March 2017

President’s Column

- Andy Stewart (KB1OIQ)

The parking situation at the Cameron Senior Center is a little tight during the winter months. I encourage people to arrive a bit before the 7 PM start time of the meeting. We are allowed to park on the grass at the adjacent baseball field, but the recent snow has made that area inaccessible. I know of one group of people that comes in a van, and that's great! Also, the building is getting more use, and we may not be the only group in the building on a Tuesday evening. We had about 25 people attending last month's club meeting, which is low for us. I'm not sure if parking was an issue.

If you are able, please remember to bring a canned food item for the food pantry. The patrons enjoy Dinty Moore beef stew, but any donation will be appreciated.

Much to my surprise, there was also a parking issue at the Westford Regency, where we have our club breakfast on the first Saturday of the month. I started my drive to the hotel, and got on the air, only to find out that there was absolutely no parking at the Regency. Instead, I went to a relatively new coffee shop called "Muffins on Main", on Main Street in Westford Center. I was joined by Terry (KA8SCP) and Bob (KB1SWZ), and while we missed the rest of you, we had an enjoyable time with plenty of free parking on Connell Drive.

Please note that the Westford Regency recently raised their price for breakfast. PART charges $19.00 for the full breakfast which includes tax and gratuity. Alan

(W1AHM), our club treasurer, has the exact details.

I struggled to find a speaker for the monthly March PART meeting. So far, George (K1IG) will talk about Field Day, which occurs on the last full weekend in June (specifically June 23 - 25). Steve (W1KBE) has volunteered to give a short talk about plastics and their applicability to ham radio applications. Lastly, Andy (KB1OIQ) will give a short talk about his experiences with the BITX-40 QRP SSB transceiver. If you have a short talk (5-10 minutes) for this meeting, please let me know.

I am looking for speakers for the April PART meeting. Please contact me if interested. It could be a short talk (15 minutes), or it could take the entire meeting (45 minutes).

PART has been asked once again by the Westford Kiwanis club to help with communications at the Apple Blossom Parade, to be held on Saturday, May 13th. We are pleased to have been asked, and are happy to help a local organization with such an event. PART has a long history of helping the Kiwanis with this event. About 12 volunteers will be required, equipped with 2m HTs, extra batteries, and the physical ability to be on foot for a few hours, possibly shadowing a parade official (several of whom walk very rapidly!). We will also need an net control operator for the event. Have a lot of fun, and 73!

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Treasurer’s Report

PART Treasury between 18-January '17 & 21-February '17

(As of 17-February '17) General Fund Repeater Fund Checking Total

Old Balance $ 3,564.46 $ 4,707.15 $ 8,271.61

Income $ 590.00 $ 84.26 $ 674.26

Expenses $ (57.29) $ 0.00 $ (57.29)

Net $ 532.71 $ 84.26 $ 616.97

New Balance $ 4,097.17 $ 4,791.41 $ 8,888.58

Accounts Receivable $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00

Accounts Payable $ 250.00 $ 0.00 $ 250.00

Net Worth $ 3,847.17 $ 4,791.41 $ 8,638.58

[Note: Positive GF net, positive RF net, positive overall net, negative GF net credit, positive RF net credit, negative

overall net credit/AHM]

Treasurer's note: New report lines account for funds headed into or out of our club's checking account. Accounts Payable refers to checks we've written which haven't yet been cashed, wire transfers which haven't yet been

withdrawn, etc. Accounts Receivable includes funds in hand and PayPal payments which haven't yet been

deposited, etc. These figures don't reflect anticipated income or expenses such as dues in the mail or next month's

repeater landline bill.

PART 2017 Membership as of 7-March '17 Individuals Households

(= New for 2017 (= New for 2017

+ Renew for 2017) + Renew for 2017)

Full ($25)* 25 (=1 + 24) 25 (=1 + 24) Senior ($15)* 28 (=0 + 28) 28 (=0 + 28)

Family ($30) 11 (=1 + 10) 5 (=0 + 5)

Student ($15) 0 (= 0 + 0) 0 (=0 + 0) Associate ($10) 0 (= 0 + 0) 0 (=0 + 0)

Grand Total* 64 (=2 + 62) 58 (=1 + 57)

ARRL members:* 58 / 92%

(Including ARRL Life members:* 12) NOTE: Starred lines changed since 17-Feb'17.

##To pay dues## -or-

PART, P.O. Box 503, Westford, MA 01886-0015 Club Meeting, Cameron Senior Ctr., 7:00PM, 3rd

Tuesday

Renew online by PayPal at: http://www.wb1gof.org/F_join/part_dues.html

PART Officers:

President: Andy (KB1OIQ) Stewart

Vice President: Rich (AB1HD) Crisafulli

Secretary: Rick (W1RAG) Green

Treasurer: Alan (W1AHM) Martin

Director-At-Large: Steve (W1KBE) Rimsa

PART’s official mailing address is:

PO Box 503

Westford, MA 01886

Our website is: http://wb1gof.org

Our forum is: http://wb1gof.net/forums/

Contact us at: info@wb1gof.org Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/wb1gof

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wb1gof

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Upcoming PART Meetings/Events

Mar 21st 2017

- PART Meeting. 7:00 -9:00 p.m. LOCATION: Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant St.

Apr 1st 2017

- PART monthly breakfast. Westford Regency. 8-10 AM ($15/$9; kids: $8 – see note below)

Apr 18th

2017

- PART Meeting. 7:00 -9:00 p.m. LOCATION: Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant St.

May 6th

2017

- PART monthly breakfast. Westford Regency. 8-10 AM ($15/$9; kids: $8 – see note below)

May 13th

2017

- Apple Blossom Parade. 8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. LOCATION: Westford Center, Muster at WPD

May 16th

2017

- PART Meeting. 7:00 -9:00 p.m. LOCATION: Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant St.

Monthly PART Meetings and Social Events

Every Sunday, 8 PM – PART Net on 146.955 repeater, Echolink Node 380799

Every 3rd

Tuesday, NEW TIME - 7:00 PM – PART Meetings at Cameron Senior Center

Every 1st Saturday, 8 AM, Regency Inn Westford – PART Monthly Breakfast

Every Wednesday, 6 AM, Owl Diner Lowell – Breakfast

The Billerica BARS VE team conducts VE Sessions on 2nd

Thursday of every

month, EXCLUDING January 2017. They are held in the church hall of The

Chelmsford Bible Church, 128 Gorham St, East Chelmsford at 7pm. New

license and upgrade tests. Walk-Ins, not a problem. No Reservations needed.

