EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION NEWS – February 2017
ARRL EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION STAFF
Section Manager (SM) – Tom Walsh, K1TW
Assistant Section Manager (ASM) – Phil Temples, K9HI
Assistant Section Manager (ASM) – Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ
Assistant Section Manager (ASM) – Rob Leiden, K1UI
Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) – Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ
Official Observer Coordinator (OOC) – Ed Parish, K1EP
Public Information Coordinator (PIC) – Open
Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) – Marek Kozubal, KB1NCG
Assistant SEC (ASEC) – Rob Macedo, KD1CY
Assistant SEC (ASEC) – Mike Leger N1YLQ
Section Traffic Manager (STM) – Marcia Forde, KW1U
Assistant STM (ASTM) – Greg Bennett, KC1CIC
Section Youth Coordinator (SYC) – Jeremy Breef-Pilz, KB1REQ
State Government Liaison (SGL) – Hank Mc Carl, W4RIG
Technical Coordinator (TC) – Dan Brown, W1DAN
HOW TO CONTACT EMA STAFF MEMBERS:
To contact section staff members directly simply visit <http://ema.arrl.org> for contact information.
SECTION NEWS UPDATES
For the latest updates to section news, please check our website regularly at <http://ema.arrl.org>.
HOW TO BECOME AN EMA FIELD VOLUNTEER
To apply for an ARRL field appointment read about the different roles on the ARRL web site at <http://www.arrl.org/field-organization>. If you are interested, contact <k1tw@arrl.org>.
EVENTS:
February 18, 2017
Algonquin ARC <http://www.n1em.org>
Marlboro, MA
Sunday, April 23, 2017 – 09:00 AM
Framingham ARA Spring Flea Market and Exams
Keefe Technical School
Framingham, MA <http://w1fy.org/flea.aspx>
May 5-6, 2017
NEAR-Fest
Deerfield, NH <http://www.near-fest.com/>
June 2-4, 2017
Museum Ships on the Air (MSOTA) weekend
0000Z June 2 through 2359Z June 4
Find further information at <http://ema.arrl.org/node/2186>
ARRL Field Day
June 24-25, 2017
CLASSES:
Cape Ann ARA: CW Class – now through April
The Ralph Karcher (W1RK) and Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association Amateur Radio Operator’s University invite you to join their 24th year CW class. The CW training program is dedicated to the memory of Ralph Karcher, W1RK. Ralph was THE Master CW operator of CAARA.
Classes begin on Saturday, January 21st and will be held about every Saturday through the end of April from 9:00 AM through Noon. Every class will include on-air practice. If you can’t make the first class, join us when you can. Attendance is not mandatory; enjoy the practice and camaraderie when you can. Please email <RMAYBURY@PPG-I.COM> if you are interested in attending.
Nashua Radio Club Classes:
February 25-26 Technician Class
March 18-19 General Class
April 28-30 Amateur Extra Class
Classes are held at Dartmouth Hitchcock Nashua, 2300 Southwood Drive, Nashua, NH. You can find more information at <http://n1fd.org/license-classes/>.
General License Class:
May 13 and 20, 2017
Genesis ARS
Plymouth Airport, Genesis ARS meeting room
Contact: Chris N1IR, <chrisjohnson2003@gmail.com>
NETS (INCLUDES BOTH EMA/WMA)- Information via Marcia, KW1U EMA STM
The Massachusetts Rhode Island Phone net (MARIPN) which meets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 6 PM on 3978 KHz (plus or minus for
interference) is open to all amateurs, whether traffic handlers or not. While we pass message traffic at the beginning of the net, we hope folks will join in for general amateur conversation and socialization.
EM2MN 145.230 MHz 8 PM Daily EMA 2 Meter Net
MARIPN 3978 KHz 6PM Tu,Th,Sa MASS/Rhode Island
HHTN MMRA Repeaters 10PM Su,M,W,F Heavy Hitters
CITN 147.375 MHz 7:30PM M,Tu,Th,Sa Cape & Islands
MARI 3565 KHz 7PM Daily MASS/Rhode Island
CM2MN 146.970 MHz 9PM Daily Central MA
WMTN 146.910 MHz 10AM Daily WMA
WMTN 146.910 MHz 1PM Daily WMA
WMEN 3944 KHz 8:30AM Su WMA
NEPN 3945 KHz 8:45 Su NE Phone Net
January BPL (500 or more points): N1IQI (1141), KW1U (600)
January PSHR (70 or more points): KW1U (140), KC1CIC (115), N1IQI
(110), N1TF (105), N1LAH (100), W1RVY (100), K1BML (97), AC7RB (80),
AB1UF (75), K1BML (43).
A full monthly report on traffic handling activities for all of Massachusetts (WMA/EMA) may be found on our EMA website: <http://nts.ema.arrl.org>. Thanks to Marcia, KW1U.
Rob KD1CY, EMA Assistant SEC, tells us “We currently have 7 SKYWARN classes booked across the region and we will be looking to add additional classes between now and early March.” The complete schedule can be found at: <http://www.wx1box.org/node/36> <http://www.weather.gov/box/skywarn>
Field Day is June 24-25, 2017. Don’t forget to begin your Field Day planning early. Now is a good time to start things in motion and while you are doing so, please keep Bill, N1VUX, aware of your plans so he can add them to our web site: <http://fd.ema.arrl.org/>.
Jeremy KB1REQ, EMA Section Youth Coordinator, was featured in a recent article by Northeastern University in Boston. Congratulations Jeremy! A link to the article is at <http://ema.arrl.org/node/2202>.
