers or general Amateur Radio Operators during this health emergency to prepare for any communications issues during this time. A link to a document that we had created for ARES awareness in April 2020 is available at the following link:

https://ema.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Eastern-Massachusetts-ARES-COVID-19-Update.pdf

We will also review the recent training and exercise activities during the month of May. Reports on those events will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at https://ema.arrl.org/ares. Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

UPDATED: Eastern Massachusetts ARES to Participate in National Red Cross Exercise and WX4NHC On-Air Test – Saturday May 30th 2020

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

**SECTION EXERCISE PLAN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL FREQUENCY INFORMATION – REMAINDER BELOW IS UNCHANGED**

Eastern Massachusetts ARES will participate in a National Red Cross exercise on Saturday May 30th, 2020 from 1000 AM-1200 PM (setup time starting as early as 900 AM). The exercise is split into two parts with Part A being the ARES component and Part B being handled by a small number of ARES members who are also part of Red Cross.

The exercise has been adapted to allow for a partial weather scenario to encourage Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters to participate and to allow participation in other modes used traditionally in the section including Echolink and IRLP. A high-level Eastern Massachusetts section plan has been generated and is available here:

RedCross-Eastern MA-ARES Exercise 1.7 05-28-20

Section wide frequency and Echolink/IRLP plans are in the section plan. For local frequency information, please reach out to your ARES DEC/ADEC or EC for this info and their contact info is available at the following link:

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Page

As Eastern Massachusetts ARES SEC, I can also be reached for questions as well as needed but we would like to drive interaction with other ARES leadership as part of exercise preparation.

We realize we have posted this exercise information on fairly short notice. Part of that is intentional to simulate a scenario where a potential ARES activation could occur with just a few days notice. We have also built the preparation process for the exercise in a way to push ARES member to ARES EC/ADEC/DEC leader interaction ahead of the exercise.

Also occurring on Saturday May 30th is the WX4NHC On-Air Communications Test done annually prior to each Atlantic hurricane season. We encourage all Amateurs to participate in this test as well and we may get WX4NHC operators to participate briefly in our exercise as well. Details on the WX4NHC On-Air Test can be seen at the following link:

WX4NHC On-Air Test – Saturday May 30th 2020 9 AM-5 PM EDT Information

Many thanks to folks that can participate and thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Eastern Massachusetts ARES to Participate in National Red Cross Exercise and WX4NHC On-Air Test – Saturday May 30th 2020

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

Eastern Massachusetts ARES will participate in a National Red Cross exercise on Saturday May 30th, 2020 from 1000 AM-1200 PM (setup time starting as early as 900 AM). The exercise is split into two parts with Part A being the ARES component and Part B being handled by a small number of ARES members who are also part of Red Cross.

The exercise has been adapted to allow for a partial weather scenario to encourage Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters to participate and to allow participation in other modes used traditionally in the section including Echolink and IRLP. A high-level Eastern Massachusetts section plan has been generated and is available here:

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Exercise Plan for National Red Cross Exercise

Local frequency plans are not in the current section plan though we are building a list and will update the plan one last time on Friday 5/29/20. Section wide frequency and Echolink/IRLP plans are in the section plan. For local frequency information, please reach out to your ARES DEC/ADEC or EC for this info and their contact info is available at the following link:

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Page

As Eastern Massachusetts ARES SEC, I can also be reached for questions as well as needed but we would like to drive interaction with other ARES leadership as part of exercise preparation.

We realize we have posted this exercise information on fairly short notice. Part of that is intentional to simulate a scenario where a potential ARES activation could occur with just a few days notice. We have also built the preparation process for the exercise in a way to push ARES member to ARES EC/ADEC/DEC leader interaction ahead of the exercise.

Also occurring on Saturday May 30th is the WX4NHC On-Air Communications Test done annually prior to each Atlantic hurricane season. We encourage all Amateurs to participate in this test as well and we may get WX4NHC operators to participate briefly in our exercise as well. Details on the WX4NHC On-Air Test can be seen at the following link:

WX4NHC On-Air Test – Saturday May 30th 2020 9 AM-5 PM EDT Information

The Eastern Mass ARES section plan for the ARES/Red Cross national exercise will be updated again on Friday 5/29/20. Many thanks to folks that can participate and thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

Clubs / Operating

Yankee Clipper Contest Club DMR Net, May 20, 2020

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Reminder: YCCC DMR Net

When: Wednesday, 20 May 2020, 8:00pm to 9:00pm, (GMT-04:00) America/New York

Where: DMR TG NETAC1

View Event

Organizer: ne1b.c6awb@gmail.com

Description: YCCCers!

Join us every Wednesday evening at 8pm ET for contesting talk on the DMR repeater network. There are several methods to access the Net:

 
  • By RF
    Access via 2 meter or 70 cm DMR repeater.  See the list of 91 repeaters near you at http://nedecn.org  The frequencies are in the left menu “DMR Repeaters>New England”.  Use the NETAC1 talk group.
  • By Dongle or Hot Spot
    You can use openSpot, JumboSpot, ZumSpot, MMDVM
  • By EchoLink
    Get the software app on your smartphone or laptop at: http://www.echolink.org/  Contact KM3T or NE1B to put your callsign on the Access List.  Echolink node is K1QVC-L  Connect and RX B4 TX.

73 and see you there!