Eastern Massachusetts ARRL

The Wellesley Amateur Radio Society has been invited to return and assist with organizing the Wellesley Wonderful Weekend Parade on Sunday, May 20, 2007, according to WARS President Dan Brown, W1DAN.

“I guess previous successes prove our worth,” Brown writes. “I am looking for six to eight volunteers who are willing to spend a few hours on a Sunday to get participants in the proper marching order and communicate this and other information.” W1DAN adds that volunteers need not have any previous experience. “We can help train you ‘on the job.'”

–Thanks, Wellesley ARS The Sparkgap, April 2007

“Whitey” Doherty, K1VV writes:

RADIO MARITIME DAY from 8:00 AM EDST (1200 UTC) APRIL 14 to 8:00 AM EDST (1200 UTC) April 15, 2007. See http://www.radiomaritimeday.org:80/ for rules and details.

This an all CW special event. Former maritime radio operators will be calling “CQ MRD”. The exchange will be their Name and their last Ship Call Sign, “Op Bob last ship NEGX NEGX”.

The ship and shore operators will adjust their CW speed for the slower CW operators.

Taking part from EMA will be:

W1AAX / WFQB, Overseas Marilyn (Grain Carrier)
W1QWT / NEGX USS Fulton AS-11( Submarine Tender).
K1VV / NJPJ Reliance WMEC 615( USCG Cutter).

Ship Photo QSL cards will be used by the ship operators.

There will be several hundred former ship and shore based maritime radio operators worldwide taking part. The list of operators and their ships and shore stations is listed on the Radio Maritime Day web page.

If you are interested in collecting some “one of a kind” unique QSL cards, this is an event you should tune into.

Suggested RMD FREQUENCIES LIST

Plus / minus 5kc/s
1824 khz, 3520 khz, 7020 khz, 14052 khz, 21052 khz, 28052 khz

Since some of these frequencies are in the Extra Class part of the band for 80 and 40 meters so we will start on 3552 khz at 8:00 AM on April 14th, then go to 7252 khz about 9:00 AM. Operating frequencies are +- 5 khz.

73 Whitey K1VV / NJPJ

The
New England
Amateur Radio Festival (NEAR-Fest) at
DEERFIELD

May 4^th & 5^th
2007

W1RC, K1TWF and N1IWV invite ALL radio enthusiasts to attend the Spring 2007 NEAR-Fest! The Deerfield (NH) Fairgrounds was the site of the legendary “Hosstraders Tailgate Swapfest” for fifteen years until the event was moved in 1993. “Hosstraders” may be just a memory now but NEAR-Fest is continuing the “Grand Tradition” and returning to the magnificent Deerfield Fairgrounds.

Gates open Friday at 9:00 AM. Pre-paid buyers and sellers will be admitted first then general admission. Admission is $10.00 per person ($5.00 after 3:00PM Friday) and $10.00 per vehicle into the flea market. There are no sellers’ fees or space limitations. Ample free parking outside the flea market. No charge for camping. RV hookups (power and water) $30.00. Be sure to check the Web site before making plans to camp out Thursday night! You may purchase advance tickets and vehicle passes by mail: NEAR-Fest, PO Box 511, Hartford VT 05047-0511 or visit our Web site: www.near-fest.com

In addition to the hundreds of hams “tailgating” in the flea market there will be two buildings of commercial vendors and dealers offering everything from the latest in radio equipment, books, accessories and who knows what else? You never know what treasures, old and new, you will find at Deerfield!

The Deerfield Fairgrounds is located on Route 43 approximately 15 miles NE of Manchester NH. Take Exit 3 off Highway 101 East and follow Highway 43 north to the fairgrounds. GPS coordinates: N42˚ 5’ 57.4” W71˚ 14’ 33.5” (Lat 43.099286 Lon -71.242663). Talk-in on K1JEK/RPT 146.700 MHz (-600 PL 88.5).

NOTE: The Deerfield Fair Association rules prohibit alcohol, pets and open fires anywhere on the property. Charcoal grills, barbeques, gas grills are okay!

Full details are available on the official NEAR-Fest Web Site: http://near-fest.com

FALL DATES: Friday October 12th and Saturday October 13th 2007!!!

