CT Section Manager Newsletter, September 2025

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ARRL logoARRL Section Manager, Connecticut

September 3, 2025

CONTENTS
– Public Service and Youth Radio Activities for YOU!
– Hurricanes
– ARES – When All Else Fails
– Section Manager Cabinet Openings.
– New England Division “Ham of The Year”

Public Service and Youth Radio Activities for YOU! Book these Dates to come out to Play Radio and support your community.
September
9/16/25 – Region 1: Mass Casualty Communications Drill (A full Tuesday Event) Details at: https://ct-ares.groups.io/g/Announce/topic/r1_mass_casualty_drill/114876871

October
10/18/25 – Scouting’s worldwide Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) (A full Saturday Event) Working on confirming sites at: Ashford, New Hartford, Goshen, Redding, Greenwich (Need “Teams of 6” at each confirmed site)

General JOTA Info rmation at: https://www.arrl.org/jamboree-on-the-air-jota

Volunteer Sign-Up @: https://tinyurl.com/4zj3tyfe

10/25/25 – ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) (a Saturday Morning Event) Details to follow: https://ct-ares.groups.io/g/Announce/topics

Hurricanes
Connecticut’s Hurricane Season 2025 is HERE! ARE YOU PREPARED? JOIN CT ARES www.ctares.org

ARES® – When All Else Fails®
Amateur radio operators use their ARES® training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies When All Else Fails®.

• Hams serve our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers, and wired and wireless networks.
• Amateur radio can function completely independently of the internet and phone systems.
• An amateur radio station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others.

To learn more about ARES check out: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES%20Fact%20Sheet_Final.pdf

To learn more about our local Connecticut ARES go to: https://ctares.org/

CT ARES needs YOU!
The ARES organization has 4 types of Emergency Coordinators (EC):
– the local EC for a town/municipality/group of towns
– the local Assistant EC
– the District Emergency Coordinator (DEC), one for each of 5 Regions
– the Assistant DEC, one or more for each of 5 DECs

Building CT ARES
I am pleased to announce that we have FOUR new ARES Emergency Coordinators (ECs) in CT ARES. Please congratulate and support these fine people.

REGION 1
Jeff Bustraan – KC1RQH: EC – Bridgeport
Conrad Trautmann – N2YCH: EC – Trumbull
Adam Hosa – N1AH: EC – Stratford

RE GION 5
John Ahle – W1JMA: EC – Ridgefield

More Positions to Fill
We have 169 towns/municipalities in CT which are divided into 5 REGIONS.

Not every one of them has an EC. Additionally, we are currently short two District Emergency Coordinators (DEC): Region 2 & Region 4.

Check out if an “EC” Position is right for YOU. Link: https://www.arrl.org/emergency-coordinator

For more information about CT ARES, go to: www.ctares.org\

CT Section Manager Cabinet Openings
I still have need of 2 people to complete my CT Section Cabinet Roster.

The work is simple, and the pay is “unbelievable” (LOL!) Contact, your friendly CT Section Manger: WA1SFH@arrl.org

– Section Youth Coordinator (SYC)
Promoting Amateur Radio activities to YOUTH, and next steps.

– Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) – Pending
Keeping in touch with Affiliated Clubs, and encouraging other Clubs to become ARRL Affiliated Clubs

New England Division’s “Ham of the Year – 2025″
At this year’s North East HamXposition, the NE Division “Ham of the Year” Award was presented to: Dave “Tess” Tessatore, K1DT

Each of the NE Sections had their own runners up: Congratulations to David Tipping – NZ1J receiving the CT Section award.

Ham Radio is FUN!

SEE YOU ON THE AIR !

——————————————————————–
ARRL Connecticut Section
Section Manager: Douglas E Sharafanowich, WA1SFH
wa1sfh@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

Northeast HamXposition and New England Division Convention a Resounding Success!

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ARRL Forum
ARRL Forum

The Northeast HamXposition (“HamX”) and ARRL New England Division Convention on August 21-24, 2025, was a resounding success. The weather for the Marlborough, Massachusetts, event was picture-perfect, the flea markets were buzzing with sales, and major equipment manufacturers Elecraft and Flex were back to exhibit their wares along with other vendors inside the bustling exhibition area. 

