a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
ARRL has an immediate need for new mentors for the EC-001 Emergency Communications training program.
“Our mentors represent the best in Amateur Radio public service communications training and make a substantial difference in how students approach service to their communities and Amateur Radio. The mentors take the written text of a course and bring it life for these amateurs, many of whom they will never meet face to face.”
[full story]
Kayla Creamer, W2IRY writes:
The Eastern MA ARRL section now has a Facebook page and, since this is a new page, we need help with finding content to post from the regional clubs. We’d love it if you could give the page a like and promote it with your club. Our goal is to have the page be a central place for hobbyists to find information about all of the ham related activities in the region.
If your club has a Facebook presence, we’d be happy to promote it. If you or your club are not on Facebook, we’d still love to help promote your club and its activities. One way that you can help us with this is to add emaclubs@ema.arrl.org to your club’s email list. This will help us to keep up to speed on what events you have happening within your club, but you’re always welcome to contact us directly if there’s a specific event that you’d like to get some publicity with. We hope that this is something that you’ll find beneficial for your club.
If you have any questions or if there’s something you would like us to share, please feel free to reach out to EMA Public Information Coordinator Kayla Creamer at w2iry@arrl.net or you can send a message directly through the page if you’re on Facebook. We thank you for your assistance.
Please find the section page at https://www.facebook.com/ea
See this message on the web at https://ema.arrl.org/2018/03/15/ares-stand-by-ends-20180315/
*** EFFECTIVE AT 1500 THURSDAY MARCH 15TH ARES WILL END STAND-BY AND ACTIVE OPERATIONS ***
The ARES leadership would like to thank all the amateur operators who volunteered their time and equipment during this last major blizzard. Operations on Cape Cod covered 7 operators across the Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) and 3 active shelter locations. Operations included overnight operations as nearly 200,000 customers were without power, AT&T cell service was down, as well as numerous tree and wire damage. ARES would also like to thank the amateurs who volunteered for the ARESMAT to the Cape and provided your support to the operations. The HF net was active during the storm and was active from 0600 Tuesday through 2300 Tuesday on 75 meters.
Additionally everyone’s SKYWARN reports that made it to the SKYWARN operations center at the NWS Taunton office were of tremendous value and help give a broadened situational awareness across the region to this storm. Storm totals topped out at 25.5 inches in Dracut, MA. Snow fall rates hit 3-4 inches/hour in multiple areas. Wind gusts hit 88 MPH at Davis at Otis AFB, 81 on Nantucket, 76 at the Barnstable County EOC, and 75 MPH at Woods Hole, MA.
If anyone has pictures from this storm please send them to pics@nsradio.org to be included in the SKYWARN photo album and for damage assessment. Please include picture credit, date/time taken, and location.
Thanks again to all the amateurs who helped out and stood by on various repeaters to allow the ARES and SKYWARN nets to pass their traffic and to the clubs and organizations that maintain our repeater network in Eastern Massachusetts.
Respectfully submitted,
Marek Kozubal, KB1NCG
EMA ARES SEC
kb1ncg@arrl.net
The WCC Amateur Radio Association will commemorate Maritime Day with a special event operation. WA1WCC will be operating on the bands April 14-15, 2018, staffed by former WCC and Coast Guard operators working from the Chatham Radio / WCC Operating Building. See https://www.qrz.com/db/wa1wcc#mrd2018 for additional information.
The Framingham Amateur Radio Association is offering a scholarship to any area high school senior who will be attending college in the next academic year, or currently enrolled in a college program.
Applicants holding an Amateur Radio license will receive preference. Non-licensed relatives of FARA members will also receive consideration. Membership in FARA is not required.
All applications must be postmarked by April 15, 2018. Please Contact Richard Cosma, AA1VI at rcosma@rcn.com, or call 508-877-8241.
Bill Poulin, WZ1L writes on the Cape Ann ARA list:
The Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association will hold a one-day study course for those interested in earning the FCC Technician class Amateur Radio license. The course will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2018 from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM at the Lanesville Community Center, 8 Vulcan Street in Gloucester. An exam will be held at the conclusion of the class.
There is a $20.00 fee for course materials, snacks and the FCC test fee.
You must register in advance by e-mailing techinaday@caara.net.
K1VR writes on YCCC list:
“Man Rescued From Atop Ham Radio Antenna (MV Times)”
http://go.newbaymedia.com/e/262762/man-rescued-atop-ham-radio-antenna-/58vjr/705458028
The next Swapfest is April 15, 2018.
Power Plant construction on our original outdoor lot has begun. We will have limited outdoor space in the triangle lot across Albany Street.
Buyer’s parking information: text and PDF map
If you cross the Longfellow Bridge coming to the Flea, be aware construction has closed the Cambridge bound lanes. Use the Mass. Ave Bridge instead.
