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Emergency Communications

ARES Stand-by Activation 0600 Thursday for Winter Storm/Blizzard

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*** EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES PLACED ON STAND-BY FOR ALL AREAS EFFECTIVE 0600 THURSDAY, JANUARY 4TH UNTIL CANCELED DUE TO POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM FORECASTED WINTER STORM/BLIZZARD ***
*** BLIZZARD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR EASTERN ESSEX, SUFFOLK, EASTERN NORFOLK, PLYMOUTH AND SOUTHERN BRISTOL COUNTIES OF MASSACHUSETTS FROM 7 AM TO 7 PM THURSDAY ***
*** WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM 10 AM THURSDAY TO 1 AM FRIDAY FOR CAPE COD AND MARTHAS VINEYARD ISLAND ***
*** HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM 7 AM THURSDAY TO 1 AM FRIDAY FOR CAPE COD AND ISLANDS FOR WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH WITH ISOLATED HIGHER WIND GUSTS ***
*** WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE REST OF THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AREA EXCEPT FOR NANTUCKET ISLAND FROM 1 AM THURSDAY TO 1 AM FRIDAY ***
*** COASTAL FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR EAST COASTAL MASSACHUSETTS INCLUDING CAPE COD AND ISLANDS FROM 11 AM TO 4 PM THURSDAY FOR MODERATE TO ISOLATED POCKETS OF MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING ***
*** EXPECTED IMPACTS ARE HEAVY SNOW AND DAMGING WINDS AFFECTING TREES AND POWER LINES CAUSING INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES AS WELL AS POST-STORM COLD TEMPERATURES ***
*** SKYWARN OPS AT NWS-TAUNTON TO COMMENCE AROUND 0600 THURSDAY ***
*** MEMA STATE EOC MOVING TO LEVEL-2 PARTIAL ACTIVATION AT 0600 THURSDAY ***

A major storm will be impacting the region on Thursday. All amateurs are asked to prepare for blizzard conditions and to notify ARES leadership of their availability to deploy for any post storm support. All amateurs during the storm are asked to shelter in place and monitor their local SKYWARN repeaters to help relay damage, snow fall amounts, any updates or relays from ARES/SKYWARN leadership, and any other pertinent information. ARES members are advised to continue to maintain readiness at home and check your emergency power and antenna situation. Secure any loose objects that can blow around easily.

The list of SKYWARN repeaters can be found at: http://wx1box.org/node/37

The latest SKYWARN coordination message for this storm is at: http://wx1box.org/node/4020

…with the next update expected Thursday morning. For the latest SKYWARN bulletins please visit http://wx1box.org/ For the latest ARES updates please visit http://ares.ema.arrl.org/

In advance of the storm, please advise your local EC/DEC/ADEC (SEC/DEC listed below) of your availability to support a potential deployment anytime through the weekend. We are creating a list of availability for ARESMAT (ARES Mutual Aid Team) deployment if needed for various local EOC’s, Red Cross, Salvation Army, NWS Storm Survey Teams, and hospitals as required. Keep your situational awareness level high for any updates from ARES leadership by checking your email for updates and our ARES web site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org and monitoring local SKYWARN/ARES/RACES frequencies for any updates on this developing situation.

When sending your availability, please send the following: Name, Call-sign, License Class, Capability (HF / VHF / UHF), Availability, and any other special notes we should be aware of. Also, please let us know if you can do an ARESMAT to another part of the Eastern Massachusetts section as this will be a large area impact storm for this anticipated blizzard. We ask that as you contact your DEC/EC, please send a copy of the message to blizzard@nsradio.org where multiple members of the EMA ARES Leadership will be able to access your availability.

What is ARES Stand-By mode?

ARES stand-by mode is to alert Amateurs within ARES that a mobilization is possible on a wide-scale and that some localized mobilizations are or could be taking place in isolated areas. It means to take a look at your Go-Kit and have batteries and equipment ready to go and charged up and take care of any requirements at home in case a mobilization is required and you can participate. Do NOT self-deploy. Wait for guidance from leadership for any deployment. It is an honor to be ready even if you don’t deploy for the event. Hopefully, this is just another exercise of our preparedness and capabilities. If not, the ARES leadership looks forward to working with you if any wide scale mobilization is required after the impact of this major storm to the region is fully understood.

Thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Marek Kozubal (KB1NCG)
ARES Eastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator

SEC/ASEC:
SEC – KB1NCG – kb1ncg@arrl.net
ASEC – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
ASEC – KD1CY – kd1cy@comcast.net

DECs:
Essex County – KB1KQW – kb1kqw@nsradio.org
Middlesex County – KB1KQW – kb1kqw@nsradio.org
Metro-Boston – KB1NCG – kb1ncg@arrl.net
Norfolk County – W3EVE – w3eve@arrl.net
Bristol County – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
Plymouth County – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
Cape & Islands – WQ1O – wq1o@comcast.com

Operating / Public Information

KM1CC FN51 Grid Square Operation, Jan. 18-19, 2018

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Coast Guard Beach, Eastham, MA 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!]

 

 

DECEMBER 2017 SECTION NEWS

EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS (EMA) SECTION NEWS – DECEMBER 2017

Find additional EMA Section News along with contact information for the EMA staff on our website <http://ema.arrl.org/>. News items for the EMA Section News may be submitted to <k1tw@arrl.org>

EVENTS:

Tuesday, January 16, 2018, 6:30-8:00 PM
Mike Corey, KI1U, the ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager
Clay Center at Dexter Southfield School,
20 Newton St.
Brookline MA, top floor at the observatory.

Mike Corey, KI1U, the ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager, will talk about how he led an expedition of 50 volunteers to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to help with emergency communications. Please RSVP to: <bphinney@dextersouthfield.org>

Saturday, January 20, 2018, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
An Emergency Communications Workshop will be held at the Walpole Council on Aging at 135 School St., Walpole, MA.

This workshop is for active hams and is produced by the EMA ARES Section Staff. Topics will include:
* Overview of Eastern Massachusetts ARES-RACES-SKYWARN Programs
* Net Operations
* NTS Traffic Message Handling
* Basic Overview of the Incident Command System (ICS)
* Go Kits
Full details including registration information may be found at <http://ares.ema.arrl.org/node/767>

FLEA MARKETS

Saturday, January 20,2018, 9 AM – 1 PM, Whitman MA
Whitman Amateur Radio Club
<http://www.wa1npo.org/pics/WinterFestFlyer2018.pdf>

Saturday, February 17, 2018, 9 AM – 1 PM, Marlboro, MA
Algonquin Amateur Radio Club
<http://www.qsl.net/n1em/>

Sunday, April 8, 2018, 9 AM to 12 noon
Framingham ARA flea market at the Keefe Technical School.
Go to <www.fara.org/flea> for more info.

LICENSE CLASSES
Nothing to list this month.

CLUB NEWS

The Barnstable ARC is pleased to report the Dennis 146.47 repeater is now on the air and connected to the NEDECN Digital Mobile Radio network. “It has all the usual talk groups.” Info courtesy <https://barnstablearc.org/?q=node/368>

Billerica ARS (BARS): <http://www.w1hh.org/>
BARS will have an annual Yankee Swap and Holiday dinner instead of its regular meeting to greet the New Year on January 3 at the Great Wall Restaurant in Bedford.

The Billerica ARS conducts VE Sessions on 2nd Thursday of every month. They are held in the church hall of The Chelmsford Bible Church, 128 Gorham St, East Chelmsford at 7 PM. Walk-ins are welcome; no reservation is required. For more information, contact: Gary W1GFF at 978-453-1100 (Email <W1GFF@arrl.net>)

Boston Amateur Radio Club (BARC): <http://barc.org/>
BARC once again participated in SKYWARN Recognition Day, operating as WX1BHO from the Blue Hills Observatory on Saturday, December 2 from 9 AM-3 PM. Contacts were made on 40, 20 and 15 (Phone, CW, digital), as well as on 2-meter simplex and the NEDECN DMR network. Mark, KB1EKN reports that 40 people attended the event.

BARC will hold its holiday party at the Stockyard restaurant in Brighton beginning at 12:00 noon on Sunday, January 14. The club will award its Ham of the Year plaque to the deserving member.

Clay Center Amateur Radio Club (CCARC): <http://www.cc-arc.org/>
An evening with Mike Corey KI1U, the ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager.

When: Tuesday, January 16, 2018, at 6:30-8:00 PM.
Where: The Clay Center at Dexter Southfield School, 20 Newton St. Brookline MA, top floor at the observatory.

Topic: Mike Corey, KI1U, the ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager, will talk about how he led an expedition of 50 volunteers to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to help with emergency communications.

Hosts: The officers and student members of the Clay Center Amateur Radio Club, a youth and family club of over 340 members and growing, and by New England Amateur Radio, NE1AR, facilitating ham radio education and public service.

Refreshments: Pizza and snacks.
Door Prize: Free pen/toolkit for first 100 people at the event.

RSVP: Email Bob K5TEC, club secretary, for more information or to register <bphinney@dextersouthfield.org>.

