Author Archives: Gilbert Hayes

Emergency Radio Communications personal enrichment course

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MWCC Noncredit Personal Enrichment Course
Instructor Name: Paul Topolski
Name of Course: Emergency Radio Communications
Dates: Thursdays, September 9 to October 28, 2021
Time: 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Where: Gardner Campus
Cost: $169
Description of Course:
A course for everyone who uses or wants to use two-way radios professionally, as part of their emergency
preparedness efforts, on-board air and water craft, to help their community during disasters or special events, or
as a hobby.

Public safety professionals such as police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, hospital nurses, and more,
depend heavily on two-way radios to request and receive vital information. More importantly, the radio is the
critical link to safety and getting help. Unfortunately, little if any time is spent in training academies on how radios
work, why they will not work, and how to resolve communications failure issues on the fly. Students will learn
about the different types of radio system systems such as repeaters, simplex, trunk systems, analog and digital
systems.

The prepper community knows all too well the importance of communications and they have a large variety radio
services to choose from. Learn what radio services best suits the type of communications needed. Which service
is best, FCC Part 95 CB, MERS, FRS, GMRS products, or a Part 97 Amateur Radio license? This course will help you
sort it all out.

Are you interested in learning about new things, emerging technologies, nature, physics, and electronics? Are you
interested in communicating locally or internationally, without the aid of expensive infrastructure such as the
internet, cable provider, cell phone or landline telephone systems? How about having a casual conversation with
an astronaut aboard the International Space Station? STEM students will find this course exceedingly helpful in
their studies.

This course, based on the FCC Technician Class Amateur Radio examination criteria. The material provides
answers and solutions to the questions above. At the end of the class, students will have an option to take the
exam and apply for a Technician Class License. The course fee includes the required text and materials. Not
included is an optional exam fee of $15 and FCC license application fee of $35.

Text and Materials required:

  • The ARRL Technician Class License Manual
  • An inexpensive digital multimeter
  • A Texas Instrument TI-30xa Scientific Calculator
  • Access to one of the many free on-line exam practice sites such as www.qrz.com

Section manager’s Report August 2021

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Greeting’s! What a month! West coast is burning while out our way is drowning. You never know what the forces of nature is going to bestow upon us. This is a great example of making people aware that even though it has not reached that point, it can turn into a disaster and things will fail. This is an opportunity to tell people how Amateur Radio can be a valued service to our neighbors, towns, counties. Even if you are not involved in emergency communications you can still provide information to others about it.

On that note, Aug. 1 I had the privilege of attending the NTS picnic hosted by Marcia, KW1U who is the East/West Traffic mgr. and was treated to perfect weather and good food and company. Along with myself also were the Eastern MA and NH section manager and the Vice Director with the 2 candidates for New England director. Both of which shared their passions for Ham Radio and why they would be the choice for director. Looking around the group shows there is still a passion for NTS and traffic handling in ANY mode and needs to be recognized more by the league and others in order to keep this valued tradition alive, because…you never know!

Over the past year I have been working in the trucking industry and found the hours were taking a toll on a lot of things personally and physically. After a huge amount of thought and soul searching, I decided to retire as of July 30. This does not mean I’m old! Lol. Yes, radio played a big part of that as I was not on the air very much and stuff was piling up because I was too tired to do anything. So, first thing I did was get my hotel for Dayton for next May. (I know, Xenia.) I have been wanting to do that for some time and I’m doing it. As I have told others, “I will not be bored!”

It looks like the club meetings will be making a comeback after our Covid hiatus in September. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Zoom has now provided a new element to meeting as you can add it along with presenters who may be distance challenged. There is a plethora of recorded content that can also be used to get a good presentation. Definitely worthy of a search in YouTube and other sources for good content. The League is also expanding on available content and also there is a speaker list in this website. Good meeting agenda will keep things interesting and coming back each month.

That’s enough chatter for this month, hope to see you at Marlboro in September and at the club meetings. Enjoy!

