Nashoba Valley ARC Field Day Press Release
NEWS RELEASEa field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®

NEWS RELEASEBruce Tinkler, N9JBT, writes on the stars-radio list:

Featuring Dr. Robert Johnk
Robert (Bob) Johnk (M’91 – SM’07) received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Colorado in 1990, where he specialized in electromagnetics and antennas.
Bob recently retired as research engineer from the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (NTIA/ITS) where he was engaged in advancing the state of the art in radio-channel propagation measurements/analysis and mentoring new engineers in the art of measurement science.
During the development of the FirstNet National Public Safety Radio System, Bob conducted research on in-building wireless propagation and methods for improving in-building public safety communications. Prior to joining NTIA/ITS in 2007, he worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado for 17 years, where he was the leader of the time-domain fields project.
Bob has received best paper awards from the IEEE EMC Society, NTIA, and NIST. In 2011, Bob received the IEEE EMC Society’s Technical Achievement Award for his work “in the development of free-space time-domain measurement techniques”.
Bob has also received a U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal award for his work in Public Safety communications. Bob is a Life Senior member of the IEEE and a member of both Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi.
This interview will be conducted by RCA President-Emeritus, John Facella.
W1HUD Update: April 2024
W1HUD Update: May 2024

Bill McIninch, KA1MOM, writes:
This is from the Facebook open group for Field Day, a page read almost entirely by hams:
Hello to all,
This email is the typical monthly message to let everyone know that Monday evening, June 3rd, 2024 is our first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, will be the next RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. I would like to thank the stations that checked into our nets last month as well as those stations that participated in the section emergency exercise that occurred this past weekend. This month kicks off Hurricane Season and we should all be getting on the ball to be able to assist and respond to emergency communication needs in our communities. While the peak timeframe of concern for our part of the country tends to be on the later end of the season, forecasters seem quite concerned that this season may be much more… fruitful… than recent seasons and will bear close watching all season long.
Please note that the 80m HF Voice net will be cancelled this month as there is expected to be no NCO available for the net. More information should be coming out in the near future regarding trying to bolster the NCO capabilities of this important, statewide and region wide net. The 80m NBEMS net is expected to continue as scheduled in its normal monthly fashion.
As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I expect to be able to run the Sector 2A net, however, if anyone would like to act as NCO, for the 2A net please let me know! I have NCS operators for the other remaining nets.
For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role-call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they may mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator is asked to please send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We cannot always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!
Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph:
*Winlink Net*
To participate:
– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form
– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. June 4th and before midnight EST June 8th (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D
I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service.
For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.
The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:
| Net | Frequency/Offset | Time |
| Sector 2A | 147.00 /+0.60 PL | 19:30 Local |
| Sector 2B | 145.39/-0.60 PL 67.0 | 20:00 Local |
| Sector 2C | Winlink Net Check-In | 6AM-Midnight Local Time |
| Sector 2D | 146.865/-0.60 PL 103.5 | 19:30 Local |
| 6-Meter State Net | 53.31 / -1.0 PL 71.9
Note: Net activity on this repeater has been hit and miss. Please report any activity. |
19:00 Local |
| MA RACES HF Net | 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency | CANCELLED THIS MONTH |
| MA MEMA NBEMS Net | Frequency: 3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 | 19:00 Local |
I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.
If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!
If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.
Sincerely,
Michael Leger (N1YLQ)
MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer
C: 508_995_0203
Hello to all…
The June Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday June 3rd, 2024 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.
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:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)
We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net and we will continue the NTS practice message that we started doing in these nets in October 2023.
Thanks for your continued support of ARES!
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
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Don Rolph, AB1PH, Walpole area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:
The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week. For June 2024, the RACES nets will be held on Mon June 3 at:
********************************************************************************
No 80 Meter HF net given there is NCS station available this month.
*********************************************************************************
Region 2D VHF net:
7:30 PM ET VHF net on 146.865 MHz PL 103.5 (Sharon Repeater)
We will have a general call up of any RACES, ARES, or other interested stations. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.
Don Rolph as WA1PLE will be net control.
********************************************************************************
HF 80 meters NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22
We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.
Don Rolph AB1PH will be net control.
*********************************************************************************
Winlink Net:
Bryan Marcotte KF1D will be net control.
Send a winlink checkin form to KF1D, copy AB1PH, between 0600 Monday June 3 and 2400 Monday June 3.
We look forward to you checking in!
—
73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH writes:
Good Evening,
On Saturday June 1, 2024 the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM.
We realize that some locations, individuals, and groups may be subject to COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net if possible. Even if you cannot reach all the systems being used, please check-in on those you can.
We will use the following repeaters in the order listed.
1. Plymouth Repeater 146.685 tone 131.8
2. West Bridgewater Repeater 146.775 dcs 244
3. DMR -Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot :1 on the following NEDECN repeaters: Boston 449.175 -5.M CC:1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC:1, Sagamore 145.200 – 0.6M CC:10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC:11, East Falmouth 145.210 -0.600 CC:9, Martha’s Vineyard145.180 -0.600 CC:10, and Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC:12.
4. Sharon Repeater 146.865 tone 103.5
5. Simplex 147.420
We will then return to the Plymouth Repeater for 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 any health care facility, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.
We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.
We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.
We hope to hear you Saturday.
73,
Jeff N1SOM and the South Shore Hospital Group W1SSH
Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, writes:
Hello everyone,
Many of you have probably noticed that several ARRL online services and the HQ phone system have been down. The ARRL is working as quickly as possible to restore all services, and progress is being made. You can see the current status of the restoration at this link –
http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-systems-service-disruption
You can check this link periodically for further updates. It will likely take some time to get everything fully back up and running. We appreciate your patience.
——————————————————————–
ARRL New England Division
Director: Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
ab1oc@arrl.org
——————————————————————–
The Massachusetts and Rhode Island STM Report for April 2024 is now, somewhat belatedly, available at https://ema.arrl.org/massachusetts-rhode-island-stm-report-for-april-2024/. Included are announcements about upcoming events and information about ARRL Numbered Radiograms and PSHR reports.
An iconic Boston-area store, You-Do-It Electronics Center in Needham, will soon close its doors:
General Meeting, May 21, 7:30 PM
Topic: The OSCAR Satellite Program, presented by Dom N1DM
Warren Recreation Center, 90 Washington St., Wellesley, near the intersection of Route 16 and Walnut St.
https://wellesleyma.gov/720/Warren-Recreation-Center
Parking is in the rear of the building and folks can enter at the basement level double doors, through the light tan wood doors, then take a left and up an ADA ramp. We will be in Room 008 on the right near the end of the hallway. If entering through the main front doors, one simply takes the elevator or stairs down to the basement.
This meeting will also be available on Zoom. [Contact danbrownw1dan (at) gmail -dot- com for details]

