All

Hello to all..

The following is from acting state RACES Radio Officer, Mike Neilsen-W1MPN. See below:

Please download attachment for use tomorrow Monday April 16th, 2012:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/RACES_OPLAN_4-16-12-2.pdf

Hello to all..

..Eastern Massachusetts ARES to be placed on stand-by effective from 7 AM-7 PM Monday April 16th, 2012 to support any significant issues that may occur outside of the Boston Marathon event. Amateur Radio Operators that are involved in ARES that are supporting the Boston Marathon are expected to continue to support that event as their number one priority. The standby is for Eastern Massachusetts ARES members who are unable to support the Boston Marathon for this year but may be available for other duties in the event a significant issue occurs outside of the Boston Marathon event and route..

..Record breaking heat is expected for the 2012 Boston Marathon with temperatures in the 80’s to possibly even the lower 90s. This will potentially cause stress on the runners, volunteers and infrastructure resources more so than in the past 8 or 9 Boston Marathon events covered in recent history. In addition, with the very dry conditions since the beginning of 2012, hot tempeatures and gusty west winds, there will be an increased fire weather risk across the area. This message will discuss weather safety for Monday April 16th for those deploying and involved in the Boston Marathon and potential risks for any significant issues outside of the Boston Marathon route that may require ARES assistance with those ARES members that are unable to support the Boston Marathon event but may be able to support an issue outside of the Boston Marathon event. We stress again for those ARES members who have commited to the Boston Marathon event, you are to support that commitment as your top priority as your assistance at the marathon will be very important this year given the weather conditions..

While this may be a bit off topic for some SKYWARN Spotters, Amateur Radio Operators and Red Cross volunteers, many of which are SKYWARN Spotters, will be involved in the Boston Marathon on Monday April 16th. To reach out to the highest level of Amateur Radio Operators involved in the event, this coordination message is being sent out to the SKYWARN email list and posted to the various Amateur Radio lists. We appreciate everyone’s patience with this message. This is likely to be the only coordination message on the Marathon unless a significant change in the weather forecast occurs. See information below:

Eastern Massachusetts ARES members not participating in the Boston Marathon should be in a stand-by mode for the Boston Marathon event on Monday April 16th from 7 AM-7 PM for any significant issues outside of the Boston Marathon that may require Amateur Radio Emergency Communications support. With over 300 Amateur Radio Operators staffing the Boston Marathon route, the start line and the finish line, if an issue arises needing Amateur Radio support outside of the Marathon route, it is important that any ARES members not involved in the marathon can help with any response that is required. There will be two backup operation centers including the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net Control Center at the town of Bridgewater EOC monitoring the Boston Marathon event and events outside of the Marathon. The biggest issues that could occur outside of the Marathon route is as follows.

1.)    A large brush fire due to the extreme dry conditions since the start of 2012 causing a mobilization of resources outside of the marathon event.
2.)    Another unexpected issue that requires a major response of resources.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) at the SEOC (State Emergency Operations Center) will be active for the Boston Marathon with the MACC (Mutual Aid Coordination Center) stood up at the SEOC. Amateur Radio Operators will be at the SEOC to support backup operations and to provide situational awareness to MEMA and agencies that are supporting the Boston Marathon event. See media advisory below:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/Boston_Marathon_Media_Advisory_MACC_Activation.pdf

The weather outlook for the Boston Marathon is one that is extremely unfavorable for volunteers and runners. The Weather Forecast across the Boston Marathon route is for record breaking heat to occur. Conditions are expected to be sunny throughout the day. There will be a ‘hot’ land breeze blowing along the marathon route with winds of 10-20 MPH with gusts of 25 MPH. Temperatures along the marathon route will range in the Upper 50s to lower 60s early in the morning warming to 75 to 85 degrees by mid to late morning to the 85 to 90 degree range by afternoon with lower 90 readings not out of the question. This means that conditions for the runners and even volunteers will be extreme for being outside and in the sun’s exposure for the entire event. The amount of ambulance requests along the route could rival or eclipse records set in the 2004 Boston Marathon. The BAA has sent a notice that inexperienced runners and runners with medical conditions consider not participating in the 2012 Boston Marathon and even for conditioned runners to take it slow as it will not be a day for breaking marathon records. This has been seen at various Boston Media outlets and an article on the notice sent out is listed below from WCVB-TV Channel 5:

