Month: April 2022

Greater Bridgeport (CT) ARC Parks On The Air Operation, Osbornedale State Park, April 24, 2022

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Osbornedale State Park directionsEmily Starbrook, N1DID, writes on the Greater Bridgeport ARC Wiki:

This Sunday [April 24, 2022] is our group Parks on the Air activity in Osbornedale State Park [in New Haven County, Connecticut].  The weather (and propagation) look to be ideal for this event and should be able to enjoy a full day of fun.  

If you haven’t signed up yet, please visit theSurveyMonkey survey so we know what to expect you to bring and do.  

We will operate in the upper pavilion.  There are picnic tables already there so there will be no real need for shelters or extra things such as chairs unless you want.  Lunch will be provided.

 

“Dedication to Elmers Special Event,” W1E, October 21-24, 2022

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Rich Guerrera, KB1FGC, writes:

I am hosting a special event in October of this year. I hope to get my web page running later with more details about the event. The event is in honor of all mentors in ham radio and the goodwill that they bring to the hobby.

So far, I have five operators. I may add another call sign as I get more operators in the “1” call area. If you would like to help, that would be great!

I only need your .ADI files at the end of the event. There are no set times, and all operators can work on their own. At some point, I might set up something online like a live web page so no two operators are operating  too close to one another. Slack is one such site; the 13 Colonies event uses it. I haven’t worked that out yet.

Also, if anyone wants to help out with a web page that would be great. I have minimal skills but am figuring it out slowly. I don’t expect anyone to design a page for me but any experience that you may provide would help. 

The details are below:

CALL: W1E
Time: 10/21-10/24,  2022
Name of event: “Dedication to  Elmers Special event”

Contact me at:

Rich
Marzo7088@yahoo.com

Thanks and 73,

KB1FGC

April 2022 Rhode Island Section Activity Report

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Greetings ARRL members and friends,

Welcome to spring. I truly believe that we are forced to endure winter just so we can appreciate spring. Weather is nearly perfect and we can enjoy it while we repair our antennas. 

The following is information from Tom Frenaye, K1KI. Tom is chairman of the New England QSO Party or NEQP. Where ever you are in New England, you can create a pile up simply by announcing your presence with a simple “CQ NEQP, this is (your call) in New England.”

The New England QSO Party on May 7th and 8th is a great time to check out antenna systems and offers a moderately paced opportunity to work new states and countries. You’ll find a wide variety of participants, from newcomers to experienced contesters, all interested in making contacts with New England stations.

NEQP’s goal is to get every one of the 67 counties in New England on the air so we hope you will encourage your friends to join in the fun!  Even if you can join the fun for a couple of hours, we’d appreciate it!  Will you be QRV? Let us know with a message to <info@neqp.org>. 

The New England QSO Party is 20 hours long overall, in two sections with a civilized break for sleep on Saturday night.  It runs from 4 pm Saturday until 1 am Sunday, then 9 am Sunday until 8 pm Sunday.  Operate on CW, SSB and/or digital modes on 80-40-20-15-10 meters.  For each QSO you’ll give your callsign, a signal report and your county/state.  Top scorers can earn a plaque and everyone who sends in a log with 25 or more QSOs will get a certificate.  The goal is to work stations anywhere in the world – and their goal is to work New England stations, so you’ll be very popular! Last year we had logs from 947 stations from around the country and world. The full rules are here -> <https://neqp.org/rules/>.

The full 2021 results were posted last month – <https://neqp.org/2021-new-england-qso-party/>.  Field Day planning is going on in our clubs. I hope to be able to tour the FD sites this year, something I have been unable to do for the last few years. Please let me know if your club will be setting up a Field Day operation this year.

June 12th will mark the 250th anniversary of the burning of HMS Gaspee in Narragansett Bay. Informed historians know that this event signaled the first shots of the American Revolution which ended on July 4th, 1776 when our beloved country was born. Folks in Massachusetts like to say that the Boston Tea Party rang the starting bell, but we know that the Gaspee burning took place a year and a half earlier. That sent the message to Britain.

Several hams under the leadership of Ken N1RGK are putting a program together, working with and augmenting the program being carried forward by the Gaspee Days Committee. Special calls W1G and K1G will be on the air and the BVARC club will set up a station at the site of the Gaspee burning. Our team is working in close partnership with the Gaspee Days committee. A beautiful certificate and QSL card has been designed by Teri, W1PUP. All you need is to work both W1G and K1G, any mode or time during their operation and you will receive your certificate. See website <http://www.w1ddd.org/gaspeedays.html> for more details.