Genesis ARS (GARS): <http://www.genesisars.org/>
Genesis ARS Repeater N1ZIZ has been upgraded to an Icom IC-FR5000. The new technology includes, among many features, IDAS digital operation commonly referred to as NXDN as well as continuing legacy analog FM communication support.

Framingham ARA: <http://w1fy.org/default.aspx>
The Framingham ARA flea market will be held on Sunday, April 8, 2018 at the Keefe Technical School in Framingham from 9 AM to 12 noon. Tables are $20 in advance, and $25 at the door. There will be a VE session, refreshments and door prizes. Talk in on 147.15. Go to <www.fara.org/flea> for more info or to reserve tables or contact Andy, KC1DMM at 508-310-5913. (Information via Gordy, K1GB)

Quannapowitt Radio Association (QRA):
Congratulations to QRA on celebrating their 69th anniversary at the October meeting. Planning has begun for their 70th anniversary. The weekly QRA net is Tuesday at 7:30 PM on 147.075.

PART OF WESTFORD: <http://www.wb1gof.org/>
The PART monthly meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month at the Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant Street in Westford, starting at 7:30 PM. The January 16 meeting features Philip Gladstone, N1DQ, with a presentation on PSK Reporter and the effects of FT8.

There was a great turnout for the of more than 40 people at the PART Christmas Holiday Party in December.

Wellesley ARS (WARS): <http://wars.krl.com/>
The Wellesley ARS has decided to change their January meeting. They will be joining other clubs at the Clay Center, 20 Newton Street Brookline, MA for a special evening with Mike Corey, KI1U, the ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager on Tuesday, January 16, 6:30-8:00 PM.

Upcoming WARS meetings:
January 16: Special event at the Clay Center in Brookline
February 20: Digital Modes Part 2 Charlie, WA3ITR
March 20: Agostino’s dinner, 6:30 PM
April 17: Digital Mobile Radio by Dan, W1DAN
May 15: Ham Radio from EMA list or Don, KB1OTQ
June 19: Field Day planning and elections

Whitman Amateur Radio Club: <http://www.wa1npo.org/>
The first flea market of the year, “WinterFest 2018” hosted by the Whitman ARC will be on January 20, 2018 from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1195 Bedford St., Rt. 18, Whitman.

Zola Center ARC/Middlesex ARC
The Zola Center ARC in association with the Middlesex ARC held an introduction to soldering class on Saturday, December 23. According to Zola’s N1IBB, “a dozen hams—half of whom were blind—were introduced to soldering basics with the end project of building AM/FM radios.” Matt adds, “I’m pleased to report that no fingers were burned during this class.”

SECTION TRAFFIC MANGER:

Marcia, KW1U, serves both Eastern and Western Massachusetts sections as the Section Traffic Manager (STM). Contact Marcia directly at kw1u@arrl.net or join one of the nets below to learn more.

The National Traffic System (NTS) November Recognitions:

(1) Public Service Honor Roll (PSHR):
Recognition for November 2017: KC1CIC (150), KW1U (130), N1TF (115), N1IQI (110), N1SYC (106), W1RVY (100), N1LAH (100) and NV1N (85).

(2) Brass Pounder League (BPL):
Recognition for November 2017: KW1U.

See the monthly “Public Service” column in QST for more information about the BPL and PSHR recognitions.

NTS NETS (COMBINED EMA/WMA)

EMA/WMA NTS Nets are listed below. Please support the nets and check in.

EM2MN 145.230 MHz 8 PM Daily
MARIPN 3978 KHz 6 PM Tu, Th, Sa
HHTN MMRA Repeaters 10 PM Su, M, W, F
CITN 147.375 MHz 7:30 PM M, Tu, Th, Sa
MARI 3565 KHz 7 PM Daily
CM2MN 146.970 MHz 9 PM Daily
WMTN 146.910 MHz 10 AM Daily
WMTN 146.910 MHz 1 PM Daily
WMEN 3944 KHz 8:30AM Su
NEPN 3945 KHz 8:45 Su

FIRST REGION NET (1RN) NOVEMBER REPORTS (NTS)

Bill, W1KX, manages 1RN Cycle 4, the evening CW net. Bill reports in November there were 60 sessions, 188 check-ins, and the handling of 129 pieces of traffic.

Betsy, K1EIC, manages 1RN Cycle 2, the daytime SSB net. Betsy reports in November there were 59 sessions, 248 check-ins, and the handling of 106 pieces of Traffic

FROM OUR NEIGHBOR SECTION TO THE WEST
Western Massachusetts is looking for an SEC. Ray, KB1LRL, who starts on January 1 as Section Manager in Western Massachusetts reports that “Section Emergency Coordinator John N2YHK does not wish to continue in this position. I thank John for his tenure. He has made valuable contributions during his time. So, at this time, I will be looking for individuals to consider taking on this position. When a SEC is selected, we will work on firming up the county level DECs, local ECs and the rest of the WMA ARES organization.” (More information is at <https://wma.arrl.org/KB1LRL>)

SILENT KEYS

We are saddened to report that Lindsay, WA1GMT, of Westford was reported as a silent key on November 20, 2017. (Information via PART of Westford listserv).

