Technician License Class, Walpole, September-October, 2014

ARRL Ham Radio License Manual

Don Rolph, AB1PH writes:

The Walpole Emergency Communications Association and the Eastern MA Amateur Radio Group are sponsoring an EMA/CERT Amateur Radio Technician Class open to the public. A charge of $15 covers the examination–payable to EMARG (Eastern Massachusetts Amateur Radio Group) at time of exam.

Class times and exam are as follows:

9:30 AM – 12 noon Saturday

Sep 6     Rolls Royce
Sep 13   Rolls Royce
Sep 20   Rolls Royce
Sep 27   Rolls Royce
Oct 4     Rolls Royce
Oct 11    Rolls Royce

exam: Thursday Oct 16 7:30 PM Canton EMA Emergency Operations Center training room, 99 Revere Street, Canton MA

Rolls Royce Facility, 110 Norfolk St, Walpole, MA 02081

Preregistration required. Contact: Roger Turner wlp1ema@aol.com or Don Rolph AB1PH@arrl.net.

Each individual must order in advance of the class: ARRL Ham Radio License Manual

***TRAFFIC HANDLERS PICNIC AUGUST 3 2014***

Mark the date SUNDAY AUGUST 3 2014 FROM NOON TO 4 PM.  We will gather again at the Senior Center in Raynham MA on King Phillip Street.  This facility has grills, picnic tables and restroom facilities.  Hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided.  Bring your own drinks, but no alcohol please as this is not permitted on the grounds. Feel free to bring anything else to share although this is not required.  All traffic handlers and anyone interested in message handling are welcome.

Directions: From RT 24 North or South. Take exit 13 west towards Taunton RT 44.

Follow 44 1.5 miles to set of lights with Rite Aid Pharmacy on corner. Take right

on to RT 104 Raynham. Follow RT 104 ½ mile, take first left on to King Phillip St.

Follow King Phillip ¼ mile up to Raynham Senior Center on left. Pull right into

Parking lot. Picnic area on your left. Talk in will be on Bridgewater repeater

147.180 PL 67.

 

IMPORTANT CHANGES IN EASTERN MA ARES LEADERSHIP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Phil Temples, K9HI
ARRL Section Manager,
Eastern Massachusetts Section
Tel: 617-331-0183
k9hi@arrl.org

July 21, 2014

IMPORTANT CHANGES IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION ARES LEADERSHIP

Effective Monday July 21, 2014, Mike Neilsen, W1MPN, will be appointed as Section Emergency Coordinator for the Eastern Massachusetts Section. Our current SEC, Rob Macedo, KD1CY, has decided to step down due to the demands of his professional work commitments.

I wish to thank Rob Macedo for all of his valuable contributions as our Section Emergency Coordinator. Rob has served three different Section Managers over nearly a decade, and he’s earned well-deserved accolades both locally and nationally–not only from the ARRL, but also, from the National Weather Service and several other served agencies.

We’re very fortunate to have Mike Neilsen, W1MPN back in the SEC role. Mike brings years of experience to the position, having previously served multiple terms as both our Section Emergency Coordinator and Section Manager. Mike Neilsen is retired from the US Navy, and an engineering and management consulting firm executive career. He’s a professional meteorologist by training, and he holds a degree in history.  W1MPN has over 45 years of military, maritime, and US Coast Guard communication operator experience. As a naval communications officer, Mike Neilsen was “responsible for all shipboard real time long haul HF communications with on-line cryptology, including the translation to satellite communication systems.”

Although we’re losing KD1CY as SEC, I’m pleased to report that Rob has agreed to accept an appointment as an Assistant SEC. Under Mike, Rob will continue in his leadership role with our SKYWARN program. He’ll also interface with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Please join me in welcoming Mike Neilsen, W1MPN, as our new Section Emergency Coordinator, and Rob Macedo, KD1CY as an Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator.