The National Weather Service office in Taunton is offering a SKYWARN training session on Tuesday, April 24th, 2018 from 7:00-9:00 PM at the Braintree Police Department, 282 Union Street in Braintree. Registration is required.
For additional training sessions, see http://wx1box.org/2018/04/20/special-announcement-2018-nws-boston-norton-skywarn-training-class-schedule/.
Chris Johnson, N1IR writes on the Genesis ARS list:
The Tech course for April 7, 21 and May 5th is a go! We are located at the Plymouth Airport Community Room have 6 students so far and the list is growing, again of you know anyone who is interested in taking the tech course please pass this on. Thanks to all that volunteer without your effort the hobby and this class would not be a success.
Call out to volunteer instructors, anyone wish to teach a section please email me.
Saturday April 7, 2018
09:00 – 9:15 Setup, Introduction, Books Materials
09:15 – 10:00 T1 (FCC Rules Part A)
10:00 – 10:45 T1(FCC Rules Part B)
10:45 – 11:30 T2 (Operating Procedures)
11:30 – 12:15 Lunch
12:15 – 13:00 T3 (Radio Waves and Propagation)
13:00 – 13:45 T4 (Station Setup and Operation)
13:45 – 14:00 Breakdown
Saturday April 21, 2018
09:00 – 09:15 Setup
09:15 – 10:00 T5 (Electrical and Electronic Principal)
10:00 – 10:45 T6 (Electrical Components and Functions)
10:45 – 11:30 T7 (Operating Procedures)
11:30 – 12:15 Lunch
12:15 – 13:00 T8 (Operating Modes and Special Operation)
13:00 – 13:45 T9 (Antenna and Feed Lines)
13:45 – 14:00 Breakdown
Saturday May 5, 2018
09:00 – 09:15 Setup
09:15 – 10:00 T10 (Electrical and RF Safety)
10:00 – 10:30 Q + A / VEC Setup
10:30 – 12:30 VE TESTING
The SKYWARN program and SKYWARN’s Southern New England Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY were acknowledged in a posted story on WBZ-TV’s web site entitled “Snow Totals – Who Has The Most From March 13 Blizzard“.
See this message on the web at https://ema.arrl.org/2018/03/12/ares-standby-20180312/
*** EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES PLACED ON STAND-BY FOR ALL AREAS EFFECTIVE 2300 MONDAY, MARCH 12TH UNTIL CANCELED DUE TO POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM FORECAST COASTAL STORM AND BLIZZARD ***
*** SKYWARN OPS AT NWS-TAUNTON TO COMMENCE AROUND 0400 TUESDAY ***
A major storm will be impacting the region Monday evening through Tuesday evening. All amateurs are asked to prepare for a powerful coastal storm which will bring blizzard conditions along the coastal parts of Massachusetts and Cape Cod. Across the region 12-18 inches of snow is forecast with isolated amounts reaching 20+ inches. The snow may be wet and heavy causing additional strain on already weakened trees and infrastructure from the previous two Nor’Easters especially in the eastern and southern areas of the warning area. Some coastal flooding is expected during the Noon Tuesday high tide cycle. A high wind warning is also in effect for Nantucket for sustained winds of 30-40 MPH with gusts to 65 MPH.
Please notify ARES leadership of availability to deploy for any post storm support. All amateurs during the storm are asked to shelter in place and monitor their local SKYWARN repeaters to help relay damage; infrastructure issues; coastal, river, and urban flooding; change over to snow; and any other pertinent information. ARES members are advised to continue to maintain readiness at home and check your emergency power and antenna situation. Secure any loose objects that can blow around easily.
The Cape Cod MACC (Multi-Agency Coordination Center) will be operating starting around 0600 Tuesday. Nets will be run on 146.955- PL88.5 Dennis repeater. The ARES HF net will also be running on 3.930 +/- 5 kHz QRM with calls at the top (:00) and bottom (:30) of the hour starting at 0600 Tuesday. SKYWARN will be running various nets across our section on the assigned SKYWARN repeaters.
The list of SKYWARN repeaters can be found at: http://wx1box.org/node/37
The latest SKYWARN coordination message for this storm is at: http://wx1box.org/node/4054
For the latest bulletins please visit http://wx1box.org/
In advance of the storm, please advise your local EC/DEC/ADEC (SEC/DEC listed below) of your availability to support a potential deployment anytime over the weekend. We are creating a list of availability for ARESMAT (ARES Mutual Aid Team) deployment if needed for various local EOC’s, Red Cross, Salvation Army, NWS Storm Survey Teams, and hospitals as required. Keep your situational awareness level high for any updates from ARES leadership by checking your email for updates and our ARES web site at http://ema.arrl.org/ares and monitoring local SKYWARN/ARES/RACES frequencies for any updates on this developing situation.
