New Hampshire Gears Up For Volunteers On The Air, W1AW/1 Special Event Operation

As announced in the January 2023 issue of QST, ARRL is celebrating a year-long operating event honoring all ARRL volunteers: Volunteers On the Air.

A Special Event station in NH (W1AW/1 Portable) will run the weeks of April 26th and Sept 20th. Our team is looking for operators who can activate a W1AW Station.

You can operate from your home station or a portable location, e.g., beach, park, or public area. You can use digital, voice, or CW modes on several bands (with certain exceptions, see VOTA Homepage for
more details). We aim to work as many stations as possible anywhere in the world.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Eric Pfeifer (N1JUR) at n1jur.nh@gmail.com or Peter Stohrer (W1FEA) at pstohrer1@gmail.com for more information, or if you would like to sign up as an op, you can use our form <https://forms.gle/jnNHmyS9G11YWMsr9>. We’ll then add you to our mailing list.

Thanks,

Eric Pfeifer
N1JUR
n1jur.nh@gmail.com

Connecticut Volunteers On The Air, W1AW/1 Sign Up

The week of May 10-16 and Sept 27-Oct 3, W1AW/1 comes to its home state, Connecticut!  Our team is looking for additional operators who can spend as much or as little time representing W1AW and the VOTA effort.  The operation is a DXpedition-like one where you will be working as many as possible.  The operation will take place from your station or a station in Connecticut, not W1AW itself.

Operating will be on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2, and satellite.  Modes include CW, Phone, or Digital.  Repeater contacts are not allowed as are WARC Band contacts.  Our goal is to work as many stations as possible anywhere in the world.

We have an email group to exchange information (only open to members) and we will use Slack for quick messaging.

If you would like to join our team, please fill out the form found here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrhdSMn2MiIv22DDAXwLassLkdzkArVpJ8qmR8GdTPRUhSVA/viewform

If you have any questions, please contact Pete Chamalian at W1RM@Comcast.net.

Pete Chamalian, W1RM

W1RM@Comcast.net

Three Section RFI Teams attend Training/Receive Equipment

On January 21, the RFI teams from EMA, WMA and RI attended the 1st New England Division RFI training session, held at New England Sci Tech.  The teams received information about some general team-related matters as well as information about the equipment features and techniques for its use.  Nancy, KC1NEK, from the RI team has posted some photos at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Cy3nTJsdvka7YEwM7.  These three teams now have the equipment funded by the ARDC grant in their possession to use for helping hams with their RFI problems.  Hams needing that assistance should start with the rfi troubleshooting guide.

The guide and decision tree will direct you to the RFI team page when you use the tree to guide your investigation and find you need further help.  You then will see who your team members are and have the opportunity to answer a few questions so they can help you.

Your information will become part of a record that will be used to identify likely RFI sources for future cases.  Even if you find the RFI source yourself, let the team know what you found so that your information can be added to the record keeping.

Even before they received the new equipment, the teams have already been helping hams in the Division find and eliminate RFI and this new equipment will greatly enhance the teams’ capabilities.

The next training session is scheduled for Saturday, February 25, at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, CT.  This session is open to the CT team members and members of the ME, VT, NH teams on request and by invitation.

The last session currently scheduled is Saturday, April 29, at Nearfest in Deerfield, NH.

January 2023 RI Activity Report

RI iconGreetings ARRL members and friends,

Please accept my sincere wishes for a healthy, happy and DX filled New Year. Hopefully, we shall avoid the latest medical issue, called the tripledemic. From what my doctor tells me, it’s very serious and makes those afflicted quite miserable. So, please remain extra vigilant and practice good health hygiene. We all want to avoid this one.

Band conditions are improving just as we were told they would. Earlier this week, the SFI hit 212 and 245. That’s the first time it has gone above 200 in years. We should see some very good band conditions now on 20 through 6 meters. Together with longer daylight periods every day, long distance openings may last well into evening hours and eventually 24 hours, even on 10 meters. Enjoy the DXing. We’ve all waited for these band conditions, so get on the air and enjoy.

For stateside operating, the Volunteers on The Air or VOTA program is off and running. It started on New Year’s Day and ends twelve months from now on New Year’s Eve, 2023. I’ve worked several stations so far who were calling CQ VOTA. Each of them earn 175 points per band for contacting a Section Manager. Full details of the VOTA program may be reviewed at https://vota.arrl.org/ . VOTA encourages stations to get on the air and make contacts. I hope you see fit to do so. I’d love to work you on any band or mode.

A long time friend, Fred Laun, K3ZO became a Silent Key on January 3rd. Fred was the driving force that facilitated getting Viet Nam back on the air in 1971. The XV5AC call was put into several thousand logs after folks from around the world contacted that station at the Saigon US Embassy. At the time, the country had not been legally active for many years. I served as their QSL Manager. After filling out over 25,000 QSL cards, the station was shut down in 1975 after the north took over Saigon.

Winter Field Day is scheduled for January 28-29. I recall what a local said to me when I was working in Texas. He observed that whoever created Field Day didn’t live in Texas. Late June in Texas is very hot and Winter Field Day serves as his reply to the June Field Day. End of January in Texas is usually like our September in Rhode Island, very pleasant. But here in RI, we might be wearing woolen caps, heavy coats and gloves, even plowing through the snow. Operating a code key of any kind while wearing gloves can be a challenge. This winter has been very mild so far, so maybe we’ll be lucky.

