Maine ARRL Section Board Meeting Notes

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Maine iconCory Golob, KU1U writes:

We had our first Board Meeting last night virtually, using freeconferencecall.com and it worked well for its intended purpose; video and audio quality was good, screen sharing worked well.

The biggest issue was attendance. 43 people were invited, 10 were in attendance. We are open to suggestions on having a better day/time of the week. 6PM on a Saturday may not be the most convenient. We used the entire hour and a half scheduled which means we have plenty to discuss.

Bob Gould (N1WJO) would like to have these meetings every two weeks for a while until we can get some plans in motion and then look at scaling it back in the future.

Introductions were done by everyone in attendance. The biggest topic was Recruitment and Retention: How can we get people involved in the hobby. It was mentioned that we should have both a Facebook page for social media since that is the way of the times and also a webpage for those who do not use social media. The discussion was that Joy, K1SEW and I would likely head up these formats since Joy does a wonderful job maintaining the League page.

We also discussed having a virtual ham radio convention in early/mid January. Joe, W1SK and I have been talking about this idea for a little while. We would have talks, group meetings and an area for “eyeball QSOs.” The benefit of a virtual conference is there is no travel time involved so it can be a great opportunity to get some stellar talks from people anywhere in the world!

I mentioned the newsletter that was started in September, called the Maine Telegraph which is open to receiving an articles or items from people around Maine, what they may be doing with the hobby, any club activities, articles people may want to write. I suggested adding a “Show Your Shack” section to the newsletter, people could send in a picture of their shack. As hams, we take pride in our shack, so why not showcase it in the newsletter? The suggestion was well received.

I talked about ongoing nets and time changes due to conditions changing. I encouraged people to get on nets when possible.

Next meeting Sat December 5th at 6 pm unless a better day/time is more suitable

W1A Contacts, 2020 HamXposition

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Dennis Egan, W1UE, writes on the HamXposition.org list:

Below is a recap of the W1A operation by band and mode for the virtual convention on November 6-8, 2020:

W1A QSO Breakdown

For the Northeast HamExposition Virtual Convention this year, W1A was set up to be operated by various operators using their own stations. Seven operators volunteered to operate: W1RM, AJ1DM, W2NR, K1EIC, AI1G, W1FJ, KB1TBU, and KC2LSD.

Dennis W1UE,

W1A Coordinator

2020 K1USN Veterans Day Special Event Wrap-Up

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2020 K1USN Veterans Day CertificateFrom K1USN [Radio Club, Braintree, Massachusetts] Happenings, November 19, 2020:

I want to extend my thanks to everyone who helped us make this a success. Obviously we would not be able to conduct our usual in-person activation at K1USN on November 11th due to the pandemic. We had some discussions back and forth and decided that a 31 hour operating event might just work providing we could get commitments from enough operators to get on the HF bands and give us coverage on SSB, CW and FT8/4. As things evolved we even had our first contacts on the 630 meter band using WSPR thanks to Dave – AA1A.

As I said, there were quite a few people who made this a success. We thought that a downloadable certificate commemorating Veterans Day would be a cool idea. Yes it is, but it meant that we had to create one (Tnx WA1MAD, N1VH & W1VP) and then create the ability for stations to submit an online certificate request (Tnx W1VP).

Oh, yeah, what if we make a certificate but nobody even works us? Well, we really had a good turnout of operators, some who covered multiple shifts!

Thanks to this crew of operators:

AA1A – Dave
K1EBY – Frank
K1RV – Pi
K1VUT – Dave
K1WCC – Henry
KC1G – Mike
N1DC – Rick
W1TJL – Tom
W1XD – Lou
WA1MAD – Mike

We need to give a special thanks to Rick – N1DC for the outstanding job he did compiling all our log data. This was quite a task, but the results are attached below and show the great results.

I’ve already received approximately 75 QSL requests via snail mail so far and Larry – W1VP said that we have at least 180 downloadable certificate requests so far. BTW, Randy – KB3IFH is updating our K1USN QSL card and I hope to receive our new order for 500 more cards soon.

