Month: October 2020

2020 ARRL Auction Online, October 15-22, 2020

by

ARRL Auction Online logoThe 2020 ARRL OnLine Auction will be held October 15th -22nd, 2020 with the preview starting today October 8th. Don’t miss this opportunity to get in on the fun and bid on a variety of items at the 15th annual ARRL OnLine Auction to benefit ARRL educational programs.

We suggest you read through the “Help” section, listing bidding tips as well as the link to our Help Desk should you need assistance.

All bidders must register (your arrl.org user ID and password will not work on the auction site). If you have registered for a previous ARRL On-Line Auction, you may use the same log-in information. If you have forgotten your user ID or password, click on the “Help” tab for instructions on how to retrieve these credentials. Make sure your correct address and other information are up to date. The auction site only accepts Visa and MasterCard.

Good luck to all!

Categories All

Maine Simulated Emergency Test, October 24, 2020

by

ARES logoA simulated emergency test will be conducted in Maine on Saturday October 24th from 8 AM until 1 PM. The goal of this exercise will be to relay, send and receive messages over voice and/ or digital means from and to various county Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs) and Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). It will be a simulated weather emergency whereby the internet has gone down and repeaters have failed, therefore more focus will be placed on simplex communication (VHF/HF).

If you are interested in participating, please reach out to your local ARES/RACES team for more information.  –Maine Telegraph Newsletter, October, 2020

 

Department of Defense Exercise With Amateur Radio Participation, October 2020

by

MARS logoTom Kinahan, N1CPE, writes:

For almost the whole month of October, (now through October 26) the Department of Defense is conducting a series of exercises that will train the connection of MARS members to the Amateur Radio Service.

There are opportunities for hams to participate in this exercise.

1) Every day at noon local time, there will be a net on 60 meters channel 1 (5.3305 MHz USB) to have checkins from hams. The NCS will ask for your callsign, city and state. As the month moves on, there may be other unplanned requests.

2) Familiarize yourself with the METAR which is transmitted on VHF AM from all major and some less major airports as weather information for pilots. See if you can transcribe the weather information. They speak fast, and usually in mumbles. This is valuable information to the DoD in times of communication outage. Contact me for additional details.

3) There will be ICS-213 messages originating in MARS for certain ARRL and other local ham radio leaders refiled into the NTS system for delivery. NTS nets may carry these messages. Be ready to copy these messages and deliver them, by checking in to your local NTS net.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

 

[Tom Kinahan is the Army MARS Region 1 Executive Officer. He can be contacted at: tom.kinahan@verizon.net]

Northeast MA Fox Hunting Update

by

From https://ema.arrl.org:

Alan Hicks, KD1D, writes on NEMass fox hunters list:

* All the 2-meter FM foxes belonging to PART of Westford members transmit on 146.565 MHz.  

* Currently the KD1D and W1HFN foxes use the Squawkbox module, which typically transmits a short (e.g. 30 second)  voice message and repeats once per minute. The low  power output of about 50 mW allows more than one Squawkbox to be on the air if they are far enough apart.  Often, I have one operating in Westford and W1HFN has one operating in Littleton simultaneously.

* Other two-meter fox boxes operated by our club members (including KB1MGI) use the Byonics module which sends a series of tones for a fixed period (e.g. 30 minutes) when activated by the hunter sending a DTMF ‘2’ for two seconds.   

* Occasionally, Andy Stuart, KB1OIQ, puts out an 80-meter Fox operating around 3.6 MHz.  

[KB1OIQ: It is supposed to be the color burst frequency.  This fox is really a Cricket 80A CW transceiver driven by an Arduino.  Yes, it is a bit overkill but I had fun making it.  It consumes too much power, so when it is out, it is usually only for a day or two.  It has a built-in real time clock so it only transmits during the daylight hours (approximately). I also occasionally put out a 2m fox, which is a Byonics MicroFox, transmitting about 15 mW.  This fox transmits 24×7 for several days until I retrieve it. I have also been accused of hiding a fox inside of a plastic owl, up on a tree branch.  Fox hunters claim to have heard the CW message, “I am most wise.”]

* The operators usually post frequency and activation information, when they announce the hunt.  I’ve gotten a bit lazy on that score and will try to mend my ways!

* Similarly, we usually announce the location (usually conservation, recreation or other public area), although lately I have been providing only clues to add a challenge.

