Harvard Wireless Club Honored With 50-Year ARRL Affiliation Plaque

photo l-r: Phil Temples, K9HI; Cameron Lu, KC1LZI; Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
L-R: Phil Temples, K9HI; Cameron Lu, KC1LZI; Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC. Photo courtesy Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB.

ARRL New England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, and Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, recently visited the W1AF club shack on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and awarded a 50-year ARRL affiliation plaque to HWC Vice President Cameron Lu, KC1LZI. The ARRL Board of Directors recognized the club in the form of an official motion at its July, 2023 meeting in Windsor, Connecticut. 

The club has a distinguished history, and is one of the oldest radio clubs in the country. It was founded  in 1909 as “The Radio Society of the Institute of Geographic Exploration at Harvard” and changed its name to the Harvard Wireless Club a year later. 

w1af

Reminder: December 4th, 2023 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Hello to all,

     I hope the Thanksgiving Holidays were enjoyable for everyone! This email is the typical monthly message to let everyone know that Monday evening, December 4th, 2023 is our first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, will be the next RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. I would like to thank all stations that participated in last month’s Section Emergency Test as well as Skywarn Recognition Day this last weekend.

      As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I am planning to be able to run the Sector 2A net. As always I am looking for NCS operators to lead the Sector 2B (Plymouth County) net. Sector 2D has already arranged for an NCS operator for this month’s net and Sector 2C is a Winlink only net on a monthly basis.

              For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator should send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We cannot always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. December 4th and before midnight EST December 5th (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D

   I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service. 

   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In 6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: Net activity on this repeater has been hit and miss. Please report any activity.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency 18:45 Local
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local

    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.

 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at  WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!

      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)

MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer

C: 508_995_0203 

Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday December 4th, 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The December Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday December 4th, 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater system.

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:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have a number of announcements and items for this month’s net and we will continue the NTS practice message that we started doing in these nets in October 2023. Also, the first ARES Net of 2024 will be Monday January 8th, 2024 due to the New Years holiday falling on the first Monday of the month.

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
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
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Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 12/4/23 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph, AB1PH, Walpole area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week, The RACES nets for Dec will be held on Mon Dec 4 at:
********************************************************************************
The HF net will start at 6:45 PM ET: using the following frequency plan:
We will start at 3930 KHz moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency,
Marc Stern WA1R will be net control.

*********************************************************************************
Region 2D VHF net:
7:30 PM ET VHF net on 146.865 MHz PL 103.5 (Sharon Repeater)
We will have a general call up of any RACES, ARES, or other interested stations. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.
Jeff Marden N1JCM will be net control.

********************************************************************************
HF 80 meters NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22
We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.
Don Rolph AB1PH will be net control.

*********************************************************************************
Winlink Net:
Bryan Marcotte KF1D will be. net control.
Send a winlink checkin form to KF1D, copy AB1PH, between 0600 Monday Dec 4 and 2400 Monday Dec 4.
We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
_._,_._,_

WA2NDV: “Basic Satellite Tracking” at Billerica ARS Online Meeting, December 6, 2023

Billerica ARS logoPlease join us at the Billerica Amateur Radio Society meeting on December 6, 2023 at 7:00 PM. Frank Garofalo, WA2NDV, on Basic Satellite Tracking.
 

Bio:

Frank was originally licensed in 1970 in Corona Queens, New York by way of the Electchester Amateur Radio Club and his cousin, Hugo (SK). He was in 8th grade at the time and it gave his life a direction.

Amateur Radio has allowed him to work in many diverse places including 18 years at NBC-NY and 15 years as a VoIP Engineer for the cable company with 3.5 million voice customers. It all started at the proverbial 5 kW three-tower directional AM radio station! Now he is retired. He asserts that the ham license and First Class (General now) Radiotelephone licenses have been more useful over the years than any college degree.

He uses an IC-9700 for satellites with an InnovAntennas on a G- 5500 AZ/EL rotor. Rig and rotor are computer controlled with S.A.T. a stand-alone satellite tracker.

His satellite contacts on LEOs and MEO as of Nov 21, 2023, 92 countries, 771 grid squares worldwide, 50 states, 4017 QSOs with 1446 unique stations and three NA1SS astronaut contacts through 41 satellites.


