Month: December 2021

Kids Day is January 1, 2022

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From ARRL Website:

Saturday, January 1, 2022, is Kids Day. The event gets under way at 1800 UTC and concludes at 2359 UTC. Sponsored by the Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, Kids Day has a simple exchange suitable for younger operators: first name, age, location, and favorite color. After that, the contact can be as long or as short as each participant prefers.

Kids Day happens twice a year — in January and June — and can be your opportunity to get youngsters on the air and mentor future amateur radio operators to show them the fun and excitement that ham radio has to offer. You might just be introducing the next generation of hams to the airwaves. Share the excitement with your kids or grandkids, a Scout troop, a church or the general public.

Look for activity on these frequencies: 10 meters: 28.350 – 28.400 MHz; 12 meters: 24.960 – 24.980 MHz; 15 meters: 21.360 – 21.400 MHz; 17 meters: 18.140 – 18.145 MHz; 20 meters: 14.270 – 14.300 MHz; 40 meters: 7.270 – 7.290 MHz, and 80 meters: 3.740 – 3.940 MHz. Repeater contacts are okay with permission of the repeater owner.

As with any on-the-air activity that includes unlicensed individuals, control operators must observe third-party traffic restrictions when making DX contacts. Additional details are on the ARRL website.

As many communities are taking precautions due to COVID-19, participants are reminded to adhere to social distancing and face mask guidelines where applicable. If it’s not feasible to invite youngsters into your shack, consider other options to mentor, such as using social media platforms or via Zoom or other non-contact means.

ARLB032 ARRL to Oppose Forest Service Administrative Fees for Amateur Facilities

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NOTE: THE DEADLINE DATE FOR FILING COMMENTS OPPOSING THE IMPOSITION OF FEES ON AMATEUR RADIO USERS IS FEBRUARY 22, 2022

Go to <https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2022-0001-0001>

ARRL Bulletin 32  ARLB032
From ARRL Headquarters 
Newington CT  December 28, 2021
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB032
ARLB032 ARRL to Oppose Forest Service Administrative Fees for Amateur Facilities

The US Forest Service is proposing to implement a statutorily required annual fee for new and existing communications use
authorizations to cover the costs of administering its authorization program. ARRL plans to vigorously oppose the imposition of the proposed fees on Amateur Radio.

The Forest Service proposal results from requirements set forth in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka “the Farm Bill”). Specifically, section 8705(c)(3)(b) of the Farm Bill directs the Forest Service to issue regulations that require fees for issuing communications use authorizations based on the cost to the Agency for maintenance or other activities to be performed by the Agency “as a result of the location or modification of a communications facility.”

The Forest Service is responsible for managing Federal lands and authorizes the use and occupancy of National Forest System (NFS) lands for communications facilities that provide communications services for adjacent rural and urban communities. The Agency said in its proposal that it administers more than 3,700 special use authorizations on NFS lands for infrastructure that supports more than 10,000 wireless communications uses at 1,367 communications sites.

According to the Forest Service Notice published in the December 22, 2021 issue of the Federal Register, revenues from the proposed fee, “would provide the funds necessary to support a more modernized, efficient, and enhanced communications use program,” and will “cover the costs of administering the Agency’s communications use program.” Costs, as laid out in section 8705(f)(4) of the Farm Bill, may include expenditures for such things as “on-site reviews of communications sites, developing communications site management plans, hiring and training personnel for the communications use program, conducting internal and external outreach for and national oversight of the communications use program, and obtaining or improving access to communications sites on NFS lands.”

ARRL encourages Amateur Radio licensees to file comments opposing the imposition of the proposed administrative fee on Amateur Radio users. Comments must be received in writing by no later than February 22, 2022.

Comments may be submitted online at the Federal Rulemaking Portal at, https://www.regulations.gov/ , or via USPS mail to Director, Lands & Realty Management Staff, 201 14th Street SW, Washington, DC 20250-1124, and must include the identifier “RIN 0596-AD44.”

K1BG, W1EKG: “How to Run a Successful Technician Class” Online Presentation, December 28, 2021

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Recent licensing class held by the Whitman ARCEastern MA Affiliated Club Coordinator Bruce Blain, K1BG, writes:

The ARRL website has a page which lists upcoming license classes (http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-class). To my dismay, when I entered the Eastern Massachusetts section, I found no upcoming classes listed. Nothing! Nada! While I know that this is not the case (a number of local clubs do run license classes), it also worries me. Where are future generations of hams going to come from if WE are not bringing them into the hobby?

Ross Hochstrasser, W1EKG, of the Whitman Amateur Radio Club runs very successful license classes (technician, general, and extra). I used Ross’ template for the technician classes the Nashoba Valley ARC has run. We would like to share this experience with you, with the goal of having all ARRL Affiliated Clubs in Eastern Massachusetts sponsor amateur radio classes.

