Operating

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

Operating

KC1DKY Fox Hiding Out in Billerica, June 28, 2019

- by k9hi - 1 Comment

Nick Bollo, KC1DKY, writes on the foxhunting list at 1:27 PM on June 28, 2019:

It has been a while, but finally, the KC1DKY fox is out and hiding on Billerica town land.  Fox is on 146.565MHz.  Send a DTMF of 1 to activate the fox.  If the fox does not seem to be responding, send a couple DTMF # and then a 1 to possibly whack it back into shape.  The fox will signal for 30seconds and be silent for 15sec, and repeat for 15minutes.  The fox is located around a third of a mile from the parking area and about 50ft or so in from the trail, no bush whacking but watch out for tree limbs.  Don’t forget to sign the log book in the plastic bag next to the fox.  I recommend some bug spray.

Good luck and have fun!

*****SPOILER*****

ACIRELLIB NI KRAP SNARETEV MANTEIV NI DETACOL SI XOF EHT

Operating

W1HFN Fox Deployed, Littleton, June 27, 2019

- by k9hi - 1 Comment

Barry Fox, W1HFN, writes on the foxhunters list at 1:09 PM on June 27, 2019:

I deployed the W1HFN fox today in the Mill Hill conservation land off Mill Road in Littleton.  Frequency is 146.565 with a voice ID every 30 seconds.

https://littletonconservationtrust.org/tws_holding/mill-hill/

When I recovered it last time, the TX was keying up for 2 seconds then shutting down.  I assumed a dead battery.  When I got it home and recharged the battery, same symptoms.  Wrong assumption.  Turns out water had leaked into the case and landed on the TX PC board.  It reacted with something and left a conductive goo all over the traces.  Scrubbed it off with alcohol and toothbrush, then dried with a hair dryer.  Worked OK, but had lost its audio message.  

Reprogrammed the audio and we’re off to the races.

Happy Hunting.

Clubs / Field Day / Operating

Boston ARC Field Day at Bare Cove Fire Museum, Hingham, June 22-23, 2019

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Boston ARC logoJoe Chapman, NV1W, writes in the June issue of BARC’s The Sparc:

Field Day is less than two weeks away, on June 22 and 23, and as usual, [the Boston Amateur Radio Club] will be operating from the Bare Cove Fire Museum in Hingham. This is a high point of the year for me and for many other BARC members as well. If you’ve never been to Field Day before, consider joining us on Saturday, Sunday, or both. At the very least, consider coming for the cookout on Saturday.

We’ll start setting up on Saturday morning, and in addition to helping out, you’ll also learn a lot about setting up a station and erecting temporary antennas. It’s always fun to see what equipment others bring, and if you avoid buying ham equipment in the weeks after Field Day you have more self-control than I do.

Operating starts at 14:00 on Saturday. There will be plenty of Extra class licensees available to pair up with Technicians who want to try out HF. You may want to learn about a new mode like PSK31, or just watch experienced operators work. Even old dogs will find plenty of new tricks to learn.

I hope at long last to demonstrate a successful satellite contact. The SSB/CW satellite FO-29 will have a nice high pass starting at 16:40 on Saturday afternoon that looks perfect. To quote Bullwinkle J. Moose, this time for sure!

Field Day / Operating

Fresh Air, Outdoor Fun: Crow Island ARA; Field Day Operation Planned

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Ed Fitzgerald, K1DIN, writes on the Algonquin ARA list:

Ron Lahti, N1CNG, will be inviting interested hams to enjoy some fresh air radio fun at Crow Island, a beautiful private island airport surrounded by the Assabet river in Stow. The Airport presently hosts a few organizations such as a flying club, a model airplane club, and a trapeze training group, each assigned to segments of the island. The Crow Island owner has given Ron, a member of the model airplane club, permission to use a selected area for Ham Radio and Emergency Management radio activities. With help of some interested hams, Ron has been putting together the organization, planning the management, and purchasing site equipment, such as a tent, generator, lights, antennas, and military type guyed poles.

As you might imagine, Crow, as a privately-owned entity hosting organizations with various safety concerns, must insist on observance of some reasonable regulations and keyed access to the property. The rules simply keep the place workable, fun, and safe for all the groups. The simple procedures and regulations will be on the website.

Our choices of activities may include contesting (even all night – porta potty on site), testing equipment, experimenting, MEMA exercises, and, on the less technical side, barbecuing, enjoying the clear spring water (hand pump), swimming in the island pond (no life guards), and simply being outside in an amazing New England setting.

Ron is developing a website which should be up within a few days. We will announce the website availability here in the AARClist email.

Ron plans to be at Project Night and will take questions.