33rd Annual Eastern VHF/UHF Conference
April 20, 21 & 22, 2007
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Enfield, CT

This year we will sponsor a Saturday afternoon Microwave Workshop -mini conference in addition to our regular 3 day conference activities. Friday night hospitality suite, Saturday lectures, band session discussions, vendor displays and noise figure measurements with an evening banquet. Sunday morning (weather permitting) we will hold an Outdoor Flea Market specializing in VHF and Up items.

The Microwave Workshop will be patterned after the UK Microwave Group’s “Microwave Radio Workshop for Beginners”. This event is suitable for all newcomers to the microwave bands, with no previous experience necessary.

Paul Wade, W1GHZ world renowned micro-waver and editor of QST’s Microwavelengths column is coordinating the event. If you are interested in trying out the microwave bands but haven’t done so, or are just getting set up for the bands, then this event is a great opportunity to kick start your activities. The afternoon will be structured around a series of introductory talks and practical demonstrations of microwave station operations. There will be a number of experienced microwave operators on hand over the day so that all of your questions can be answered. The workshop will be an introduction to microwaves. Please note that it is NOT intended for those already experienced in this part of the spectrum.

Program Overview

*** SPECIAL THIS YEAR ***

* Microwave Workshop Saturday Afternoon Registration 1-4 PM. (You may register for this miniconference
workshop separately.)
* Learn about the Higher Bands and its equipment
* Hands On demonstrations
* Expanded Laboratory Test Session Saturday Afternoon 1- 5PM
* Greg Bonaguide, WA1VUG, National Applications Engineer
* Spectrum Analyzers & Vector Analyzers Rohde & Schwarz will once again
provide us with:

a. Spectrum Analyzer to 75 GHz
b. Vector Network Analyzer to 40 GHz
c. Power Meter to 40 GHz
d. Noise Figure Meter to 24 GHz
e. Signal Generator 50 GHz

* Bring your equipment you thought you could never measure.

Please take advantage of this great opportunity.

Directions: Interstate 91 take to Exit 49, bear right at end of the ramp, and take your immediate right (at the Friendly’s) onto Bright Meadow Blvd. The hotel will be on your left.

See http://www.newsvhf.com or contact Bruce Wood, N2LIV, Conference Chairman at N2LIV at ARRL.NET or (516) 938-0698 ext 210, (days) for further info.

If you interested in presenting a talk or preparing a paper for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings please contact Bruce Wood, N2LIV, Conference Chairman. Paper submittal deadline March 1, 2007.

–Thanks, Billerica ARS BARS Newsletter, April, 2007

PSLIST April 4, 2007

Public Service Volunteer Opportunities in the New England Division

Listing public events at which Amateur Radio communications is providing a public service and for which additional volunteers from the Amateur Community are needed and welcome. Please contact the person listed to identify how you may serve and what equipment you may need to bring.

The most up-to-date copy of this list is maintained as http://purl.org/hamradio/publicservice/nediv

   **** Every event listed is looking for communications volunteers ****
Date    Location      Event                       Contact      Tel/Email
Apr 16  Hopkinton  MA Boston Marathon              Steve W3EVE   508.922.9688

