a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
Mike Leger-N1YLQ-Region 2 RACES Radio Officer writes:
Hello to all,
This email is a reminder that tomorrow evening, March 6th, 2023 is the first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, is our RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. We will be holding our sector nets on the normally assigned frequencies.
As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I will be on my assigned shift for Acushnet EMS and will be unable to run the Sector 2A net reliably. If anyone is available and interested in covering the net, please let me know. I am looking for NCS operators to lead the Sector 2B (Plymouth County) net. Sector 2D has already arranged for an NCS operator for this month’s net and Sector 2C is a Winlink only net on a monthly basis.
The 6-meter net has generally been a very informal net. We have received an update that repairs have been implemented on the repeater. Please report any comms testing on the repeater so that those repairs can be verified.
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 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 should 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 can not 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. Mar 6th and before midnight EST Mar 7th (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: 53.31 has been reported as being repaired and back online. Please report tests on this repeater so that we can verify the repairs/improvements made to the repeater. |
19:00 Local |
| MA RACES HF Net | 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency | 18:45 Local |
| 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: 386-566-7666
Hello to all…
The March Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday March 6th, 2023 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 Monday evening.
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-Norfolk County 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 Mar. 2023, the RACES nets will be held on Mon Mar. 6. The RACES nets will be held on Mon Mar. 6 at:
********************************************************************************
The HF net will start at 6:45 PM ET: using the following frequency plan:
We will start at 3930 KHz moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency,
Marc Stern WA1R will be net control.
*********************************************************************************
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.
Jeff Marden N1JCM will be net control.
********************************************************************************
HF 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.
Bryan Marcotte KF1D will be net control.
*********************************************************************************
Winlink Net:
Between 0600 ET on Mon Mar. 6 and 2400 ET on Mar. 6, please send a Winlink checkin form to Bryan Marcotte KF1D
We look forward to you checking in!
—
73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
_._,_._,_
“Robert ‘Bob’ Glorioso, W1IS [Stow, MA] had early beginnings in electronics and radio, encouraged by his father, led Bob to advanced degrees in engineering, a stint in the US Army, and opportunities to be on the cutting edge of technology throughout his career with major corporations and his own startup. The consummate teacher, Bob has developed new hams through courses at the local ARES. W1IS has been a frequent contributor to ham radio publications for over 50 years, is a contributor to the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, and my guest in this QSO Today.”
From nediv.arrl.org:
Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:
Wanted: Designer for the 2023 13 Colonies Massachusetts K2H QSL card. The card has a theme that follows the other 13 Colonies states.
Anyone that may be interested please contact Larry, W1AST, at W1AST@arrl.net
Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:
Project “Big E” is back again and plans are underway to staff an amateur radio display booth this year. Changes will be made to how the booth will be arranged and presented to the public.
This year, the dates are Friday, September 15 thru Sunday, October 1. We will be applying for another grant and if we get one, we will be able to provide admission tickets and parking reimbursement again this year.
Last year was a lot of fun for everyone and we hope you will join again for another Big E.
Stay tuned for updates at https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e/ as we get closer.
The volunteer registration form is at: <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YdW57tREYSlDdPp8YSKBYUqNkl6OVrAbpcVCclvT4Hw/>.
The February, 2023 Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/february-2023-section-news/.
Five individuals passed their exams at a recent Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association “Tech In A Day” course and are now Technician class amateurs:
Larry Swift – Gloucester, KC1SOV
Sander Schultz – Gloucester, KC1SOT
Mark Klemm – Danvillle, NH, KC1SOW
Andrew Traskos – Newton, NH, KC1SOU
Brian Lloyd – Gloucester, KC1SOO
“We invited them back to CAARA for their “Now You are Licensed” discussions on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 12 Noon,” reports CAARA VE Bill Poulin, WZ1L. “I want to present them to the board and the CAARA membership, and welcome them to Amateur Radio formally.”
Jeff-N1SOM-Secretary of South Shore Hospital Group:
Good evening,
On Saturday March 4, 2023, the South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10AM. We realize that the usual locations for some individuals and groups are still unavailable due to ongoing COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net.
We will use the following repeaters and NEDECN DMR system in the order listed.
1. W. Bridgewater Repeater 146.775 dcs 244
2. Bridgewater Repeater 147.180 tone 67.0
3. Boston Repeater 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
4. DMR – EMHN Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot 1 on select NEDECN repeaters:
Boston 449.175 CC1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC1, Bourne 145.200 CC10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC11, and Martha’s Vineyard145.180 CC10, Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC12 repeaters
5. Return to the W. Bridgewater 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.
Jeff N1SOM, Secretary, and the SSH group
N1SOM – W1SSH
South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
55 Fogg Rd. Mail-Stop 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190
The March Algonquin Amateur Radio Club meeting will feature Ray LaJoie, AA1SE, Section Manager for Western MA, speaking about the Amateur Radio display at The BIG E in the fall. Ray will talk about booth display planning as well as ARISS space station contact and how it all came together for the seventeen-day event.
