Phil Temples

Team K2H 13 Colonies QSL Party, September 4, 2022

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Team K2H QSL preparationLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:
 
On Sunday, September 4th, friends and members of Team K2H, the 13 Colonies Massachusetts team, got together to prepare QSL cards to send.

I had ordered 1,000 cards and hoped that it would be enough this year. The team made 21,373 QSOs this year—over 6,000 more than in 2021. That made us think we’d have many more QSL requests this year.

 
Our twenty-four K2H operators were kept busy. Most of the contacts were made using FT8 or other digital modes This year, many more contacts were DX.
 
When we were finished, we had prepared 970 cards to be mailed on Tuesday. That is far more than any other year.
 
Card requests continue to come in long after the special event. This year, I even received a request from 2020.
 
Team K2H had a blast making contacts during the 13 Colonies special event operation on July 1-7, 2022.
 
If you are interested in becoming an activator in 2023, please contact Larry, W1AST, at hamop.w1ast@arrl.net.
 

Additional Volunteers Sought for Project Big E, West Springfield MA

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Project Big E logoLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

The Big E is coming up fast and the first day is Friday, September 16th.

As of now, there are 12 clubs and around 110 people signed up to staff the ham radio booth. We are looking for a few more to help us lock down the schedule. Are you available on any of these dates and times?

Each day is broken into two sessions. The first runs 9:30 am through 4 :00 pm and the second runs 3:30 pm through 10:00 pm. The overlap is to help the new arrivals for the 2nd session learn what had been working during the first session so they could continue. The sessions are named Session 1 and Session 2.

Here is where we need volunteers as of right now:
Monday, Sept 19, session 1 – need 2 people
Monday, Sept 19, session 2 – need 3 people
Tuesday, Sept 20, session 2 – need 3 people
Sunday, Sept 25, session 2 – need 3 people
Tuesday, Sept 27, session 2 – need 4 people
Friday, Sept 30, session 2 – need 3 people
Saturday, Oct 1, session 1 – needs 1 person
Sunday, Oct 2 (Final Day), session 1 – needs 2 people
Sunday, Oct 2 (Final session), session 2 – needs 2 people
Are you available to help? If yes, please volunteer or add a session to what you have already volunteered for.

As a reminder, everyone that volunteers will have their Big E fairgrounds parking reimbursed and their admission reimbursed (or free tickets provided to them).

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9_iH1ZucHuCFCNwreEuVPWnmLOT5D_s92vHPuEUASS78Tew/viewform

Learn more here: https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e

I hope you are available to help us lock in these last few days of the schedule for the ham radio booth.

Thank you and 73,

Larry, W1AST

SECARS Foxhunt, Near Norwich CT, September 4, 2022

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Mark Noe, KE1IU, writes on the ctfoxhunter list: 

As a reminder, [the Southeastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Society] will have a fox hunt tomorrow [September 4] at 1 PM.  If you are not familiar where the Tri Town Trail is, the entrance we will be using is opposite the Preston Park on Route 117.   The closest cross street is Rose Hill Road.  
 
The directions from the website below are misleading. If you follow the website you will end up on the far side of the Preston park a street away from the fox hunt.
 
We will have talk-in support on 146.730 MHz PL 156.7 Hz.  Fox L’s frequency and characteristics have been uploaded to our website – check out https://secars.org/foxhunting/ .  I look forward to seeing you there tomorrow.
 
Many thanks,
 
-Mark

Blackstone Valley ARC Consortium – 16th Season

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Bob Beaudet, W1YRC, writes:

On Monday, September 12th, we shall kick off the 16th season of the Consortium. After taking the summer off, we’re ready to start another terrific season of discussions concerning basic radio. We have discovered that many hams are weak in knowledge of fundamentals, not just newly minted ones but many old timers as well.

We shall meet at the Manville Sportsmen’s Club located at 250 High St., Lincoln, RI starting at 6:30. Jim K1GND and I will start by reporting what Jim K1GND and I have been up to since the last Consortium which consists mostly of the Gaspee project, another outreach effort intended to promote the image of BVARC.

I will spend a little time telling the group how we got to this point in the program and what we plan to do in future sessions of the Consortium.

Please do all that you can to spread the word regarding September 12th’s meeting of the Consortium. My mailing list is FAR from complete. Everyone is welcome. We charge no admission or require membership in anything. Attendees don’t even need to hold an Amateur license. But all must be serious about learning radio basics.

