Phil Temples

Winter Field Day: “A Great Opportunity to Practice ARES Groups’ Emergency Preparedness”

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Winter Field Day Association logoJack Ciaccia, WMØG, Assistant Director, EmComm and Public Service writes on the NE-ECAPS mailing list:

This month, we have a great opportunity to practice our ARES groups’ Emergency Preparedness. The Winter Field Day Association promotes emergency operating preparedness, particularly in the challenging winter months characterized by freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and other hazards that pose unique operational obstacles. The primary objective of Winter Field Day, along with its fundamental principles, is addressing the unpredictability of natural disasters, which can occur unexpectedly. Your training and operational skills must extend beyond fair-weather scenarios, as preparedness is crucial for a professional and timely response to any event.

This event occurs from 19:00 UTC on Saturday, January 27 until Sunday, January 28th, at 18:59.

It’s important to note that Winter Field Day is an emergency communications (EmComm) exercise, so while the rules are significant, the total points accrued are not the primary focus. The knowledge gained during Winter Field Day and the ability to adapt and overcome unexpected obstacles will prove invaluable during emergencies. Participants should prioritize testing their abilities and equipment over chasing contacts or points. When you engage in signal report exchanges, provide accurate signal report information to help the other station assess the effectiveness of their setup. For those who share the commitment to emergency communications, Winter Field Day offers a challenging yet exciting and rewarding experience that aligns with your dedication to this critical aspect of amateur radio.

This year, you’ll observe a shift from “Bonus Points” to “Objectives;” your goal should be to achieve as many objectives as possible during the event.

The New England Division’s ARES group’s goals should include participating from your State EOC and making at least one contact with each New England State EOC via some mode and frequency. I will leave the frequency and modes to each section’s ARES SEC to coordinate.

    •   Any mode is usable during this exercise except FT8 and FT4 modes.
    •   All frequencies, except for the WARC bands, can be used.
    •   One hundred watts is the maximum power level for this event.
    •   Six hours of continuous operation from each participating station.
    •   Running your station at home or in the field from an emergency power source during the exercise.
    •   Operating from an outdoor location and perhaps doubling as a POTA/SOTA activation.

The rules are available at: https://winterfieldday.org/rules.php

Above all, enjoy the Winter Field Day experience. Discuss the temperature, forge new connections, and create lasting memories as you refine your skills as an amateur radio operator.

You must register your Winter FD operation at: winterfieldday.org/register-location.php.

73,
Jack Ciaccia WM0G
Asst Dir., NE EMCOMM and Public Services
303-587-0993

POTA Activation K-1728 Wharton Brook SP, North Haven CT, K2D, for Winter Field Day

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Winter Field Day Association logoShawn Warren, KC1NQE, writes on the CT-POTA mailing list:

Greetings, Connecticut POTA Activators,

I hope everyone is off to a great start of the year. It is amazing to see this group evolve and all the fun we are having.  For this Winter’24 SYP we are going to take our efforts to the next level.  

Main Event

  The weekend of January 19th-21st, we plan to activate as a group utilizing the K2D call. If you’d like to participate in this event, sign up HERE, and/or send an email to KC1NQE with your Call Sign, intended park if you plan to be in a park during the net, cell number, and if you will be joining us at Wharton.  We will assign rover numbers for K2D (ex K2D/r1), which you can use during the entire weekend.  This falls under the use of a club call rules, so K2D and your personal call will get credit for the contacts while activating K2D/r.  [Station Name: K2D | Operator: Your personal call].  More information will be given to those signing up.

Meet Up Details

   We will be hosting a gathering at  K-1728 Wharton Brook SP 675 US-5, North Haven, CT 06473 11a until about 2p. This is a family friendly event, all visitors are welcomed to join and operate the K2D station – this is a great opportunity for unlicensed friends and family, and newly licensed individuals to activate on HF.   Bring your pota gear and pota gear accessories for a tailgate show-and-tell, along with a mug for hot beverages.

P2P Net Details 

   We would also like to light up the spot page with K2D (pota admins are aware). With the success of the CT P2P net during the Fall’23 SYP, and the excellent suggestions to make it better, we are going to have another go at it.  Just before 11:30a on Saturday Jan 20th, a mass text with a frequency for the net will be sent out to those signed up and in a park. The frequency will be somewhere between 7.185 and 7.210, with the expectation of QRM.  K2D will act as a net control, utilizing the sign up list to start making calls- when called, treat it like any P2P contact – Call, Park, Sig.  This initial call up will act as a check in to the net – if you miss the first go around, opportunity will be granted at the end .  Make a list of the stations you hear on the check in or print the signup sheet to bring with you.  Once the check in is complete, Net Control (K2D) will give control to the next person on the list who will then make calls to those that checked in, then return the net to K2D.  Make a general ‘any missed stations call’ at the end before returning the net to K2D.  Other stations should take note of late check ins and add them to their list.  Those that have already gone and missed a QSO with the late check in can do so when the missed station call is made by the late check in.

Contingency Plan

   Connecticut winter has been kind to us so far, but we all know how that can go.  If snow prevents us from utilizing a safe, and within the rules, activation location at Wharton Brook, we will divert to K-1717 Sleeping Giant SP 200 Mt Carmel Ave, Hamden, CT 06518. If the gathering is canceled due to weather, the assigned rover calls are still usable for the weekend. 

Ham Radio Featured on the “Today Show”

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Sierra Harrop, W5DX:

“We expect that a segment featuring the Harbor Creek High School [Erie, PA] ARISS contact will air on 1/5/24. I was in touch with the producer yesterday to provide some additional footage. A teaser for the segment led the 8 AM rejoin of this morning’s broadcast.”