         to Boston MA                                          w3eve@arrl.net

         please register via http://www.amateur-radio.net/marc

Apr 21  Townsend   MA Squannacook 2 Man Canoe Race  Gary K1YTS   978-815-4992

                                                               k1yts@arrl.net

Apr 29  Boston     MA Multiple Sclerosis Walk       Bob WA1IDA   508.650.9440

                                                              wa1ida@arrl.net

Apr 29  Groton     MA Groton Road Race              Ralph KD1SM  978.582.7351

                                                               kd1sm@arrl.net

Apr 29  Needham    MA Run of the Charles canoe race Bob WA1IDA   508.650.9440

        to Boston  MA                                         wa1ida@arrl.net

Apr 29  Wellesley  MA MS Journey of Hope Bob WA1IDA 508.650.9440

        to Boston  MA                                         wa1ida@arrl.net

May  6  Portsmouth NH Am Diabetes Tour de Cure     Joel KB1KBD

                                                              kb1kbd@arrl.net

May 12  Westford   MA Apple Blossom Parade         Terry KA8SCP  978.692.2069

                                                              ka8scp@arrl.net

May 19  Portsmouth NH NH Lung Clean Air Challenge  Dave KA1VJU

     to 20                                                  ka1vju@cnharc.org

May 20  Devens     MA Parker Road Race             Stan  KD1LE   978.433.5090

May 20  Hadley     MA Hadley Mem. Day Road Race    Richard KD1XP

                                                              kd1xp@kd1xp.org

Jun 16  Mt WashngtnNH Mt Washington Road Race      Cliff N1RCQ

                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org

Jul  7  Mt WashngtnNH Newton's Revenge cycle race  Cliff N1RCQ

                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org

Aug 18  Mt WashngtnNH Mt. Wash. Bicycle Hill Climb Cliff N1RCQ

                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org

Aug 19  Mt WashngtnNH Mt. Washington Century Ride  Cliff N1RCQ

                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org

Sep 29  Bristol    NH NH Marathon                  Cliff N1RCQ

                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org

This list is published periodically as demand warrants by Stan KD1LE and Ralph KD1SM.  Our usual distribution is via packet to NEBBS, via Internet mail to the arrl-nediv-list and ema-arrl distribution lists, and on the World Wide Web (see address above).  If other mailing list owners wish us to distribute via their lists we will be happy to oblige.  Permission is herewith granted to republish this list in its entirety provided credit is given to the authors and the Web address

below is included.  Send comments, corrections, and updates to:
(via Internet) KD1SM@ARRL.NET.
We make an attempt to confirm entries with the coordinator unless the information is from another published source.  We very much appreciate the assistance we have been receiving from our 'scouts'; everyone is welcome to send us postings.
Refer to http://purl.org/hamradio/publicservice/nediv  for the most recent version of the PSLIST.

		

Curtis Wright, AA3JE writes:

You may have noted some interference on the [145.13 MHz] repeater this week. Our crack repeater committee has been working on it and Ralph, Chuck, Briggs, Dick Copethorne spent several hours prowling Gloucester with directional antennas to good effect!

Two power poles near the repeater have been generating very large amounts of power-line noise and de-sensing the repeater. Using direction-finding techniques, they found the poles and we will be notifying the power company.

Hello to all….

The Public Information Statement on the Hurricane Awareness Tour with the P3 Hurricane Hunter Aircraft was posted by NWS Taunton on Thursday March 29th, 2007. Earlier in the week a web-site on the tour was also posted via the SKYWARN Newsletter. The link to the Hurricane Awareness Tour web site is listed below:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/announcement/HAT07WebRelease.htm

The NWS Taunton Public Information Statement on the Hurricane Awareness Tour is listed below:

NOUS41 KBOX 291900
PNSBOX
CTZ002>004-MAZ002>024-026-NHZ011-012-015-RIZ001>008-021800-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
300 PM EDT THU MAR 29 2007

…DO NOT MISS THE 2007 HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE TOUR AT QUONSET STATE AIRPORT RHODE ISLAND ON MONDAY APRIL 30…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS WILL HOST THE FIRST STOP OF THE 2007 EAST COAST HURRICANE AWARENESS TOUR AT QUONSET STATE AIRPORT IN NORTH KINGSTOWN RHODE ISLAND ON MONDAY APRIL 30 2007. THE DAY WILL FEATURE TOURS BY THE PERSONNEL OF THE
NOAA WP3 ORION HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FROM 3 TO 6 PM. THE THEME FOR THE VISIT WILL BE…BE AWARE…BE PREPARED.
THE HURRICANE AWARENESS TOUR…OR HAT AS IT IS KNOWN…IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF AN ANNUAL CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS AND PREPARATION FOR THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON…WHICH RUNS FROM JUNE 1 THROUGH NOVEMBER 30. THE HAT ALTERNATES BETWEEN THE ATLANTIC AND GULF OF MEXICO COASTS EACH YEAR.

PRESCHEDULED BRIEFINGS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM THE WEST BAY AREA OF RHODE ISLAND WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON…HOSTED BY THE QUONSET POINT AIR NATIONAL GUARD 143RD AIRLIFT WING.

THERE WILL BE MANY STATIONS SET UP WITH PAMPHLETS AND DISPLAYS ON HURRICANE SAFETY AND AWARENESS. REPRESENTATIVES AT THESE INFORMATION STATIONS INCLUDE…

THE AMERICAN RED CROSS RHODE ISLAND CHAPTER
THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND/S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF OCEANOGRAPHY
NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NORTHEAST RIVER FORECAST CENTER
THE STELLWAGEN BANK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY AND OFFICE OF COASTAL SURVEY FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE
THE NARRAGANSETT BAY NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE FROM PRUDENCE ISLAND AND THE RHODE ISLAND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY/S MOBILE COMMAND POST

AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS FROM RHODE ISLAND…MASSACHUSETTS AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY NEW HAMPSHIRE WILL PROVIDE LIVE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTLY TO THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IN MIAMI…AS WELL AS
COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE EVENT.