For more information, contact: Bruce W1LUS at 978-851-2886 Email Bruce

W1LUS or Gary W1GFF at 978-453-1100 Email Gary W1GFF.

Ham Fleas/Events

Links to Massachusetts hamfest websites (partial) Cambridge MA Flea at MIT http://www.swapfest.us Boxborough MA NE ARRL Conv http://www.boxboro.org Adams MA N BerkshireARC http://www.nobarc.org/hamfest.htm Dartmouth MA SEMARA http://www.semara.org/flea.htm Falmouth MA FARA http://www.falara.org Feeding Hills MA MTARA http://www.mtara.org Framingham MA FARA http://www.fara.org & http://www.n1em.org Marlboro MA AARC http://www.qsl.net/n1em Newton MA Waltham ARA Auction http://www.wara64.org/auction Rockport MA CAARA http://www.caara.net S Dartmouth MA SEMARA http://www.semara.org Wakefield MA Photographica http://www.phsne.org Westford MA NEAntiqueRC http://www.nearc.net Whately MA FranklinCARC http://www.fcarc.org/news.htm

Worcester MA WPI ACM http://acm.wpi.edu/swapmeet/

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New England Area Ham/Electronic Fleas: http://web.mit.edu/w1gsl/Public/ne-fleas 2017 19 Mar Southington CT SARA @HS $5@8 $20/T@6:15 John WA1JKR 860 621 8791 W+ 19 Mar Henniker NH CVRC @CommSch Jeffrey KB1WTI 603 831 9352 + 31 Mar Lewiston ME AARC ME Conv @Ramada @8 Ivan N1OXA 207 784 0350 W 8 Ap Newton MA PHSNE Photographica Sat Only @AmLegion @9A John 781 592 2553 8 Ap Hampton NH PCARC @Masonic $5@8 $10/T@7 Mark K1RX 603 775 0220 F 8 Apr LaSalle PQ MARC @RC Legion $5@9 $10/T@8:15 Jim VE2VE 514-990-1965 R 8 Apr Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN @8AM Indoor John 860 673 0518 + 15 April S Portland ME PAWA @AmLegion Bryce K1GAX 207 415 0498 A+ 16 Apr Cambridge MA Flea at MIT Mitch 617 253 3776 F+ Third Sunday April thru October 22 April Gales Ferry CT RASON @FireCo auction Darryl WA1DD 860 443 7799 + 23 April Framingham MA FARA @KeefeTS Andy KC1DMM 508 310 5913 A+ 30 April Middletown NY OARC @CommCtr Bruce K2ULZ 845 562 4226 A+ 5-6 May Deerfield NH NEARFest XXI @FG Mike K1TWF 978 250 1235 W+ 13 May E Greenbush NY EGARA @FireCo Tom KC2FCP 518 272 1494 A+ 20 May Goshen CT SoBARC $5@8 @FG Stan W2VID 518 398 7003 W+ 21 May Cambridge MA Flea at MIT Mitch 617 253 3776 F+ 3 June Brookline NH NEARC Antique@EvntCr $10@7:30 $5@8:30 Bruce 603 772 7516 W+ 4 June Fishkill MtBARC @DwnStCorr Adam KC2DAA 845-849-3666 A+ 4 June Staten I NY CPARA @ScoutCamp Gary KB2BSL 718 504 0030 W+ 10 June Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN @8AM Outside John 860 673 0518 + 11 June Queens NY HoSARC Stephen WB2KDG 718 898 5599 A+ 18 June Cambridge MA Flea at MIT Mitch 617 253 3776 F+ 16 July Cambridge MA Flea at MIT Mitch 617 253 3776 F+ 20 Aug Cambridge MA Flea at MIT Mitch 617 253 3776 F+ 27 Aug Adams MA NoBARC @BoweFld 6:30sell 7:30buy Eric KA1SUN 413 743 9975 27 Aug Newtown CT CARA @Town Hall John W1JGM 203 417 0160 A+ 8,10 Sept Boxboro MA FEMARA NE Conv Mike K1TWF 978 250 1235 9 Sept Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN @8AM Outside John 860 673 0518 + 10 Sept Ballston Spa NY SCRACES @FG $6@7 Jim KG2H 518 703-9558 F+ 17 Sept Cambridge MA Flea at MIT Mitch 617 253 3776 F+ 13-14 Oct Deerfield NH NEARFest XXII @FG Mike K1TWF 978 250 1235 W+ 15 Oct Cambridge MA Flea at MIT Mitch 617 253 3776 F+ 21 Oct Brookline NH NEARC Antique@EvntCr $10@7:30 $5@8:30 Bruce 603 772 7516 W+ 28 Oct Gales Ferry CT TCARC @FireCo auction Darryl WA1DD 860 443 7799 W 29 Oct Hicksville NY LIMARC @LeviitHall Richard K2KNB 516 694 4937 A+ 11 Nov Bourne MA FARA @UpperCC VoTech $5@9 $10/S@7 ralph N1YHS 508 548 0422 2 Dec Windsor CT VR+C Mus 115 Pierson LN @8AM Indoor John 860 673 0518 +

Near-term local fleas Contoocook Valley Radio Club Flea Market Sunday, 19-Mar'17 Buyers $3.00 (2/$5!), 8:00AM-1:30PM

(<http://138.68.27.108/site1/event/2017-cvrc-flea-market/>)

Henniker Community School

51 Western Av., Henniker, NH

<https://goo.gl/maps/GAj7TpHjDHm>

Flea at MIT

Sunday, 16-Apr'17

Buyers $6.00, 9:00AM-2:00PM ($1.00 discount with flyer:

<http://web.mit.edu/w1mx/www/swapfest/swapfest-2017.04.pdf>)

Parking Lot&Garage on Albany St. Cambridge, at Portland St.

