Serving ARRL members who reside in the New England sections
Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) is inviting ham radio operators to make radio contacts during the total solar eclipse, probing the Earth’s upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere. The HamSCI Festivals of Eclipse Ionospheric Science will occur on April 8, 2024 during a North American solar eclipse.
To learn how you can participate, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/
Vermont Section Manager Paul Gayet, AA1SU, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the American Red Cross.
According to Paul, “We are just the second state in the union to do so.”
The document is endorsed with the signatures of Vermont’s Section Manager and the American Red Cross Regional Disaster Officer for Vermont.
Sierra Harrop, W5DX:
“We expect that a segment featuring the Harbor Creek High School [Erie, PA] ARISS contact will air on 1/5/24. I was in touch with the producer yesterday to provide some additional footage. A teaser for the segment led the 8 AM rejoin of this morning’s broadcast.”
Bill Morine, N2COP, Vice Director, Roanoke Division:
“An outstanding story. [NBC Today Show host ]Harry Smith captured the palpable thrill in the room. A brilliant piece of PR for Amateur Radio. Congratulations and appreciation for all who contributed to make this story happen.”
Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R:
“The ARISS team does a whole lot to ready these schools and support their contacts. What was particularly exciting about this school was that their teacher was a graduate of the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology.
As you may know, Steve Goodgame (K5ATA) attended the contact last month, and even dressed the students in ARRL sweatshirts for their NBC Today show interviews.
Sierra Harrop (W5DX) reported that likely 2.576 million people saw it air live on TV this morning (that’s the typical Today show audience size). She also shared these additional notes:
Here’s the link to the clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2s_C4o7dfk
Steve Goldsmith, W1HS, writes on the Twin State RC and Connecticut Valley FM Association mailing lists:
SUDBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Steve Roberts spends a lot of time messing with metal, making Morse code keys.
“HAM radio is a very tight community really, and you have friends like all over the world, people you’ve never met,” said Roberts, whose call letters are W1SFR.
His side hustle is key for the community, and it’s not something you accidentally start doing. Roberts’ journey into dots and dashes began in Vietnam.
[Full story]
Meriden (CT) Amateur Radio Club writes on Facebook:
Come see Santa and talk to the North Pole with ham radio!
Santa will be onsite at the Yalesville Fire House at 143 Hope Hill Road between 10 AM-1 PM. Crafts and activities for the kids and a goodie bag and certificate from Santa (while supplies last).
Please bring a nonperishable food donation for Masters Manna.
AGAWAM, Mass. (WWLP) — “Radio Lovers came together for the 75th anniversary of the Hampden County Radio Association with a picnic at the School Street Park in Agawam Saturday afternoon.
“People were encouraged to bring their radios, antennas, and power sources to ‘Tune the World’. This gave amateur radio operators a chance to receive their license to transmit on HAM radios. There was a demonstration provided on how to use their portable radios as well. By the end of the classes, people were able to make unofficial contact with emergency services.” [Full story]
During the American solar eclipses of October 2023 and April 2024, hundreds of radio amateurs will take to the airwaves. Their goal is to help scientists investigate what happens to radio signals when the Moon blocks the Sun.
“It’s the huge tower in his back yard that gives Todd Baker’s hobby away. Bristling with antennae, the 30m (100ft) structure is taller than many of the mature trees nearby. Baker, an industrial conveyor belt salesman from Indiana, goes not just by his name, but also his call-sign, the short sequence of letters and numbers that he uses to identify himself over the air: W1TOD. He is a member of the amateur radio, or ham radio, community.” [Full story]
From ARISS.org:
October 9, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Covenant Christian Academy (CCA) in West Peabody, MA. ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.
CCA is a private school that serves over 430 students, Pre-K through12th grade. To prepare for this ARISS contact CCA integrated space-themed aspects into its STEM program and STEM-related activities. The physics and chemistry students hosted “Space Week” where they put together interactive displays on everything from the physics of black holes, Doppler shift, life on the ISS, to the chemistry of astronaut cuisine. STEM-related activities engaged students in their newly instituted Rocketry Club, Women in STEM Club, and a robotics lab. Amateur radio activities, such as learning about ham radio and radio communications, are being provided during after-school programs by members of area amateur radio clubs.
