Licensing Education & Training

Steve, Schwarm, W3EVE, Wrentham, Massachusetts, will present “Amateur Radio’s Role at the Boston Marathon Bombing,” one of series of presentations sponsored by the ARRL Learning Network on December 8, 2020 at 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET. 

“Amateur radio has played a significant role in public service communications for the Boston Marathon for several decades. That role was put to the test in 2013 when two bombs were exploded near the finish line. This presentation will describe the role that ham radio played at the Marathon and how that role changed due to the bombing.”

[Register]

Radio Amateur Training Planning and Activities Committee (RATPAC) provides weekly national presentations on general amateur radio topics and specialized Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) topics.  

To receive notifications and Zoom conference details, contact Dan Marler, K7REX at ratpac.plan -at- gmail -dot- com.

Here is the tentative 2020 RATPAC presentation schedule:

Notes:
• November 17 we will finalize 2020 schedule and begin 2021
• Still in discussion is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
• Covid-19 has delayed our plans for our Youth Hams in Space program, now planned for 2021
• We have reached out to AMSAT for presentations and youth involvement

Best of 73s everyone and please stay safe,

Dan

Ham Bootcamp Fall 2020 was a great success, according to Nashua Area Radio Society President Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC. Ham Bootcamp is held twice a year by the Nashua Area Radio Society in conjunction with their  Ham Radio Licensing Program.

Kemmerer reports that 269 people registered for the daylong event with over 200 logged into the Zoom session for most of the day. Some highlights included live contacts on the HF bands, lots of videos, and “some great questions and answers during the session.” 

“We conducted an online survey of all of the folks who participated, and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive,” he adds.

Ham Bootcamp was truly a national event. A breakdown by geographic region shows the percentage of attendees per region:

• MA/NH:  29%
• Northeast: 18%
• Southeast: 15%
• West: 15%
• Midwest: 13%
• Southwest: 8%
• Hawaii/Alaska/Canada: 2%

AB1OC reports that over half of the “Bootcampers” had General Class or higher licenses. “It was also great to see the approximately ten percent of registrants who did not yet have a license.”

Most of those who attended Ham Bootcamp learned about it from the recent article in QST, reports Kemmerer. “The article plus the great work that the ARRL did in follow-up through their website accounted for some 60 percent of our participants. Ham Nation was next (10 percent) followed by various web properties and social media sites. Word of mouth referrals were also strong in total, accounting for 19% of registrants.”

The Nashua Area Radio Society is experiencing a flood of license class registrations and memberships in their organization in the aftermath of the Bootcamp event.

“A big THANK YOU to the HamXposition team for helping us to promote Ham Bootcamp,” says Kemmerer. “We are planning another online Bootcamp in the spring after our license classes are completed.”

K7REX writes:

Please plan to attend tomorrow’s, Wednesday, November 04 Zoom session.

10:00 PM AST / 9:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM CST / 7:00 PM MST / 6:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM AKST / 4:00 PM HST

Topic:  Amateur Radio Emergency Services Mutual Assistance Team (ARESMAT)

Speaker: Don Coltrane, KJ4UC   http://www.qrz.com/db/KJ4UC

Today’s meeting will be OPEN for all to attend. Please feel free to invite others.

• This meeting will be recorded. By participating you consent to being recorded. 
• Please change your display name to Your FirstName, CallSign (or organization) and Location, e.g. Dan K7REX Idaho. 
• Please stay muted until ready to speak. Your space bar works like a PTT for unmuting
• To be fair to everyone, there will be a three minute limit for each person during Q & A

• You may ask questions in chat; please stay on topic while using chat.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2128884758?pwd=YUdPMmJOT3plM2J5SDYxdkprdVB0QT09

Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: ARESMAT
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,2128884758#,,,,,,0#,,4867531# US (Houston)
+16699006833,,2128884758#,,,,,,0#,,4867531# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: 4867531

Why do hams participate in on-air contests? How would I benefit from contesting? What do I need to get started in contesting? What are good contests for beginners? Where can I learn more? This session will answer all of these questions and more.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020, 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST (1800 UTC)

Visit the ARRL Learning Network website (a members-only benefit) to register for upcoming sessions and to view previously recorded session. The schedule is subject to change.

Dan Marler, K7REX, writes:

Please plan to attend Thursday, October 29, Zoom session. Winlink Workshop WK 11 of WK 12. Winlink setup and use for beginners and how to send Red Cross ARC-213 forms.

