All – Page 192 – Eastern Massachusetts ARRL

W1T Thatchers Island On The Air

August 7, 2010 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

CAARA logo The Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association will conduct a special events operation this weekend using the call sign W1T from Thatchers Island, off of coast of Rockport. Club members will be on the air making contacts beginning late on the afternoon of Friday, August 6, continuing until the afternoon of Sunday, August 8. No QSL details are known at this time.

A national historic landmark, Thatchers Island is unique in that it features twin lighthouses situated on each end of the island. It is the very first lighthouse to mark a “dangerous spot” along the coast–all previous lights were built to only mark harbor entrances.

This is the third activation by radio of the Island by the Cape Ann ARA.

All

New England Area Flea Markets, August 1, 2010

August 6, 2010February 17, 2018 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

New England Area   Ham - Electronic  Flea Market  ***  DATES  *** 2010 P 1 of 2
All events are Ham Radio/ Electronic related except ~_____~ 

*******************************************************************************
2010                                                    Contact          Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
14 Aug Gales Ferry CT RASON @FireHs $4@9 $15/T       Chip N1MIE 860 376 0888  

14 Aug Swanton VT StAARC @RavenIndPk                  Arn N1ARN 802 309 0666 A

14 Aug St Albans ME PARC @Snowmobile Club         George WA1JMM 207 441 6112 A 

15 August    Cambridge MA        FLEA at MIT               Nick 617 253 3776  
                   Third Sunday April thru October      

22 Aug Adams MA NoBarc @ AggieFG $5@@8 $10Sell        Tim KE3HT 413 822 7075 F+

27,29 Aug Boxboro MA FEMARA NE Conv                  Mike K1TWF 978 250 1235 A

11 Sept Windsor ME AARA @FG $5@8                     Bill K1NIT 207 623 9075  

11 Sept Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN @8AM Tailgate   John 860 673 0518 W

11 Sept Ballston Spa NY SCRACES @FG @7                Al KA1IEG 518 677 3316 W

12 Sept Newtown CT CARA @TownHall $6@8:30 $15/T       Joe AB1DO 203 938 4880 W

18 Sept Alton NH MASONS @Lodge @7:30 Tg$10 $20/insidT Bob W1GWU 603 776 0086  +

18 Sep Forestdale RI RIFMARS @VFW $5/SP@8 Auction@11 Rick K1KYI 401 864 9611  +

18 Sept Omeaux PQ WIARC @Shriner's $5@9 $15/T@8      Ken VE2KLF              W+

19 Sept      Cambridge MA        FLEA at MIT               Nick 617 253 3776


25,26 Sep Wakefield MA Photographica @AmericalCtr ~photo~  John 781 592 2553  

2 Oct Manchester NH NHAntqRC @Bingo $10 @7:30 $3 @8:30  Charlie 603 898 4821  

3 Oct Queens NY HOSARC @HoS $5@9 $10/sp@7:30     Stephen WB2KDG 718 898 5599 W

10 Oct Wallingford CT Nutmeg Conv $20/sp $7@8        John N1GNV 203 440 4468  

15,16 October Deerfield NH Nearfest VIII @FG         Mike K1TWF 978 250 1235 

16 Oct Greenwood NS GARC @CommCtr $4@10 s@8         Eric VE1CFY              R
*******************************************************************************
LAST UPDATE 8-1-10 de W1GSL         http://swapfest.us                    P 1
   List is normally updated twice a month - look for the latest version       
*******************************************************************************
Additions/ Corrections via e-Mail   w1gsl@mit.edu  <- SUBSCRIBE              
                           US Mail  W1GSL POB 397082 MIT Br Cambridge MA 02139
(c)2010 unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety     

New England Area  Ham - Electronic  Flea Market  ***  DATES  *** 2010  P2 of 2
*******************************************************************************
2010                                                    Contact          Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

17 October   Cambridge MA        FLEA at MIT               Nick 617 253 3776  
                   Third Sunday April thru October      

23 Oct Longueuil PQ MS-SARC $5@9 $10/T@6           David VE2EDF 450 672 9791 W

30 Oct Gales Ferry CT TCARC Auction @FireCo @10    Darryl WA1DD 860 443 7799  

31 Oct Hicksville NY LIMARC @LevitHall            Richard K2KNB 516 694 4937 A

5 Nov Feeding Hills MA HCRA Auction @CongCh @6:30PM    Jim KK1W 413 245 3228  

6 Nov Londonderry NH IRS @Lions                           N1NAZ 603 421 0940  

13 Nov Bourne MA FARA @UpperCC VoTech $5@9 $10/S@7  Ralph N1YHS 508 548 0422  

4 Dec Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN @8AM Indoor       John 860 673 0518 W

*******************************************************************************
2011                                                    Contact          Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