The meeting will be held in person March 9, 2023 at 7:30 pm in the library of the 1st Lt. Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School, 25 Union Street, Marlboro, MA. Enter from Agoritsas Drive next to police station and use Door #1 at rear of building.
From The Boston Globe, February 28, 2023:
“In July, Seth Kendall and his 12-year-old son, Max, plan to fill a giant latex balloon with gas and then launch it into the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
“Once it leaves the ground it will reach a height of around 100,000 feet, where it will expand to more than 40 feet wide. Dangling underneath will be a payload of science experiments designed by students, a device that bounces radio signals for hundreds of miles, and a GoPro camera to capture footage of the curvature of the Earth.
“From there, it will be smooth sailing — at least, that’s their hope.
“A string of recent high-profile, balloon-related incidents, including the military shooting down a Chinese surveillance balloon and several other yet-to-be-identified flying objects, have fueled anxiety among amateur balloonists across the country. Here in New England, where hobbyists and scientists routinely launch balloons for scientific research or kicks — or often both — fears about the fate of their projects are reaching new heights.”
[Full story]
The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club will meet in-person on March 6 at 7:00 PM at the Brewster Police Department Community Room, 631 Harwich Road (Rt 124), Brewster, MA 02631. In addition we will provide a Zoom link to the meeting. This month, Ed Moxon, K1GGI, will present “Cape Cod’s Fabulous Radio History.”
Bob Azanow, WA1Q, writes In K1USN Happenings, February 23, 2023:
Classes will run Tuesday and Thursday each week until April 13. The VE session will be Tuesday, April 18 at 7 PM.
Sorry for the late notice on this. More info found at the training link including Ross’s phone number: http://www.wa1npo.org/training/training.htm.
Daniel Sheen, KC1EPN, writes:
The folks over at W1MX have been organizing an amateur radio class for high schoolers with Beaver Works at MIT for the spring. It starts on March 4th and we still have space for more people, I was wondering if any of your members know anyone who might be interested?
The signup link is here: https://mit-bwsi.formstack.com
Thanks.
After a fantastic President’s day weather and excellent 10M propagation, it is time to think about Charlie WA3ITR’s talk on FT8 Tuesday night!
Topic: Wellesley Radio February Meeting!
Time: Feb 21, 2023 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
[Contact WARS President Dan Brown, W1DAN, for Zoom meeting invite link.]
The January 2023 STM Traffic report is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/massachusetts-stm-report-for-january-2023/. Note information on training opportunities, update on NTS 2.0 and traffic tip of the month.
Don Rolph-AB1PH – Walpole Area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:
We held an NCEP Digital training net on Sat Feb. 18 at 10 AM EST.
The purpose of this net was to try to smooth out some issues which surfaced during the Feb SET.
The participants were:
AB1PH Don Walpole MA NCS
WZ0C Michale Maynard MA
K1HRV Dave Millis MA
KF1D Bryan Blackstone, MA
The net was called at 10 AM EST and closed at 10:25 AM EST
We were a strictly directed net: no station transmitted unless called on. This appeared to work smoothly and appears to address some of the race conditions we saw during the Feb 4 SET NBEMS net.
We will continue with the formal directed net with stations only responding when called on for a bit and ensure that it is stable.
We passed an original message and three replies during the 25 minute net. The messages took about 1 1/2 minutes each to send.
We had a round of comments.
In addition to the four direct attendees, the following had their station on frequency but unattended and successfully copied the messages:
– Alan WA1AR
– Phil KB1CYO
The ability of the digital systems to receive messages while unattended provides a flexibility for the FLDIGI stations which we dont have with voice nets
My thanks to all who participated in this training session. I believe it clarified the situation regarding the need for strictly directed nets.
Have a great weekend, and a great holiday!
—
73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
Next meeting is Wed Feb 22nd at 7:00 pm
(zoom opens at 6:30)
The next meeting of the Waltham Amateur Radio Association will be this Wednesday [February 22, 2023] at 7:00. The meeting will be held on-line with no in-person gathering this month. (zoom links below). After a short business meeting, Fred, W6BSD, will be giving a presentation providing an overview of the various Digital Voice Modes:
Digital Voice Modes for Amateur Radio
You don’t need a General or Extra class license to enjoy QSOs with people worldwide. All amateur license classes can use Digital Voice (DV) modes such as Fusion, D-Star, DMR, and many others to connect with people throughout the US and other countries using digital repeaters or amateur hotspots. During his presentation, Fred will discuss the differences between the DV modes and how the backend infrastructure works.
[For meeting information, see https://walthamara.org/.]