Clubs

Androscoggin (ME) ARC Special Event Station W1S, December 15, 2024

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Androscoggin ARC logoCory Golob, KU1U, writes on the Androscoggin ARC mailing list:
 
We will be doing a special event station at the American Legion Post 135 in Sabattus, Maine, this weekend, Sunday, December 15th, from 9 am to 7 pm. It is the 100th anniversary of the American Legion Post in Sabattus. We will use special event callsign W1S (for Sabattus). 

Meriden (CT) ARC Technician Class Celebration

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James Surprenant, AB1DQ, writes on Facebook:
 
Last night we celebrated the completion of our 2024 Technician License Class at the Meriden Amateur Radio Club. The Technician License is the entry level ham radio license today and for the past two years, our club has partnered with the Wallingford Adult Education Program to offer a licensing class to the local community.
 
Coordinating the project for the club has been a labor of love for me and once again I have enjoyed our weekly classes over the past nine weeks.
 
Next Tuesday our students sit for their license exams. I wish them good luck and hope they return in February when we will be offering our license upgrade class when they can pursue the next license level – the General Class.
 
Meriden ARC tech class celebrates

CNHARC Receives Repeater System Donation

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CNH ARC bannerCNHARC President Rick Zach, KK1RZ, writes:
 
[The Central New Hampshire Amateur Radio Club] has received a donation of a replacement UHF repeater system at the summit of Gunstock. Thank you K1IW!
 
In fact, all three CNHARC Gunstock repeater systems are being completely replaced in a phased in approach,  6m, 2m & UHF.
 
Part of that system replacement  includes a simplex, frequency-agile 2m “remote base”.  These are very popular in California but are somewhat new to the New England mindset.  I am aware that ARES has been looking for a central high site for simplex use to connect to other state regions during past drills.
 
That remote-base capability will exist within the next month or so with more technical details to follow. But in a nutshell, once activated on demand, the state net control station only accesses the 2m remote base via UHF as required by FCC rules. This will be a hub and spoke system with all area representatives of the state communicating to net control on 2m simplex using your pre-arranged ARES simplex freq as you always have in the past. The end user experience  is not changed.  The only operational difference is that the “high site” is now VERY high. So this in no way changes your statewide simplex model.
 
You can use the Gunstock 2m repeater (recently replaced) to roughly gauge the coverage of the 2m remote base.  
 
146.985 -600  PL-123.0
 
Please send me your ARES 2m simplex frequencies of choice so that we may program the 2m remote base accordingly.  
 
===============
 
CNHARC has 100% new leadership with a very different, open culture. In fact we call it “CNHARC 2.0” and the remote base is part of that new culture.
 

New England Club Newsletter Award 2024

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Earlier this year, during one of the regular HamXposition meetings, Bruce, K1BG, and I were talking about doing some sort of club-centric meetings From that discussion came the Clubs forum which occurred Friday at the 2024 HamXpo.

Most of us know that clubs are the backbone of a healthy and active ham radio community. An active club most often has a newsletter that members get every month informing them of club activities and ham radio events. From this, we created the Club Newsletter Award.

Any club in New England could enter and was encouraged to do so. Newsletters would be ranked on design, layout, and information. The judge would be someone outside of New England. The top three newsletters would then be able to post the appropriate logo on their newsletters for the next year. The newsletter had to be from the second quarter of 2024 and submitted by July 5th.

The top 3 club newsletters would then NOT be able to submit again the following year, giving other clubs a chance to win the award.

I would like to thank the following clubs for submitting their newsletter this year:

 

Club Newsletter State
Algonquin Amateur Radio Club QRZ MA
Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club the A.C.O.R.N. ME
Billerica Amateur Radio Society BARS MA
Blackstone Valley Amateur Radio Club Messenger RI
Candlewood Amateur Radio Association CARA Capers CT
Central NH Amateur Radio Club Communicator NH
Franklin County Amateur Radio Club The Communicator MA
Hampden County Radio Association Zero Beat MA
Housatonic Amateur Radio Club Direct Currents CT
K1USN Radio Club K1USN HAPPENINGS MA
Meriden Amateur Radio Club KEYKLIX CT
Merrymeeting Amateur Radio Association SQUELCH TALES ME
Minuteman Repeater Association The Minuteman MA
Wellesley Amateur Radio Society The Spark Gap MA

 

From this list, I’d like to congratulate the following clubs:

#3 – Blackstone Valley Amateur Radio Club from Rhode Island
#2 – Billerica Amateur Radio Society from eastern MA
#1 – Hampden County Radio Association from western MA

 

1st, 2nd, 3rd place icons for newsletter contest

 

I would like to thank Bob, WA3PZO, our outside New England judge and Nels, K1UR, for his award design.

We’re going to do this again next year. I hope you will urge your club to submit your club’s newsletter.

73,

 

Larry, W1AST

W1AST@hamXposition.org

 

[The winners were announced in the Club Forum on August 23, 2024 at the Northeast HamXposition.]

 

MessengerCurrent (1)

 

BARC May_2024_final

 

HCRA may24

 

 

 

 

Best Club Newsletters

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Best in Show badgeLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:
 
July 5th is the deadline to submit your club newsletter for the HamXposition Newsletter Award.
 
Submit your club newsletter for the possibility of being named either the 1st, 2nd or 3rd best club newsletter in all of New England for the 2024-2025 year starting September 1st, 2024.
 
Submit your newsletter to cq-newsletter@hamxposition.org.
 
Winners this year will be exempt from participating the following year giving other clubs the chance to win.
 
Enter now! Your Club could earn this distinction!
 

2024 ARRL Club Grant Program Applications Now Open

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From the ARRL Facebook page:
 
Attention Amateur Radio Clubs:
 
The ARRL Foundation is pleased to announce the return of the Club Grant Program for 2024!
 
This is an opportunity for clubs to apply for grants up to $25,000 to fund projects in their community with an emphasis given to projects that are of a “transformational” nature, or a club that has a plan to improve the community through education, recruiting, training, and promotion of amateur radio.
 
APPLY NOW
 

Meriden (CT) ARC “Just Push the Button” Net

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Stephen Jonn writes on the Meriden ARC Facebook page:
 
There’s a now a place for new hams to key up and chat without the fear of making a mistake. In the spirit of the rookie roundup, Stephen Rygiel, KC1QWH, along with the Meriden Amateur Radio Club has started a new weekly net called the “Just push the button” net.
 
This gathering takes place on Wednesday evening’s at 1900 eastern time on the W1NRG repeater. Found at 147.36 with a PL of 162.2 and via EchoLink at W1NRG-R.
 
It’s not only for new hams though, all licensed hams are encouraged to join in, it’s a great place to Elmer the newbies.
 
Please join us for newbie tips and good old camaraderie on this rag chew type directed Net.
 
Any questions can be directed to Stephen via email at KC1QWH@gmail.com.