26 Feb Colchester VT HAM-CON @Hampton $8@8 $15@6:30  Mitch W1SJ 802 879 6589 T

5 Mar Feeding Hills MA MtTARA @TurnverneinClb        Mary N1TOY 413 967 4008  

*******************************************************************************
LAST UPDATE 8-1-10 de W1GSL         http://swapfest.us               P 2 of 2
   List is normally updated twice a month - look for the latest version       
Source    F= Flyer  T= tentative early info     + = new info this month
          A= ARRL R= RAC list  W= web         WR NV CQ QST = Mags
This list has been compiled from many sources.  While we believe the info to 
be accurate the author can not be responsible for changes or errors.  
Check with the sponsoring organizations for more details.   This list will be 
posted monthly to USENET.     Mailed copies are sent when additions are made.
*******************************************************************************
Additions/ Corrections via e-Mail   w1gsl@mit.edu  <- SUBSCRIBE              
                           US Mail  W1GSL POB 397082 MIT Br Cambridge MA 02139
(c)2010 unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety     

            
New England Area  Ham - Electronic  Flea Market  ***  DATES  *** 2010 -> ***
Page 3 Electronic distribution only.  This page has the overflow if any    P3
from the paper version.
*******************************************************************************
2011                                                    Contact          Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*******************************************************************************
LAST UPDATE 8-1-10 de W1GSL                                             P 3
   List is normally updated twice a month - look for the latest version       
Additions/ Corrections via Internet  w1gsl@mit.edu                           
                           US Mail  W1GSL POB 397082 MIT Br Cambridge MA 02139
(c)2009 W1GSL   http://www.swapfest.us        SASE for updated copy as issued.
unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety     
*******************************************************************************


  List is normally updated twice a month - look for the latest version       

Be sure to check for the latest version as updating is under the control     
of the page owner.                                                           
 
* You can have the list e-mailed directly to you as it is updated.            *
* Just send a request to be added to the distribution to   w1gsl@mit.edu      *



                             73 Steve F 
                                W1GSL
 
***********************************************************************
New England Area  Ham - Electronic  Flea Market  ***  DATES  ***     P4
Links to New England Hamfest Web Sites                (c) 2010 W1GSL 
***********************************************************************
This section is only included in the electronic distribution.

