SKYWARN Recognition Day UPDATE!

NWS Special Event Logo
[Note: Prior arrangements MUST be made with KD1CY for entry to NWS Taunton Offices – W1MPN]

Hello to all…

The following is a modified plan for SKYWARN Appreciation Day participation
due to the major storm that is expected to impact the region. Right now, the
Blue Hill Observatory station will still particpate as planned. NWS Taunton
plans have been modified to be as follows:

Here is an update on NWS Taunton participation for SKYWARN Recognition
Day based on the SKYWARN Activation that will occur on that day.

QSL Cards will be done this year. You must send a SASE with your QSL
card in order to receive a QSL card for contacting NWS Taunton during
SKYWARN Appreciation Day. We are using the Boston Amateur Radio Club’s
mailing address and it as follows:

Skywarn Recognition Day (MQE) &/or (BOX)
c/o Boston Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 15585
Boston, MA 02215
*If you worked both W1BOS/MQE & WX1BOX, Please send 2 QSL’s & 1 SASE

Here is a schedule of where WX1BOX operations will be on 2 Meters and
440 MHz for both Friday Night and Saturday:

Friday December 5th, 2003 Schedule of Roving Operations for 2 Meters
and 440 MHz

7:00-7:30 PM 146.970-Paxton Repeater
7:30-8:00 PM IRLP link to the Wilbraham Repeater and then possibly to an
IRLP reflector.
8:00-8:30 PM 146.655-Falmouth Repeater
8:30-9:00 PM 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater
9:00-9:30 PM 145.230-Boston Repeater
9:30-10:00 PM 146.760-Scituate RI
10:30-11:00 PM 147.195-Attleboro Repeater

At this time, we plan to terminate operations one hour early to save
resources for the most significant part of the storm which is expected
Saturday into Sunday.

Saturday December 6th, 2003 Schedule of Roving Operations for 2 Meters and
440 MHz.

The schedule of being on various repeaters has been pre-empted due to the
potential for roving to various repeaters for storm reports. If you make
contact with us directly, we will honor QSL’s and log the contacts but we
cannot honor the previously set schedule as we may need reports from
repeaters at different time than the previous schedule. We appreciate
everyone’s understanding here and we thank all of you for your continued
support of SKYWARN including for this latest major storm.

Here is the HF Schedule. Friday Night’s Schedule is unchanged except to
shave one hour off the expected time we will be at NWS Taunton. For Friday
Night from 9-11 PM, we will guard near the 3943 KHz 75 Meter ARES/RACES
liaison frequency. For Saturday, we have made 40 Meters the primary band for
much of the daylight hours and 20 Meters the secondary band. On 40 Meters,
we will guard near or on the 7245 KHz ARES/RACES frequency.

Friday December 5th, 2003:

7-9 PM: Primary Band: 20 Meters Secondary Band: 75 Meters
9 PM-11 PM: Primary Band: 75 Meters Secondary Band: 20 Meters

Saturday December 6th, 2003:

7 AM-Noon: Primary Band: 40 Meters Secondary Band: 20 Meters
Noon-5PM: Primary Band: 40 Meters Secondary Band: 20 Meters
5-7 PM: Primary Band: 75 Meters Secondary Band: 20 Meters

We appreciate everyone’s support during this major winter storm and have
modified our plans to be as accomodating as possible to thank the SKYWARN
Spotters in the region as best as possible. We would like to thank everyone
for their past support and their support for this latest storm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Southeast Massachusetts ARES District Emergency Coordinator
SEMARA ARES Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedoThe fifth annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) will take place this year on Saturday, December 6, 2003. This is the day that Amateur Radio operators visit National Weather Service (NWS) offices and contact other operators around the world.

The purpose of the event is to recognize Amateur Radio operators for the vital public service they perform during times of severe weather, and to strengthen the bond between radio amateurs and their local National Weather Service office. The event is co-sponsored by the American Radio Relay League and the National Weather Service.

Traditionally, hams have assisted the National Weather Service during times of severe weather by providing real-time reports of severe events and storm evolution. “You simply can’t put a price tag on it”, says Scott Mentzer (N0QE), organizer of the event and Meteorologist-In-Charge at the NWS office in Goodland, Kansas. “The assistance that radio amateurs provide to the NWS throughout the year is invaluable”.

