a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
Operating, on-the-air events and activities, contests, DXing
Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ writes on PART of Westford email list:
Hi Everybody,
I have deployed both the 2m fox and the new 80m fox!
Both are located within a 1 mile radius of my home. My info is good on QRZ.com.
There is no logbook. However, cell phone photos are accepted as “proof” that you found the fox(es). 🙂
Have a lot of fun, and 73,
Andy
The Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) will sponsor the traditional military/Amateur Radio communication tests to mark the 67th annual Armed Forces Day (AFD) on Saturday, May 12. Armed Forces Day is May 19, but the AFD Crossband Military-Amateur Radio event traditionally takes place one week earlier in order to avoid conflicting with Hamvention. Complete information, including military stations, modes, and frequencies, is available.
The annual celebration is a unique opportunity to test two-way communication between radio amateurs and military stations (authorized under §97.111 of the Amateur Service rules). It features traditional military-to-amateur crossband SSB voice, CW, practice using legacy interoperability waveforms, and the opportunity for participating hams to utilize more modern military modes, such as MIL-STD Serial PSK and Automatic Link Establishment (ALE). Military stations and Amateur Radio stations are authorized to communicate directly on certain 60-meter interoperability channels.
These tests give Amateur Radio operators and shortwave listeners (SWLs) a chance and a challenge to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario and to receive recognition from the appropriate military radio station. QSL cards will be available for stations successfully contacting participating military stations. [ARRL Letter]
Scott Ehrlich, WY1Z writes on the Waltham ARA mailing list:
Bill Collins, W1PL writes on the Harvard Wireless Club mailing list:
Hi all,
W1AF will be activated this weekend [May 5-6] for the New England QSO Party. Our President Benjamin Lee, K7JS and Treasurer Allen Liu, KC1HBB are tentatively scheduled to operate on Saturday. The fun on Saturday will be working four QSO parties: New England, Area 7, Indiana, and Delaware. I will also be doing some operating on Sunday.
If anyone else is interested, please come over and make at least a few contacts and we can enter you in the log. Sunday will be a little easier because it will only be New England. You can be on the air with me with only your Technician license. I know a lot of students will be busy with finals, but if you can make it that would be great!
Send me an email if you would like to stop by, and I will send you my cell phone number to open the door at 6 Linden Street [in Cambridge].
Also, the NEQP “School Club” category allows ANYONE to operate: Harvard alumni, former employees, and even non-affiliates.
Hope to see you there!
Bruce Blain, K1BG writes in the April, 2018 Nashoba Valley ARC Signal:
I’m constantly asked “how do I research an old callsign” or “my uncle who lived in Joplin MO in the 1950’s was a ham, but I can’t remember his callsign. How can I find it?” Well, there is an interesting site that is informally known as “The Wayback Machine”, and they have scanned a large number of documents. Among those are many (many) call books.
The site is archive.org, and by clicking on https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A %22callbook%22. You can search their documents based on the keyword “callbook”. The search gives 103 results. That’s 103 call books that have been individually scanned. The call books are fully searchable, and provide you with all of the “matches” it finds. One word of caution – because thse books were “scanned,” optical character recognition technology is used to match your search. It’s not 100% accurate. So if you are looking for all the hams in “Pepperell” in a particular call book, try a subsequent search for “01463”. Between the two searches you should be able to find what you are looking for.
Once you pick on a call book, there are submenus to help you narrow how much information you are looking through. For instance, you would only want to search through the “1” area for a W1 call or for an address in New England. The sub-menus allow you to select which call area to look at.
Want to know where K9AQP was licensed in the 1950s? Want to know who the hams were who lived in East Providence, RI in the 1960s? This is a great place to research that stuff. If you run into any problems or need some help, just let me know. Have any interesting internet sites you would like to share? Let me know and I’ll include them in future articles. Thanks and 73. de Bruce, K1BG
Tom Frenaye, K1KI writes:
I’d appreciate your help in publicizing the upcoming New England QSO Party on May 5th and 6th. Please mention it at your next club meeting and in your newsletter.
The NEQP is a great time to check out antenna systems and offers a moderately paced opportunity to work new states and countries. You’ll find a wide variety of participants, from newcomers to experienced contesters, all interested in making contacts with New England stations.
We’re working to make sure that all of the New England counties are active again this year and would appreciate your help. Get on for at least an hour or two and join in on the fun. Please let me know if you can put in any time at all so we can work on activity from the rarest counties. Will you be QRV? Let us know which county you’ll be on from with a message to info@neqp.org.
