Rob Leiden

On August 12, BARC members Lem, W1LEM, Bruce, WA3SWJ and Rob, K1UI climbed the fire tower at the Cape Cod, MA W1MA repeater site and deployed several mesh network antennas and transceivers.  The recently constructed BARC tower trailer was also towed to Al, WW1RF’s QTH and another transceiver attached at the top of the trailer tower, raised to nearly its full height.  Another transceiver had previously been deployed at the QTH of Barry, KB1TLR in Brewster, more than 5 miles from the fire tower.  Bandwidths in excess of more than 100 MB/sec were achieved using a high gain antenna on the fire tower and an omnidirectional antenna in Brewster.

The goal of the exercise was to evaluate the signal strength and bandwidth achievable from the fire tower to various sites on Cape Cod.  The exercise was part of an effort to design a Cape-wide ARDEN network to back up connectivity for digital repeaters and also to create an ARES network of fixed and mobile sites for emergency deployment.

Additional downlinks will also create opportunities for repeater control, remote site monitoring and on-site video during emergencies.

The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) activated Chatham Light (US-158) this past weekend for the second time in as many years.  Operating with two stations on the grounds of Coast Guard Station Chatham, operators made over 250 contacts , mostly on 20 meters, though conditions were generally poor.  With an historic Coast Guard rescue boat and the lighthouse in the background, club members talked to many of the tourists that frequent the location.  Among these were Alessandro, I2SVA, and his wife, visiting and on their way to a moonbounce operator’s meeting in New Jersey and the daughter of a ham in Maryland who wanted to work the station and did a few minutes later!  

Operators for the event were Mark, WA1EXA, John, KA1CTL, Barry, KB1TLR, Lem, W1LEM, Mark, K4LFL, Don, KT1OK and Rob , K1UI.

The event marked only the second time the club used its tower trailer, constructed by Russ, K1RTA and Chris, KB1ZAM though the high winds prevented raising the tower to its full 45 foot height.  Together with the WRTC triband yagi and an R-7, two Icom 7300 stations kept the ops busy much of the time.

The BARC Community Events Committee sponsors this and many other club field events throughout the year in addition to Field Day and also supports joint events with the Falmouth Amateur Radio Club such as the Mass Maritime Advanced Leadership presentation and two Falmouth road races.

The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) and Falmouth Amateur Radio Association (FARA) teamed up the evening of July 15 to introduce amateur radio to several hundred students at the Advanced Studies and Leadership Program held at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne on Cape Cod.  Antennas were set up outside of the conference center to enable live demonstrations of on-the-air operation.  Contacts were made by the students as far away as Europe and local repeater operation was also demonstrated.  The club repesentatives were: Norm, WA1NLG, Lem, W1LEM, Chris, WA1CMR, Ralph N1YHS and Rob, K1UI. 

The equipment setup included HF and VHF transceivers, a multiband HF vertical and a 2M vertical as well as HF and VHF transceivers, an AMSAT Cubesat demonstrator and an ARES “Go-Kit.”

Lem, W1LEM, Chris, WA1CMR, Bruce, WA3SWJ and Rob, K1UI Setting up for the presentation.

Bruce, WA3SWJ, demonstrated cubesat construction and operation using an AMSAT simulator.  Norm, WA1NLG, outlined the many technical branches of amateur radio including its integration with personal computer operation.  Chis explained the role of ARES in amateur radio and its importance to the community.  All the speakers emphasized the benefit of amateur radio in preparing for a scientific and engineering career.

The process of getting a license was addressed and the availability of local courses at both clubs was highlighted.

After the presentation,  a question and answer session was followed by an opportunity for the students to operate the HF and VHF equipment themselves.

Bruce, WA3SWJ, demonstrating Cubesat operation

Chris, WA1CMR, and Ralph, N1YHS, answering questions about ARES and repeaters

Lem, W1LEM and Rob, K1UI demonstrating 20 meter SSB DX’ing.

All 14 of the attendees at the Tech in a Weekend course held by the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) and performed at the Cape Cod Fish and Game Club in Harwich the weekend of January 13 and 14 successfully passed their tests at the end of the course.  The BARC team consisted of five teachers, each teaching two sub-elements and two VE teams.  Instruction was supplemented by downloaded U-tube videos. Opportunities to ask questions both during and after the instruction were provided.  An orientation session was held two weeks prior to the course to help the students prepare.  All students obtained the ARRL Technician License Manual in advance of the course and used it frequently both before and during class.  

