Eastern Massachusetts ARRL

N1DT and K1VV plan to activate Butler Flats Lighthouse (ARLHS USA 099) under the call W1AA on Saturday, July 1, 2006 from 10:30 UTC (6:30 AM EST) until 18:00 UTC (2:00 PM EST).

“Conditions have been less than ideal. If you do not hear us on a posted frequency, hang in there–the bands are ever changing,” writes Robert “Whitey” Doherty, K1VV. “See you all on Saturday. Please be there.”

Whitey notes that he and Don will begin operations on 75 meters, above 3980 kHz. In the past, 3997 has been used. “On 40 phone, tune for us between the nets, most likely below 7270, down to 7225.” Whitey says they’ll also use 20 phone later in the morning above 14310, or 17 meters above 18150. “We will return to 40 phone about 1530 to 1600 UTC, about noon local time.”

Morse code operation will be conducted roughly on the half hour, on 7035, 10116, 14035 and 18080 kHz, plus or minus QRM.

“We will be posting our spots on the DX Summit. but we would appreciate any and all W1AA spots by the members.” He adds, “DX QSLs are via the W1 Bureau and stateside are via W1AA please with an SASE. A photo of the Butler Flats Lighthouse will be furnished.”

Located in New Bedford at the mouth of the Acushnet River, Butler Flats Lighthouse can be seen from the shore along East Rodney French Boulevard, and from the ferries leaving New Bedford for Martha’s Vineyard and Cuttyhunk. The station was established in 1898. The current lighthouse tower was built in 1898 and automated in 1978. The brick and cast iron structure is 53 feet high, and features a white light that flashes every four seconds.

The Police Amateur Radio Team of Westford has voted to decommission its 146.52 emergency station. The historic public service operation will come to a halt after almost 26 years of operation, writes PART’s President “Bo” Budinger, WA1QYM. PART voted 10-to-5 for the change at its June, 2006 meeting.

PART still provides emergency phone patch facilities directly into the Westford Police Department (WFD), the Massachusetts State Police, the New Hampshire State Police, and police departments in several of the surrounding towns via their 2 meter and 440 repeaters.

“We are only decommissioning the 146.52 direct operation,” stresses Budinger. “We have not had a call into WB1GOF for ages. The .52 station will remain in the dispatch area for use in emergency communications between the WPD and PART.”

Budinger adds that he is forming a committee to facilitate the station’s decommissioning. AA1VS has volunteered to be a committee member; WA1QYM is looking for more people to join.

“Our job will be to see that the PART signs on I-495 and Route 3 as well as on the local Westford streets come down and are disposed of properly.” He adds that the club also needs to notify the greater Boston Amateur Radio community of the decommissioning.

“I envision a formal closing ceremony for this historic public service operation,” Budinger adds.

Members of the Framingham Amateur Radio Association are planning a special field trip to ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut on July 28, 2006.

“We’ll be going ‘caravan style,'” writes FARA President Gordy Bello, K1GB. “We will stop for a break along the way. When we are done with our visit, we’ll have dinner at Rein’s Deli.”

K1GB reminds those attending to bring copies of their current ham license if they wish to operate the W1AW station after the tour.

Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association members have been requested to assist in tracking high-altitude balloons at the Northeast Ballooning Workshop in Rockport on July 6-8, 2005.

Co-sponsored by NASA’s Northeast Space Grant Consortia and the New England Space Science Initiative in Education (NESSIE), the workshop affords college faculty, students, and selected minority high school students the opportunity to participate in mission-related NASA research by assembling scientific payloads for launch aboard balloons. In the process, workshop participants will gain value experience in implementing data recording and communications technologies, processing and interpreting scientific data, and preparing, launching, and recovering balloon payloads.

Linda Wright, KB1MWG and her husband Curt, AA3JE are two CAARA members interested in helping to track the balloons. “We have a good-sized boat and I will put out the word to our members and see if some would like to join us.”

“The balloons will have beacons and they will use APRS digital protocol,” writes one of the event organizers, Carolyn McWilliams. “The maximum height of the balloons should be approximately 70,000 feet. They will collect basic scientific information. The tracking should be straight forward. Since we will launch the balloons over the ocean in Rockport, we expect to recover them at sea.”

The balloons will transmit on 144.39 and 144.34 Mhz. every 60 and 30 seconds, respectively.

Ham radio operators test their readiness

By Allan Stein, Enterprise correspondent

ABINGTON — Seated at a table under a tarp, William F. Hayden ignored the hissing rain Saturday, manning a ham radio set in a clearing at Ames Nowell State Park.

Hayden and 13 other local ham radio enthusiasts braved the foul weekend weather to conduct a yearly test of their emergency communications readiness.

The 24-hour exercise was part of a large-scale coordinated effort by ham radio operators from across North America.

“The purpose (of the test) is to contact and log as many radio stations as we can over the U.S. and Canada,” said Hayden, president of the Whitman Amateur Radio Club.

Formed in 1962, the club has more than 90 members and conducts yearly ham radio license exams.

The exercise at Ames Nowell State Park began at 2 p.m. Saturday and was to end Sunday at 2 p.m. Results of the test will be sent to the American Radio Relay League, the club’s umbrella agency, in Newington, Conn.

N1DT and K1VV plan to activate Palmer Island Lighthouse (ARLHS USA 578) under the call W1AA on Saturday, June 24, 2006 from 10:30 UTC (6:30 AM EST) until 18:00 UTC (2:00 PM EST).

“You all are the reason we activate these lights,” writes Robert “Whitey” Doherty, K1VV. “See you all on Saturday. Please be there.” The Palmer Island operation will preceed the annual ARRL Field Day event.

Whitey notes that he and Don will begin operations on 75 meters, above 3980 kHz. In the past, 3997 has been used. “On 40 phone, tune for us between the nets, most likely below 7270, down to 7225.” Whitey says they’ll also use 20 phone later in the morning above 14310, or 17 meters above 18150. “We will return to 40 phone about 1530 to 1600 UTC, about noon local time.”

Morse code operation will be conducted roughly on the half hour, on 7035, 10116, 14035 and 18080 kHz, plus or minus QRM.

“We will be posting our spots on the DX Summit. but we would appreciate any and all W1AA spots by the members.” He adds, “DX QSLs are via the W1 Bureau and stateside are via W1AA please with an SASE. A photo of the Palmer Island Lighthouse will be furnished.”

The Palmer Island Lighthouse was originally established in 1849. In 1941, the station was automated. It was deactivated in 1963, but relighted in 1999. The 24-foot structure is made of stone and maintained by the City of New Bedford. Although it is not open to the public except by sepecial arrangement, the lighthouse can be reached on foot at low tide via the hurricane wall in New Bedford Harbor.

Members of the Harvard Wireless Club are “brown-bagging” it over the summer months. Proposed by HWC member George Clark, W1XW, the informal brown-bag lunches are held bi-weekly at the Science Center fountain in good weather, or inside the Science Center or at nearby restaurants in case of inclement weather. The group held its first brown-bag lunch on June 7.

“As a newbie, I find it useful to have time to talk with experienced amateurs informally about radio topics that I need help on, like contest log etiquette, antennas, and so on,” writes Clark. “We don’t always have time for that at the meetings during the year.”

Members of the Massasoit Amateur Radio Association turned out to provide communications support for the annual Camp Yomechas Walk-a-thon in Middleboro on June 3.

Pictured here: NI1X, KB1CYV, KB1MTW, N1XTB, W1GMF, N1FY, W1WCF, N1PYN. Photo courtesy NI1X

–Thanks MARA News June, 2006