<http://goo.gl/maps/KpTQO>

<http://web.mit.edu/w1mx/www/swapfest/buyers-parking.pdf>

Framingham ARA Flea

Sunday, 23-Apr'17

Buyers $5.00, 9:00AM-1:00PM

<http://www.w1fy.org/2017FleaFlyer.doc>

Keefe Vo-Tech

750 Winter St., Framingham, MA

<http://goo.gl/maps/QAVyE

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Field Day

Field Day 2017 George, K1IG - Field Day Chairman Mark your calendars and break out the insect repellant – it may feel like winter now, but Field Day 2017

is just three months away. PART will be at the Concord Rod & Gun Club again this year on June 24th and 25th, with plenty of food and fun, and there may even be a few foxes to find. Last year we contacted 49 of 50 states – can we get them all this year? Response to the first call for volunteers has been very good; we’ve got stations for CW, SSB, VHF, and Get On The Air (GOTA), a Safety Officer, food team leader, and antenna team leader identified. Important slots we need to fill are the digital station leader and generator coordinator. Antennas will be set up on Friday, June 23, and we need at least 15 people to help put them up. If you haven’t done this in previous years the routine is simple; we usually start around noon and divide into two teams. With enough people and enthusiasm we can finish by 5:00 PM.

More information will be provided at the monthly PART meetings.

Member Contribution

A Simple Antenna for Portable Operation

By Bob Glorioso, W1IS Ever since I got my KX3 and the freedom to take that small, self contained, all band, all mode, rig

anywhere including the back yard, the beach, etc., I have explored and used several different easy to launch antennas. I’ve used a 29’ wire thrown over a tree with a 15 ‘ counterpoise lying on the ground, a random wire because that’s what I had at the time, and a Buddistick. I’ve used the Buddistick hanging nearly horizontally out the window of our FL condo the past few years. Note that the Buddistick mount isn’t strong enough to hold the antenna at that angle so I use some twine attached to the window frame to hold it. I found that the long whip version with seven feet of wire clipped to the end works well with the tuner in the KX3 on 40-10m without a loading coil. Of course the feed line should be short as the cable loss will be high with the high SWR on the cable on some bands. Mine is short, about 4 feet. The Buddistick without the un-needed loading coil is about 9.5 feet long and I used an alligator clip to add seven feet of wire off the end.

Our second floor condo is about 20 feet from the intra-coastal waterway and my neighbors kept asking if I was catching anything so I started looking at fishing poles to use as an antenna. Wandering through a large sports gear store, I found a ten-foot ‘BnM’ telescoping fiberglass Crappie pole with built in reel on sale for $12. This was perfect as the fishing line threaded inside the fiberglass sections that collapse to five feet. The hole in the end of the pole looked perfect for threading my stripped translucent zip cord or the Silky 26 AWG antenna wire #534 from the Wireman, http://thewireman.com/antennap.html. I used 17’ of wire that would allow me to tune from 40M up. After you thread the wire through the pole, extend it to full length and secure the wire by tying a knot in it at the end of the pole.

Using a portable antenna always requires paying attention to the environment. At our condo I hang it out the window using string to support the pole at a slight angle so the extra 7 feet can hang vertically.

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For vertical use I let the extra wire just hang down along the outside of the pole or extend it keeping the end of the wire a few feet away from the pole as well as stretching it out horizontally like a top load if there is a nearby support. Mounting the antenna at one end of a picnic table and extending the wire towards the other end of the table works quite well. If you need to add some string or even using excess antenna wire, you don’t need an insulator at QRP levels so just make a loop in the string/wire and tie the antenna. In the condo I use the 19’ x 9 foot aluminum window fame as a counter poise but outside I string a wire along the ground and change the length by rolling up the end to a length that my KX3 tunes on the band/s of interest. I found 15-30 feet works fine for all bands from 60M up.

Now, the question was how to mount it. The solution was found on a trip through Lowes plumbing department with the handle of the fishing

pole in hand. With a few wraps of duct tape, it fit snugly inside a 2-inch plastic pipe. For my condo configuration, I selected a 90-degree elbow mounted to the Buddistick vertical antenna clamp with a 1/4x20 nut and lock washer as in the photo. I picked up some banana plugs and jacks to connect the coax I had on hand to the antenna but a BNC or S0-239 can also be mounted on the elbow to connect the antenna to your rig. For picnic table operation you can run the antenna wire directly to your rig. I use the aluminum window frame in our condo for a counterpoise. You can use other metal things for a counterpoise but a hunk of wire from 15-30 feet long stretched along the ground works fine for picnic table operation. The trick is to find a length of wire that your rig and tuner can accommodate. You don’t have to cut the counterpoise, just roll up the end until your rig can tune the antenna.

To use it as a Vertical use a 4-6 inch piece of 2-inch plastic pipe with a cap bolted to the Buddistick vertical mount.

There are many version of telescoping Crappie poles. BnM has three versions, 10, 12, and 14 feet for $16-$23, https://www.bnmpoles.com/p-133-fish-pole-reel-combo.aspx. The Buddistick vertical mount is available at, http://www.buddipole.com/veranclam.html for $24.50.

In 2015 using the 17 foot version, I came in first in the ARRL DX Contest QRP in the South Florida Section, SFL, operating from our condo but, conditions were much better than they are now in the lows of the Sun Spot Cycle so I needed something that would work better on 40 Meters. It turns out that an antenna length of 29 feet fits the bill and allows my KX3 to tune all the bands from 30M up. How did I deal with this much wire in our little condo? If I let it droop it almost would reach the ground in front of my neighbor’s window so that wasn't a choice. Instead, I stuck a hook on the concrete wall next to the window, extended the length with a short hunk of the left over wire as above and looped it through the hook. The antenna now went out ten feet and stretched back 19 feet to the window as shown in the attached photos. The window frame is still the counterpoise. For picnic table operation the antenna can be strung from the top of the pole to a tree or some other support with a 15-30 foot counterpoise

The proof of any antenna is in the operating. From our FL condo on the intra-coastal waterway, I have worked all over the U.S. including Alaska and Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Japan and many countries in Europe, Africa and South America using the KX3 and its internal antenna tuner. DXCC count so far is 121, 70 on SSB and 116 on CW.

I entered the ARRL DX CW Contest again this year and made 151 QSOs in 6.8 hours of operating in 49 countries. In 2015 I had 82 QSOs on 10M in 41 countries. This year I had only ONE 10 M QSO. Not having 10M open reduced my QSO rate and reduced my QSO count from 203 in 5.4 hours or 38 QSOs per hour in 2015 to 151 in 6.8 hours or 22 QSOs per hour this year. On the other hand, I had 12 QSOs on 40M with 10 countries in 2015 and 38 QSOs with 18 countries this year. No doubt I missed the magic of low power propagation on 10 M this year but the longer antenna did its job. It just took longer to make each QSO fighting the cacophony that is always with us in contests that require 40M, like Field Day!