* Some of the foxes use an HT transmitting 1 or 2 watts, in which case, we usually just announce the town it is in to practice long-distance direction finding similar to what we would need to track down a repeater troll.

It’s great to have fox hunters from outside the Westford area participating!  I will try to take that into consideration when doling out clues in the future.

73 and Happy Hunting!

Alan KD1D

Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont Activate Niquette Bay State Park, October 4, 2020

by
 
YouTube image of W1NVT activation, Niquette Bay State Park, Vermont #3136On October 4, 2020 W1NVT [Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont] activated park # 3136 in Vermont for Parks On The Air. The operators were KB1FRW, W1SJ, and K1BIF. We had two stations, one on 20 and the other on 40 meters. The 20-meter station was a Elecraft K3 with a Heathkit SB-200 amp using a Cobra 80 – 10m antenna up 66 feet. The 40-meter station was a Kenwood TS-480 with an Elecraft KPA-500 amp using a home brew 40m dipole up 65 feet.
 
It was a pleasant Fall day, with temps in the 50s all day. We worked from about 11:45 am to 5:00 pm and put 544 contacts in the log. We thank all those who stuck with us and made it into our log.”

 

A YouTube video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/UiuE5Yoi7A4

Purchases via AmazonSmile Provide Dividends to ARRL

by

Amazon Smile logoFrom arrl.org:

Those who use Amazon for online purchases can automatically donate to ARRL by opting to use AmazonSmile and designating American Radio Relay League (ARRL) as their charity of choice.

The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible AmazonSmile items to whichever charity you choose. Product and Marketing Specialist Jackie Ferreira, KB1PWB, reports that the benefit of AmazonSmile to ARRL for 2018 was $8,676, up from $8,022 in 2017.

Family and friends can select ARRL as their charity of choice too. There is no difference between Amazon and AmazonSmile in terms of making purchases.

ARRL Learning Network, Schedule of Upcoming Seminars

by

ARRL logo From http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network:

ARRL’s Learning Network is offering the following presentations during the month of October.  Do you have questions? Email ARRL Lifelong Learning. Have an interesting topic you want to share? Submit your presentation idea through our Call for Speakers form.

Is your device ready? Before the webinar we encourage you to review the system requirements and check your computer system to ensure the best viewing experience.

Grounding & Bonding for Home HF Stations
Ward Silver, NØAX
This presentation is an overview of the grounding and bonding requirements for home HF stations. “Grounding” and “bonding” are defined along with their benefits to lightning protection and RF management in the station.  While not a “cookbook” topic, several useful references and guides are presented for hams to apply these techniques at home.
Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 10 AM PDT / 1 PM EDT (0500 UTC)
Register Now >

Welcome to the World of Arduino
Glen Popiel, KW5GP – ARRL author
This is an introduction to the exciting world of microcontrollers and Open Source hardware and software. The Arduino is an inexpensive microcontroller that has become widely popular among electronics hobbyists and ham radio operators. Hams use these powerful devices to create new projects and amateur station gear. Projects can be built quickly and used as-is, or they can be expanded and enhanced with your own personal touches.
Thursday, October 15, 2020, 5 PM PDT / 8 PM EDT (0000 UTC on Friday, October 16)
Register Now >

Northeast HamXposition Schedule, October 10-November 7, 2020

by

HamXposition logoFrom https://hamxposition.org:

New England ARES Academy

October 10-31, 2020

View the full schedule and sign up at
<https://hamxposition.org/2020/ne-ares-academy>

The first-ever New England Division ARES Academy, originally scheduled for the Division Convention in November, will instead be held over a period of several weeks in October via Zoom. There are five Basic Track classes for those just getting started, and more advanced classes and workshops for those who already have the basics. One-hour classes will be held on weeknights from 7:30 to 8:30 PM EDT, and two-hour workshop sessions will be held Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 AM EDT.

Just a few of the topics covered include:

* Go Kits
* Hardening Your Station or Repeater
* Expedient Training & Utilization of Volunteers
* Working with Served Agencies (Panel Discussion)

The NE-ARES Academy is an outgrowth of the successful NH-ARES Academy program that ran at the NH State Fire Academy for eight years. The program’s goal is to offer both basic and advanced skills training based in ARRL ARES training standards. Academy Instructors are all recognized experts in their subject area.

