It is time to start thinking about the 2022 Dempsey Challenge. I will be coordinating this year with Cory KU1U as the NCS again.
To this end, I’m reaching out to see if you would like to volunteer for the event again (7 Rest Stops, 12 SAGs). This year the event is scheduled for September 24th and 25th. Our support will be on the 25th for the ride events. The course is the same as last year.
The only change that we will have is we will need to meet on the 24th so that we can go over any last-minute changes and have our final event brief.
If you would like to participate this year, please send me your phone number and t-shirt size, and indicate if you would like the same assignment.
I’m meeting with the event organizer this week. After the meeting, I will send an update, so we are all on the same page as we move forward.
If you know of anyone that would also like to volunteer, or if I missed someone, let me know or give them my contact information.
Current Scheduling:
Saturday, September 24th, Time TBD – Event Brief.
Sunday, September 25th, Time TBD – Ride events.
The last thing is thanks for your time and if you have any questions or concerns, let me know.
Now that you know what it isn’t, come to the next Billerica (MA) ARS meeting and hear what it is from HamXposition Program Chair Phil Temples, K9HI.
Phil will highlight some of the exciting talks and presentations lined up on the three-day program, as well as discussing some of the less-known activities that will occur at the Convention on August 26-28, 2022 at the Best Western Royal Plaza & Trade Center in Marlborough.
(By the way, it’s okay to forget and call it “Boxboro.” Phil does it occasionally, too!)
Phil Temples is ARRL Vice Director for the New England Division and a former Eastern MA Section Manager. A ham for over fifty years, he’s a Life Member of the ARRL and QCWA.
[For Zoom conference details, email Bruce Anderson, W1LUS, at w1lus -at- hotmail -dot- com.]
All, here are two nice media hits on the ARISS radio contact for Challenger Learning Centers–with these stories being specific to the Challenger Learning Center of Maine:
On Sunday, July 31, SECARS [the Southeastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Society] will be holding a fox hunt at the North Stonington Fairgrounds located at 23 Wyassup Road, North Stonington, CT 06359.
This event is being held in conjunction with the New London County 4-H Fair. Some of the foxes will be within the fair event itself, while others will be around the perimeter. The fair charges $3 admission.
SECARS will have an HF amateur radio station setup near the fair office and flagpole at a member’s travel trailer. At the trailer, you will find a list of all the boxes and associated frequencies that are deployed around the fair.
If you join us, please recognize this is intentionally being held at a public, youth focused event. As such, please expect to get asked some questions and provide outreach to generate interest in amateur radio. Our fox boxes will be out between 10 AM and 1 PM.
On Thursday, July 28 at 8:00 PM EDT, Radio Relay International will be conducting class TR-008 entitled “Basic Radiotelephone Net Procedures.”
This class covers basic voice procedures that are applicable to both traffic nets and tactical nets. The class runs about 2 hours and is interactive in nature. One will also learn about training tools that can be implemented on local ARES/EmComm nets to improve their training value and better prepare rank-and-file volunteers for an important supportive role in emergency response.
Meeting ID: 809 767 0691
Passcode: Vibroplex
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Meeting ID: 809 767 0691
Passcode: 278063179
New England Sci-Tech, a STEM education center and makerspace in Natick, MA, is running a 12-month space science program for students in New England in grades 4-12. Amateur radio is part of this effort; in the last week of September 2022 (NASA determines the date and time 10 days out), students enrolled will have the opportunity to speak to an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) as part of an ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) contact (“The BIG E Space Chat”). ARISS coordinators partner with educational groups in programs that involve education around space technology and research, as well as wireless technology and communication and radio science.
Some of the Space Science Education Program courses that have already started at New England Sci-Tech include:
Amateur radio Technician level classes
Model Rocketry Workshops
Introduction to Morse code classes
Introductory Mathematics for Modeling Rocket Flight
Upcoming classes/offerings include:
Introduction to Basic Electronics
Introduction to Arduino Electronics
Air Powered Rockets
Public Telescope Nights
The “Space Chat” will be held in the Arena at The Big E Exposition in W. Springfield, MA and those in attendance will learn more about the Space Science Club, background on amateur radio and ARISS and be able to listen in on the questions that the students ask the astronauts during the ~10-minute window during which the 2-way conversation is possible with the ISS.
