Maine ARRL Section News

ARRL logoPhil Duggan, N1EP, writes on the Maine ARRL Members Only list:

Thank you to all who participated in the Maine Simulated Emergency Test on Oct 25. As I write this letter, Hurricane Melissa is ravaging Jamaica. While Maine rarely gets such devastating storms, we are not immune, and must prepare by training, and then testing our emergency communications skills. Amateur Radio Emergency Services around the state did just that last Saturday. If you are interested in joining an ARES/RACES or other emcomm group, contact your county ARES Emergency Coordinator, or Maine Section Emergency Coordinator Derrick Ouellette, KW1A.

November is upon us and some fun operating activities are on the agenda, such as November Sweepstakes. Copy and paste this link into your browser for the ARRL contest calendar where you can find more info: https://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar.

The League is asking all hams and clubs to lend their support in getting the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act passed. Use this link to find out how you can help: https://www.arrl.org/current-legislation.

The Pine State Amateur Radio Club celebrated their 50th year with a banquet and awards event October 11 in Brewer. It was quite an impressive event and organizers, especially club president Ed Paradis, W1IZ, deserve a bravo Zulu for pulling it off. Former ARRL Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, was keynote speaker. It was good to sit and chat with Fred and Anita (AB1QB). I gave a Maine section update, and as expected, was heckled by K1GUP. I got even on a session of the Maine Seagull Net a few days later. (Just kidding!)

Speaking of the Seagull Net, after the time change this coming weekend, the net will start at 4:30pm instead of 5. This time of year 75 meters tends to go long a bit after 5pm and there is interference with other net down south and in the midwest. The SGN is on 3.940 MHz.  The Maine Emergency Communications net on same frequency but on Sunday Nov 9 and Nov 23 will also start at 4:30PM. Jim Kutsch, KY2D, will continue radiogram training during the Nov 9 session.

The first notice for the section manager election will be in the January QST. Want to exercise your leadership and management skills, and help shape the Maine ARRL section for a positive future? Consider running for section manager. You can find out the requirements, duties, and responsibilities and more information at this link: http://www.arrl.org/section-terms-nomination-information.

 

——————————————————————–
ARRL Maine Section
Section Manager: Philip W Duggan, N1EP
n1ep@arrl.org
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Pass the Bill! Have you Sent Your Letters?

ARRL logoARRL’s push to pass the bill has great momentum, but we need EVERY radio amateur in the United States to send their letters.

Your participation can make the difference in passing this legislation.

It only takes seconds. If you’re a licensed ham in the US, go to https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/, enter your call sign, validate your address, and click the red SEND MY LETTERS button. It really is that easy!

In less time than it takes to make a single QSO, your letters will tell Congress to remove the legal restraints on hams living in restrictive HOAs to put up an antenna.

Follow the link at https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/ to send your letter now!

What it is:

The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act (see ARRL News 02/07/2025) is a pair of bipartisan bills — H.R.1094 in the House and S.459 in the Senate – which are designed to prevent restrictive homeowners’ association (HOA) rules that currently prohibit or severely limit the installation of amateur radio antennas, even when such antennas are hidden in trees, placed in attics, mounted on vehicles, or look like flagpoles.

Se Habla Español – Pasar el proyecto de ley

Si su lengua materna es el español, ARRL ha creado instrucciones y una página web para que envíe sus cartas al Congreso.

Descargue las instrucciones aquí:

https://send-a-letter.org/espanol/

ARISS Contact Opportunity, Call For Proposals

ARISS logoFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Message to US Educators
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity
 
Call for Proposals
New Proposal Window is October 6th, 2025 – November 14th, 2025
 
October 4, 2025 — The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS.  ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
 
The deadline to submit a proposal is November 14th, 2025.  Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on October 15th at 8 PM ET.  The Zoom link to sign up is https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/hijg24mPRK69uGC0gUq8zw
 
The Opportunity
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.
 
An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.
 
Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. 
 
Please direct any questions to education@ariss-usa.org .
 
 About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org.

ARRL Connecticut Section Manager Newsletter, October 2025

ARRL logoSection Manager Newsletter – October 2025
Douglas Sharafanowich – WA1SFH
ARRL Section Manager, Connecticut

October 1, 2025

CONTENTS
– JOTA 2025 (10/18)
– Nutmeg Hamfest & ARRL CT State Convention (10/12)
– ARRL CT SECTION SET (10/25)
– SECARS Auction (10/18)
– CT ARES: Region 1 MCI (9/16)
– Hurricanes
– Section Manager Cabinet Openings.