Cambridge MA    Flea at MIT     http://www.swapfest.us                        

Hopkinton NH    Hosstraders   RIP  :-(     http://www.qsl.net/k1rqg/
 
Adams MA        N BerkshireARC  http://www.nobarc.org/hamfest.htm

Boxborough MA   NE ARRL Conv    http://www.boxboro.org/

Dartmouth MA    SEMARA          http://www.semara.org/flea.htm             

Falmouth MA     FARA            http://www.falara.org/                       

FeedingHills MA MTARA 		http://www.mtara.org/node/13     

Framingham MA   FARA            http://www.fara.org/                          

Marlboro MA     AARC      http://www.qsl.net/n1em/FleaMarketFlier2008a.pdf   

Newton MA       Waltham ARA Auction    http://www.wara64.org/auction/

Rockport MA     CAARA           www.caara.net                        

S Dartmouth MA  SEMARA          http://www.semara.org/                       
 
Wakefield MA    Photographica   http://www.phsne.org/                      
 
Whately MA      FranklinCARC    http://www.fcarc.org/news.htm                

Worcester  MA   WPI ACM         http://acm.wpi.edu/swapmeet/            

Gales Ferry CT  RASON           http://www.rason.org/                   
    
Goshen CT       SBARC           http://www.w1baa.org/                
            
Enfield CT      VHF/UHF Conf    http://www.newsvhf.com/vhfconf.html          

Newington CT    NARL            http://www.narlhamfest.org/                  

Newtown CT      CARA            http://www.danbury.org/cara/Hamfest.html    

North Haven CT                  http://www.yankeehamfest.com             

Southington CT  SARA            http://www.chetbacon.com/sara.htm

Wallingford CT  Nutmeg CT Conv  http://www.nutmeghamfest.com                 

Windsor CT      Vintage R Mus   http://vrcmct.org/                        

Chelsea ME      AARA            http://www.w1tlc.com/                     

Hermon ME       PSARC           http://n1me.org/index.php?pr=Hamfest        

Lewiston ME     AARC            http://www.mainearrl.org/convent.htm         

S. Portland ME  PAWA            http://www.pawa-maine.org/                  

St. Albans ME   PARC            http://www.qsl.net/parc/hamfest/hamfest.html  

Thomaston ME    PBARC           http://penbayarc.org/                

Windsor ME      AARA            http://www.w1tlc.com/                      

Deerfield NH    NEAR-Fest       http://www.near-fest.com/                   

Henniker NH     CVRC            http://k1bke.org/                    

Manchester NH   NEAntiqueRC     http://www.nearc.net/                        

Londonderry NH  IRS             www.irs.nhradio.org/                 

Rochester NH    GBRA            http://www.w1fz.org/

Bergen NJ       BARA            http://www.bara.org/

Sussex NJ       SCARC    http://www.scarcnj.org/www.scarcnj.org/flyer_2007.htm

Ballston Spa NY SCRACES         http://wa2umx.net/_Hamfest_2008.html

LaGrangeville NY   MtBARC       http://www.wr2abb.org/                       

Lake Placid NY  NNY ARA	 http://www.northnet.org/nnyham/hamfest_flyer2004.htm 

Lindenhurst NY  ToB ARES        http://www.tobares.org/hamfest.html           

Lindenhurst NY  GSB ARA         http://www.gsbarc.org/Hamfest.htm

Long Island NY  LIMARC          http://www.limarc.org/fest.htm                

Middletown NY   OCARC           http://www.ocarc-ny.org/             

Queens NY       Hall of Science http://www.hosarc.org/               

Rensselaer NY   E Greenbush ARA http://www.w2egb.org/                       

Rochester NY    AWA             http://www.antiquewireless.org/ 

Rochester NY    RARA            http://www.rochesterham.org/hamfest.htm  

Wallkill NY     OCARC           http://www.ocarc-ny.org/               

Greenwich RI    Fidelity ARC    http://users.ids.net/~newsm/dates.html

Colchester VT   HAM-CON VT Conv  http://www.ranv.org/hamcon.html      

Swanton VT      STARC           http://www.starc.org/                    
     
Windsor VT      CVFMA           http://www.cvfma.org/                  

Moncton NB      TCARC           http://www.ve9tca.org/                 

Quispamsis NB   LCARC           http://www.lcarc.ca/                     

Drummondville PQ  leCRdeD       http://www.raqi.ca/ve2crd/hamfest/index.html  

Greenwood PQ    GARC  http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/esmith/GARC/activities.htm  

Laval PQ        CRALL           http://www.ve2crl.qc.ca/                   

Montreal PQ     MARC            http://www.marc.qc.ca/fest/fest.html        
     
Montreal PQ     WIARC           http://www.wiarc.ca/                +

Montreal PQ     MS-SARC         http://www.ve2clm.ca/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=120

Montreal PQ     UMS             http://www.ve2ums.ca/agenda/pub_2007_hamf.pdf 

Sorel-Tracy PQ  CRAS-T          http://www.hamfest.qc.ca/                     

St Romuald PQ   ARES            http://www.aresqc.org/                       

St Therese PQ   CRALL           http://www.ve2crl.qc.ca/hamfest2002.htm       

Summerside PEI  SPARC      http://www.summersidearc.com/fleamarket2009.htm   

Greenwood NS    GARC            http://www.greenwoodarc.org/                

Halifax NS      HARC            http://www.halifax-arc.org/        +

Timonium MD     GBHC            http://www.gbhc.org/                          

Montreal Area   MARC List       http://www.marc.qc.ca/fest/festcal.html      
 
Canada          RAC List        http://rac.eton.ca/events/upcoming.php    

Phila. Area     VARA List       http://www.qsl.net/w2vtm/hamfest.html         

USA             ARRL List       http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html

*******************************************************************************
P4 LAST UPDATE 8-1-10 de W1GSL                                          P 4
Additions/ Corrections via Internet  w1gsl@mit.edu                           
                           US Mail  W1GSL POB 397082 MIT Br Cambridge MA 02139
(c)2010 W1GSL   http://www.swapfest.us        SASE for updated copy as issued.
unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety     
*******************************************************************************

All / Public Service

Cranberry TriFest – Aug 28 & 29, Volunteers Needed!

August 1, 2010February 25, 2018 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all..