When sending your availability, please send the following: Name, Call-sign, License Class, Capability (HF / VHF / UHF), Availability, and any other special notes we should be aware of. Also, please let us know if you can do an ARESMAT to another part of the Eastern Massachusetts section as this will be a large area impact storm for this anticipated blizzard. We ask that as you contact your DEC, please send a copy of the message to blizzard@nsradio.org where multiple members of the EMA ARES Leadership will be able to access your availability.
What is ARES Stand-By mode?
ARES stand-by mode is to alert Amateurs within ARES that a mobilization is possible on a wide-scale and that some localized mobilizations are or could be taking place in isolated areas. It means to take a look at your Go-Kit and have batteries and equipment ready to go and charged up and take care of any requirements at home in case a mobilization is required and you can participate. Do NOT self-deploy. Wait for guidance from leadership for any deployment. It is an honor to be ready even if you don’t deploy for the event. Hopefully, this is just another exercise of our preparedness and capabilities. If not, the ARES leadership looks forward to working with you if any wide scale mobilization is required after the impact of this major storm to the region is fully understood.
Thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!
Respectfully Submitted,
Marek Kozubal (KB1NCG)
ARES Eastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator
SEC/ASEC:
SEC – KB1NCG – kb1ncg@arrl.net
ASEC – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
ASEC – KD1CY – kd1cy@comcast.net
DECs:
Essex County – KB1KQW – kb1kqw@nsradio.org
Middlesex County – KB1KQW – kb1kqw@nsradio.org
Metro-Boston – KB1NCG – kb1ncg@arrl.net
Norfolk County – W3EVE – w3eve@arrl.net
Bristol County – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
Plymouth County – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
Cape & Islands – WQ1O – wq1o@comcast.com
The Framingham ARA Spring Flea Market will take place on April 8, 2018 at the Keefe Technical School, 750 Winter Street in Framingham. Admission for buyers is $5, and under 12 is free. Tables are $20 in advance and $25 at the door if available. There will be refreshments, a VE session and door prizes.
For complete information, visit http://www.w1fy.org/flea.aspx.
Chip Cohen, W1YW, of Belmont, Massachusetts, has been named to receive the Hamvention 2018 Technical Achievement Award. Licensed for 52 years and bitten by the antenna bug, Cohen became a radio astronomer and astrophysicist, working at Arecibo, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the Very Large Array (VLA), and others. While a professor at Boston University, Cohen connected fractal geometry with antennas, pioneering a paradigm shift in the design of fractal antennas and what they make possible. An inventor with 41 US patents, Cohen is known for inventing the invisibility cloak using fractal antenna techniques.
Starting 30 years ago with simple flea market treasures, W1YW bootstrapped fractal antennas with modest gear and employed ham radio to report on the success of his new technology. He started Fractal Antenna Systems, Inc. with WA1ZWT (SK) in 1995, and is presently its CEO.
Cohen is a DXCC Top of the Honor Roll DXer and a strong advocate for technical “innovation culture” through Amateur Radio. He is a Life Member of ARRL and a Fellow of the Radio Club of America, where he served as Vice President and presently as a Director.
–ARRL News
See this message on the web at https://ema.arrl.org/2018/03/05/ares-standby-update/
*** EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES CONTINUES TO BE ON STAND-BY FOR THE SECTION DUE TO LINGERING DAMAGE FROM LAST WEEKENDS STORM AND THE POTENTIAL FOR WEDNESDAY’S STORM TO INTERFERE WITH REPAIR CREWS AND HIGHER IMPACT TO WEAKENED INFRASTRUCTURE ***
*** WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK COUNTIES AND REGIONS NORTH FOR 6″+ OF SNOW ***
*** STRONG WINDS WITH GUSTS UP TO 50+ MPH ARE POSSIBLE WHICH COULD HAVE HIGHTENED IMPACT ON WEAKENED TREES AND INFRASTRUCTURE ***
*** SKYWARN OPS AT NWS-TAUNTON ARE LIKELY, UPDATED SKYWARN MESSAGE WILL BE POSTED LATER THIS EVENING ***
A major storm impacted the region Friday morning through Saturday. As crews continue to repair the damage from that storm another storm will impact the region on Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning. Various shelters across the region have been closing as of Monday morning, however with the risk of increased damage from this upcoming storm it is possible more shelters and warming centers will be needed. All amateurs are asked to prepare for a significant snow fall event of 6-12″+ of heavy wet snow, especially in the northern part of the section. Trees and various infrastructure are still in a weakened state, with the possibility of heavy snow combined with moderate winds there is a higher risk for impactful damage. The location of the rain/snow line is still uncertain and will greatly affect how much snow impacts the region as well as where the maximum snow will hit.