According to HamX Program Chair Skip Youngberg, K1NKR,“This year’s four-day program featured 72 presenters who gave 82 talks and four workshops spanning over 101 hours.” It’s believed that this programming surpasses that of any amateur radio convention in the world in terms of quantity — or quality.

Topics included everything from antennas, outdoor EmComm vans and trailers on display, along with on-air activities such as POTA, contesting, and DX. There was even a special technical talk entitled “Demystifying Quantum Computing: Application of RF Control System.” 

(L-R:) HamX Keynote speaker Thomas Witherspoon, K4SWL; Boston ARC members and POTA enthusiasts Brendan Baldonado, NW1S; Tom Ulrich, KC1OCY; and Brendan’s “harmonic,” Seamus

Special interest forums and “meet and greets” included YL, QCWA, New England QRP, MARS, ARRL sections, along with a well-attended youth forum.

HamXposition kicked off on Thursday night, featuring nationally known comedian Juston McKinney. On Friday, twenty convention-goers went on a bus tour of W1AW and ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, while full length educational seminars were held, including the ever-popular mini-Contest University hosted by K1EP and K1G. The Friday evening DX/Contest Banquet talk was presented by well-known multi-multi station owner Tim Duffy, K3LR, CEO of DX Engineering, a major sponsor of the convention.

On Saturday morning, popular QRP YouTube podcaster and influencer Thomas Witherspoon, K4SWL, gave an inspirational convention keynote address to a standing-room-only crowd. 

The Saturday Grand Banquet featured Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, from the University of Scranton. ​​Nathaniel is founder of Science Citizen Investigation (“Ham-SCI”). He enthralled the audience with descriptions of cutting-edge experiments conducted by ordinary radio amateurs who are helping to advance the knowledge of propagation and the Earth’s ionosphere.

Dozens of youth members of New England Sci-Tech, a nearby STEM/makerspace, attended throughout the weekend and at the two evening banquets. “Having young hams in the middle of the action in the [hotel] Atrium and running a number of presentations demonstrated the spirit of the future leaders in our hobby,” said Volunteer Chair Barbara Irby, KC1KGS.

YOUTH FORUM 2025 — Group Photo at this year’s HamX. Twenty eight students got to talk with Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, an Associate Professor of Physics and Engineering at The University of Scranton (center of photo), who was the guest speaker for the Saturday evening Grand Banquet. His talk was about the study space weather and its impacts on the ionosphere and radio propagation. [photo courtesy Sci-Tech ARS]

 
HamX featured kit-building sessions led by Bob Phinney, K5TEC, and other volunteers. Under supervision, beginners were invited to build easy kits for a nominal cost in under an hour, ranging from Morse code oscillators, “blinky” name badges and night lights. All tools were provided. The kits were invented by students from New England Sci-Tech. 

Members of the Providence (R.I.) Radio Association staffed the convention’s GOTA station, W1XPO. Under the guidance of experienced operators, newer hams made their first HF contacts.

Over $15,000 in prizes were awarded to convention attendees.

Elecraft vendor booth
Elecraft vendor booth

The flea market was the scene of many transactions, beginning early Friday morning and lasting until Sunday afternoon. “I want to give particular praise for the flea market, which had more vendors with better selections than in past years,” commented HamX attendee Chuck Chandler, WS1L.

HamX also featured programs on the lighter side, like the Board Games and Social Hour facilitated by Seth Kendall, KC1PZY. Additionally, late-night Open Mic Story Telling, led by Phil Temples, K9HI, allowed attendees to share their ham-radio-related “tall tales” to an attentive audience. 

Diane Ortiz, K2DO, Vice President of YLRL, had high praise for the Northeast HamXposition. “I hadn’t been to this event in over 15 years and was amazed . . . It was truly a mini Dayton Hamvention!” 

 

W1V—Wireless Society of Southern Maine 15th Anniversary Special Event, August 24-September 6, 2025

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We’re celebrating our 15th Anniversary
with Special Event operations using the call sign W1V,
between August 24 – September 6!

