Month: January 2023

K1IR Appointed to ARDC Grants Advisory Committee

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Jim Idelson, K1IRFrom YCCC Scuttlebutt, February 2023:

Jim Idelson, K1IR, has recently been appointed to the ARDC Grants Advisory Committee. Jim, past YCCC President (2001 – 2002), has been involved in amateur radio since 1971, and he credits the hobby with helping him achieve a productive and fulfilling career in technology and business. He is an active contributor to the amateur radio community through his involvement in public service events, as an author, and through the Zero Falls Alliance – an initiative he created to focus on tower safety in amateur radio. Jim has also served as a volunteer with local, regional and national organizations. Other amateur radio activities include contesting, DXing, and experimentation. Congratulations, Jim!

MVARA to host Mesh Network Training Session

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Jay Taft, K1EHZ, and Ken, N1KWG, announce there will be a mesh network training session on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7:00 pm.

All those who are interested are welcome to join the meeting. 

The slides to be used for the training can be found on the MVARA website:

http://merrimackvalleyara.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Merrimack-Valley-Digital-Network-Training-Presentation.pdf

If you are interested in participating in the upcoming session, please contact Jay or Ken at their qrz.com addresses.

 

Barnstable ARC holds Winter Field Day at Scout Camp

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The Barnstable ARC (BARC) held its first Winter Field Day (WFD) at Boy Scout Camp Greenough in Yarmouth, MA this weekend.  The Club and the Boy Scouts are working together to put a permanent amateur radio station at the camp.  As part of the close relationship being forged with scouting, BARC (W1MA) set up a 2O station in the camp and manned it around the clock with a dozen volunteers.  Since the Administration building was winterized with no heat or water, it was an ideal location for an outdoor experience including temporary heaters and bringing in water.  Although the effort was smaller than BARC’s summer Field Day, setting up the antennas and operating in cold weather gave both old timers and newer operators valuable experience.  Don, KT1OK (foreground) and Lem, W1LEM were finishing the operation on Sunday afternoon, logging a few last-minute contacts on 15 and 40 meters.

665 contacts were made on 5 bands using emergency power with stations as far away as Hawaii.  BARC is taking every opportunity to showcase amateur radio at Camp Greenough that hosts camp outs to scouts from all over Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Winter Field Day continues this effort that began with Jamboree on the Air last Fall and continues with WFD and the removal of trees in preparation for Eversource to install three donated poles for the permanent radio station antenna supports.

 

Cape Ann (MA) Amateur Radio Association Technician In A Day Session, February 25, 2023

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Cape Ann ARA logo

Our Technician In A Day Session is a study course.  The course allows you to become licensed by the Federal Communications Commission.

You should obtain a copy of the ARRL Technician Class License Manual.  You may purchase this book at Ham Radio Outlet or any other amateur radio related store.

You should read the book.  The information contained therein will allow you to answer questions on a 35 question test for obtaining your Technician License.

There are videos on Youtube at W4EEY that explain the theory and cover the questions to enhance your knowledge.   You may also take practice exams at hamstudy.org for comprehension.

TECH IN A DAY CLASSROOM SESSION

  1. You should apply and obtain a FCC Registration Number at: https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do
  2. You will be charged a slight fee for this course. Normally, $15.00 for the Examination and $10.00 for materials, snacks and drinks which will be provided for the session.
  3. The Tech In A Day Session will be almost a full day session (8 am to 5pm)
  4. The first Study Session begins at 9:00am for 45 minutes and you will be given a 15 minute break before the next session begins at 10 am.
  5. Three study sessions will be held before a lunch break (approximately 11:45am-1:00pm)
  6. There will be three more study sessions in the afternoon to run to 4:45 pm.
  7. Testing will begin approximately at 5:00 pm.

You will be administered an examination of 35 questions of which you must score at least 26 out of 35 or better to PASS.

Upon completion and passing of your examination you will be handed a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination) (CSCE Form).

Your call sign should be process in 10-12  business days.

If you would like more information, you may email us at caarave@caara.net or Telephone (978) 504-9112 for more information.

 

Vermont QSO Party, February 4-5, 2023

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VT iconThe 65th Vermont QSO Party will take place during the first full weekend of February 2023, beginning at 0000 UTC Saturday February 4 and ending at 2400 UTC Sunday February 5, which is a 48-hour period.

In local time, this corresponds to a start time of 7:00 PM EST Friday night February 3rd and an end time of 7:00 PM Sunday night February 5th.

The Vermont QSO Party provides the opportunity for Amateur Radio operators to contact and exchange QSO information with Vermont Amateur Radio operators. All licensed amateur radio operators are invited to participate. Stations outside Vermont work Vermont stations. Stations within Vermont work everyone.

For more information, visit <http://www.ranv.org/vtqso.html>.

VOTA / W1AW Massachusetts Needs More Operators

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Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

VOTA Massachusetts is looking for more ops. As of January 27, 2023 we have 10 operators signed up to operate as W1AW/1 for the Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) and are looking for more for the April 12th to 18th week-long session.

If you are interested in learning more or becoming an operator, please contact Larry, W1AST, at W1AST@arrl.net.

New England Clubs Gear Up For Winter Field Day, January 28-29, 2023

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Winter Field Day Association logoA number of radio clubs throughout New England are gearing up for the annual Winter Field Day event this weekend.