BARS will announce the link to join the Zoom meeting before the meeting, but it will be posted to the BARS email list and should not be shared outside our Club. Are you on the email list? If not, please send an email to bars-subscribe@w1hh.org and then simply reply to the robot response from the server and you will be subscribed.

Observing our Zoom meeting requires only a web browser and headphones/speakers. You do not need a webcam or microphone unless you want to speak or be seen.

Before our meeting date, please go to https://zoom.us/test and see if it will function for you. If you have problems, we can try to assist – feel free to ask questions on the BARS email list.

We are looking forward to “seeing” many of you on Wednesday 12/6 on the Zoom session at 1900.

Doug, N1WRN

Quincy Radio Club: “Quincy—the Birthplace of John Adams” Special Event Operation, December 2, 2023

Quincy RC logoPeter Doherty,  KC1HHO, writes:

On December 2, 2023, members of Quincy Radio Club (KW1NZE) will host a special event station—“Quincy – Birthplace of John Adams.” The event will take place from 1600 to 1800 UTC at the Quincy Quarries & Granite Workers Museum on Riccutti Drive in Quincy.

We will be operating HF CW/SSB/FT8, WiresX – Quincy Room #63826, APRS KW1NZE-7 and 2-meter simplex.

Certificate and Wooden Nickel will be available for working our station. Please see our QRZ page for details. All are welcome to attend.

73

Peter KC1HHO

“Give the Gift of Mentoring”

Woman holding CSCEARRL New England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, writes on nediv.arrl.org:

I have been thinking a lot lately about what is most important to care for the future of Amateur Radio. There are many different views on the answer to this question. Some would say it’s about increasing participation in emergency communications and public service activities such as ARES, RACES, or the National Traffic System. Others would say it’s about protecting our bands. Those who live in HOA or covenant-restricted situations would emphasize the need to enable Hams to install antennas at their homes. Contesters would say that making contesting more accessible to a broader group of people is the most important thing to focus on. And there are many more views as well I am sure.  [Full story]

Amateur Radio Support for YuKanRun Happy Holidays 5K & Half MerryThon, Gloucester, December 3, 2023

Frank Beaulieu,  WA1ESU, writes on the Cape Ann ARA mailing list:

We are still looking for operators to staff the YuKanRun Happy Holidays 5K & Half MerryThon.

Please let us know if you can staff a communications checkpoint for the event so we can plan staffing positions for the event.

While CAARA’s repeater performance has greatly improved some regions of this course may still experience some difficulty with communications especially with low-powered HTs, so we’ll be looking for higher powered equipment to staff those areas

Please let us know what type of equipment you plan to use (ie: mobile; H-T; ¼-wave mag mount; OEM rubber duck; etc.) so we have a better idea of where to locate you along the event course per the potential of your equipment.

The course will be open and supported by CAARA. for four hours. We do not cover the one-mile event on this day. Runner safety is everyone’s top priority.

Local EMT crews and ambulances will be available for three hours to help.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Fred WA1ESU

Happy Holidays 5K & Half MerryThon Communications Team
Gloucester, Mass
Last Updated: 11/26 /2023, 09:37 pm
Event date: Sunday, December 3, 2023
On Location: by 8:45 am, for for a 9:00 am Start. Half starts at 10:00 am
Starts: 5K 9:00 am Half Marathon Run = 10:00 am
Freq: W1GLO Repeater 145.130 – PL:107.2, Backup 443.7000 + PL:107.2

W6BSD: “Radio Shack Myths and Fairytales” at Waltham ARA Online Meeting, November 29, 2023

Waltham ARA logoRich Comer, K1RBC, writes on the Waltham ARA mailing list:

I hope you all have fully recovered from Turkey Day!

The next meeting of the Waltham Amateur Radio Association will be this Wed at 7:00pm via ZOOM. (Zoom opens at 6:30 PM.)

We will have a short business meeting and then a presentation from Fred Cirera, W6BSD, entitled “Radio Shack Myths and Fairytales.”

It should be interesting.

Boston Tea Party 250th Anniversary—Any Takers?

Boston Tea Party paintingWill Costello, WC6DX, writes:

I read in the news that next month is the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Intrigued, I looked on the Special Events page in my issue of QST for a special call sign and was shocked to see nothing !