Ray, KB1LRL

Youth On The Air 2021 Camp Makes Successful ARISS Contact

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Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, writes:

“I had the pleasure of serving as the ARISS contact moderator for the Youth On The Air (YOTA) 2021 Camp’s contact with the International Space Station (ISS) using Amateur Radio today. Young Hams spent the week at the Voice of America Bethany Relay Station in West Chester, OH engaging in a variety of Amateur Radio Activities. Ruth Willet, KM4LAO, was the host for YOTA 2021 and provided an excellent pre-contact program. The West Chester Amateur Radio Association partnered with YOTA 2021 Camp group to help them with YOTA 2021 activities and their ISS contact. You can view a video of the YOTA 2021 Camp’s contact with astronaut Aki Hoshide, KE5DNI, on the International Space Station (ISS) by clicking on the video above.

Working with a school or group to help young people make contact with an astronaut on the ISS using Amateur Radio is a great way to build a lasting relationship around Amateur Radio with young people and their teachers and mentors. In my role as an ARISS Mentor and Ground Station, I have had the pleasure to help with nine of these contacts around the world over the last several years. In every case, local Ham Radio clubs partnered with the school or group to provide STEM learning experiences based on Amateur Radio. Helping a school or group make contact with the astronaut on the ISS provides a memorable experience for everyone involved.

You can learn more about the ARISS contact program here or contact me at ab1oc@arrl.net.

Fred, AB1OC

Section Manager’s Report July 2021

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  Hello everyone. I hope your summer is going well so far. I will admit it was a bit toasty of late, day and night.

  July starts off elections in our area. The big one is for New England Director which is a 3-year term. Fred Hopengarten K1VR is seeking reelection and will be opposed by Fred Kemmerer AB1OC who is currently the Nashua club president. It is unconfirmed but Tom Freneye K1KI may be running as well. With the changes coming with the new CEO, I ask that you consider your choices carefully and choose who will be the best fit for New England and for the League.

   The other on is for WMA Section Manager. This is a 2-year term. Anyone interested in running for this go to the ARRL website and see the details and how to be nominated which is only a 5-signature petition. I will be seeking reelection as well.

   Last weekend was our regatta of sorts as it was Field Day. It started out with great weather although a little warm, but doable. I got to visit the 3 sites that had field day and was pleased to once again see the activity once again and also happy to see the people as well. NOBARC returned after a hiatus which was great. Not only did they have a field, but also altitude. Hope it paid dividends in QSO’s. 

   As I previously mentioned changes with the league. Our New CEO, Dave Minster NA2AA was hired as the new CEO for the league. What’s he been doing? Well, listening, sitting on MANY meetings nationwide, receiving input from the members,etc.

   On June 9 I sat on a Zoom meeting with other section managers and other officials and he briefed us on changes taking place. Here is the Readers Digest version:

  • Norm Fusaro W3IZ had retired and taking over as Director of Operations is Bob Naumann W5OV
  • Bart Jahnke has moved from Field services management to Radiosport and Regulatory and Advocacy replacing Dan Henderson N1ND who has also retired
  • Taking over as Field Services Manager will be Mike Walters W8ZY who was the Connecticut SEC. Mike has already hit the ground running doing “meet and greets”. He will be at the HamExposition in Marlboro.

   Dave has revealed his plan of focusing on Clubs, and its revitalization and growth, to attract new members and KEEP them, and getting them active on the air. He finds the new licenses are up and membership is flat. He has groups formed to assist and I’m sure you will hear more about it. Staff members, section managers, and directors are working as groups to come up with ideas to make this work for all. I am encouraged to see this happening as I have been preaching this since I became a SM.

   That’s it for now. There will be other announcements down the road so stay tuned. I will do my best to get the word out to you and I will press on to ask those who read this to encourage others to look at our website and also the http://nediv.arrl.org website as well to keep up to date.

Thanks so much and 73! Stay cool!

Ray KB1LRL

100th anniversary of WBZ radio Special Event

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September 17-19th is the 100th anniversary of WBZ radio in Boston. But there was a WBZA radio here in Springfield at one time.

The HCRA is working with the Billerica club to co-sponsor this operating event. Billerica started the event and the HCRA is helping out in many ways including the use of one of our club calls  WB1Z. 

The call signs used are: W1W, W1B, W1Z and WB1Z.

