Organization

WMA Section Manager’s Report, May 1, 2022

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Hi everyone. The latest and greatest of my section reports is online at https://wma.arrl.org/ I encourage all to check it out from time to time as new information and activities come in to keep you informed. Also, for more go to the division website at https://nediv.arrl.org/.

Also we are still looking to fill positions to our section staff as well
as ARES We need:

  • Assistant Section Manager(s)
  • State Government Liaison
  • District Emergency Coordinators
  • Assistant Section Emergency Coordinators
  • County Emergency Coordinators
  • Traffic handlers

    Anything you would be interested in please contact me at aa1se@arrl.net

    Thank you
    73
    Ray-AA1SE

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    ARRL Western Massachusetts Section
    Section Manager: Raymond P Lajoie, AA1SE
    aa1se@arrl.org
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April 2022 Rhode Island Section Activity Report

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Greetings ARRL members and friends,

Welcome to spring. I truly believe that we are forced to endure winter just so we can appreciate spring. Weather is nearly perfect and we can enjoy it while we repair our antennas. 

The following is information from Tom Frenaye, K1KI. Tom is chairman of the New England QSO Party or NEQP. Where ever you are in New England, you can create a pile up simply by announcing your presence with a simple “CQ NEQP, this is (your call) in New England.”

The New England QSO Party on May 7th and 8th is a great time to check out antenna systems and offers a moderately paced opportunity to work new states and countries. You’ll find a wide variety of participants, from newcomers to experienced contesters, all interested in making contacts with New England stations.

NEQP’s goal is to get every one of the 67 counties in New England on the air so we hope you will encourage your friends to join in the fun!  Even if you can join the fun for a couple of hours, we’d appreciate it!  Will you be QRV? Let us know with a message to <info@neqp.org>. 

The New England QSO Party is 20 hours long overall, in two sections with a civilized break for sleep on Saturday night.  It runs from 4 pm Saturday until 1 am Sunday, then 9 am Sunday until 8 pm Sunday.  Operate on CW, SSB and/or digital modes on 80-40-20-15-10 meters.  For each QSO you’ll give your callsign, a signal report and your county/state.  Top scorers can earn a plaque and everyone who sends in a log with 25 or more QSOs will get a certificate.  The goal is to work stations anywhere in the world – and their goal is to work New England stations, so you’ll be very popular! Last year we had logs from 947 stations from around the country and world. The full rules are here -> <https://neqp.org/rules/>.

The full 2021 results were posted last month – <https://neqp.org/2021-new-england-qso-party/>.  Field Day planning is going on in our clubs. I hope to be able to tour the FD sites this year, something I have been unable to do for the last few years. Please let me know if your club will be setting up a Field Day operation this year.

June 12th will mark the 250th anniversary of the burning of HMS Gaspee in Narragansett Bay. Informed historians know that this event signaled the first shots of the American Revolution which ended on July 4th, 1776 when our beloved country was born. Folks in Massachusetts like to say that the Boston Tea Party rang the starting bell, but we know that the Gaspee burning took place a year and a half earlier. That sent the message to Britain.

Several hams under the leadership of Ken N1RGK are putting a program together, working with and augmenting the program being carried forward by the Gaspee Days Committee. Special calls W1G and K1G will be on the air and the BVARC club will set up a station at the site of the Gaspee burning. Our team is working in close partnership with the Gaspee Days committee. A beautiful certificate and QSL card has been designed by Teri, W1PUP. All you need is to work both W1G and K1G, any mode or time during their operation and you will receive your certificate. See website <http://www.w1ddd.org/gaspeedays.html> for more details.

Radio Frequency Interference or RFI is something that everyone who operates a radio has experienced. In some cases, it has kept Amateurs off the air because it is so severe. The New England Assistant Director, Rob, K1UI, is leading an effort to recruit an RFI team. To do this, Rob needs volunteers from every section. If you are interested in serving your fellow operators by tracing sources of RFI, please send an e mail note with your qualifications to Rob at k1ui@arrl.net. You may also review an RFI troubleshooting guide at <https://nediv.arrl.org/rfi-troubleshooting-guide/>.

HF bands continue to improve slowly as we climb up the leading slope of Cycle 25. 10 and 12 meter bands are open most of the time to somewhere.  15 and 17 meters have been open on occasion for round the world contacts. Some long path propagation has shown itself as well. These are all good signs of better things to come.