Another loss: Jim Morris, K1UGM, of Wakefield, a longtime member of the Waltham ARA has become a silent key. He is survived by his wife Rhoda, N1CSI. (Info courtesy WARA and Eliot Mayer, W1MJ)

FINAL WORD

My final word this month is to wish all who read the Eastern Massachusetts section news a very happy and healthy New Year. May 2018 be safe and peaceful for all.

Until next month,

73,

Tom, K1TW

——————————————————————–
ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Thomas D Walsh, K1TW
k1tw@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

MASSACHUSETTS TRAFFIC REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2017

I hope everyone is enjoying a good start to the new year despite the cold and low number of sun spots.  December turned out to be a good month traffic-wise. It seemed holiday messages increased over the past few years and that was nice to see.   This station continues to have issues with 80 meters and therefore not able to make evening HF nets but efforts continue to find a solution.  Thanks to all who are covering.  We in Eastern Mass are seeing some new folks checking into our local nets and handling traffic.  This is always most welcome and we especially welcome Peter KC1HHO, John W1JWM and Paul KC1HHK.  Just remember making mistakes is not a bad thing.  It is how we all learn.  Fellow traffic handlers are glad to help.  So jump in, learn and get experience.  If it is ever called for you will be ready, and you can have fun in the process making friends. See you on the nets.
73, Marcia KW1U

 

MA STM REPORT       DECEMBER 2017    
               
               
NET SESSIONS QTC QNI QTR NM FREQ Net Time
WMTN C1 30 3 227 233 KD2JKV 146.91 10:00 Daily
WMTN C2 31 7 185 153 N1YCW 146.91 13:00 Daily
MARI 30 103 91 531 KW1U 3565 KHz 19:00 Daily
EM2MN 31 139 199 688 KC1CIC 145.23 20:00 Daily
CM2MN 23 20 129 212 KK1X 146.97 21:00 Daily
MARIPN 14 7 51 129 N1LAH 3978 KHz 18:00 Tu,Th,Sa
CITN 22 7 44 232 N1SYC 147.375 19:30 M,T,T, F,Sa
HHTN 18 31 67 214 W1HAI MMRA Rptrs 22:00 Su,M,W,F
WMEN 4 0 113 NA W1JWN 3944 KHz 08:30 Su
WARPSN 5 10 83 NA N1IQI 147.225 08:30 Su
               
               
SAR ORG REC SENT DEL TOTAL BPL  
KW1U 0 419 395 2 816 X  
N1IQI 0 92 570 4 666 X  
KC1CIC 0 79 61 21 161    
N1TF 0 38 65 12 115    
NV1N 0 21 66 0 87    
W1RVY 0 33 41 1 75    
N1LAH 0 29 25 5 59    
N1SYC 0 19 25 7 51    
W1PLK 0 6 5 5 16    
               
               
PSHR (Min 70 Points) 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL
KC1CIC 40 40 30 20 0 20 150
N1IQI 40 40 10 10 20 10 130
KW1U 40 40 30 0 0 20 130
N1SYC 40 40 20 20 0 0 120
N1TF 40 40 30 5 0 0 115
N1LAH 40 40 20 0 0 0 100
W1RVY 40 40 20 0 0 0 100
NV1N 39 40 10 0 0 0 89
               
               
DRS RCV FWD TOTAL        
KW1U 1137 1568 2705        
N1IQI 92 570 662        
KC1CIC 29 12 41        
KC1EGK 0 10 10        
W1RVY 0 1 1        
               
BPL = 500 POINTS EARNED            
               
MARCIA KW1U STM              
GREG KC1CIC ASTM

 

MASSACHUSETTS TRAFFIC REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 2017

Holiday greetings to all. It has been a busy time on the nets in December.  There has been a lot of activity and the nets and the digital network have been bustling.  It has been fun to see all the activity, and I wish to thank each one of you for your participation and support. I hope the new year brings good things and good times to all.

Just an FYI to those CW folks.  The MARI CW net has an alternate frequency on 160 meters of 1810 Khz.  Conditions on 80 meters have often made communication within the section impossible.  Net Control stations have been advised to begin calling on 3565 Khz, but if not hearing or copying anyone there to move to 1810 Khz.  Five of our regulars have 160 meter capability and others are encouraged to try this band if feasible.