SKYWARN Recognition Day this year will be held from 0000 UTC to 2400 UTC on December 6, 2003. Scott Mentzer, the creator and promoter of the event, strives to involve more NWS offices and Amateur Radio operators each year. In 2002, participants logged nearly 23,000 QSOs during the 24-hour event. Last year nearly 70 countries were contacted. To learn more about this year’s event, check out the NOAA Web site:
http://hamradio.noaa.gov/. This site includes a link to a list of participating National Weather Service offices and their call signs.

Questions concerning this event can be directed toLarry Boyd, K0ILB, at larry.boyd@noaa.gov.

– –Thanks to David Floyd, N5DBZ,
Warning Coordination Meteorologist,
NWS Goodland, Kansas
david.l.floyd@noaa.gov

An announcement on SKYWARN Recognition Day also appears in November, 2003, QST, p. 90, and at the
SRD site Web page.

Norwood ARC Monthly C-CE Exams

Norwood ARC logoNorwood ARC offers Amateur Radio Emergency Communication Course Exams each third Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Norwood Civic Center. Pre-registration is required. See http://www.norwood-arc.org/newscarrier/newscarrier.htm for details.

Norwood ARC K1JMR Newscarrier, November 2003

Billerica ARS Tech Class Graduates Five New Hams

Billerica ARS logoThe Billerica ARS One-Day Technician class on Saturday, November 15 was a complete success, according to BARS Treasurer Bruce Anderson, W1LUS. The five class participants successfully completed the class and were licensed at the end of the day.

“They’re now all BARS members and I hope we will be seeing them at upcoming BARS meetings,” commented Anderson.

The new hams are: Allison, KB1KNG; Everett, KB1KNH; Joseph, KB1KNI; Charles, KB1KNJ; and John, KB1KNK.

W1ES, K1LJN, N1HTS and K1TWF assisted in teaching the new hams. WA1LY helped with the Amateur Radio setup and demonstration.

BARS Newsletter, December 2003

Broadband over Power Lines Talk at Framingham ARA 12/15/03

Framingham ARA logoBob, W1RH writes on the CEMARC mailing list:

“The Framingham Amateur Radio Association is hosting a meeting featuring a talk by Ed Hare, W1RFI, of the ARRL. Ed will talk about the current broadband over power lines controversy. I have seen Ed’s talk and it is scary. Well worth attending.

Date: Monday, December 15
Time: 7:30
Place: Danforth Museum, Framingham, MA

See this link for directions: http://www.fara.org/info/mapfara.html

Talk-in on 147.15.

Ed wants a big crowd. We are inviting other area clubs to attend.

Bob
W1RH

HF Comms During WX Event (expired)

From WA1R,

All,

As you probably know by now, the Weather Service has issues a winter storm
watch for tomorrow night and Saturday. In addition, there is the possibility of
coastal flooding in southern New England, according to Skywarn and NWS.

Given this possibility, please guard 3.943 starting about mid-afternoon
tomorrow in case the storm becomes a reality and our assistance is needed
either by RACES or NWS or local/state EMA.

Given band conditions of late, I think it would be a good idea to keep 7.245
handy in a second VFO in case we need to run a net on that frequency.Also, I’d like to suggest here that we go into informal session beginning
between 1600 UTC and 1700 UTC Friday.

Also, I’d like to suggest a slight change in net operation, following this
week’s RACES drill. In future, if it becomes apparent that 3.943 +/-5 is too
crowded or there’s lots of QRM within 3 minutes of the start of the net, please
move up to 7.245 and run the net on 40. It was fairly clean Monday night.

I was able to hear the net well on my primary HF rig, but, I lost all phone
output. In fact, I am putting out plenty of power on AM/FM/CW, but, I have no
phone capability. I’m going to look through my service manual on this problem,
but, I may also be taking a run up to Groton Electronics tomorrow p.m. to drop
the offending rig off.

All this means is that I won’t have three HF stations for a bit, just two, the
FT-100 and my IC-706. I’ll probably use the 706 on HF as it has a the matching
longwire tuner. In place of my loop, I’ll be using a longwire and only 100
watts on 80 as that’s all the autotuner can handle.