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/sports/30894553/detail.html

For Amateur Radio, Red Cross and all other volunteers along the route, it is recommended that you do the following:

1.)    Dress for the hot weather. Wear loose fitting and ligher color clothing to try and keep your body cool as best as possible.

2.)    Sun screen will be a must given the intense heat and bright sunshine. Make sure to cover exposed skin particularly those folks that could get sun burn easily during sunny and hot conditions. This can cause significant health issues if not taken care of properly. A hat for your head can also protect your head from sun burn.

3.)    Be sure to drink liquids and eat properly during the event and that you are self-sufficient so that you can be of full help to the function and not distract everyone from the main purpose of supporting the runners by having a health issue on your end that can be avoided. No rain is expected at this time so there should be no need for rain gear.

4.)    Be highly vigilant to any runners that may be in distress along the route. With the intense heat, there is likely to be a high number of runners affected in some way by the weather conditions.

5.)    Also, be highly vigilant of cigarette butts or other flammables that could be tossed out in grassy areas. With the very dry ground coupled with hot and dry conditions, it will not take much for a brush fire to occur as elevated fire weather conditions exist and may prompt the issuance of fire weather watches/red flag warnings for Monday but at a minimum, elevated fire weather conditions will exist. Take care of any of these disposals and assure they will not cause a fire issue that can be avoided.

Barring a significant change in the weather forecast, this will be the only coordination message on the Boston Marathon. We appreciate everyone’s support in this event and hope those that volunteer enjoy themselves and feel the self-satisifcation of supporting this historic event and those that are monitoring the Marathon or events outside of the Marathon realize that the monitoring is an important function as well and is a testament to being able to scale other incidents beyond the marathon if required. Thanks to all for their support!

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

Tom Frenaye, K1KI writes:

Greetings!

The New England QSO Party is coming in just one month – the weekend of May 5-6 – and we’d sure appreciate it if you would spread the word within your club through your newsletter or at the next meeting and help us to encourage activity from Eastern Massachusetts. Last year we had 222 different stations from all Eastern Massachusetts counties on the air, and we’d like to have more activity this year.

The NEQP is a great way to test your antennas on 80-10 meters and to be the focus of a lot of activity as stations from around the world look for Eastern Massachusetts stations.

Here is a summary of the New England QSO Party rules:

Object: To contact as many New England stations (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) in as many New England counties as possible on 80-40-20-15-10m. (New England stations work anyone)

Date: First full weekend of May. (May 5-6 in 2012)

Contest Period: 2000Z Saturday until 0500Z Sunday (4pm EDT Saturday until 1am EDT Sunday) and 1300Z Sunday until 2400Z Sunday (9am EDT Sunday until 8pm EDT Sunday).

Categories: Single-operator high power, low power(150w or less) and QRP(5w or less) categories, plus multi-operator, single transmitter. Same four categories for mobiles. Single-operator stations using assistance during the contest (packet or Internet spotting nets, etc.) will compete in the multi-single category.

Contest Exchange: Send signal report and state/province (DX stations send signal report and “DX”). New England stations send signal report, county and state.

QSO Points: Count one point per phone QSO, two points per CW (includes digital modes)QSO.

Multiplier: Stations outside of New England use counties as multipliers for a total of 67 (CT/8 MA/14 ME/16 NH/10 RI/5 VT/14). New England stations use states(50)(Count DC as MD), Canadian provinces(14) and DXCC countries as multipliers.

Scoring: Total score is QSO points times the multiplier. Mobiles count QSO points per county and multipliers from all counties (counted once).