JOTA 2025 (Jamboree On The Air)

This is Scouting’s worldwide Jamboree On The Air (JOTA). General JOTA Information at: <https://www.arrl.org/jamboree-on-the-air-jota>. The big day is Saturday, Oct 18. We have been asked to bring the JOTA experience to 2 Camps in Goshen and Redding. We will do that by sending TEAMS of Hams to each site.

This one of the best ways to introduce a LARGE number of youngsters to Amateur Radio, and YOU can be a part of making that happen. It is very rewarding to see who gets “e xcited” about radio communications, and see who wants to go for the 3 Merit Badges (Radio, Electronics, Signs & Signals), and who is starting to dream about getting their Tech License.

This is a full day event (Arrive @ 7 am, Depart @ 4 pm)

Volunteers still WANTED. NEED 4 MORE
– 2 more at Goshen
– 2 more at Redding.

There is still time to Volunteer! Don’t Delay! Sign-Up TODAY @: <https://tinyurl.com/4zj3tyfe>

NUTMEG HAMFEST & ARRL CT State Convention (10/12)
Maloney High School, 121 Gravel St. Meriden, CT Hours: 8 am – 1 pm

COME ON DOWN!
This is a really fun Hamfest with indoor vendors and a great Tailgate area.

Several Forums/Presentations including:
– ARRL Forum: Meet your Section Mgr. and your New England Division Mgr.
– Parks On The Air: Learn about the fun of POTA
– WinLink for ARES
– Introduction to Digital Communications – Fox Hunting for the newly Licensed Technician
– 10m for the new Technician Ham
– Introduction to Satellite Operations
– Our Antarctic DXpedition – Eric KB1EHE & Elisie KB1IFZ
– Amateur Radio License Testing (aka VE Testing)
and MORE…

Hamfest Flyer <https://w1nrg.com/activities/nutmeg-hamfest/>

ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) 2025
News From Phil – K1XFC,
CT Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC)
9/29/25
Good Morning:

The Connecticut Section Simulated Emergency Test (SET) will take place Saturday October 25, 2025, from 0900 to 1200 local.

This is an opportunity for all amateur radio operators in the state to practice their emergency communications skills in a coordinated exercise.

This year’s SET will key off the September 9, 2025, Connecticut EPPI drill which centered around a Drought scenario.

According to the US Drought Monitor, which is released every Thursday, most of Connecticut is currently in an Abnormally Dry (D0) condition. Portions of southeast Connecticut are in a Moderate Drought (D1) condition. By contrast central Vermont and New Hampshire are in an Extreme Drought (D3) condition.

The Town of Manchester Water Department issued a water conservation alert on September 24 reporting that their reservoirs were at 79.4% of capacity. The 10-day weather forecast for Connecticut indicates little to no
rainfall.

The Connecticut Drought Preparedness and Response Plan (September 2022) “provides state and local decision-makers and public water suppliers with a set of formal operating procedures and administrative guidance for proactive drought planning and response. The Drought Plan is designated as a support plan within the State Response Framework, Connecticut’s umbrella emergency management operations document”.

The SET will involve escalating drought conditions in Connecticut to the point where it becomes necessary to distribute drinking water to the public. The Department of Public Health and DEMHS will ask for auxiliary communications support from Connecticut ARES. Water distribution will take place at 17 sites.

ARES members will be asked to set up communications operations at those 17 sites and communicate using both voice and data. Other ARES members will be asked to operate from their home or mobile stations serving as relays for simplex communications.

I encourage everyone to begin preparing to participate.

If you would like to activate one of the 17 sites (we will need 3 to 4 operators at each site) please contact your DEC. Folks in Regions 2 and 4 can contact me.

More information to follow.

73,
Phil Crombie, Jr., K1XFC
Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC)
Amateur Radio Emergency Ser vice (ARES)
Connecticut Section
Cell: 860-338-6332
k1xfc aT Arrl Dot nET.

SECARS Auction Fundraiser (10/18)
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall
1650 Route 12
Gales Ferry, CT

Come Buy or Sell Amateur Radio Related Gear at the SECARS Fall Auction This is a live auction. Doors will open at 8 AM for sellers and 9 AM for everyone else. We will have several raffle prizes as well as refreshments available for purchase. Come meet new friends, say hello to hams you already know and update your station with some of the gear for sale. Info Link: <https://secars.org/secars-auction-information>.