Please see the notice below on the Cranberry Trifest from Roland Daignault-N1JOY. Please also note that this is the same weekend as the New England ARRL Division Convention and Hamfest in Boxboro, Massachusetts:

*_Cranberry Trifest Aug. 28th & 29th_*

* Volunters Needed!

Team HAMCOW will again be supporting the Cranberry Trifest on both days.

*Cranberry Trifest offers a terrific weekend of racing including a sprint distance triathlon, a kids duathlon and the “classic” olympic
distance triathlon which has been selected as the 2010 USAT Northeast Regional Club Championship.

*Event Dates, Times and Location:

*Saturday, August 28, 2010: Sprint triathlon (9:00AM start) and kids duathlon (12:00PM start).
Sunday, August 29, 2010: Olympic triathlon (8:00AM start). The site of the Cranberry Trifest is the Ted Williams Camp in Lakeville, MA with
entrances off Precinct Street and Rte 18.
*Ted Williams Camp, 44-47 Precinct St., Lakeville, MA

Beneficiaries of the 2010 Cranberry Trifest:*
A portion of the proceeds from the Cranberry Trifest will be donated to the Ted Williams Camp. Other beneficiaries include the Kiwanis of
Bridgewater, West Bridgewater Drama Club and the Freetown-Lakeville Aquatic Program.

Many racers participate in the DetermiNation program to raise funds for the National Cancer Society and the fight against cancer. We all
know somebody touched by cancer, so this is a good opportunity to have some fun and fight back by supporting those who are donating their efforts to fund research.

*Event Distances:
*Sprint: Swim: 0.5 mile; Bike: 11.5 miles; Run: 3.1 miles
Kids Duathlon: 1km, 2km, 1km**
<http://www.active.com/triathlon/lakeville-ma/cranberry-trifest-kids-duathlon-2010>
Olympic: Swim: 0.9 miles; Bike 26.3 miles*; Run: 6.2 miles

Please check out the Cranberry TriFest web page at:
http://www.cranberrycountrytri.com/

The HAMCOW will be our net control station and operators will be needed around the course at checkpoints, water stops, course rovers, and
people to stay at the camp to monitor the swim, bike, and run transition areas. Camping on site will be allowed for the radio operators, so
please consider joining the gang and staying for the Friday and Saturday night activities.

After Sunday’s olympic triathlon, a nice catered meal will be provided for everybody. We also receive nice sports T-shirts and occasionally
hats. Free stuff is always cool!

Radio ops can use 2 Meters, 440, HT’s or mobiles. We have plenty of locations along the course to accommodate everybody.

I’m going to say it here so everybody is aware; this event falls on the same weekend as the Boxboro Hamfest, which puts extra pressure on
getting volunteers for the triathlon. Please pass the word along to anybody you might know who would be interested in supporting us at the
Cranberry, even for only one day. I have always tried to be accommodating to folks who need to depart early, so I can assign them to
a checkpoint that will clear out early, but we do need folks to stay the duration.

If you are interested, please contact me via e-mail (n1joy@arrl.net) or on my cell phone at (617)-839-9081.

Thanks!

Roland – N1JOY

All

ICS-100 Training at the ARRL New England Division Convention and Hamfest in Boxboro Massachusetts

July 26, 2010February 17, 2018 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all..

Please see the note from Massachusetts State RACES Radio Officer, Tom Kinahan-N1CPE, on ICS-100 Training being offered at the ARRL New England Division Convention and Hamfest in Boxboro, Massachusetts.

Hi Everyone!

We’ve asked MEMA to hold a special ICS-100 training class for any and all ham radio operators
during the Boxboro ARRL New England Ham radio convention.

On Friday August 27 from 9am to 4pm, we will be offering an in person ICS-100 training class. If
you are involved or want to be involved in emergency communications or emergency management with any
government or non-government agency, they will require you to have taken this class, and some
others. The training class is Free, and you will need to bring your lunch, or buy it there. On
Saturday and Sunday August 28 and 29 there will be many other seminars and events including a flea
market.

In order to attend this ICS-100 class, you will need to pre-register. Convention tickets will not
required for this class. (but will be available)

Go to http://www.boxboro.org for details.