The ARRL Board has started discussions regarding the new club grant program which was announced in January. Starting in April, clubs will be able to apply for these grants by filing a form available on the ARRL website. More details at <http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-foundation-to-create-club-grants-program>. 

The Covid-19 bug found me last month. I’m over it now and feel fine. I never had a fever, cough, aches or other common problems. I did lose any sense of taste or smell and had a stuffed nose for a few weeks. My doctor prescribed Paxlovid by Pfizer, made available under an Emergency Use Authorization. I never learned what it was supposed to do except make me feel a lot better. In any event, I was isolated for five days during which I was on the air from dawn to midnight. I have received all my vaccinations and boosters. Please stay well and be very careful.  It’s not much fun to deal with Covid.

I’m still looking to fill the post of Section Government Liaison (SGL). See last month’s report and <http://www.arrl.org/state-government-liaison>. Someone who regularly follows state legislative affairs is the person I need.

Finally, if your club is planning to set up a Field Day operation in the field, kindly let me know where it will be. Thank you.

73,

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ARRL Rhode Island Section
Section Manager: Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC
w1yrc@arrl.org
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New England QSO Party, May 7-8, 2022

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Paul Gayet, AA1SU, writes on the Vermont ARRL Members List:

Here is a message from Tom Frenaye K1KI about the upcoming New England QSO Party.  Below that, I have added some of my own notes.

The New England QSO Party on May 7th and 8th is a great time to check out antenna systems and offers a moderately paced opportunity to work new states and countries. You’ll find a wide variety of participants, from newcomers to experienced contesters, all interested in making contacts with New England stations.

Our goal is to get every one of the 67 counties in New England on the air so we hope you will encourage your friends to join in the fun! Even if you can join the fun for a couple of hours, we’d appreciate it! Will you be QRV? Let us know with a message to info@neqp.org.

The New England QSO Party is 20 hours long overall, in two sections with a civilized break for sleep on Saturday night.  It runs from 4 pm Saturday until 1 am Sunday, then 9 am Sunday until 8 pm Sunday.  Operate on CW, SSB and/or digital modes on 80-40-20-15-10 meters.  For each QSO you’ll give your callsign, a signal report and your county/state.  Top scorers can earn a plaque and everyone who sends in a log with 25 or more QSOs will get a certificate.  The goal is to work stations anywhere in the world – and their goal is to work New England stations, so you’ll be very popular!

Last year we had logs from 947 stations from around the country and world. 

The full rules are here -> https://neqp.org/rules/

The full 2021 results were posted a couple of weeks ago – https://neqp.org/2021-new-england-qso-party/

It’s just three weeks until the 2022 NEQP.  Please get on and make some QSOs even if you don’t want to send in a log!

Thanks!

73 Tom/K1KI

There will be 3 other QSO Parties going on this weekend at varying times.  They are Indiana, Delaware, and the 7QP.  The 7QP is similar to the NEQP in that all the states in seven land will be on the air.

If you are using N1MM+ to log the contest, choose ‘QSO Party’ from the list, then ‘NEWE’ from the drop down box.  The advantage to using N1MM+ is that is will score these other 3 contests for you.  In the Exchange Box, enter exactly what the station sends you.  When the tests are over, you simply send the same Cabrillo file to each log checker, and they will score it for you.

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ARRL Vermont Section
Section Manager: Paul N Gayet, AA1SU
aa1su@arrl.org
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Maine SM eNews, April 2022

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Phil Duggan, N1EP, writes on the ARRL Members list:

Spring is here and hopefully the warmer days will be as well. Perfect time to bring your portable gear outside for some ham radio fun. I am looking forward to throwing a wire up over a tree limb at the local park and putting my Elecraft KX3 or Yaesu FT-817 to good use!

In Maine amateur radio news, I share the following with you:

– Longtime Maine Slow Speed Net manager and net control station Bobbie Donohue, W1JX, has retired from these positions. Bobbie was MSSN Manager for nine years and served as net control for more than 25 years! She was also a past net controller for the Maine Seagull Net. On behalf of the Maine section, I thank her for her dedication and contribution to the National Traffic System and amateur radio.  Her other half—Tom W1QU—also a past net manager, also retired as MSSN net control station. Bravo Zulu to Tom as well! Steve Sozanski, WA1HHK, has taken the helm of the MSSN. The cw net runs Monday through Friday at 6:00PM on 3.585 MHz.