 

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE

During the two weeks, club members will take turns activating the call sign and we are offering a special certificate with the following endorsements for contacts:

Certificates will be available to anyone who works our station, in three achievement levels:
•    GOLD – For anyone who contacts W1V on 10 or more different bands / modes
•    SILVER – For anyone who contacts W1V on 5 to 9 different bands / modes
•    BRONZE – For anyone who contacts W1V on 1 to 4 different bands / modes

We will also be offering certificates for operators, in the same levels. For example, if you activate 10 or more different band slots, you are eligible for a Gold level certificate.

Hamshack Hotline QRT, New W2DAN VoIP Server

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Dave Neal, W2DAN, writes:

Just wanted to send an email out to let everyone know that Hamshack Hotline is shutting down at the end of this month. But the good news is I have started a new VoIP server.

It is the W2DAN New England Exchange or NEXNET for short. Anyone wanting to connect to my server please send me an email with your Name Callsign and type of IP phone you have. Also after you get a hard phone on the system you can use Ground Wire on your cell phone to stay connected.

The system is growing and at present I do have Allstar RF Linking connected into the W1SYE Repeater and a few other good ones located in Fall River and also the KO4FRR East Coast Reflector.

Also I have 10 Audio links that allow you to listen to WBZ AM 1030 Boston, Old Time Radio, BBC World Service, WHJJ Fox News AM 920 Prov and Paranormal Radio, etc. With Hamshack Hotline going down I wanted to provide a service here in New England for Clubs, MARS and EOCs. Any questions please let me know. Also Attached is a copy of the latest W2DAN New England Exchange Directory.

Thanks
—

Dave Neal W2DAN
Quartermaster, Woodrow L. Silva VFW Post 5392
Life Member
W2DAN New England Exchange Ext: 4001
Cell: 401-241-9888
w2dan@cox.net

“ARRL Serving its Members: NU2W’s Story”

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The New England Division RFI Team assisted Tom Lanieri, NU2W, of North Chelmsford, MA, with a significant RFI problem he’s been suffering with for many years. 

Tom writes: “I moved from central New Jersey ten years ago and knew from day one that my experiences with HF and amateur radio were doomed because of the noise and the HOA restrictions. So I dabbled in successfully resuscitating vintage gear:  a full Collins S-line, Drake twins, Heaths, Hallicrafters, Hammarlunds, amplifiers, receivers, transmitters, and all the peripherals. It took me over 40 years to acquire reasonably repairable, functional priced radios.”

Then Tom was introduced to one of the New England Division RFI teams consisting of W1DAN, W1EMI, and N2YCH.

“After two-plus years, seven hours, two guest visits, RFI gear, and more than three-and-a-half hours of travel time for a few, they determined the very best I could achieve was to try some alternate signal-to-noise improvement methods. […]

“We tried everything. Something is out there—an electrically driven noise generator that disappears only with a local power outage. It is 24×7, in good weather or bad, regardless of season—and directionally, it has no origination point. I guess it will remain a mystery. However, I must state for the record that these three technicians, who have personal employment obligations, found the means to visit me. They were patient, tenacious and friendly, and I deeply appreciate it at incredible levels.”

Tom notes that it was a true learning experience. He and the team enjoyed “sniffing out noise” with different antenna arrays, scope/analyzers, and SDR devices.

“They left with me a new ARRL publication, Ham Radio for Indoors. I will read that thoroughly. Coupled with other ARRL books and their suggestions, I will try to adopt a new way of hamming. I am looking forward to their report, and I will consider all of the options they present, from a very stealthy thin wire dipole to a new whizzbang feature rich, RFI-eliminating rig.”

Tom concludes: “I am proud to be an ARRL member and to have met this entirely professional team of RFI techs. Please recognize them in some way.”

[We appreciate Tom sharing his experiences with these dedicated ARRL employee and field organization members! -K1KI and K9HI.]

 

Barnstable ARC Activates Chatham Lighthouse US-0158

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The Barnstable Amateur Radio Club (BARC) activated Chatham Light the weekend of August 9 and 10 using three operating positions, 1-VHF and 2-HF, for 8 hours both days.  Setting up on the grounds of Coast Guard STACHATHAM adjacent to the heavily travelled walkway in front of the station, operators greeted the public and explained how amateurs have an annual lighthouse event, both in the USA and worldwide, where hams at lighthouses exchange greetings on the radio.  BARC had two HF antennas, a triband beam on a tower trailer and an R-7 vertical so 10, 15, 20 and 40 meters were operational though a Coronal Mass Ejection arriving the day before made band conditions very challenging.  In spite of that, about 100 phone contacts were logged, almost all on 20 meters.  The weather was perfect both days with bright sunshine, cool temperatures and only a light wind.

