The January, 2023 Eastern MA Section Newsletter is now available at https://ema.arrl.org/january-2023-section-news/.
Vermont QSO Party, February 4-5, 2023
The 65th Vermont QSO Party will take place during the first full weekend of February 2023, beginning at 0000 UTC Saturday February 4 and ending at 2400 UTC Sunday February 5, which is a 48-hour period.
In local time, this corresponds to a start time of 7:00 PM EST Friday night February 3rd and an end time of 7:00 PM Sunday night February 5th.
The Vermont QSO Party provides the opportunity for Amateur Radio operators to contact and exchange QSO information with Vermont Amateur Radio operators. All licensed amateur radio operators are invited to participate. Stations outside Vermont work Vermont stations. Stations within Vermont work everyone.
For more information, visit <http://www.ranv.org/vtqso.html>.
VOTA / W1AW Massachusetts Needs More Operators
Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes:
VOTA Massachusetts is looking for more ops. As of January 27, 2023 we have 10 operators signed up to operate as W1AW/1 for the Volunteers On The Air (VOTA) and are looking for more for the April 12th to 18th week-long session.
If you are interested in learning more or becoming an operator, please contact Larry, W1AST, at W1AST@arrl.net.
New England Clubs Gear Up For Winter Field Day, January 28-29, 2023
A number of radio clubs throughout New England are gearing up for the annual Winter Field Day event this weekend.
Winter Field Day is sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association. Complete rules can be found on the WFD website, at Winter Field Day. According to ARRL, “Combining this with ARRL’s yearlong event, Volunteers On the Air, is a great way to make contacts that count for both activities and get new operators on the air. … Like the ARRL Field Day, bonus points are earned in several ways, including for using non-commercial power sources, operating from remote locations, making satellite contacts, and more.”
The Granite State Amateur Radio Association is QRV for Winter Field Day. They will operate as “3 Oscar” under the call sign N1QC at their summer field day site, “Mike’s Barn,” 972 Back Mountain Road, Goffstown, New Hampshire. Setup begins around 10:30 AM on Saturday morning. According to Eric Pfeifer, N1JUR, “One brave soul and station will operate for the full 24 hours.”
The Addison County Amateur Radio Association will operate Winter Field Day at N1TRK’s QTH at 1685 Main Street in New Haven, Vermont. “Operations will be held inside the Hambulance. The event starts at 2 PM Saturday and ends the following day at 2 PM. We will operate using the club call (N1FS) and certainly have some fun!” For more info, visit: https://winterfieldday.com/index.php or contact Rob at litchrobbie@gmail.com or via cell at 802-355-1474.
New England Sci-Tech will participate in Winter Field Day from 2 to 9 PM on Saturday at 16 Tech Circle in Natick, Massachusetts. “We will stay warm and take a points loss but still have fun! Non-licensed adults and children can get on the air with one of our control operators.”
New England Sci-Tech will also hold a number of other activities in conjunction with WFD: maker activities from 4 to 6 PM for children of members and visitors, and hands-on activities led by volunteers. “Make a meteorite necklace, make 3-D paper art, make an electronics gadget, make a laser-cut art project, make a woodworking project, and more.” Also planned are thirty-minute planetarium shows at 5 and 7 PM, a pot luck dinner from 6 to 8 PM, and a ham radio “movie marathon” from 7 to 9 PM.
The Twin State Radio Club will operate in Winter Field Day on Blackwater Road in Canaan, New Hampshire. “In past years, we’ve put heat in the comm trailer, hung a 40-meter dipole, and put the mini-beam up on the tower trailer, which gives us the most popular contest bands,” according to TSRC’s Dave Colter, WA1ZCN. “We’ll likely run two stations on generator power. Setup begins at 8am this Saturday, and the event starts at 2pm and runs for 24 hours. If you want to try HF operating and don’t have the means at home (or the license,) this will be a good opportunity. Operating privileges will be those of the control operator present.” Talk-in will be on the 145.33 repeater.
The Hampden County Radio Association (HCRA) and Franklin County Amateur Radio Club (FCARC) will mount its first Winter Field Day operation on Sunday from 9 AM until 2 PM using the call sign W1NY. The group will be set up at 1500 West Street, Amherst, MA. “Indoor restrooms are available, and food (from Atkins Farm) is a mile down the street and offers many delicious foods and treats. You are also welcome to bring something to share or for yourself.” The group plans to operate from the upper parking lot. “Look for antennas and call signs on cars and hams. We shouldn’t be hard to find.” For details, contact W1BCC Brad Councilman (FCARC president) at bc@councilman.com or Larry Krainson (HCRA president) at W1AST@arrl.net.
