TRAFFIC HANDLERS PICNIC DATE CHANGED TO AUGUST 12
As previously announced and following a long standing tradition, the annual traffic handlers picnic was to have taken place the first Sunday in August, this year on August 5. However your host, Marcia KW1U was invited to join a cruise to Alaska, a part of the world I have long wished to visit, and I could not turn down this exciting opportunity. I will not however be returning to the lower 48 until Friday August 3 and will then have to get from the west coast back to Boston.
Therefore I am rescheduling the picnic to be held Sunday August 12. This event will take place at my QTH in Concord MA. All traffic handlers throughout New England and any others interested in traffic handling are invited to attend. More information will be posted closer to the date. Please note that date on your calendars. We look forward to seeing you then.
Fox Placed in South Chelmsford, May 26, 2018
John Salmi, KB1MGI writes on the Foxhunting mailing list:
I have placed a 2 Meter 146.565 DTMF Tone 2 to activate in South Chelmsford at the Red Wing Farm Conservation [Area] at 17 Maple Road.
KB1OIQ 2m, 80m Foxes Deployed in Westford
Andy Stewart, KB1OIQ writes in the Fox Hunting list on 5/25/18:
The KB1OIQ fox transmitters have been deployed!
They are located here:
Frances Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
Across from 122 Lowell Road
Westford, MA
(Near the Chelmsford/Westford boarder)
I will leave them out for today and tomorrow. I plan to pick them up around 6 PM on Saturday [5/26] for redeployment.
I did not put out a log book. A photo emailed to me will suffice.
2m Frequency = 146.565 MHz
80m Frequency == 3.5805 MHz (give or take)
Have fun and 73!
New NCS for Eastern MA 2 Meter Net
The Eastern MA 2 Meter Traffic Net would like to welcome Peter F Doherty KC1HHO as the new Monday night NCS. Peter has worked very hard to gain proficiency in traffic handling and traffic management. Peter has also been appointed as an Official Relay Station. You can check out his profile on QRZ.com. Welcome aboard Peter!
The Eastern MA 2 Meter Traffic Net meets at 8:00pm on the 145.230 Boston repeater.
Eastern MA Hospital Net, June 2, 2018
John Barbuto, KS1Q writes on the South Shore Hospital ARC mailing list:
Net Control for the June 2, 2018 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH, The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club . The net will commence at the usual time of 10:00 AM using the following repeaters in the order listed.
1.Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
2 Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
3.Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
Simplex 147.42
The Net will then return to the Sharon Repeater for final comments and 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 yours or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.
We extend an invitation to any health care facility or EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.
Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air.
We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control. If you are interested please contact us at the email address listed above. Our goal is to rotate Net Control throughout the year among as many groups as possible.
We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month. More systems are being added to the list on a regular basis.
REMINDER: The BARC Repeater is now using split tone. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9
Mansfield EMA 446.925 tone 100.0
Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2
We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.
Respectfully,
John Barbuto
KS1Q
—
South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club – W1SSH
Box 42
55 Fogg Road,
South Weymouth, MA 02190
Rob Macedo, KD1CY Featured on ARRL Audio News
Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Eastern MA Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator and Director of Operations for the Voice Over IP Hurricane Net was featured in an interview this past week with ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U on the May 17, 2018 edition of ARRL Audio News. You can hear Rob and Mike at 5 minutes 30 seconds into the broadcast.
Breakfast and SKYWARN Training, Littleton, June 2, 2018
Alan Martin, W1AHM writes on the PART of Westford list:
June’s PART Breakfast will be at 8:00 AM on Saturday, June 2 at Paul’s Diner, 6 Carlisle Place, Westford, MA.
Conveniently later that morning, the National Weather Service Boston/Norton will be holding a 2½ hour SKYWARN training class at the Littleton Fire Department, 20 Foster Street, from 10:00 AM–12:30 PM.
Why not have breakfast with the club, and then get your SKYWARN card?
Here’s the class registration page:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Field Day Safety Officer Checklist
Attention Field Day groups:
Please download this document and discuss it at your Field Day planning meetings. In addition to earning bonus points, following these guidelines could save lives!
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2017/16-2017%20Safety%20Officer-2.pdf
[based on an original document by Bruce Pigott, KC1US.] Thanks, N1VUX
Important ARES Leadership Reorganization in Eastern Massachusetts Section
As part of a renewed emphasis on ARES throughout the Eastern Massachusetts section, Greg Bennett, KC1CIC has been appointed as Section Emergency Coordinator. The appointment was made on May 23, 2018 by Section Manager Tom Walsh. As Greg assumes his new role, Tom thanked outgoing SEC Marek Kozubal, KB1NCG for his service to the section for the past three years.