Radio Frequency Interference or RFI is something that everyone who operates a radio has experienced. In some cases, it has kept Amateurs off the air because it is so severe. The New England Assistant Director, Rob, K1UI, is leading an effort to recruit an RFI team. To do this, Rob needs volunteers from every section. If you are interested in serving your fellow operators by tracing sources of RFI, please send an e mail note with your qualifications to Rob at k1ui@arrl.net. You may also review an RFI troubleshooting guide at <https://nediv.arrl.org/rfi-troubleshooting-guide/>.

HF bands continue to improve slowly as we climb up the leading slope of Cycle 25. 10 and 12 meter bands are open most of the time to somewhere.  15 and 17 meters have been open on occasion for round the world contacts. Some long path propagation has shown itself as well. These are all good signs of better things to come.

The ARRL Board has started discussions regarding the new club grant program which was announced in January. Starting in April, clubs will be able to apply for these grants by filing a form available on the ARRL website. More details at <http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-foundation-to-create-club-grants-program>. 

The Covid-19 bug found me last month. I’m over it now and feel fine. I never had a fever, cough, aches or other common problems. I did lose any sense of taste or smell and had a stuffed nose for a few weeks. My doctor prescribed Paxlovid by Pfizer, made available under an Emergency Use Authorization. I never learned what it was supposed to do except make me feel a lot better. In any event, I was isolated for five days during which I was on the air from dawn to midnight. I have received all my vaccinations and boosters. Please stay well and be very careful.  It’s not much fun to deal with Covid.

I’m still looking to fill the post of Section Government Liaison (SGL). See last month’s report and <http://www.arrl.org/state-government-liaison>. Someone who regularly follows state legislative affairs is the person I need.

Finally, if your club is planning to set up a Field Day operation in the field, kindly let me know where it will be. Thank you.

73,

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ARRL Rhode Island Section
Section Manager: Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC
w1yrc@arrl.org
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Joe Reisert, W1JR, Honored for Receiving February 2022 QST Cover Award

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W1JR Cover Plaque Presentation photo
L-R: Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI; Joe Reisert, W1JR; Virginia Reisert; Assistant Director Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB; Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC

Joe Reisert, W1JR, of Amherst, New Hampshire, has been awarded the February 2022 QST Cover Plaque Award for his article “12-and 17-Meter Antenna Design.” Joe was honored at a small reception by ARRL New England Division leaders on April 15, 2022 in Merrimack, New Hampshire. 

An amateur for 71 years, Joe was first licensed as WN2HQL in 1951 while living in Wantagh, Long Island, New York. 

Joe is one of the preeminent DXers in the world. He holds a DXCC award with 392/340 Mixed, 381/340 SSB, 353/339 CW, 340/336 Digital, 113/108 Satellite and 3171 DXCC Challenge. Among his many other honors, Joe is an A1 operator, a member of the First Class CW Operators Club, RSGB, and life member of ARRL and AMSAT. In 2014, Joe was elected to CQ Magazine’s DX Hall of Fame.  

 

 

Hampden County Radio Association Foxbox #1 Has Escaped its Den and is Ready For a Springtime Fox Hunt

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Ken Dion, KD1KU, writes on the WMAFoxHunters mailing list on April 15, 2022:

As of 4 pm, Friday, April 15th, HCRA Foxbox #1 is back in hiding! The weather has drastically improved and it’s the perfect time for a Springtime Fox Hunt! This is also a good opportunity for base stations to give signal reports and a direction if possible. It’s just as important for the hunters to know where it cannot be heard too.

That diabolical fox is running the usual one watt into an 18 inch antenna. I was able to activate it running 50 watts from my mobile in Chicopee near the intersection of Memorial Drive (Rte.33) and Pendleton Ave.

You can activate the fox by going on the 2-meter simplex frequency of 147.55 MHz (PL 100.0Hz), key your transmitter, identify yourself with your callsign, and then press the DTMF “1”.

If the Fox can hear you and you can hear it, you will hear its very distinctive sound. It will transmit for 30 seconds, ID, then repeat 2 more times and then go back to sleep. You can make it transmit as often as necessary to find it.

Do not reveal its location, just a location (and direction if possible) from which you are able to hear it. This then becomes a starting point for the other fox hunters to use.

You do not have to touch the Foxbox to claim finding it. Eyeball contact is sufficient and a photo that shows the Fox is a plus. It is located less than 500 feet from a safe parking location.

