May 2022 Section News

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Welcome to the May 2022 ARRL Eastern Massachusetts (EMA) section news
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Visit <https://ema.arrl.org/> for frequent updates to the news
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UP FRONT

HAMVENTION IS BACK!

Hamvention returns this week in Xenia, Ohio from May 20-22.  <https://hamvention.org/>

Many amateurs from the Eastern Massachusetts section will be in attendance.  Hamvention is the world’s largest amateur radio gathering.  It’s wonderful to see it back after two years of COVID restrictions.  Our wishes to all for a safe and wonderful time.

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EMA SECTION FIELD DAY DIRECTORY ON-LINE

Once again, Bill Ricker, N1VUX, is gathering all the data he can to populate the 2022 EMA section Field Day Directory.  This directory contains much more detail and also our section’s history going back many years.  Please send your 2022 Field Day information directly to Bill, N1VUX, at n1vux@arrl.net so your club or field day site can be included.

Have a look at this wonderful Directory which will be maintained with the latest information right up until Field Day begins. Find a field day close to you and visit them.  Most clubs welcome visitors and appreciate a helping hand.

Visit the directory at:  https://ema.arrl.org/field_day/fd_dir.php

For complete detail on FD in our section visit: https://ema.arrl.org/field-day/

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EVENTS

FLEA AT MIT

The monthly MIT flea market (a.k.a. “Swapfest”) is back.   See https://w1mx.mit.edu/flea-at-mit/ for more info.

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NETS

Do you have a fun or important net you wish to publicize?  Send me the details to k1tw@arrl.net.

This months highlighted nets include:

      Cape & Islands 6m Net, Wednesdays at 1900 Local time, Barnstable, MA 6m repeater – 53.01 MHz, offset -1.0 MHz, PL 173.8 Hz

      Cape & Islands ARES 222 MHz net, Thursdays at 1900 Local time, Harwich, MA 222 MHz repeater – 224.34 MHz, offset -1.6 MHz, PL 100 Hz

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HAMS PROVIDE COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT FOR ALZHEIMER’S WALK

On Saturday, May 14, the sun rose bright and clear over Scusset Beach Reservation in Bourne, where nine hams from the Falmouth Area Radio Association (FARA) and the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) convened to provide communications support for a fundraiser walk for Alzheimer’s Support Services. Between 100 and 200 patients and caregivers were serenaded by a live band under the pavilion and enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the Cape Cod Canal.

Per the Support Services’ Executive Director, the event was a complete success. The Director was very impressed by the communications team’s professionalism and how much value they added to the operations, and report that the ham support made their job running the event much easier.

This was the first event where this group had hams providing communications support, but it will certainly not be the last: they have already “booked” the team for their next fundraiser walk, in Fall, 2022.

Thanks to the following hams for their service:

Callsign         Name                Club

W1TCD    Tim Doyle              FARA
KB1ZJO   Jim Hicks     
WM1N     Alan Costa             FARA
K1WIT    Shannon Muchka         BARC
WA1EXA   Mark Petruzzi          BARC
W1JKM    Jake McGill            BARC and FARA
N1ILZ    Jon McCombie           BARC
KC1NJO   Don Dooner             FARA
KT1OK    Don Dygert             BARC

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W1SHS PRESENTS ON ARES/RACES/SKYWARN AT HAM BOOT CAMP

Eastern MA ASM and DEC Stu Solomon, W1SHS, assisted the Nashua (NH) Area Radio Society (NARS) at their Ham Bootcamp on May 14-15 to promote ARES/RACES/SKYWARN and public service among new amateurs and amateurs who are inactive. NARS added the new breakout session for ARES/RACES/ACS/SKYWARN to its highly successful program.

Over 600 individuals have participated in Ham Bootcamp since its inception, designed to help new and inactive hams to get on the air and make effective use of their license privileges.

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NATIONAL EMCOMM TEST, CAPE COD ARES EXERCISE, May 14

The Cape Cod & Islands ARES held a “mini exercise” coinciding with the National EmComm Training Operation exercise. “We had great VHF comms throughout the area today. HF was spotty due to band conditions, but the exercise was a success overall,” writes DEC Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O. He thanked all who helped.