The fall auction is being coordinated by Mark KE1IU. Send an e-mail to <ke1iumark@gmail.com> , if you have questions or for additional information.

Region 1: Mass Casualty Communications Drill This MCD took place on Sept. 16. CT ARES – Region 1 was tasked with helping establish and provide emergency / auxiliary communications (Voice and Winlink Data) between 4 Hospitals in Region 1 (Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport), the Bridgeport EOC and the Net Control Station operating at the Westport Astronomical Society facility (located at the old NIKE Site off the Merritt Parkway).

Our volunteers used VHF Repeaters, VHF Simplex, and HF Near Vertical Incident Skywave (NVIS) for voice communications. Messages covered coordinating transport of victims, On-Site arrivals at the ER, alerts for missing persons and reuniting them… and more.

Several important lessons were learned and will be addressed in future ARES training.

As Section Manager, I want to personally thank Peter K1PCN – CT ARES Region 1 District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) for his initiative, vision and diligence in organizing this event. I also want to thank all the fine hams who volunteered their time and equipmen t to make this happen. In short, WELL DONE everyone!

There is a short video with music (?) that was produced, in which CT ARES got top billing in the ending credits. Link: <https://tinyurl.com/ypyam26p>

JOIN CT ARES TODAY!
To learn more about ARES check out: <https://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES%20Fact%20Sheet_Final.pdf>

To learn more about our local Connecticut ARES go to: <https://ctares.org/>

HURRICANES
Did we miss out on Connecticut’s Hurricane Season 2025? Don’t relax just yet. We are still in the historic “window of opportunity”

CT Section Manager Cabinet Openings
I still have need of 2 people to complete my CT Section Cabinet Roster.

The work is simple, and the pay is “unbelievable” (LOL!) Contact, your friendly CT Section Manger: WA1SFH@arrl.org

– Section Youth Coordinator (SYC)
Promoting Amateur Radio activities to YOUTH, and next steps.

– Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC)
Keeping in touch with Affiliated Clubs, and encouraging other Clubs to become ARRL Affiliated Clubs

Ham Radio is FUN!

SEE YOU ON THE AIR AND @ THE NUTMEG HAMFEST

——————————————————————–
ARRL Connecticut Section
Section Manager: Douglas E Sharafanowich, WA1SFH
wa1sfh@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

Amateur Radio Licensing Update During US Government Shutdown

ARRL logoFrom ARRL:

The ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, ARRL VEC, wants members to know that we are closely following the impact of the US Government shutdown on licensing for the Amateur Radio Service.

The government shutdown began at 12:01 Eastern time on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, when Congress had not passed an appropriations bill or other plan to keep the government funded for the new fiscal year (begins October 1).

The Federal Communications Commission, which issues Amateur Radio Service licenses, issued a Public Notice on Tuesday, September 30, indicating that it would suspend most operations following a shutdown. “Aside from a few emergency and auction filing systems, all other Commission electronic filing systems will be unavailable to the public until normal agency operations resume,” said the FCC Notice.

ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, said the FCC systems appeared to go off-line around 1 PM Eastern time, and are redirecting to the Public Notice. This means the FCC will not be processing any amateur radio license applications during the shutdown, which includes individual, club, and exam session (new and upgrade) applications.

“But ARRL Volunteer Examiners should continue giving exam sessions,” said Somma. “Keep doing what you’re doing. Keep serving new and upgrade candidates for amateur radio licenses.” Somma also urged that Volunteer Examiners continue to promptly forward session results from their exams to the ARRL VEC.

“Please do not hold your session results. Send your sessions to us, and ARRL VEC will continue to queue all applications as they are received. Once the federal government reopens, ARRL VEC will promptly resume submitting applications to the FCC for processing. So, keep sending sessions to the ARRL VEC.”

The FCC Notice indicates that the CORES registration system will remain available to the public and will not be affected by the shutdown. Exam candidates can still register in CORES and be assigned an FCC Registration Number (FRN) at https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/userLogin.do. The FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) databases are currently unavailable to the public. ULS and related systems (like the License Manager, License Search, Application Search, etc.) are not accessible during the shutdown. Users cannot file applications with the FCC, or access license data, including address information.

To find an amateur radio exam session, please visit www.arrl.org/find-an-exam. For a list of VE Teams that offer Online Exam Sessions, go to www.arrl.org/online-exam-session.