Event Details:

Date: October 10th to October 31st
Time: 7:30 to 8:30 PM EDT (weeknight courses), 9:00 to 11:00 AM EDT
(Saturday workshops)
Cost: Free

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HamXposition Virtual Banquet

November 7, 2020, 7PM

Event registration at <https://hamxposition.org/register/register.php>

On Saturday, November 7th, the HamXposition Convention Committee will be hosting our very first Virtual Banquet! Order your favorite take-out or delivery, pull up a chair to your screen, and join your friends for an interesting presentation. The event will be emceed by our very own Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, and featuring Keynote Speaker Gordon West, WB6NOA.

In addition, there will be a grand prize drawing of a Kenwood TM-V71A Transceiver, Astron Power Supply, and dual band mobile antenna, generously contributed by the Minuteman Repeater Association (MMRA) (must be present during prize drawing to win).

The event is free, but we ask that you please register using the link above. Instructions and a link to join the event will be delivered to your inbox a few days before the event.

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, November 7th
Time: 7:00 PM EST (UTC-05:00)
Location: Your computer or mobile device, anywhere!
Cost: Free

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ham Bootcamp

November 7, 2020, 10 AM

Sign up on the NARS website at <https://www.n1fd.org/ham-bootcamp/>

The Nashua Area Radio Society (NARS) will again be hosting their wildly successful Ham Bootcamp, recently featured on the cover of QST magazine, on Saturday, November 7th via Zoom.

Ham Bootcamp is a series of activities designed to help newly licensed Technician and General class license holders get on the air and use their amateur radio license, or for prospective hams who are interested in seeing what the hobby has to offer, including:

* Radio Programming Tutorials and Help
* Getting Started with EchoLink
* Joining a Repeater Net
* Putting together a Station for Repeaters
* Building an HF Station including simple HF Antennas
* Putting up an HF Antenna, Feedline, and Ground
* Getting started with WSJT-X and FT8 Digital

… and more!

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, November 7th
Time: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST (UTC-05:00)
Cost: Free

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

W1A Special Event Callsign

November 6-8, 2020

Operating schedule and sign up at
<https://hamxposition.org/2020/w1a-special-event-callsign>

The W1A special event callsign will operate from individual operator’s home stations during the weekend of the HamXposition Virtual Banquet. Yours could be one of these stations!

Event Details:

Start: Friday, November 6th 7:00 PM EST (UTC-05:00)
End: Sunday, November 8th 7:00 PM EST (UTC-05:00)
Location: Your shack!
Cost: Free

Ham Radio Outlet in Salem, NH Re-Opens for “Foot Traffic”

by

Andy Wallace, KA1GTT, writes in the Billerica ARS Newletter, October 2020:

I was monitoring the local repeaters on the HT one day and I heard one of the regulars–who it turns out works at HRO in Salem NH–say that as of Monday 9/21/20 the stores are REOPENING TO FOOT TRAFFIC. See the HRO policy here:

https://www.hamradio.com/coronavirus.cfm

Limit of 5 customers inside, and all must wear masks.

This is great news. I do not know if they allow you to touch/operate the rigs at the station yet. Best to call ahead.

https://www.hamradio.com/locations.cfm?storeid=9

Salem, NH
224 N. Broadway D-12
Salem, NH 03079-2145

Store Hours: 10AM-5:30PM Mon – Sat
Closed Sundays

Telephone hours:
9:30AM-5:30PM Mon – Sat
Toll Free: 800-444-0047
Local: 603-898-3750
Fax: 603-898-1041

Email: salem@hamradio.com

Categories All

Connecticut ARES Conducting Simulated Emergency Test, October 2, 2020

by

Mike Walters, W8ZY, writes on announce@ct-ares.groups.io:

CT ARES SET 2020

Inject 1

Saturday October 03, 2020  09:00 Local

***THIS IS A DRILL***THIS IS A DRILL***THIS IS A DRILL***

OPERATION “Storm Zebra”

The National Weather Service, The Red Cross and The Department of Defense have asked the amateur community to mobilize and gather data on local conditions. At this time all local nets should activate and establish a NCS. Each net should note the number of stations on the net and if those stations are emergency power capable.

Each net is asked to designate at least one station capable of sending messages by Winlink. The more stations capable of Winlink the better.

Stand by for information requests.

Mike Walters, W8ZY

CT ARES SEC

***THIS IS A DRILL***THIS IS A DRILL***THIS IS A DRILL***