Download the registration form at: http://www.boxboro.org/Boxborough_ICS100_App.pdf

and either fax it, or email it to James.Mcloughlin at state.ma.us

-Tom Kinahan

All

Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill – Hurricane Hudson Participants Document

July 26, 2010 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

The Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill – Hurricane Hudson is set for Monday August 2nd, 2010 from 7-9 PM. The participants document has been created. This participants document is revision 1. The document may be revised once more between now and drill time but represents all of the pertinent information for the exercise as of Sunday July 25th. A link to the document is provided below:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/2010_Hurricane_Hudson_Mass_Drill_Participants_Doc_Rev_1.pdf

The biggest highlight to mention to all participants is that there will be failover from repeaters, Echolink/IRLP etc. to 2-Meter simplex, HF and RF only modes including Winlink RF only modes at a certain juncture within the exercise. This will be an opportunity to practice failover which has not been practiced in a number of exercises and will be a worthwhile item to practice as part of this exercise.

We encourage strong participation across RACES, ARES, SKYWARN and MARS members. Water temperatures off our coastline are warmer than normal. While this won’t necessarily dictate the track of hurricanes towards the region, it is an indicator that if we do get a hurricane coming up the coast posing a potential threat to New England, the water temperatures will be warmer alllowing the hurricane to sustain its strength longer than normal. This exercise will serve as good practice to a real hurricane situation. Thanks to all for their continued support of RACES, ARES, SKYWARN and MARS in the commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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

All

BPL Systems In Massachusetts Go QRT!

July 23, 2010 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

telephone pole graphic

Western MA Section Manager Ed Emco W1KT just received this in his email:

“I finally got the official word back; BPL in Concord, MA has been shut down, as has the system in Agawam, MA.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI
ARRL Laboratory Manager”

Thanks, WMA ARRLweb site

STM REPORT EMA SECTION JUNE 2010

NET         SES   QTC   QNI   QTR   NM
EM2MN       26    382   163   410   KB1ENV
EMRIPN      25    166   60    166   WA1FNM
HHTN        NA    NA    NA    NA    K1YCQ
WARPSN      04    08    55    NA    NI1X

QTC=Traffic QNI=Checkins QTR=Minutes

CALL        TOTAL       PSHR
N1IQI       2029        110
KW1U        911         120
N1LKJ       739         120
W1GMF       644         120
KK1X        104         131
KD1LE       92          170
W1PLK       34          75
WA1FNM      06          NA

BPL EARNED 500 OR MORE: N1IQI KW1U N1LKJ W1GMF
Congratulations on a job WELL DONE.
Jim N1LKJ

All / Emergency Communications

Reminder: Monthly Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for July 2010

July 10, 2010March 2, 2018 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for July is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for July is Monday July 12th, 2010, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the RACES 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 and the repeaters that will be linked in will be through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/map.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Due to the holiday, the ARES/RACES Nets were pushed up to the second Monday of the month so for this month, make the second 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.

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!

Respectfully Submitted,

All

Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill Set for Monday Evening August 2nd, 2010 7-9 PM

July 6, 2010 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all..

The Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill is set for Monday Evening August 2nd, 2010 from 7-9 PM. The drill will be similar to past years in that it will be leveraged off the MEMA Region Two scenario and expanded statewide and will be named ‘Hurricane Hudson’. There will be some changes, however, from past hurricane drills and it is hoped these changes will bring further interest in the exercise and allow for practice in newer items that have not been attempted in quite some time. Region Two will hold a briefing approximately 4-7 days prior to the exercise.

A meeting was held with Region Two Communications Officer Doug Forbes, Region Two RACES Radio Officer, Bob Mims-WA1OEZ, Mike Russas, MEMA Exercise Planner from the MEMA Training Department at Framingham HQ, Carl Aveni, Assistant ARRL SM/ARES ASEC and Rob Macedo-KD1CY, Eastern Massachusetts ARES SEC. The meeting was held on Tuesday June 29th. The drill scenario was reviewed with the new/different components added to the exercise.

Further details on the scenario will be posted in approximately 1-1.5 weeks with coordination with other parts of the state in a similar timeframe. This notice is being sent out as a primer to reach Amateurs in ARES/RACES/SKYWARN/MARS and other EMCOMM groups who would be interested in participating in this exercise. Thanks for your interest in the exercise!