Chatham Light is an operating lighthouse on the grounds of STACHATHAM, a Coast Guard station serving the Chatham fishing industry and public recreational boating in often dangerous waters off the Cape Cod coast.  A second lighthouse was originally paired with it at Chatham but was subsequently moved to another Cape Cod location.

Club participation was excellent, including several recently licensed operators and the event also served as a test platform for dealing with some interference issues observed during Field Day.  This year was the third year the club activated Chatham Light in August.

Categories All

Connecticut POTA Three-Island Adventure, August 11, 2025

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Parks On The Air logoBrian Horne, N1BAM, writes on the CT-POTA mailing list:
 
Good morning all,
 
This coming Monday, 8/11/2025 there are 6 of us that will be traveling to the 3 islands on the CT River.
 
US-1659: Dart Island State Park
US-1673: Haddam Island State Park
US-1714: Selden Neck State Park
 
The plan is to get to the first island around 8:30 am, start operating on UHF/VHF, then 40m & 20m. Then moving on, to the next island.
 
We will be spending a limitedamount of time at each island before moving on, only 10′-15′ per band. While on HF, we will have 3 people working at a time instead of passing the mic to all 6 of us. It will be mostly SSB but there will be CW as well. We will have the ability to use FT4/8 but will likely not spend much time there as it is hard to “pass the mic” on digital.
 
If you are in the area and want to follow along the river bank to hunt the island and get UHF/VHF contacts for the islands we would love to have the contacts.
 
A huge thank you to Marc K8LSB for doing the leg work to get this pulled together.
 
The 6 operators will be, 
 
John – N1CB
Brad – W1BCC
Brian – N1BAM
Paul – W1IP
Frank – N1AEB
Marc – K8LSB

CT Section Manager Newsletter – August 2025

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August 11, 2025

CONTENTS
– Northeast HamXposition 2025
– FUN with POTA (Parks On The Air)
– Hurricane Season (Update)
– When All Else Fails®
– SKYWARN: On-Line Spotter Training
– Getting the Message Through (NTS)
– New Eastern CT Traffic Net Manger
– New PIOs Wanted
– CT Section Manager Cabinet Openings.

NORTHEAST HAMXPOSITION 2025
& ARRL New England Division Convention

This is THE BIGEST HAMFEST in the North East.
You don’t want to miss it!

Dates: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Aug. 21 – 24
Hours: Varies per Day (Big days are Saturday & Sunday)
Place: Best Western Marlborough, MA
181 Boston Post Road W.
Marlborough, MA 01752
Website: http://hamxposition.org

Great Fun! PLAN TO BE THERE! Lots of exciting and informative Forums and Presentations and Outdoor Swapfest at this Hamfest. see Schedule https://registration.hamxposition.org/Schedule/

NEW AWARD:

New England Division’s “Ham of The Year”. This will be presented during the ARRL Forum on Saturday.

As part of the festivities, I will be hosting 2 meetings: the CT Section Manager Meeting on Saturday @ 4pm, and a fast paced, interactive workshop: “The First 15 Minutes” (Saturday, Time TBA – see program schedule)

FUN with POTA (Parks On The Air)

If you have not discovered the fun of POTA, you are missing out! Since the last newsletter, I have teamed up with two groups activating CT State Parks.

The first was over at Gardner Lake State Park (Salem) – see video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YuKbnZej2s And, the second was at Dennis Hill State Park (Norfolk).

Today, Monday 8/11, I will be at 2 parks that sit next to each other up in Danielson: Ross Pond SP and Old Furnace SP Also, today, a group of 6 stalwart fellows are planning to activate 3 islands in the Connecticut River.