IMPORTANT CHANGES IN EASTERN MA ARES LEADERSHIP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Phil Temples, K9HI

ARRL Section Manager,

Eastern Massachusetts Section

Tel: 617-331-0183

k9hi@arrl.org

July 21, 2014

IMPORTANT CHANGES IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SECTION ARES LEADERSHIP

Effective Monday July 21, 2014, Mike Neilsen, W1MPN, will be appointed as Section Emergency Coordinator for the Eastern Massachusetts Section. Our current SEC, Rob Macedo, KD1CY, has decided to step down due to the demands of his professional work commitments.

I wish to thank Rob Macedo for all of his valuable contributions as our Section Emergency Coordinator. Rob has served three different Section Managers over nearly a decade, and he’s earned well-deserved accolades both locally and nationally–not only from the ARRL, but also, from the National Weather Service and several other served agencies.

We’re very fortunate to have Mike Neilsen, W1MPN back in the SEC role. Mike brings years of experience to the position, having previously served multiple terms as both our Section Emergency Coordinator and Section Manager. Mike Neilsen is retired from the US Navy, and an engineering and management consulting firm executive career. He’s a professional meteorologist by training, and he holds a degree in history.  W1MPN has over 45 years of military, maritime, and US Coast Guard communication operator experience. As a naval communications officer, Mike Neilsen was “responsible for all shipboard real time long haul HF communications with on-line cryptology, including the translation to satellite communication systems.”

Although we’re losing KD1CY as SEC, I’m pleased to report that Rob has agreed to accept an appointment as an Assistant SEC. Under Mike, Rob will continue in his leadership role with our SKYWARN program. He’ll also interface with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Please join me in welcoming Mike Neilsen, W1MPN, as our new Section Emergency Coordinator, and Rob Macedo, KD1CY as an Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator.

Reminder: Monthly Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for July 2014

Hello to all…

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for July is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for July is Monday July 7th, 2014, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the MEMA Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_index_by_linkstate.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make this first Monday of the month, “Emergency Communications Night” and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

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!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Honors Amateur Radio, ARRL

2014 Gubernatorial Amateur Radio Proclamation[UPDATE: On June 28, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a Citation recognizing ARRL’s anniversary. The text is included at the end of this story.]

The Executive and Senate branches of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have recognized Amateur Radio and the ARRL with a Gubernatorial Proclamation and Senate Resolution, respectively. The Governor recognized an “Amateur Radio Day” while the Senate resolved to “join in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Radio Relay League.”

Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager Phil Temples, K9HI accepted the documents today from Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr (R-Gloucester) at his State House office. Separate copies of the documents are being mailed to Ed Emco, W1KT, the ARRL Section Manager of Western Massachusetts. Also assisting with the project was newly appointed State Government Liaison Hank Mc Carl, W4RIG, of Gloucester.

Temples will tour various Field Day sites on June 28-29 to show the proclamation and resolutions to ARRL clubs and groups participating in the annual exercise. Tarr, who is also a licensed ham, plans to tour several Field Day sites in his district with copies of the documents as well.

Here is the text of the Gubernatorial Proclamation:

A PROCLAMATION

His Excellency Governor Deval L. Patrick

Whereas Amateur radio has always played a significant role in developing world-wide radio communications; and

Whereas The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has approximately 14,000 amateur radio operators, who continually demonstrate their value in public assistance; and

Whereas Amateur radio operators are constantly vigilant in case of tornado, flood, hurricane, or other local emergency, in order that they may use their equipment and skills to assist local and state officials; and

Whereas Massachusetts amateur radio operators have generously donated their time, equipment, and knowledge to provide communications support and technical training to local service clubs, organizations, and interested citizens; and

Now, Therefore, I, Deval L. Patrick, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby proclaim June 13th, 2014, to be,

AMATEUR RADIO DAY

And urge all the citizens of the Commonwealth to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston, this twenty-third day of May, in the year two thousand and fourteen and of the Independence of the United States of America, the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