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BOSTON MAKERSPACE APPLIES FOR ARDC FUNDING

Artisan’s Asylum, a Boston “makerspace,” has been awarded funding from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) to establish an amateur station to “create, build, test and use amateur radio in various ways.” According to its website, the Artisan’s Asylum “is a non-profit makerspace devoted to the teaching, learning and practice of fabrication.”

Representatives from the Artisan’s Asylum contacted the Boston Amateur Radio Club last year for antenna and radio help, according to BARC President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S. “They are a makers/hacker-space that includes a wood shop, 3D printers and other heavy machinery. Their expansion into a new building in Allston will allow them to develop an RF station, mostly for testing and building other maker projects bridging the gap between ham radio and Makers DIYers” The Boston Amateur Radio Club hopes this collaboration turns into a mutually beneficial partnership and is exploring avenues to foster the relationship.

The Artist Asylum already has a few licensed hams, and more members are interested in getting licensed.

The Artisan’s Asylum’s facilities at 96 Holton Street in Allston/Brighton are still under construction at this time, but the organization plans to be mostly operational in late June or early July. 

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QST COVER PLAQUE AWARD AT PART OF WESTFORD

Division Director Fred Kemmerer will present a QST Cover Plaque award at the May 17 PART of Westford meeting for the March 2022 QST article, “Portable 20-Meter Phased Dipole Beam,” to Bob Rose, KC1DSQ, and Bob Glorioso, W1IS.

The QST Cover Plaque Award, given to the author or authors of the most popular article in each issue, is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll web page.

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EASTERN MA MUSEUM SHIPS GETTING READY FOR MUSEUM SHIPS WEEKEND, JUNE 3-5, 2022

Several museum ship stations in Eastern Massachusetts will be active during Museum Ships Weekend from 0000Z June 4 to 2359Z June 5, 2022.

The K1USN Radio Club station, K1USN, is signed up to participate.  According to station trustee “Pi” Pugh, K1RV, “We plan a full-scale activation and will be looking for operators on CW, SSB, and FT4/8 as we get closer.”

Two additional museum ship stations intend to be QRV. They are looking for operators: the USS Salem, N1SLM; and the USS Massachusetts [Uncommon Service to Naval Radio], NE1PL.

Contact W1OF <w1of@nsradio.org> for the USS Salem, KB1TEE <kb1tee@verizon.net> for the USS Massachusetts, and K1RV <pi.k1rv@gmail.com> for the K1USN Radio Club.

For full details, visit <https://www.nj2bb.org/museum/>.

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PROJECT BIG E PROGRESS REPORT

Project Big E General Chairman Larry Krainson, W1AST, reports that he has engaged the services of a local company, Black Helicopter Creative, to handle “live streaming, video editing, projection enhancement and recording” of the scheduled ARISS contact at the Big E. The company is donating its time and energy to “make the live stream of this contact a professional view for all.” According to Larry, they have supplied services in the past for the Red Sox, Fenway Park, ESPN, and others.

W1AST has been in contact with ICOM and reports, “They are very enthusiastic about the booth. They offered to lend us a few HF and VHF/UHF/D-Star radios for the booth.” Larry hopes to have a hotspot operating at the booth with D-Star, DMR and Fusion to demonstrate digital modes.

Project Big E is looking for clubs and individuals who have held demonstrations and may have booth display materials. Says Larry, “If you have something, please email me a picture with a description.”

W1AST is in the process of identifying host families in the Springfield area that could accommodate people who must travel significant distances to volunteer. “I’m hoping that my home club, the Hampden County Radio Association, can step up in a big way.”

Project Big E seeks display cabinets. Contact Larry if you or your club have these items.

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TECHNICIAN LICENSE COURSE OFFERED BY NASHOBA VALLEY ARC

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club (NVARC) is currently offering a free amateur radio licensing course. The eight-night course begins on May 16. It will prepare students for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technician licensing exam that will be offered at the completion of the course. The license course is open to all; there are no age limits. Pre-registration is required, and no walk-ins will be allowed.

To register, contact Bruce Blain, K1BG, at (508) 341-5124 or via email at bruce.blain@charter.net.

