As I write this, the outdoor thermometer says 59 degrees and I can see the piles of plowed snow go quickly down. I’m sure winter has not totally left us yet, but we can begin to think about antenna work and perhaps getting out for a little POTA activity. POTA folks like Bob, KC1KCY and Mike, W1VEG have been keeping us busy with all the POTA confirmation radiograms. Thanks Guys.
Some of our newer hams have been active. Paul KC1YMT recently upgraded to General and has a new call sign, W1GBR. Paul’s son, Daniel, KC1ZDA, has a new Tech license and has been active handling traffic on HHTN. Welcome to Daniel and congrats to both. It is also nice to see Corwyn, KN1OBI handling traffic for the Worcester County area. Great job Corwyn and thanks for the help.
Loren, N1IQI had been off the air and in rehab for a period of time following a fall, but it is great to have him back on the nets. Thanks to his fellow Whitman club members for moving his ham station upstairs so that Loren no longer has to manage the basement stairs to get to his rig. Jeff, K1EMS has also been among the missing due to several hospitalizations which have kept him off the air. We wish him well and better times ahead.
Having trouble reaching people to deliver a radiogram? Often the phone number is incorrect or the phone is disconnected, or there may be no answer. Or perhaps you left a voicemail message or a text but you would like to follow up with a written copy. Even if there is an HXG handling instruction, there are those who feel the importance of getting the message delivered warrants mailing it. It may be a new ham and you could be their first contact and a source of information about clubs, setting up a station, etc.
Now there is an app, which was featured in the March issue of The NTS Letter, about a “Print and Mail a Radiogram Postcard”. It is a service for which one can register, that will take the contents of your radiogram and automatically print and mail it to the recipient. It formats the message as a radiogram postcard and transmits it to a print and mail service which takes care of the rest. The front of the postcard is the familiar yellow ARRL Radiogram form; the back of the postcard includes a few sentences about amateur radio and message handling. The cost is about $1 per postcard which includes the postage. Once you have registered you can create a personal “wallet” with postcard credits, one for each card you expect to be sending. When you order a postcard, one credit is deducted from your wallet and the card is typically printed and mailed the next business day. Those who have used it have reported it can take from 2 or 3 days up to a week or so for a delivery. For more information or to use the service, check out https://nts2.arrl.org/postcard-entry/.
Thanks to all for your participation and support. The February Section Traffic Manager’s report is below.
73, Marcia KW1U, STM
Massachusetts - Rhode Island STM Report for February 2026