 

 

By His Excellency

Deval L. Patrick

Governor of the Commonwealth

 

William Francis Galvin

Secretary of the Commonwealth

 

*      *      *

 

 

THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE

RESOLUTIONS

2014 Senate Amateur Radio Resolution

 

CELEBRATING THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE

 

WHEREAS, AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS ARE CELEBRATING OVER A CENTURY OF THE MIRACLE OF THE HUMAN VOICE BROADCAST OVER THE AIRWAYS AND, IN 2014, THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE IS CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF PROMOTING AND ADVANCING THE ART, SCIENCE AND ENJOYMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO; AND

WHEREAS, THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE IS THE LEADING ORGANIZATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO IN THE USA AND SERVES OVER 164,000 MEMBERS, MOSTLY LICENSED RADIO AMATEURS, IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD; AND

WHEREAS, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION’S HEADQUARTERS IN HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, HAS BEEN HOME TO THE HIRAM PERCY MAXIM MEMORIAL STATION SINCE 1938 AND RECEIVES VISITS FROM NEARLY 2,000 INDIVIDUALS A YEAR; AND

WHEREAS, THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE’S MISSION IS “TO PROMOTE AND ADVANCE THE ART, SCIENCE AND ENJOYMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO” AND MEMBERS SPAN THE GLOBE, SUPPORTED BY THE ORGANIZATION’S PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, PUBLICATIONS AND EXPERTS; AND

WHEREAS, AMATEUR RADIO HAS CONTINUED TO PROVIDE A BRIDGE BETWEEN PEOPLES, SOCIETIES AND COUNTRIES BY CREATING FRIENDSHIPS AND SHARING IDEAS; AND

WHEREAS, AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS HAVE ALSO PROVIDED COUNTLESS HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICES BOTH IN EMERGENCIES AND TO OTHER LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THESE DECADES, NOW THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, THAT THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE HEREBY JOINS IN CELEBRATING THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE; AND BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED, THAT A COPY OF THESE RESOLUTIONS BE TRANSMITTED FORTHWITH BY THE CLERK OF THE SENATE TO THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE.

SENATE, ADOPTED, JUNE 23, 2014.


THERESE MURRAY
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

OFFERED BY:
SENATOR BRUCE E. TARR

 

*      *      *

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, House of Representatives;

Be it hereby known to all that the Massachusetts House of Representatives offers its sincerest Congratulations to the American Radio Relay League in Recognition of its 100th Anniversary and its affiliate, the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association, for providing service and education to the Cape Ann Community. The entire membership extends the very best wishes and expresses the hope for future good fortune and continued success in all endeavors.

Given this 28th day of June, at the State House, Boston, Massachusetts

By: Robert A. DeLeo

Speaker of the House

Offered by State Representative

Ann-Margaret Ferrante

Princess Marconi To Participate In Special Contacts, June 20, 2014

Barbara Dougan, NN1NS writes:

KM1CC will have a special guest operator on June 20, Princess Elettra Marconi. Two contacts have been scheduled on 7.150 +- SSB on June 20 about 2:30-2:45 PM ET or 1830-1845 UTC. The scheduled contacts are with the World Radiosport 2014 Chairman, using WR1TC, and WA2GM. WA2GM is located at Marconi’s Wall, New Jersey station. Sorry, its listening only due to the short amount of time in the Princess’ schedule. We may be delayed, but the above is the plan.

Want to know more about Princess Marconi’s visit: www.marconi2014.com.


Barbara Dougan, N1NS, KM1CC trustee
km1cc.capecod@gmail.com

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday June 7th, 2014 at 1000 AM EDT

Hello Everyone,

Net Control for the June 7, 2014 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be the Brockton Hospital.  The net will commence at the usual time of 10am using the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. Plymouth 146.685 tone 82.5
2. Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9
3. Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
And than conduct a simplex test on 147.42.