Winter Field Day is sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association. Complete rules can be found on the WFD website, at Winter Field Day. According to ARRL, “Combining this with ARRL’s yearlong event, Volunteers On the Air, is a great way to make contacts that count for both activities and get new operators on the air. … Like the ARRL Field Day, bonus points are earned in several ways, including for using non-commercial power sources, operating from remote locations, making satellite contacts, and more.”

The Granite State Amateur Radio Association is QRV for Winter Field Day. They will operate as “3 Oscar” under the call sign N1QC at their summer field day site, “Mike’s Barn,” 972 Back Mountain Road, Goffstown, New Hampshire. Setup begins around 10:30 AM on Saturday morning. According to Eric Pfeifer, N1JUR, “One brave soul and station will operate for the full 24 hours.” 

The Addison County Amateur Radio Association will operate Winter Field Day at N1TRK’s QTH at 1685 Main Street in New Haven, Vermont.  “Operations will be held inside the Hambulance. The event starts at 2 PM Saturday and ends the following day at 2 PM. We will operate using the club call (N1FS) and certainly have some fun!” For more info, visit: https://winterfieldday.com/index.php  or contact Rob at litchrobbie@gmail.com or via cell at 802-355-1474.
 
New England Sci-Tech will participate in Winter Field Day from 2 to 9 PM on Saturday at 16 Tech Circle in Natick, Massachusetts. “We will stay warm and take a points loss but still have fun! Non-licensed adults and children can get on the air with one of our control operators.”
 
New England Sci-Tech will also hold a number of other activities in conjunction with WFD: maker activities from 4 to 6 PM for children of members and visitors, and hands-on activities led by volunteers. “Make a meteorite necklace, make 3-D paper art, make an electronics gadget, make a laser-cut art project, make a woodworking project, and more.” Also planned are thirty-minute planetarium shows at 5 and 7 PM, a pot luck dinner from 6 to 8 PM, and a ham radio “movie marathon” from 7 to 9 PM. 
 
The Twin State Radio Club will operate in Winter Field Day on Blackwater Road in Canaan, New Hampshire. “In past years, we’ve put heat in the comm trailer, hung a 40-meter dipole, and put the mini-beam up on the tower trailer, which gives us the most popular contest bands,” according to TSRC’s Dave Colter, WA1ZCN.  “We’ll likely run two stations on generator power. Setup begins at 8am this Saturday, and the event starts at 2pm and runs for 24 hours. If you want to try HF operating and don’t have the means at home (or the license,) this will be a good opportunity. Operating privileges will be those of the control operator present.”  Talk-in will be on the 145.33 repeater.
 
The Hampden County Radio Association (HCRA) and Franklin County Amateur Radio Club (FCARC) will mount its first Winter Field Day operation on Sunday from 9 AM until 2 PM using the call sign W1NY. The group will be set up at 1500 West Street, Amherst, MA. “Indoor restrooms are available, and food (from Atkins Farm) is a mile down the street and offers many delicious foods and treats. You are also welcome to bring something to share or for yourself.” The group plans to operate from the upper parking lot. “Look for antennas and call signs on cars and hams. We shouldn’t be hard to find.” For details, contact  W1BCC Brad Councilman (FCARC president)  at bc@councilman.com or Larry Krainson (HCRA president) at W1AST@arrl.net.
 
The Candlewood Amateur Radio Association will conduct their Winter Field Day exercise at the Ball Pond Firehouse, 7 Fairfield Drive, New Fairfield, Connecticut. All interested local hams are invited to participate.  A signup sheet for the event can be found at:  2023 Winter Field Day 1/28-1/29 Signup Sheet.
 
Members of the Boston Amateur Radio Club are QRV for Winter Field Day and will camp out and operate from one of the Ponkapoag Adirondack Mountain Club cabins in the Blue Hills south of Boston. “This will be a blast!” writes BARC’s Mindy Hull, KM1NDY. “It is imperative that you arrange this with me if you plan on going.”
 
 
 
 
 
 

ARISS Radio Contact is Scheduled with Students at Norwich Free Academy, Norwich CT, January 30, 2023

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ARISS logoAmateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Norwich Free Academy located in Norwich, CT.  ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS. 

Founded in 1854, Norwich Free Academy (NFA) is a secondary school in eastern Connecticut, with a student population of more than 2,100, and serving local communities as well as international students from China, Canada, and Finland.  

Leading up to this ARISS contact, NFA integrated an array of topics into the science curriculums for all grades. Students investigated Newtonian gravitational laws and Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion using a hands-on lab, a PhET interactive simulation, and video lessons. Students learned about the systems in place to help keep astronauts alive while living and working on the ISS; one student used NASA resources for a research project to discover how basic human needs (air, water, sleep, exercise, etc.) are met on the ISS. The NFA Amateur Radio & Engineering Club (ham radio call sign W1HLO) members and advisors installed an amateur radio satellite ground station on campus last year, thanks to a generous ARDC grant. Students in the club now get hands-on learning at the ham station for how to communicate using amateur radio satellites and how to receive weather satellite images.  

Students will ask their questions of Astronaut Josh Cassada, amateur radio call sign KI5CRH, who will use ARISS’s ISS call sign NA1SS. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and audio may be heard by listeners within the ISS footprint that also encompasses the amateur radio ground station at NFA, call sign W1HLO. Club advisors and members will establish and maintain the amateur radio operations for this ARISS connection. 

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for January 30, 2023 at 1:55 pm EST (CT) (18:55:20UTC, 12:55 pm CST, 11:55 am MST, 10:55 am PST).  

The public is invited to watch the live stream at  https://youtu.be/pTkaCtam8m0.