It’s going to be lots of fun and you will start seeing info everywhere very soon. There will be a special QSL card and possibly a certificate.

We are looking for operators to sign up to activate during the 3 day period. We’re looking for CW, SSB and Digital ops as well as Satellite.

If you are interested, please email me if you’d like to be an op and we’ll add you to the list.

Larry, W1AST

W1AST@arrl.net

Section Manager’s Report June 2021

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   Hello, welcome to summer, “unofficially”, but we know what that means…FIELD DAY! So far, I know of 2 clubs going live this year. How about the others? I am looking to plan the tour. I may not get to them all but will sure try.

   May 8th, we had our ARES SET to figure out where we are at and what we need to work on, I feel after 10+ years of nothing we did pretty darn good, some good data was received and Bob K1YO is looking at it to develop the next step. I wish to thank you all who participated and did a fine job. I was disappointed my NVIS antenna I built did not perform well as I hoped. I need to look at a possible connection issue at the center point. I guess that is what the test is about! I also need to hone my digital setup more to be more effective and allow to rapid deploy and change as needed.

   With the opening up of the state and the relaxing of Covid safeguards things are coming back to normal. The HamExposition is going to happen! Phil Temples, the Vice Director is looking for people who would like to do a presentation there. Give him a shout if interested. Also live is Near-Fest. That one I missed a lot. (Not the rain though!) Near-Fest is going to be October 15 and 16 this year. Plan on going and supporting this great event.

   I know that some club’s kind of fell into a deeper slumber and others saw opportunities and capitalized on them. One thing that Covid brought us was the benefit of virtual presentations that are in YouTube, etc. and invitations to far reaching people are now a click away. I feel all the clubs should take advantage of this medium. There are clubs that struggle for presentations. This is the answer for you. I know Gordon West just did one for the club in Meridan CT. I don’t think Zoom is going away anytime soon!

   We as Ham’s have this love affair mostly is that nice tower of steel supporting a variety of antennas on them. The one thing that seems to be a challenge is getting someone to climb them to do repairs. I know that some that did is getting older and does not climb anymore. The other thing is liability. That one seems to loom large in light of some of the accidents we have read about. One question is who is out there? The other is, is there some kind of training and certification available? Is there anybody interested in getting that training? Yes, I do need tower work, but I put this out as a general inquiry to see who is doing what and what’s out there.

   I hope everyone has a Fun, safe summer out there. Enjoy the sun!

73, Ray KB1LRL

Section Manager’s Report. May 2021

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Hello everyone. Another month has quietly gone by without much fanfare. I hope it’s because you are planning your club’s activities.

   Speaking of club’s activities, Field Day is just around the corner. Who’s doing what? I know the NOBARC club is having a live one this year. Let me know what you are doing. I may do “the tour” this year. 

   On May 8 which is a Saturday our ARES group led by Bob K1YO is having a SET drill to demonstrate and test our communications capabilities. This is a combination of HF, VHF, Digital, simplex and repeater exercises run during segments of a 10am-2pm window. This will help us define where our strengths and weaknesses are and to build on making a stronger operation out of it. Bob has spent months putting this together along with the ARES group. This is something that has been silent for a long time and I am so appreciative of their efforts to get this back on track. Check out more on this website.

   Club Presidents, are you up to date with the league? In order to maintain your affiliation with the League you need to update once a year. More information is found on the http://www.arrl.org/clubs website or contact our club coordinator, Gil, WK1H at wk1h@arrl.net.

   In July Larry, W1AST is heading the annual 13 Colonies event for Mass. It is run from July 1st to the 7th. This event has been going for a number of years and has had rising numbers with last year being the biggest yet. Larry is looking for operators to participate and have some fun. Contact Larry at w1ast@arrl.net for further information.

   That’s all for now, see you next month.

Ray KB1LRL

Additional RF Exposure Rules Presentation, May 4, 2021

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Eastern MA Technical Coordinator Dan Brown, W1DAN, will hold another presentation addressing the new FCC RF exposure rules on May 4 at 7:30 PM using the ARRL GoToWebinar platform. 

