W1AW/1 Rhode Island VOTA Operation, July 26-August 1, 2023

VOTA logoWe’re still looking for Rhode Island operators to help put W1AW/1 on the air [July 26-August 1, 2023]. You don’t have to be a big gun DXer or contester, or have the best station, to be an operator – just be on the air from Rhode Island. You can operate from home, a club station, or maybe from a friend or fellow club member’s station.

If you would like more information on participating as an operator for W1AW/1 Rhode Island, please contact Mike Corey, KI1U at mpcorey@gmail.com. You can also fill out this form to sign up as an operator: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe3bm7fcV_4wdXE77A2Eeq2bG20g_VhpsYK0Nmy-xSHlNZvQA/viewform

 

New England QSO Party, May 6-7, 2023, How to Operate and Submit

New England QSO Party logoKen Caruso, WO1N, writes on the Billerica (MA) ARC mailing list:

Hi all,

A few questions have trickled in. I sometimes forget I am one of those “Contesters” (aaacckk!) and I take a lot for granted because I’ve been doing it so long.

While many a contester was born on Field Day, in fact FD is quite a challenge because of the environment, unfamiliarity with radios and logging software, marginal antenna, noise etc. The [New England QSO Party] is a great opportunity to learn to be a proficient contester using your own equipment/home station that you are comfortable with.

You probably don’t want to be using your general purpose logging program for the event. A contest logger will help make contacts go much smoother. I can highly recommend N1MM+ (hint, this is what we have been using for Field Day logging). It is free and probably the most feature rich contest logging solution available. There are others like WriteLog ($), N3JFP (free), I am not as familiar with those.

A detail description of setting up N1MM+ is beyond the scope of this message. If you are new to it and have questions about its setup, drop me a note or give me a call and I can help walk you through it.

Anyone can call CQ and you can answer anyone calling CQ NEQP. Note there are at least two other QSO parties going on at the same time this weekend. Don’t sweat it, just log what they give you.

A typical SSB Exchange when you are calling CQ might go like:

  • You: CQ NEQP WO1N
  • Participant: WI1ZRD
  • You: WI1ZRD 59 MIDMA
  • Participant: 59 MIDMA
  • You: QSL, WO1N NEQP

If the participant is not in New England they will give their state, or possibly county+state (like we do). Just log what they give you.

If they are DX they might say their country but you would log as “DX”.

Club Competition / Submittal:

So, you have entered the contest using your own call and category. To support the Club Competition:

At the end of the event, the contest sponsors need a “Cabrillo” formatted file for your entry. Cabrillo is a standard format that all the contest sponsors have agreed upon.

Use your own call sign and after the event make sure the Cabrillo file that is generated calls out the Billerica Amateur Radio Society on the “Club” line. The header will look like this:

START-OF-LOG: 3.0
LOCATION: EMA
CALLSIGN: WO1N
CLUB: Billerica Amateur Radio Society
CONTEST: NEWE-QSO-PARTY
CATEGORY-OPERATOR: SINGLE-OP
CATEGORY-ASSISTED: ASSISTED
CATEGORY-BAND: ALL
CATEGORY-MODE: CW
CATEGORY-POWER: LOW
CATEGORY-STATION: FIXED
CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER: ONE
CLAIMED-SCORE: 24274
OPERATORS: WO1N

etc….

The sponsors will take care of the rest, they will just group all entries with the same Club call out, total them up and that determines the Club’s standing. Your individual score will also be shown on the results page under the category you entered (Single Op etc.).

If you are using a purpose built Contest logger as I recommended, when you input your Station Configuration info there is the opportunity to define you Club name. Otherwise, you can edit the header after the fact and add the line shown above.

N1MM+, will generate the Cabrillo file for you (File à Generate Cabrillo) and store it on your disk as callsign.log (e.g. wo1n.log).

Use the sponsors log submittal page (https://neqp.contesting.com/neqpsubmitlog.php ) and follow the instructions. Upload your callsign.log You should be all set, you’ve entered the contest and supported the Club Competition effort at the same time.

Finally, to keep your logbook up-to-date, you would import an ADIF of the event log. N1MM+ will generate for you. (File à Export à Generate ADIF).

What happens if we win?

We all go to Disney!

Wait no, that’s a different competition….

The Club would receive a nice plaque. In this case the Yankee Clipper Contest Club sponsors the plaque. By tradition, the winning Club President gets to keep the plaque, displayed proudly on their contest Wall of Fame, forever.

73,

Ken – WO1N

“International Marconi Day: National Parks Director Makes QSO”

IMC Day photo of National Parks Service Director SamsFrom The ARRL Letter, April 27, 2023:

International Marconi Day celebrates the accomplishments of radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi on the Saturday closest to his birthday each year. Stations around the world activate a special operating event to celebrate.