The Net will then return to the Plymouth 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 your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to the EOC of any city or town that is served by one of our participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for more groups or organizations to take Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com or Carl Aveni at caave@peoplepc.com. We can assist with getting your location on the air.

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.

Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3
Belmont 145.430 tone 67.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0 
Fairhaven 145.490 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
Norwell 145.390 tone 67.0     
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 82.5
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8       
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5   
Weymouth 224.580 tone 100.0
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dpl 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Respectfully,

John O’Neill
K1JRO

South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club – W1SSH
55 Fogg Road, Mail Stop #25
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Reminder: Monthly Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for June 2014

Hello to all…

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for June is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for June is Monday June 2nd, 2014, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the MEMA Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_index_by_linkstate.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make this first Monday of the month, “Emergency Communications Night” and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

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!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

WRTC2014 Volunteer Training Session, May 31

WRTC2014 logo The WRTC2014 Organizing Committee and the Yankee Clipper Contest Club will conduct a joint meeting on May 31, 2014 beginning at 8:30 AM at Milara, Inc., 49 Maple Street, Milford. The purpose of the meeting is to recruit and provide training for volunteers who will be involved in the WRTC2014 event. Everyone is invited. The main door prize will be a TX38 tribander.

Registration for the training will begin around 7:30am (everyone will be asked to sign a release form if they have not already). Coffee and donuts will be available for breakfast.

The training starts promptly at 8:30am with a short indoor classroom-style review of the station setup process, including changes from last year. Two (possibly three) complete WRTC2014 stations will be constructed outside. The session is expected to conclude by 3 PM. Lunch will be served.

This is a “rain or shine” event. If it is raining, bring rain gear!

“My New Favorite Social Media Network is Ham Radio”

MetroWest Daily News logo“Well before the days of the tweet and the status update, people communicated with each other over sweeping distances by quite literally harnessing the earth’s magnetic field to send messages via radio waves. It continues to this day, and I’ve just recently gotten on board…”

The May 24, 2014 edition of the Metro West Daily News carries this light, but informative missive about Amateur Radio by Dylan Love. 

K3HI Steps Down as State Government Liaison

ARRL logo

Shawn O’Donnell, K3HI, Framingham, has resigned as the State Government Liaison for Massachusetts.

“My current schedule does not allow me to contribute as SGL as much as I had been able to in the past. It is time for me to resign as SGL,” writes K3HI. “It’s been a good ride. A couple of quashed bills here and there, a couple of proclamations now and then, assisting Tom Carrigan, NE1R to get PRB-1 into Massachusetts law, and then helping a number of hams with the legal citation for their zoning boards,” he adds.

Eastern MA ARRL Section Manager Phil Temples, K9HI praised O’Donnell’s efforts in his SGL role over the past several decades. “It’s been a tremendous experience to work with someone as dedicated as Shawn. He’s performed a superb job of keeping his finger on the pulse of Beacon Hill, and warning the amateur community of potential legislation that might have an adverse impact on our hobby service.”

“It’s time for some new blood and excitement in the role,” added O’Donnell. “I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with all of you. Please pass along my 73.”

Reminder: Monthly Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for May 2014

Hello to all…

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for May is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for May is Monday May 5th, 2014, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the MEMA Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_index_by_linkstate.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make this first Monday of the month, “Emergency Communications Night” and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

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!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

Metro-Boston ARES Meeting 5/17/14

Hello!

We will be holding an all hands meeting, which includes anyone in the Metro-Boston and surrounding areas interested in supporting Metro-Boston ARES, on May 17, 2014 at 10 am.  Current ARES membership is not required! The meeting will be held in the Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center, 125 Antwerp Street, Brighton, MA.

This meeting will have a slightly different format. The main meeting will start at 11 am, and we will be doing a presentation for the community about what amateur radio is all about from 10 to 11. Anyone from that presentation will be welcome to stay through the main meeting if they’re interested.