Pass The Bill

As a reminder, ARRL is continuing to collect letters from EVERY HAM as part of our grassroots campaign to pass the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act. The legislation is intended to prevent restrictive homeowners’ association (HOA) rules that currently prohibit or severely limit the installation of amateur radio antennas. Send your letters now at www.arrl.org/HOA.

Ray LaJoie, AA1SE, Declared Elected as Western MA Section Manager

ARRL logoFrom ARRL News, 09/12/2025: 

Below are the results of our recent Section Manager nomination period for the term beginning January 1, 2026, and declared elected, with no opposition:

New Section Managers:

Michigan – Ralph Katz, AA8RK
Santa Barbara – Keith Elliott, W6KME

Continuing:

Alabama – Dennis Littleton, K4DL
Alaska – David Stevens, KL7EB
Delaware – Steven Keller, KC3DSO
East Bay – Mike Patterson, N6JGA
Kansas – Ron Cowan, KBØDTI
New Mexico – Bill Mader, K8TE
Tennessee – David Thomas, KM4NYI
Western Massachusetts – Ray LaJoie, AA1SE

The ARRL Field Organization is the grassroots corps that makes up the 60,000 volunteers among ARRL membership. It is divided into 71 Sections, each of which is led by a volunteer Section Manager who is elected by the members of the Section. Section Managers serve two-year terms.

Maine ARRL Section News

ARRL logoWhat a fun time I had at the Windsor Hamfest last week. It was great seeing all the “Seagullers” and other hams around the state, including Mike KC1RCG and Leasa AC1UR Garvin, who drove all the way down from Houlton to attend. We had a good NTS Nets meeting with awesome attendance. The event had great food, fellowship and fun. Thank you to Jose Douglas KB1TCD and crew and the Lincoln County ARC for organizing the hamfest.

Alexander Hamfest!

The last Maine hamfest of the year is the Alexander Hamfest, sponsored by the Saint Croix Valley Amateur Radio Club, and will be Saturday, September 20 from 8am until noon. The hamfest is located at the Alexander Elementary School, 1430 Airline RD (RT-9) in Alexander.  Talk-in is on the W1LH Cooper Mountain Repeater 147.330+ pl 118.8.  Don’t miss the opportunity to sell, trade, or buy some awesome deals, or win one of the many door prizes.

Pine State ARC 50TH Celebration

Congrats to the Pine State Amateur Radio Club for its upcoming 50th anniversary, for which they are celebrating with a catered banquet on October 11. If you would like to purchase tickets to the banquet, or join the club, contact PSARC President Ed Paradis, wi1z@arrl.net or call 207-702-7733.

EAWA POTA

The Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association will be conducting a Parks-On-The-Air on Saturday morning, October 11 at the Lamoine State Park. All are welcome.

Radiogram Training

Jim Kutsch, KY2D, will be starting up his excellent radiogram training sessions again on the second Sunday of each month. Starting September 14, at 5:00PM on 3.940 MHz, Jim will start the training from the beginning, and progress each month. If you do not have 75 meters capability, no worries. You can point your browser to the Sebago Lake SDR and customize the settings to listen to 3940. 0 kHz LSB. The web site is sebagolakesdr.us:8901. Works great!

Kudos to Ham Volunteers

Many thanks to all the Maine ham radio operators who volunteer consistently for public service events, relaying radiograms via the National Traffic System, drill and hone skills through their Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), or RACES or other EmComm group, proctor FCC exams as Volunteer Examiners, or mentor/assist other hams, serve as club officers and other leadership positions. Without your efforts, ham radio would be a lot less fun.

Maine Slow Speed Net

If you are new to CW (Morse Code), 0r a bit rusty, consider checking into the Maine Slow Speed Net Monday through Friday at 6:00PM on 3.585 MHz. Net control usually sends around 10 to 13 words per minute, but will gladly slow down to any speed with which you are comfortable. This is a great net to practice your cw!

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ARRL Maine Section
Section Manager: Philip W Duggan, N1EP
n1ep@arrl.org
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CT Section Manager Newsletter, September 2025

ARRL logoARRL Section Manager, Connecticut

September 3, 2025

CONTENTS
– Public Service and Youth Radio Activities for YOU!
– Hurricanes
– ARES – When All Else Fails
– Section Manager Cabinet Openings.
– New England Division “Ham of The Year”

Public Service and Youth Radio Activities for YOU! Book these Dates to come out to Play Radio and support your community.
September
9/16/25 – Region 1: Mass Casualty Communications Drill (A full Tuesday Event) Details at: https://ct-ares.groups.io/g/Announce/topic/r1_mass_casualty_drill/114876871