I can’t end this without noting that this QTH has the great advantage of being close to salt water sometimes called the “Water Amplifier.”

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Antenna Mount Fishing Pole Antenna – 17 foot version

Rig in Condo, note short feed line

29 foot version – pole and drooping wire 29 foot version – far end

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Public Service

Apple Blossom Parade – Saturday May 13th, 2017 Hello PARTers new and old… for many years PART has been asked to provide communications support for the Westford Kiwanis Apple Blossom Parade. This year is no different; the parade is on Saturday, May 13th, 2017. The Westford Kiwanis Apple Blossom Festival is a town tradition dating back to 1968. This year’s event is the 47th year that the Westford Kiwanis have hosted the festival as a fundraiser to support local youth through scholarships, grants and financial support. The festival, which runs from Wednesday, May 10th through Sunday, May 14th, features the very popular Apple Blossom parade, a carnival, the Apple Blossom Queen contest, talent show, fireworks and more. For our “part”, the parade starts around 10 AM near the junction of Graniteville Rd and Main St. and ending at Abbot School. For those that are assisting you will need to be available from 8:30/9:00AM until 11:00AM/noon at the latest. All you need to bring is a 2 meter walkie and some good walking shoes. We need about a dozen operators for this event. Most volunteers will be assigned to "shadow" various members of the AB Parade committee. Our actual duty will not start till about 9:00AM but we need to get into the center of town before the roads are closed and we need to establish our assignments by 8:30 AM or so. Please contact Terry-KA8SCP if you are interested and can assist or need more information. PLEASE NOTE: We are INVITED to be a parade participant as well. We already have a banner. Maybe we can even put a vehicle… like a Corvette or a classic car/truck out front and a handful of folks with some “communicator’s vests”… what do you think?

New England QSO Party – May 7-8 2017

The NEQP is a great time to check out antenna systems and offers a moderately paced opportunity to work new states and countries. You'll find a wide variety of participants, from newcomers to experienced contesters, all interested in making contacts with New England stations.

We're working to make sure that all of the New England counties are active again this year and would appreciate your help. Get on for at least an hour or two and join in on the fun. Please let me know if you can put in any time at all so we can work on activity from the rarest counties. Will you be QRV? Let us know which county you'll be on from with a message to info@neqp.org

Oh yes, the NEQP is also lots of fun when mobile. Every time you cross a county line the action starts over again. It's amazing what a 100w radio and mobile whip can do.

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The QSO Party is 20 hours long overall, in two sections with a civilized break for sleep Saturday night. It goes from 4pm Saturday until 1am Sunday, then 9am Sunday until 8pm Sunday. Operate on CW, SSB and digital modes on 80-40-20-15-10 meters. For each QSO you'll give your callsign, a signal report and your county/state.

The full rules are here -> http://www.neqp.org/rules.html The list of 2016 are on-line and the results since 2002 are also available -> http://www.neqp.org/results.html Thanks! 73 Tom/K1KI

Good to know WX information

Winter Watches and Warning

Warnings, watches, and advisories are issued by the National Weather Service to convey the threat of hazardous weather events. These terms can be confusing; maybe this will help clear it up for you! WATCH: Issued when the risk of hazardous weather has increased, but there is still some uncertainty about the situation. Watches are issued well in advance of a potential weather event so that people can start to think about preparations. WARNING: Issued when severe weather is already occurring, is imminent, or has a very high probability of happening. Warnings are issued for conditions that can pose a threat to life or property. To give an example, a WINTER STORM WATCH is issued if snow or ice has the potential to cause dangerous conditions in the next day or two. A WINTER STORM WARNING would be issued if a dangerous winter storm was likely and only hours away. ADVISORY: Issued for weather conditions that don't quite warrant a warning. Advisories are for weather that may cause inconvenience, like fog, or minor flooding, but it is not necessarily a threat to life or property. What about a Blizzard Watch and Warnings? Using the same basic criteria for winter weather as above… but adding wind to the mix changes the definition. A Blizzard Watch is an advisory issued by the National Weather Service of the United States which means winds greater than 35 miles per hour (30 kn; 56 km/h), mixed with falling or blowing snow, and visibilities of 1⁄4 mile (0.4 km) or less is forecast for a period of 3 hours or more. A Blizzard Warning (SAME code: BZW) is an advisory issued by the National Weather Service of the United States which means sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph / 15 m/s or greater with heavy snow is forecast for a period of 3 hours or more. Here are some interesting winter weather links from our friends at the National Weather Service in Taunton as well as the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency:

National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center:

http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/#page=ovw

National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/

From MEMA:

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Utilize MEMA's real-time power outage viewer to stay informed about current power outages in

your community and region, and across the state, including information from utility companies

about restoration times: http://mema.mapsonline.net/public.html

Utilize MEMA's live weather radar and forecasting tools, including the live snowfall forecast map:

http://memamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=0da6e4d888b74317b52

b7a5064aa3dc2

Special Event Station

W1MGY - RMS Titanic - Special Event Station

The Titanic/Marconi Memorial Radio Association of Cape Cod - W1MGY, is sponsoring the worldwide commemoration to honor the approximately 1,500 passengers and crew who died when the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from England to the US. The Association's call, W1MGY, recalls the Titanic's call MGY. Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts has invited organizers of this Amateur Radio special event to set up at its Salt Pond Visitor Center. W1MGY operators have permission to operate from the national park for 3 days and 2 nights.

We will operate from there on April 13, 14, and 15 until 0527 UTC, the time the Titanic’s last radio

message was heard by the Virginian. W1MGY will transmit a final message at the time the ship foundered.

W1MGY will set up two stations staffed by about two dozen volunteers and operate on CW, SSB, and

possibly PSK31. All operating will be done in the General class band segments. As starting points, look for us at 3.950 MHz, 7.270 MHz, and 14.285 MHz, +/- for QRM and depending on band conditions. W1MGY will be on the air for a public demonstration on April 15, from 9:30 AM until about 2 PM EDT.

W1MGY will reply to direct QSLs with a beautiful special-event QSL card, and also via LoTW. More

info on the QRZ.com page for W1MGY. We hope to work you on the air!

