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NEAR-Fest is ON! October 15-16, 2021

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NEAR-Fest logoMichael Crestohl, W1RC, writes:

NEAR-FEST XXX is ON!  We are looking forward to seeing all our friends, new and old, after a very long two-year absence at Deerfield at 0900 on Friday October 15th.

Although there are no state or local mandates we want everybody to feel safe at NEAR-Fest.  We are asking all attendees to bring their own masks and hand sanitizer.   PLEASE respect the wishes of others and wear a mask when inside any of our buildings and observe a 10’ or 2m distance from others whenever possible.  We also request that you don your mask when interacting with any member of our staff, inside or outside.  They have expressed their concerns.  Remember if we didn’t have them we could not do NEAR-Fest! Kindly honor their wishes.

Tickets will be on sale at the gate.  Admission is $15 per person and $10 for inside parking which includes flea market selling space.  You can save $5 on your admission tickets if you buy them in advance.  They are available BY MAIL (do not mail later than Monday October 5th)Mail to NEAR-Fest, 316 Atlantic Avenue, Marblehead MA 01945, checks or amo payable to NEAR-Fest and a self-addressed stamped envelope.  Also available in person at Ham Radio Outlet in Salem NH and at Ross W1EKG’s clock shop, 40 Walnut Street in Whitman MA.

We look forward to our “Grand Homecoming”.  It has been a very long two years.

73,

MisterMike, W1RC

PS: Don’t forget to attend the ARRL Division Director candidates “Town Hall” meeting on Friday.   See our web site www.near-fest.com for details.

 
 

Two Foxes To Find, Wallingford, CT Vicinity, September 26, 2021

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Jim Savage, N1ZN, writes on the ctfoxhunter list on September 25, 2021:

I will be putting out two fox-in-a-boxes tomorrow, Sunday 9/26, starting at 9:30 AM and running till around 11:00 AM.

They will be Rob’s FIAB #1 broadcasting 1w on 145.700.  I will be with the box.

There will also be FIAB #3 nearby broadcasting 12mW on 145.300.

They shouldn’t be too difficult to find.  I’ll be monitoring the repeater if you need help.

Jim N1ZN

First Annual New England Parks On The Air Event, October 16, 2021

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Parks On The Air logoThe K1USN Radio Club has announced the 1st Annual Autumn New England Parks On The Air event on Saturday, October 16, 2021 from 0000-2359 UTC. Activation from as many different POTAs as possible.

The goal is to have one group/individual at each site to enable the activation of as many NE POTAs as possible.
 
Officially listed POTAs from throughout New England are required.

Maps and lists can be found at <https://parksontheair.com/>.
 
Since this is not a “contest” official log submissions will not be required but summaries would be encouraged. A post-event link will be available at <www.k1usn.com>. 
 
We hope to give the public a chance to learn a bit more about Amateur Radio by obtaining some free pre-event publicity and with the use of informational handouts. Here are samples you could use:

<http://www.bellevuearc.org/docs/WhatisHamRadioFlyerA.pdf>
 
<http://www.arrl.org/file/file/Brochures%20and%20Exhibit%20Materials/What%20is%20Amateur%20Radio%20flyer%208_5x11.pdf>
 
<https://flysnf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ham-Radio-Flyer.pdf>
 

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The weekend of Oct 16 – 17 is also JOTA weekend and all participants are encouraged to reach out to local Scouting groups: <https://www.jotajoti.info/>.

Remember that this will be a New England-wide event so folks that attend NEAR-Fest on Saturday, October 16th in Deerfield, NH may wish to activate a NH park on the way home.

Okay, who is interested in jumping onboard the NE Autumn POTA event?
 
BTW, Bob, WC1N, has created a spreadsheet so that we can keep track of individuals/clubs as they sign on. You can sign up at: <http://www.ilovepota.com/index.php>.
 
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For those of you with additional questions or comments please reply to <k1rv@arrl.net>.
 

The 2021 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is Just Ahead

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ARES logoARRL Bulletin 24  ARLB024
From ARRL Headquarters 
Newington CT  September 23, 2021
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB024
ARLB024 The 2021 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is Just Ahead

The weekend of October 2 – 3 is designated for holding the annual ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET), although local and Section-level exercises may take place throughout the Fall. The SET is ARRL’s primary national emergency exercise and is designed to assess the skills and preparedness of Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers, as well as those affiliated with other organizations involved in emergency and disaster response.