There’s still time for a local club to organize some event at Boston Harbor and get a 1×1 call sign and advertise it on the Special Events page on the ARRL web site.

Boston can’t let us down, this is for all America !

73 de Will WC6DX
Monterey, CA

N1JUR: “POTA” at PART of Westford Hybrid Meeting, November 21, 2023

PART of Westford logoGeorge Allison, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:

The November PART of Westford meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, beginning at 7:30 PM at the Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant Street, Westford, MA, and via Webex video conference. For those attending via video conference, a meeting link is below; just click on the green button to join in. You can join the conference any time after 7:00 PM to check out your gear or just rag chew until the meeting starts. Bear in mind that internet connectivity from the senior center may be unreliable.

The meeting topic is Parks On The Air (POTA). POTA is the fastest growing ham radio activity, and Eric, N1JUR, an active POTA-ist, will give us a presentation on how to get started and how to operate as both an activator and a hunter. Other agenda items include election of officers for the coming year and plans for the December dinner party.

All attendees are encouraged to bring donations of non-perishable food for the Westford Food Pantry.

See you Tuesday!

73,
George, K1IG
President, PART of Westford

N1EA Book Review: “Radio History: Ship Shore” in CQ Magazine

"Radio History: Ship to Shore" book coverCongratulations to David Ring, N1EA, of Green Harbor, MA, for his book review of Spurgeon “Spud” G. Roscoe’s book “Radio History: Ship Shore.” Ring’s review appears in the October, 2023 issue of CQ Magazine.  The book is available on Amazon.com.

“From flags and pennants to Morse code and complex telecommunications, ‘Radio History: Ship Shore’ is a treatise on the navigational aids vessels have used over the centuries. Author Spurgeon “Spud” G. Roscoe takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of communication systems globally, from the days of Columbus to modern times.”

Ring is certainly familiar with his subject matter, having served as a radio officer in the United States Merchant Marine. Ring himself made marine communications history on October 4, 1980, when he and fellow radio officer James N. Pfister, NS1L, serving aboard the US flagged supertanker “Williamsburgh” (call sign WGOA), picked up an SOS from the passenger cruise ship MS Prinsendam, call sign PJTA (Netherlands Antilles) in the Gulf of Alaska . The Prinsendam was on fire and burning out of control when Ring and Pfister picked up her SOS.

North Shore Radio Association Hybrid Meeting, November 20, 2023

North Shore Radio Association logoThe NSRA meets on November 20, 2023 at 7:30 pm. Doors open at 7 pm at Peabody Municipal Light Plant.
 
NOTE: To get to the meeting location of the Peabody Municipal Light Plant, Warren St Ext. for the next few months, you MUST turn right on to Endicott St from Rte 114; Endicott Street at Lowell Street has been closed.
 
Eastern MA ARRL Section Manager Jon McCombie, N1ILZ, is the guest speaker. 
 
Eric Horwitz, KA1NCF

North Shore Radio Association

ARRL Incoming QSL Bureau Card Sort at Nashoba Valley ARC Meeting, November 16, 2023

Nashoba Valley ARC logoBruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s November meeting is Thursday, November 16th at 7:30 PM, at the Pepperell Community Center (in Pepperell MA). We start gathering at 7 PM to socialize before the meeting starts.

This month program will feature our annual “QSL sort” for the W1 QSL bureau. It’s personally my favorite meeting of the year. Catch some incoming cards with your callsign on them, converse with other local hams, have some refreshments, and of course, sort a few cards! If you haven’t done this before and it sounds like a lot of work, you’ll find that this is actually the club’s most social meeting of the year. Pizza and soda follow when the sorting is finished.

As a side benefit, NVARC offers a FREE outgoing ARRL QSL bureau service to our members. Outgoing cards must meet the requirements of the outgoing ARRL bureau: You must provide proof of ARRL membership (such as a copy of the mailing label of a recent QST) and sort the cards according to DXCC country. NVARC will cover the outgoing QSL bureau fees. Please click on the above link to make certain that you have met the requirements.

For the November meeting, guests participating in the QSL sort can also submit cards as part of the NVARC’s outgoing QSL program!

Need directions? Click here and put your own address in box “A”.