Greg brings a great amount of experience to the job. Greg is currently an Assistant Section Traffic Manager. KC1CIC has been a licensed amateur since 2014 and possesses over ten years of radio communications expertise learned in the military special forces.
Greg Bennett, KC1CIC, is active daily on the HF and VHF nets, and he is no stranger to emergency communications and public service. He constructed his own ‘Go Kit’. He’s an effective manager and the author of articles on digital communications and emergency power.
I have complete confidence that Greg will accomplish the goals I have set forth for the ARES program in Eastern Massachusetts. Those new goals include raising the profile of EMA ARES; developing a section emergency plan; restructuring our current leadership; revitalizing the program through new member recruitment; revamping instructional materials; and conducting regular section-wide Simulated Emergency Tests.
Please welcome Greg Bennett, KC1CIC, to his new Section Emergency Coordinator role and give him your support.
Tom Walsh K1TW
ARRL Section Manager
Eastern Massachusetts
——————————————————————–
ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Thomas D Walsh, K1TW
k1tw@arrl.org
——————————————————————–
“Salutations from Roatan Island – HR9”
Note: several Eastern Massachusetts amateurs are currently participating in a DXpedition to Roatan I. [NA-057] in Honduras.
Dennis Egan, W1UE/HR9 writes on the Yankee Clipper Contest Club list:
Salutations from Roatan Isalnd, Honduras!
Our HR9 operation is well underway. Sunday, we built the elements for the DXE Skyhawk. That endeavor took most of the day. The temperature here isn’t bad- 84F- but it is the relentless humidity that takes it out of you. There is also little relief at night, as the temp drops to maybe 78F. I guess that’s life in the Caribbean!
Monday, the 50ft aluminum tower went up. We were able to rig the rotor, mast, and feedlines to the tower before it was pushed up. It took the 4 of us, with 2 Honduran helpers, to lift it into place. I took a few pix until the tower got to the 30deg up, when all hands were needed to get it up the rest of the way. Still, once everything was rigged, the actual lift- while pretty exhausting- didn’t take an hour. We also brought the Skyhawk to the back lawn and began the process of finishing the antenna.
Tuesday, Paul K1XM and Charlotte KQ1F spent his morning finishing the antenna assembly, when Rudy N2WQ took the manual and a tape measure and rechecked every dimension of the antenna to make sure there were no errors. Once that was completed, Paul climbed the tower and we spent about 2 hours rigging up the ropes to tram the antenna to the top. We rigged up two pulleys to get a 2:1 mechanical advantage on the tram, and 1.5 hours later the antenna was on the mast at the top of the tower! Again, we have very few pix of this happening, as all 4 of us were actively involved in the tramming. Charlotte and I lifted, Paul was on the tower, and Rudy played the tie line. Seeing as the tramming area was little bigger than the beam, I thought it was a great job by all, especially Paul, who spent 3+ hours at the top of an unguyed 50ft aluminum tower! While they were checking over the antenna, I put together the antenna switching/BPF/Triplexer board.
It was most gratifying to put the antenna analyzer on the end of the coax, and see the SWR dips in the ham bands pretty much where we wanted them! The linears will be happy with this antenna!
I know some of you worked us Tuesday night. FYI, we were barefoot with 100 watts. We were surprised when 15m was still open to the states- the stations that called us were loud, but there just weren’t many of them. 20m was also fun, as stations in zones 14-15-16-17-18-19-25 were all easily worked.
Today we’ll be working on getting the low band antennas up. Expect to see us on 40/80/160 tonight, hopefully with a KW. There is more work to be done in the shack with running coax to the antenna switching board, and running control cables/coax to the operating positions.
If any YCCCer needs us for DXCC band/countries, let us know and we’ll try to accommodate. We won’t have much of an antenna for 12 or 17M, but any other band we should be good on.
PS: Remember, its HQ9X, NOT SQ9X. Even though we religiously sent the call correctly, and sent Zone 7 with each exchange, there were still over 200 ops that miscopied us in CQWW CW.