The SET encourages maximum participation by all radio amateurs, partner organizations, and national, state, and local officials who typically engage in emergency or disaster response. In addition to ARES volunteers, those active in the National Traffic System (NTS), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), National Weather Service (NWS) SKYWARN, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and a variety of other allied groups and public service-oriented radio amateurs are needed to fulfill important roles in this nationwide exercise.

The SET offers volunteers an opportunity to test equipment, modes, and skills under simulated emergency conditions and scenarios. Individuals can use the time to update a “go-kit” for use during deployments and to ensure their home station’s operational capability in an emergency or disaster. To get involved, contact your local ARRL Emergency Coordinator or Net Manager.

NNNN

Operators Needed, Niantic Bay Boardwalk 5K, Niantic, CT, October 16, 2021

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Tim Rodgers, KC1TWR, writes on the RASON and TriCity ARC mailing list:

Communicators needed!

The 2021 Niantic Bay Boardwalk 5K is scheduled for Saturday, October 16th, with a rain date for Sunday October 17th. This is a short event with the race starting at 10 AM and award ceremony at 11:30 AM. Report time at the Region 4 Mobile Communications Unit will be 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM.

 
The MCU4 will be located in the upper McCook Point Beach and Park lot.  Early report time is required so communicators are out of the park before the runners start to assemble.  The upper gate should be open for walk-in.  If you would like to drive up to MCU4, please use the lower entrance, drive to the end of the parking lot and up the driveway to the top.
Eleven communicators will be needed.  To date we only have three signed up. Start and finish are located at two different locations, plus I need 2 operators willing to walk in from each end of the boardwalk (1/3 from the end) and cover a checkpoint.  The course leaves lower McCook Park, travels along Main Street, enters Cini Park, and then goes onto the boardwalk.  Finish line is at the end of the boardwalk after Baptist Lane.
 
This is a GREAT opportunity to introduce newly licensed amateurs or persons interested in getting licensed to public service.  Please ask someone to join you!

If you are available please send an email to: TimKC1TWR@gmail.com 
Please include your cell and home phone numbers for the COMM Plan even if you have sent them for previous events.  Include your T-Shirt size as well. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

 
73,
Tim KC1TWR
—
Tim Rodgers KC1TWR

Cell/Text:  860-460-7360
CT ARES Region 4 DEC
“Train as you expect to work because you will work as you have trained.”

Preliminary Ticket Sales Estimates for 2021 HamXposition

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HamXposition logoHamXposition Chairman Bob DeMattia, K1IW, has released some preliminary numbers for ticket sales for the Northeast HamXposition and New England ARRL Convention in Marlborough, MA on September 10-12, 2021.

“Based on the number of unissued tickets, attendance was 1212,” writes Bob.

“We printed 2200 tickets, and had 988 remaining at the end.  We issued approximately 1212 tickets total.” K1IW adds, “For what it’s worth, my prediction was we would issue around 1200.”

The Committee expects to net between $8,000 to $10,000 in profits–most of which will be used to fund FEMARA scholarships.

Fox On the Loose in Stafford, CT, September 18, 2021

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Dan Thayer, W1CDT, writes on the ctfoxhunter list on September 18, 2021 at at 5:13 PM:

Greetings Fox hunters:

FB-3 has been deployed.

146.550 MHz Simplex; CTCSS 114.8 Hz

 UPON REACHING THE “HIDE,” HUNTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARK ON THE PUBLIC ROAD, AND WALK INTO THE PROPERTY.

(THERE IS NO PLACE TO TURN AROUND)

It is located in the Town of Stafford, CT. 

It may be heard in parts of Stafford and Tolland.

As there is no starting point for finding the FB, it is recommended that as you go about your regular travels, you periodically try to activate the FB.

You may also try from home.

To try to activate the FB, set your radio to the 2 meter simplex frequency of 146.550 MHz, with a CTCSS of 114.8 Hz. Next, key your transmitter, ID and then send a DTMF “1”. Having done that, unkey your transmitter and listen.