IN PREPARATION FOR THE VISIT…THERE WILL BE A LIVE BROADCAST ON ALL NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS STATIONS RUN BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON. THE SHOW…DINNER WITH DUNHAM…WILL AIR ON
MONDAY APRIL 23 AT 630 PM…HOSTED BY ALAN DUNHAM.

THE AIRCRAFT WILL BE ON DISPLAY NEAR THE QUONSET STATE AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING ON AIRPORT STREET…ALONG WITH THE INFORMATION STATIONS. PARKING WILL BE AVAILABLE TO THE NORTH OF THE TERMINAL BUILDING. FOLLOW THE SIGNS OFF OF ROGER WILLIAMS WAY TO QUONSET STATE AIRPORT.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HURRICANE AWARENESS TOUR…ALONG WITH DIRECTIONS TO QUONSET STATE AIRPORT…PLEASE VISIT OUR INTERNET WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/BOSTON AND CLICK ON THE LINK…P3 ORION HURRICANE HUNTER…OR LOOK UNDER THE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS AND NEWS FOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND LINK ON THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

$$

VALLIER-TALBOT

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Pager #: (508) 354-3142
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 1-800-445-2588 Ext.: 72929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://users.rcn.com/rmacedo
1

Len Schaier, K2IVX writes:

Please consider asking the members of your club to support HR 462, a bill that requires the FCC to report back to congress on interference issues associated with the BPL technology. There is an article on BPL in the current issue of QST. I have attached two letters (see below) that your members might find useful. Please feel free to suggest that they be modified/personalized.

If you are not familiar with the kind of interference that BPL can cause, please see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdcY0Eetvsw

If for some reason that link does not work, please search

“Broadband over Powerlines – An Radio Amateur’s Perspective”,

Also, please note that Edward J. Markey from MA is Chairman of the SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE INTERNET (where the Bill is in Committee). If you live in his district then your input might be especially valuable.

Thanks in advance,

Len, K2IVX

* Formal BPL example letter
* Not-so-formal BPL example letter

PSLIST

Listing public events at which Amateur Radio communications is providing a public service and for which additional volunteers from the Amateur Community are needed and welcome. Please contact the person listed to identify how you may serve and what equipment you may need to bring.

The most up-to-date copy of this list is maintained as http://purl.org/hamradio/publicservice/nediv.

**** Every event listed is looking for communications volunteers ****

Date      Location     Event                       Contact        Tel/Email

Apr 16  Hopkinton  MA Boston Marathon              Steve W3EVE   508.922.9688
         to Boston MA                                          w3eve@arrl.net
         please register via http://www.amateur-radio.net/marc
Apr 21  Townsend   MA Squannacook 2 Man Canoe Race  Gary K1YTS   978-815-4992
                                                               k1yts@arrl.net
Apr 29  Boston     MA Multiple Sclerosis Walk       Bob WA1IDA   508.650.9440
                                                              wa1ida@arrl.net
Apr 29  Groton     MA Groton Road Race             Ralph KD1SM   978.582.7351
                                                               kd1sm@arrl.net
Apr 29  Needham    MA Run of the Charles canoe race Bob WA1IDA   508.650.9440
        to Boston  MA                                         wa1ida@arrl.net
Apr 29  Wellesley  MA MS Journey of Hope Bob WA1IDA 508.650.9440
        to Boston  MA                                         wa1ida@arrl.net  
May  6  Portsmouth NH Am Diabetes Tour de Cure     Joel KB1KBD
                                                              kb1kbd@arrl.net
May 12  Westford   MA Apple Blossom Parade         Terry KA8SCP  978.692.2069
                                                              ka8scp@arrl.net
May 19  Portsmouth NH NH Lung Clean Air Challenge  Dave KA1VJU
     to 20                                                  ka1vju@cnharc.org
May 20  Devens     MA Parker Road Race             Stan  KD1LE   978.433.5090
Jun 16  Mt WashngtnNH Mt Washington Road Race      Cliff N1RCQ
                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org
Jul  7  Mt WashngtnNH Newton's Revenge cycle race  Cliff N1RCQ
                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org
Aug 18  Mt WashngtnNH Mt. Wash. Bicycle Hill Climb Cliff N1RCQ
                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org
Aug 19  Mt WashngtnNH Mt. Washington Century Ride  Cliff N1RCQ
                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org
Sep 29  Bristol    NH NH Marathon                  Cliff N1RCQ
                             n1rcq@amsat.org or Dave KA1VJU ka1vju@cnharc.org