If you managed to work K1USN during the 2020 Veterans Day event I urge you to at least submit a certificate request.

If you make contact with K1USN during Veterans Day and would like a certificate emailed to you, please fill out the request form here.

Here is Rick’s summary:

Rick Pendleton
Nov 16, 2020, 11:32 AM (4 days ago)

Hi,

Thanks to everyone that participated in this event. The K1USN team did an outstanding job this year. We had operators using CW, SSB, FT8, FT4 and WSPR. For the first time we had QSO’s on 630M using WSPR thanks to Dave AA1A.

After working through some issues with the logs, I was able to create a master log in N1MM+ that combined CW, SSB, FT8 and FT4. Thanks to Mike KC1G and Lou W1XD for the extra effort sorting out some adif issues. The WSPR log could not be imported since it wasn’t in ADIF format. However, the QSO data was included in the summary.

I will investigate WSPR log file conversions further.

There were a LOT of QSO’s completed using FT8, FT4 and WSPR providing many with QSO’s that might not have happened otherwise.

Overall results : 1,690 QSO’s , 53 DXCC countries, 20 CQ Zones
The were 500 FT8, FT4 and WSPR QSO’s accounting for 30% of the total.

In addition, there were 157 QSO’s made during the 1300, 1900 and 0300 UTC CWops CWTs by K1VUT, N1DC and K1RV. This was not actually part of the event but K1USN was on the air using “Watson” and MA as the exchange.

Attached are pdf files showing the Results and supporting details.

The Master ADIF and LOG files have been sent to Pi and Larry.

73,
Rick N1DC

Propagation Data Collection During December 14 Eclipse

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HamSCI (www.hamsci.org) is looking for amateur radio operators around the world to help collect propagation data during the December 14 eclipse across South America. Data collection requires an HF radio connected to a computer.
 
There will be 24-hour practice runs on November 21 and December 5. The main data recording will run from December 9-16, to ensure an abundance of control data.
 
Details of the experiment may be found here:
 
Instructions are also available in Spanish and Portuguese. 
 
Interested operators should sign up at this link (https://forms.gle/C9PFSTeLf7xvCQDYA) or directly contact Kristina Collins at kd8oxt@case.edu.

SKYWARN Recognition Day 2020 – Making Adjustments for COVID-19

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image of tornado on doppler radarFrom The ARES Letter, November 18, 2020:

Each year, SKYWARN Recognition Day is the day where radio amateurs celebrate the long relationship between the amateur radio community and the National Weather Service SKYWARN™ program. The purpose of the event is to recognize amateur radio operators for the vital public service they perform during times of severe weather and to strengthen the bond between radio amateurs and their local National Weather Service office. The event is co-sponsored by ARRL and the National Weather Service.

Normally radio amateurs participate from home stations and from stations at National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices, and the goal is to make contact with as many NWS forecast offices as possible during the event. However, this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, participation from NWS forecast offices will be minimal at best. So, the focus will shift to contacting as many SKYWARN™ trained spotters as possible during the event. New for this year, SKYWARN™ Recognition Day will be open to all SKYWARN Spotters.

Additionally, a SKYWARN™ Recognition Day Facebook page has been created and will host a variety of live and recorded segments throughout the day. All SKYWARN™ Spotters who wish to participate may sign up for a SKYWARN™ Recognition Day number by completing the form found on the SKYWARN™ Recognition Day 2020 website. During the event, amateur radio operators are encouraged to exchange their name, location, SRD number, and current weather conditions with other participating stations.

See the event website for the full operating guidelines. Additionally, all SKYWARN™ Spotters will be encouraged to participate by sending weather reports, images and attending various live stream events via social media. SKYWARN™ Recognition Day 2020 will be held from 0000 UTC to 2400 UTC December 5. To learn more, visit the SRD website.

Clear Frequencies Requested for Caribbean Hurricane Emergency Traffic

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QST de W1AW 
ARRL Bulletin 34  ARLB034
From ARRL Headquarters 
Newington CT  November 17, 2020
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB034
ARLB034 Clear Frequencies Requested for Caribbean Hurricane Emergency Traffic

Stations handling emergency traffic during the response to Category 5 Hurricane Iota, just off the eastern coast of Nicaragua, are requesting clear frequencies.