This is your pre-meeting reminder to add something to your weekly shopping to bring to the next meeting. Watch your e-mail for specific needs this month. PART member donations have been greatly appreciated in the past and we hope to continue this great community service at every meeting.

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Amateur Radio News

From eHam.net News:

Northwest States Write Up Wake Up Call For 'The Big One': by nwnewsnetwork.org on March 12, 2017 The report cards are in and it's not pretty if you worry about how you'll fare after a Magnitude 9 Cascadia megaquake and tsunami. Washington and Oregon's emergency management divisions have now published after-action reviews of last June's multi-state disaster drill called Cascadia Rising . The four-day simulation was the largest earthquake and tsunami exercise Northwest states have ever staged -- more than 20,000 people participated. The upshot in one sentence is that governments at all levels are ill prepared and ill equipped for The Big One. Oregon Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps said a high priority for him is to improve communication capacity for when telephones and the internet are down. "We're looking at amateur radio as a way to increase our alternate methods of communication and then seeing what else is out there,” he said. Washington's Emergency Management Division also noted a need for professionals and volunteer radio operators to practice together more. Phelps said you may help your own cause and your neighborhood's by qualifying for an amateur radio license -- also known as ham radio.

Founded in 1937, The East Rand Radio Club Celebrates its 80th Anniversary: by benonicitytimes.co.za on March 12, 2017 According to Connel Paul, a member of the club. amateur radio (ham radio) is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. “People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the internet or cellphones,” said Paul. “It’s fun, social, educational and can be a lifeline during times of need.” Currently made up of 50 members, the president of the club is Willem van der Merwe, a radio ham with many years’ experience. According to Paul, to become a radio ham you need to pass the Radio Amateur’s Examination. This examination is held every year, in May and November. The club holds lectures at the clubhouse on a Tuesday evening, from 6pm to 9pm, for 15 weeks per semester.

VK6WIA -- NewsWest for 12 March, 2017: by WA Amateur Radio News on March 11, 2017 Welcome to Lemming News, brought to you by the team at WA Amateur Radio News. We really hope you enjoyed our election special last week -- and thanks again to those whos contributions and collaboration allowed us to put it to air for you. As the West Australian State Government election winds down, the Wireless Institute of Australian Election continues. Have you voted yet? If for some reason you didn't receive your voting paper - be sure to contact the WIA as possible. So, onto this broadcast. We have an interesting variety for you this week:

Freeport Man Keeps Ham Radio Operators Returning: by washingtontimes.com on March 11, 2017 FREEPORT, Ill. (AP) - If you were to walk into Jim Dorsey’s one-bedroom apartment, you might not expect to see 30 to 50 people gather there each Friday night. Dorsey, 69, runs Friday Night Fun Net, a weekly gathering of ham radio operators. Dorsey’s net draws people from Freeport to Michigan to his living room via radio waves. As many as 120 people in a single night have tuned in to Dorsey’s frequency to swap stories. Dorsey, who is legally blind, got his ham radio license in 2004 after memorizing all the questions to the test. His love for radio goes back to when he was growing up in Ridott. Overall, there are 68 people with amateur radio call signs in Freeport, according to radioreference.com. “Radio has always been my thing,” he said. “I’ve been interested in it since I was a young man. I listen to more radio than I watch TV.”

Coquitlam Amateur Radio Operator to Take to the Airwaves at Vimy Ridge: by tricitynews.com on March 11, 2017 A Coquitlam man will play a unique role next month at the 100th anniversary commemorative services at Vimy Ridge, France. Between April 1 and 9, Keith Witney and 13 other Canadians -- as well as two French citizens -- will run an amateur radio station near the historic battleground to tell the world about Canada's contribution. The Canadians' success at the German-held Vimy Ridge, in April 1917, proved a turning point in the Great War and put the country on the map for its military prowess. Historians have described Vimy as "the moment when Canada leapt in spirit from colony to nation." In 1922, a liberated France recognized the war effort by ceding 250 acres of the former battle site to Canada for a national memorial. Already, Witney has travelled to the memorial park twice to prepare for his group to take to the airwaves for the 10-day, 24/7 project. (Vimy holds a special place for amateur

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radio enthusiasts in Canada as it was the base for the wireless operations of the Canadian Corps of Signals after the ridge fell to the Allies.) The amateur operators running the commemorative radio station -- many of them experienced contesters and Dxpeditioners who are organized under the Vimy Commemorative Station Society, a B.C. non-profit group -- will use the special call sign of TM100VIMY during their stint.

Veteran, Longtime Hurricane Watch Member Don Kay, K0IND, (SK) at 89: by newsherald.com on March 11, 2017 Don Kay's weather and radio hobbies converged in 1965, when he became one of the original members of the Hurricane Watch Net, a group of ham operators who provide communications support to the National Hurricane Center. PANAMA CITY BEACH -- Embedded in Col. Don Kay's ham radio call sign, K0IND, is the word "kind." It is a subtly fitting tribute for a man who completed five tours in Vietnam and spent the rest of his life helping save lives through a hurricane communications network. Kay, 89, an Air Force veteran and resident of Panama City Beach, died March 1 at a VA hospital in Springfield after battling lung cancer for several years. "A lot of what Dad did was volunteer," said Vickie Willis, Kay's daughter. "It was something he enjoyed. ... The whole premise of what he did was saving lives."

Foundations of Amateur Radio -- #92: by Onno VK6FLAB on March 10, 2017 One of the things many Amateurs appear to take for granted is that their signal sounds just the way that they expect it to. Basing your signal on verbal reports from others will give you some idea of what is going on. There is a better way. If you could actually hear what is going on, what could you learn from your own signal?

Ham Radio Expo Set in Belton on Saturday: by tdtnews.com on March 10, 2017 The Temple Amateur Radio Club will present its spring Ham Expo Saturday in the Bell Country Expo Center Exposition Exhibit Arena. The Expo Center is located at 301 W. Loop 121 in Belton. Ham Expo is a swap fest of new and used amateur radio equipment. The event will allow vendors to sell their products and distribute information to interested buyers. Amateur radio license exams will also be offered.

