Phil Temples

Upcoming ARRL-Sanctioned Hamfests and Conventions

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Photo of ham radio flea marketARRL New England Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, has approved several ARRL-sanctioned hamfests and conventions for 2022:

The Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club will host the ARRL Maine State Convention in Lewiston on April 1- 2, 2022.   Details can be found at http://w1npp.org.

The Port City Amateur Radio Club has received approval for its Seacoast Amateur Radio Flea Market to be an ARRL-sanctioned hamfest in Hampton, New Hampshire, on April 9. More info is available at http://www.w1wqm.org.

The Radio Amateur Society of Norwich, Connecticut, will host an ARRL hamfest in Gales Ferry on April 23, 2022.   For more information, visit https://rason.org.

The Southern Berkshire Amateur Radio Club will hold an ARRL-sanctioned hamfest in Goshen, Connecticut on May 21, 2022. More information can be found at http://www.sberk.org.

The Federation of Eastern Massachusetts Amateur Radio Associations will once again sponsor the Northeast Hamxposition and host the ARRL New England Division Convention in Marlboro, Massachusetts on August 26-28, 2022.  Details will be published at https://hamxposition.org.

The Meriden Amateur Radio Club’s Nutfest will host the ARRL Connecticut State Convention  in North Haven on October 9, 2022.  Details to follow at https://www.nutmeghamfest.com.  

See https://nediv.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-hamfests-and-convention-rules-regulations/ for the official rules on becoming an ARRL-sanctioned event.  The application form can be found at http://www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application.

Mt. Tom ARA 33rd Amateur Radio / Electronics Hamfest, March 5, 2022

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The Mt. Tom Amateur Repeater Association will hold its 33rd Amateur Radio / Electronics Hamfest at the Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Drive, Chicopee, MA 01020. Doors open at  6:30 AM for vendors only; help will be available for loading and unloading Doors open for general admission at 8:30 AM  (8:00 AM if the vendors are ready).
 
Admission: Adults: $5.00; Children: under age 12 are free. There will be no tailgating; handicapped parking will be available.
 
Raffle Prizes – six (6) tickets for $5.00
 
VE Exam -10:30 AM FREE Exams*
Provided by PVVET
Candidates must pre-register for the exam prior to the Hamfest. Visit http://pvvet.org for registration and more information.
*FCC application fees may apply
 
Additional Information:
http://www.mtara.org
Talk–In on 146.94 (127.3 PL)
 
Table Registrations contact:
Brian Mullarney – N1FI
20 Spring Street
Easthampton, MA 01027
Tel. (860) 478-6790
N1FI@arrl.net

Maine Scouts on 40 Meters

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From ARRL Club News, January 25, 2022:

Thanks to Al Sirois, N1MHC, some scouts in Lincoln County, Maine, were introduced to amateur radio while they worked on their Radio merit badges on December 18. N1MHC and friends set up a schedule on 40-meter phone. and four scouts and Scoutmaster Mike Lomas were able to chat with Phil Duggan, N1EP, in Maine, Ralph Churchill, W3FME, in Pennsylvania, and Skip Newell, K1WMN, In Massachusetts on 7.262 MHz.

Scout Elijah Smith shared with N1EP that he was 11 years old and was working on his Radio merit badge. Elijah also volunteered that he liked anything related to nature.

Scouts Dylan Lomas, Phil Smith, and Eddie Seiders chatted with W3FME and K1WMN about radio and scouting. Skip, K1WMN is an eagle scout. Ralph, W3FME, earned his Radio merit badge and ham radio license in the 1950s.

W1CEK Featured in QST

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Michael Carter, K8CN, writes on the PortCity ARC (Portsmouth, NH) mailing list:
 
I received my new [February 2022] issue of QST this morning (still get the paper form), and upon opening it I find our own Gary, W1CEK, photographed on the Lion’s Head Trail atop Mt. Washington!
 
Gary is an inspiration to all of us – still climbing the White Mountains at an…..ahem, advanced age and keeping youthful!
 
Mike, K8CN

Boston Marathon Amateur Radio Volunteers Needed on Marathon Monday, April 18, 2022

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Eastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, writes on NEDivisionSEC:

We are currently recruiting for the 2022 Boston Marathon on Monday 4/18/22. We have about half of the volunteers required for race day right now and volunteer registration closes on Friday February 18th, 2022 is a hard volunteer registration closure deadline and the volunteer sign-ups for the last couple of weeks have slowed significantly. We could use help from around the region. Below is a short release suitable for email and web site postings:
 
Hello to all…
 

Planning is well underway for the 2022 Boston Marathon!  The BAA opened volunteer registration today and it will close on Friday, February 18, 2022.  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/44002294773-2022-volunteer-registration-step-by-step-guide

 
If you have any questions about the upcoming volunteer registration period, or the 2022 Marathon generally, please get in touch anytime via the email address contact@hamradioboston.org
 
Thank you, and 73,

Boston Marathon Communications Committee

contact@HamRadioBoston.org

KM1CC Special Event Operation: Marconi’s First Transatlantic Wireless Message Anniversary, Results