National Parks Service Director Charles ” Chuck” Sams, III (left) operates as KM1CC from the South Wellfleet Historic Site at Cape Cod National Seashore. Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club Trustee Barbara Dougan, N1NS, (right). (Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club KM1CC, photo)

On January 18, 1903, the first public two-way wireless communication occurred between the United States and Europe. A message from President Theodore Roosevelt was sent to King Edward VII from the South Wellfleet site. The site is preserved within the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts. [full story]

Massachusetts K2H “13 Colonies” Special Events, July 1-7, 2023, Sign Up By June 1

2022 13 Colonies K2H QSL card
2022 13 Colonies K2H QSL card

Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

 
It’s 13 Colonies time again and that means Massachusetts K2H is looking for ham that would like to activate.
 
The special event runs 7 days from July 1 through July 7.
 
Team K2H is looking for ops. Last year we made over 21,300 QSOs during those 7 days. We are hoping to exceed that this year. Would you like to be part of Team K2H?
 
If yes, then go here and fill in the form:
 
 
Larry, W1AST will be in touch with you.
 
Would you like to know more? You can go here to learn about 13 Colonies: http://13colonies.us or contact Larry, W1AST at W1AST@arrl.net.
 
The last day to sign up is June 1, 2023.
 
 

W1AW/1 Massachusetts Volunteers On The Air a Great Success!

VOTA logoLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

The Massachusetts W1AW/1 Volunteers On The Air event was held from April 12th through April 18th. Team VOTA MA consisted of 15 hams contributing to a total of 9449 QSOs. It was a team effort and everyone contributed!

I would like to thank the following hams for their part in the MA Spring VOTA effort. They made it a success:

    • AB1UT
    • AF1R
    • AG1C
    • K1NZ
    • K1UR
    • KJØD (operating remotely thru K1TTT)
    • KX1X
    • N1FTP
    • N1MGO
    • N1SOH
    • W1AST
    • W1FJ
    • W1FM
    • WA1OEZ
    • WA3SWJ

There were plenty of pileups in all the modes including FTx, CW and SSB right up to the last minute of operation.

W1AW/1 Massachusetts VOTA will activate again the first week of November. If your transmitter is in MA and you would like to join the team, contact Larry, W1AST at W1AST@arrl.net.

New England QSO Party, May 6-7, 2023

New England state mapMark your calendars for the New England QSO Party on May 6-7, 2023. The object is to contact as many New England stations (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) in as many New England counties as possible on 80-40-20-15-10m. (New England stations work anyone.)

Station categories include single-operator high power; low power (150w or less); and QRP (5w or less), plus multi-operator, single transmitter. Same four categories for mobiles in New England. Use of spotting assistance is permitted in all categories. But self-spotting is not permitted.

For more information, visit <https://neqp.org>.

Massachusetts VOTA Week, April 12-19, 2023

Volunteer On The Air logoFrom ema.arrl.org:

Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

Massachusetts is ready and anxious to work everyone during its spring VOTA (Volunteers On The Air) week starting Wednesday, April 12th and going through Tuesday, April 19th.

We have a team of 17 amateurs that will be operating on all bands on multiple modes. We even have hams located in “other” states remoting through transmitters located in Massachusetts through K1TTT and some other stations.

We will be operating as W1AW/1 and per VOTA rules, each contact will be worth 5 points. Those of the team ops that have field or other positions may also be running their own call alongside the W1AW/1 to give you additional points as well. For example, if I am operating I can also run as my own call W1AST and not only give you the state W1AW/1 for 5 points contact but a 30-point contact as well. This is up to each VOTA MA op if they decide to do so.

All the points are calculated via LOTW submissions. There are no paper logs and no physical QSL cards; it’s all done via LOTW.

Watch for the spots being posted and find W1AW/1 and work us. I hope to hear you on the air!

73,

Larry, W1AST
VOTA MA Manager

VOTA W1AW/1 Vermont Activation, March 29-April 4, 2023

W1AW will be activated by Vermont stations from 0000 UTC Wednesday, March 29 through 2359 UTC Tuesday, April 4, 2023. 

The first hour of W1AW/1 Vermont will be streamed. Go to https://www.youtube.com/@DrDX/streams and click on “Live” starting at 8 PM EDT Tuesday night March 28.

For more information on W1AW/1 Vermont, visit: http://hamclass.net/w1aw1.html

The 2023 Volunteers On The Air program schedule can be downloaded at https://contests.arrl.org/docs/2023-VOTA-State-Activations-Schedule.pdf.

Newport County (RI) Radio Club’s “POTA Activate-All-Rhode-Island,” September 6-9, 2023

Photo of POTA operation at Fort Wetherill, Jamestown RI
POTA K-2875, Fort Wetherill, Jamestown, RI

We are excited to announce the Newport County Radio Club (NCRC) is gathering a team including local enthusiasts and nationally known POTA ambassadors to activate all 52 Rhode Island POTA parks over four days in September. Teams of operators will spread out to activate the parks using SSB, CW, and digital modes.

Mark your calendars for this major opportunity to make a clean sweep of all RI parks – including Block Island and other seldom activated references in our much sought after, small state. (41 of the 52 POTA parks in RI have been activated less than 50 times ever.)

[Full Details]