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ARRL CLUB GRANTS PROGRAM

By now, many of you have probably heard about the new ARRL Club Grants Program that’s beginning to take shape. It may be the most important thing to hit the Amateur Radio service in a long time.

The ARRL Foundation will award up to $500,000 to clubs. “This program will substantially contribute to the growth of amateur radio clubs and their efforts to expand and support the amateur radio community,” writes ARRL Foundation President David Woolweaver, K5RAV.

It’s not too early to start thinking about how your club might take advantage of an influx of capital to take on that pie-in-the-sky project–like a new communications trailer, or a new remote HF station to get your antenna/condo-challenged club members on the air on HF!

Look for more announcements to follow. The official applications are scheduled to begin sometime in April.

See also: <https://nediv.arrl.org/2022/01/15/arrl-foundation-to-create-club-grants-program/>.

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GREAT HILL GANG’S “DAY OF RADIO” MONTHLY MEET UPS

When:  Saturday morning to noon-ish, approx on the 2nd Saturday (weather dependent).

What: The Great Hill Gang at Great Hill Park in North Weymouth.

Looking for a fun, social event to attend on a Saturday morning? The Great Hill Gang meets monthly at the drive-up summit of Great Hill in North Weymouth for a “Day of Radio.” The event provides an opportunity for fellowship to both old and new hams alike. Plus, the Great Hill QTH has a commanding view of the Boston Harbor islands.  Talk-in is generally available on the Quincy 146.670 repeater.

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YOUR NEXT CLUB SPEAKER

What? You don’t have a club speaker or presentation lined up for next month?

Fear not! Our Eastern MA Affiliated Club Coordinator, Bruce Blain, K1BG, stands ready, willing, and able to help you find that perfect presentation for a live or remote meeting. There’s no excuse not to have a monthly educational and entertaining presentation to maintain a healthy club ecosystem.

And for more ideas, check out the Eastern MA speaker’s list at: <http://goo.gl/6j61JY>.

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NE 2022 HAMXPOSITION DATES CONFIRMED

The Northeast HamXposition (a.k.a. ARRL New England Division Convention) organizing committee has confirmed the dates for the 2022 convention in Marlborough, MA: August 26-28, 2022. The Committee notes that this was the original weekend for the event before they were forced into a September slot due to venue conflicts.

This year, HamXposition will play host to not one, but TWO division conventions: the New England Division AND the Hudson Division!  HamXposition’s 2022 website is now “live.”

For the latest information, visit <https://hamxposition.org>.

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NTS NEWS

Section Traffic Manager – Marcia Forde, KW1U Visit: <https://ema.arrl.org/national-traffic-system/>

The full complement of NTS net schedules may be found at: https://ema.arrl.org/national-traffic-system/net-schedule/

Marcia’s latest report can be found at <https://ema.arrl.org/massachusetts-traffic-report-for-march-2022/>.

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ARES NEWS Section Emergency Coordinator – Rob Macedo KD1CY Visit: <https://ema.arrl.org/ares/>

News concerning ARES and Emergency Communications in the EMA section is updated regularly on our web site: <https://ema.arrl.org/ares/>.

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FINAL WORD – KEEP UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST EASTERN MA SECTION NEWS

Now you can receive timely news and information from the Eastern MA ARRL website delivered daily to your inbox. Look for the signup form in the right-hand column on ema.arrl.org and sign up to receive stories!

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EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION LINKS

Where to find stuff:

New England Division website: <https://nediv.arrl.org/>

Section website: <https://ema.arrl.org/>

Section Facebook page: <https://www.facebook.com/easternmaarrl/>

Section Leadership: <https://ema.arrl.org/organization/#Section_Leadership>

Section Public Service List: <https://ema.arrl.org/eastern-ma-public-service-list/>

Section Speaker List: <http://goo.gl/6j61JY>

To join EMA ARES visit: <https://secure.ema.arrl.org/qilan/ares/EMA/ARES_about>

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The EMA monthly section news is jointly produced by Phil K9HI, Assistant Section Manager, Jon N1ILZ, Assistant Section Manager, and Tom K1TW, Section Manager.

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ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Thomas D Walsh, K1TW
k1tw@arrl.org
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