Thanks and 73. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Bruce, K1BG

978-772-2773 or bruce.blain@charter.net

Please visit NVARC on the web:

www.n1nc.org

https://www.youtube.com/@nvarc

https://www.facebook.com/NVARC

Amateur Radio Communications Requested, Christmas Parade, Gloucester, November 26, 2023

We need your help with public service.  We can’t support the communities without your help.
 
The parade is on Sunday Afternoon November 26, 2023 between 2:30 pm and  around 6 pm. I believe the parade kicks off at 3 pm.
 
If you can help, please let me know.
 
Email me:   ka1ncf@nsradio.org 
 
Thanks,
 

Eric Horwitz, KA1NCF
North Shore Radio Association

N1DM: “A Smorgasbord of Radio – the People Places and Incidents” at the Minuteman Repeater Association Hybrid Meeting, November 15, 2023

MMRA logoThe Minuteman Repeater Association (MMRA) will hold its membership meeting on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 from 7:30—9:30 pm.

Dom Mallozzi, N1DM, will present “A Smorgasbord of Radio – the People Places and Incidents.”

This is a Hybrid meeting: Marlborough Central Fire Station + ZOOM. (Members: log into your account on MMRA.ORG to obtain the ZOOM info. Non-members: send an email to contact@mmra to request the ZOOM info.

Do you know what the most powerful radio station in New England is? Let’s find out. Dom will discuss some of the less known contributors to the development of radio, the operational sites in New England that brought radio from a laboratory oddity to a functional system along with discussing the affect of the sinking of the Titanic on radio regulation.

Licensed initially as WN1RFT in 1972 and now holds an Amateur Extra class license and FCC “General Radio Operators License” Dom started as a shortwave listener when young and eventually found his way through a local ham, Jim K1CBF, to the Providence Radio Association, W1OP. He took his licensing classes at the club in high school and eventually obtained an amateur extra class license. He also built a lot of Heathkits, many of which he still has and uses.

Dom received a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rhode Island which led to a 38-year career as an electrical engineer at the Raytheon Co. in various Massachusetts locations specializing in measurement systems.

His ham radio interests are: CW, Antennas, 160 meters, satellites, homebrewing and DMR.

N1DM: “Digital Mobile Radio” at Algonquin ARC Meeting, November 9, 2023

Algonquin ARC logoKen Horton, KA1GFN, writes on the Algonquin ARC mailing list:

Reminder of tonight’s club meeting at the 1LT Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School, 25 Union St, Marlboro. Enter from Agoritsas Drive next to police station and use Door #1 at rear of building.

Doors open at 7 pm and meeting starts at 7:30 pm. Note that in the past there has been a couple of instance where members arrived later than 7:30 and the doors were locked. We have asked them if they can leave them unlocked until 8pm. If you think that you might be arriving late then I do also monitor the 446.675 PL 88.5 repeater prior to and at the meeting.

Dom, N1DM will present tonight on the topic of Digital Mobile Radio (DMR).

Final Document – Eastern Massachusetts ARES SET (Simulated Emergency Test) Drill -Operation Regional Prep Document – 11/11/23 1000 AM-1200 PM

Hello to all…

Please see the final SET Document for the 11/11/23 1000 AM-1200 PM Eastern Massachusetts ARES SET (Simulated Emergency Test). This includes all frequency information and activities for the drill with 6m Net time information, additional simplex component and slight change to the NTS NBEMS frequency to the exercise. Link to the exercise document is listed below:

EasternMA ARES SET Regional Prep 11-11-23 V2.0

While this is an ARES exercise based in Eastern Massachusetts, the exercise is open to all who would like to participate and you need not be a member of ARES or living in Eastern Massachusetts to participate. Many thanks for all those that participate.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
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Battery Talk at Northeastern University Wireless Club, November 9, 2023

Northeastern Univ. logoMarty Sullaway, NN1C, writes on the NUWC mailing list:

This Thursday we will have a fun presentation on everything you’d ever want to know about batteries. Our in-house battery whiz Zach Perry will be giving us a look under the hood, and providing useful into and battery tips. Don’t miss it! We won’t let anything go up in smoke. As a reminder, If you would like to sit for an amateur radio exam session, we just announced two more dates; November 13th and 20th, both at 7:00 PM at 503 Hayden Hall. Please sign up here.That’s all I have for this week!Marty Sullaway, NN1CPresident, NUWC