May 2024 Section News
It’s mid-May already! Got those gardens planted? Antenna raising parties planned? Are you looking forward to a Really Good Time at HamVention in Dayton? [Attending HamVention is high on my personal bucket list. I’ve been meaning to go for several years now … maybe next year!]
* Send Me Your HamVention Stories
Speaking of HamVention, if you are going/went, shoot me an email about your experience. Did you find a priceless piece of equipment? Did you attend a particularly interesting talk or seminar? I’d like to know and share some of the cool stories in next month’s Section Update.
* Inexpensive DIY EchoLink Interface
The Wellesley Amateur Radio Society (W1TKZ) has been experimenting with a new method of interfacing the club’s analog repeater system to EchoLink. The MicroLink project has created a low-cost PCB that bridges a repeater to the EchoLink network using a mobile rig. More information is here: https://github.com/brucemack/microlink. If anyone in EMA is interested in giving this a try, drop a line to Bruce MacKinnon, KC1FSZ.
* ARRL Field Day is Coming Soon!
I hope everyone is as excited about Field Day as I am, coming up Jun 21-23. As in previous years, we have coordinated with Governor Healey to have an official proclamation of Jun 22, 2024, as Amateur Radio Day. I will be visiting as many EMA Field Day sites as I can this year, to say “hi” and to show off the proclamation. If you haven’t registered your FD site in the ARRL FD Site locator, please do so soon!
* Citizen Scientists Gathered Information During the Eclipse
Thanks to those who participated in the Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP) and otherwise contributed data about the eclipse. Special tips o’ the hat to Larry W1IZZ and Dave K1HRV who emailed me about propagation enhancements he observed right around the time of the eclipse maximum. Thanks, guys, I find this stuff very interesting!
* MA Operators (Still) Needed for 2024 Thirteen Colonies Special Event
The planning for the 2024 13 Colonies Special Event stations is underway. Larry Krainson, W1AST, is looking for ops for K2H Massachusetts. The event runs from July 1 to July 7 and is usable on all frequencies and all modes. You just need to keep a log that you can submit to W1AST right after the event ends. More details at https://ema.arrl.org/2024/04/01/operators-needed-for-2024-ma-thirteen-colonies-special-event-station/.
* Club Commission Program Updated for 2024
The League updated the Club Commission program for 2024. When an existing ARRL member renews through your club, the club earns a $5 commission, as before. NEW ARRL memberships earn a $20 commission for the club. Complete details are at https://www.arrl.org/affiliated-club-benefits.
* With Help from Local Ham Club, Differently Abled Hams Build a Kit
On a rainy Saturday April 20, members of the Zola-Middlesex amateur radio club gathered at the Brigham House in Newton Massachusetts to build a kit! In attendance were several Wellesley ARC members. The Zola gang consists of hams who have sight and emotional impairments. Full details at https://ema.arrl.org/2024/04/25/the-zola-gang-builds-a-kit.
* Club Grant Program Update
ARRL is ramping up for another round of the very popular Club Grant Program in 2024. As in 2023, clubs will be invited to submit applications for grants of up to $25,000 for outreach (especially to youth), STEM activities, etc. Stand by for more information as available.
* HamXpo is Coming!
Mark the dates, August 22-25, 2024! The 2024 edition of HamXposition is coming, and it’s shaping up to be bigger and better than ever. Several top-tier amateur radio vendors recently committed to the show. And the lineup of technical talks/seminars/workshops is set to rival HamVention (Dayton) in terms of breadth and depth of topics. I hope to see you in person there! Full details at https://hamxposition.org .
* Updated Version of Andy’s Ham Radio Linux Available
On April 17th, Andy (KB1OIQ) Stewart released version 0.1alpha of “Andy’s Ham Radio Linux” for the Raspberry Pi 5. This popular software collection has been available for many years. For more information visit https://sourceforge.net/projects/kb1oiq-andysham/files/raspberry_pi/0.1alpha/.
In addition, one can hear more about “Andy’s Ham Radio Linux” by listening to episode 779 of the FLOSS Weekly podcast on Hackaday: https://hackaday.com/2024/04/17/floss-weekly-episode-779-errata-prevention-specialist/.
Lastly, KB1OIQ will be presenting in May at the Dayton Hamvention and at HamXposition in August 2024.
* Central States VHF Society 2024 Conference
[Not in the EMA Section, but worth mentioning …]
The Central States VHF Society 2024 Conference is coming up July 25-27, 2024 The registration link is: https://www.csvhfs.org/index.php/annual-conference/2024-annual-conference-registration. Room Reservation link is: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/G9668829. Note that we have a special conference room rate when you use the link.
Convention web site at: https://2024.csvhfs.org/
* Most Excellent Achievement by Wayne AG1A
Wayne AG1A, a Life Member of ARRL and of AMSAT, added another award to his already very impressive list of awards: WAS-satellite! Wayne currently holds 10-Band WAS, 9-Band DXCC and a slew of other awards. Please join me in congratulating Wayne on this most impressive achievement.
* N1ILZ for a Final
Stay safe and dry out there! It’s a wonderful time of year, as we all wake up from our winter snooze, and get to work on all those outdoor projects pent up from the past winter.
Can you write a paragraph or two about what you’re up to, so I can publish it in the Section Update? Let me know via email at n1ilz@arrl.org!
* For always up-to-date news, please visit the EMA Section website at http://ema.arrl.org.
. This Section News Update is brought to you by Section Manager Jon N1ILZ.
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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Jon W McCombie, N1ILZ
n1ilz@arrl.org
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