73,

Marc, WA1R
mstern@wa1r.com

Possible SKYWARN Mobilization (expired)

(0808 4 Dec 03) From Rob, KD1CY:

SKYWARN Logo As many of you are aware, from Friday at 7 PM through Saturday at 7 PM is SKYWARN Recognition Day. It is unclear whether the storm will have a significant impact on SKYWARN Recognition Day activities at this time. This will be monitored as the storm track becomes more certain. We ask that all Amateurs who plan to contact us during SKYWARN Recognition Day give us current sky condition, snowfall total and temperature (if possible) during SKYWARN Recognition Day as we rove the various repeaters on the schedule we listed on our SKYWARN Newsletter. If we need to go into Activation mode, we will shift into that mode and attempt to notify the various SKYWARN Repeaters with a brief announcement that we are shifting into Activation mode or request Net Controls to come up on frequency and state that we have shifted from SKYWARN Recognition Day mode to SKYWARN Activation mode. Since we will already be active at NWS Taunton with Ops, Ops will be utilized if needed for this storm.

KD1CY at WX1BOX All SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters and Coordinators should continue to closely monitor the progress of this storm. The next coordination message will be posted by 11:30 PM this evening. Below is the NWS Taunton Hazardous WX Outlook and Special WX Statement and the NWS Taunton Area Forecast Discussion:

Rob Macedo, KD1CY, at the Taunton NWS office. Contributed by N1IV

New England Electronic Flea Market List 12/01/03

New England Area   Ham - Electronic  Flea Market  ***  DATES  *** 2003 P 1 of 2
All events are Ham Radio/ Electronic related except ~_____~
*******************************************************************************
2003 Contact Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6 Dec Windsor CT VintgeR Museum @33MechanicsSt $1@9$15/T@8 John 860 673 0518
*******************************************************************************
2004 Contact Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
17 Jan Nashua NH NE Antique RC $15/T@7 $2@9 @StStan's Marty 603 938 5051 F

14 Feb Marlboro MA AARC @MS $3@9 $15/T@7 Ann KA1PON 508 481 4988

14 Feb Chelsea ME AARA Bill K1NIT 207 623 9075 A+

28 Feb Milton VT RANV+ARRL Vt Conv @HS $10@6:30 $5@8 Mitch W1SJ 802 879 6589 W

29 Feb Hicksville NY LIMARC @LevitHall $6@9 $25/T@8 Diane K2DO 631 286 7562 W

20 Mar Pomfret CT ECARC @ComSch Rt169+101 $2@8 $10/T Paul KE1LI 860 928 2456

27,28 Mar Timonium MD GBARC @FG Doug N3VEJ 410 256 0257 F

17 April Nashua NH NE Antique RC $15/T@7 $2@9 @StStan's Marty 603 938 5051 F

17 April S Portland ME PAWA @AmLeg $5@8 $10/T Bryce K1GAX 207 799 1116 W+

17 April Montreal PQ MARC @RCLeg $4@7:30 $8/T@7:30 James VE2VE 514 697 7205 W+

18 April Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F
Third Sunday April thru October 24-25 April Waltham MA Photographica @HS ~photo~ Ed Shaw 617 965 0807 +

25 April Southington CT SARA @HS $5@9 $18@6:30 Alex KB7HCO 860 214 3013 F

30 Ap, 1 May Hopkinton NH HossTraders @FG x7 I89 Joe K1RQG 207 469 3492

16 May Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F

4-6 June Rochester NY Atlantic Div Conv Harold K2HC 585 424 7184 A

6 June Bethpage NY LIMARC Brian WB2YMC 631 286 7562 A

20 June Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F

17 July Nashua NH NE Antique RC $15/T@7 $2@9 @StStan's Marty 603 938 5051 F

18 July Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F

15 August Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776 F

11 Sept BallstonSpa NY SCRACES fri6P $5+5/T+15cmp Darlene N2XQG 518 587 2385

18 Sept Forestdale RI RIFMRS @VFW rt146 8A flea+auct Rick K1KYI 401 725 7507
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LAST UPDATE 12-01-03 de W1GSL http://mit.edu/w1gsl/Public/ne-fleas P 1 of 2
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Additions/ Corrections via e-Mail w1gsl@mit.edu ***
Page 3 Electronic distribution only. This page has the overflow if any P3
from the paper version.
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2004 Contact Source
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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LAST UPDATE 12-01-03 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)2003 W1GSL SASE for updated copy as issued.
unlimited reproduction permitted in entirety
*******************************************************************************