This list is published periodically as demand warrants by Stan KD1LE and Ralph KD1SM. Our usual distribution is via packet to NEBBS, via Internet mail to the arrl-nediv-list and ema-arrl distribution lists, and on the World Wide Web. If other mailing list owners wish us to distribute via their lists we will be happy to oblige. Permission is herewith granted to republish this list in its entirety provided credit is given to the authors and the Web address below is included. Send comments, corrections, and updates to:

KD1SM@ARRL.NET.

We make an attempt to confirm entries with the coordinator unless the information is from another published source. We very much appreciate the assistance we have been receiving from our ‘scouts’; everyone is welcome to send us postings.
Refer to http://purl.org/hamradio/publicservice/nediv for the most recent version of the PSLIST.

-30-

A recent inquiry to ARRL Headquarters by an Eastern MA member who has been missing emailed copies of the ARRL Letter has revealed that internet service provider Comcast is, once again, blocking electronic mail from the League.

In response to a March 28, 2007 email from Bob Salow, WA1IDA, ARRL staffer Jon Bloom, KE3Z, writes, “Comcast has been blocking our server. We have arranged to have it unblocked — again — and we have asked them not to block again without first contacting us. Whether that will work, I can’t say.”

Bloom goes on to note, “I know it’s frustrating, but really, it’s Comcast that’s doing the blocking, not us. They are the only ISP with which we have this recurring problem.”

Lou Harris, N1UEC, NESMC UHF Coordinator writes:

There has been a lot of mis-information going around about the afflicted UHF machines related to the PAVE PAWS interference issue raised by the United States Air Force.

Let me start by saying, at the moment, nothing has yet been passed down from the FCC regarding this issue, and, to that end, we are asking the trustees of the affected machines to be sure that their machines are still operating on their original frequencies. I fully expect that a decision from the FCC will be forthcoming within the next six to eight weeks.

Specific information as to what machines are currently under scrutiny will only be released to the trustees of those machines. They have all been contacted, and, have complied to date with all requests from the USAF.

Suffice it to say that there are 13 machines in the New England area that are being scrutinized. There is apparently no logical rhyme or reason as to the machines that have been singled out from a distance, bearing, power, coverage, topographical or frequency perspective. Any questions to the USAF for technical information as to why these machines were targeted was met with typical statements regarding classified details that could not be released.

The other point that we must all remember is that we are the SECONDARY allocation in the UHF spectrum from 420 to 450 and that the USAF is the primary user of the spectrum. To that end, we must attempt to mitigate the interference to the satisfaction of the primary user.

We should all be thankful that we are not in the Sacramento, CA area, as they have about 60 machines under scrutiny.

This sensitive matter has been brought to the attention of all the powers that be; the ARRL, and the FCC are seemingly on our side.

If I have not contacted you as the trustee of a machine that has been targeted by the USAF, your machine is not under scrutiny and you may continue to operate it normally.

Thanks again to the trustees for their expeditious compliance in these tough times.

Lou Harris
UHF Frequency Coordinator, NESMC

Students at the recent Framingham Amateur Radio Association‘s License-In-A-Weekend course braved brutal winter weather conditions but they persevered, according to Director of Training Ed Weiss, W1NXC. Of the seven students, all earned their Technician licenses at the weekend course.

“Congratulations to an outstanding group of students who braved the tough weather and a great bunch of teachers! It was a pleasure to participate,” wrote FARA’s Lee Gartenberg, K1GL.

“The Friday night ice/snow storm only had one topic, so we squeezed it into Saturday with no real problems,” added W1NXC. “In fact, it points out that we could do this in just two days.”

Weiss was ably assisted by volunteer instructors N1DB, W1EQW, K1KEB, K1GL, KA1AXY, W1VIV and KA1HGL.

The course marked Framingham ARA’s 14th class, which the club began in 1995. According to Weiss, FARA has introduced 165 people to the Amateur Radio hobby, some as young as 9 and as old as 89!