Respectfully Submitted,

Regulation & Advocacy

Texting Bill Legislation Update from State Government Liaison K3HI

July 4, 2010October 3, 2019 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

MA State Government Liaison Shawn O’Donnell, K3HI writes:

[Beacon Hill] finally published the text of the compromise bill:

http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/186/ht04/ht04795.htm

The bill doesn’t look exactly like I thought it would, given the Senate amendments, but it looks OK. Here’s the important part, in the updated definitions section of Chapter 90:

“Mobile telephone”, a handheld or portable cellular, analog, wireless, satellite or digital telephone, including a telephone with 2-way radio functionality, capable of sending or receiving telephone communications and with which a user initiates, terminates or engages in a call using at least 1 hand. For the purposes of this chapter, “mobile telephone” shall not include amateur radios operated by those licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate such radios, or citizen band radios.

This bill doesn’t have a hands-free mobile phone requirement. If they ever enact one, we’ll be exempt.

Can you use APRS/messaging systems while driving? The prohibition on texting while driving reads:

No operator of a motor vehicle shall use a mobile telephone, or any handheld device capable of accessing the internet, to manually compose, send or read an electronic message while operating a motor vehicle.

The definition section says ham radios aren’t mobile telephones, so you’re OK there. But there are connections between APRS systems and the Internet. So let’s give two arguments why you shouldn’t use APRS systems while driving: (a) it’s dangerous, and (b) you’d probably lose the argument about your device not being able to access the Internet. The bottom line: even if the particular message you’re reading/sending isn’t going out on the internet, the prohibition applies to you.

The governor was supposed to sign the bill [July 2] at noon.The bill becomes law at the end of September.

–Shawn

All / NTS

NTS Traffic Handlers Picnic August 1, 2010

June 25, 2010February 16, 2018 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

EMA NTS logo The annual Eastern MA Traffic Handlers Picnic will be held on August 1, 2010 at the Raynham Senior Center picnic area in Raynham from 12:00 noon until 4:00 PM. [Full story]

All

Developing Brockton Hospital, Ham Radio Relationship

June 21, 2010April 24, 2018 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Eastern MA ARES has been approached by Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton to develop a hospital/ham radio relationship for emergency communications. ARRL Section Manager Mike Neilsen, W1MPN and Assistant SM Carl Aveni, N1FY met with staff from Good Samaritan and came to a preliminary agreement. They will pursue a formal Memorandum of Understanding in the very near future. [Full story]

All / Field Day

2010 Eastern MA Field Day Directory Is On-line

June 18, 2010October 7, 2018 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

2010 Field Day pin/logo The 11th Annual Eastern Massachusetts Field Day Directory contains some of the most comprehensive Field Day resource pages of its kind.

“We have rich data, such as local landmark directions, coordinates, site and club field day history, and links to multiple map sources and webpages for club and site,” says Bill Ricker, N1VUX, maintainer of the site.

Ricker 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. Email N1VUX at his arrl alias address.

All / Emergency Communications / Field Day / Public Information / Regulation & Advocacy

Governor Patrick Declares Massachusetts Amateur Radio Week

June 18, 2010October 7, 2018 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Members of the Hampden County Radio Association (HCRA) successfully campaigned a state legislator to obtain from Governor Deval Patrick’s office a proclamation of “Amateur Radio Week” coinciding with the 2010 annual ARRL Field Day event. The complete article including an electronic copy of the proclamation can be seen at the following links:

http://wma.arrl.org/news.php

http://ema.arrl.org/node/1712

Special thanks to HCRA for their efforts and obtaining this proclamation.

Respectfully Submitted,

All / Emergency Communications

Good Samaritan Hospital Approaches Eastern Massachusetts ARES for EMCOMM Support

June 18, 2010April 24, 2018 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all,

Eastern Mass. ARES has been approached by Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton to develop a hospital/ham radio relationship for emergency communications. Mike Neilsen, W1MPN, Eastern Mass. Section Manager and I met with staff from Good Samaritan hospital and came to a preliminary agreement. We will be persuing a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with them in the very near future.

In the meantime, we would like to start recruiting for folks who might be interested in being a regular part of Good Samaritan’s Emergency Communications Response Team. As such, each participant will be registered with the hospital’s Volunteer Department and issued an appropriate Volunteer ID that will allow access to the Good Samaritan Campus. Arrangements will be developed for regular training exercises so that participants can get to know the hospital and its equipment.

Good Samaritan is working on developing a three hospital (i.e. Good Samaritan, Norwood, & St. Anne’s) grant program to obtain the necessary equipment.

If you are interested in becoming part of this program, please contact me at my email address listed below. Also, please forward along this request to all those hams who are not part of this list, who might be interested in participating in this endeavor.