This list has been posted... as a service of the individual home page
owners, to the following WWW sites.

http://flealist.senie.com/
http://mit.edu/w1gsl/Public/ne-fleas
http://www.k1ttt.net/flea.html
http://www.connix.com/~wz1v/ne-fleas.html
http://www.k1dwu.net/flealist.html
http://www.mmra.org/~mmra/flealist.htm
http://www.qsl.net/vhfnews/ne-fleas.html
http://uhavax.hartford.edu/~newsvhf/ne-fleas.html

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) 2003 W1GSL
***********************************************************************
This section is only included in the electronic distribution.

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

Hopkinton NH Hosstraders http://www.qsl.net/k1rqg/

Amherst MA Mt. Tom ARC http://www.mtara.org/hamfest/flea.html

Adams MA N BerkshireARC http://www.nobarc.org/hamfest

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

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

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

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

Whately MA FranklinCARC http://www.fcarc.org/flea.html

Enfield CT VHF/UHF Conf http://www.newsvhf.com +

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

Wallingford CT Nutmeg CT Conv http://www.qsl.net/nutmeghamfest/

Lewiston ME AARC http://www.dlois.com/mainearrl/convent.htm

Portland ME PAWA http://www.qsl.net/pawa/fleamarket.html +

Henniker NH CVRC http://www.qsl.net/k1bke/ +

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

Lake Placid NY NNY ARA http://www.geocities.com/nnyara/

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

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

Massapequa NY GSB ARA http://www.gsbarc.org/flyermay03.pdf +

Queens NY Hall of Science http://www.qsl.net/hosarc/hamfest.html

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

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

Essex Junction VT Burlington ARC http://www.vtstetson.net/fest02.pdf

Milton VT RANV VT Conv http://www.ranv.org/milton.html

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

Montreal PQ WIARC http://www.pubnix.net/wiarc/hamfest.htm

Montreal PQ MS-SARC http://www.ve2clm.ca/hamfesta.htm

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

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

Canada RAC List http://rac.eton.ca/data/racfleas.taf?function=form

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

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

MMRA Fox Hunt December 6

Minuteman Repeater Assoc. logoBill, N1QPR wrote on mmra-list:

“The MMRA will be having another fox hunt this Saturday, December 6 starting at 10:00 a.m. on the 146.61 repeater (PL 146.2).

“I will try to make this an easy hunt and would like to encourage any new hunters to come out and join us.

“On these hunts information about directions and signal strength are shared which should make it a little easier for those that don’t do lots of hunting.”

Emergency Power Test for K1ARC RC Net

============================================
Emergency Power Test for K1ARC Red Cross Net
============================================

American Red Cross Logo K1ARC American Red Cross Emergency Training Net

On Wednesday, December 3, is the next American Red
Cross K1ARC Emergency Training Net. This net is open
to any amateur radio operator who is interested in HF
emergency communications.

All stations are requested to use EMERGENCY POWER when
checking into the December 3rd Net as we will be
conducting a test in preparation for the winter’s
upcoming Nor-Easters snow storms. This request is
optional.

The net meets at 8:00 P.M. (local) on 3.915 MHz, plus
or minus 5 kHz, Voice/LSB on the FIRST Wednesday of
each month.

Are you ready to operate an Emergency HF Radio Station
during the next blizzard or ice storm to hit the
area?!?

Now is a great time to test your emergency power
supply for your station.

But, please remember… SAFETY FIRST!!!

Portable generators can kill by electrocution, fire,
and carbon monoxide poisoning. Acid storage batteries
can maim and burn. For example, a 12-volt/300-amp
lead-acid storage battery can mutilate a finger in a
fraction of a second by shorting it through a wedding
ring and handheld screwdriver. Ouch!

Use extreme caution, and again, SAFETY FIRST!!!

Please note that using emergency power is requested,
but is it NOT required. So, please check-in even if
you are unable to use emergency power.

