| Welcome to Eastern Massachusetts ARRL |
Welcome to the Eastern Massachusetts ARRL Web. The EMA ARRL field organization serves some 2700 ARRL members who live in the eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The American Radio Relay League is the principal representative of the Amateur Radio Service in the USA, serving members by protecting and enhancing spectrum access and providing a natural resource to the public.
If you haven't already, be sure to visit ARRL Headquarters' World Wide Web.
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Preorder Your Boxboro Tickets
Posted by k9hi on: Tuesday 19 August 2008 @ 22:49:18 |
 Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF writes:
As you have probably heard by now, the ARRL New England Convention, "Boxboro!", is only days away. The convention begins Friday, August 22 and runs through Sunday, August 24. There's still time to preorder your tickets at http://boxboro.org (through August 20). Tickets for the Friday DXCC dinner and Saturday Banquet must be preordered.
If you'd prefer to wait, you can also purchase General Admission and Flea Market spaces as the door.
Either way, we hope to see you there!
73,
Mike Raisbeck
on behalf of the Boxboro Convention Committee
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Whitman ARC QRV At The Marshfield Fair
Posted by k9hi on: Sunday 17 August 2008 @ 10:51:08 |
 Members of the Whitman Amateur Radio Club are active right now at the annual Marshfield Fair with a special event station, NN1MF and Amateur Radio exhibit booth August 15-24. Bill Hayden, N1FRE is coordinating the event.
As in previous years, hams will explain Amateur Radio to the public and introduce youngsters to Morse code. In the past, the crew made approximately 150 contacts with 31 states, 15 foreign countries, and two Canadian provinces.
—Thanks, Whitman ARC Spectrum, August, 2008
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GEMOTO-900 MHz Repeater Presentation At Boxboro
Posted by k9hi on: Sunday 17 August 2008 @ 10:39:22 |
BOXBORO REPEATER PRESENTATION
GEMOTO-900 MHz repeater sub-group
Cotillion Room 2PM Saturday August 23,2008
GEMOTO 900 MHz repeater group
Between the internet and cell phones, we have all seen a lot of mainstream repeater operation become stagnated. However, 900 MHz repeater operation has seen dramatic sustained growth in 2008. One reason has been due to availability of "the new surplus" of very inexpensive, high quality 900 MHz commercial gear. Find out what all the talk is about.
* Rick Zach, K1RJZ will give a quick introduction to "the new surplus".
* Depending on audience desires, Randy Krenz, N3HFK has several end-user topics prepared ranging from "what radios should I use" all the way to "how to link repeaters". The audience will determine the direction.
* John Frye, N1OTY will have a presentation on the high-end Motorola MSF5000 repeater. In 2008, approximately fifty of these surplus repeaters have inexpensively landed in the hands of New England hams with many becoming IRLP-linked repeaters.
Part-2 of this presentation will continue at the Fall 2008 Nearfest.
Rick Zach, K1RJZ
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Head Of The Charles Help Requested
Posted by k9hi on: Saturday 16 August 2008 @ 18:59:00 |
 Jeff Arnold, K1EMS writes:
On behalf of the American Red Cross First Aid Station Committee of Massachusetts Bay we are asking your help once again this year for the 2008 Head of the Charles Regatta.
This year's dates are Friday through Sunday, October 17, 18, 19:
Friday, October 17, 12 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 18 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, October 19 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
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MMRA "Foxbox" Will Be QRV At Boxboro
Posted by k9hi on: Tuesday 12 August 2008 @ 09:42:07 |
 The [Minuteman Repeater Association] Foxbox will be hidden [at the ARRL New England Division Convention in Boxboro] on Friday afternoon before 3 PM. The Foxbox periodically transmits on 145.630 PL 146.2. The box will be moved Saturday at around 5PM to a new location. A list of those who found the box on Friday/Saturday will be posted in the MMRA booth by 8AM on Sunday. All who found the box (including those who find it after being moved on Saturday evening) will be announced in the September MMRA newsletter.
Let us know if you would like to have an experienced Foxhunter give you tips or even potentially lead you on a fox hunt.
--Thanks, MMRA's The Minuteman Special Edition, August 12008
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Harvard Wireless Club Student Activity Fair, Sept. 17
Posted by k9hi on: Friday 08 August 2008 @ 19:51:26 |
 The Harvard Wireless Club will hold its annual student activity fair from 4 to 7 p.m. on September 10, 2008. The rain date is September 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
"This year's fair will be on the Quad, not at the usual Tercentenary Theater location," writes HWC's Clayton M. Nall, NF1R. "We could use at least three to four people to help. Please let me know if you plan to attend."