[Ed. note: the Crow Island QTH has been registered on the ARRL Locator page as the site of a proposed Field Day operation.]
Operating

W1HFN Fox Deployed in Littleton, June 8, 2019

- by k9hi - 1 Comment

Barry Fox, W1HFN, writes on the foxhunting list on June 8, 2019 at 1:16 PM:

Freq 146.565 with a 20 second voice ID every 40 seconds.  Location is Prouty Woods off Foster Street in Littleton, behind the fire station.  Battery should last a week or so.

https://littletonconservationtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/proutywoods.jpg 

Some bushwhacking involved, but not too much.

Happy hunting.

Operating

80 Meter Fox in Westford, June 1, 2019

- by k9hi - 4 Comments.

Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ, writes on the foxhunting list on June 1 at 12:14 PM:

There is an 80m fox  deployed in Cider Mill Pond in Westford.  Note that this conservation area is  now 55 acres bigger due to a recent purchase by the Town of Westford.

It is designed to automatically turn on around 8 AM, and automatically turn off  around 7 PM.  It should actually transmit a “QRT” message as it goes down.  If  you hear it transmitting a “LOW POWER” message, let me know, as that means the  battery is nearly depleted.

I’m curious to see how long the battery lasts with my latest improvements.

Frequency: 3579-3580ish.

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

WX4NHC Annual On-The Air Station Test – Saturday June 1st, 2019 – 900 AM-500 PM EDT (1300-2100z)

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

Please see the following information from WD4R-Julio Ripoll, Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator on the 2019 WX4NHC On-Air Communications Test which will be held this Saturday June 1st, 2019 from 9 AM-5 PM EDT (1300-2100 UTC) across various bands and modes on Amateur Radio. We encourage Amateur Radio Operators in our region to participate. See link below:

Special Announcement: WX4NHC Annual On-The Air Station Test – Saturday June 1st, 2019 – 900 AM-500 PM EDT (1300-2100z)

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

Operating

Seeking Ops for 13 Colonies Special Event Station K2H, July 1-7, 2019

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Bob Kelley, K1KVV writes on the Southeastern MA ARA web site:

I’m seeking operators for K2H, the shared Special Event callsign for all Massachusetts.

Please let all members of our club know about this opportunity. I can add both W1AEC and home station operators to the official 13 Colonies K2H operators list.

Do you want to have the experience of being called instead of calling to make a contact? You’ll get calls from both domestic and DX operators who want to qualify for the certificate endorsements. As an operator of K2H, you will automatically qualify for a certificate. You can also contact the other 13 Colonies S/E stations to earn your own endorsements.

You’d be surprised at how many contacts you can make with a simple wire antenna. You can work as many or few hours as you wish during the week. Each operator is self-scheduled by using an on-line calendar to reserve Band, Mode, and Hour blocks of air time. Also, at the end of the week, each operator submits their own Cabrillo logs to the Massachusetts QSO / QSL coordinator, Joe Casieri, KA1JBE and QSO totals to Ken Villone-KU2US, event organizer.

More details will be available shortly. Meanwhile, go to 13colonies.net for more info. There you can then click on Massachusetts / K2H for other details. [This information will be augmented shortly.]

This event is NOT a contest; so 12m, 17m and 30m bands may be used.

Contact me if you would like to participate and/or if you need more information, etc.

— 73 de Bob K1KVV

Operating

Local Area Activity for Museum Ships Weekend, June 1-2, 2019

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

The USS Cassin Young, WW2DD, will be among the museum ship stations on the air for Museum Ships Weekend. Mike Rioux, W1USN, and Bob Reiser, AA1M, will activate the famous Fletcher-class destroyer, DD-793. According to Wikipedia, the Cassin Young served as a part of the Fast Carrier Task Force. On April 28, 1944, this force sortied for air attacks on Japanese strongholds at Truk, Woleai, Satawan, and Ponape, during which Cassin Young operated as a picket ship, assigned to warn her group of possible enemy counterattack. The ship is on permanent loan to the National Park Service. She is berthed at the Boston Navy Yard, part of the Boston National Historical Park in Charlestown.

Henry Brown, K1WCC, plans to activate the German Seehund Midget Submarine U-5075 as WW2MAN. According to its QRZ page, the Seehund is located at the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum Massachusetts Military Research Center in Quincy. Seehund means “seal.”  It was the most successful of several German attempts to perfect a midget submarine. Operated by two men and carrying two underslung torpedoes, the Seehund was used very effectively in the waning months of World War II, sinking over 120,000 tons of allied shipping. 

Rick Emord, KB1TEE and crew will be activating the USS Massachusetts from Battleship Cove in Fall River using the callsign NE1PL.  The USS Massachusetts (BB-59), known as “Big Mamie” to her crew members during World War II, was a battleship of the second South Dakota class. She was the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state, and one of two ships of her class (along with her sister Alabama) to be donated for use as a museum ship. Massachusetts has the distinction of having fired the US Navy’s first and last 16-inch (406 mm) shells of the war.