A map with parking and bus information can be found at http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/Metro-Boston-ARES-Meeting-Parking.jpg
There is also street parking available on Harvard St.

Please RSVP to myself so we can estimate how many people to prepare for to kb1ncg@gmail.com.

If you have not yet done so our Metro-Boston ARES survey is still open and can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8V26FBB

Our meeting agenda will be:

1.) From 10 – 11 am we will be presenting an introduction to non-hams about what amateur radio is all about. Topics will include basics of the hobby, equipment, getting licensed, emergency, and skywarn operations.
2.) The main ARES meeting will start at 11 am.
3.) Are you prepared for an emergency? We will discuss best practices for your home readiness kit.
4.) So you are an amateur radio operator, what else beyond the standard kits will you want? We’ll discuss radio-centric aspects to prep-kits and go-kits.
5.) Open discussion about future plans, training, and other topics of interest.
6.) Discussions on next meeting dates and topics.

We will be serving coffee and will provide pizza for lunch.

Look forward to seeing you all at the meeting!

Marek Kozubal
Metro-Boston District Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
kb1ncg@gmail.com

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday May 3rd, 2014 at 1000 AM EDT

Hello Everyone,

Net Control for the  April 3, 2014 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club. They will be conducting the NET from South Shore Hospital.  The net will commence at the usual time of 10am using the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. Plymouth 146.685 cts 82.5
2. W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244
3. Belmont 145.430 cts 67.0

We will NOT be conducting a simplex test this month.

The Net will then return to the Plymouth 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 your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to the EOC of any city or town that is served by one of our participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for more groups or organizations to take Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com or Carl Aveni at caave@peoplepc.com. We can assist with getting your location on the air.

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.

Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3
Belmont 145.430 tone 67.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0 
Fairhaven 145.490 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
Norwell 145.390 tone 67.0     
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 82.5
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8       
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5   
Weymouth 224.580 tone 100.0
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dpl 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Respectfully,

John O’Neill
K1JRO
South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club – W1SSH
55 Fogg Road, Mail Stop #25
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday May 3rd, 2014 at 1000 AM EDT

Hello Everyone,

Net Control for the  April 3, 2014 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club. They will be conducting the NET from South Shore Hospital.  The net will commence at the usual time of 10am using the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. Plymouth 146.685 cts 82.5
2. W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244
3. Belmont 145.430 cts 67.0

We will NOT be conducting a simplex test this month.

The Net will then return to the Plymouth 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 your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to the EOC of any city or town that is served by one of our participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for more groups or organizations to take Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com or Carl Aveni at caave@peoplepc.com. We can assist with getting your location on the air.

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.

Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3
Belmont 145.430 tone 67.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0 
Fairhaven 145.490 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
Norwell 145.390 tone 67.0     
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 82.5
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8       
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5   
Weymouth 224.580 tone 100.0
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dpl 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Respectfully,

John O’Neill
K1JRO
South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club – W1SSH
55 Fogg Road, Mail Stop #25
South Weymouth, MA 02190

New England QSO Party, May 3-4, 2014

Tom Frenaye, K1KI writes:

The New England QSO Party is coming – May 3-4 – and we’re looking for more activity from Massachusetts.

The NEQP is a great way to test your antennas on 80-10 meters and to be the focus of a lot of activity as stations from around the world look for New England stations. Plus, it’s fun!!

Here is a summary of the New England QSO Party rules:

Object: To contact as many New England stations (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) in as many New England counties as possible on 80-40-20-15-10m. (New England stations work anyone)

Date: First full weekend of May.

Period: 2000Z Saturday until 0500Z Sunday (4pm EDT Saturday until 1am EDT Sunday) and 1300Z Sunday until 2400Z Sunday (9am EDT Sunday until 8pm EDT Sunday).