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NWS Hurricane Presentation, Taunton, 08/18/08
Posted by k9hi on: Thursday 07 August 2008 @ 16:41:37 |
 The National Weather Service (NWS) and the Taunton Area Communications Group will be presenting a program about the "Realities of New England's Hurricanes".
The program will be held at the Morton Hospital and Medical Center, 55 Washington Street, Taunton, Mass. on MONDAY, AUGUST 18TH, 7:00 p.m. in the Margaret Stone Conference Room.
The speaker will be Matthew Belk, Hurricane Program Leader from the National Weather Service in Taunton Mass.
This seminar is open to the public at no charge. Everyone is welcome to attend, especially those who are interested in learning about hurricanes as they affect New England.
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Cape Ann ARC Field Day Video To Air On Local Cable
Posted by k9hi on: Tuesday 05 August 2008 @ 16:52:48 |
 Video shot by members of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association at their recent Field Day operation will air this evening on local Cape Ann Channel 12 at 7:00 p.m. on August 5, 2008.
--Thanks, AB2NJ
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New England Area Flea Markets, August 2, 2008
Posted by k9hi on: Sunday 03 August 2008 @ 18:47:28 |
New England Area Ham - Electronic Flea Market *** DATES *** 2008 P 1 of 2
All events are Ham Radio/ Electronic related except ~_____~
*******************************************************************************
2008 Contact Source
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9 Aug Gales Ferry CT RASON @VFD $4@9 $15/T@7 Wayne KB1NKK 206 350 3064 W
9 Aug St Albans ME PARC @SnowMobileClb $5@8 George WA1JMM 207 441 6112 W
15-16 Aug Swanton VT STARC AirportRD $5/D+$5/DTG Arn N1ARN 802 285 6457
17 August Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776
Third Sunday April thru October
17 Aug Adams MA NoBARC @FG $5/B $10TG $15/T Alan K1SAV 413 358 8428 W
21 Aug Halifax NS HARC 75th Anv @StVincentUniv Howard VE1DHD 902 490 6421 W
22-24 Aug Boxboro MA FEMARA NE Conv Mike K1TWF 978 250 1235 W
7 Sept Windsor ME AARA @FG Bill K1NIT 207 623 9075 A+
13 Sept Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN @6AM Tailgate John 860 673 0518
13 Sept Ballston Spa NY SCRACES @FG @7 Darlene N2XQG 518 587 2385 W
13 Sept Montreal PQ WIARC Auction @ShrinerH $5@9 $15/T@8 VE2CWI W+
14 Sept Newtown CT CARA @TownHall $6@8:30 $10/15@7 Joe AB1DO 203 938 4880 W
20 Sept Alton NH MASONS @Lodge @7 Tg$10 $20/inside T Bob W1GWU 603 776 0086 A
20 Sept Forestdale RI RIFMRS @VFW rt146 8A flea+auct Rick K1KYI 401 864 9611
20 Sept Alexander ME StCCARC @ElSch Rt9 Mike KB1GEO 207 427 3058 A
21 Sept Cambridge MA FLEA at MIT Nick 617 253 3776
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AA6YQ Wins ARRL Technical Innovation Award
Posted by k9hi on: Saturday 02 August 2008 @ 12:57:18 |
 The ARRL has chosen Dave Bernstein, AA6YQ, of Wayland, Massachusetts, as the recipient of the 2008 ARRL Technical Innovation Award. The ARRL board voted unanimously at its July 18-19, 2008 board of directors meeting to select AA6YQ for the prestigious annual award.
According to the meeting minutes, "Mr. Bernstein has written and published the DXLab Suite of Programs for Radio Amateurs that he has placed in the public domain for free use and collaboration. A world-class DXer in his own right, he was one of the earliest logging-program authors to integrate functions for ARRL's Logbook of the World and programs from other developers. His DXLab suite consists of eight programs that cover every aspect of station operation which he supports in a fashion that rivals or exceeds commercial applications and companies. He goes beyond simply supporting DXLab and mentors users in other aspects of programming and Amateur Radio."
Dave Bernstein, AA6YQ; photo courtesy www.qrz.com
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W1AA To Activate Scituate Light
Posted by k9hi on: Wednesday 30 July 2008 @ 18:48:17 |
 K1VV and K1WCC plan to activate Scituate Light USA742 & Scituate North Jetty USA1273 as W1AA on Saturday, August 2, 2008 from 7:00 AM EDT (1100 UTC) until about 2:00 PM EDT (1800 UTC).
"Whitey" Doherty, K1VV notes that he and Henry will begin operations on 75 meters around 3994 kHz plus/minus. "Later, we will go to 40 phone around 7234 and 7040. On 20, we'll be on 14270 plus/minus. If there's too much QRM we will be above 14310."
K1VV says they will run K1WCC's station simultaneously and cover two bands. "We have bandpass filters, but we may not be able to run both stations that close to each other."
