Nashua Area Radio Society Ham Bootcamp Online, November 11, 2023

Nashua Area Radio Society QSL/logoThe Nashua Area Radio Society (NARS) will host their Ham Bootcamp program on November 11, 2023, from 10 AM to 6 PM ET. This program includes a series of online demonstrations and tutorials designed to help newly licensed Technician, General, and Amateur Extra class license holders get on the air. It’s available to all licensed and prospective amateur radio operators.

Visit NARS’s Ham Bootcamp program web page to register and for additional information.

New England Sci-Tech Code Course, October 16, 2023

photo of telegraph keyNew England Sci-Tech writes on its Facebook page:
 
Our next Code Course begins October 16th!
 
This is a condensed Morse code course with only 6 lessons and is appropriate for children in 5th grade and up. Adults without children and children without adults are welcome too, and up to 3 members of the same household can take the course for a single fee!
For full details and to register, visit: https://nescitech.org/content.aspx?page_id=22…

Port City Amateur Extra Study Group Meets

The Port City (NH) Amateur Radio Club is conducting a series of Amateur Extra study group meetings at the Piscataque Fish & Game Club in Greenland, NH. This past week, they met for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Students were asked to read several chapters from the ARRL Extra Class License Manual and come to class with one to two prepared questions for the group, “preferably a concept or idea with which you struggled during your reading.”

“The group is fortunate to have Dr. Mike Carter, K8CN, with us this week as their instructor,” writes Kirby Francis, KC1RWR. “Mike holds advanced degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Information systems, and is an Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNH.  

“For those who already hold the Extra License, if you have ever wanted to really understand the principles covered in this chapter, you’ll never get a better chance.  Along the way, your attendance will encourage the students in the class to keep their resolve in face of some daunting concepts.

“We will then progress to students’ questions, and end each evening with a group trivia challenge taken directly from the exam questions on that week’s subelements!  Bring your cell phone to participate in the Trivia game.” 

According to KC1RWR, one of the goals of the study group is to “remove the apprehension and fear that may be preventing you from moving forward with your ham radio licensing, replacing it with a sense of community, fun, and self-confidence.”

VE Session Announcement, Gardner MA, August 5, 2023

WMA Section logoFrom Western MA ARRL Members List:

The Western Mass Train and Test Team will be having a VE session on Saturday August 5 at 10 AM at the Gardner Police Station, 200 Main St. Please have positive ID, 15 dollars, and FRN number from the FCC. Bring copy of license if upgrading. Please pass this along to those interested in taking the test.

Any questions contact aa1se@arrl.org. Thanks.

——————————————————————–
ARRL Western Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Raymond P Lajoie, AA1SE
aa1se@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

HABGab and StratoScience Balloon Launch, Natick MA, July 2023

Seth Kendall, KC1PZY, writes on July 22, 2023 at 6:27 AM:

HABGab 2023 is officially on for today.  We will be launching from:

Tantasqua Vocational Regional High School

319 Brookfield Rd, Fiskdale, MA 01518

Frequencies, tracking information, updated countdown, etc:
https://nescitech.org/habgab

We will be starting on site set up at 9am.  Launch scheduled for 1pm.  We’d love to see you there or hear you on the air!

 
 
HABGab banner
 
 
From ema.arrl.org:
 
Seth Kendall, KC1PZY, writes:
 
Enjoy making rare contacts and participating in experimental projects?  The New England Weather Balloon Society, in partnership with the Sci-Tech Amateur Radio Society, is launching a special event high altitude balloon (HAB) repeater this July in Eastern Massachusetts. 
 
We would like to welcome all amateur radio operators in New England to participate in this experimental flight by calling into the repeater as it flies over 30 km high.  We will be issuing QSL cards to all confirmed contacts.
 
This flight will also be transmitting live video from the payload on 1.2 GHz, and live streaming to YouTube from our ground station at New England Sci-Tech.
 

Also traveling onboard will be a number of student projects by members of the StratoScience Lab class at New England Sci-Tech and BFCCPS school in Franklin, MA.

Please be aware that the date of the event is highly dependent on weather and readiness, so make sure to regularly check the HABGab Launch Page for up to date information about the date and instructions for making contact: https://nescitech.org/habgab.

 

Port City (NH) ARC Amateur Extra Study Group Begins July 19, 2023

Kirby Francis, KC1RWR, writes on the Port City ARC mailing list:

Amateur Extra Study Group

Where:  Piscataqua Fish & Game Club
When: Wednesday, July 19th, 6:30pm (plan for about an hour and a quarter duration).

Reading Assignment:  ARRL Extra Class License Manual, Pages 1-1 through 2-12
(Note that Chapter 1 is an introduction, and Chapter 2 starts exam elements E2.  Read both of these, although only Chapter 2 has questions to worry about).
Class Assignment: Please come to class with 1-2 prepared questions for the group, preferably a concept or idea with which you struggled during your reading.

Each class will begin a a brief discussion of the Subelements we’ll be reviewing each week (E2A through E2E this week).  For those in the club who have expertise, or feel qualified to teach certain subelements of material – please let me know, and we will give you 5-10 minutes to present.  Please note that you will be scheduled during a week that this material is being covered.

We will then progress to students’ questions, and end each evening with a group trivia challenge taken directly from the exam questions on that week’s subelement!  Bring your cell phone to participate in the Trivia game.

The goal of this class is to:
i) Reinforce habits of regular, applied engagement with the information you need to know for your Amateur Extra Exam
ii) Explain and apply this information using real-world examples, and the assistance of our club’s Subject Matter Experts
iii) Remove the apprehension and fear that may be preventing you from moving forward with your Ham Radio licensing, replacing it with a sense of community, fun, and self-confidence!

It’s so fun to move through this material with a group, and we look forward to seeing you all next Wednesday evening!

HamXposition to Offer Tech-In-A-Day, August 26, 2023

HamXposition logo

Do you have a friend or family member who needs that extra little “push” to obtain their Tech ticket?

The Northeast HamXposition is holding Technician Study course at the convention on Saturday, August 26, 2023. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. at the Convention in Marlboro, MA.

The course includes: (6) 45-minute “Study” segments, with 15 minute breaks between sessions and also includes an hour and 15 minute Lunch Break. (9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.)

The examination for Technician Class will be conducted 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Cost and Requirements: ($30.00)

  • Fees: $15 (Includes materials and snacks)
  • Test Cost: $15 (Required by FCC) Students under age 18 $5.00
  • Bring Photo ID & Federal Registration Number (FRN) (Obtained by registration at fcc.gov/CORES) https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do

Contact Bill Poulin, WZ1L, techinaday@hamxposition.org, to register of if you have any questions about the Tech-In-A-Day study course.