Categories: Single-operator high power, low power(150w or less) and QRP(5w or less) categories, plus multi-operator, single transmitter. Same four categories for mobiles. Single-operator stations using assistance during the contest (packet or Internet spotting nets, etc.) will compete in the multi-single category.

Contest Exchange: Send signal report and state/province (DX stations send signal report and “DX”). New England stations send signal report, county and state.

QSO Points: Count one point per phone QSO, two points per CW (includes digital modes)QSO.

Multiplier: Stations outside of New England use counties as multipliers for a total of 67 (CT/8 MA/14 ME/16 NH/10 RI/5 VT/14). New England stations use states(50)(Count DC as MD), Canadian provinces(14) and DXCC countries as multipliers.

Scoring: Total score is QSO points times the multiplier. Mobiles count QSO points per county and multipliers from all counties (counted once).

Suggested frequencies: CW – 3540 7035 14040 21040 28040, SSB – 3850 7280 14280 21380 28380. ** Now that the broadcast stations are mostly out of 7125-7200, try 7180 on 40m SSB.**

Reporting: Logs should indicate times in UTC, bands, modes, calls and required contest exchange. All stations include your club’s name in the log header or summary. Entries must be submitted within 30 days and sent to NEQP, P.O.Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 or via e-mail to logs@neqp.org (Cabrillo format preferred).

Awards: Certificates will be awarded to the top scorers (25 QSO minimum) in each New England county, U.S. state, Canadian province and DXCC country. A number of special plaques will also be awarded to top scorers.

Additional details can be found on the NEQP web site at http://www.neqp.org

See if you can have a competition within your club for the top scorer. Several clubs are challenging each other for the best club score.

We’re especially looking for mobile stations to put the rarest counties on the air.

If think you might be on for at least a short time in the NEQP, let us know with a brief message to us at info@neqp.org

Thanks!

— Tom/K1KI for the NEQP Committee

Whitman ARC To Sponsor Amateur Radio General License Upgrade Class

Beginning May 6, 2014 the WARC will be conducting another General upgrade class which will be held at the Whitman Police Station Conference Room starting at 6:00 PM.

The classes will be help each Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to 8:45 PM. Classes will run for three weeks and testing on May 27, 2014. A VE teat will be coming in from the Norwood Amateur Radio Club to conduct the testing. The only costs for the course will be $15.00 for the test and you MUST purchase the Gordon West General test book. The course is based upon the Gordon West book and CD’s.

Upgrade to General Class with NO Morse Code test required.
Live High Frequency equipment demonstrations.
Fixed and Mobile antenna construction and operations.
Learn how to put up ”hidden” antennas and work stations worldwide.
Discussions on which worldwide radios to purchase from $599.00 and up.
Learn high frequency net operating procedures.
Go from technician to general in just three weeks.

For more information call Charlie Amico W1CBR at (774) 203-6905 or e-mail at sfccamico@gmail.com  If you call Please call before 8:00 PM. To enroll in the course please call Charlie at the above number or e-mail also. In addition to Charlie you can also contact Bill Hart W1ACO at (781) 294-0602 or e-mail at pembaco@aol.com

Here is your chance to upgrade before the summer sets in and when you travel you will be able to set-up your HF station anywhere and make contacts you only dreamed about. We have a program laid out to will gain your interest and motivate you to go even further in ham radio as the possibilities are unlimited. There is no age requirement to take the course, you just need your FCC Call Letters.

Boston Marathon Eastern Massachusetts ARES Standby and Weather Coordination Message #1

Hello to all..