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KM1CC Marconi operation 2022From K1USN Happenings, 1-21-2022:

Thanks to Barbara [N1NS] for organizing another event at the Coast Guard Station in Eastham [MA] on January 18, 2022. Special thanks to Russ, K1RTA, for bringing his portable trailer tower and to the other volunteers helping with setup. We had restrictions on the number of operators and visitors due to COVID. This was a CW only operation. There were two stations operated by N1DC and K1RV. We used Elecraft KX3/KXPA100 equipment at 100W with an OCF Dipole and a MyAntenna 80-10 end fed wire. The end fed antenna had the feed point at the Cupola railing with the wire sloping down toward the ocean tied to a fence post pole. The dipole was center supported by Russ K1RTA’s portable trailer tower on the south side of the building.

We had some interstation interference that the coax stubs did not suppress. This may be related to antenna orientation and will have to be investigated further. Overall we were able to manage the situation.

Results

509 QSO’s in 50 Countries. We also worked approximately 36 states and a few Canadian provinces.

Conditions were good especially on 15 and 20M. Europeans were loud. We completed a successful SKED on 20M with GB2GM in Poldhu England. <https://gb2gm.org/> We worked Thaire, W2APF, on vacation in Montserrat as VP2MDX on several bands.  Check out the pictures and videos on Facebook : <https://www.facebook.com/KM1CC>.

We hope to operate again in April for International Marconi Day.

73,

Rick N1DC

RASON Mentoring Program

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RASON website screenshotThe Radio Amateur Society of Norwich (RASON) in Norwich, Connecticut, has established a mentoring program designed to match people with experience in one or more aspects of the hobby with individuals who would like mentoring. 

A web page on the club’s website lists  members who are willing to share their expertise.  Those who wish to benefit from a mentor’s expertise are encouraged to contact a mentor using the contact information on QRZ.com.  Alternatively, mentees can submit a form and be matched to a mentor by RASON club officers.  They’ll be connected through an introductory email after which they can continue the conversation. 

This program is available to RASON members only.

 

Hearty New Englanders Preparing for Winter Field Day, January 29-30, 2022

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Winter Field Day Association logoAmateurs from across New England are preparing to brave winter temperatures on the weekend of January 29-30 to participate in the annual Winter Field Day (WFD) event. 

The New England Sci-Tech ARS (STARS) in Natick, Massachusetts is busy making plans to set up a station for the event. 

Members of the Twin State Radio Club in Canaan, New Hampshire are discussing a WFD club operation, per the club’s December, 2021 meeting minutes.

Maine Section Manager Phil Duggan, N1EP, writes: “My local club [the Maine Ham Radio Society] will be participating in the Winter Field Day event. This should be a lot of fun, and good practice for this summer’s ARRL Field Day!”

“The Barnstable ARC and Falmouth ARA [Cape Cod, Massachusetts] plan to partner up for Winter Field Day,” writes Assistant Director Rob Leiden, K1UI. “Falmouth has a beautifully equipped mobile system that may be the headquarters.  The effort is still in the planning stages.”

The WFD operation at the Newport County RC in Rhode Island is being headed up by John Vecoli, KC1KOO. According to NCRC President Nancy Austin, KC1NEK,  “John is again taking a huge leadership role with planning and logging.”

Drop me an email or radiogram if your club is planning to operate in the 2022 Winter Field Day event.  

73, 

Phil Temples, K9HI
k9hi@arrl.org

 

QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Returns, March 12-13, 2022

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QSO Today Ham Expo logoThe QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo returns on March 12-13, 2022 and has become a twice yearly event.  

Amateur radio is like a big circus.  It has its main tent with three rings in the center.  In those rings could be Contesting, DXing, and Rag Chewing.  However, amateur radio now has a “midway of a thousand smaller tents” according to Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, founder of the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo, and host of the QSO Today Podcast, an interview program featuring the most interesting amateur radio operators.  It is exactly this midway that the “Expo” was founded to explore.  

The Covid-19 Pandemic closed ham radio conventions, hamfests, and monthly meetings all across the World in 2020.  It was because of these closures that Eric, 4Z1UG, got the idea to create an on-line, and virtual convention that has all of the elements of a real ham radio convention, similar to the most notable live conventions.  

The First QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo was in August 2020 where over 15,000 amateurs attended on the Expo weekend, attending on their computers over the Internet instead of in-person.  Over 80 presentations were made, with live Q&A on Zoom webinar, and attendees could come back over a 30 day on-demand period to view the recorded presentations that they missed.  

We discovered something unique in August from surveys that we made following the expo.  Sixty percent of the attendees, almost 9000 hams do not go to live expos, preferring to stay at home.  The Covid-19 Pandemic has made this all the more important.  

The Expo has also become the place to discover more niches in amateur radio through the presentations given at each one.  In March 2021, while there was some difficulty with the platforms, over 6000 hams came and viewed almost 100,000 presentations from the over 80 that were offered in March.  Our Expo in August 2021 had over 90 presentations in 8 tracks of amazing amateur radio content.