Announce it here and on https://groups.io/g/WMAFoxHunters that you’ve found it with any comments you may have other than its exact location. Please take a photo of the fox box and post the pic and any comments to announce that you have found the fox. Do not give away its location in the picture!

It’s in a publicly accessible location with safe parking nearby. Getting to the FB requires a short walk on mostly flat ground.

Happy Fox Hunting!

73, Ken ~ KD1KU
Zero Beat Editor
Join Hampden County Radio Association
Visit HCRA.org

Groton (MA) Road Race, May 15, 2022

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Ralph Swick, KD1SM, writes:

** Groton Road Race scheduled for Sunday May 15, 2022 **

The Groton Road Race (Groton MA) is back!  May 15 will be the 29th running of this event. The Groton Police Department and the Race Director have again requested our Amateur Radio communication support this year.

We will be supporting the two main races in this event; the 5k and 10k. The communications support that we provide starts around 9am and we should be done shortly after 1pm.

The event committee is not requiring volunteers to be vaccinated or to wear masks.  You are certainly welcome to wear a mask and/or maintain distancing if you wish.

The Groton Road Race continues to be a major event for Amateur Radio in North Central Massachusetts.  Those of you who have joined us in previous years know that the runners sincerely appreciate our presence.  Many say so as they run past.  This event is so large that Police Departments and other public safety organizations from several communities come to assist the Groton PD.  Part of our role is to provide the communications from the Groton Police to these out-of-town officers who come to help with this event.

Contributing to the public good is one of the reasons Amateur Radio exists.  Our public service events are a key opportunity for us to show our colors, volunteer our skills and equipment, and demonstrate why it is in the public’s interest to continue to allocate precious RF spectrum to our the Amateur Radio Service.  The Groton Road Race is a low-stress event and a great way to gain more experience with the public service aspect of amateur radio.  Please consider joining us on the 15th.

If you are a new Ham or know of another Ham who is interested in helping at these events but unsure of what is expected or what equipment may be needed, please do not hesitate to introduce the to me.

The Race Committee and the Groton Police Department repeatedly praise and express their appreciation for our assistance in providing communications for this event for many years.  if you are interested in joining the communication crew this year, please let me know.

Thanks and 73,
-Ralph kd1sm@arrl.net

[1] http://www.n1nc.org/Events/
[2] http://grotonroadrace.com/

 

New England QSO Party, May 7-8, 2022

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Paul Gayet, AA1SU, writes on the Vermont ARRL Members List:

Here is a message from Tom Frenaye K1KI about the upcoming New England QSO Party.  Below that, I have added some of my own notes.

The New England QSO Party on May 7th and 8th is a great time to check out antenna systems and offers a moderately paced opportunity to work new states and countries. You’ll find a wide variety of participants, from newcomers to experienced contesters, all interested in making contacts with New England stations.

Our goal is to get every one of the 67 counties in New England on the air so we hope you will encourage your friends to join in the fun! Even if you can join the fun for a couple of hours, we’d appreciate it! Will you be QRV? Let us know with a message to info@neqp.org.

The New England QSO Party is 20 hours long overall, in two sections with a civilized break for sleep on Saturday night.  It runs from 4 pm Saturday until 1 am Sunday, then 9 am Sunday until 8 pm Sunday.  Operate on CW, SSB and/or digital modes on 80-40-20-15-10 meters.  For each QSO you’ll give your callsign, a signal report and your county/state.  Top scorers can earn a plaque and everyone who sends in a log with 25 or more QSOs will get a certificate.  The goal is to work stations anywhere in the world – and their goal is to work New England stations, so you’ll be very popular!

Last year we had logs from 947 stations from around the country and world. 

The full rules are here -> https://neqp.org/rules/

The full 2021 results were posted a couple of weeks ago – https://neqp.org/2021-new-england-qso-party/

It’s just three weeks until the 2022 NEQP.  Please get on and make some QSOs even if you don’t want to send in a log!

Thanks!

73 Tom/K1KI

There will be 3 other QSO Parties going on this weekend at varying times.  They are Indiana, Delaware, and the 7QP.  The 7QP is similar to the NEQP in that all the states in seven land will be on the air.

If you are using N1MM+ to log the contest, choose ‘QSO Party’ from the list, then ‘NEWE’ from the drop down box.  The advantage to using N1MM+ is that is will score these other 3 contests for you.  In the Exchange Box, enter exactly what the station sends you.  When the tests are over, you simply send the same Cabrillo file to each log checker, and they will score it for you.

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ARRL Vermont Section
Section Manager: Paul N Gayet, AA1SU
aa1su@arrl.org
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