Month: March 2025

Dartmouth College Engineering Open House & Amateur Radio Tour, Hanover NH, April 8, 2025

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Dartmouth College logoEric Hansen, KB1VUN, writes on the Twin State RC mailing list:
 
Thayer’s annual Open House is coming up on Tuesday, April 8, 5-7 PM: https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/events/open-house#.  The tour includes research labs and exhibits by local companies.  I have also reserved a spot on the tour for ham radio.
 
The usual way these events work is that each tour stop has artifacts, posters, and demos, with friendly people answering questions for the visitors.  [Dartmouth Amateur Radio Association] W1ET has a 40m dipole on the roof of the engineering school and a long coax drop from the shack down to a conveniently located lab on the ground floor.  Despite the coax losses and EM noise in the building, I was able to make contacts yesterday, so there’s a good chance of on-air demos, especially with FT8.  But other ideas I discussed with the open house organizer, showcasing amateur technology and activity, are HamSci, APRS (and the Prouty), and POTA.  These could be interesting show-and-tells without requiring working demos.
 
I’d love some help.  Send me a message if you’re interested.  I also hope to rope in some of our licensed students.
 
Eric

MARCONI Project to be Implemented Nationwide

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ARRL logo“The MARCONI Project was developed by the Meriden Radio Amateur Club (MARC) as part of a grant awarded through the ARRL Club Grants Program beginning in September 2022. The Project is designed to assist clubs to become more active and engaged with their members and their local community. The name MARCONI references both an early innovator in radio communications, and is an acronym for ‘Motivating Radio Amateur Clubs to Open New Initiatives.’”

Developed as part of the suite of offerings in the MARCONI Program are eight (8) Activity Programs available to clubs. 

[Details]

Maine Section News, March 2025

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Maine iconMaine Section News

Happy Springtime Maine hams! It is nice to finally have the section email list restored after last year’s cyber attack. Do not worry. I’ll try not to send out these emails more than once a month unless something urgent comes up. Here is the latest section news:

 

Ellsworth Ham Radio Symposium

Did you know that the first non-military and non-commercial satellite put into orbit was built by Amateur Radio operators? Did you know that this was accomplished in 1961?! Amateur Radio operators have been involved with satellites from that moment on. Today there are 15 active amateur radio satellites in orbit and more on the way. Even the International Space Station is equipped with two amateur radio stations onboard.

Follow Jeff Hanscom, KA1DBE, through his keynote presentation as we learn about the history, the achievements, and how to actually track and talk to someone thro ugh and Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio (OSCAR).

Also featured at the symposium are Raspberry Pi 5 For Radio Amateurs by Phil Duggan, N1EP, Create a digital voice hotspot (Fusion, DMR, DSTAR) using a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 and WPSD, by Guy Mason, KN0O, and Emergency Preparations for the Ham Shack, by N1EP.

The symposium is Saturday, April 5 from noon until 4PM. Admission is by donation (any amount) and will benefit the host facility. Location Meadow View Apartments Phase IV Dining Hall, 25 Tweedie Lane, Ellsworth.  Talk-in is on the 146.910- (pl-151.4) repeater. Door prizes and refreshments.

 

MECN

The Maine Emergency Communications Net now meets twice a month. The second Sunday is the training net which will focus on radiograms and the National Traffic System initially, and eventually branch into ICS-213 message form procedures and Amateur Radio Emergency Service training.  Maine NTS and ARES a re teaming up to provide this training. All are welcome. The first MECN training net will be Sunday, April 13 at 5PM on or near 3.940 MHz. Maine Section Traffic Manager Jim Kutsch, KY2D, will conduct the radiogram training. Much appreciation to Jim and Maine ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Derrick Ouellette, KW1A, for their teamwork and other efforts for the Maine ARRL section. The 4th Sunday is the regular MECN for Emergency Coordinators and other leadership and ARES/NTS members to discuss and plan emergency preparations and related topics. Same frequency, same time.

 

Seagull Net Hours

The Maine Seagull Net has reverted to the spring/summer start hour of 5PM on 3.940MHz Monday through Saturday. Also on that frequency Sunday mornings is the Maine Public Service Net at 9am.

 

Maine Hamfests

The Hermon Hamfest is Saturday May 31 at the Hermon High School, kicking in the summer/fall hamfest season. Th e Maine ARRL Convention and Hamfest is Saturday, August 2 at the Civic Center in Augusta. The Alexander Hamfest is Saturday, September 20 at the Alexander Elementary School. The Windsor Hamfest has not yet been confirmed.

 

NEQP

Let’s get Maine on the air for the New England QSO Party May 3 – 4, 2025! Check out neqp.org for rules and details.

 

Maine-Wide POTA!