DX QSLs can be sent via the Bureau. Stateside cards should be sent to W1AA with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the QRZ.com address.
"All are welcome to come by," says Whitey. "We will be set up in the parking area next to the light. [Look for the] silver 2007 Toyota Tacoma pickup with a 33-foot mast on the back of the truck."
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Eastern MA Traffic Handlers Picnic, August 3, 2008
Posted by k9hi on: Monday 28 July 2008 @ 18:48:37 |
 The annual Traffic Handlers Picnic for Eastern Massachusetts will be held Sunday, August 3, 2008 at the Raynham Senior Citizen Center picnic area in Raynham, MA. The picnic will run from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. [Full story]
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Volunteers Needed For Cranberry Country Triathlon, August 24, 2008
Posted by k9hi on: Monday 28 July 2008 @ 18:42:26 |
 Roland Daignault, N1JOY writes on BCRA-Club list:
Just a reminder that the Cranberry Country Triathlon is on August 24 and we're looking for radio operators to cover the course. If this race runs the same as the Patriot event, the swim portion didn't really require radio ops, and the running race was over by noon time. Then the bike race lasted until about 4:30 PM. I will be hauling out the HAMCOW for Net Control. Operators will need at least a 2 Meter HT, and we will be using repeaters and simplex. The start point will be at the Ted Williams baseball camp in Lakeville, which is a nice facility if you've ever been there.
Check out the triathlon web site, complete with maps of the course.
http://www.cranberrycountrytri.com/
I hope to see you there!
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New MEMA Courses Offered
Posted by k9hi on: Monday 28 July 2008 @ 18:21:43 |
 Tom Kinahan, N1CPE writes on MRAS-Leaders:
The following new courses have been added to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency's training calendar:
* Hazmat Awareness at Brockton VA Hospital BLDG #22 on September 10, 2008
* Incident Command System 100 at Newburyport High School, Room 127 on August 20, 2008
* Incident Command System 100 at Boxborough Woods Holiday Inn on August 22, 2008
Visit our web site at http://tinyurl.com/ypzh5y for more details.
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Waltham ARA 146.64 Now Mixed Mode Analog/APCO P25
Posted by k9hi on: Sunday 27 July 2008 @ 11:26:37 |
 John Mullaney, K1BOS writes:
The Waltham Amateur Radio Association's 2-meter repeater (146.640 MHz) is now a APCO P25 mixed mode Quantar. It will stay mixed mode only if the analog users don’t complain too loudly. If you have VHF P25 radios you are free to use it, but please give right of way to analog users, and keep P25 use out of drive time.
For regular non-digital users a transmit CTCSS of 100.0 Hz has been added so that you don’t have to hear P25 digital noise. The input is still carrier squelch so folks without CTCSS (I guess there are still a few) can still use the repeater but CTCSS 100.0 Hz will also work and will keep your radio silent during P25 activity. For digital folks the NAC is 293.
We would also be interested in range reports compared to the GE Master 2 that was removed from service.
146.640 MHz - 100.0 Hz out
146.040 MHz Carrier Squelch in
NAC293 (input for P25)
--Thanks, Boston ARC The SPARC, July 2008
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| License Restructuring Quiz |
- Novice class licensees would have 10 meter cw/data privileges at:
[ View Scores ][ Take the Quiz ]
(6 questions) |
| The 'Real Heros' |
| "I'm going to tell you who the heroes were from the very beginning of this...the ham radio operators. These people just came in and actually provided a tremendous communication link to us." --Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, comments to the media in the aftermath of a powerful storm that overwhelmed parts of Oregon with wind and rain. |
| Written Into The Plans |
| "When the curtain is finally drawn on this calamity, you will see Amateur Radio and ARES written -- or re-written -- into a host of more governmental and non-governmental organization plans for the future. Guaranteed." —Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor, the ARRL ARES E-letter, reflecting on the herculean efforts of ARES members in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy |
| Presidential Greetings |
| "I send greetings to those celebrating the annual Field Day for Amateur Radio, hosted by the American Radio Relay League. Across our country, radio plays a vital role in relaying important information to the public and emergency service personnel in times of need. By providing emergency communications at the federal, state, and local level, licensed Amateur Radio operators help first responders and law enforcement officials save lives and make our country safer. Your efforts help ensure the right assistance gets to the right people at the right time. I appreciate all ham operators who give their time and energy to help make our citizens more secure. Your good work reflects the spirit of America and contributes to a culture of responsibility and citizenship that strengthens our nation. Laura and I send our best wishes." --George W. Bush |
| "Twenty-Eight Flavors" |
| "There are a lot of new things out there, like PSK-31 and the Internet linking that didn't exist a few years ago. We want to find a way to effectively get the word out to those who don't know that there are 28 flavors of Amateur Radio now, not just vanilla, chocolate and strawberry."—Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, Chief Executive Officer, ARRL |
| Ham Radio And Pizza? |
| 'I'm not a ham, but it seems to me that there isn't much basis in fact for an assertion that Amateur Radio is 'horribly outmoded.' My guess is that you think it has been made obsolete by the Internet. That strikes me as being palpably untrue, as well as a bit like saying the fact that so many people eat pizza means good restaurants are outmoded."