Below is the November traffic report, with the usual many thanks to KC1CIC for it’s compilation.  Good job all.

73, Marcia KW1U STM EMA/WMA

 

MA STM REPORT       NOVEMBER 2017    
               
               
NET SESSIONS QTC QNI QTR NM FREQ Net Time
EM2MN 30 105 189 591 KC1CIC 145.23 8 PM Daily
MARIPN 13 39 42 184 N1LAH 3978 KHz 6PM Tu,Th,Sa
WARPSN 4 8 59 NA N1IQI 147.225 8:30AM Su
HHTN 17 16 52 171 W1HAI MMRA Rptrs 10PM Su,M,W,F
CITN 21 9 49 244 N1SYC 147.375 7:30PM M,T,T, F,Sa
MARI 30 77 99 454 KW1U 3565 KHz 7PM Daily
CM2MN 20 6 106 169 KK1X 146.97 9PM Daily
WMTN C1 30 5 252 207 KD2JKV 146.91 10AM Daily
WMTN C2 29 6 178 170 N1YCW 146.91 1PM Daily
WMEN 2 1 50 NA W1JWN 3944 KHz 8:30AM Su
               
               
SAR ORG REC SENT DEL TOTAL BPL  
KW1U 0 281 284 0 565 X  
N1IQI 0 45 320 0 365    
KC1CIC 0 58 38 17 113    
N1TF 1 38 52 3 94    
NV1N 1 15 54 2 72    
N1LAH 0 32 25 7 64    
W1RVY 0 29 29 2 60    
N1SYC 1 10 18 2 31    
W1PLK 0 7 7 4 18    
AC7RB 0 0 6 0 6    
               
               
PSHR (Min 70 Points) 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL
KC1CIC 40 40 30 20 0 20 150
KW1U 40 40 30 0 0 20 130
N1TF 40 40 30 5 0 0 115
N1IQI 40 40 10 10 0 10 110
N1SYC 40 31 20 15 0 0 106
W1RVY 40 40 20 0 0 0 100
N1LAH 40 40 20 0 0 0 100
NV1N 35 40 10 0 0 0 85
K1BML 27 0 10 0 0 0 37
               
               
DRS RCV FWD TOTAL        
KW1U 944 1442 2386        
N1IQI 45 320 365        
KC1CIC 0 17 17        
KC1EGK 5 5 10        
W1RVY 2 6 8        
               
BPL = 500 POINTS EARNED              
               
               
MARCIA FORDE STM MA    
Clubs

Waltham ARA Holiday Party

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Waltham ARA logo Eliot Mayer, W1MJ writes:

The Waltham Amateur Radio Association invites all hams and friends for a festive Holiday Dinner! It’s a great time to get that “eyeball” QSO with some of the folks we’ve been talking to all year. Spouses / friends / prospective hams are all welcome! No RSVP necessary. Cost is $25 per person at the door which includes the buffet and 1 ticket for the door prizes. Membership renewal will also gain you an extra ticket for the door prize. See you there!

WARA Holiday Dinner
at Sichuan’s Garden, 411 Waverley Oaks Rd, Waltham, MA
Wed, Dec 20, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

 

Emergency Communications

Intro/Basic ARES Training Jan 20th 2018 in Walpole

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ARES Emergency Communications Workshop
An Emergency Communications Workshop will be held on Saturday, 20 January 2018 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Walpole Council on Aging at 135 School St., Walpole, MA.

This workshop is for active hams and is produced by the EMA ARES Section Staff.

This Emergency Communications Workshop will provide the background and information to support Amateur Radio operators when needed to respond to a communications emergency or when supplemental communications via Amateur Radio is required. It will feature an Introduction and Conclusion to Emergency Communications, and five one-hour training
sessions on topics including:

* Overview of Eastern Massachusetts ARES-RACES-SKYWARN Programs

* Net Operations

* NTS Traffic Message Handling

* Basic Overview of the Incident Command System (ICS)

* Go Kits

This Workshop will also provide a one-hour lunch at no coerced cost to any Amateur Radio operator who attends the session. The presentations will be given by hams well versed in the topics listed above. The training will be a worthwhile experience not just for emergency communicators but for any ham who wants to learn more about our service and hobby.

Even if you have taken the basic class in the past, it is good to take it again as a refresher and some items have been changed and revised.

Preregistration is requested, but is not required in case anyone decides to attend at the last minute. Please try to preregister by Monday, 15 January 2018 to assure the meeting location is set up properly and we have enough refreshments for breaks between lectures and for the lunch break. We will, however, accept any late registrations after that day or any walk-ins provided space permits.

