Serving ARRL members who reside in the New England sections
ARRL Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, attended the Maine State Convention & Hamfest in Augusta, Maine, on June 15, 2024. He assisted at the ARRL table and co-presented at the ARRL Forum with Maine Section Manager Phil Duggan, N1EP.
Temples presented a special door prize at the ARRL Forum—a 100th anniversary hard copy edition of the ARRL Radio Amateurs Handbook to lucky winner Timothy Tracy, KC1CMX, Carmel, Maine.
Northeast HamXposition Press Release ROBUST LINEUP OF VENDORS AND SPEAKERS AT THE 2024 NORTHEAST HAMXPOSITION June 1, 2024 For more information, visit: <https://hamxposition.org/> https://hamxposition.org Plans are shaping up for the 2024 Northeast HamXposition and New England Division Convention on August 22-25, 2024 in Marlborough, Massachusetts. This year's convention will be held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road W, Marlborough, MA 01752. This venue is located off of I-495 on Route 20 west. It offers many amenities and lots of nearby family-friendly attractions and dining options. The festivities kick off on Thursday evening, August 22 with entertainment provided by nationally known comedian Juston McKinney. Seating is limited to 250 people. Tickets are just $35, and also available as part of the "Convention Plus" package. Join your fellow hams for a delicious DXCC/Contest Banquet on Friday night with Yuri Onipko, VE3DZ, as he recaps his 50 years of DX and contesting activities and shares his operating experiences from a variety of locations around the world. Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, will present the keynote on Saturday morning. Steve leads ARRL's Education and Learning Department. He has a passion for youth outreach, and works constantly to find ways to engage more youth in wireless technology and help teachers ELEVATE their STEM programs. The Saturday evening Grand Banquet will feature special guest Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW. Known as "Space Weather Woman" in social media, Dr. Skov forecasts and analyzes space weather processes - in the heliosphere and exosphere. Several new vendors will have their wares on display at the convention this year: FlexRadio, Elecraft, and SteppIR Communications Systems. We'll also feature Halibut Electronics, Club Gear Online, Reliance Antennas. Remote Ham Radio, VE2DX Electronics, Gold Medal Ideas, AG Custom Gifts, and others. New for 2024 is "Mini-Contest University," based on K3LR's popular Contest University. CTU has been featured at the Dayton Hamvention since 2007 and has been presented in 15 countries to over 10,000 participants. Mini CTU is a series of contest-oriented talks and presentations offered at HamXposition all day Friday. HamXposition is pleased to offer a Parks On The Air (POTA) track featuring presentations designed for both newcomer and experienced POTA operators alike. There will be a functioning portable station operating on the hotel grounds designed to show beginners how to "chase" POTA contacts. In addition, an actual POTA activation will occur in a nearby state park following the prize drawing and closing ceremony. This year, volunteers will staff a special "Get On The Air" station, W1XPO, to mentor and assist newcomers in making their first HF contact. Our popular EmComm track will be back for 2024. Veteran emergency communicators will share their knowledge and experience to help others to "up their game." In addition to talks and presentations, convention goers will get to see operational emergency communications vehicles on display in the parking lot. As always, the Northeast HamXposition will feature a robust flea market, open to tailgaters on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. No major convention would be worth its salt without great prizes. Along with hourly drawings, we're pleased to announce that one lucky person will receive the grand prize-an Icom IC-705 QRP all-in-one transceiver. Second prize will be a Xiegu X6100 QRP HF/6m transceiver. The third prize will be an Icom ID-50A VHF/UHF/D-Star handheld. Tickets can be purchased in advance by visiting <https://ticketing.
hamxposition.org/> https://ticketing.hamxposition.org . The ARRL Diamond, The National Association for Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Emergency Service, ARES, ARES logo, National Traffic System, NTS, and NTS logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of American Radio Relay League, Inc. Parks On The Air and POTA are registered trademarks belonging to Jason Johnston, W3AAX. (c) 2024 Northeast HamXposition(tm) - <https://hamxposition.org/privacy-policy> Privacy Policy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phil Brooks, KA1PXZ, Chief of NEAR-Fest, is pleased to announce that, effective October 4th, 2024, the New England Amateur Radio Festival, known as NEAR-Fest, will be held at the Hillsborough County Agricultural Society Fairgrounds and Youth Center located at New Boston NH, approximately 15 miles west of Manchester.
The reason for the permanent change in venue is due to ongoing scheduling conflicts with other events at the Deerfield (NH) Fairgrounds, NEAR-Fest’s home for the past eighteen years.