– The Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club Hamfest & State Convention was a huge success. There were plenty of vendors, interesting speakers, and shoppers! The Women Radio Operators of Maine made their first appearance to a Maine Hamfest. They are a new group recently formed by Maine ARRL Assistant Section Manager and YL Champ Joan Hildreth, W1DLC. Congrats to Hamfest chairman Ivan Lazure, N1OXA, and all who helped put the event together.

– ARRL New England Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, presented awards to two clubs at the hamfest and convention. The Androscoggin ARC was recognized as the longest running club in Maine and for 70 years ARRL affiliation. The Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association was lauded for 60 years of ARRL affiliation and for many contributions to amateur radio in Downeast Maine. Both clubs received plaques from the ARRL Board of Directors, and framed certificates listing their achievements.

– The Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club, 144 Mill Street, Auburn. If you live in the area, attend their meeting and help grow the club!

– The new FCC fees are starting effective April 19. The $35 application fee applies to new license and renewal applications, and vanity call sign applications. Make sure you do your research on vanity calls. If your requested call is not available, you will not get a refund. The new fee does not apply to name, address, contact updates or license upgrades. The ARRL Board has approved a reduced ARRL VEC rate for kids under 18 and that fee will be $5 instead of $15, and the board also voted for a one-time reimbursement for the $35 FCC fee for kids under age 18 The ARRL is now working on how this reduced VE fee and reimbursement will be implemented starting April 19.  When an applicant takes an exam, they will only pay the VE team the $15 VE fee (or $5 child under 18), but will have to pay the FCC fee directly to the FCC.  It is important to very clearly list a working email address on the form 605. After the VEC sends the files to the FCC, then you will receive an email from the FCC with a link on how to pay the $35. Your application will not be accepted until you pay the fee.

– The new England QSO Party is May 7 – 8 this year. Don’t miss it.  Lots of hams will be looking for contacts from the six New England states. Let’s get Maine on-the-air in force for this contest. Details are available at neqp.org.

-Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) is getting more prevalent these days with all sorts of offending devices including wall warts, solar installations, electric fences, grow lights, and computers. There is an effort to form RFI Teams throughout New England supported by the ARRL.  Here in Maine I would like volunteers to form at least 5 teams. Members should have some technical know-how and also be able to work cooperatively with residents, businesses, and public utilities, as sometimes this is necessary.  The ARRL will provide RFI training to team members. Most RFI Team efforts will likely be over the phone, but some will require traveling to the location with test equipment to sniff out the RFI source. If you would like to be part of an RFI Team for your region of Maine, please email me n1ep@arrl.org.

-Field Day!  June will be here before you know it. Start making your Field Day plans now. Club or group stations should consider Field Day sites in public view, so we can promote this great hobby and service.  Don’t forget to make sure your Field Day operation is safe from RF exposure as well as electrical and physically safe!

-Join an amateur radio club if you haven’t done so already. There is a lot of fun associated with clubs. Operating events, interesting presentations, usually lots of food, and definitely great fellowship.  Here is a link where you can find a club in your area: http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club

-No club in your area? Then form one! Here is a link to instructions on how to form a ham radio club: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Clubs/Starting%20a%20New%20Club.pdf

-NH Digital Training Net uses the NBEMS FLDIGI and meets Saturdays at 0700 for checkins and then the net runs from 0730 to 0800 on 3.582 MHz USB (1500 Hz offset) and usually uses modes THOR22 or MFSK32. In addition to FLDIGI, you will need FLAMP and FLMSG. These programs are all available for free on sourceforge.net. This is a great way to get up and running and proficient on some of the digital modes, and especially for emergency communications.

-I am still building the statewide Elmer (Mentoring) list and need more experienced hams to volunteer to help potential or new hams, and even longtime hams that need a helping hand. Any assistance you can provide, whether over the phone advice, or in-person help, would be greatly appreciated. Your name and region of Maine will be listed on our web site, but your contact info will not be made public. Instead, the person needing assistance will contact me, and then I will refer them to you.  The web site is listed here. I will be updating it ASAP.  https://www.mainearrl.org/mentors-elmers

-If you have any questions or need assistance, please email me n1ep@arrl.org.

73

Phil Duggan, N1EP
Maine ARRL Section Manager
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ARRL Maine Section
Section Manager: Philip W Duggan, N1EP
n1ep@arrl.org
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