Suggested frequencies: CW – 3540 7035 14040 21040 28040, SSB – 3850 7280 14280 21380 28380. ** Now that the broadcast stations are mostly out of 7125-7200, try 7180 on 40m SSB.**

Reporting: Logs should indicate times in UTC, bands, modes, calls and required contest exchange. All stations include your club’s name in the log header or summary. Entries must be submitted within 30 days and sent to NEQP, P.O.Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 or via e-mail to logs@neqp.org (Cabrillo format preferred).

Awards: Certificates will be awarded to the top scorers (25 QSO minimum) in each New England county, U.S. state, Canadian province and DXCC country. A number of special plaques will also be awarded to top scorers.

Additional details can be found on the NEQP web site at http://www.neqp.org

See if you can have a competition within your club for the top scorer. Several Massachusetts clubs are challenging each other for the best club score.

We’re especially looking for mobile stations to put the rarest counties on the air. In Eastern Massachusetts, that’s Suffolk and Nantucket.

If you think you might be on for at least a short time in the NEQP, let us know with a brief message to us at info@neqp.org

Thanks!

—
Tom/K1KI for the NEQP Committee

——————————————————————————————–
New England QSO Party – http://www.neqp.org – May 5-6, 2012

The National Parks Traveler has published an article mentioning the Amateur Radio activities planned at the Cape Cod National Seashore on April 13-15, entitled Sinking Of Titanic, Role of Marconi Wireless Station In Rescue Cross Paths At Cape Cod National Seashore.

Hello to all..

Please see the following notice in regards to Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications and a study that is being executed. Time is short with a 45-day comment period as proposed by the FCC and the ARRL is looking for comments over the next 3 weeks to collate a common report. Please don’t delay and provide comments. Thanks to all for their support. The text of the memo from ARRL HQ is listed below:

We need your assistance!

The FCC has released a Public Notice soliciting input for the Congressional directed study of Amateur Radio Emergency Communications and Impediments to the amateur’s ability to provide those communications.  This is the ARRL-proposed study which we have been seeking for the last 3 years.

To assist the ARRL in gathering pertinent information for their comments – and to spread the word to the Amateur community as quickly as possible, I am asking that your please send the following to the various email lists/distribution mechanisms in your sections.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!   The FCC is only allowing 45 days for comments and will be closed on May 17, 2012.  In order to allow the ARRL to review the comments from the members and include them in our comments, we have set up the mechanism described below to allow quick input from members.  To allow us the time to compile this information we are asking the information be provided to us by WEDNESDAY APRIL 25, 2012.

Thanks for your assistance in this project.  We are in a position to try and obtain some relief for those who live in deed-restricted / CC&R limited communities. NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT!

Thanks and 73!

Dan Henderson, N1ND
Regulatory Information Manager
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio
860-594-0236
dhenderson@arrl.org

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you live in a CC&R- restricted community or participate in EmCom activities?  Have deed restrictions / HOA covenants prevented you from erecting amateur radio antennas? Have these restrictions prevented you from full participation in emergency communications activities during disasters?

If your answer is “Yes”, ARRL needs to hear about your experience.

As you are probably aware, Congress has directed the FCC to conduct a study of the uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio Service communications in emergencies and disaster relief.  The FCC was directed to identify ” impediments to enhanced Amateur Radio Service communications, such as the effects of unreasonable or unnecessary private land use restrictions on residential antenna installations”. Finally, the study is to make “recommendations regarding the removal of such impediments.”

The FCC has issued a Public Notice – DA 12-523- soliciting input from the public as part of their study.  The ARRL is gathering comments from the Amateur Radio community to present as part of its comments on the public notice.

The ARRL is looking specifically for input in two specific areas:
*        Recent Amateur Radio involvement in actual emergency communications and disaster relief;
*        Specific details about how CC&Rs and other private land use restrictions have impaired licensed Amateurs to participate fully in these disaster relief communications.