On the evening of Tuesday, December 28th at 7PM, we will have a zoom session called “How to run a successful Technician Licence Class” where we will introduce Ross’ program to you.

This program is by no means the only way to sponsor a successful class! If you have success stories that you would like to discuss or present, please let me know. Again, I’d like to see us having more classes, and I’d like us to be sharing ideas as to how we can make this happen.

If you can’t make it, please delegate this to someone in your club who can. Thanks in advance.

I look forward to seeing you on the 28th.

Bruce, K1BG
ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator, EMA

[For Zoom conference information, contact Bruce Blain, K1BG, at <k1bg.bruce@gmail.com>.]

W1OP Visits W1AW for 100th Celebration

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W1OP members visit ARRL Hq.From ARRL Club News, December 21, 2021:

The Providence Radio Association, W1OP, visited ARRL Headquarters and W1AW on Thursday December 9, 2021, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their club’s affiliation with ARRL. Accompanied by Bob Beaudet, W1YRC, the Rhode Island Section Manager, the club visited headquarters and met with David Minster, NA2AA, ARRL CEO.

They displayed their original affiliation certificate signed by the “Old Man” himself Hiram Percy Maxim. Minster presented them with a new certificate commemorating their 100 years. They then visited W1AW and after lunch operated the memorial station. It was noted that even though there are several clubs around the country at the 100 year mark they are still rare and ARRL wants to recognize them for their continued hard work.

New England CW Friends Meets Weekly via Zoom

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Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes on the Hampden County Radio Association mailing list:

Did you know there is a group in New England that discusses all things CW?

Learn about it here and join their weekly Zoom meetings:

Starting Tuesday, December 21, the weekly CW friends zoom meeting will now start one hour later at 8 PM.

CW Friends weekly meeting
Time: Every Tuesday evening at 8 PM (new time)

At last week’s meeting we discussed: “Making the transition from a straight key to a keyer.”

This week one of the topics will be: “What are the elements for a complete CW contact.”

The New England CW Friends has a group.io along with the weekly Zoom meeting to help folks at all levels of experience with their CW.

https://groups.io/g/ne-cw-friends

[Contact Tom, K1TW, at k1tw -at- arrl -dot- net for Zoom conference details.]

“Ham Radio University” Going Virtual Again, January 8, 2022

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Ham Radio University 2022 logoWith COVID-19 uncertainties precluding an in-person gathering for a second year, the 23rd annual Ham Radio University (HRU <http://www.hamradiouniversity.org/>) educational conference will be held as a virtual event again this year, on Saturday, January 8, 1300 – 2000 UTC, as an online GoToWebinar videoconference.

Advance registration is required and begins on December 20.

HRU 2022 will be adding five forums this year, for a total of 19 presentations by experts in a broad range of amateur radio activities, including Amateur Radio Emergency Communications. Other topics are:

*       Basics of HF Operating
*       Ham Radio Contesting and DXing
*       Communicating through Amateur Radio Earth Satellites
*       Software-Defined Radios
*       HF and VHF Digital Communications
*       Parks on the Air
*       SKYWARN
*       Cables and Connectors
*       Using Raspberry Pi Computers in Amateur Radio.

Online attendees will be able to ask questions of the presenters. Founded by Phil Lewis, N2MUN (SK), HRU also serves as the  online convention of the ARRL NYC-Long Island Section.

As in past years, participation in HRU 2022 is free; an optional donation of $5 is suggested. Additional information is online, including the schedule of forums and advance registration starting December 20

“The Big Stew,” December 18, 2021

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Yankee Clipper Contest Club logoGreg, W1KM writes on the YCCC mailing list:

Just a reminder that the Big Stew (formally the Stew Perry Top Band DX Challenge) starts at 15Z, though for us for us it practically begins around 3:00 PM.   Great rules and activity, lots of 160m CW fun and challenge.   Several YCCC’ers, including K1EP, K1KI and W1UE are regular top scorers and will greatly appreciate calls. This contest has distance and power based scoring, so you get extra points if you work qrp stations. The exchange is simply your character grid square.  (No 5NN needed!).  One tip:  have a grid square map of the US handy (and of western Europe if you have a good antenna). 

There are a bunch of interesting plaques, including one sponsored by K1EP for top score for ‘youth’ under 25 that went to a very modest score last year.  So if either (do we only have 2??)  of our young hotshots want a classy plaque they might consider going for it.

As with all contests, the organizers, who do a terrific job with reporting the results, greatly appreciate all log entries. Plus the only way operators can get extra credit for low power and qrp qso’s is by cross-checking with submitted logs. 

Also today (just started!) is the Croatian CW contest—everybody works everybody, 160-10, with plenty of action from all of Europe.   K1ZZ is regularly a top scorer with well over 1000 qso’s and Dave will undoubtedly appreciate calls from YCCCers, even if only worth one point.

Greg W1KM

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