The Candlewood Amateur Radio Association will conduct their Winter Field Day exercise at the Ball Pond Firehouse, 7 Fairfield Drive, New Fairfield, Connecticut. All interested local hams are invited to participate. A signup sheet for the event can be found at: 2023 Winter Field Day 1/28-1/29 Signup Sheet.
Members of the Boston Amateur Radio Club are QRV for Winter Field Day and will camp out and operate from one of the Ponkapoag Adirondack Mountain Club cabins in the Blue Hills south of Boston. “This will be a blast!” writes BARC’s Mindy Hull, KM1NDY. “It is imperative that you arrange this with me if you plan on going.”
ARISS Radio Contact is Scheduled with Students at Norwich Free Academy, Norwich CT, January 30, 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 Norwich Free Academy located in Norwich, CT. 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.
Founded in 1854, Norwich Free Academy (NFA) is a secondary school in eastern Connecticut, with a student population of more than 2,100, and serving local communities as well as international students from China, Canada, and Finland.
Leading up to this ARISS contact, NFA integrated an array of topics into the science curriculums for all grades. Students investigated Newtonian gravitational laws and Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion using a hands-on lab, a PhET interactive simulation, and video lessons. Students learned about the systems in place to help keep astronauts alive while living and working on the ISS; one student used NASA resources for a research project to discover how basic human needs (air, water, sleep, exercise, etc.) are met on the ISS. The NFA Amateur Radio & Engineering Club (ham radio call sign W1HLO) members and advisors installed an amateur radio satellite ground station on campus last year, thanks to a generous ARDC grant. Students in the club now get hands-on learning at the ham station for how to communicate using amateur radio satellites and how to receive weather satellite images.
Students will ask their questions of Astronaut Josh Cassada, amateur radio call sign KI5CRH, who will use ARISS’s ISS call sign NA1SS. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and audio may be heard by listeners within the ISS footprint that also encompasses the amateur radio ground station at NFA, call sign W1HLO. Club advisors and members will establish and maintain the amateur radio operations for this ARISS connection.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for January 30, 2023 at 1:55 pm EST (CT) (18:55:20UTC, 12:55 pm CST, 11:55 am MST, 10:55 am PST).
The public is invited to watch the live stream at https://youtu.be/pTkaCtam8m0.
New Hampshire Gears Up For Volunteers On The Air, W1AW/1 Special Event Operation
As announced in the January 2023 issue of QST, ARRL is celebrating a year-long operating event honoring all ARRL volunteers: Volunteers On the Air.
A Special Event station in NH (W1AW/1 Portable) will run the weeks of April 26th and Sept 20th. Our team is looking for operators who can activate a W1AW Station.
You can operate from your home station or a portable location, e.g., beach, park, or public area. You can use digital, voice, or CW modes on several bands (with certain exceptions, see VOTA Homepage for
more details). We aim to work as many stations as possible anywhere in the world.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with Eric Pfeifer (N1JUR) at n1jur.nh@gmail.com or Peter Stohrer (W1FEA) at pstohrer1@gmail.com for more information, or if you would like to sign up as an op, you can use our form <https://forms.gle/jnNHmyS9G11YWMsr9>. We’ll then add you to our mailing list.
Thanks,
Eric Pfeifer
N1JUR
n1jur.nh@gmail.com
Connecticut Volunteers On The Air, W1AW/1 Sign Up
The week of May 10-16 and Sept 27-Oct 3, W1AW/1 comes to its home state, Connecticut! Our team is looking for additional operators who can spend as much or as little time representing W1AW and the VOTA effort. The operation is a DXpedition-like one where you will be working as many as possible. The operation will take place from your station or a station in Connecticut, not W1AW itself.
Operating will be on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2, and satellite. Modes include CW, Phone, or Digital. Repeater contacts are not allowed as are WARC Band contacts. Our goal is to work as many stations as possible anywhere in the world.
We have an email group to exchange information (only open to members) and we will use Slack for quick messaging.
If you would like to join our team, please fill out the form found here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrhdSMn2MiIv22DDAXwLassLkdzkArVpJ8qmR8GdTPRUhSVA/viewform
If you have any questions, please contact Pete Chamalian at W1RM@Comcast.net.