Clubs and individual Maine hams are requested to put a qualified park on the air Saturday, May 17. This is the second year in a row that Jeff Hanscom, KA1DBE, Assistant Section Manger, has organized this fun event.  Let Jeff know what park you will be operating from and send him some feedback after the event. Email ka1dbe@arrl.net. POTA rules are available at parksontheair.com

 

ARRL Dream System

Join or renew and donate for a chance to win an amazing Dream Station for your shack, which includes a brand new Icom IC-7760 Transceiver, I C-PW2 HF/50 MHz Linear Amplifier, and more! Details are available at https://www.arrl.org/arrl-sweepstakes#enter

 

HamX ’25

Ticketing is now available for HamX ’25, to be held August 21 through 25 at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center in Marlborough, Mass. 

We have special news concerning our Friday DXCC dinner: DX Engineering (“DXE”) has graciously agreed to be the official sponsor for the Northeast HamXposition Friday evening DX/Contest Banquet. According to DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy, K3LR, the company will donate six $100 gift certificates toward purchase of products from the company, along with a major prize of an Icom IC-7610 with a retail value of $3,250.00. The HamXposition Committee wishes to express its sincere appreciation to Tim Duffy and the DX Engineering team for their generosity! 

The IC-7610 will be the major door prize for the Friday DXCC Dinner, which is featu ring well-known international DXer/Contester Ned Stearns, AA7A. Ned will talk about Remote DXpeditioning and the Radio-In-a-Box (RIB) technology.

Learn more about the entire convention at hamx.org.

 

ARRL to Gather Comments from Members on FCC’s Public Notice

Dear ARRL Member, 

On March 12, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Public Notice titled “In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete,” seeking input from the public on FCC rules that may be outdated, unnecessary, or in need of modification. This inquiry is part of the FCC’s ongoing effort to alleviate regulatory burdens across various services, including the Amateur Radio Service.

As part of this review, ARRL is conducting a thorough examination of the provisions in Part 97 and related rules that affect amateur radio operators. ARRL’s written comments, which will be prepared by our FCC Counsel and the ARRL Executive Comm ittee, will include consideration of feedback we received from members.

Members who want to share comments and concerns about this matter are urged to share your feedback directly with ARRL. Please submit your comments by March 31, 2025 and use the following feedback form:

www.arrl.org/fcc-public-notice-march-2025

ARRL will submit our official filing to the FCC by the April 11 deadline. After that, there will be an opportunity for reply comments at the FCC until April 28, and then later, opportunities for public comment on any rules the FCC proposes to delete or modify.

 While the FCC Public Notice is a broad inquiry that does not single out any specific radio service, ARRL is nonetheless committed to protecting the Amateur Radio Service, promoting its public interest goals, and ensuring your right to access radio spectrum.

ARRL will continue to work on this matter, and we will inform m embers as more news develops.

 Thank you, 73

ARRL Executive Committee

 

Get On The Air!!!

On HF, if you hear strong FT8/FT4 signals on the digital part of the band, and it is all quiet on CW or Phone, start calling CQ! It is quiet because no one is on the air in those modes, but hams might be listening. Call CQ and maybe post yourself on a DX spotting web site.

——————————————————————–
ARRL Maine Section
Section Manager: Philip W Duggan, N1EP
n1ep@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

CT Section Manager Newsletter, March 2025

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Section Manager Newsletter – March 2025

Douglas Sharafanowich – WA1SFH
ARRL Section Manager, Connecticut
Cell: 203-494-3885March 25, 2025

Greetings!  I hope this finds you well.

CONTENTS

– The CT Section Manager Newsletter
– If YOU build it, they will come.
– CT Hamfests (March – May)
– ARRL Field Day 2025
– Parks On The Air (POTA)
– Youth Outreach
– ARRL’s Letter re: FCC Public Notice, “Delete, Delete, Delete”

The CT SECTION MANAGER NEWSLETTER

Welcome to my 1st Section Manager Newsletter.  I am happy to report that progress continues at ARRL to rebuild their I.T. capabilities after last year’s horrendous cyberattack, and the Section Email function for Section Managers is the most recent example of this recovery.

Below is a quick overview of what is going on in the Connecticut Section.

Also, I would very much like to hear from you about Amateur Radio activities that you are involved in and what you are building.  Here are 2 Examples:

– A local ham in Stratford is converting solar powered walkway lights into solar powered Mesh Network Nodes.

– During my Winter Field Day Tour, I came across a station in Uncasville using a quick to set up 40m Folded Dipole supported by 3 sets of green garden plant stake (2 stakes per set in an “X” configuration) for Near Vertical Incident Skywave (NVIS) propagation.

“IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.”

(quote from the movie: Field of Dreams)

New W1BPT – KB1AEV Link

By the end of this week, the Bridgeport W1BPT 2m repeater will be “linked fulltime” to the KB1AEV repeater Network.

Rx 146.445Mhz
Tx 147.445Mhz (this is a non-standard +1Mhz split)
PL tone: 151.4 (new PL tone changed from 77)

I am beyond thrilled to see how the Greater Bridgeport Amateur Radio Club ( GBARC) has spearheaded the NEW Repeater link to the KB1AEV repeater system. It will be up and functioning 24/7. This now gives folks in lower Fairfield County (CT ARES Region 1) access to the mighty KB1AEV linked repeater network that covers a large portion of CT. This has been a dream for over 40 years. Congratulations to Dana KB1AEV, Peter K1PCN (and his GBARC team), and others in achieving this milestone.

Antenna Builds

SouthEastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Society (SECARS) is now planning sessions for 2 antenna Builds. One will be a multi-band for POTA and the other will be a G5RV dipole variant.

Licensing Classes

Meriden Amateur Radio Club (MARC) and Eastern CT Amateur Radio Association (ECARA) are running Technician and General Study Classes.  This is a great way to bring new people into the hobby and build club membership.

Developing new Net Control Station Operators

For Amateur Ra dio Emergency Service (ARES), National Traffic System (NTS), and SKYWARN, CERT.  Phil K1XFC, your CT ARES Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC), sponsored a highly successful half-day Net Control Station Training Workshop at the Newington Fire Department HQ on Saturday, Feb.1, 2025. The presenter was Douglas WA1SFH, your new CT Section Manager (SM, and we had about 40 people in attendance – including 3 hams from New York State. It even got a write-up in the ARRL Letter. As a result of that write-up, there have been inquiries from other amateur radio leaders – as far away as Vancouver Island (BC).

The NCS Training Workshop PowerPoint presentation can be found at: https://ctaresregion2.org/downloads/category/2-training

Building CT ARES

Volunteer Leaders Wanted

Between Covid and the normal course of retirements and relocations, CT ARES SEC Phil K1XFC is actively looking for a few good men (and women) to fill key volunteer leadership positions. Specifically, District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) positions for Region 1, Region 2, Region 4.

DEC Info at: https://www.arrl.org/district-emergency-coordinator

In addition, there are several openings for local town Emergency Coordinators (EC) in each Region.

EC Info at: https://www.arrl.org/emergency-coordinator

More detailed information about each position can be found in The ARRL Emergency Coordinator Manual at: https://ctaresregion2.org/downloads/category/8-the-arrl-emergency-coordinator-s-manual

To find your Region, and how to contact SEC Phil K1XFC, go to: www.ctares.org

CT HAMFESTS (March – May)

We have 3 Hamfest coming soon. You really don’t want to miss them!  Grab a few Ham buddies and carpool up together.

 

Sunday, March 30, 2025 THIS WEEKEND !!!!

What: Southington Fleamarket/Hamfest & CT ARES Spring Meeting

Sponsor: Southington Amateur Radio Association (SARA),

Place: Southington High School,

720 Pleasant Street., Southington

Time: 8am – 12 noon

 

Saturday, April 26, 2025

What: SECARS Amateur Radio Fleamarket/Hamfest

Sponsor: SouthEastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Society

(https://secars.org)

Place: Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall,

1650 CT Route 12, Gales Ferry

Time: 8:30 am – 2 pm

 

Fri./Sat./Sun., May 9 – 11

What: 48th Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference

Sponsor: The North East Weak Signal Group

Place: Hilton Garden Inn

Corporate Drive, Windsor

(I-91 Exit 38 to Day Hill Rd.)

Time: See Flyer

Flyer: https://www.newsvhf.com/conference/

 

ARRL FIELD DAY 2025 is COMING!

June 28 – 29

Now is the time to start planning for ARRL Field Day 2025. If you are a member in a Club, I encourage you to take an active role and participate – The More, The Merrier!  However, if you operate solo or in a small team, now is a great time to start organizing and planning where you will be, getting site permission, etc.

Info about ARRL FD 2025 can be found at: https://www.arrl.org/field-day

Please be sure to post your operating site on the FD Locator Map, and let us see where you are operating.

Map Link: https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

The FD Locator Map is a powerful tool in promoting Amateur Radio and encouraging Hams and Non-Hams (including Municipal and State officials) to visit.

Congratulations to The Eastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Club (ECARA) as being the first to put their FD 2025 site on the Map.

Don’t keep your FD site a secret!  Put it on the ARRL FD Locator Map…TODAY!