While we’re thinking about Field Day, it’s not too early to be planning for the traditional Field Day in June. Lining up operators and schedules for each station can be developed now, using the Winter FD to show conflicts, mutual interference and other technical issues. Good luck and above all, please be sure that you remember to have fun.

The DXers in RI are aware but the rest you may not know that a dozen world class operators are enroute to Bouvet Island as of the time I am writing this report. The team should reach the island by February 1st. If sea conditions will allow, they should set up and be on the air soon after. Bouvet is the second most wanted DX entity in the world, second only to North Korea. Pile-ups will be colossal. Operator skill will largely determine whether you work them and get into their log. They will be on all bands and modes using the call 3Y0J. Good luck to all.

73,

——————————————————————–
ARRL Rhode Island Section
Section Manager: Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC
w1yrc@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

POTA Winter Park Appreciation Weekend, January 20-22, 2023

Parks On The Air logoPeter Cimino, K1PCN, writes on the Greater Bridgeport (CT) ARC mailing list:

This weekend is the POTA Winter Park Appreciation Weekend.  It is open for all hunters and activators. It start Friday, January 20 7 pm (00:00 UTC) and ends Sunday 7 pm (00:00 UTC). Special award is added to activators.

I will be activating Silver Sands State Park on Saturday, January 21, 2023  from 9 am until noon. If anyone would like to come down and activate using my equipment, please join me.

Peter K1PCN 

Algonquin ARC Flea Market, Marlborough MA, February 18, 2023

AARC logoFrom ema.arrl.org:

The Algonquin Amateur Radio Club will hold its Marlborough Flea Market on February 18, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the 1Lt Charles W. Whitcomb School, 25 Union St., Marlborough, MA. Talk-in is on N1EM/R 446.675 – (PL 88.5). Any COVID-related updates will be carried on the AARC website at http://n1em.org.

A VE session will be held beginning at 9:00 AM. General admission is $5. Vendor tables are $15 before February 10, 2023, or $20 at the door if space is available. Each table includes one admission.

For more information, email fleamarket@n1em.org or visit https://www.qsl.net/n1em/AARC_Flea_Market_Flyer_2023.pdf.

New England Mesh Network Continues to Grow

WZ0Z in MA and N2MH’s “Supernode” in NJ have added tunnels into the New England mesh system, bringing the number of states linked to 5; these include nodes in ME, NH, CT, MA and now NJ.  Recent ARDC and ARRL grants in ME and RI offer the potential for further expansion and the recent partnerships between the NH mesh and NEDECN nodes raises the possibility of seeing more such partnerships throughout New England.  These connections represent a first step towards linking New England with a system that can survive a commercial internet outage, whether due to natural disaster or cyber-attack.  The nodes, mostly on the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz bands, utilize frequencies under threat from commercial interests and represent an enhanced facility for emergency communications including email, chat, iphone, mapping, remote camera operation and monitoring and many other apps found on the internet and familiar to ARES served agencies.  

If you operate a mesh network in New England and would like to tunnel into the existing mesh system, please contact Rob Leiden, k1ui, Assistant NE Division ARRL Director, Spectrum Protection and Use at k1ui@nediv.arrl.org.

BAA MarathonFrom K1USN Happenings, January 12, 2023 (via ema.arrl.org):

Planning is well underway for the 2023 Boston Marathon! The BAA opened volunteer registration today and it will close on Friday, February 10, 2023. Returning volunteers should have received an email from the BAA with details about how to register.

New volunteers can sign up via http://register.hamradioboston.org/. We have also provided a step by step guide on how to select Amateur Radio volunteer positions during the registration process:  <https://hamradioboston.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/44002389087-2023-volunteer-registration-step-by-step-guide>.

Massachusetts Volunteers On The Air, W1AW/1 Sign Up

From ema.arrl.org:

This year, the ARRL is honoring volunteers with its Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) operating event. The event starts January 1 and ends December 31, 2023

Twice a year, for one week, each state will be activated as W1AW/1 (for call area 1 Massachusetts, for example). To make this happen, we need ops to get Massachusetts on the air.

Would you like to be an W1AW/1 activator for the first session this spring? The first MA session is Wednesday, April 12 through Tuesday, April 18.

Would you like to know more? Contact Larry, W1AST, at W1AST@arrl.net.

ARRL Vermont State Convention “HAM-CON,” February 25, 2023

Ham-Con logoThe ARRL Vermont State Convention, known at HAM-CON is Saturday, February 25, 2023 at the Hampton Inn Convention Center in Colchester, Vermont. 

HAM-CON will feature eight forums running all morning between 9 AM-1 PM. Details are in the Forums section.

The Vendor Room will run from 8:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Vendors must arrive no later than 7:30 AM to avoid crowds during setup. There are scores of tables chock filled with goodies. The offerings range from new to boat anchors and we can never know what jewels will show up.

Please go to our Web Site, http://www.ham-con.org for other prices, travel details and program information.

For information, phone: (802)879-6589, afternoons and evenings, before hamfest day. Or, via email w1sj@arrl.net. Talk-in on the WB1GQR repeater on 145.15 MHz (-600). This repeater is monitored all the time.