TNX ES 73,
WB1DMK
K1ARC Net Control

NOAA WX RADIO AWARENESS WEEK

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT…NOAA WEATHER RADIO AWARENESS WEEK

NWS Special Event Logo PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
515 PM EST TUE DEC 02 2003

…MASSACHUSETTS MARINERS URGED TO LISTEN TO THE GLOUCESTER
MARINE-ONLY NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR MARINE INFORMATION…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES IN NEW ENGLAND HAVE DECLARED
THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 1ST THROUGH 5TH AS NOAA WEATHER RADIO AWARENESS
WEEK. THIS IS THE SECOND IN A SERIES OF FIVE PUBLIC INFORMATION
STATEMENTS HIGHLIGHTING THE BENEFITS OF OWNING A NOAA WEATHER RADIO.

A NOAA WEATHER RADIO TRANSMITTER DEDICATED TO AN ALL MARINE
BROADCAST IS AVAILABLE FOR THE MARINE COMMUNITY. THE NEW
TRANSMITTER…WHICH BEGAN OPERATION IN FEBRUARY 2003…BROADCASTS
FROM THE COAST GUARD TOWER AT EASTERN POINT LIGHT IN GLOUCESTER
MASSACHUSETTS. IT BROADCASTS ON A FREQUENCY OF 162.425 MHZ (VHF
MARINE RADIO CHANNEL 4) WHICH CAN BE HEARD ON A SEVEN-CHANNEL NOAA
WEATHER RADIO. OLDER THREE-CHANNEL MODELS WILL NOT RECEIVE THIS
FREQUENCY.

THE GLOUCESTER NOAA WEATHER RADIO CAN BE HEARD ALONG MOST OF COASTAL
NEW HAMPSHIRE AND EAST COASTAL MASSACHUSETTS…FROM PORTSMOUTH TO
PLYMOUTH TO PROVINCETOWN. BROADCAST CYCLE INFORMATION INCLUDES AN
HOURLY WEATHER ROUNDUP…BUOY REPORTS…COASTAL AND OFFSHORE MARINE
FORECASTS…TIDAL INFORMATION…SHORT AND LONG TERM WATCH…WARNING
AND WEATHER STATEMENT INFORMATION PERTINENT TO THE MARINE
COMMUNITY.

IN AN EFFORT TO SHORTEN THE BROADCAST CYCLE ON THE BLUE HILL NOAA
WEATHER RADIO TRANSMITTER…AT A FREQUENCY OF 162.475 MHZ (VHF
MARINE RADIO CHANNEL 3)…MARINE FORECASTS WILL BE REDUCED TO TWICE
PER HOUR. THIS REDUCTION WILL BEGIN BY MID DECEMBER. MARINE
WEATHER INFORMATION WILL NOT CHANGE ON THE CAMP EDWARDS/HYANNIS
TRANSMITTER WHICH SERVES CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS ON A FREQUENCY OF
162.55 MHZ (VHF MARINE RADIO CHANNEL 1).

$$
GF/NS/FNNational Weather Service Taunton MA
530 AM EST Thu Dec 4 2003

NOAA Weather radio specific area message encoding (same)

The National Weather Service offices in New England have declared the week of December 1St through 5th as NOAA weather radio awareness week. This is the fourth in a series of five public information statements highlighting the benefits of owning a NOAA weather radio.

NOAA Weather radio is your direct link to weather warnings issued by the National Weather Service. When a warning is issued, a burst of digitally encoded information (known as same encoding) is sent just prior to the warning to activate same-Alerted weather radios so that the warning will be heard. This digital information identifies the issuing office, the type of watch or warning, and specific county or counties for which the warning is valid.

A same-Alert weather radio can be programmed to listen to one of the seven NOAA weather radio broadcast frequencies and activate only when the same encoding identifies that the message is for the specific county or counties of interest. For example, the regular tone alerted weather radios will alert for all severe thunderstorm warnings in about a 40-Mile radius of the transmitter site, but your same-Alerted radio can be programmed to only alert you for storms in counties upstream of where you live. In addition to location, some same radios can be programmed to activate for pre-Selected specific types of weather warnings, for severe thunderstorms but not winter storm warnings, as an example.