Thanks,

Carl, N1FY – Assistant Section Manager/SEC for Eastern Mass. ARRL/ARES

caave at peoplepc.com

All

Salvation Army Disaster Vehicle and FedEx Nascar Vehicle On Display in Boston on Thursday June 24th, 2010

June 18, 2010 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all..

The following information was provided by N1DHW-Frank Murphy, Salvation Army Boston Emergency Communications Coordinator for SATERN on their new disater vehicle and FedEx Nascar vehicle that will be on display in Boston on Thursday June 24th at Boston City Hall Plaza. A brochure of the disater vehicle is listed at the link below and the PR announcement from Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services Director, Chris Farrand, is listed below as well.

DRU-2 Vehicle Brochure: http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/DRU2_Brochure.pdf

On June 24th The Salvation Army and FedEx will be hosting a dedication for a newest addition to our Emergency Disaster Services Massachusetts division fleet. This event will be held at City Hall Plaza beginning at 11am until 1pm and will include the FedEx NASCAR stock car and driver, tours of the new vehicle, a TSA band, and iced coffee and snacks served from the new canteen. This new vehicle, a DRU-2, will be the largest of The Salvation Army fleet in Massachusetts, and will provide primary support of the Mass Bay area from the new Kroc Center as well as secondary support throughout the state. Please plan to attend if you are available as your presence would be a welcome addition to the event.

Chris Farrand
Director
Emergency Disaster Services

The Salvation Army
Massachusetts Division
25 Shawmut Rd.,
Canton, MA 02021

Respectfully Submitted,

All / Emergency Communications / Field Day / Public Information / Regulation & Advocacy

Gov. Patrick Declares Amateur Radio Week in MA

June 15, 2010October 7, 2018 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Members of the Hampden County Radio Association successfully campaigned a state legislator to obtain from Governor Deval Patrick’s office a proclamation of “Amateur Radio Week” coinciding with the 2010 annual ARRL Field Day event.

According to HCRA’s Marty Bowen, W1MJB, the govenor’s proclamation was obtained through State Representative Angelo Puppolo. Bowen sent Puppolo an invitation to join the HCRA Field Day “in order to acquaint him with the HCRA and give him the opportunity to see amateur radio enthusiasts utilize ARRL field day to hone their emergency communication skills.” Several weeks later, Bowen received a phone call from Puppolo’s aide informing Bowen that the representative was unable to attend Field Day this year, but was interested in learning more about the HCRA and ARRL Field Day. During a series of e-mails and phone conversation with his Western Mass office, Bowen asked for Puppolo’s help in obtaining a proclamation from the Govenor Patrick “honoring the community and emergency communication service performed by Massachusetts amateur radio operators.”

The HCRA through Bowen was also successful in obtaining a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives acknowledging the Hampden County Radio Association for their “voluntary contributions through emergency communications to the towns and cities in Hampden County.”

“It is a welcome reinforcement of the govenor’s proclamation and a timely acknowledgement that the Massachusetts legislature is aware of the important emergency communication services provided to the Commonwealth and the many non government emergency relief providers by the amateur radio operators of Massachusetts,” remarked Bowen.

Kudos to the HCRA and W1MJB for this achievement on behalf of all licensed amateurs in Massachusetts.

All / Emergency Communications

Search Dogs Northeast (Non-Profit Organization) Seeking Amateur Radio/ARES Support

June 15, 2010March 2, 2018 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all..

The following announcement is about the Search Dogs of Northeast Non-Profit organization seeking Amateur Radio/ARES support for communications in search and rescue exercises and real events. See announcement below:

A non-profit search dog organization in MA and RI is looking for communication
support. They may need to conduct large area searches beyond the
capabilities of their existing radio’s.

Volunteers would work directly with the search dog teams – and would be
on short notice call- which is the current practice with the dog
handlers now.

Volunteers must be in good health – able to handle lengthy walks in
rough terrain in all weather conditions.

The teams have standards for support personnel that need to be met:
-CPR, and First responder first aid, or EMT, or higher EMS.
(Arrangements will be made to provide the first responder training
through fire department volunteers)
-You will have to pass each states courses for Navigation and Search.
-You will have to pass Massachusetts and Rhodes Island State police
criminal records checks

Volunteers will need to provide their own go-kit with food, water, or
other items.

Job will include tasks to relieve the dog-handler of distractions i.e.
Navigation support (personal GPS and skill using it desirable), map
reading, and radio communication via ham radio and other frequencies
allocated to the dog teams.

You will also be used as a subject for training searches, asked to hide
in remote places during training sessions.