They must, however, have a keen interest in sharpening their baseline knowledge in radio principles. If you want to come only for socializing, please do not come. The Consortium is friendly and informal but we seriously focus on learning basic radio material. Our program covers antennas, power supplies, propagation, operating technique and other things that all Amateurs must embrace to fully enjoy our wonderful hobby.

We are even considering running another Morse code class, separate from the general Consortium session, aimed at the recent “no-code” licensees who realize that they’re lacking a very useful operating skill. We have conducted three classes previously and they were mostly successful. Of course, we encourage attendees to bring their questions to the Consortium, especially those that you have researched and failed to obtain satisfactory answers. We rather strongly avoid advanced topics in the Consortium. Our focus is building and strengthening foundation knowledge. Advanced topics need to build upon good basic knowledge for one to understand and properly use that knowledge, similar to a house. It must have a solid foundation to build upon.

73, Bob W1YRC and Jim, K1GND

Question?? E mail W1YRC at W1YRC@ARRL.ORG

 

I’ve been asked what our policy is regarding COVID and what they should do regarding any mask requirement for the Consortium.  First of all, thank you for asking. Please accept my apology for failing to address this important issue. We’re not out of the woods yet, but  it appears that we’re heading that way. Each of us have different medical issues that we must deal with. Jim and I have been fully vaccinated but Jim will be wearing a mask because his wife, Anne, has been undergoing chemotherapy and other  serious medical treatment and in an abundance of caution and concern for everyone coming to the Consortium, he shall wear a mask. 
 
I live alone and have not been in contact with anyone having COVID, so I shall not be wearing a mask. That may change but for now, that’s the way we’re dealing with it. 
 
You should wear a mask if you feel comfortable doing so and if anyone would feel more comfortable if I wore a mask, kindly say so  and I’ll better  We surely don’t want this to keep you from attending. If you would feel more comfortable if I wore a mask, please send me a reply to this e mail. Only I shall see your request if you do not reply to all.  No list will be published or revealed of who requested it. 
 
Thanks and 73. Best wishes for a nice Labor Day weekend, Don’t let the rain forecasted spoil your family time or DXing.  Hope to see you on the 12th. 
 
Bob

ARRL Foundation Grants $270,000 to Amateur Radio Clubs

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From ARRL News:

08/31/2022 – The new ARRL Foundation Club Grant Program, funded by a generous grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), has awarded $270,000 to radio clubs that participated in the first round of applications.

The Club Grant Program, introduced earlier this year, includes $500,000 to be awarded to radio clubs with projects that will have the most impact on amateur radio, the community, and the future of radio technology. The grants will fund transformative projects that encourage the growth of active amateur radio operators and training opportunities, education programs for student groups and schools, and club revitalization. A second round of applications to award the program’s remaining funding will open on September 7, 2022.

Twenty-four clubs were notified on Monday, August 29, that they are receiving grants. The ARRL Foundation received 128 applications in the first round, with requests totaling $1.74 million. The selection committee noted that it was difficult work deciding from many high-quality grant proposals considering the finite available funds. Radio clubs that did not receive grants in the first round may revise and resubmit applications in the second round.

An informational webinar will serve as an orientation to the program, providing information on how to apply. The webinar will take place on September 7 at 7 PM Eastern Time. Please register in advance to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar:

Webinar: ARRL Club Grant Program | Round Two Kickoff
When: September 7, 2022 at 7 PM Eastern Time
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PezTqPKCTzuwy58FWWgJ3A

The ARRL Foundation, established in 1973 by ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio®, administers the Club Grant Program. ARRL has long recognized that it is in the best interests of amateur radio to encourage and support amateur radio clubs. Clubs historically have recruited, licensed, and trained new radio amateurs and have provided the community setting for them to continue their education and training.

The new Club Grant Program will help clubs more easily provide and expand their important services. More information about the program can be found on the ARRL Foundation website at www.arrl.org/club-grant-program.

Newport County Radio Club Experimental Microwave Group Meets

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The experimental microwave group of the Newport County (RI) Radio Club (NCRC) gathered to test their AREDN mesh network radios before a site test on Prudence Island in Narragansett Bay.  Two local island women (and club members) recently studied and passed their Technician license specifically to pioneer resilient radio communication on their small island. The NCRC has been experimenting with AREDN (Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network) since 2015, over distances of up to three miles. Today’s gathering was testing the equipment at a local park on 2397 MHz, a super high frequency ham channel below the 2.4GHz WiFi band.