Pre-registration, or if you have questions, can be done by emailing kb1ncg@arrl.net or at the EMA ARRL Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/334677393676467/.

-EMA ARES Staff
Emergency Communications

Eastern MA Hospital Net, December 2, 2017

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John O’Neill, K1JRO writes

Net Control for the December 2, 2017 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club. The net will commence at the usual time of 10:00 AM using the following repeaters in the order listed.

1.Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
2 Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
3.Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0

Simplex 147.42

The Net will than return to the Sharon Repeater for final comments and Net closing.

NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check in procedure which is: Here is… un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facility’s call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to the EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air. We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month. More systems are being added to the list on a regular basis.

Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9
Mansfield EMA 446.925 tone 100.0
Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 82.5
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

MASSACHUSETTS TRAFFIC REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2017

Hard to believe Thanksgiving is almost here.  After a rather summer-like fall we are finally seeing some wintry weather but the holidays have stealthily crept up on us.  It would sure be nice to see some holiday greeting radiograms on our traffic nets.  I hope folks will consider this unique way of letting families and friends know you are thinking of them.

It is always nice to see newcomers handling messages on the nets and we welcome Peter KC1HHO to those ranks of traffic handlers.  Peter is in Quincy and I’m sure he would like to see some messages coming his way.

Propagation on HF has hit a winter low again.  Our section nets have seen some difficult times at net time.  The CW net which normally meets on 3565 Khz at 7PM has occasionally moved to 1810 Khz on the 160 meter band.  We are fortunate to have several folks with capability on that band and we have had success in moving traffic there.  Keep tuned to 3565 however as we will always start there then move as necessary.

Below is the traffic report for October.  Thanks to all participants for your support.

Marcia KW1U STM and
Greg KC1CIC ASTM

 

MA STM REPORT       OCTOBER 2017    
               
               
NET SESSIONS QTC QNI QTR NM FREQ Net Time
EM2MN 31 92 185 553 KC1CIC 145.23 8 PM Daily
MARIPN 13 32 52 170 N1LAH 3978 KHz 6PM Tu,Th,Sa
WARPSN 5 10 58 NA N1IQI 147.225 8:30AM Su
HHTN 18 23 72 202 W1HAI MMRA Rptrs 10PM Su,M,W,F
CITN 22 19 55 270 N1SYC 147.375 7:30PM M,T,T, F,Sa
MARI 31 133 128 618 KW1U 3565 KHz 7PM Daily
CM2MN 23 14 141 197 KK1X 146.97 9PM Daily
WMTN C1 31 8 334 293 KD2JKV 146.91 10AM Daily
WMTN C2 31 7 219 234 N1YCW 146.91 1PM Daily
WMEN 5 0 113 NA W1JWN 3944 KHz 8:30AM Su
               
               
SAR ORG REC SENT DEL TOTAL BPL  
KW1U 0 363 365 6 734 X  
N1IQI 0 50 631 4 685 X  
N1TF 1 62 88 4 155    
KC1CIC 0 83 37 16 136    
NV1N 0 18 67 3 88    
W1RVY 3 23 29 3 58    
N1LAH 1 25 22 6 54    
N1LKJ 0 18 32 2 52    
N1SYC 3 11 17 3 34    
W1PLK 0 13 4 5 22    
AC7RB 0 1 9 0 10    
K1BML 0 5 0 3 8    
               
               
PSHR (Min 70 Points) 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL
N1LAH 40 40 20 45 0 0 145
KC1CIC 40 40 30 10 0 20 140
KW1U 40 40 30 0 0 20 130
N1IQI 40 40 10 10 20 10 130
N1TF 40 40 30 5 0 0 115
N1SYC 40 34 20 10 0 0 104
W1RVY 40 40 20 0 0 0 100
NV1N 36 40 10 0 0 0 86
N1LKJ 21 40 10 0 0 0 71
K1BML 29 5 10 0 0 0 44
               
               
DRS RCV FWD TOTAL        
KW1U 1195 1202 2397        
N1IQI 50 631 681        
KC1CIC 36 3 39        
KC1EGK 8 0 8        
W1RVY 1 4 5        
KC1ETB 0 0 0        
               
BPL = 500 POINTS EARNED              
               
               
MARCIA FORDE STM MA              
     
Clubs / Operating

K1USN Veterans Day Operation

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

K1USN QSL card “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

 

Emergency Communications

Reminder: Monthly EMA ARES Net 11/6 8:30pm

- by admin - Leave a Comment
Hello to all…
We will be continuing our monthly ARES Net in November. The monthly ARES Net for November is Monday the 6th, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the MEMA Nets earlier in the evening. 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


Make this first Monday of the month, “Emergency Communications Night” and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

As part of our relationship with MARS and our own situational awareness gathering we will be asking for any known infrastructure issues that you are aware of. The information must either be personally observed, or obtained “over the air” via amateur radio. Items considered to be infrastructure include but are not limited to: electrical power, water, medical facilities, sanitation, communications, and transportation. Examples of failure would be: small or large area power failure, water main breaks, hospitals’ ER closed, sewage issues, TV/radio station off the air (including public safety), interstate highway or major road closed. No known issues are just as important as reporting failures.

