Public Information

Natick residents Dan Brown, W1DAN, and Joe Weisse, W1HAI, will present an enlightening discussion sponsored by the Bacon Free Library in Natick on February 20, 2021 from 10 AM-12 noon on the many facets of amateur radio: what it is, how it works, and how to get started” followed by a question-and-answer session.  Register at: <http://baconfreelibrary.org/event/ham-radio/>.

From nediv.arrl.org: Hampden County Radio Association president Larry Krainson, W1AST, is coordinating an effort to organize an amateur radio booth at “The Big E” in West Springfield, Massachusetts for 2022. The exhibition runs for 17 days from September 17 through October 3, 2022.  According to Wikipedia, “The Big E,” formally known as The Eastern States Exposition, is billed as ‘New England’s Great State fair.’ It is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the sixth-largest fair in the nation.” W1AST says the 2016 event had 1.4 million visitors, and over 1.6 million visitors in 2019. “If just one-tenth …

From IEEE Spectrum, July 10, 2020: Will the amateur airwaves fall silent? Since the dawn of radio, amateur operators—hams—have transmitted on tenaciously guarded slices of spectrum. Electronic engineering has benefited tremendously from their activity, from the level of the individual engineer to the entire field. But the rise of the Internet in the 1990s, with its ability to easily connect billions of people, captured the attention of many potential hams. Now, with time taking its toll on the ranks of operators, new technologies offer opportunities to revitalize amateur radio, even if in a form that previous generations might not recognize. …

Taunton amateur Ted Figlock, KA1AAT, was the subject of a nice feature story in the June 24, 2020 edition of the Taunton Gazette: By Charles Winokoor Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter TAUNTON – Dr. Thadeus “Ted” Figlock has been a world traveler for the better part of six decades. And he’s done most of it from a sitting position. The 85-year-old, former obstetrician and gynecologist, who unpretentiously describes his medical career as having consisted mainly of “delivering babies and cutting out tumors,” has had a difficult year. Figlock says he suffered a stroke last February, on Ash Wednesday to be exact, that …

Eastern MA Assistant Section Manager Rob Leiden, K1UI, is featured in, “A Spotlight on Lower Cape Personalities and Visionaries” in the June 11, 2020 issue of the Cape Cod Chronicle. The article entitled, “Chatham’s Rob Leiden Helps Keep Amateur Radio Alive” describes Rob’s entry into the hobby in junior high school, his DXing activities, and work with the American Red Cross. The article also mentions the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School club station in Harwich and the Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum at the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center. 

The Boston University News Service carried this favorable story about Amateur Radio, Alan Lewis, K1ALL, and Whitman Amateur Radio Club members, written by Lillian Eden, published January 22, 2020, entitled, “Ham radio: a hobby still alive and thriving.” “Alan Lewis pledged to do two things when he retired: learn to weld and get an amateur radio license. He did both, and then took his amateur radio license one step further.   “Almost immediately after getting his license, Lewis said he started getting involved in the public service aspects of amateur radio, including emergency communication.  “Amateur radio, or ham radio, for a …

Three Eastern Massachusetts amateurs appeared January 13, 2020, on Bradley Jay’s “Jay Talking” on WBZ-AM (1030 kHz) to discuss Amateur Radio. Jim Idelson, K1IR, Bruce Tinkler, N9JBT, and Marty Sullaway, NN1C, described the hobby, history, types of equipment, DXing, radiosport, and how to obtain a license. They also described their own experiences getting started in the hobby.   NN1C emphasized the fact that the hobby allows one to make friends with people all over the world. Through Amateur Radio, Marty had the opportunity to meet with a number of other hams on his first trip to Israel. Bradley took several callers’ …