October
10/18/25 – Scouting’s worldwide Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) (A full Saturday Event) Working on confirming sites at: Ashford, New Hartford, Goshen, Redding, Greenwich (Need “Teams of 6” at each confirmed site)

General JOTA Info rmation at: https://www.arrl.org/jamboree-on-the-air-jota

Volunteer Sign-Up @: https://tinyurl.com/4zj3tyfe

10/25/25 – ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) (a Saturday Morning Event) Details to follow: https://ct-ares.groups.io/g/Announce/topics

Hurricanes
Connecticut’s Hurricane Season 2025 is HERE! ARE YOU PREPARED? JOIN CT ARES www.ctares.org

ARES® – When All Else Fails®
Amateur radio operators use their ARES® training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies When All Else Fails®.

• Hams serve our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers, and wired and wireless networks.
• Amateur radio can function completely independently of the internet and phone systems.
• An amateur radio station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others.

To learn more about ARES check out: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES%20Fact%20Sheet_Final.pdf

To learn more about our local Connecticut ARES go to: https://ctares.org/

CT ARES needs YOU!
The ARES organization has 4 types of Emergency Coordinators (EC):
– the local EC for a town/municipality/group of towns
– the local Assistant EC
– the District Emergency Coordinator (DEC), one for each of 5 Regions
– the Assistant DEC, one or more for each of 5 DECs

Building CT ARES
I am pleased to announce that we have FOUR new ARES Emergency Coordinators (ECs) in CT ARES. Please congratulate and support these fine people.

REGION 1
Jeff Bustraan – KC1RQH: EC – Bridgeport
Conrad Trautmann – N2YCH: EC – Trumbull
Adam Hosa – N1AH: EC – Stratford

RE GION 5
John Ahle – W1JMA: EC – Ridgefield

More Positions to Fill
We have 169 towns/municipalities in CT which are divided into 5 REGIONS.

Not every one of them has an EC. Additionally, we are currently short two District Emergency Coordinators (DEC): Region 2 & Region 4.

Check out if an “EC” Position is right for YOU. Link: https://www.arrl.org/emergency-coordinator

For more information about CT ARES, go to: www.ctares.org\

CT Section Manager Cabinet Openings
I still have need of 2 people to complete my CT Section Cabinet Roster.

The work is simple, and the pay is “unbelievable” (LOL!) Contact, your friendly CT Section Manger: WA1SFH@arrl.org

– Section Youth Coordinator (SYC)
Promoting Amateur Radio activities to YOUTH, and next steps.

– Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) – Pending
Keeping in touch with Affiliated Clubs, and encouraging other Clubs to become ARRL Affiliated Clubs

New England Division’s “Ham of the Year – 2025″
At this year’s North East HamXposition, the NE Division “Ham of the Year” Award was presented to: Dave “Tess” Tessatore, K1DT

Each of the NE Sections had their own runners up: Congratulations to David Tipping – NZ1J receiving the CT Section award.

Ham Radio is FUN!

SEE YOU ON THE AIR !

——————————————————————–
ARRL Connecticut Section
Section Manager: Douglas E Sharafanowich, WA1SFH
wa1sfh@arrl.org
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CT Section Manager Newsletter – August 2025

August 11, 2025

CONTENTS
– Northeast HamXposition 2025
– FUN with POTA (Parks On The Air)
– Hurricane Season (Update)
– When All Else Fails®
– SKYWARN: On-Line Spotter Training
– Getting the Message Through (NTS)
– New Eastern CT Traffic Net Manger
– New PIOs Wanted
– CT Section Manager Cabinet Openings.

NORTHEAST HAMXPOSITION 2025
& ARRL New England Division Convention

This is THE BIGEST HAMFEST in the North East.
You don’t want to miss it!

Dates: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Aug. 21 – 24
Hours: Varies per Day (Big days are Saturday & Sunday)
Place: Best Western Marlborough, MA
181 Boston Post Road W.
Marlborough, MA 01752
Website: http://hamxposition.org

Great Fun! PLAN TO BE THERE! Lots of exciting and informative Forums and Presentations and Outdoor Swapfest at this Hamfest. see Schedule https://registration.hamxposition.org/Schedule/

NEW AWARD:

New England Division’s “Ham of The Year”. This will be presented during the ARRL Forum on Saturday.