—A Slashdot reader responding to a recent article posted about ham radio |
| "America's Quiet Warriors" |
| "America's quiet warriors are the legion of ham radio operators, 700,000 of them, who are always at ready for backup duty in emergencies--amateur, unpaid, uncelebrated, civilian radio operators, during and after floods and fires and tornadoes. After the nine-one-one attacks, hams were indispensible in reuniting friends and families. Most recently it was they who expedited the search for debris after the disaster to the Space Shuttle Columbia, and right now, at this moment, they are involved in homeland security..." —Paul Harvey, March 19, 2003 |
| "On a Wing and a Bandwidth" |
| "Long before you could boot up, log on and point and click your way around the globe, there was ham radio. Churning out an audio cocktail of beeps and whirs, chirps and static, the ham radio was a passport, of sorts, for a particular kind of technology-loving, wander-lusting, basement- dwelling Good Samaritan. Someone who knew and relished the difference between a picofarad and a millihenry. Someone who appreciated the random fortune of a favorable ionosphere and a continent-hopping connection. But there's no need to talk about ham radio in the past tense, because some two-and-a-half million hams world wide still consider 20 megahertz the preferred way to fly. You can keep your broadband. Ham radio. On a wing, and a bandwidth." —The Connection, WBUR, June 12, 2003 |
| "Valued Assets to Homeland Security" |
| "Ham operators want the rest of the nation to stop thinking of them as geeky basement hobbyists and start regarding them as valued assets to homeland security." —Chuck McCutcheon, Newhouse News Service, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
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| "And That's The Way It Is" |
| "When [Amateur Radio Today] was finished and they turned the lights back up, everybody applauded. I didn't have to say another word."
— ARRL President Jim Haynie. ARRL became an affiliate of Citizen Corps--an initiative within the Department of Homeland Security--in June during the ARRL 2003 National Convention. Haynie said Amateur Radio Today [narrated by Walter Cronkite] turned out to be "the proverbial picture worth a thousand words" for the crowd of some 300 conference attendees. |
| "Like Losing An Arm" |
| "The National Weather Service calls ham radio operators its eyes and ears -- volunteers with federally licensed radio transmitters in their vehicles who provide "ground truth" about severe weather that the forecasters can see only on their radar and computer screens.
So weather service meteorologists -- particularly those at the Austin and San Antonio forecast center in New Braunfels, who regularly deal with severe storms, floods and tornadoes -- worry about a new threat to ham radio operators.
'They tell us whether warnings need to be extended or allowed to expire,' weather service meteorologist Larry Eblen said. 'It'd be like losing an arm.'
The threat is an experimental technology called broadband over power line, which would use electric power lines to transmit digital data. It would give electricity customers high-speed Internet access comparable with that offered by cable television and phone companies. But power line access would offer the additional convenience of being available at any wall plug." —American-Statesman, April 5, 2004 |
| Past Announcements |
July 26
CAARA To Activate Thatcher I.
Nashoba Valley ARC Supports 49th Longsjo Classic
July 24
Twenty Years Later, MS Bike Tour NCS Passes The Mic
July 22
Framingham ARA Members Place In ARRL DX Test
Two Eastern MA Youths Win FAR Scholarships
July 18
Whitman ARC Fox Hunt, July 27
July 13
MARS, MEMA Conduct Hurricane Exercise
July 08
Whitman ARC Special Edition Field Day 2008 Newsletter On-line
July 07
KY1N List of Volunteer Exam Sessions, July 7, 2008
Massachsuetts Statewide Hurricane Drill, August 4, 2008
July 04
Genesis Scores Big With Field Day PR!
Table-top Hurricane Drill, Fall River July 8
July 03
New England Area Flea Markets, July 2, 2008
June 30
Framingham ARA Awards Scholarship to KB1NYI
June 29
"Communications On Wheels: Amateur Radio Club Ready To Roll"
SMHARC Members to Assist North Attleboro EMA in "Kids Day Drill"
June 27
N1BLF Wins QCWA President's Award
June 26
Field Day: Have Fun, But... Hey! Let's Be Careful Out There!
June 19
Kuss Balloon Launch - Success!!
Zola License-In-A-Weekend: "A Tremendous Success"
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