March, 2015 - Western Massachusetts ARRL

The Yankee Clipper Contest Club, one of the largest Ham Radio clubs in the Northeast, is proud to open it’s doors to the general Ham population of the area! We invite all hams to come and experience one of our meetings. We will be presenting special material, of interest to all hams who operate the HF bands, relating to design and construction of your ham radio station.

Our open house will be on Sunday, April 12, 2015 from 1:00 – 4:30pm at the Sturbridge Host Hotel, 366 Main Street, Sturbridge, MA 01566.

Presentations will include:

“What’s the Best HF Transceiver for Me? -A Radio Selection Strategy” – by Brian Machesney, K1LI and others
“Antenna Selection and Design- What’s Important” – by Joe Reisert, W1JR

YCCC is a club of over 350 members who are interested in Contesting. As such, we have developed a high level of expertise in station and antenna system design and HF transceiver selection, and would love to share this with the general ham community in the region. Whether you are just starting to put together your first station, or are well on your way, we’re certain you will pick up some great tips from these talks!

Please come and meet with our members, and hear some presentations that can have an immediate impact on the performance of your station!

We will also be selling raffle tickets to support the YCCC ARRL Youth Scholarship. Tickets will be sold for $25 per chance to win an Elecraft K3/100 Transceiver. We expect to hold the drawing at this meeting* – a lucky ham will go home with a new Elecraft K3/100 kit!

* Cash or checks accepted, no credit cards. YCCC reserves the right to delay the drawing until sufficient tickets have been sold to cover the prize and the donation.

Dear Friends of NEAR-Fest:

It is with great regret and sadness that I must inform the radio amateurs and electronic hobbyists of New England that the NEAR-Fest Board of Directors finds it necessary to POSTPONE the FreeFest aspect of NEAR-FEST XVII that was scheduled for May 2015. It will be held at a later date. However, first and foremost, I want to assure everyone that NEAR-Fest XVII WILL TAKE PLACE AS SCHEDULED on May 1st and 2nd, 2015, at the Deerfield NH Fairgrounds. NEAR-Fest XVIII will also be held as scheduled on October 16th and 17th, 2015.

The Directors made the difficult decision to POSTPONE the FreeFest due to a legal issue that has arisen since the FreeFest was announced last October. The matter is being addressed professionally; however the funds that would have financed the FreeFester may now be needed to resolve this issue at hand. There was no other option open to us. It is important for everyone to understand that there are no issues or problems with the Deerfield Fair Association; in fact our relationship with them is better than ever.

I want to personally assure you all that the FreeFest will be rescheduled as soon as possible once this issue has been resolved. The entire NEAR-Fest management team is committed to, and is looking forward to, hosting the FreeFest, in it’s original spirit, to thank all our loyal attendees and the amateur radio community for the support since 2007. We appreciate your understanding and continued support. We hope to be able to post an update about FreeFest on our website before the end of the year. Advance tickets and inside parking passes will be on sale in the usual places starting in April. Check our Web site (www.near-fest.com) for more details.

To summarize: NEAR-Fest XVII WILL TAKE PLACE on May 1st and 2nd, 2015, exactly as scheduled, Admission will be the same as always, $10 per person and $10 for an inside parking pass. NEAR-Fest XVIII will also take place as scheduled on October 16th and 17th, 2015. The FreeFest that was planned to take place as a part of NEAR-Fest XVII is POSTPONED until a later date.

The NEAR-Fest staff and management as well as I thank you for your total support and understanding.

73,
MisterMike, W1RC

Monthly Archives: March 2015

Yankee Clipper Contest Club Open House

Spring NEAR-Fest Continues, FreeFest Aspect Postponed