The hard decision to move the popular New England hamfest was taken by a unanimous vote of NEAR-Fest’s Board of Directors on May 17th, 2024.
In endorsing the decision NEAR-Fest’s Benevolent Dictator Emeritus, Michael Crestohl, W1RC, aka “Mister Mike” commented: “This was inevitable. The Deerfield Fairgrounds is becoming more and more popular with exhibitors and, as a designated agricultural fairgrounds, they have to give priority to agricultural events. We had a fabulous eighteen-year run. I am confident that Phil and Kelley, along with their team, will take NEAR-Fest forward at our new location for many years to come.”
Other than the location nothing else will change. It is still the same NEAR-Fest we have all known and loved since 2007!
NEAR-Fest XXXVI will be held Friday October 4th and Saturday October 5th, 2024 at the Hillsborough County Agricultural Society Fairgrounds, located at 17 Hilldale Lane, (Route 13) New Boston NH. GPS Coordinates 42.9842430, -71.6793460.
See you there!
NEAR-Fest (The New England Amateur Radio Festival, Inc.)
PO Box 172, Barton VT 05822 (781) 639-9172
World Wide Web: www.near-fest.com E-mail: ka1pxz@near-fest.com
From The ARRL Letter, May 23, 2024:
The Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Division Convention announced a major addition to its program for 2024. The event runs from August 22 – 25, in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and will feature the Mini-Contest University (mini-CTU), based on Contest University. Contest University has been featured at Dayton Hamvention® since 2007 and presented in 15 countries to over 10,000 participants. A series of contest-oriented talks and presentations will be offered at HamXposition on Friday August 23. More information is available at hamxposition.org.
The Maine State Convention & Hamfest is about 3 months away, Saturday June 15th. The Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club is excited to host this at our new venue, the Augusta Civic Center. There is 32,000 square feet of vendor space! Plenty of rooms for people to sell as well as club tables and EmComm groups.
People are starting to get tables so be sure to purchase yours in advance. 73 Electronics has already confirmed their attendance. Individual vendors are also starting to buy their tables.
The following clubs will be in attendance: Androscoggin ARC, Wireless Society of Southern Maine, UFB New England, Women Radio Operators of Maine (WRONE) and York County ARC. Androscoggin ARES/RACES will be in attendance for EmComm groups. We are hoping to see more Clubs and EmComm teams get a table.
Vendors can start setting up at 6:00 AM. Doors to the public will open at 8:00 AM. Hours for the convention will be 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. A variety of talks will be held including a club officer meeting, ARRL Forum, Parks-on-the-Air presentation, NanoVNA talk, Maine Mesh Project update, ARES/RACES/EMCOMM meeting as well as TWO VE Sessions (Morning – 9 AM and Afternoon 2 PM).
A general admission ticket gets you a chance to win a door prize. The Grand Door Prize is an Icom 7300 HF Radio. Other door prizes will be available. The winner does not need to be present.
A separate raffle is being held for a Honda 2200 watt super quiet generator (Model EU-2200i). You can contact an Androscoggin ARC member to buy raffle tickets or purchase them the day of the convention. Again, you do not need to be present to win.
Special Convention Hotel Rates are available – $140 per night. You can either stay Friday night into Saturday or Saturday night into Sunday, whichever you prefer.
Mention special discount code – Maine State Hamfest. If you are interested in camping, this option is also available. NO TENT CAMPING ALLOWED. You must be in a camper. Camping is free, but you must register with the Civic Center – check in NO LATER than 3 PM Friday. No water hookup. Electric hookup is available for $50 through the Civic Center.
There are a number of flea markets and hamfests occurring in New England in 2024. Here are just a few. For a complete list of events registered with ARRL, visit <https://www.arrl.org/hamfests/search/page:1/Location.division_id:NE/model:Event>.
02/17/2024 – Algonquin Amateur Radio Club Flea Market
Location: Marlborough, MA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Algonquin Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://n1em.org
Learn More
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
Location: Colchester, VT
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Radio Amateurs of Northern Vermont
Website: http://www.ham-con.org
Learn More
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
Location: Chicopee, MA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Mount Tom Amateur Repeater Association
Website: http://www.mtara.org
Learn More
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
Location: Henniker, NH
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Contoocook Valley Radio Club
Website: http://www.K1BKE.org
Learn More
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
Location: Hampton, NH
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Port City Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.w1wqm.org
Learn More
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
Location: Southington, CT
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Southington Amateur Radio Association
Learn More
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
Location: Moultonborough, NH
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Lakes Region Repeater Association
Website: http://w1bst.org
Learn More
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
Location: Gales Ferry, CT
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Southeastern CT Amateur Radio Society
Website: https://secars.org
Learn More
HAM-CON 2024, the ARRL Vermont State Convention, will be held Saturday, February 24.
