Public Relations

Sci-Tech ARS Girl Scouts’ “First Contact” event

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STARS patch(2026-03-21, Natick, MA) The Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society (STARS) in Natick, MA hosted a girl scout troop from Melrose, MA. Sincere thanks go to: Barbara, KC1KGS; Jocelyn (TBD); Seth, KC1PZY; Max, WØMXX; Brad, KC1TUY; Zachary, KC1NXK; and Bob, K5TEC, for helping teach the scouts on Saturday. It was nice that the girls got to hear from two YLs as well as the rest of us.

In the first of many activities, the scouts got to hold a meteorite from an asteroid and one from the moon, discuss earth to space communications, then watch a three-minute ARRL video about ham radio. 

Next, Barbara gave an inspiring talk about ways girls can get involved with ham radio and become one of the YLs. Joscelyn, a young student here at Sci-Tech, gave a thoughtful and encouraging talk about her journey to get her radio license with suggestions to the scouts for success. 

We watched a two-minute video about our StratoScience Workshop where ham radio is highlighted with high-altitude weather balloon launches, then we visited Max at his research workstation to learn about radio electronics and soldering APRS circuits to track the science projects carried by those balloons. A teen in high school with an Amateur Extra license, Max runs the New England Weather Balloon Society hosted here at New England Sci-Tech.

Then we went outside for a Fox Hunt with Seth who showed off the homemade Yagi antenna and helped the girls find the hidden transmitter. While outside, the scouts had a short exercise in contacting each other using four FRS HTs.

The final activity had the scouts in the radio room where they first listened to contacts made through the International Space Station (ISS). Thanks to Max for arranging that with NASA! (haha) and for running the rooftop satellite tracking system for this activity. Then the girls lined up at the HF station for a lesson with Zachary and Brad. There they all got to make a contact with a YL named Jessica in Oklahoma, KJ5NSH. Thank you Jess!

At the end of the event, the scouts each got an ARRL “First Contact” certificate, carefully filled out by Brad and individualized by the scout leader. They were also thrilled to receive an ARRL radio patch, and a Sci-Tech logo patch. Fun was had by all (and lots of learning, too)! 

— Bob, K5TEC, STARS Secretary

Granite State (NH) ARA 4H Event Amateur Radio Outreach, December 13, 2025

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Eric Pfeifer, N1JUR, writes:

 
The Granite State Amateur Radio Association conducted community outreach at the 4H Event held at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center on Saturday, December 13, 2025 from 8 AM-1 PM. We had over 100 children (ages 6-12) come to learn about ham radio, make contacts using All-Star and local repeaters, and participate in a special event station (N1QC) utilizing the museum’s HF station. [Details]
 
 

Connecticut ARES Assists in Bridgeport Hospital Drill

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Screenshot of EmComm Drill St. Vincent Med Ctr Publicity CT ARESMark O’Grady, KC1UHV, writes on the Greater Bridgeport ARC mailing list:
 
[Connecticut Amateur Radio Emergency Service was mentioned favorably in this television news story.] 
 
From NEWS12 Connecticut: “From Dozens of nurses and doctors at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport spent Tuesday morning engaged in a hands-on emergency preparedness drill. The drill, which began just after 9:30 a.m., involved several scenarios designed to strengthen coordination among staff members and departments.” [Full story]
 

WABI: “Waldo County (ME) EMA hosting Nat’l Ham Radio Field Day events”

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Waldo Co EMA FD WABI screenshotWABI News Desk:

SWANVILLE, Maine (WABI) – Saturday is National ‘Ham Radio Field Day.’ The Waldo County Emergency Management Agency is among the places in Maine hosting events. They will be demonstrating the importance of radio equipment during cases of emergencies.

At noon, they will be at 685 Swan Lake Ave, Swanville. However, the day’s events will begin with an open house and BBQ at 10 a.m.

[Full story]

Central Massachusetts ARA Field Day, June 28-29, 2025

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Central MA ARA Field Day photoCourtesy Worcester Patch:

Have you ever wanted to contact new people worldwide by radio? Now’s your chance! From 2 pm on Saturday. June 28th to 2 pm on Sunday, June 29th, members of the Central Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association (CMARA) will be at the Trout Book Recreation Area at 320 Manning Street in Holden, MA. participating in a national amateur radio emergency communications exercise known as Field Day.

[Full story]

W1YK: “Participatory Archiving Reveals Radio Club Treasures”

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photo of W1YK archive articleFrom The WPI Journal:

“Archival work often involves unearthing buried information, but, as with the content it seeks to reveal, the process itself can be shrouded in mystery. The labor that goes into processing special collections is multifaceted. A particularly overlooked aspect of this endeavor is the partnership that exists between archivists and researchers. Whereas archivists are challenged to prioritize access over perfection, researchers are afforded the opportunity to examine materials with greater depth.

“One such ongoing collaboration is between the WPI Archives and Special Collections and the WPI Wireless Association…”

[Full story]

Brattleboro Reformer: “Ham radio operators on the air for nationwide event”

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SHAFTSBURY — Ham radio operators from the Southern Vermont Amateur Radio Club (SOVARC) and the Greater Bennington County Area will be participating in a national amateur radio exercise from 2 p.m. on Saturday until 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 28 and 29. The event is ARRL Field Day (www.arrl.org/field-day), an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio in the United States. [Full story]

NH Governor Kelly Ayotte Issues Proclamation Designating June as “Amateur Radio Month”

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For further information, contact NH ARRL Section Public Information Coordinator Skip Camejo
 
In public recognition of the valuable service that amateur radio operators provide to their communities at no cost, Governor Kelly Ayotte issued a formal proclamation designating June as “Amateur Radio Month” in New Hampshire. 
 
Amateur radio operators, also known as ham radio operators, offer their services to their communities in time of emergency to assist local, state and federal public safety agencies in providing auxiliary communication capabilities to allow regular public safety communication systems to concentrate on the emergency.  In particular, NH-ARES (New Hampshire Amateur Radio Emergency Service) has groups and members situated throughout the state to provide assistance as needed.  ARES is an emergency communication organization sponsored by the ARRL (American Radio Relay League), the leading non-governmental amateur radio organization in the United States.  In addition to ARES, the ARRL sponsors the NTS (National Traffic System) which routinely transmits message traffic by radiogram, similar to telegrams, throughout the country.  In the event of an emergency the NTS would be available to provide long distance communication capabilities to responding agencies as well as health and welfare messages to or from the disaster area to family members outside the area when conventional communication systems are not functioning.  To practice their radio communication skills, amateur radio operators participate in an annual event called Field Day.  This event is held every June and involves operators setting up their radios in sometimes remote locations to practice and train for emergency communication.  Many local amateur radio clubs set up public demonstrations and encourage members of the public to try their hand at amateur radio.  This year Field Day will be held the weekend of June 28-29, 2025.
 
This year NH-ARES entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Emergency Services and Communications that designates NH-ARES as the sole organization providing amateur radio communications support to the state. 
As witnessed in weather disasters such as Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, hurricanes in Florida and tornadoes throughout the midwest, cellular systems and public safety radio systems can become inoperable due to infrastructure damage. The use of amateur radio provides an auxiliary communication system utilizing trained and federally licensed radio operators to support the missions of the state’s public safety agencies.  In addition to emergency communication capabilities, amateur radio operators routinely assist their communities by providing communication services at events such as marathons, bicycle races, canoe races and other similar events. These public service radio communication assignments help train radio operators and fine tune the abilities of NH-ARES members to adapt to changing radio and weather conditions.

 
 
NH Amateur Radio Proclamation 2025