From Our Archives: Skaneateles Ham Radio Operator Aids Journalist in Africa by syracuse.com on March 10, 2017 Edward Paddock Morgan was a prominent journalist who reported for newspapers and television and radio services like PBS, ABC and CBS. He co-anchored ABC's television coverage of John F. Kennedy's assassination and presidential nominating conventions. He also sat on the press panel at the second debate between Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. He might be most famous for his coverage of the collision of the ocean liners S.S. Andrea Doria and S.S. Stockholm off the coast of Massachusetts for ABC Radio. His 14-year-old daughter had been aboard the Andrea Doria and was presumed dead, but Morgan continued to cover the event, never telling listeners about his own personal tragedy. The next day the girl was discovered aboard the Stockholm; the impact catapulting her from her cabin to the other ship's deck. She suffered only a broken arm, and was dubbed "miracle girl" by the media. Morgan would win many honors throughout his career, including the DuPont and the Peabody. His New York Times obituary in 1993 said his personal credo was "to be as fair as possible but as critical as possible." While covering Vice President Richard Nixon's goodwill tour of Africa in March of 1957, Morgan would have to rely on a ham radio operator in Skaneateles to get his report to his listeners.

Think a Cell Phone Will Save You? Think Again: by wnd.com on March 10, 2017 Here’s another reason why you -- and your friends and family -- should prep: AP-NORC poll: Divided Americans fret country losing identity Even considering the source for this poll (liberal university folks and an Associated Press poll reporter), the news is dire. In a nut shell, the results of the poll find that 7 in 10 people -- regardless of party -- say America is losing its identity. The difference between the parties is that Republicans believe (truthfully) that our culture is defined by our Christianity and our European founders, while the Democrats think (quite wrongly) that it’s been the melting pot of immigrants and refugees that have defined America. Starting today, we’re going to take a look at prepper communication methods, notably those types that fall under the category of amateur radio. Like my previous conversations about guns, I’m sure to tick off a bunch of amateur radio enthusiasts. I’ve got to walk a very fine line here, because amateur radio has performed stellar service to the country in times past with emergency communications. Organizations such as ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) have often stepped up to the plate to provide essential communication in emergencies.

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RadioShack Again Files for Bankruptcy: by The ARRL Letter on March 9, 2017 Once the go-to store for radio amateurs, electronics tinkerers, and shortwave listeners, RadioShack has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in 2 years, placing the future of its remaining stores in jeopardy. The 1,743 retail outlets that survived RadioShack's 2015 bankruptcy were acquired by General Wireless Inc., an affiliate of Standard General LP, which, at the time, received US Bankruptcy Court approval to acquire the inventory and assume the leases of the RadioShack stores. Now down to 1,500 stores, RadioShack once boasted more than 5,000 stores nationwide. At least some of RadioShack's 5,900 employees could be affected. That figure is down from 7,500 workers 2 years ago.

ARRL News

International Crystal Manufacturing Going Out of Business

March 10, 2017 - International Crystal Manufacturing (ICM) of Oklahoma City has announced that it will be going out of business, probably at the end of May. Royden Freeland Jr., W5EMH, son of the company’s founder, posted a letter this week on the ICM website. “We will be honoring all orders that we have already taken and will be able to fill a limited amount of new orders dependent upon raw materials available...

Teen Radio Amateur to Activate Iceland on his Inaugural DXpedition

March 10, 2017 - Fourteen-year-old Mason Matrazzo, KM4SII, of Clemmons, North Carolina, will be on the air from Iceland as TF/KM4SII, March 13-19. Activity will be on 40, 20, and 17 meters, SSB only. Mason, who will be operating with a portable setup, is calling it his “Buddistick™ DXpedition to Iceland.” He said on his TF/KM4SII page on QRZ.com page that most operation will be from the village of Vík, at the so...

The K7RA Solar Update

March 10, 2017 - Over four days last week, we saw a blank Sun, starting with March 4. On March 5, the sunspot number was 11 (indicating a single sunspot), then on March 6-8 the Sun was blank again. Thus, we saw an average daily sunspot number of just 14.1, a 20-point drop from the previous seven days. Yesterday (Thursday) still no sunspots (our reporting week for calculating averages runs Thursday through Wednes...

You have DXing Questions? Dr. DX has Answers!

March 10, 2017 - The Southern California DX Club (SCDXC) has announced that “Dr. DX” is on call and ready to answer questions via e-mail from fledgling DXers. A team of experienced DXers will offer helpful replies to any and all DXing-related questions. The club has also distributed a brochure to Southern California Amateur Radio clubs to entice hams who are not yet DXers into that area of the hobby. Ham clubs o...

ARISS Congratulates Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, as Hamvention’s Amateur of the Year

Thursday, March 09, 2017 - Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has congratulated ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, for being tapped as Hamvention® 2017 Amateur of the Year. “Each year, Hamvention recognizes radio amateurs known for making major contributions to the art and science of amateur radio, and it’s no surprise why Bauer was chosen,” an ARISS statement said. Among other things, Ha...

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RadioShack Again Files for Bankruptcy

March 09, 2017 - Once the go-to store for radio amateurs, electronics tinkerers, and shortwave listeners, RadioShack has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in 2 years, placing the future of its remaining stores in jeopardy. The 1743 retail outlets that survived RadioShack’s 2015 bankruptcy were acquired by General Wireless Inc, an affiliate of Standard General LP, which, at the time, received U...

New FCC Chairman Declares First Phase of Pilot Transparency Project a Success

March 08, 2017 - New FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, just nominated for a second 5-year term on the FCC by President Donald Trump, is declaring the initial phase of his pilot program to increase the transparency of its rule making process a success. Pai announced the program in early February, It will, for the first time, make public the full text of documents circulated to the rest of the Commission for a vote at FCC o...

Cape Cod National Seashore to Host W1MGY Titanic Memorial Special Event

Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Three-Way Race Under Way for Southwestern Division Vice Director Slot

March 08, 2017 - A three-way race has shaped up to fill the ARRL Southwestern Division Vice Director’s chair. The candidates are Edward J. “Ned” Stearns, AA7A, of Scottsdale, Arizona, who served in the position briefly more than 10 years ago; Lawrence “Grant” Hays, WB6OTS, of Sierra Vista, Arizona, and Frank Westphal, K6FW, of Chino, California. The ARRL Board Ethics and Elections Committee has reviewed the pet...

Nodir Tursoon-Zadeh, EY8MM, to Keynote Dayton Top Band Dinner

March 08, 2017 - Nodir Tursoon-Zadeh, EY8MM, of Tajikistan will be the keynote speaker for the 28th annual Top Band Dinner, Friday, May 19, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Dayton. He will speak about Top Band preparations associated with the January 2018 3Y0Z DXpedition to Bouvet Island, where he will head up 160-meter operations. EY8MM is an accomplished 160-meter operator who recently confirmed 300 DXCC ...

