Clubs

New Connecticut Affiliated Club Coordinator: Ed Snyder, W1YSM

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Ed Snyder, W1YSM
Dr. Ed Snyder, W1YSM

Ed Snyder, W1YSM, has been appointed as the new Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) for Connecticut by Section Manager Chuck Motes, K1DFS.  

An Amateur Extra Class licensee, Ed became the SKYWARN Emergency Coordinator for New Haven and Middlesex Counties. He joined the Meriden Amateur Radio Club (MARC) and was elected President in 2019.  MARC has grown under Ed’s leadership. With the help of the club’s almost 90 members, MARC now offers a choice of five weekly on-air nets, weekly fox hunts, monthly VE sessions, radio repair opportunities and various other ham activities.

With encouragement from Phil, K9HI, Ed approached Chuck Motes, K1DFS, about the open ACC position as the job description seemed to parallel what Ed was already doing for MARC.  His appointment became effective on October 31, 2020.

“I intend to begin my support of amateur radio clubs in the section by surveying each of the 41 ARRL affiliated clubs.  My overall goal is to determine how Connecticut clubs and the ARRL can work together to grow and expand our beloved hobby for the benefit of its members.”  Snyder is passionate about clubs. “I truly believe local radio clubs are key to the survival of Amateur Radio.”

Ed lives in Wallingford with his wife Rose and his family. 

 

Newport County (RI) Radio Club “Park On The Air” Effort Growing

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KC1KUF operating Parks On The Air from Coccumcussoc State Park
Ryan, KC1KUF, activating Coccumcussoc State Park. Gear: Icom IC-7000, 30 AH LiFePO4 battery, and 20-m HamStick antenna.

via NCRC web site:

The [Newport County Radio Club] Parks On The Air (POTA) Group is growing, with many successful activations in the month of October.  Fairly simple radios and antennas are deployed in state or national parks recognized by the ParksOnTheAir program. An example of a recent activation is Coccumcussoc State Park in North Kingstown.  It was activated for the first time by Ryan, KC1KUF.  Ryan, 14 and a freshman at North Kingstown High School, started working on his radio license two years ago, and completed his General this summer.  In that time he has become an accomplished Winter & Summer Field Day operator, so it is only natural that he would find new ways to get on the air in the field.

Sometimes a single operator is involved, and sometimes a few people join in to put multiple stations on the air.  It is a wonderful opportunity to get outside in the fresh air and have a chance to meet up with our fellow hams in a safe way.  If you would like to join in on the fun and be kept aware of new activations, please email POTA at w1sye.org

The November 9th club meeting (7 PM via Zoom) will have a short presentation on POTA, with plenty of time to ask questions about antennas, rigs, and batteries.

NJ1Q: “ARRL Headquarters W1AW Station Tour,” Billerica ARS Online Meeting, November 4, 2020

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W1AW buildingFrom ema.arrl.org:

Andy Wallace, KA1GTT, writes on the Billerica (MA) Amateur Radio Society website:

All, I am extremely excited to announce our next Zoom meeting will be a tour of the W1AW station at ARRL HQ in Newington CT!

Some of you have been lucky enough to work W1AW on the bands – some even in the A.M. mode. Even QSLed it. Even luckier BARS members have been on a field trip down to tour the station! I have not – and like many of you will find this a great first time experience!

Courtesy of BARS’s Doug Bruce, KC1MJK – who worked W1AW recently and got us in touch – we have arranged a virtual tour of W1AW for our November meeting. Thanks, Doug, and especially thank you, Joe! He has done other virtual tours so helping BARS in this way should go well. As a bonus our meeting time coincides with W1AW actually being on the air so we will see it in operation.

W1AW is the “voice” of the American Radio Relay League and as an ARRL affiliated club BARS has a stake in their heritage. Joe will field questions and it sounds like this tour will be “the next best thing to being there” as they say.

We will have  a bit of club business – our club election in fact – at the beginning of our meeting, and Joe’s tour will commence thereafter.

Let’s show a great turnout for this! Thank you Doug and Joe.

We will announce the link to join the Zoom meeting before the meeting, but it will be posted to the BARS email list and should not be shared outside our Club. Are you on the email list? If not, please send an email to bars-subscribe@w1hh.org and then simply reply to the robot response from the server and you will be subscribed.