As part of the festivities, I will be hosting 2 meetings: the CT Section Manager Meeting on Saturday @ 4pm, and a fast paced, interactive workshop: “The First 15 Minutes” (Saturday, Time TBA – see program schedule)

FUN with POTA (Parks On The Air)

If you have not discovered the fun of POTA, you are missing out! Since the last newsletter, I have teamed up with two groups activating CT State Parks.

The first was over at Gardner Lake State Park (Salem) – see video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YuKbnZej2s And, the second was at Dennis Hill State Park (Norfolk).

Today, Monday 8/11, I will be at 2 parks that sit next to each other up in Danielson: Ross Pond SP and Old Furnace SP Also, today, a group of 6 stalwart fellows are planning to activate 3 islands in the Connecticut River.

Hurricanes

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR HURRICANE SEASON 2025? Our Hurricane Season typically starts in late August. That means we all now have 3 Weeks (+/-) to Get Ready (e.g. Home Prep, Radio Prep)

When All Else Fails®

Amateur radio operators use their ARES® training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies When All Else Fails®. Hams serve our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers, and wired and wireless networks. Amateur radio can function completely independently of the internet and phone systems. An amateur radio station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire anten na in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others.

To learn more about ARES check out: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES%20Fact%20Sheet_Final.pdf

To learn more about CT ARES, and CT ARES Training and Organization, go to: https://ctares.org/

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

2025 CT ARES “Simulated Emergency Test” (SET) date has been announced. It will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

SKYWARN: Spotter Training Course now On-Line (FREE!)

Peter Cimino – K1PCN, our new District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) for CT ARES -Region 1 recently wrote:

Are you interested in Weather, Ham Radio, and helping your community? I invite you to become a SKYWARN Spotter The National Weather Service now offers free online, anytime available, – Spotter Training via their Comet MedEd Platform. Link: https://www.weather.gov/chs/skywarn. This course is available to ANYONE interested in weather. For More Information, please read his post at: https://tinyurl.com/3sfcjcmz.

Getting the Message Through The National Traffic System (NTS) During disasters or other emergencies, radiograms are used to communicate information critical to saving lives or property, or to inquire about the health or welfare of a disaster victim.

The current National Traffic System is comprised of dedicated, well trained and practiced operators in the art of Traffic Handling. They participate in Nets at the Local, Section, Region, and Area levels 365 days per year. – AND, YOU CAN BE ONE OF THEM. Find more information about CT Traffic Nets at: https://ctares.org/nets/.

HOT NEWS

New Eastern CT Traffic Net Manager

Please welcome H. Kevin Harkins – KA6PDG, who has been newly appointed as Eastern Connecticut (East Conn) Traffic Net Manager.

Public Information Of ficers (PIOs) WANTED

ARRL Public Information Officers (PIOs) are appointed by their Section Manager and report to their ARRL section Public Information Coordinator (PIC). The Section Manager may, at his/her discretion, delegate this appointment power to the section PIC. PIOs are generally recommended by an affiliated club for appointment consideration and must be full ARRL members.

If you have Public Relations experience or are interested in learning more, contact Georg Papp – K1YBO (CT Public Information Coordinator) k1ybo@arrl.net

CT Section Manager Cabinet Openings

I still have need of 2 people to complete my CT Section Cabinet Roster.

The work is simple and the pay is “unbelievable” (LOL!) Contact, your friendly CT Section Manger: WA1SFH@arrl.org.

– Section Youth Coordinator (SYC)

Helping to get YOUTH exposed to Amateur Radio, and next steps.

– Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC)

Keeping in touch with Affiliated Clubs, and encouraging other Clubs to become ARRL Affiliated Clubs

Ham Radio is FUN !
GET RADIO ACTIVE !
See YOU.. ON THE AIR !

——————————————————————–
ARRL Connecticut Section
Section Manager: Douglas E Sharafanowich, WA1SFH
wa1sfh@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

New England Division Update – What’s new? Webinar: August 7th

ARRL logoPlease join us for an ARRL update Webinar on Thursday, August 7th at 7pm. We’ll be able to give you a summary of actions taken at the July ARRL Board meeting as well as activities in Newington, and by some of the Board committees.

We’ll also have plenty of time for your questions and input.

Here is the link to use to connect to the Webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81014888314?pwd=Czx9fr3buMAoc8zM8PDiSY7agcPUXi.1

Hope you will join us next week!

Tom Frenaye/K1KI
ARRL New England Division Director

Phil Temples/K9HI
ARRL New England Division Vice Director

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ARRL New England Division
Director: Thomas Frenaye, K1KI
k1ki@arrl.org
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