Additionally we are interested in relay of any weather information from airport ATIS/ASOS stations that you can directly receive via radio. These stations broadcast continuously in the 120.000 – 138.000 MHz frequency range using amplitude modulation. Information from the ATIS should include airport, temperature, altimeter (barometer), wind, precipitation, and visibility.

A list of stations with their frequencies and a map can be found at: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos/?state=MA

We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone’s participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Marek Kozubal, KB1NCG
EMA Section Emergency Coordinator

Emergency Communications

Amateur Radio – MARS interoperability exercise (November 4-6)

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Elements of the US Department of Defense (DOD) will conduct a “communications interoperability” training exercise November 4-6, once again simulating a “very bad day” scenario. Amateur Radio and MARS organizations will take part.

“This exercise will begin with a national massive coronal mass ejection event which will impact the national power grid as well as all forms of traditional communication, including landline telephone, cellphone, satellite, and Internet connectivity,” Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, explained in an announcement.

During the exercise, a designated DOD Headquarters entity will request county-by-county status reports for the 3,143 US counties and county equivalents, to gain situational awareness and to determine the extent of impact of the scenario. Army and Air Force MARS organizations will work in conjunction with the Amateur Radio community, primarily on the 60-meter interoperability channels as well as on HF NVIS frequencies and local VHF and UHF, non-Internet linked Amateur Radio repeaters.

Again, this year, a military station on the east coast and the Fort Huachuca, Arizona, HF station will conduct a high-power broadcast on 60-meter channel 1 (5330.5 kHz) on Saturday from 0300 to 0315 UTC. New this year will be an informational broadcast on Sunday, on 13,483.5 kHz USB from 1600 to 1615 UTC. Amateur Radio operators should monitor these broadcasts for more information about the exercise and how they can participate in this communications exercise, English said.

“We want to continue building on the outstanding cooperative working relationship with the ARRL and the Amateur Radio community,” English said. “We want to expand the use of the 60-meter interop channels between the military and amateur community for emergency communications, and we hope the Amateur Radio community will give us some good feedback on the use of both the 5-MHz interop and the new 13-MHz broadcast channels as a means of information dissemination during a very bad day scenario. (Thanks Tom, N1CPE)

All

Southern New England Weather Conference, Nov. 4, 2017

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Rob Macedo, KD1CY writes:

The Southern New England Weather Conference will take place Saturday November 4th, 2017. The conference will be held at the Meditech Facility in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Some of the topics that will be covered in 2017 include:

-TV Meteorologist Panel Discussion
-Tribute to Dick Albert
-Ready for Hurricane Rhody?
-Two Unusual Tornadoes: Concord, MA (2016) & Conway, MA (2017)

The agenda for the Southern New England Weather Conference can be seen via the following link: http://www.sneweatherconf.org/2017Agenda.pdf

Registration Fees:

Student/Teacher/Military/Blue Hill Observatory Member Registration: $99
Regular Registration: $109

To register go to the main Southern New England Weather Conference link at http://www.sneweatherconf.org/ and click the “Click here to register for conference” link.

We hope to see many of you at the 2017 Southern New England Weather Conference!

MASSACHUSETTS TRAFFIC REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 2017

Greetings all,

Below is the September traffic report for the combined sections of East and West Mass.  While participation and traffic numbers have been down, hopefully with cooler weather and holidays coming up we will see an increase.

I was invited and gave a presentation on message handling to the members of the PART Club in Westford in September. Members had little to no knowledge about traffic nets and message handling in general and the information was well received.  I would like to encourage your clubs to also learn about the very vital skills of accurate and efficient message handling and net operation.  If your club would like more information let me know.

Also in September I attended a very successful convention at Boxboro.  We held a Meet and Greet session for traffic handlers which was well attended by active traffic handlers from all over New England, and a good discussion on the status of nets and message handling was held.  Of course it is also good to see in person the folks we talk with regularly on the nets.

Traditional holidays are coming up so consider surprising a friend or relative with a unique holiday greeting via radiogram.  They may even learn a little something about amateur radio.