If your ability to participate in ARES, RACES, SKYWARN, CERT, or other emergency and disaster relief communications has been limited because the inability to have adequate antennas due to CC&Rs, you are asked to provide that information to the ARRL.

First, we recommend that you prepare a narrative of your exact situation, in as much detail as practical. Some areas for you to consider in writing your story might be:
*        Were there alternative properties without CC&Rs in the area you wished to reside?
*        What exactly does your CC&R allow / prohibit (please include a copy of the specific wording)
*        Have you applied for a waiver of the CC&R with the Home Owner’s Association / Architectural Review Committee but were denied?  If so, what was the reason?

To assist you in sharing your information with the ARRL, please visit the special ARRL website built to allow you to readily provide the pertinent information at www.arrl.org/ccr-study-information

This page will present you with an overview of what we are asking and have links to the two forms for you to complete.  Please be as factual as you can with the information you provide and please provide only information about events and activities in which you were directly involved.

If you wish to write out the details of your situation in advance, please do so.  The, they can be either uploaded from the website or they can be sent as an email attachment to an email sent to CCRinfo@arrl.org

Keep in mind that the FCC study does not apply to ordinances and zoning laws implemented by the government – such as towns, cities or counties.  PRB-1 covers those situations.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!  Congress directed that the FCC provide the report back within 180-days and that clock is already counting.  The FCC is only accepting comments for a 45-day period, which will end May 17,2012.  In order for the ARRL to collate your information in a common report, we ask that you send in your information no later than WEDNESDAY APRIL 25.  If you need more information, please contact reginfo@arrl.org   The time to act is NOW!

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

The National Hurricane Conference — scheduled for March 26-29 in Orlando, Florida — will feature several Amateur Radio activities during the conference, including a presentation by Eatern MA Section Emergency Coordinator and Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net Rob Macedo, KD1CY.  [More]

Hi, all,

I will be organizing a special event station using my call sign — NE1R — at the American Red Cross of Central and Western Massachusetts (Worcester) Saturday, March 10 starting at 8 AM ET. The station was setup Friday March 9th and we QRT’ed at 6 PM ET. Good work given propagation: 93 QSOs (contacts), 27 states, and 6 countrys. We will be operating at least one HF station trying to make as many contacts as possible to promote awareness that March is American Red Cross Month. This is a local aspect of an effort being carried on in several chapter across the country.

If you are so inclined, I ask you to (1) follow me on Twitter — @NE1R — for near real-time up-dates on where we are operating, (2) contact me about volunteering to operate/log/tweet etc. at the event, (3) contact us on the air and give us a contact, (4) help spread the word about the event through your social medial, e-mail lists and reflectors, and on-air contacts. This isn’t really a “contest.” But, a bit of effort has been put into promoting this event and bragging rights would be a nice result. Also, it could be a long day if we don’t get a lot of activity.

If you can’t follow me on Twitter, look for us around 14.327 and 21.327 Mhz.

Thanks,
73,
Tom Carrigan
NE1R

The following information was provided to MEMA by the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

Location: Global

•The largest solar flare in five years is racing toward Earth, threatening to unleash a torrent of charged particles that could disrupt power grids, global positioning systems (GPS) and airplane flights
•The sun erupted Tuesday evening, and the effects should start hitting Earth around 7 a.m. EST Thursday, according to forecasters at the Space Weather Prediction Center
◦The solar storm is likely to last t! hrough Friday morning, but the region of the sun that erupted can still send more blasts, a scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said
•Solar storms can disrupt technology on Earth through magnetic, radio and radiation emissions
◦All three types of disruptions are likely to be strong with the current storm, the scientist reported
•The magnetic part of the storm has the potential to trip electrical power grids, and power companies have been alerted to possible outages
•The storms can also make GPS less accurate, can cause communication problems and add radiation around the north and south poles, which will likely force airlines to reroute flights
•Satellites could also be affected

NEW:  Follow me on Twitter @WC1MA, and Facebook handle WC1MA

Regards and 73,

Michael P. Neilsen, W1MPN
State RACES Officer (Acting);
Member of the MEMT;
Member of the MA State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC), and Policies and Programs subcommittee;
Chairperson, Amateur Radio Working Group
New Office Answering Service: 978.293.7858
******************************************************************

The Genesis Amateur Radio Society, in Cooperation with Jordan Hospital, will be holding Amateur Radio – Technician License Classes and Exam sessions on the following dates.
…
The classes are broken up into 3 days. Day 3 will also include testing.