HAM-CON is a fully hybrid show, meeting live at the Hampton Inn in Colchester, Vermont AND also ON-LINE at http://ham-con.org/ If you are not in a position to join us live, you have the opportunity to join us from the comfort of home!
We have a great line-up of speakers and events. These include:
Considering a New HF Rig? – NC0B
Grounding and Bonding – N0AX
Winning the WRTC – VE3DZ
HAM-SCI Solar Eclipse – N1XGB
ARRL Forum – AB1OC
The KI1P Ham Van – KI1P
In addition we will also have the W1V Special Event Station, the DMR table, Tech table and N1YD Science Demonstration.
And, not seen at any other Ham Event anywhere, we have GAME SHOWS:
Who Wants to Run a DXpedition?
The Weakest Radio Link
All this and a flea market and hundreds of hams from the North Country. It is a GREAT WAY to spend your Saturday morning!
Advance sale tickets are only $7 – a real special deal considering the cost of everything these days. If you plan to attend, we also have a special room rate at the Hampton Inn. But you must act soon as the special rate for the hotel ends February 10 and the special rate for HAM-CON ends February 15.
Full details on HAM-CON are at http://ham-con.org/
To buy tickets go directly to: http://ham-con.org/hamconpay.h
Please be sure to let your ham radio friends know about HAM-CON!
So, Don’t sit home thinking about Ham Radio. Instead join us for HAM RADIO FUN at HAM-CON 2024!
Mike Crestohl, W1RC, writes on January 27, 2024:
Dear Friends of NEAR-Fest:
Please note this is an updated announcement. Please disregard any other notices you may have read.
Our Spring 2024 hamfest, NEAR-Fest XXXV, will be held on Thursday April 25th and Friday April 26th 2024. There will be no hamfest activity on Saturday due to an unfortunate scheduling conflict with the Deerfield Fairgrounds. We had originally announced that the event would take place only on Friday but due to popular demand and the cooperation of the Deerfield Fair Association we are pleased to announce this new full two-day schedule.
Our 2024 Fall NEAR-Fest XXXVI is scheduled for October 11th and 12th and will be the same as always for the past eighteen years, on Friday and Saturday.
The gates will open on Thursday morning at 7:00 AM for PREPAID TICKET HOLDERS ONLY so you might want to buy your tickets online well in advance starting February 1st 2024 on our Web site, www.near-fest.com, or in March at the Ham Radio Outlet store in Salem NH and at Ross Hochstrasser’s Clock Shop in Whitman MA and get your favorite spot. NEAR-Fest XXXV will end at 3:00 PM on Friday.
Prepaid ticket holders will line up and enter via Gate C as we did in the Fall. They MUST have ALL of their needed tickets and inside parking passes or they will be sent to Gate F. This includes all Campers, RVs, tenters, who MUST also have their overnight camping passes as there will be NO tickets or passes sold at Gate C. Anyone needing to buy tickets or parking passes will go to Gate F and will be admitted starting at 8:00AM. Once the line has entered at Gate C it will close and all others entering the grounds will proceed to Gate F.
For this event only admission per person is $10.00 whether you buy your ticket online or in advance or at the gate. Overnight parking and tent passes are $15.00 regardless of whether you plug into an electric outlet or not. Campers, RVs and overnight stayers will go directly into the Fairgrounds as we will not be using the campgrounds this time. The cost of the pass for RVs, Campers, Motorhomes, etc, is $30.00. All vehicles that remain in the Fairgrounds overnight (after 9:00 PM) will require an overnight parking pass in addition to an inside parking pass for Friday.
Everyone over 21 will need an admission ticket except unlicensed spouses, active duty military, full-time students (with ID) and other valid pass holders.
If you buy something big and heavy in the flea market one of our volunteer staff members will be glad to transport it and you to your vehicle at no charge as we have been doing for many years. As always inside parking for disabled persons is free of charge and they may use a single person “mobility device” as well. NEAR-Fest reserves the right to limit the use of golf carts and “other power driven mobility devices” due to safety concerns and potential liability issues.
Please visit our Web site, www.near-fest.com, or our Facebook page, NearFest NH for any further updates. We apologize for any inconvenience that this modified version of NEAR-Fest may have caused but it is only for this time. We appreciate your indulgence and understanding.
See you at Deerfield!
73,
MisterMike, W1RC