Vic Farmer, NE1Y, writes on the Providence Radio Association Facebook page on July 25 2022:
Between trees growing into the tower guy wires and vines tangling the guys … there was a lot of cleaning up to do at W1OP.
The main attraction this morning at W1OP was to clear out the tree that broke one tip of the longest element on the Log Periodic Dipole Array. All the surrounding land was pretty well cleared when the clubhouse was built in the 1950s, but now it is a forest and jungle with vines. The workers were very careful to make sure the tree did not fall on the clubhouse. Fortunately, [David “Tess” Tessitore,] K1DT, found the broken tip and it will be reattached.
I am Jim Bradley, KB1JKJ, of the North Shore Radio Association. We have been asked to help ensure the safety of the riders and make this American Diabetes event a success. I am coordinating hams and we need your help.
This is a new post covid regional Tour de Cure New England Charity Ride starting in Lexington, MA at the office of Fractyl Health.
Location: On Routes, beginning at Fractyl Health, 17 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421
Hours 5:30am – 4:00pm
You must provide your own vehicle which has the capacity to easily transport a cyclist and bicycle.
Pick up cyclists and bicycles for transport to the nearest rest stop or available bike mechanic.
Respond to calls and directions from the Command Center to aid cyclists who need road assistance. SAG drivers may be accompanied by mobile HAM radio volunteers.
Patrol route watching for injured riders, mechanical troubles, and signage problems. Relay information to the Command Center.
If you would like to be stationary at a rest stop please email me directly at bradleyjab@gmail.com
Our ham supported public service events are interesting and fun experiences. The communication load is light, but safety and support for the participants are always primary. If you are new to this facet of ham radio, and want to get more public service experience, this is an excellent opportunity to learn the ropes. If you are an experienced public service volunteer, we definitely need your help.
I will get the assignments and more details to you as before the event. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
I’ve been quite busy the last few months with a combination of ARRL Board work, New England Division projects, Mentoring, and some time on the air. I am pleased to report good progress on many fronts. Here’s more about what I’ve been up to.
Club Grants
Mike Walters, W8ZY, and I, as part of an ARRL Foundation Committee, put together the application and decision process for the ARRL Foundation Club Grant program and rolled it out. Thanks to a generous donation by ARDC, the ARRL Foundation is making $500,000 available to Amateur Radio Clubs.
ARRL Club Grant Program at a glance:
Clubs do not need to be ARRL-affiliated clubs to submit proposals
Looking to fund projects that create significant impact beyond the applying club: transformative impact on Amateur Radio; create public awareness and support for Amateur Radio; educational and training impact.
Examples of projects include, but are not limited to: get-on-the-air projects; ham training and skills development through mentoring; STEM and STEAM learning through Amateur Radio; station resources for use by the ham community; emergency communications and public service projects that emphasize training; club revitalization projects.
The response to the first round of this program has been tremendous. We received 127 applications for Club Grants! The first round of grants will be awarded by the end of the summer, and the second tranche of applications and awards will commence in the late summer/early fall.
Board Projects and Meetings
I am working along with other ARRL Board Members and leaders as part of several ARRL Board Committees. First, I am a member of the Administration and Finance Committee, where I am chairing a subcommittee that is looking at ways to grow ARRL membership and increase active participation in Amateur Radio.
I’m also leading a subcommittee within the Emergency Communications and Field Service Committee that is working on a plan to create the next generation of the National Traffic System (NTS). I am working closely with Marcia Forde, KW1U, and other traffic handlers to create a plan for NTS 2.0. We are planning a series of briefings for Traffic Handlers here in New England as well as across other ARRL divisions on the NTS 2.0 project.
Finally, I have been appointed to be one of the ARRL Board members on the newly formed Investment Management Committee. The Investment Management Committee provides oversight of ARRL’s external investment manager and advises ARRL’s Administration and Finance Committee and the Board of Directors on investment policies and portfolio management.
Field Day
Our 2022 Field Day Visit Tour
Anita, AB1QB, and I had a great time during Field Day, visiting clubs all over New England. We covered about 1,000 miles during a three-day tour on Field Day weekend. I especially enjoyed meeting folks in person during Field Day and seeing what everyone was doing. It was great to see all of the different ways that clubs across New England approached Field Day. Anita took many great photos during our tour, and you can view those and read more about our Field Day travels here. We operated as AB1OC/M from the mobile HF station in our truck during the trip and had a ton of fun on the air as well.