Please notify ARES leadership of availability to deploy for any post storm support. All amateurs during the storm are asked to shelter in place and monitor their local SKYWARN repeaters to help relay damage; infrastructure issues; coastal, river, and urban flooding; snow amounts; precipitation type; and any other pertinent information. ARES members are advised to continue to maintain readiness at home and check your emergency power and antenna situation. Secure any loose objects that can blow around easily.
The ARES HF net will be running on 3.930 +/- 5 kHz QRM with calls at the top (:00) and bottom (:30) of the hour. SKYWARN will be running various nets across our section on the assigned SKYWARN repeaters.
The list of SKYWARN repeaters can be found at: http://wx1box.org/node/37
The latest SKYWARN coordination message for this storm is at: http://wx1box.org/node/4047
For the latest bulletins please visit http://wx1box.org/
In advance of the storm, please advise your local EC/DEC/ADEC (SEC/DEC listed below) of your availability to support a potential deployment anytime through the weekend. We are creating a list of availability for ARESMAT (ARES Mutual Aid Team) deployment if needed for various local EOC’s, Red Cross, Salvation Army, NWS Storm Survey Teams, and hospitals as required. Keep your situational awareness level high for any updates from ARES leadership by checking your email for updates and our ARES web site at http://ema.arrl.org/ares and monitoring local SKYWARN/ARES/RACES frequencies for any updates on this developing situation.
When sending your availability, please send the following: Name, Call-sign, License Class, Capability (HF / VHF / UHF), Availability, and any other special notes we should be aware of. Also, please let us know if you can do an ARESMAT to another part of the Eastern Massachusetts section as this will be a large area impact storm for this anticipated storm. We ask that as you contact your DEC, please send a copy of the message to blizzard@nsradio.org where multiple members of the EMA ARES Leadership will be able to access your availability.
What is ARES Stand-By mode?
ARES stand-by mode is to alert Amateurs within ARES that a mobilization is possible on a wide-scale and that some localized mobilizations are or could be taking place in isolated areas. It means to take a look at your Go-Kit and have batteries and equipment ready to go and charged up and take care of any requirements at home in case a mobilization is required and you can participate. Do NOT self-deploy. Wait for guidance from leadership for any deployment. It is an honor to be ready even if you don’t deploy for the event. Hopefully, this is just another exercise of our preparedness and capabilities. If not, the ARES leadership looks forward to working with you if any wide scale mobilization is required after the impact of this major storm to the region is fully understood.
Thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!
Respectfully Submitted,
Marek Kozubal (KB1NCG)
ARES Eastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator
SEC/ASEC:
SEC – KB1NCG – kb1ncg@arrl.net
ASEC – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
ASEC – KD1CY – kd1cy@comcast.net
DECs:
Essex County – KB1KQW – kb1kqw@nsradio.org
Middlesex County – KB1KQW – kb1kqw@nsradio.org
Metro-Boston – KB1NCG – kb1ncg@arrl.net
Norfolk County – W3EVE – w3eve@arrl.net
Bristol County – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
Plymouth County – N1YLQ – mpleger@comcast.net
Cape & Islands – WQ1O – wq1o@comcast.com
We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone’s participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org
Thanks for your continued support of ARES!
Marek Kozubal, KB1NCG
EMA Section Emergency Coordinator
The seventh annual New Hampshire ARES Academy will be held in Concord, New Hampshire on March 24.
A few of the courses offered at the daylong event include: Net Control, ARES 101, Go Kit Basics, ARESMAT Mutual Aid, and Basic NBEMS, and Tactical Comms for Events and Disasters.
To register, contact Dave, WA1ZCN at wa1zcn@myfairpoint.net and indicate your course choices along with your home or mobile number.
03/21/18: The ARES Academy workshop is open to Eastern MA amateurs. According to NH Section Manager K1PJS, there are still seats available.
The Boston Amateur Radio Club will hold a special meeting at Massport Fire Rescue Headquarters, 261 Harborside Drive, East Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday, March 15, 2018. A tour of MassPort Fire Department apparatus will commence at 6:45 PM, followed by a short trip to Santarpio’s pizza at 7:15 PM concluding with the general meeting at 8:00 PM. Attendance for this event is limited to 25 individuals.
Steve Staffier, K1SMS, Massport’s Communications and Interoperability Manager, will talk about communications interoperability followed by a presentation about Massport Fire Rescue by Deputy Chief Robert Barnes.
Parking is available at Massport Fire Headquarters, 261 Harborside Drive, East Boston, Massachusetts. The Fire Department is located past the Hyatt Hotel. Please park in designated spaces.
Since we’re literally in the neighborhood, we will have Santarpio’s Pizza for dinner. A suggested donation of $7.50 per person is requested.
Due to space limitations at the facility, we will only be able to accommodate 25 members. If you’re interested in attending this meeting, you must send an email to k1bth@arrl.net no later than March 7, 2018. Management reserves the right to cancel the evening if not enough people sign up by March 7.