Volunteers Sought for YuKanRun Twin Lobster Half Marathon, June 3, 2018
Christopher Winczewski, K1TAT writes on the Cape Ann ARA mailing list:
We are looking for operators to staff the YuKanRun Twin Lobster Half Marathon at Gloucester High School on Sunday, June 3 2018, Th event begins at 8:30 AM; be on Location by 8:00 AM.
Please let me know if you can staff a communications check-point for the event by Thursday, May 30th so I can plan staffing positions for the event.
Please let us know what type of equipment you plan to use. We need 50 watt mobile units. (i.e.: mobile; HT; ¼-wave mag mount; OEM rubber duck; etc.) so we have a better idea of where to locate you along the event course per the potential of your equipment.
The course will be open and supported for four hours. Runner safety is everyone’s top priority. Local EMT crews and ambulances will be available for three hours to help ensure everyone enjoys the day and remains safe.
YuKanRun has a one-mile warm up race at 8:00 that we will not be covering so if you see runners out you are not late. they have a short warm up for the Twin Lobster.
I will not be able To make this e doing the Emailing and setup but will not be able to make it on race day. We Will need net control for the Twin Lobster I will be out of the city that Weekend.
Chris, K1TAT
“Groton Road Race–Wet But Successful”
Continuing this year’s pattern of rainy foot races, Sunday April 29 challenged the 27th running of the Groton Road Race with threats of rain. That did not seem to affect participation much, however. Perhaps the runners were basking in the relative warmth compared to Marathon Monday.
The Groton Road Race is hosted by the Squannacook River Runners. NVARC has been providing radio communications for this event since its second year; this is our 26th “run”. The race committee and the Groton Police Department consider Amateur Radio to be a vital component of this event. This year thirty-six Amateur Radio operators turned out to provide the event communications. [Many police departments participate and they don’t all use common frequencies, so we’re the “glue” that holds the race together. Ed.]
A change introduced this year seems to have been met with appreciation. The race committee moved the start times of the 5k and 10k races 90 minutes earlier. According to Race Director Ryan McMeniman this was done to avoid interfering with kids’ afternoon activities. At least one of our radio operators confirmed that as soon as we were secured from race duty he was off to a soccer game. Groton Police Deputy Chief Jim Cullen noted also that as several main roads through town are closed for the race the earlier timing was also a plus.
If you missed us this year, please consider joining the radio team in 2019. We’ve always had a rewarding time regardless of the weather. Mark April 2019 on your calendars. In recent years the Groton Road Race has been on the last Sunday of April. We’ll await word on the exact date of next year’s Race.
The Squannacook River Runners and the Groton Police Department thank everyone who volunteered: AB1CV, AB1PM, AB1WQ, K1JHC, K1JKR, K1NKR, K1RAU, K1YTS, K9AEN, KB1HFT, KB1KTP, KB1LRL, KB1NMJ, KB5JR, KC1EIV, KC1IGD, KD1LE, KD1SM, KK1X, KW2T, KX1M, N1ALO, N1HTS, N1ICB, N1KLK, N1MOR, N1QDZ, N1RKO, N1SPA, N1YFK, N8VIM, NA1T, NF1A, NW1U, W0TJP, WA1VVT, and WY1X.
—Ralph, KD1SM, from the Nashoba Valley ARC’s Signal, May 2018
Falmouth ARA Field Day 2018
The Falmouth Amateur Radio Association is preparing big-time for Field Day June 22-24.
According to FARA Field Day Coordinator Larry Gray, W1IZZ, “We’re filling positions for: Field Boss; Station Captains for the SSB, CW, VHF, and GOTA stations; Food Captain, Media Publicity Coordinator, Public Information Table Coordinator, Set Up and Tear Down Coordinators” to name just a few. “There is an opportunity for everyone, regardless of experience or physical condition.”
FARA will set up in their usual location at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds, 1220 Nathan Ellis Highway, in East Falmouth.
For more information about Falmouth ARA’s Field Day site, see http://www.falara.org/announcements/farafieldday2018opportunities.
New England Wireless and Steam Museum Hours, Summer 2018
Looking for a great field trip for your family or radio club? The New England Wireless and Steam Museum in East Greenwich, Rhode Island will be open three Saturday mornings this summer from 9 AM til 12 noon, according to its website. The museum bills itself as “an electrical and mechanical engineering museum emphasizing the beginnings of radio and steam power, and honoring engineers who achieved greatness and served the public good by analyzing and solving tough engineering problems.”
Visitors are welcome to come on June 16, July 21, and August 25 and tour the wireless and steam exhibits and the Massie Station. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and free for children age 6 and under. Proceeds support museum programs. The museum staff invite advance notice but walk-ins are also welcome.