Assistant Director Teams
Phil Temples, K9HI, and I continued working with our division Assistant Directors as they continued to set up their teams and began sharing information and projects across our division.
Cory Golob, KU1U – Assistant Director, Emergency Communications and Public Service Activities
Rob Leiden, K1UI – Assistant Director, Spectrum Protection and Use
Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB – Assistant Director, Mentoring and Ham Development
Dan Norman, N0HF – Assistant Director, Youth Outreach and STEM Learning
A great deal of good work is getting accomplished by our Assistant Directors, and each team has projects underway that will benefit hams across New England. Our second quarter 2022 newsletter features articles about what our ADs are doing.
BIG E Space Chat
New England school students will be making live radio contact with an astronaut on the International Space Station from The BIG E during the week of September 26th – September 29th. The “BIG E Space Chat” is part of a program to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) educational activities and Amateur Radio learning activities for young people.
We continued with our work to improve communications this quarter. There are three parts to our activities in this area:
Quarterly Division Cabinet Meetings with Club Presidents, Section Managers and Field Staff Members, and other leaders
Triannual (every 4 months) Division Town Hall Meetings with all ARRL Members in New England
Frequent attendance at Club Meetings (at least 6 times a quarter for each DVA team member)
We held our second Cabinet Meeting on April 16th (see what was discussed here). Our next Cabinet Meeting is scheduled for August 13th. We are inviting members of the HQ Staff to these meetings so that they can share information on what they are doing and receive feedback directly from division leaders.
We held our second Town Hall Meeting on June 15th. Attendance was excellent again, with over 140 in attendance. We provided an update on ARRL and New England Division activities and answered questions from the folks who attended. You can see what was discussed, including a recording of the event, here. We are planning to hold our next Town Hall Meeting in November.
We held an ARRL Forum at Spring NEAR-Fest in Deerfield, NH, where we provided an update on ARRL and New England Division projects and answered questions. We joined Peter Stohrer K1PJS at NEAR-Fest to talk with folks and answer questions.
Western MA Section Manager Ray, AA1SE and Assistant Director Anita, AB1QB discuss Licensing and Mentoring with Gordon West, WB6NOA at Hamvention
We also attended the Dayton Hamvention, where we helped to staff the ARRL Clubs booth and answer questions about the ARRL Foundation Club Grant program.
I am also planning to host an ARRL Forum at HamXposition in Marlborough, MA. HamXposition will take place on August 26th – 28th. You can see the schedule for the ARRL forum and session hosted by our division ADs here.
Licensing, Mentoring, and Youth
Stu, W1SHS, hosts an “Introduction to EmComm” at Ham Bootcamp
I have continued work on Licensing and Mentoring programs. We taught weekend Technician, General, and Extra License classes this spring and helped 19 hams earn their license or an upgrade.
We also held a spring Ham Bootcamp program, which helps hams across the country to learn how to use their Amateur Radio License to operate, put stations together, and get on the air. We added additional Ham Bootcamp training on getting started in Emergency Communications activities thanks to help from Stu Solomon, W1SHS, and Cory Golob, KU1U’s Emergency Communications and Public Service Activities Team.
Newport County Radio Club (RI) Parks on the Air (POTA) Activity
When: Saturday July 30, 2022 at 0930 EDST
Where:Ft. Adams State Park: POTA K-2874
Who: All club members and license classes welcome
All members are welcome however those with a General license are especially encouraged to attend.
Optional: bring your own HF radio, microphone and the radio’s manual. We’ll try to use it to get on the air. POTA experienced members will provide help you might need to further your understanding of your own radio. In addition, batteries, antennas, turners, other HF radios, etc. will be provided.
Club members can participate in this POTA activity in two ways:
1. Operate on the air as an “activator” at the park using call sign W1SYE.
2. Operate from home and contact W1SYE as a “hunter” on the day of the event. Activators are listed on the following POTA web site:https://pota.app/#/
Call the W1SYE activators!
Club members are encouraged to come out to our activation to share knowledge or learn about portable setups and operations, different modes of operation (CW, phone, digital), how to manage/work pileups, and even operate HF bands with a control operator in a relaxed environment.
Ft. Adams is in Newport. We will setup on the bluff behind the Eisenhower House. Turn left as soon as you enter the park.
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