In recognition of its status as a Special Service Club, BARC recently created an Education Committee to develop teaching experience, seek out opportunities to hold classes at all levels and generally coordinate club educational activities.  This weekend was the first course taught by BARC in several years, following the death of Paul Laconto, W1NP, and is dedicated to his memory.

The Merrimack Valley Amateur Radio Association has received a grant award of $46,125 from Amateur Radio Digital Communication, a California-based foundation, to expand its current 7-node microwave network in southern New Hampshire. The project includes extending the New Hampshire network into northeastern Massachusetts and southwestern Maine as a bridge between states towards to the larger goal of a New England-wide network.

The project is a collaboration with the New England Digital Emergency Communications Network to provide microwave radio backup to DMR repeaters in New Hampshire that rely on the internet for primary connectivity between sites. Collaborating on DMR sites also increases MVARA’s capability to support local emergency management organizations with amateur radio operators and equipment.

The grant proposal was co-authored by Jay Taft K1EHZ, Bill Barber NE1B and Jennifer Herting KD2BEC. The microwave network is IP-based, so amateur radio operators can use applications that normally run on the internet such as email, file transfer, weather station data, voice over IP telephone, and video streaming.

Recently, two New Hampshire towns have expressed interest in having amateur radio microwave capability installed on municipal towers so amateur radio operators can backup town communications that normally rely on the internet.

The project benefits DMR communications such as SkyWarn nets when the internet is disrupted, and allows siting DMR repeaters where no internet exists such as the current node on Crotched Mountain in Francestown. The project also benefits amateur radio operators when backing up communications for various public and private organizations.

Jay, K1EHZ is available to answer any questions about the expansion plan and is a valuable resource for anyone looking to support further expansion of mesh networking in New England.

Recently, Jeff, W4DD (Georgia) demonstrated his software for mapping RFI from power lines while mobile during a training session at Nearfest for three of New England’s RFI teams.  Since then, team members have been building on Jeff’s work to use the team’s IC-705’s and antennas to develop another tool for the team’s RFI toolkit.  Keith, W1KJR, and Jim, N1NK of the RI team have tested this Windows-based software tool for mapping power line and other RFI interference while mobile.  

Keith will be presenting the results at the HamXposition on August 26, at the RFI team forum.

Najm, AB1ZA, of the Western Massachusetts team has developed RFI mapping software that will run on a rasperry-pi, a Linux laptop or a Windows laptop.  Najm will demonstrate this software at another forum.

The mapping software will likely prove a valuable tool for reporting power line RFI issues to utilities.

Thanks to these teams for their excellent work!

The Falmouth Amateur Radio Association (FARA) and the Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) teamed up to present an overview of amateur radio to 200 junior high school boys and girls at a two week summer camp held at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne on Monday, July 17.  The two hour evening program included a demonstration of HF and VHF operation, a cube sat demonstrator, a discussion of the use of amateur radio for public service and emergency operation and an opportunity for the participants to get on the air themselves.  The benefit of  amateur radio for anyone pursuing an engineering career was highlighted.  Local opportunities to get their technician license were offered including mentoring and donations of equipment to get started.  Antennas and other on-air club members were  pre-staged to provide the attendees with an enjoyable on-air experience.

Presenters Norm, WA1NLG (BARC President), Bruce, WA3SWJ and Chris, WA1CMR (FARA President) with support by club members Ralph, N1YHS, Rob K1UI and Lem, W1LEM (taking photo) answered questions following the presentation and helped get some of the attendees on the air. 

Many of the attendees expressed an interest in learning more about amateur radio and obtaining a license. 

The evening continues an initiative being pursued by the clubs to work together on projects that benefit amateur radio on the Cape and especially EmComm.  The two clubs together have a membership of 300 hams.  Cape District Emergency Coordinator, Frank, WQ1O, has recognized the need for the Cape to be self-sufficient for an extended period of time following a natural or man-made disaster.  This makes this cooperation between clubs essential to support emergency operations anywhere on the Cape, regardless of any club affiliation.