Watch for all of these ships on the Cluster.

USS Cassin Young/ WW2DD

 

NE1PL QSL card

Operating

K1USN QRV for Museum Ships Weekend, May 31-June 2, 2019

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Pi Pugh, K1RV, writes:
 
As of today there are now 106 ships/museums listed as active participants and K1USN will be on the air beginning Friday evening, May 31st at 0000 UTC (8:00 PM EDST).  Check out the list at  http://www.nj2bb.org/museum/.
 
We want to stay on the air as much as possible during the entire 48 hour weekend event. Operators are needed to help keep our three HF stations on the air. We are looking for operators for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Drop me a note at pi.k1rv@gmail.com. Please let me know if you are available to spend some time during the weekend.
 
Remember that K1USN was the originator of this fantastic operating event that is now sponsored by the crew onboard the Battleship New Jersey. They have done a wonderful job promoting this event and continue to issue special certificates to stations that manage to work 15 participants during the weekend.
 

You can check out the current list of ships/museums on their website – http://www.nj2bb.org/museum/index.html

 

Operating

USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. NB1CR, QRV for Museum Ships on the Air, June 1-2, 2019

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Ed Fitzgerald, K1DIN, writes on the Algonquin ARC mailing list:
 
There are roughly fifteen days before the AARC will send operating teams to put the Destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. on the air for the 2019 Museum Ships weekend June 1 and 2. Ship museums from all over the world will have ham operators on ships of all kinds for this special event. Hams all over the world will be contacting as many ships as they can and collecting QSL cards from each. As of this writing, there are 104 ships are listed for the event. For a list and full details: https://www.qsl.net/w/wa2tvs//museum/
 
AARC will operate on 40, 20, 17. (No points for same ship on different bands.) Join the fun.
 
As team participants, we do occasionally get pile ups and dead spots, but, we also get to chat with “Tin Can Sailors” who served on ships in Fall River and elsewhere. And, of course, there are the excited first timers who really want to tell us that we are their “Number 30” and, certainly, we enjoy contacting the other ships on the air.
 
The Radio Room on the JPK, Jr. is big enough to house three stations comfortably. Normally, at his time of the year, we have two of our bands open at the same time most of our relatively short days. We try to operate from 10-4 on Saturday and 10-3 on Sunday (need to be packed up and out the gate by 5 on both days). Teams have been meeting at the Middle School at 8 AM to pool as much as possible to Battleship Cove each day. We enter the Cove all at the same time.
 
Team size each day usually ranges from 3 to 6 so that loggers (hand logging) and operators can swap duties. So far, most operators have preferred to do their own logging.
 
If you would like to be part of a team, please let me know what day or days you can attend, and I will get back to you to confirm. 
 
I will send a sheet to team members with specifics about the trip (route, operating procedure, etc.) when I complete the roster for each day.
 
(BTW: You can bring your own food for lunch and snacks, but there is food concession in the mess hall on the USS Massachusetts.
 
(There will be a local radio club operating from the USS Massachusetts.)
 
 
73,
Ed
 
K1DIN
774 245-2788
Operating

Carlisle Fox Hunt, May 10, 2019

- by k9hi - 1 Comment

John Salmi, KB1MGI, writes on the foxhunting list on May 10, 2019 at 1:59 PM:

I placed the 2 meter Fox transmitter in Carlisle on146.565 press  DTMF tone 2 to activate 30 seconds on 30 seconds off, run time 15 minutes.

(No Bushwacking)  If you choose the wrong trail you will tricked and you will end up bushwacking a long way to find the Fox and that could be wet.
 
Choose the correct trail and it only 50 feet off the trail and (No bushwacking at all).
 
If you want to know the location and receive a map Email me at: KB1MGI55@Gmail.com
Operating

Armed Forces Cross-Band Test, May 11, 2019

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, writes on the Wellesley ARS mailing list:

May 11 is the Armed Forces Day Cross-band Test, where Amateur stations  listen on military HF frequencies, and use the split function of their HF radio to talk with these stations that are listening in the Amateur bands where we can talk.

I do recommend everyone that can to try this, to show that you can do it.

If you complete a contact, you can get a QSL card from the station, if you follow the directions in the link below.

Frequencies and times for the various stations are listed.

http://www.usarmymars.org/events/armed-forces-day

Operating / Technical

Faster, More Contest-Friendly FT4 Digital Protocol to Debut in a Week

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

From ARRL Web:

A new, speedier, more contest-friendly digital mode is just days away in beta version. WSJT-X Developers say serious work on the new FT4 protocol began shortly after the FT8 Roundup held last December 1-2. The goal was a mode that could compete with RTTY contesting in terms of contact rates, while preserving many of the benefits of FT8. [More]