Oh yes, the NEQP is also lots of fun when mobile. Every time you cross a county line the action starts over again. It’s amazing what a 100w radio and mobile whip can do.
The QSO Party is 20 hours long overall, in two sections with a civilized break for sleep Saturday night. It goes from 4 PM Saturday until 1 AM Sunday, then 9 AM Sunday until 8 PM Sunday. Operate on CW, SSB and digital modes on 80-40-20-15-10 meters. For each QSO you’ll give your callsign, a signal report and your county/state. Top scorers can earn a plaque and everyone who makes 25 QSOs and sends in a log will get a certificate.
Last year we had logs from 177 New England stations and 460 more from around the country and world.
The full NEQP rules can be found at http://www.neqp.org/rules.html.
The 2017 results are posted and the results since 2002 are also available at http://www.neqp.org/results.
It’s just about a month until the 2018 NEQP. Please make some QSOs even if you don’t want to send in a log.
“Whitey” Doherty, K1VV writes:
Maritime Radio Day is held annually to remember the nearly 90 years of wireless service for seafarers. Since its beginning in 1900, Maritime Radio was in use mainly until the end of 1999.
The MRD is open to all Amateur Radio Stations. Special stations (like Coastal radios and ship’s call signs) can participate to the MRD only if operated by former Commercial or Navy operators, or by radio technicians who worked in the installation and/or maintenance of naval equipments.
If you are a former Merchant Marine Radio Operator or former ship’s Electronic Technician please subscribe to this event automatically trough the following website http://www.mrd.
We must to push many colleagues to take part at our yearly Event, last year like in the past edition there has been a massive participation with many colleagues not included in the list of participants and it has been a very nice surprise against any prevision. There are still many Countries not reached by information about our Event and from U.S.A. and Far East – Unfortunately – still very few stations. Radio Officers are the men spent their lives in front a receiver watching 500 kHz and sending messages of any kind, our Category has gone but we know many aspects of radio waves and we cannot refuse to look forward to confirm the radio is still alive and in good health, the problem perhaps is another, there are many reasons to kill the radio and they are not properly justified by true facts but only using the famous word “OBSOLETE” we hear everyday and everywhere for promoting the consumption of technological toys such as Smartphones, iPhones, Tablets and so on.
Morse Code, the main language used by Radio Officers on ships and at shore, has been the sole international language that granted for a century radio communications at sea, nowadays used by many amateurs radio needs to be protected against the interference due to Hi-tech products and web communications, the Radio World is made at first of Morse communications and the code is easy to learn also if the tendency is to send and receive Morse with computer… the worst way to take practice of the code, the code is not a digital mode it is a “very special human way” to establish a communication between two points of the earth with no wires and no computer, just a small, old and used radio and a wire dipole or at least a piece of wire.
BST RGDS
MRD Staff
Rules, Procedure and Certificate of partecipation
All traffic must to be done around the following International Naval Frequencies on Amateur Radio Bands (morse code)
1824 kHz
3520 kHz
7020 kHz
10118 kHz
14052 kHz
21052 kHz
28052 kHz
The Main working frequency is 14052 kHz plus or minus some kc/s. The WARC bands are NOT USED for MRD with exception of 30 meters band.
SPECIAL ADVICE FOR DX MRD STATIONS:
To give everyone a fair chance of having a QSO during the MRD, and because 14052 kHz is the most common calling frequency, it is suggested that we have a small band edge from 14055 to 14058 kHz for DX and QRP stations. It is also suggested that instead of calling CQ in “Contest Mode”, we give adequate time for weaker stations to be heard and listen especially for DX contacts.
So please use the band suggested as watching band reserved to radio stations in far distances.
– Date: 14th April 12.00 GMT 15th April 22.00 GMT
– Bands: 160m, 80m, 40m, 30 m, 20m, 15m & 10m
– Mode: CW only
– Power: not limited
– QSO: Exchange QSA, QRK, name, callsign of last or favorite ship / aircraft / maintance company QSA 1 .. 5, strength of receive signal QRK 1 .. 5, readability and additionally a tr, msg and/or a qtc if you like
– Silence Periods: need no longer be observed
– Deadline for submission of MRD logs is 1st of May.
– Certificate of participation ( CoP): SWL’s – send a complete log to be able to verify qso data by selection. Licenced operators – send a postcard / letter or e-mail with number of QSOs with – ship stations – coast stations – special stations – other Amateurs contacted. Send your application with data and your email address to : Rolf MarschnerNarzissenweg 10 53359 RheinbachGermanyor via e-mail: dl9cm@t-online.deCertificate is only available by e-mail!