Hurricanes

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR HURRICANE SEASON 2025? Our Hurricane Season typically starts in late August. That means we all now have 3 Weeks (+/-) to Get Ready (e.g. Home Prep, Radio Prep)

When All Else Fails®

Amateur radio operators use their ARES® training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies When All Else Fails®. Hams serve our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers, and wired and wireless networks. Amateur radio can function completely independently of the internet and phone systems. An amateur radio station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire anten na in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others.

To learn more about ARES check out: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES%20Fact%20Sheet_Final.pdf

To learn more about CT ARES, and CT ARES Training and Organization, go to: https://ctares.org/

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

2025 CT ARES “Simulated Emergency Test” (SET) date has been announced. It will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

SKYWARN: Spotter Training Course now On-Line (FREE!)

Peter Cimino – K1PCN, our new District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) for CT ARES -Region 1 recently wrote:

Are you interested in Weather, Ham Radio, and helping your community? I invite you to become a SKYWARN Spotter The National Weather Service now offers free online, anytime available, – Spotter Training via their Comet MedEd Platform. Link: https://www.weather.gov/chs/skywarn. This course is available to ANYONE interested in weather. For More Information, please read his post at: https://tinyurl.com/3sfcjcmz.

Getting the Message Through The National Traffic System (NTS) During disasters or other emergencies, radiograms are used to communicate information critical to saving lives or property, or to inquire about the health or welfare of a disaster victim.

The current National Traffic System is comprised of dedicated, well trained and practiced operators in the art of Traffic Handling. They participate in Nets at the Local, Section, Region, and Area levels 365 days per year. – AND, YOU CAN BE ONE OF THEM. Find more information about CT Traffic Nets at: https://ctares.org/nets/.

HOT NEWS

New Eastern CT Traffic Net Manager

Please welcome H. Kevin Harkins – KA6PDG, who has been newly appointed as Eastern Connecticut (East Conn) Traffic Net Manager.

Public Information Of ficers (PIOs) WANTED

ARRL Public Information Officers (PIOs) are appointed by their Section Manager and report to their ARRL section Public Information Coordinator (PIC). The Section Manager may, at his/her discretion, delegate this appointment power to the section PIC. PIOs are generally recommended by an affiliated club for appointment consideration and must be full ARRL members.

If you have Public Relations experience or are interested in learning more, contact Georg Papp – K1YBO (CT Public Information Coordinator) k1ybo@arrl.net

CT Section Manager Cabinet Openings

I still have need of 2 people to complete my CT Section Cabinet Roster.

The work is simple and the pay is “unbelievable” (LOL!) Contact, your friendly CT Section Manger: WA1SFH@arrl.org.

– Section Youth Coordinator (SYC)

Helping to get YOUTH exposed to Amateur Radio, and next steps.

– Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC)

Keeping in touch with Affiliated Clubs, and encouraging other Clubs to become ARRL Affiliated Clubs

Ham Radio is FUN !
GET RADIO ACTIVE !
See YOU.. ON THE AIR !

——————————————————————–
ARRL Connecticut Section
Section Manager: Douglas E Sharafanowich, WA1SFH
wa1sfh@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

High Altitude Balloon Launch Seeks Help with SSTV Report, August 13, 2025

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I am Drew Deskur, KA1M, and I am the Director of the Kopernik Observatory, a public observatory and Informal STEM Education Center in Vestal, New York, in the ARRL Western New York Section in south central New York State. www.kopernik.org

On Wednesday, August 13, Kopernik Observatory will be running a High Altitude Balloon camp for local high school students. On the payload of the balloon, we will be running APRS (K2ZRO-9) for tracking and we will also be flying SSTV on 145. 600 throughout the flight. We plan to launch hopefully between 10 to 10:30 AM (1400-1430 UTC) and the balloon should reach over 100,000 feet. In previous balloon flights, we have had APRS reports from up in Canada. Total flight time should be approximately 3 hours.

Please track the flight on aprs.fi and download the SSTV images if you are able to do so. We would love to receive copies of images received from stations in the Northeast and elsewhere so we can share with the students how altitude matters on VHF. Please send those images to k2zro@kopernik.org. Thank you!

—
Drew Deskur KA1M
Executive Director
Kopernik Observatory & Science Center
Look Up… Dream Big!
www.kopernik.org