Stan, KD1LE, President of the Nashoba Valley ARC (NVARC), reports they will support the Girl Scouts’ “Thinking Day on the Air” on February 18 and 19. “This is the third year we have supported this event,” reports Stan. Volunteers from NVARC will work with scouts from Shirley, Groton, and Dunstable on Feb 18. On the 19th, they will visit Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains from Raymond, NH. The amateurs will assist the girls with on-air contacts, explaining world time, Morse code, phonetics, and other subjects chosen by the organizers. This event also provides an opportunity for the girls to participate in activities towards earning the ARRL Radio and Wireless Technology Patch. For more information, see <http://www.n1nc.org> under “Special Projects.” NVARC also has developed a talk for presentation to other radio clubs in which they describe their work with the scouts. “We found the event to be both rewarding and fun,” adds Stan.
For more information see the following links: <http://www.arrl.org/girl-scouts-radio-patch> <http://www.guides-on-the-air.co.uk/>
We received word from The K1USN Radio Club that they planned to participate in the annual FYBO (Freeze Your B*** Off) event on February 4. Information from K1USN’s “Pi” Pugh, K1RV.
Dan, W1DAN, President of the Wellesley ARS (WARS) tells us via the newsletter that the February 21 meeting will feature a talk on the Amazon Echo Alexa. The speaker is AG1LE.
Andy, KA1GTT, lets us know he worked KK8N in Warren, OH (about 600 miles away) with a 0.5 watt Pixie transceiver that cost all of 3 dollars.
Jack, W1AKN, Genesis ARS Vice President, informs us that GARS held a local ham breakfast on Saturday, February 11 at the Bridgewater University Tillinghast Hall café.
The Framingham ARA Spring Flea Market will be held on April 23 from 9 AM to 12 Noon at Keefe Technical School, 750 Winter Street, Framingham. There will be a VE session, refreshments and door prizes; the grand prize is a dual band HT. Admission is $5 for buyers, and sellers’ tables are $20 in advance/$25 at the door. For more info, go to <http://www.fara.org/flea> or call Andy, KC1DMM at 508-310-5913. (Information from Gordy, K1GB)
The Genesis Amateur Radio Society Presents FREE training for the Amateur General class license on May 13 and 20, 2017. Genesis ARS Education Officer, Chris, N1IR, will instruct. This is a two-session (15 hours, 7.5 hours per session) course delivered over two weekends in May at the Genesis ARS meeting room at the Plymouth Airport.
Chris, N1IR, also reports he has been working to add EchoLink to the GARS repeater.
If you live near Reading, you’re invited to attend a Quannapowitt Radio Association (QRA) meeting. QRA holds its meetings at the Reading, MA Senior Citizen Center at 49 Pleasant Street in the old fire house. Meetings begin around 7:00 pm on the third Thursday of each month, September through June. <http://www.w1ekt.org>
Paul, K1YUB, tells us that Radio Australia’s VL8A transmitter in Alice Springs signed off on January 31 in CW. The station sent “73 de VL8A QRT.” Sadly, for shortwave listeners around the world, January 31 was the end of Radio Australia shortwave broadcasts.
The February 4 South Shore Hospital Net had 17 participants covering an area from the Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire down to Dukes County Emergency Management on Martha’s Vineyard. John, K1RJO says, “I think this was our largest Net turnout and the largest geographic area covered to date. Our group and the repeaters available for our use continues to grow.”
The Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club, KM1CC, had a successful special event on January 18th reporting 1,791 total QSOs. 714 were on CW and the other 1,077 on SSB. Information per Russ, K1RTA.
The Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association received a grant for $26,174 from the City of Gloucester Community Preservation Committee for shingle replacement and repair and repainting of the trim on their building in Gloucester. The process took almost ten months, including obtaining approval from the Gloucester Historical Commission declaring the building eligible for a CPA grant. The building was originally constructed as a school house in 1867 and later converted to a firehouse. CAARA purchased the building from the City two years ago. The club has been located at 6 Stanwood Street for 40 years. Work is expected to be completed in the fall of this year.
The Whitman ARC (WARC)reports a very successful Winter Fest 2017 Flea Market and VE session. Congratulations to all WARC members involved. Information from Chris, N1CFB.
Genesis ARS Vice President, Jack W1AKN, has announced speakers and topics for the club’s February 27 and March 27 meetings. Meetings begin at 7 PM followed by presentations at 7:15.
2/27 — APRS /Packet Radio–TNC, KA1CQD, presenter
3/27 — Programming ham rigs software/interfaces, W1AKN, presenter
Andy, KA1GTT, spoke at the February 1 meeting of the Billerica ARS on “The Care and Feeding of Bugs.” A bug, which is a mechanical telegraph key, is used to automate some or all the dot-dash sending chores. They were very popular before the widespread introduction of the electronic key. Bugs have seen a resurgence in popularity as people re-discover the joys of sending CW via mechanical, rather than electronic means.
Dennis, W1UE will be the featured presenter at the March 1 meeting of the Billerica Amateur Radio Society in Chelmsford.
FINAL WORD
During the low years of a solar cycle, people often think 10 meters is dead. While certainly not as active as during the high solar years, DX can still be worked, as several local hams have discovered. I am seeing a resurgence of local activity too, such as on 28.430 MHz in the Lowell area during the evenings. If your group or club is active on 10 Meters, please let me know and I’ll feature it in a future EMA news.
73,
Tom, K1TW
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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Thomas D Walsh, K1TW
k1tw@arrl.org
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