 

Bill Morine, N2COP, Vice Director, Roanoke Division:

“An outstanding story.  [NBC Today Show host ]Harry Smith captured the palpable thrill in the room. A brilliant piece of PR for Amateur Radio. Congratulations and appreciation for all who contributed to make this story happen.”

 

Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R:

“The ARISS team does a whole lot to ready these schools and support their contacts. What was particularly exciting about this school was that their teacher was a graduate of the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology.

As you may know, Steve Goodgame (K5ATA) attended the contact last month, and even dressed the students in ARRL sweatshirts for their NBC Today show interviews.

Sierra Harrop (W5DX) reported that likely 2.576 million people saw it air live on TV this morning (that’s the typical Today show audience size). She also shared these additional notes:

  • The students were all licensed radio amateurs and ran their own equipment.
  • They used ARRL materials to study for their tests.
  • They took their tests through an ARRL VE session.
  • They were wearing ARRL-branded shirts.
  • They had moral support on site from Steve Goodgame, K5ATA.
  • ARRL social media and public relations supported the ARISS contact.
  • The whole reason the school even got involved in ham radio is because their faculty advisor came through the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology.

Here’s the link to the clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2s_C4o7dfk

 

ARISS contact featured on the Today Show

Special Event Station N1W QRV, January 2024

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N1W QRZ page screenshotN1W, organized by K5ZD in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, is one of the special event stations from around the world that are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Marconi as part of the World Wide Award in January 2024. Work the event stations each day in January on all HF bands, on SSB/CW/Digital for points and awards. 

AB1OC, AB1QB Honored as Co-Recipients of the 2024 Orlando HamCation Gordon West Ambassador of the Year Award

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Gordon West award announcement on Ham Nation broadcastGeorge Allision, K1IG, writes on the PART of Westford mailing list:

Congratulations to […] Fred, AB1OC, and Anita, AB1QB, who are co-recipients of the 2024 Orlando HamCation Gordon West Ambassador of the Year Award. This award is given annually to outstanding Amateurs who represent and inspire others, who embody the amateur radio spirit, and who have made outstanding contributions to the Amateur Radio community.

Fred and Anita are recognized for their outstanding work both in the New England division and U.S. with Ham Radio Bootcamp, ARISS school contacts, youth outreach, amateur radio balloon launches, and license training. In their spare time, Fred also serves as the New England Division Director, and Anita is the New England Division Assistant Director for Mentoring and New Ham Development.

Well done to Fred and Anita!

[The award was announced on the Ham Nation YouTube broadcast on January 3, 2024.  You can see the story at 27 min., 30 sec. into the video.]

 

Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC

 

 

Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB
Anita Kemmerer, AB1QB

Vermont QSO Party, February 3-4, 2024

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The Vermont QSO Party is coming up in a mere four weeks, February 3-4, starting at 0000 and ending on 2359 UTC. This corresponds to Friday night February 2 at 7 PM until Sunday night February 4 at 7 PM.

We hope to get a lot of Vermont stations on the air to satisfy the appetites of all the chasers.

Details are at: https://www.ranv.org/vtqso.html with the detailed rules at: https://www.ranv.org/vtqso.doc

No changes in the rules are in place but be sure to read through everything and ask NOW if you have any questions.

We are specifically looking for stations to activate some of our rarer counties, like Grand Isle, Franklin, Essex, Orleans and Orange. If you can get on from these locations, that would be great. Or else, plan a mobile operation. It is a load of fun in the winter! Hopefully we will not have a repeat of the -20 degree blast that we had last year. When you do get on, be sure to spot yourself and call CQ. They can’t find you if you run around the band!

Mitch Stern W1SJ
W1SJ@arrl.net

——————————————————————–
ARRL Vermont Section
Section Manager: Paul N Gayet, AA1SU
aa1su@arrl.org
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Hampden County (MA) RA Technician License Class Begins January 13, 2024

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HCRA classFrom the Hampden County (MA) Radio Association ZERO BEAT, January 2024:

Most likely, if you’re reading this, you already have your license and know all the fun and excitement that your very first amateur radio technician class license has brought you.

If you know of anyone who is interested in achieving this goal in life, have them register using the link be- low and fill out the form to get their name on the list for this FREE technician license class next January.

The list of applicants is filling up quickly, so don’t wait too long to get your name or the name of the person who wants to get their license on the form by following the link below and filling out the required information. Choose between in person classes or online Zoom classes!

This class is free; you are only required to buy the license manual. Register using the form found by clicking on the link below.

Register today by visiting: <https://hcra.org/licensing-classes/>.

[The class starts the second Saturday in January and will continue for four weeks and one week of review. The sessions will be from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM.]

Ham Radio Support for the Sawmill River 10k Run, Montague MA, January 1, 2024

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From wma.arrl.org:

For several years now, hams from this area have provided communications for the Sawmill River Run, a 10 kilometer run in Montague Center on New Years Day. I am organizing the effort this year.

Some of you have helped in the past and others may be new to this event, but I welcome as many of you as can make it. The commitment that morning would be from 8:30 to 11:30. The central site is Montague Common Hall, 34 Main St, Montague, MA 01351.

It is a short course with many turns so we need as many operators as we can get. This also provides a good opportunity to test our communication skills and to meet other members of our ham community face to face.

Please let me know if you can help us out or if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Mark, NX1K
nx1k@arrl.net