While this may be a bit off topic for some SKYWARN Spotters, Amateur Radio Operators and Red Cross volunteers, many of which are SKYWARN Spotters, will be involved in the Boston Marathon on Monday April 21st. To reach out to the highest level of Amateur Radio Operators involved in the event, this coordination message is being sent out to the SKYWARN email list and posted to the various Amateur Radio lists. We appreciate everyone’s patience with this message. This is likely to be the only coordination message on the Marathon unless a significant change in the weather forecast occurs. See information below:

Eastern Massachusetts ARES members not participating in the Boston Marathon are requested to be on standby for marathon activities on Monday April 21st from 12 AM-8 PM for any significant issues outside of the Boston Marathon that may require Amateur Radio Emergency Communications support and for any unexpected issues on the Boston Marathon route. With over 300 Amateur Radio Operators staffing the Boston Marathon route, the start line and the finish line, if an issue arises needing Amateur Radio support outside of the Marathon route or an unexpected issue arises in marathon operations, it is important that any ARES members not involved in the marathon can help with any response that is required. There will be two backup communication centers including the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net Control Center at the town of Bridgewater EOC.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) at the SEOC (State Emergency Operations Center) will be active for the Boston Marathon. Amateur Radio Operators will be at the SEOC to support Amateur Radio communications while many agencies will be there performing primary operations for the marathon.

With all of the significant security provisions and additional resources being provided for 2014, this should greatly reduce the chance of an issue along the Boston Marathon route. Nonetheless, being one year after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and the fact that even more resources are being deployed to the Boston Marathon route, placing Eastern Massachusetts ARES on standby for any possible significant issue along the Boston Marathon route or any issue within the Eastern Massachusetts section outside of the Marathon route is prudent given the situation.

The weather outlook for the Boston Marathon is one that should be favorable for volunteers and slightly warm for the runners. The Weather Forecast across the Boston Marathon is for mostly sunny conditions throughout the day. There will be a 5-10 MPH breeze with isolated higher gusts. Temperatures will range in the mid 30s across the inland portion of the Boston Marathon route to mid-40’s in the Boston area early in the morning warming to the 55-60 degree range by mid to late morning to the mid to upper 60s by afternoon. This means that conditions for the runners should be reasonable with an ‘average’ amount of ambulance requests along the route versus some prior years where warmer weather conditions resulted in some of the highest amounts of ambulance requests since Amateur Radio Operators have handled the event. It is noted that conditions this year are slightly warmer than last year but still fairly comfortable for the runners.

For Amateur Radio, Red Cross and all other volunteers along the route, it is recommended that you dress in layers for this event so that you can put on or take off clothes as needed for comfort. Be sure to drink liquids and eat properly during the event and that you are self-sufficient so that you can be of full help to the function and not distract everyone from the main purpose of supporting the runners by having a health issue on your end that can be avoided. No rain is expected at this time so there should be no need for rain gear.

For those people that are planning to go to the Boston Marathon as spectators, the following link details guidelines for spectators given the tragedy that occurred at the 2013 Boston Marathon:
http://www.mass.gov/eopss/docs/mema/baa-spectator-and-participant-information.pdf

Barring a significant change in the weather forecast, this will be the only coordination message on the Boston Marathon. We appreciate everyone’s support in this event and hope those that volunteer enjoy themselves and feel the self-satisfaction of supporting this historic event and those that are monitoring the Marathon or events outside of the Marathon realize that the monitoring is an important function as well and is a testament to being able to scale other incidents beyond the marathon if required. Thanks to all for their support!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box

W1AA/MSC QRV for International Marconi Day, April 26

Robert “Whitey” Doherty, K1VV writes:

If you like to collect rare and historically significant QSL cards this is an event you will like… W1AA/MSC will be for International Marconi Day on April 26th to represent the Marconi 1901 shore station on Nantucket.

W1AA/MSC will be mostly on CW because we will be running a temporary setup from my QTH with an IC-7000 (100 watts) and a 80 meter dipole for all bands. Using an ancient IBM ThinkPad lap top and CT for logging.

The list of participating stations is on the G land page, at http://g4usb.net/IMD/. I think there are 31 and maybe more, and there is an award.

See you on the 26th. Mark your calendar.

Whitey, K1VV