Radio amateurs not involved in the emergency response are asked to avoid (plus/minus 5 KHz) the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and WX4NHC (National Hurricane Center) frequencies of 14.325 and 7.268 MHz, as well as a Honduran emergency net operation on 7.180 MHz (net control station is HR1JFA), and a Nicaraguan emergency net operating on 7.098 MHz.

With maximum sustained winds of 160 MPH, Hurricane Iota is expected to bring catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surge, and torrential rainfall to Central America.

Newport Co. RC Members Perform Antenna Work at Portsmouth, RI EMA Hq.

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photo featuring k1npt and kc1ipc doing antenna work at portsmouth ri EMA
K1NPT and KC1IPC taking down the weather-worn, chimney-mounted antenna at Portsmouth, RI EMA Hq.

Portsmouth (RI) Emergency Management Agency is now ready for winter with a complement of three new antennas, replacing three weather-worn units. 

 
Newport County Radio Club members Ray, KC1IPC; Brian, N1TBT; Kelly, N2YFY and Mike, K1NPT spent seven hours on the fire station roof Saturday. They took down the old antennas, reinforced the mounting points, cleaned/replaced coax connections, re-mounted, and tested the new antennas.  Courtesy NCRC Facebook page.

New Wide Area DMR Repeater in Rhode Island

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RI iconRhode Island Section Manager Bob Beaudet, W1YRC, writes:

The Providence Radio Association (PRA) has a new DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) repeater in service at its club headquarters. The repeater is operating on 447.725 MHz (-5 MHz split) from their site atop 253-foot tall  Neutaconkanut Hill. They should be heard in much of the state. For more information, visit the club’s website at http://w1op.com/. 

Amateur Radio’s Role at the Boston Marathon Bombing

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BAA Bombing, 2013Steve, Schwarm, W3EVE, Wrentham, Massachusetts, will present “Amateur Radio’s Role at the Boston Marathon Bombing,” one of series of presentations sponsored by the ARRL Learning Network on December 8, 2020 at 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET. 

“Amateur radio has played a significant role in public service communications for the Boston Marathon for several decades. That role was put to the test in 2013 when two bombs were exploded near the finish line. This presentation will describe the role that ham radio played at the Marathon and how that role changed due to the bombing.”

[Register]

RATPAC Tentative Presentation Schedule

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RATPAC logoRadio Amateur Training Planning and Activities Committee (RATPAC) provides weekly national presentations on general amateur radio topics and specialized Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) topics.  

To receive notifications and Zoom conference details, contact Dan Marler, K7REX at ratpac.plan -at- gmail -dot- com.

Here is the tentative 2020 RATPAC presentation schedule:

 

Date General Ham Radio Wednesday Presentations
18-Nov NanoVNA (Vector Network Analyzer)
25-Nov Thanksgiving Eve – No presentation
2-Dec Band Plan
9-Dec SDR 101 – Intro into software define radios
16-Dec WA3FET Antenna
23-Dec Noise Mitigation
30-Dec ARRL Public Relations

 

Date ARES Zoom Thursday Presentations
19-Nov Red Cross Disaster drill follow up
26-Nov Thanksgiving – no Zoom presentation
3-Dec Introduction – Digital Voice IP Voice over Internet, etc.
Digital Voice Overview (RF & IP) Hotspots, DVMEGA Product presentation
10-Dec TBA (To be announced)
17-Dec D-STAR HF – (Digital Voice on HF)
24-Dec Christmas Eve – no Zoom presentation
31-Dec New Year’s Eve – no Zoom presentation


Notes:
• November 17 we will finalize 2020 schedule and begin 2021
• Still in discussion is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
• Covid-19 has delayed our plans for our Youth Hams in Space program, now planned for 2021
• We have reached out to AMSAT for presentations and youth involvement

Best of 73s everyone and please stay safe,

Dan