Observing our Zoom meeting requires only a web browser and headphones/speakers. You do not need a webcam or microphone unless you want to speak or be seen.

Before our meeting date, please go to https://zoom.us/test and see if it will function for you. If you have problems, we can try to assist – feel free to ask questions on the BARS email list.

I am looking forward to “seeing” many of you Wednesday 11/4/20.

Andy

KA1GTT

President, Billerica Amateur Radio Society

[For Zoom information, email: <president@w1hh.org>.]

K9HI On “License Fee NPRM—Filing Comments to MD Docket 20-270”

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ARRL logoNew England Division Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI has been giving the presentation “License Fee NPRM—Filing Comments to MD Docket 20-270” to various radio clubs across the division. 

On October 19, he spoke to the North Shore (MA) Radio Association. On October 22, Phil presented to the Meriden (CT) Amateur Radio Club. The Sci-Tech ARS (MA) hosted K9HI’s presentation on October 27. Phil is scheduled to give his talk to the Granite State Amateur Radio Association (NH) on November 13, and the Bloomington (IN) Amateur Radio Club–his hometown club–on November 6.

He is available to present on Docket 20-270 comments with clubs holding online meetings between now and the deadline for filing comments–November 17, 2020.

Greater Bridgeport (CT) ARC Parks On The Air, Light House On The Air Activations

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Junie H Cassone, N1DUC, writes:

The Greater Bridgeport Amateur Radio Club (GBARC) hosted its first Parks On The Air (POTA) activation on August 23rd, 2020.  We operated from Putnam Memorial State Park (K-1707) in Redding, CT with the special event call sign of W1B.  This event was organized by our member, Shawn Takatsu, AC1KC, and sparked an interest in many of our members to go out and activate not only parks, but to participate in Light Houses On The Air (LHOTA) and Summits On The Air (SOTA).   We used Xiegu G-90’s with lead acid batteries, and made contacts on 20m and 40m.

I began to activate various parks around Connecticut shortly after my first POTA activation with GBARC.  I hunted stations from home to form a better understanding of POTA before I went out on my first activation.   I tested my portable equipment, and when ready began activating parks.  My portable station consists of a Xiegu G-90, Buddipole™ antenna, and talent cell battery.  I test my SWR with an MFJ-259D Antenna Analyzer.  My first park activation was from Sleeping Giant State Park(K-1717) on September 9, 2020.  I was also able to participate in a SOTA Activation from Mt. Carmel  that day as well.  It was a very exciting and very busy day.

After GBARC’s POTA event, I decided to organize a LHOTA event for the club.  We operated from Fayerweather Island Light House (USA-059) in Bridgeport, CT on September 26, 2020 with the special event call sign of W1B. This was another test of our club members equipment and team work skills.  We activated the lighthouse on 2m, 20m, and 40m making contacts as far as Spain and Italy.  We had the use of two G-90 and two IC-7300 radios for HF.  Overall it was a wonderful experience for our club member and potential hams.

I have a passion for animals and an affinity for ducks.  Thus my call sign N1DUC “Number 1 Duck.”  Mochi, my support animal, and sometimes his sister Marvel will travel with me to park activations. Mochi likes a good “QuackSO” every now and then.  My ducks, mainly Mochi, will sit next to me while I’m operating. I am in the process of building a portable duck coop so my entire flock may be able to travel with me to the various parks (with park permission).  I intend to create an amateur radio operating platform from the trailer coop and name it the “The Quack Shack.” As for operational goals I would like to activate all Connecticut parks at least once and in the distant future I would like to activate at least one park in every state.

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YCCC Hosts “SSB Contesting for CQWW,” October 15, 2020

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YCCC logoThe Yankee Clipper Contest Club will hold an online Zoom membership meeting on Thursday, October 15, 2020. The topic is, “SSB Contesting for CQWW.”  The November meeting will address CW Contesting for CQWW.  The meeting will last less than two hours. Zoom login information will be circulated before the meeting, and again on the day of the meeting on the club mailing list.

The YCCC was founded in April 1977 and now boasts over 300 members located from New York City to Maine, Cape Cod to Upstate NY. YCCC members have excelled in all areas of amateur radio contesting, DXing, technical design, and public service. Local meetings and “Contest Universities” are also held around the club territory as organized by the club’s Area Managers. You must attend a meeting to join the club.