The specific area message encoding technology developed at NOAA is now also used in the nation’S emergency alert system (eas). although the emergency alert system is regulated by the federal communications commission and state emergency communications committees, most of the warning messages carried by the eas system are weather-Related and originate from a NOAA weather radio broadcast. Special decoding equipment at radio and television stations monitor the NOAA weather radio broadcasts for certain warnings and relay the information when a warning is received. however, depending on each state’S plan, only certain types of warnings, such as those with an imminent threat to life and property, are carried as emergency alert system messages.

In the case of certain warnings, seconds can make the difference between life and Death. Because there is a delay in receiving the warnings through the emergency alert system, the best way to receive weather warnings is through NOAA weather radio. Not only do you receive life-Threatening warnings faster, but you can hear all warnings, not just those carried by radio and television stations.

This year, give a holiday gift that will provide those you love with an additional level of safety for many years to come — give a NOAA weather radio. And during this holiday season, also consider purchasing a weather radio for places where people congregate such as work places, schools, recreational complexes, malls, movie theaters, and places of worship.

…CORRECTION TO INCLUDE MARINE CHANNELS

National Weather Service Taunton MA
515 PM EST Tue Dec 02 2003

Massachusetts Mariners urged to listen to the Gloucester marine-Only NOAA weather radio for marine information

The National Weather Service offices in New England have declared the week of December 1St through 5th as NOAA weather radio awareness week. This is the second in a series of five public information statements highlighting the benefits of owning a NOAA weather radio.

A NOAA weather radio transmitter dedicated to an all marine broadcast is available for the marine community. The new transmitter, which began operation in February 2003, broadcasts from the coast guard tower at eastern point light in Gloucester Massachusetts. It broadcasts on a frequency of 162.425 mhz (vhf marine radio channel 4) which can be heard on a seven-Channel NOAA weather radio. Older three-Channel models will not receive this frequency.

The Gloucester NOAA weather radio can be heard along most of coastal New Hampshire and east coastal Massachusetts, from Portsmouth to Plymouth to Provincetown. Broadcast cycle information includes an hourly weather roundup, buoy reports, coastal and offshore marine forecasts, tidal information, short and long term watch, warning and weather statement information pertinent to the marine community.

In an effort to shorten the broadcast cycle on the Blue Hill NOAA weather radio transmitter, at a frequency of 162.475 mhz (vhf marine radio channel 3), marine forecasts will be reduced to twice per hour. This reduction will begin by mid December. Marine weather information will not change on the camp edwards/Hyannis transmitter which serves Cape Cod and the islands on a frequency of 162.55 mhz (vhf marine radio channel 1).

National Weather Service Taunton MA
313 PM EST Mon Dec 1 2003

An introduction to NOAA weather radio

The National Weather Service offices in New England have declared the week of December 1St through 5th as NOAA weather radio awareness week. This is the first in a series of five public information statements highlighting the benefits of owning a NOAA weather radio.

Weather has always been an integral part of life in New England. weather conditions change rapidly and can quickly become dangerous. to keep the public informed of these changing conditions, NOAA’S New England area National Weather Service offices broadcast forecasts and warnings on a network of government operated radio stations, known collectively as NOAA weather radio. Currently, there are 34 NOAA weather radio transmitters in New England. During the past couple of years, four new transmitters have been commissioned in Southern New England, in Gloucester MA, Peterborough NH, Egremont MA, and cornwall CT. Nationwide, there are more than 860 transmitters which provide coverage to all 50 states and the adjacent marine areas. These transmitters provide the public with a constant source of up-To-Date weather forecasts and warnings.

NOAA Weather radio’S regular broadcasts are specifically tailored to the weather-Information needs of the people within the service area of the transmitter. In general, the broadcasts include the latest forecasts and observations, a summary of the weather conditions that will affect the area, and climatic information. for stations along the coast, the broadcast also includes marine forecasts and observations. In addition, special weather forecasts and statements, watches, warnings, and advisories are broadcast, as needed.

While the signal can be heard on some scanners, the best way to receive these broadcasts is with a NOAA weather radio. NOAA Weather radios can be purchased from many electronic and outdoor recreation stores or from web merchants. The newest models have 7 channels which allows you to be assured of receiving the maximum number of stations when traveling. Also, it is important to get one with a warning alarm tone that is triggered when severe localized storms are imminent. The most advanced models even allow you to program them to alert for specific counties or specific types of weather.