9:00 PM AST / 9:00 PM EDT / 8:00 PM CT / 7:00 PM MDT / 6:00 PM PDT / 5:00 PM AKDT / 3:00 PM HST

This Thursday, October 29, Linda Kangas, W5LDK, and Dave Underwood, WB5HJV will be conducting a beginner’s Zoom Winlink class that includes how to send ARC-213 forms. 

If you plan to participate in the November 14 American Red Cross drill, you will need to know both; please note that this training DOES NOT address Linux or individual radio configurations.

Before attending this class, you will need to of completed the following. 

1. Go to WinLink Express https://winlink.org/WinlinkExpress
2. Click on Download
3. Click on User Programs
4. Click on Winlink_Express_install_1-5-32-0.zip , download and install the software on your computer.
5. Register your Winlink Software (there is no cost for registration). Save your confirmation email; you’ll need to use your WinLink registration number during the training. 

If you have not done so already, I recommend you join SEC-ARES groups.io https://groups.io/g/SEC-ARES. SEC-ARES currently has 720 members (and growing), and it is there that we discuss everything related to ARES and disaster communications. You can no doubt get answers to your Linux and individual radio configurations questions there; plus, this is where discussions of the upcoming American Red Cross November 14 Drill will take place.

Please note: This Zoom session is open for all to attend and that the only requirements are listed above. 

• This meeting will be recorded. By participating you consent to being recorded. 
• Please change your display name to Your FirstName, CallSign (or organization) and Location, e.g. Dan K7REX Idaho. 
• Please stay muted until ready to speak. Your space bar works like a PTT for unmuting
• To be fair to everyone, there will be a three minute limit for each person during Q & A

You may ask questions in chat; please stay on topic while using chat.Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2128884758?pwd=cm94K3U3Nys1aHl4akJlaG9PK1pKUT09

Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: ARCWinlink
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,2128884758#,,,,,,0#,,0015332482# US (Houston)
+16699006833,,2128884758#,,,,,,0#,,0015332482# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
Meeting ID: 212 888 4758
Passcode: 0015332482

Western Massachusetts Section Manager Ray LaJoie, KB1LRL, writes:

Calling all VEs and Teachers:

The Western Mass. section needs your help! As you know Covid has squashed most of the classes and testing sessions this year. I have been informed by Ken Burstall, WB8PKK, that the Masonic Hall in Gardner has a new air filtration system and is allowing us the use of their dining hall to host a Tech-in-a-day course and an open and walk-in VE session. We need volunteer teachers and VEs to assist in conducting the testing and teachings. There are also 25 Boafeng radios preprogrammed for those that have passed.

This will be in compliance with the guidelines of the Board of Health and testing materials will be sterilized using UV-C process and heat-sealed bags. Ken has provided the materials for sterilization and has provided the means to get this off the ground.

Session dates are open and can be either a Saturday or Sunday in January or February. We need to know who can participate to do what and when in order to secure the date to advertise. Please contact Ken at backhoeken@yahoo.com. This invitation will also be open to our EMA neighbors as well.

Thank you, Ken, for your generous effort and donation. Please pass this along to anyone interested. And please let’s not let this opportunity pass by.

From http://www.arrl.org/arrl-learning-network:

ARRL’s Learning Network is offering the following presentations during the month of October.  Do you have questions? Email ARRL Lifelong Learning. Have an interesting topic you want to share? Submit your presentation idea through our Call for Speakers form.

Is your device ready? Before the webinar we encourage you to review the system requirements and check your computer system to ensure the best viewing experience.

Grounding & Bonding for Home HF Stations
Ward Silver, NØAX
This presentation is an overview of the grounding and bonding requirements for home HF stations. “Grounding” and “bonding” are defined along with their benefits to lightning protection and RF management in the station.  While not a “cookbook” topic, several useful references and guides are presented for hams to apply these techniques at home.
Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 10 AM PDT / 1 PM EDT (0500 UTC)
Register Now >

Welcome to the World of Arduino
Glen Popiel, KW5GP – ARRL author
This is an introduction to the exciting world of microcontrollers and Open Source hardware and software. The Arduino is an inexpensive microcontroller that has become widely popular among electronics hobbyists and ham radio operators. Hams use these powerful devices to create new projects and amateur station gear. Projects can be built quickly and used as-is, or they can be expanded and enhanced with your own personal touches.
Thursday, October 15, 2020, 5 PM PDT / 8 PM EDT (0000 UTC on Friday, October 16)
Register Now >

• This meeting will be recorded. By participating you consent to being recorded.
• Please change your display name to your FirstName, Call Sign, and Location, e.g. Dan K7REX Idaho.