If the FB can hear you (and you can hear it) you will hear its very distinctive sound.

It will transmit for 30 seconds, ID and then go back to sleep.

Once someone has been able to hear it, please report that general location to the other fox hunters, by replying to this message (This needn’t be a place where you can hear it very well, just a place from where it can be heard.

You can make it transmit as often as you find necessary to locate the FB.  

You do not actually have to touch the box to claim finding it.

FBs are located within 500 feet of a safe place to park. While unimproved (dirt) roads may be involved, they will be ones that are passable using a regular passenger car.

Dan, W1CDT 

 

Maine QSO Party September 25-26, 2021

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Maine QSO Party logoFrom the WS1SM Blog:

THE 2021 MAINE QSO PARTY IS SEPTEMBER 25-26!

Contest Period: 1200 UTC Saturday September 2, 2020 to 1200 UTC Sunday September 2, 2021.

Bands and Modes: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10, CW, and phone (SSB, FM, AM).

Exchange: Stations in Maine send signal report and county. Stations outside of Maine, but within either the United States or Canada, send signal report and state/province. DX stations send signal report and “DX.”

For more details and complete rules visit <http://www.ws1sm.com/MEQP.html>.

QRP AField, September 18, 2021

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NEQRP logoShirley Márquez Dúlcey, KE1L, writes on the NEQRP mailing list:

QRP Afield 2021 is TOMORROW! As always, it is held on the third Saturday of September, which is September 18 this year; as in the past few years, it runs from 1500-2100Z (11am-5pm EDT). You can read the rules here: https://www.newenglandqrp.org/qrp-afield-2018/ (still mostly correct).

Our weekend always has a number of other operating events going on, perhaps because it’s the final weekend of summer. Five QSO parties overlap some or all of our operating period: Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington (the Salmon Run). There is also a major international contest, the Scandinavian Activity Contest (they were booming into NH last year; I worked a couple of them on 40 CW!), and this year we have Wisconsin Parks on the Air. There will surely also be some activations in programs including POTA, SOTA, and IOTA, and some special event stations. Here in MA there is one to commemorate the 100th anniversary of broadcast station WBZ; it will use the special call signs W1W, W1B, W1Z, and WB1Z. Also keep an ear out for the Chowdercon station, W1C; that will have NEQRP members operating portable from an island in Portsmouth NH.

This year, contacts with stations in other operating events are explicitly allowed. (If you can’t beat them join them!) You are not required to complete the full QRP Afield exchange with those stations; instead, you should use the exchange required by the other event. (Their logging software probably isn’t set up to record your power level or NEQRP number.) We encourage you to submit logs to any contests you make contacts in, even if you only make one or two contacts; the organizers use your data to check other logs.

I’m also introducing a new bonus. Any contact where both operators send a NEQRP number and submit logs that contain a matching contact is worth two points instead of the usual one. The normal power, location, and S/P/C multipliers still apply. That’s meant to encourage people to make some QRP Afield contacts. (Don’t have a member number? Membership in the New England QRP Club is free and open to all hams. Send email to kk1x@kk1x.net with the subject Join.)

You can work each station once per band per mode. For our purposes there are three modes: CW, voice (any voice mode including digital voice), and digital (everything else: RTTY, PSK31, JT65, FT8, SSTV, fax — if it’s not Morse Code and doesn’t involve a microphone it goes here). All bands other than WARC bands and 60 meters are allowed, but you’ll find most of the QRP Afield activity on 40 and 20 meter CW. (The only bands and modes that appeared in 2020 logs were 80, 40, and 20 meter CW.) Perhaps 15 will have an opening this year, and consider trying 80 to work some nearby stations, especially if you are in or near one of the states with a QSO party.

A field station must use non-permanent antennas and be powered by something other than the commercial power grid or a motor-driven generator. Usually that means batteries. No minimum distance from your house is required; operating from your porch or yard is fine. That said, we encourage you to get out and operate from a location away from home!

Chowdercon is also tomorrow! Carl recently sent out a message about that.  The weather forecast looks decent: mostly cloudy through 1 pm, clearing to partly cloudy after that, with high temperatures in the low 70s and a 15% chance of rain throughout the day. Showers are likely in the late evening but people will be off the island well before that.