This year, give a holiday gift that will provide those you love with an additional level of safety for many years to come — give a NOAA weather radio. And during this holiday season, also consider purchasing a weather radio for places where people congregate such as work places, schools, malls, movie theaters, recreational complexes, and places of worship.

For more information on NOAA weather radio, visit the NOAA weather radio web site at (in lower case): http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr

SEMARA ARES Self-Activated

New EMA ARES Hello to all…

SEMARA ARES was self-activated by ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinator, Tony Duarte-N1XRS, as a power outage gripped an area from the Plymouth area to Cape Cod and Islands and appeared to extended from roughly Dartmouth/Westport eastward across much of South Coastal Massachusetts.

The ARES Net was started at 6:30 PM and preempted a Swap Net that would typically be held at 7 PM that evening on the 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater. [Please read on by pressing link below – W1MPN]A total of 20 check-ins were recorded. Amateurs relayed information of where the power was out, any public safety issues and when power was restored to their specified areas. I was enroute home from work when the event occurred and when notified by Tony-N1XRS, I went to man the Southeast Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association (W1AEC) so that additional district coverage could be maintained from our affected area to other parts of the Eastern Massachusetts section. Southeastern Massachusetts district relay was done to the Metro Boston Area and the Cape Cod districts via the 146.685-Plymouth Repeater where contact was made with Metro Boston ARES District Emergency Coordinator, KB1EKN, Mark Duff and Cape Cod and the Islands District Emergency Coordinator, WQ1O, Frank O’Laughlin. Liaison was also maintained with ARES DEC’s and ARES Section Emergency Coordinator, Mike Neilsen, W1MPN via AOL Instant Messenger during the latter portions of the event.

Power started being restored across the area at approximately 7 PM and was fully restored to all areas by 8 PM with South Dartmouth, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard being some of the last areas where power was restored. Amateur Operators checked in from the area as power was restored and also reported if they still did not have power. With Frank, WQ1O, tied up talking with Emergency Management directors, I established contact with Nantucket Island RACES Radio Officer, N1NBQ-George Allen and he told us when power was restored for the island via the main line power cable.

The ARES Net was secured at 8:30 PM. The following Amateurs checked in on the 147.000-Dartmouth Repeater.

1.) KB1FYF-Brian
2.) K1AHA-Dick
3.) W1RJC-Rick
4.) W1AEC/KD1CY-Rob
5.) K1KID-Carl
6.) KB1HJL-George
7.) W1VRP-Joe
8.) N1XKD-Peter
9.) WA1CRA-Dick
10.) W1EAV-Chris
11.) W1GYL-Henry
12.) N1EBW-Ray
13.) KB1EVX-Ray
14.) W1DBX-Larry
15.) WA1ZCB-Ed
16.) K1IBR-Bill
17.) N1NBQ-George
18.) N1VDM-Bob
19.) N1ZZN-Jeff
20.) N1XRS-Tony (NCS)

Mike Neilsen-W1MPN, when informed of the ARES Self-Activation and the response of the Amateurs from the SEMARA club, was tremendously pleased and thankful for the efforts of the SEMARA ARES team. He stated that he was pleased that the workshop and exercises were increasing awareness and resulting in such a strong response to a real event and was very impressed with the fact that SEMARA ARES responded quickly to an event that had no advanced warning.

Please let me know if any check-ins were missed during this event or if there are any additional major points that should be included in this report. Thanks!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Southeast Massachusetts ARES District Emergency Coordinator
SEMARA ARES Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo

EMA Clubs Give Generously to Spectrum Defense

power linesSeveral clubs in Eastern Massachusetts have been acknowledged for their contributions via the League’s Sectrum Defense “Honor Roll” in the recent November, 2003 QST. The defense includes “special campaigns for WRC-03 and against Broadband over Power Lines (BPL).”

The Falmouth Amateur Radio Association contributed funding for the cause after they were “treated to a ‘horror movie’—a video of ARRL tests run in various BPL trial areas which clearly demonstrated the dreadful, debilitating inferference caused by BPL,” according to Falmouth club president Bob Courtemanche, N1WAT.