The radio exhibit features equipment from a variety of manufacturers, including: Atwater Kent, Marconi, RCA, Siemens Luftwaffe, and Westinghouse.
Special museum visits may be arranged on Thursdays between 9 AM and 12 noon. The New England Wireless and Steam Museum is entirely volunteer. “Our efforts are mainly directed to hosting scheduled groups such as school classes, engineering societies, club or association meetings.”
The New England Wireless and Steam Museum is located at 1300 Frenchtown Rd, East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
WX4NHC Annual Station Test, May 26, 2018
Rob Macedo, KD1CY writes on the SKYWARN mailing list:
Please see the following information from WD4R-Julio Ripoll, Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator on the 2018 WX4NHC On-Air Communications Test which will be held this Saturday May 26th, 2018 from 9 AM-5 PM EDT (1300-2100 UTC) across various bands and modes on Amateur Radio. We encourage Amateur Radio Operators in our region to participate.
Announcement from WX4NHC – Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center, Miami Florida
WX4NHC will be On-The-Air for the Annual Station Test
Saturday, May 26th, 2018 from 9AM-5 PM EDT (1300z- 2100z)
This will be our 38th year of public service at NHC.
The purpose of this event is to test Amateur Radio Station equipment, antennas and computers prior to this year’s Hurricane Season, which starts June 1stand runs through November 30th.
This event is good practice for Ham Radio Operators world-wide as well as NWS Staff to become familiar with Amateur Radio communications available during times of seer.
We will be making brief contacts on many frequencies and modes, exchanging signal reports and basic weather data exchange (“Sunny”, or “Rain”, etc.) with any station in any location.
WX4NHC will be On-The-Air on HF, VHF, UHF , 2 & 30 meter APRS and WinLink wx4nhc@winlink.org subject must contain “//WL2K”.
We will try to stay on the Hurricane Watch Net frequency 14.325 MHz most of the time.
Due to space and equipment limitations, we will have 2 operators per shift, we cannot be on all frequencies or on every mode at the same time.
You may be able to find us on HF by using one of the DX Spotting Networks,
Such as the DX Summit Web Site: http://www.dxsummit.fi/Search.aspx
We will also be on VoIP Hurricane Net 4pm-5pm EDT (2000-2100z)
(IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203). http://www.voipwx.net/
Florida Statewide SARNET and local VHF & UHF Repeaters will be contacted.
QSL Cards are available via WD4R.
Please send your card with a S.A.S.E.
Please do NOT send QSLs directly to the Hurricane Center address, as it will get delayed.
Due to security measures:
NO VISITORS will be allowed entry to NHC without prior clearance from NHC PIO and Security.
Only WX4NHC Operators on the pre-approved operating schedule will be allowed entry.
For more information about WX4NHC, please visit our website
Thank you for your participation in the WX4NHC Annual Station Test event.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Julio Ripoll Architect WD4R
WX4NHC Amateur Radio Asst. Coordinator
www.wx4nhc.org
Celebrating 38 years at the National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
MEMA Hurricane Preparedness Training Courses Offered
The following new courses have been added to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s training calendar:
- 2018 Hurricane Preparedness Webinar at Webinar on May 29, 2018
- 2018 Hurricane Preparedness Webinar at Webinar on May 30, 2018
Visit our web site at http://mematraining.chs.state.
KB1MGI Fox Deployed in Westford, May 20, 2018
John Salmi, KB1MGI writes on the Foxhunting list:
I placed a 2-meter[fox on] 146.565 press DTMF tone 2 activate at the East Boston Camps in Westford.
Pilgrim Amateur Wireless Association Field Day 2018
The Pilgrim Amateur Wireless Association writes on its Facebook page:
Join us as we host P.A.W.A field day at the Swansea Fire Station
50 New Gardner Neck Road
Swansea Mass 02777
Saturday, June 23 9:00 AM through Sunday June 24 2:00 PM
Everyone is welcome to join in to make contacts or stop by. Hope to see you there.
Whitman ARC Field Day 2018
Whitman ARC writes on its Facebook page:
The Whitman Amateur Radio Club will be holding field day once again this year in the field behind the East Bridgewater YMCA. Setup will begin Saturday, June 23 at 9 AM, with operating running from 2 PM Saturday through 2 PM Sunday. We invite you to stop by to operate; or just socialize and enjoy the food!