This ARISS contact will allow students to ask their questions of Astronaut Loral O’Hara, amateur radio call sign KI5TOM. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners within the ISS footprint that encompasses the amateur radio ground station in West Peabody, MA.
Amateur radio operators using call sign N1DQF will operate this radio station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 13, 2023 at 9:47 am EDT (MA) (13:47 UTC, 9:47 am EDT, 8:47 am CDT, 6:47 am PDT). The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://vimeo.com/event/3761617.
_______________________________
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
1. What happens with all the trash on the ISS?
2. What is the best part and worst part about living in space?
3. Is the wifi and internet connection better in space?
4. How do you get your supplies delivered to the space station?
5. Do you play games in space? If so, how are they different from the games you play on earth?
6. What is your favorite workout to do for two hours each day to keep your muscles in shape?
7. What has been one of your hardest or scariest moments on the ISS?
8. How do you train your bodies to fall asleep on the ISS since your circadian rhythm can’t be regulated to the earth’s rotation on its axis?
9. Does time feel different on the ISS?
10. Is there any research that you are currently involved in? If so, how does it benefit the earth?
11. What is your favorite meal or snack to eat in outer space?
12. What types of jobs do you do while on the International Space Station?
13. How do you fix the solar panels on the space station?
14. Do you have any animals on the ISS right now? What are they?
15. What happens when someone gets sick on board the ISS?
16. When you come back to earth from space, do you feel the pressure of gravity, and if so, how much does this affect you?
17. What was the most challenging part of your training that prepared you to work on the International
Space Station?
18. What’s the most amazing thing you have seen from space?
19. Has living on the ISS changed any of your perspectives on life?
20. Is all the training, preparation, and hardship you endure to be an astronaut on the ISS worth it?
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers.
The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org.
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
Find us on social media at:
X: ARISS_Intl
Facebook: facebook.com/ARISSIntl
Instagram: ariss_intl
Mastodon: ariss_intl@mastodon.hams.social
ARISS News Release No. 23-47
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Message to US Educators
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity
Call for Proposals
New Proposal Window: October 1 – November 10, 2023
September 25, 2023 — The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
The deadline to submit a proposal is November 10, 2023. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Proposal Webinar session will be held October 5 2023 at 7 PM ET and the Eventbrite link to sign up is: https://ariss-proposal-webinar-fall-2023.eventbrite.com
The Opportunity:
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.
An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and their communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the chance to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.
Please direct any questions to education@ariss-usa.org.
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org.
Find us on social media at:
X – Twitter: ARISS_Intl
Facebook: facebook.com/ARISSIntl
Instagram: ariss_intl
Mastodon: ariss_intl@mastodon.hams.social
Check out ARISS on Youtube.com.
Hello, Section Managers, Section Emergency Coordinators, and Public Information Coordinators in the ARRL Connecticut, Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Vermont Sections.
ARRL Headquarters is coordinating closely with our partners in hurricane response for any anticipated activation of amateur radio operators surrounding Hurricane Lee.
It is important for ARRL to be able to share with the larger amateur radio community and the general public what hams are doing to serve in the face of this storm.
Please include news@arrl.org in your internal and external communications about the event. It will help us keep track of what is going on out in the individual sections and to help tell that story, as appropriate.
Share with us news of preparation and activities that support readiness for activation, and especially word of actual activations.
We strongly encourage you to send any photos or video clips that you’re able to share from your preparation or activation.
Please only share visual assets that you have permission for ARRL to publish.
Thank you for the work you do to advance ARRL and amateur radio. Please stay safe if the storm does impact your area. ARRL HQ staff is here to assist, should you have any needs.
PICs, I can generate media contact lists for your areas, if you need.
73,
Sierra Harrop, W5DX
she/her/hers
Public Relations and Outreach Manager
ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®
225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1400 USA
O: (860) 594-0289
sharrop@arrl.org
www.arrl.org
linktr.ee/sierraharrop