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Northern Berkshire ARC 2022 Field Day Publicity: “Windsor: Ham radio club slates field day”

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Berkshire Eagle Field Day storyFrom The Berkshire Eagle, June 21, 2022:

“Ham radio operators from the Northern Berkshire Amateur Radio Club in Berkshire County will participate in a national Field Day exercise from 2 p.m. Saturday, June 25, until 2 p.m. Sunday, June 26, at 440 Peru Road [Windsor, MA]. The public is invited.

“Field Day has been organized since 1933 by the American Radio Relay League, the National Association for Amateur Radio in the United States. The event highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.” [Full story]

W1NRG 75th Anniversary Celebration, June 23, 2022

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The Meriden Amateur Radio Club (MARC) and Wallingford Amateur Radio Group (WARG) is holding a 75th Anniversary Celebration with a lawn ceremony and reception from 6-8:30 PM on Hope Hill Road in Wallingford, Connecticut.

An ARRL plaque recognizing MARC’s 75 Years of ARRL club affiliation will be awarded to club president Ed Snyder, W1YSM, from New England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, and Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI. Also, the CW Station will be dedicated in memory of Bill Wawrzeniak, W1KKF (SK) along with a special remembrance of Christian Sievert, WA1VXH (SK) and additional club recognition.

Stolen Radio Equipment at NEAR-Fest and Other Area Flea Markets

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Mike Crestohl, W1RC, writes:

Lose something at NEAR-Fest or Other Area Flea Market? Maybe you can get it back.

If you had something stolen from your table at a flea market or hamfest in NH or Eastern Mass. within the past several years, please contact Officer John Delaney of the Deerfield Police Department as soon as possible. His contact information is <jdelaney@townofdeerfieldnh.org> or telephone 603-463-7258 and leave a message for him to call you back. Be prepared to provide Officer Delaney with a detailed description, giving make, model, serial number, photograph, band(s) covered, what was programmed into it, etc.

This information is needed by the Deerfield Police for an ongoing investigation into thefts of equipment that have occurred at NEAR-Fest and other local area events over the past several years. Five stolen radios have already been recovered and there may be more.

Please copy Paul, W1PRA (pauldepetrillo@gmail.com) and MrMike, W1RC (w1rc@near-fest.com) on all correspondence with Officer Delaney.

Thank you for your cooperation.

73,

Paul DePetrillo, W1PRA,
NEAR-Fest Sergeant-at-Arms,
pauldepetrillo@gmail.com

Mister Mike, W1RC,
Benevolent Dictator,
w1rc@near-fest.com

Amateur Radio Direction Finding Gets New Name

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ARDF Coordinator writes on the ARDF-USA mailing list:

The name Radio Orienteering has been around for a very long time and has frequently been applied to the sport of ARDF, but it hasn’t been recognized in any official sense. Because Radio Orienteering is more descriptive of our sport (especially to the orienteering community), and because Amateur Radio Direction Finding is often confused with other radio direction-finding activities (like mobile t-hunting), the ARRL ARDF committee has decided to officially favor the use of the term Radio Orienteering. We believe that a transition to that name will result in less confusion, and perhaps, quicker acceptance of the sport by orienteers and others who will more readily grasp the essence of the sport.

The name-change decision will impact certain websites, documents, social media, and other communication media that the ARRL ARDF Committee uses. Notably, the annual championship event that the ARRL sponsors will be titled the USA Radio Orienteering Championships going forward.

 
We hope that Radio Orienteering will gradually gain universal acceptance. But we recognize that the IARU, and others will likely continue to use the term “ARDF” for the foreseeable future. And, for now, even the committee’s name will remain the ARRL ARDF Committee. The transition may be gradual, but we believe that the change will be beneficial to the sport in the long run. 
 
Look for more references to Radio Orienteering going forward, and don’t be confused: it is the same radio navigation sport we all enjoy, but with a more descriptive name.
 
Long live Radio Orienteering!

Foxhunt, Wallingford CT, June 19, 2022

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Rob Cichon, K1RCT, writes on the ctfoxhunter list at 7:21 PM on June 18, 2022:

Starting at 09:30 in Wallingford.

You may need both Doppler and Directional Systems for this hunt.

1FIAB, a 1W beacon on 145.7

3FIAB, a 12mW beacon on 145.3

4FIAB, a 1W DTMF-1 controlled txcvr as backup on 145.2

You will even hear 2FIAB, 700mW DTMF-1 controlled txcvr on 145.605

Of course, I have an array of antennae to choose from.

The radio cacophony will cease at 11:00 unless someone calls me on the W1NRG repeater or possibly on 144.97 simplex to request a hint or two.

Good luck All!

— 73!

de Rob, K1RCT

Project Big E Receives Grant

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Project Big E logoLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

A few months ago, Project Big E applied for two possible grants. Aaron, KF1G, completed the application process and submitted it. From what we had been reading, we wouldn’t know any results until July.

Early Friday evening on the 17th of June, Aaron called me and told me the news. When I checked my email, I saw an email with the same info. The check will arrive in a few weeks.

This is exactly what the project needs right now, because a few people had a few hundred dollars for out of pocket expenses to make the project work and move forward. Now we’ll be able to re-reimburse them AND help the clubs and participants by refunding both parking and ticket expenses as well as taking care of other expenses the project has coming up.

This is SUPER EXCITING NEWS!

Spread the news to your clubs and sign up for a session or a day. 

OR, if you are signing up as a club, contact Larry, W1AST, to block off that session or day at W1AST@arrl.net.

Second 2022 ARRL Division Town Hall Well-Attended (UPDATED)

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The second of three 2022 New England Division Town Hall meeting presentations on June 15 was well attended. Two hundred twenty-four people registered for the call; 140 attended the meeting. 

Director Kemmerer, Vice Director Temples and the division’s four assistant directors presented an update of Board of Director actions as well as recent activities in New England. In addition, the panelists fielded questions on a variety of topics including: the Amateur Radio Emergency Digital Network in New England;  efforts to preserve and grow Amateur Radio; the status of an IT Director hire at ARRL Headquarters; and progress on the new Technician license enhancement.

 

Town Hall side presentation in PDF format
Town Hall side presentation in PDF format

UPDATE: VIDEO RECORDING OF THE TOWN HALL MEETING:


Still looking for Volunteers for the New England Forest Rally July 15 & 16

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Todd Rodgers, KC1SQ, writes:

The New England Forest Rally (NEFR) is a road rally conducted on logging trails in northern Maine. This year, it’s July 15 & 16 with Rally headquarters at the Sunday River Ski Resort in Bethel, Maine. The rally hosts 12-15 “stages” that run through some rough terrain, all mostly north of Bethel, some more than 50 miles north. Some 50-60 competitors are released on a stage (that might run for 10-15 miles) through totally unpopulated areas, hence the need for amateur radio communications to coordinate the release and provide communications in case something goes wrong. Two stages that are run ever year have a minor mountain in the middle of the stage that renders 2M communications unusable, so in recent years, this stage gets amateur operators that have 75 meter mobile phone capabilities and can communicate over the stage with NVIS antennae.

We’re short on 2M/HF mobile operators to support safe operations.

To read more information about the event and sign up, please read https://nediv.arrl.org/2022/05/18/ham-assistance-requested-new-england-forest-rally-maine-new-hampshire-7-15-16/