Participants included Paul Fredette, K1YBE; Rob White, KB1ZZU; Mike Cullen, K1NPT; Keith Henry, KC1LPV; and Nancy Austin, KC1NEK. 

QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, September 17-18, 2022

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QSO Today logoEric Guth, 4Z1UG, writes:

Here is an update for the upcoming QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, opening in two weeks, September 17th and 18th, 2022.

Over 50 Amateur Radio Presentations Scheduled.

We now have over 50 Expo presentations scheduled for the weekend. The times are in UTC and PDT (Pacific Daylight Time). We have included an ICS download under Add to Calendar and instructions for adding these specific presentations to your Google or Outlook calendar.

If a presentation includes downloadable slides or white paper, then it will appear in the presentation summary under “Collateral or Slides:”

Beginner and Intermediate tracks  are in parallel and one after the other to allow the best user experience for new hams getting started. Expert presentations are scattered throughout the two days of the Expo. FlexRadio, our Platinum Sponsor, has their own presentation track.

All presentations will have live question and answer periods after the presentation itself. Of course, all of the presentations will be available for the on-demand period following their scheduled time slot for ticket holders.

Click on this link to view the presentation list

Click on this link to see the presentations broken out by time slot

Click on this link to buy your ticket

Click on this link if you need a youth or student scholarship

Southeast Connecticut Amateur Radio Society Foxhunt, Preston CT, September 4, 2022

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Mark Noe, KE1IU, writes on the ctfoxhunter list: 

SECARS will be sponsoring a foxhunt Sunday, September 4 at 1 PM – with a rain date of Monday, September 5 at 1 PM.  We will be at the Preston Community Park –  (10 Lincoln Park Rd Ext, Preston, CT 06365 – Hike the Trail — Tri Town Trail Association).

This will be an on-foot foxhunt. We will have 6 fox boxes running. Frequencies are listed on the SECARS website – we will be running foxes C, H, I, J, K at https://secars.org/foxhunting/.  The additional fox frequency for the 6th box will be added later this week, so look for another announcement with the parameters for Fox L.  Please let me know if you need any additional information.  Talk in will be available on 146.730 MHz PL 156.7 Hz.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Many thanks,

Mark Noe KE1IU

RAO to Launch New Amateur Radio Learning Program for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ Students with Support from ARDC

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From ema.arrl.org:

Nico Bezzerides, KC1PNP, writes on the STARS-radio mailing list:

I just saw this (https://public.nrao.edu/news/nrao-receives-ardc-ham-radio-grant/) and I thought this was really cool. There may even be an opportunity for us to partner with this project in order to fulfill their “connection with amateur radio clubs” requirement.

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“Following a generous grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), the National Science Foundation‘s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) will soon launch a two-year project to engage BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ students in learning about the electromagnetic spectrum and the excitement of amateur— also called ham— radio. The new project, Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS), is expected to offer its first student-facing trainings in January 2023.

ARDC selected EMS because of NRAO’s proven track record in supporting underrepresented minority students in the sciences by combining mentoring and instruction from content experts with best practices in equity.

As a part of NRAO’s broader impacts-focused SuperKnova learning platform, EMS will combine the expertise of NRAO staff, amateur radio enthusiasts, and other subject matter experts to develop a scalable and shareable curriculum, introduce students to EMS and radio technologies through hands-on activities, and support students in attaining technical and general class licenses in amateur radio.

Amateur radio provides a hands-on entry point to understanding the radio spectrum and its practical uses, including communications, astronomy, and community emergency infrastructure and response. Early support and engagement with amateur radio has the potential to create pathways for students to a future career or lifelong hobby in the sciences. The $315,123 ARDC grant will allow NRAO to develop and execute the program for two cohorts of students. It will also result in the development of a nine-month EMS curriculum that will be freely available to school groups, community clubs, and educational institutions.

NRAO Director Tony Beasley said, “Amateur radio continues to be incredibly important to the nation and global communications, and NRAO is excited to be working with ARDC to bring a new generation and diverse communities to the field.”

73

Nico, KC1PNP