Support may also include operating the search dog team base station.

Volunteers are expected to attend 9 training exercises with the dog
teams to get familiar with typical operations and the teams.

Interested hams please contact:
Phil McNamara N1XTB N1XTB at powersrvcs.com
Carl Aveni N1FY caave at peoplepc.com
Joe Krisnosky N1IXC joek54 at comcast.net
—
Phil McNamara (N1XTB) – South Shore ARES District Emergency Coordinator

All

Former MEMA State Director Don Boyce Now FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator

June 13, 2010 - by admin - Leave a Comment

Hello to all..

Please see information on MEMA State Director Don Boyce taking a position as the FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator.

FEMA ADMINISTRATOR FUGATE APPLAUDS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S APPOINTMENT OF DONALD R. BOYCE AS REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR

WASHINGTON – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today applauded President Obama’s appointment of Don R. Boyce as FEMA Regional Administrator for Region I, which encompasses Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

“Regional Administrators are crucial to our ability to respond effectively to emergencies based on the needs of the communities we serve,” said Fugate. “Don Boyce is an experienced emergency manager at both the state and local level, and is uniquely qualified to lead our efforts in the northeast.”

Boyce has served as the Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency since 2007, where he has directed the response and recovery efforts for multiple disasters, some resulting in State and/or Presidential Declarations of Disaster. He has also served as the State Coordinating Officer and the Governor’s Authorized Representative for two presidential disaster declarations.

A native of New York City, Boyce served with the New York City Emergency Medical Service and the New York City Fire Department before moving to the private sector as Emergency Management Director for a large multi-hospital and ambulatory care network prior relocating to Massachusetts.

Biography for Donald R. Boyce, FEMA Regional Administrator, Region I

Don R. Boyce was appointed Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency in 2007, where he was responsible for developing, directing, and implementing a statewide all-hazards emergency management plan with state and local officials. He also served on numerous state emergency management commissions, and was on the Board of Directors for the National Emergency Managers Association, a member of the FEMA Regional Advisory Council, and a member of the Board of Directors for the North East States Emergency Consortium. During his tenure, Boyce also created the Emergency Management Directors Advisory Committee, opening communications from the state to the local communities and designed and implemented a mobile response capability bringing technology and resource management capabilities to remote disaster locations.

Prior to his position with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Boyce was responsible for emergency management for Continuum Health Partners, Inc., a multi-hospital and ambulatory care network in New York City where he worked extensively with state and local officials on surge initiatives, emergency response plans, and CBNRE initiatives. Boyce also enjoyed a full and distinguished career with both the New York City Fire Department and the New York City Emergency Medical Service.

Boyce has a Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School and a Bachelor’s degree from Saint Francis College in Brooklyn. He is married to Patricia Simino Boyce and has two children; Lily and Luke.

Respectfully Submitted,

All

Patriot Triathlon Assistance

June 12, 2010 - by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Roland Daignault, N1JOY writes:

Hi Everybody,

The Patriot Triathlon is next weekend, June 19th, and we can use a quite few more radio operators to man the checkpoints. The Hams are providing communications along the bicycle and running courses for 2 simultaneous events. The Patriot half-triathlon, and Minuteman Sprint races. The Patriot courses are a 13 mile run and 56 mile bicycle (two 28-mile laps), and the Minuteman Sprint is a 4 mile run and 14 mile bike ride. That makes for a LOT of checkpoints, plus a few people at the start/finish to monitor the transition areas where the racers go from swimming, to bicycles, to running, Net Control, and if possible, one person to sweep the course and stay behind the last racer.

If you have ever been interested in doing a public service event, this is a great chance to participate. I will be hauling the HAMCOW to the race to use as our Net Control station Friday night, and the race organizer is providing a nice catered meal at the end of the day with a band playing music. The HAMCOW will be utilizing 2 Meters and 440 for communications, and if you have either as an HT or mobile, then you’re ready to help!

The race starts and finishes in East Freetown, MA, and winds through Rochester, Acushnet, Middleboro, and Lakeville. Please consider joining us for a nice day of supporting the racers, and promoting Ham Radio.

If you are interested in helping, please contact me at n1joy@arrl.net, or direct on my cell at: (617)-839-9081.

Check out the event web site at: http://www.patriottriathlon.com/.

I also have some photos of the 2009 triathlon event at: http://hamcow.net. Click on Past HAMCOW Events.

Please pass the word to anybody who might be interested in helping out with this event, or any of the other events coming up this season.