The Classes will be held at Jordan Hospital Conference/Class Rooms as shown below.
ALL CLASSES IN THE BOYNTON
Fri March 9, 2012 6:30p-9:30p
Sat March 10, 2012 9a-5p
Sat March 17, 2012 9a-5p

The 3rd class date also includes the test session going from approx 3:00p – 5pm.
Walk-ins registration allowed for testing ONLY starting at 2:30pm-3:00pm.

It is recommended to take all 3 classes, but not Mandatory.
Registration is a must due to limited seating.

If you attend the last class only, please download the Study Guide Below <http://genesisars.org/education/handouts/Tech_Study_Guide_2010.pdf> and study it for the testing session.

Any one and everyone is allowed to attend the last class from 9am-2pm on Saturday Aug 27. Please notify Education.Registration@genesisars.org

that you are planning on attending. There are at least 8-12 seats available.

If you are interested, please drop Joe Reynolds or Chris Johnson an email at
Joe: ka1gdq@gmail.com Voice-mail of 508-296-3622 Cell: 774-222-2542
Chris: n1ir@arrl.net

<=You will need a copy of the ARRL Q&A Technician Manual

The Technician License Manual is an Optional Book to help you with your studying.; More in-depth information. Ask how to obtain your book when you email or call Joe or Chris. =================================>>

Testing (paid on date of testing) will be $15.00 per ARRL Testing Guidelines.

Please download this registration <http://genesisars.org/Forms/TECH%20CLASS%20FORM%20March%202012.pdf> and email it to education.registration@genesisars.org <mailto:education.registration@genesisars.org>

TECH REGISTRATION FORM <http://genesisars.org/Forms/TECH%20CLASS%20FORM%20March%202012.pdf>

STUDY GUIDE MATERIAL <http://genesisars.org/education/handouts/Tech_Study_Guide_2010.pdf>

(if you know of a good place to post this, get the owners permission first. Thanks)

—
Joe Reynolds
KA1GDQ
PO BOX 10
BUZZARDS BAY, MA 02532
ka1gdq@gmail.com
http://ka1gdq.us/

Greetings!

This is for Boston, MA area hams. It is that time again… Public service season is here. We are now looking for help for this year’s Project Bread Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 6, 2012.

This will be the 44th running of the event. We need people to provide communications support for the Project Bread staff and volunteers along the 20 mile walk.

If you are interested in helping out this year, go to http://www.mmra.org/wfh/ to log in and fill out the signup form.

If you have questions please send an email to: wfh12@mmra.org.

73,

Eric Horwitz, KA1NCF
Walk For Hunger 2012
Amateur Radio Communications Coordinator

All,

Many of you asked for some follow-up information on the presentation last Saturday.  I have prepared a press release for amateur radio use only that fills in some details and answer some questions with as much information as we have now.  See the link below for the press release:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/PR_ACS2.pdf

More information will be available in a few weeks after my team and I have met with the MEMA Director.  You may direct any questions you may have (that we can answer now) to me, the Regional RO’s, and the WMA and EMA SEC’s.

NEW:  Follow me on Twitter @WC1MA, and Facebook handle WC1MA

Regards and 73,

Michael P. Neilsen, W1MPN
State RACES Officer (Acting);
Member of the MEMT;
Member of the MA State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC), and Policies and Programs subcommittee;
Chairperson, Amateur Radio Working Group
New Office Answering Service: 978.293.7858
******************************************************************