– QSL cards: Each participant manages their own QSL cards. There is no QSL manager.
– General Comment: Coastal radios and ship’s callsigns should be operated only by former Commercial or Navy operators and from radio technicians who worked in the brand of installation and in the maintenance of coastal and ship’s radios equipments and antennas.
“Procedure” Example QSO :
cq mrd cq mrd cq mrd de dl9cm dl9cm dl9cm k
dl9cm de ik6ijf gm rolf QSA5 QRK 5 hr is alfredo shipname/icjr or last ship was icjr k
ik6ijf de dl9cm gm alfredo QSA 5 QRK 5 op rolf shipname/dlcm or last ship was dlcm ik6ijf de dl9cm tnx 73 .-.- or put details in a telegram like this : Origin nr xx ck zz date time = address = qsa x qrk y shipname call = signature+ or similar.
The above are only examples . You may send different content, but the least you must include are QSA, name, ship’s call sign or progressive number if you are only amateur! To subscribe free your participation at the next Maritime Radio Day send an e-mail to R/O Rolf MARSCHNER: dl9cm@t-online.de or automatically subscription is possible and preferred on the following website: http://www.mrd.
The USS Massachusetts will be activated as NE1PL in Battleship Cove, Fall River on June 1-3, 2018 for Museum Ships on the Air, according to Uncommon Service to Nautical Radio club trustee Rick Emord, KB1TEE.
Emord invites anyone who is interested in operating the station aboard the museum ship to please contact him at <kb1tee@gmail.com>. In addition to radio operators, USNR is seeking people to help log contacts, speak to guests, and other duties.
Visit <www.ne1pl.org> for updates on operations.
KM1CC will be on the air for International Marconi Day (IMD), April 21 0000 UTC-2359 UTC. IMD celebrates the role Guglielmo Marconi played in the invention of radio and is a 24-hour Amateur Radio event that is held annually to celebrate the birth of Marconi April 25, 1874. The event is usually held on the Saturday closest to Marconi’s birthday. KM1CC represents Marconi ‘s1901 Wireless Station, South Wellfleet, located in Cape Cod National Seashore, a unit of the US National Park Service.
Proposed Frequency plan +-
KM1CC’s IMD event operations are open to the public between 10 AM and 3 PM on April 21. Our temporary location will be at 2 Ocean View Drive, Eastham, MA USA 02651 (FN51)
To QSL KM1CC an SASE is required from all USA stations; DX contacts may use the bureau.
KM1CC, Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club
Cape Cod National Seashore
99 Marconi Site Rd
Wellfleet MA 02667
The KM1CC QSL card measures 3.5 inches x 5.5 inches, so any larger envelope size works.
Please do not send KM1CC QSL card requests to N1NS, W1AA, K1VV, or K1RV.
Digital: You may QSL via Logbook Of The World.
The WCC Amateur Radio Association will commemorate Maritime Day with a special event operation. WA1WCC will be operating on the bands April 14-15, 2018, staffed by former WCC and Coast Guard operators working from the Chatham Radio / WCC Operating Building. See https://www.qrz.com/db/wa1wcc#mrd2018 for additional information.
Special events station W1MGY will operate at the old Coast Guard Station in Eastham on Cape Cod from April 12th until 1:46 AM April 15th to commemorate the tragic loss of the HMS Titanic.
This event is sponsored by the Titanic / Marconi Memorial Radio Association of Cape Cod and hosted by the Cape Cod National Seashore. It will be open to the public on Saturday, April 14th.
“We still have some time slots open (four hours each). If you live in the area and would like to participate in this historical event, drop me a note and I place you on our e-mail list and let you know what time slots are open.” (Info via KB1TLR, W1MGY trustee)
After months of work, Southeastern MA Amateur Radio Association members are putting the finishing touches on their new station at the clubhouse at 54 Donald Street in Dartmouth.
According to SEMARA member Don Rosinha, WA1BXY, the shack now features a Kenwood TS-570 and an Elecraft, as well as new computers and accessories.
A radio room showing and tutorial event for club members scheduled for last month was postponed by winter weather conditions. It will occur in the near future.
Congratulations to SEMARA for constructing an elegant and functional station for its members.
Rick Emord, KB1TEE and other members of the Massasoit Amateur Radio Association are planning a special events operation to commemorate the birth of the Boy Scouts of America aboard the USS Massachusetts on Saturday, April 28, 2018 using the call sign W1BSA. The group conducted its first operation aboard the museum ship in 2015.