Pete Chamalian, W1RM
W1RM@Comcast.net
Three Section RFI Teams attend Training/Receive Equipment
On January 21, the RFI teams from EMA, WMA and RI attended the 1st New England Division RFI training session, held at New England Sci Tech. The teams received information about some general team-related matters as well as information about the equipment features and techniques for its use. Nancy, KC1NEK, from the RI team has posted some photos at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Cy3nTJsdvka7YEwM7. These three teams now have the equipment funded by the ARDC grant in their possession to use for helping hams with their RFI problems. Hams needing that assistance should start with the rfi troubleshooting guide.
The guide and decision tree will direct you to the RFI team page when you use the tree to guide your investigation and find you need further help. You then will see who your team members are and have the opportunity to answer a few questions so they can help you.
Your information will become part of a record that will be used to identify likely RFI sources for future cases. Even if you find the RFI source yourself, let the team know what you found so that your information can be added to the record keeping.
Even before they received the new equipment, the teams have already been helping hams in the Division find and eliminate RFI and this new equipment will greatly enhance the teams’ capabilities.
The next training session is scheduled for Saturday, February 25, at ARRL Headquarters in Newington, CT. This session is open to the CT team members and members of the ME, VT, NH teams on request and by invitation.
The last session currently scheduled is Saturday, April 29, at Nearfest in Deerfield, NH.
January 2023 RI Activity Report
Greetings ARRL members and friends,
Please accept my sincere wishes for a healthy, happy and DX filled New Year. Hopefully, we shall avoid the latest medical issue, called the tripledemic. From what my doctor tells me, it’s very serious and makes those afflicted quite miserable. So, please remain extra vigilant and practice good health hygiene. We all want to avoid this one.
Band conditions are improving just as we were told they would. Earlier this week, the SFI hit 212 and 245. That’s the first time it has gone above 200 in years. We should see some very good band conditions now on 20 through 6 meters. Together with longer daylight periods every day, long distance openings may last well into evening hours and eventually 24 hours, even on 10 meters. Enjoy the DXing. We’ve all waited for these band conditions, so get on the air and enjoy.
For stateside operating, the Volunteers on The Air or VOTA program is off and running. It started on New Year’s Day and ends twelve months from now on New Year’s Eve, 2023. I’ve worked several stations so far who were calling CQ VOTA. Each of them earn 175 points per band for contacting a Section Manager. Full details of the VOTA program may be reviewed at https://vota.arrl.org/ . VOTA encourages stations to get on the air and make contacts. I hope you see fit to do so. I’d love to work you on any band or mode.
A long time friend, Fred Laun, K3ZO became a Silent Key on January 3rd. Fred was the driving force that facilitated getting Viet Nam back on the air in 1971. The XV5AC call was put into several thousand logs after folks from around the world contacted that station at the Saigon US Embassy. At the time, the country had not been legally active for many years. I served as their QSL Manager. After filling out over 25,000 QSL cards, the station was shut down in 1975 after the north took over Saigon.
Winter Field Day is scheduled for January 28-29. I recall what a local said to me when I was working in Texas. He observed that whoever created Field Day didn’t live in Texas. Late June in Texas is very hot and Winter Field Day serves as his reply to the June Field Day. End of January in Texas is usually like our September in Rhode Island, very pleasant. But here in RI, we might be wearing woolen caps, heavy coats and gloves, even plowing through the snow. Operating a code key of any kind while wearing gloves can be a challenge. This winter has been very mild so far, so maybe we’ll be lucky.
While we’re thinking about Field Day, it’s not too early to be planning for the traditional Field Day in June. Lining up operators and schedules for each station can be developed now, using the Winter FD to show conflicts, mutual interference and other technical issues. Good luck and above all, please be sure that you remember to have fun.
The DXers in RI are aware but the rest you may not know that a dozen world class operators are enroute to Bouvet Island as of the time I am writing this report. The team should reach the island by February 1st. If sea conditions will allow, they should set up and be on the air soon after. Bouvet is the second most wanted DX entity in the world, second only to North Korea. Pile-ups will be colossal. Operator skill will largely determine whether you work them and get into their log. They will be on all bands and modes using the call 3Y0J. Good luck to all.
73,
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ARRL Rhode Island Section
Section Manager: Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC
w1yrc@arrl.org
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POTA Winter Park Appreciation Weekend, January 20-22, 2023
Peter Cimino, K1PCN, writes on the Greater Bridgeport (CT) ARC mailing list:
This weekend is the POTA Winter Park Appreciation Weekend. It is open for all hunters and activators. It start Friday, January 20 7 pm (00:00 UTC) and ends Sunday 7 pm (00:00 UTC). Special award is added to activators.
I will be activating Silver Sands State Park on Saturday, January 21, 2023 from 9 am until noon. If anyone would like to come down and activate using my equipment, please join me.
Peter K1PCN