His April 27 talk was a hugely successful–a maximum number of 100 connections for the call was reached just as the discussion started. The GoToWebinar has a much higher limit and should accommodate all who are interested.  ARRL Laboratory Manger Ed Hare, W1RFI, will serve as Technical Moderator on the call.

To sign up for the presentation, visit:

Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3400737102800150797

System Check: https://support.goto.com/webinar/system-check-attendee

Tech Support: (833) 851-8340

Steve Finberg, W1GSL, SK

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It is with deep sadness and regret that I report the passing of Steve Finberg, W1GSL, of Cambridge Massachusetts, the founder and Benevolent Dictator of the “Swapfest, the Flea at M.I.T.”  who became a Silent Key on Friday, April 23rd 2021 just before 7:00 PM.

Steve Finberg, W1GSL

Steve started the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology electronics flea market in 1985 and ran it up continuously until October 2019.  That was 35 years, 8 shows a year, always the third Sunday of the month, April through October.  I don’t recall it ever being canceled.  An outstanding accomplishment!   “The Flea” produced many amazing treasures over the years, things you would find nowhere else.  You never know what you will find at “M.I.T.”, an event that was highly popular with amateur radio operators and electronics enthusiasts in the Northeast.  “Chip” Cohen, W1YW, inventor of the fractal antenna said that he bought all the test equipment and parts he needed at the M.I.T. Swapfest to invent his revolutionary antennas when he was first starting out.

Steve was a long-time analog electronics engineer at Charles Stark “Doc” Draper’s lab at MIT and the holder of several patents.  He was still working at Draper Labs at the time of his passing.  Steve was an intensely private man and not much is known about his life outside of his work at Draper and M.I.T. I know he would probably not approve of all this attention but the fact that he was so high profile and popular at most amateur radio hamfests and flea markets in the eastern United States makes it necessary.

In addition to his work with The Swapfest, he also compiled and produced the bi-weekly New England Flea Market list for over 30 years.  He was a very familiar figure in his signature red sports shirt and straw cowboy hat at hamfests anf flea markets for many years all over the east coast and as far south as Orlando FL distributing his famous list along with the Flea at M.I.T. promotional flyers.

Steve was a personal friend for many years and was a knowledgeable source of information on New England hamfests and electronic flea markets.  His deep wisdom, advice and wise counsel were invaluable to me when we started the New England Amateur Radio Festival, aka NEAR-Fest at Deerfield NH, in 2007.

In 2009, Steve was awarded the NEAR-Fest Lifetime Pass Award for his contribution to the advancement of the hobby in New England.

https://www.telegram.com/entertainmentlife/20161004/mits-flea-market-specializes-in-rare-obscure-electronics

Unfortunately, there were no M.I.T. flea markets in 2020 and it doesn’t seem there will be very many or possibky none this year as well.  However, the radio clubs at M.I.T. and Harvard University, (the MIT Radio Society,  the MIT UHF Repeater Association, the MIT Electronics Research Society and the Harvard Wireless Club) beneficiaries of the “Flea” since the beginning will be resuming the event as soon as conditions allow it.   First one is tentatively scheduled for August 15th 2021.  The Web site is

https://w1mx.mit.edu/flea-at-mit/

Definitely the end of an era.  Thank you Steve for all those wonderful fleas and the lists.

May he rest in peace.

73,

Michael Crestohl, W1RC/VE2XL,

“Mister Mike”,

Benevolent Dictator,

New England Amateur Radio Festival, 

“NEAR-Fest”

2021 World Amateur Radio Day is April 18

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World Amateur Radio Day, held on April 18 each year, is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president.

On World Amateur Radio Day, all radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to enjoy our global friendship with other amateurs, and to show our skills and capabilities to the public.

IARU has chosen “Amateur Radio: Home but Never Alone” as the theme for World Amateur Radio Day, Sunday, April 18, 2021. The theme acknowledges that during our physical distancing to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, amateur radio stands out as welcome respite for its variety of activities and opportunities – even helping overcome online fatigue and social isolation. The amateur radio community has organized “wellness nets” to keep amateurs in touch and check on those who may be higher risk or elderly, “stay safe” special event stations across the globe, and has encouraged generally higher levels of on air activity.

More info on World Amateur Radio Day is available and the ARRL HQ website.