MARA members and amateurs from other area clubs will serve radiomen (operators) on the ship from 0900 until 1600. In the past, the crew has activated six stations on the air for this event on 2, 10, 20, and 40 meters and CW on 80 meters using some of the ship’s original equipment.
The Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club station, KM1CC will be activated from rare grid square FN51 on Cape Cod National Seashore on Jan. 18-19, 2018.
K1RV reports that he, N1NS, N1DC, N1VH and K1WCC along with others will be QRV on all of the HF bands using CW and SSB. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook Of The World. The operation will coincide with ARRL’s 2018 International Grid Square Chase.
KM1CC’s temporary location for the operation will be the Coast Guard Building on Coast Guard Beach in Eastham. Coast Guard Beach is often cited by “Dr. Beach” as one of the ten best beaches in the the USA. The station was built in 1936 for the US Coast Guard. It was used for shipwreck rescues- small boats were launched from the beach until helicopter rescues became the norm. The building’s ownership was transferred from the US Coast Guard to the National Park Service in the early 1950’s. It served as the first headquarters for Cape Cod National Seashore. It is now used as an education center.
–Thanks, “Pi” K1RV
[see also: Announcing: The ARRL International Grid Chase!]
“Pi” K1RV writes:
The K1USN Radio Club will once again be on the air to celebrate Veterans Day as we take time to show our appreciation for those who have served; as well as their family members.
Local hams are invited to visit us in Braintree, MA at 85 Quincy Ave.
Our operating frequencies will be:
SSB – 3860, 7260, 14260, 18160, 21360, 24960, 28360 and 50160.
CW – 3539, 7039, 10109, 14039, 18079, 21039, 24899, 28039 and 50109.
IRLP – NODE # 4086 ( AE1TH 442.500 118.8 P/L in Braintree, MA )
K1USN QSL cards will be available for all contacts with K1USN.
Send # 10 SASE to K1RV or DX stations QSL via bureau.
QSL via K1RV
URL: http://www.k1usn.com
Contact: Pi – K1RV
Email: k1rv@arrl.net
W1OD writes:
W1NAS had another successful Special Event Station yesterday. Due to the Museum being smack in the center of a major site reconstruction program at the former Naval Air Station, we were fortunate enough to be operating from the K1USN Radio Club in nearby Braintree, MA. We made more than 75 contacts on CW and phone, despite the horrible band conditions. We actually made more phone contacts than CW for a change! Visiting board members from the Shea Naval Aviation Museum stopped by and enjoyed the event and took many pictures.
This was the 59th anniversary of the flight of the blimp Snow Goose from NAS South Weymouth to Resolute Bay, as indicated above. Next year will be the 60th anniversary and we’re already thinking about what we’ll do and how we’ll do it. We’re hoping all the site work will be completed around the Museum and that we’ll be back open to the public once again. For those wishing a high-quality QSL for yesterday’s event, please send a SASE to Steve, W1OD.
Many thanks to all those who assisted in yesterday’s SES: K1RV, Pi; N1VH, Marty, W1VP, Larry; KA1KIJ, Bob; W1TPB, Ted; WK1D, Jeff; K1WN, Bill; N1DC, Rick; WA1TPC, Bob; and a few others whose names I forget at the moment.
[courtesy http://qrz.com/db/w1nas]
The 18th Annual Eastern Massachusetts Field Day Directory contains some of the most comprehensive Field Day resource pages of its kind.
According to Bill Ricker, N1VUX, the section Field Day pages offer detailed information on individual field day club operations along with the complete event operating rules and helpful safety tips.
“Clubs which are reactivating a previous Class A or F site can confirm to the EMA Directory by simply putting their pin in at the ARRL Locator – conveniently linked from our directory. I’ll pick that up and mark them confirmed. I would appreciate an email from new clubs in Class A or F, clubs with new sites, clubs whose details on their EMA directory need updating, or who are definitely not using the site they had last year.”
The site also links to updated information on how to handle NTS radiogram traffic, and score bonus points during the event.
“A major goal always has been helping (and encouraging) EMA Field Staff & Leadership to plan visits to nearby field day sites, as is our custom — and helping us hit as many different ones as possible.”
Email n1vux at his arrl.net address.
Members of the Billerica Amateur Radio Society are meeting on 28.080 MHz throughout the week to conduct CW contacts, according to BARS member Niece Haynes, KA1ULN:
The days/times are:
Wednesdays
starting at 9:30 pm EST/02:30 UTC
Thursdays
starting at 9:30 pm EST/02:30 UTC
Fridays
starting at 8:30 pm EST/01:30 UTC