The May [PART of Westford] meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, beginning at 7:30 PM at the Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant Street, Westford, MA, and via Webex video conference. For those attending via video conference, a meeting link is below; just click on the green button to join in. You can join the conference any time after 7:00 PM to check out your gear or just rag chew until the meeting starts. Bear in mind that internet connectivity from the senior center may be unreliable.President, PART of Westford
[Contact George Allison, K1IG, at geogeall@me.com for WebEx meeting invite]
The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s May meeting is Thursday, May 16th at 7:30 PM at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell). We start gathering at 7 PM to socialize before the meeting starts.
May’s guest speaker will be Steve Davidson, NA1T. Steve is heavily involved with emergency management and the Red Cross in the New Hampshire amateur radio community. Steve will be describing and demonstrating some of the equipment he uses in emergency deployments, as well as what he and his ARC cronies were up to during the recent Solar Eclipse.
I’m looking forward to Steve’s presentation!
Need directions? Click here and put your own address in box “A”.
Thanks and 73. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Bruce, K1BG
978-772-2773 or bruce.blain@charter.net
We still need three or four more volunteers to for the Dave Birtwell Memorial Walk for Alzheimer’s at Scusset Beach Reservation, Sandwich this Saturday, May 18th, 2024.
The Eastern MA ARRL leadership would like to welcome the following new amateurs:
Evgeni Belin, KC1UOT, Littleton
Mihir Jain, KC1UQK, Ashland
Michael Miller, KC1URH, Carlisle
Steven Dovich, KC1USD, Andover
John Nolan, KC1UNQ, Haverhill
Pauline Bergeron, KC1UPC, Methuen
Matthew Vigeant, KC1UPN, Lowell
Andrew Hansen, KC1UNS, Beverly
Robert Brewster, KC1USS, Salem
Elvis Lara, KC1UPW, Dedham
Michael Bogan, KC1USP, Franklin
Rumen Gechev, AC1RO, Medway
Scott Lush, KC1UPL, Boston
Alvin Childs, KC1URN, Roxbury
Verma Taylor, KC1URV, Boston
Shawn Burke, KC1UPZ, Boston
Carl Richardson, KC1UPQ, Brighton
Nigel Barnett, KC1URI, Cambridge
Michael Joy, KC1URJ, Somerville
Eric Brown, KC1USK, Medford
George Whitfield, KC1UOI, Melrose
Mary McGrath, KC1UQE, Bridgewater
Nathan Chadwick, KC1UPK, Carver
Michael Borrelli, KC1UQX, Middleboro
Lawrence Genovesi, KC1UPX, Plympton
James Ashley, KM1TWL, Whitman
George Bartlett, KC1URZ, Whitman
Ian Roy, KC1UPE, Waltham
Daniel Levin, KC1UOC, Newton Highlands
Ernest Jones, KC1USJ, Chestnut Hill
Rachel Achituv, KC1USC, Needham
Shira Achituv, KC1USR, Needham
Lior Achituv, KC1USQ, Needham
George Morse, KC1UQL, East Falmouth
Arthur Wullschleger, KC1UON, Siasconset
Nicholas Gray, KC1UQN, Attleboro
Linda Kelley, KC1UNP, North Dartmouth
Jonathan Belt, KC1VMS, Norton
Douglas Rogers, KC1UQY, Swansea