PARKS ON THE AIR (POTA)

I am very excited about the POTA program with opportunities to “activate” over 130 listed parks here in CT. This independent program is an outgrowth of the previous ARRL National Parks On The Air (NPOTA) initiative, and has been a real shot in the arm for our hobby encouraging Amateur Radio Operators to go out into the field and get “Radio – Active”.  The Warmer weather is coming. Go POTA!  We even have a CT based POTA group: Connecticut Parks On The Air.  https://groups.io/g/CT-POTA

YOUTH OUTREACH

Question: “Why don’t we see more young people in Amateur Radio?”

Answer:

Because very few Hams are making an effort to introduce and engage kids in amateur radio activities at Schools, Home Schooling organizations, Youth Activity Groups (e.g. Scouting, etc.), Amateur Radio Clubs, or Public Events – and leaving the job to THE OTHER GUY to do.  – DON’T BE THE OTHER GUY.

Section Youth Coordinat or (SYC) Needed

With the previous SYC now serving as the CT Section Manager, the CT Section is now looking for a special individual who understands the vital need of getting Youth involved in Amateur Radio and wants to make a difference.

As a member of the Section Cabinet reporting to the Section Manager, the role of the SYC is to: Assess youth activity within ARRL affiliated clubs, promote youth related on-air activities, encourage youth related programs and activities within clubs and, provide Youth related ideas and resources to Amateur Radio Clubs within the Section.

It’s a Team Effort…. the SYC can’t do it all himself.  The SYC will need to build a small team of Assistants to make it happen across the state.  – For more information, please contact me, Douglas WA1SFH.

ARRL to Gather Comments from Members on FCC’s Public Notice

Dear ARRL Member,

On March 12, 2025, the Federa l Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Public Notice titled “In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete,” seeking input from the public on FCC rules that may be outdated, unnecessary, or in need of modification. This inquiry is part of the FCC’s ongoing effort to alleviate regulatory burdens across various services, including the Amateur Radio Service.

As part of this review, ARRL is conducting a thorough examination of the provisions in Part 97 and related rules that affect amateur radio operators. ARRL’s written comments, which will be prepared by our FCC Counsel and the ARRL Executive Committee, will include consideration of feedback we received from members.

Members who want to share comments and concerns about this matter are urged to share your feedback directly with ARRL. Please submit your comments by March 31, 2025 and use the following feedback form:

www.arrl.org/fcc-public-notice-march-2025

ARRL will submit our official filing to the FCC by the April 11 deadline. After that, there will be an opportunity for reply comments at the FCC until April 28, and then later, opportunities for public comment on any rules the FCC proposes to delete or modify.

While the FCC Public Notice is a broad inquiry that does not single out any specific radio service, ARRL is nonetheless committed to protecting the Amateur Radio Service, promoting its public interest goals, and ensuring your right to access radio spectrum.

ARRL will continue to work on this matter, and we will inform members as more news develops.

Thank you,

73, ARRL Executive Committee

——————————————————————–

ARRL Connecticut Section

Section Manager: Douglas Sharafanowich, WA1SFH

wa1sfh@arrl.org

——————————————————————–

Scenes from the Meriden (CT) ARC General Class

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From Meriden ARC Facebook page:
 
LEFT: MARC VP & current reining Elmer of the Year, NZ1J, Dave Tipping, lectures our General Class on inductance, capacitance and resonant circuits last night.
What an absolute treat for all of us Radio/Electronics nerds in attendance – Thanks Dave!
RIGHT: A sneak peak into KC1QWH, Stephen‘s notebook…. Steve reported he was feeling smart in his post about last night’s class – we’re glad to hear it. We’re just about half way there!
 

Batteries on Airplanes

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Don Dickey, WV1W, writes on the CT-POTA list:
 
The New York Times had an article in today’s edition:
“Rules for Portable Batteries on Planes Are Changing. Here’s What to Know.”
 
The article is probably behind a paywall but you may be able to read it:
 
As an author, I respect copyright law, so can’t post the text or a PDF, but what it says is that the laws are changing. This apparently happened already on airlines that have experienced fires: South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore. The US, EU, and UK may soon follow, so the situation is in flux because incidents have increased.
 
Currently, most (but not all) US airlines allow up to two 160 watt-hour batteries on-board in carry-on baggage. Lithium batteries are not allowed in checked bags. In case you are math-challenged, that’s a 12 amp-hour battery, like the one I mentioned in a post last week:
 
 
That is the battery I took with me for POTA in Arizona last year, and I can recommend it as near-perfect for QRO POTA if you want to travel by air to distant parks. I removed the power leads, taped over the terminals, and packed it in a heavy plastic freezer bag. TSA sniffed it (and my FT-891) and let it fly.
 
73
Don
WV1W