The Billerica Amateur Radio Society, at a recent Board of Director’s meeting voted “to appropriate $100 to be donated to the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund for BPL legal activities. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.”

The HP/Agilent/Philips ARC (with a local club chapter in Andover, MA) was also acknowledged on the Spectrum Defense Honor Roll.

These clubs join thousands of individual ARRL members who have contributed monies for spectrum protection efforts.

Falmouth ARA Emergency Preparedness

Falmouth ARA logoFalmouth’s Emergency Operations Center will soon have a wire antenna for 40- and 80-meter operation installed by Falmouth Amateur Radio Association, according to FARA president Bob Courtemanche, N1WAT. The wire antenna will complement an existing dual band antenna, according to Courtemanche. “Also, the Mashpee Fire Chief would like a list of people who would be available to help with emergency communiations in Mashpee,” noted N1WAT.

The Falmouth ARA recently purchased three APRS systems for use in emergency situations and for public service events. Saul Dinman, K1BI, brought one to a FARA meeting for members to see. The equipement was used during the Cape Cod marathon and gave “excellent coverage.”

—Thanks Falmouth Amateur Radio Association, Inc. newsletter, November 2003

Holiday Greetings…

Holiday Greetings to all….

Please accept my wishes for a joyous holiday for you and your family. Safe travels as well.

All repeaters have been restored to normal operations, and most of my staff and I will be in the area in case of any difficulties.

73,

s/Michael P. Neilsen
Michael P. Neilsen, W1MPN, EMa SEC
978.562.5662 Voice
978.389.0558 FAX/Secondary Voice
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
w1mpn@ema.ares.org

Waltham and BARC Repeaters down

***** Coverage while Waltham and BARC Repeaters down *****
***** Use MMRA Network during any Mobilization *****

Hello to all…

Word has it that both BARC repeaters will be undergoing maintenance all
weekend, and that the Waltham repeater will also be down for much of the
weekend as well.

If an a real world or weather incident requires use of those repeaters,
please use the MMRA network instead. If you are assigned to RACES Sections
1A and 1B, please visit the MMRA Network now to familiarize yourself with the
MMRA repeater closest to your location. Any MMRA member can link the
network to provide coverage comparable to the coverage of the Waltham
machine, including the SEC and DEC’s.

Please contact me by return email with any questions or concerns you may
have. 73,

s/ Michael P. Neilsen
Michael P. Neilsen, W1MPN, EMa SEC
978.562.5662 Voice
978.389.0558 FAX/Secondary Voice
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
w1mpn@ema.ares.org

Metro Repeater Outages This Weekend

Under construction logoSeveral Boston-area 2 meter and 440 MHz repeaters are scheduled to be down for maintenance this weekend, prompting concern from at least one active SKYWARN member.

Boston ARC Secretary Mike Ardai, N1IST announced yesterday that the BARC 145.23 and 447.175 repeaters would be off the air this weekend for building maintenance. Coincidental with this work, the Waltham ARA is planning a work party on Saturday to fix the feedline on the 146.64 Waltham repeater.

“Both [might be] down at once, in which case we’d have to ask MMRA to activate the net for ARES or SKYWARN?” asks Bill Ricker, N1VUX.

The 146.64 and 145.23 repeaters host primary and secondary nets for SKYWARN, RACES, or ARES activations in addition to regularly scheduled traffic nets.

K1USN Veterans Day QSL

K1USN Veterans Day QSL cardPi, K1RV wrote:

“I wanted everyone to see the special Veterans Day QSL we are issuing for K1USN contacts made on November 11, 2003.

“Thanks to K1VV for help producing the special QSL. On November 11th we made over 160 contacts on 40, 20 and 17 Meters SSB/CW between 1300-2000 UTC. We made additional contacts on IRLP and Echolink. Operators were W1YR, N1ZZN and K1RV. We were joined by K1GUG later in the afternoon.

“The K1USN Veterans Day operation has always been a most enjoyable time. Many Veterans enjoy getting an opportunity to make contact with the USS Salem and we wanted to be able to offer a special QSL card… The QRZ page has been updated to show our normal operating frequencies as well as the dates for the 2004 International Museum Ships Weekend on July 17-18, 2004. Please mark your calendars!”