73 and thanks for your support.
Marcia KW1U STM

 

MA STM REPORT       SEPTEMBER 2017    
               
               
NET SESSIONS QTC QNI QTR NM FREQ Net Time
EM2MN 30 121 172 649 KC1CIC 145.23 8 PM Daily
MARIPN 12 22 46 164 N1LAH 3978 KHz 6PM Tu,Th,Sa
WARPSN 4 8 65 NA N1IQI 147.225 8:30AM Su
HHTN 17 19 68 200 W1HAI MMRA Rptrs 10PM Su,M,W,F
CITN 22 13 65 309 N1SYC 147.375 7:30PM M,T,T, F,Sa
MARI 30 136 115 565 KW1U 3565 KHz 7PM Daily
CM2MN 28 29 143 230 KK1X 146.97 9PM Daily
WMTN C1 15 * 4 109 142 KD2JKV 146.91 10AM Daily
WMTN C2 29 9 147 173 N1YCW 146.91 1PM Daily
WMEN 2 0 45 NA W1JWN 3944 KHz 8:30AM Su
NEPN No Report       N2JWW 3945 KHz 8:45 Su
               
               
SAR ORG REC SENT DEL TOTAL BPL  
KW1U 0 346 353 5 704 X  
N1IQI 0 97 356 4 457    
KC1CIC 1 95 44 18 158    
N1TF 1 51 56 8 116    
NV1N 2 28 74 3 107    
W1RVY 1 38 37 4 80    
N1LKJ 0 28 36 0 64    
N1LAH 0 27 17 5 49    
N1SYC 1 19 23 2 45    
W1PLK 0 11 5 6 22    
AC7RB 0 3 8 2 13    
K1BML 0 6 0 2 8    
               
               
PSHR (Min 70 Points) 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL
KC1CIC 40 40 30 25 0 20 155
KW1U 40 40 30 10 0 20 140
N1TF 40 40 30 5 0 0 115
N1IQI 40 40 10 10 4 10 114
W1RVY 40 40 20 0 0 0 100
N1SYC 40 30 20 10 0 0 100
N1LAH 38 40 20 0 0 0 98
N1LKJ 40 28 10 0 0 0 78
NV1N 27 40 10 0 0 0 77
               
               
DRS RCV FWD TOTAL        
KW1U 894 1321 2215        
N1IQI 97 356 453        
KC1CIC 37 8 45        
KC1EGK 6 0 6        
W1RVY 0 0 0        
KC1ETB 0 0 0        
               
BPL = 500 POINTS EARNED              
* Partial report due to change of managers          
               
MARCIA FORDE STM MA        
Emergency Communications

October 7th,2017 Eastern MA Hospital Net

- by admin - Leave a Comment

Good Evening,

Net Control for the October 7th,2017 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club. The net will commence at the usual time of 10:AM using the following repeaters in the order listed. 

1.Plymouth 146.685 tone 82.5

2 Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0

3.Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5

 

Simplex 147.42

 

The Net will than return to the Plymouth Repeater for final comments and Net closing.

NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check in procedure which is:   Here is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to the EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month.  More systems are being added to the list on a regular basis.

REMINDER: The BARC Repeater is now using split tone. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0


Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2

Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0

Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0  
Fairhaven 145.490 tone 67.0    
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9  

Mansfield EMA  446.925 tone 100.0

Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0

Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0      
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 82.5
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8        
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5    
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)

W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244 
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Respectfully,

John O’Neill
K1JRO

— 

South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club – W1SSH
c/o Volunteer Services
Public Service

Baystate Marathon Amateur Assistance Requested, Oct. 22, 2017

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

The Lowell CERT Communications Team has been asked to support once again the Baystate Marathon and Half Marathon. This year the event is on Sunday, October 22nd. Our operational time period is from approximately 0700 until event completion (estimated 1400). Our assistance has been requested by Lowell Office of Emergency Management and Lowell Fire Department. The communications team will be employing Amateur Radio to provide this communications asset. Amateur Radio will be used for 2 functions:

* Medical operations: the purpose of this net is to provide a communications link for medical requests/status to the incident command post.
* Accountability net: the purpose of this net is to coordinate with a race public information booth the status of runners who are unable to complete the race for any issue to any one is seeking this information.

Race info may be found at http://baystatemarathon.com

Please contact  Terry-KA8SCP ka8scp@wb1gof.org if you are able to assist or would like more information.

Please share this request with your local clubs. This is a pretty laid back event and suitable for first time public event participation.

Terry-KA8SCP

Terry M. Stader – KA8SCP
MEMA Region 1 RACES/Communications Officer
PART of Westford-WB1GOF, Senior Club Advisor
NESMC EMA Director