Puerto Rico Section, American Red Cross PR Chapter, Ink Memorandum of Understanding

March 08, 2017 - The ARRL Puerto Rico Section and the American Red Cross Puerto Rico Chapter have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to offer assistance and emergency communication support, should Red Cross communication systems fail or are disrupted. The MoU signing took place on March 3 at the Red Cross offices in San Juan. Red Cross Regional Executive Lee Vanessa Feliciano and Puerto Rico Section Man...

Combined National, IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships Set for this Summer in Ohio

Wednesday, March 08, 2017 - The combined USA National ARDF Championships and the IARU Region 2 ARDF Championships will take place from July 31 to August 6 near Cincinnati, Ohio. These will be the 17th USA Championships and the 9th for IARU Region 2. The OH-KY-IN Amateur Radio Club is organizing the event. Radio orienteers from near and far will participate in foxoring, sprint, 2-meter, and 80-meter competitions. Individual...

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Hurricane Watch Net Pioneer Don Kay, K0IND, SK

March 06, 2017 - Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) pioneer Donald J. “Don” Kay, K0IND, of Panama City, Florida, died on March 1. He was 89.

“Don was a great friend and Elmer,” said HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. “I cherish the times

we talked on the air as well as my visits to his home.” Graves said Kay was a humanitarian who loved

Amateur Radio and helping people. All told, he said, Kay served the HWN for more than ...

Scouts in Belize Learn about Amateur Radio

March 06, 2017 - The Belize Amateur Radio Club (BARC) presented an “Introduction to Amateur Radio” for the Scout Association of Belize on February 26. The demonstration, held at the Scouts National Training Grounds, covered BARC’s goals for Amateur Radio in Belize, a video, a hands-on demonstration of radio equipment, and a question-and-answer session. The demonstration represented a first step in cooperation b...

ARRL Bulletins

2017-02-27 ARLX001 Past ARRL Midwest Division Director Lew Gordon, K4VX (SK)

2017-02-24 ARLB010 New Section Manager Appointed in West Virginia

2017-02-22 ARLB009 Winter Cycle Section Manager Election Results Announced

2017-02-21 ARLB008 New Section Manager Appointed in Illinois

2017-02-21 ARLB007 FCC Invites Comments on ARRL Petition to Allocate New 5 MHz Band

2017-01-26 ARLB006 Amateur Radio Parity Act Speeds to U.S. House Passage, Heads to U.S. Senate

2017-01-17 ARLB005 New "Amateur Radio Parity Act" Bill Introduced in US House of Representatives

2017-01-13 ARLB004 ARRL Asks FCC to Allocate New 5 MHz Band, Retain Channels and Current

Power Limit

2017-01-12 ARLB003 Illegal Drone Transmitters Could Interfere with Air Traffic Control, ARRL

Complaint Asserts

2017-01-06 ARLB002 FCC Dismisses Two Petitions from Radio Amateurs

2017-01-03 ARLB001 W1AW 2017 Winter Operating Schedule

The PART monthly meetings are held at the Cameron Senior Center, 20 Pleasant Street in Westford. NOW STARTING AT 7 PM Click here for the address and information.

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Latest Amateur Radio News from around the world

URL: http://www.southgatearc.org

SARL: Encourage the younger generation

SARL News says we need to be proactive to change and challenges, and not take a position of "wait and see" for attitudes to change

VK6WIA - NewsWest for Sunday 12 March, 2017

Welcome to Lemming News, brought to you by the team at WA Amateur Radio News

IARUMS: South Atlantic STANAG-4285 in 40m

The IARU-R1 Monitoring System newsletter reports a STANAG-4285 signal in the 40m amateur radio band is probably from the Falkland Islands

RTÉ Radio 1 to continue on Longwave till 2019

RTÉ has agreed to continue its longwave 252 service in the UK until the end of June 2019

US ARISS proposal window remains open through April 15, 2017

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS

Radio club celebrates 80th anniversary

Khutso Maphatsoe writes in the Benoni City Times about the East Rand Radio Club which is celebrating its 80th anniversary

Propagation Report from Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at very low levels

Ham radio at Vimy Ridge commemoration

Tricity News reports on the role a radio amateur from Coquitlam will play next month at the 100th anniversary commemorative services at Vimy Ridge, France

Ham radio operator aids journalist in Africa

While covering Vice President Richard Nixon's goodwill tour of Africa in March 1957, journalist Edward Morgan used amateur radio to get his news report to his listeners

Foundations of Amateur Radio - Episode 92

One of the things many Amateurs appear to take for granted is that their signal sounds just the way that they expect it to

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International space docking standard updated

The International Space Station Multilateral Coordination Board has approved a major update to the station docking system standard

The Day the Music 'Almost' Died

This year sees the 50th anniversary of the UK Marine Broadcasting (Offences) Act

WCA - World Castles Award

News of three operations for the World Castles Award

TX Factor GB2RS News Podcast

All the very latest Amateur Radio news is now available via the TX Factor GB2RS weekly podcast

Field Day on Social Media!

Follow Field Day on Facebook and Twitter! ARRL has created a Field Day event on Facebook, and you

can also join the conversation by using the hash tag #ARRLFD. Share your plans, tips and tricks to a

successful Field Day!

http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

Objective- To work as many stations as possible on any and all

amateur bands (excluding the 60, 30, 17, and 12-meter bands) and

to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal

conditions. Field Day is open to all amateurs in the areas covered

by the ARRL/RAC Field Organizations and countries within

IARU Region 2. DX stations residing in other regions may be

contacted for credit, but are not eligible to submit entries

.

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Repeater Nets

146.955 Nets – There are a number of nets that are regularly scheduled on the 955 repeater.

Sunday night at 2000/8:00 PM Sunday Night PART Net – every

Sector 1C Emergency Communications Net – this net occurs the 1st Monday or every month (except when it is a holiday). Skywarn and ARES Nets – these nets are spontaneous when local conditions warranted.

NOTE: You can LISTEN ONLY to this repeater audio by linking to this URL: http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=10933 (effective 2/2012)

442.450 D-Star Nets – There are a number of nets that are regularly scheduled.

Sunday 8:00 PM Ozark Mtn D-STAR Net – Reflector 001C

Tuesday 8:00 PM New England Amateur D-STAR Net – Reflector 010C

Friday 8:00 PM CanNet D-Star Net – XRF021B

NOTE: The status of the WB1GOF D-Star repeaters can be seen at https://wb1gof.dstargateway.org

Monthly PART Breakfast

Don't forget the monthly PART breakfast the 1st Saturday of each month at the Westford Regency Inn at 8 AM.

The full hot & cold buffet breakfast costs about $15 (includes tip) per person, a cheaper, lighter fare is available for adults and children. NOTE: PLEASE let the

folks who are settling the bill with the staff know whether you had a full or

continental breakfast!

Monthly Breakfast Pricing

The adult full breakfast is $11.95 + 18% +

6.25% = $15.00 (rounded up slightly). This

price has recently changed. Here is the math

for completeness and full disclosure.

Continental breakfast: $9.00 (same price)

Full breakfast: $15.00 (new price)

Kid’s breakfast: $9.00(new price effective March 2015

Copyright WB1GOF, Robert Schmeichel 2013

Copyright WB1GOF, Robert Schmeichel

2011

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Repeater Information

Repeater Interference

The 146.955 repeater periodically has had interference to in-progress

conversations as well as at random quiet times throughout the day and night. The repeater interference committee needs your help in collecting data. If you hear any

type of interference, please report the following info to "repeater" at

"wb1gof.org":

Time: When did the event happen?

Observing location: Where were you? Were you mobile?

Frequency: Input only (146.355 MHz)

What you heard: Voices, tones, kerchunking or whatever.

Signal strength: Either by ear (noisy, quiet or full quiet) or S meter

Radio: To get an idea of the reporter’s radio situation.

* Most important - what direction: How did you determine direction? This is the most essential piece of information. Even if it's an estimate as in "Roughly east" or "from the Northeast" it's useful. NEVER EVER reply

or direct any thing to the sick person causing the interference. Because some of us have answered this person, he

knows we are aware of him and that is what keeps him doing it. Also since you are communicating with a non IDing station you are operating just as illegally as he is. YOU ARE BROADCASTING! NEVER TALK ABOUT

INTERFERENCE on air. NEVER

If you are interested in assisting in helping us identify the sources of interference, contact Terry-KA8SCP.

EmComm events and repeater use

Most everyone knows that the 146.955 repeater is used during times of emergency situations, drills and

exercises. Skywarn and the monthly EmComm drills are the normal events.

So what does this mean to those that are just looking for regular QSOs with other users? It means that if

you are in a regular QSO and there is a significant weather situation that has been getting press/air-time

lately, you can expect that if severe weather develops in our area, the folks from Taunton-WX1BOX may

interrupt a QSO and ask anyone on frequency what may be happening weather wise. The BOX operator

will probably ask for specific information, hail, wind damage, property dame from lightning or wind, etc.

Please give him the information he needs or tell him that you’ve not heard of any such activity. You don’t

need to tell him it is sunny in Nashua!

There may come a time when an unexpected emergency situation arises. These will significant events

that may affect life and property. This is where EmComm activity may step in. Usually an NCS will

interrupt a QSO and announce the situation and ask for a QSO to cease or to be “aware” of the possibility

of priority calls/traffic. Please make sure you leave breaks between transmissions so stations with traffic

can get in between QSOs. If there is enough traffic, it may be necessary for your existing/interrupted QSO

QSY to another frequency. You should use your best judgment or check with the NCS on what he feels is

best.

If you have any questions, please feel free to correspond with Terry-KA8SCP. All requests for repeater

use can be initiated by email to info@wb1gof.org.

Repeater propogation info is available on the PART website. Check out

the links to the summit information as well as coverage and plot plans maps for the WB1GOF repeaters. Complete info on the site can be found at this URL.

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PARTicles © 2016, a publication of PART of Westford, MA

– WB1GOF

This month’s editor: Terry Stader – KA8SCP

PART official mailing address is:

PART, PO Box 503, Westford, MA 01886

Our website is: http://wb1gof.org

Our forum is: http://wb1gof.net/forums/

Contact us at: info@wb1gof.org Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/wb1gof

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wb1gof

PART Gear

The PART Quartermaster has lots of great PART-ware for sale including mugs and shirts. You can get information how you can obtain your PART-ware at the monthly club meetings. Club members are also encouraged to obtain an official PART badge (the first one is FREE to new members). We use The Sign Man of Baton Rouge as our official suppler, and you can you can browse the club's design at: <http://thesignman.com/clubs/part.html>. However, please place your order via the PART Membership Chairman, Hugh Maguire-N1QGE, hulin127@verizon.net so that we may benefit from bulk pricing.

EmComm

Emergency Communications – The WB1GOF 146.955 repeater is used on the first Monday of every month (except federal/state holidays) for an EmComm Net starting at 1930 local time. If you are interested in being part of the local emergency communications team in your community, feel free to contact any of the following folks: Terry Stader – KA8SCP, MEMA Region 1 Communications Officer & Town of Westford Bill Ohm – W1OHM, for the Town of Chelmsford Darrel Mallory – K1EJ, North Middlesex ARES - We need radio operators that can pass messages on to the local

emergency management directors in several towns in northern Middlesex County. Skywarn - The WB1GOF 146.955 repeater is also used for reporting significant weather events to the National Weather Service from our local spotters. You can provide valuable information even if you have not attended one of the training sessions. Listen to the Skywarn Net Control Station for reporting criteria, when you have information that qualifies, please advise him with your report. Situational Awareness – Recently, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has asked the Amateur Radio community to provide situational awareness and disaster intelligence information within your local community via EmComm nets and/or Skywarn stations. Significant events such as widespread power outages can be reported and by agencies such as MEMA to evaluate the scope of a blackout for example. Initially, you should try and contact the EmComm Net Control Stations on the Westford 146.955 repeater to pass this information. More on this new program will be forthcoming. PART Sunday Night Net – The PART Net each Sunday night is an IMPORTANT part of our regional EmComm function. With each station that checks in from the surrounding communities, we test our ability to communicate vital information to the ham radio community. Sure we announce club info but we can also communicate regional disaster news and serve as a “hub” for news of situations in our communities. The repeater is on a generator, so even if we loose power in the region, an HT with a supply of batteries will reconnect you to other local hams.

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