Author: Phil Temples

Organizational

June 2023 Section News

- by Phil Temples

ARRL logoGreetings ARRL members and friends:

This will be my final monthly report to you after about 250 of them since 2002. Challenger Nancy Austin KC1NEK received more votes than I in the recent  election, so now I may truly retire on July 1st. It has been an honor to serve you and I hope that I was able to represent you well and make your ARRL membership fruitful. Thank you for your support of ARRL. They cannot function without it. 

As your current SM, I shall try to visit as many of our club Field Day sites as I can since my term ends at the end of June when I can truly retire. I was appointed to serve the remaining term of SM K1FLD who became a Silent Key in office and as his Assistant SM, ARRL tapped me to serve his remaining 18 months. I had never expressed any wish to be an SM. At the time, I had just retired after 42 years at Raytheon and my wife was concerned that she would trip over me if I was in the house all day with nothing to do. No one ever ran against me. So now, I can really retire. Thank you all. 

ARRL Bulletin ARLX005 reports that Phillip J. Beaudet, N6PJB, of Burney, California was fined $24,000 for jamming a net and failing to identify.  He has my last name but is not related to me as far as I know. He violated a major rule and must pay the fine. Details may be seen at http://www.arrl.org/news/licensee-hit-with-24-000-fine-for-jamming-net-failure-to-id-fcc.

A major player in ham radio became a Silent Key unexpectedly. Chip Margelli, K7JA of Garden Grove, CA touched many lives in his 60 years licensed. Like hundreds of others, I knew Chip personally and admired his skill on the air. He was a GREAT CW operator and a winning contester. Read http://www.arrl.org/news/he-touched-so-many-lives-chip-margelli-k7ja-sk for his extensive bio. When he was a VP at Yaesu, he talked me out of buying their just released and highly promoted FT-1000 Field HF radio and getting their FT-1000D instead. He knew that I would be happier with the older 1000D which was a ten year old design at the time. He was totally right and I still have the radio 21 years later. 73 my friend and I hope propagation is good where you are now. 

While on the subject of Silent Keys, I want to let you know that I shall continue my long time practice of reporting all Silent Keys who come to my attention, whether I know them personally or not. The form that ARRL wishes us to use may be accessed at https://www.arrl.org/files/file/VEs/SK_Report%20a%20Silent%20Key_Interactive%202023.pdf. Since I won’t be able to do it, when my time comes, I would appreciate very much for someone to take the time to report my passing to the SK desk. Anyone may do it, ham license not required. You should have the obit from the newspaper or other source. I truly would appreciate it and thank you. In my opinion, doing that shows our respect for the person as well as for our great hobby. It’s OK to duplicate, so don’t worry about sending in multiple reports. 

Complying with RF exposure regulations is now mandatory for all amateurs. See details at http://www.arrl.org/rf-exposure-calculator . You must check your station to assure that you are not endangering yourself or others close to your antenna. No amateur is exempt. I checked my station and it complies on all bands. 

Applications for grants from the ARRL Foundation until June 30. More details may be seen at http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-foundation-accepting-applications-for-grants-in-june . Many club programs and ideas could have merit for consideration.  Please review the Foundation and see if your inspiration might win. 

I plan to remain active on the HF bands mainly using FT8 and CW but occasionally using SSB. Thank you again for your support over the last 21 years. It has been a pleasure and honor to serve you. I know that you will support our new Section Manager, KC1NEK. 

73,

——————————————————————–
ARRL Rhode Island Section
Section Manager: Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC
[email protected]
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Regulation & Advocacy

ARLB011 Legislation to Remove Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio Introduced in Congress

- by Phil Temples

ARRL logoFrom ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT June 14, 2023
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB011
ARLB011 Legislation to Remove Private Land Use Restrictions on Amateur Radio Introduced in Congress

Congressmen Bill Johnson (OH-06) and Joe Courtney (CT-02) reintroduced a bill in the US House of Representatives on June 12 – H.R.4006 – to remove private land use restrictions that prohibit, restrict, or impair the ability of Amateur Radio operators from operating and installing reasonable antennas on property that they own or control. Similar legislation, H.R. 9670, was introduced by Congressman Johnson in 2022.

The full text of the bill can be found in PDF format at, https://billjohnson.house.gov/uploadedfiles/amateur_radio_emergency_preparedness_act_signed_bill_text.pdf

“I reintroduced the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act to remove barriers to disaster and emergency communications and training, and to promote education in STEM subjects related to critically needed wireless technology,” Congressman Johnson said in a release. “Passage of this bill will promote developing and sustaining our nation’s wireless future and facilitate and encourage amateur radio operations as a public benefit.”

“As their actions during recent natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy proved, amateur radio operators in Connecticut can be a critical component of disaster response and emergency management. It is in our communities’ best interest that we give them the capabilities to operate at the highest level, and with the re-introduction of this bill, we’ve taken a strong step in that direction,” said Congressman Courtney.

The exponential growth of communities bound by private land use restrictions that prohibit both the operation of Amateur Radio and the installation of amateur station antennas has significantly restricted the growth of the Amateur Radio Service.

The ARRL continues its multi-year efforts to eliminate private land use restrictions that prevent Amateur Radio operations and has pledged to strongly support Congressman Johnson and Congressman Courtney in their efforts on behalf of Amateur Radio.

Rick Roderick, K5UR, President of ARRL, on behalf its Members and America’s Amateur Radio community extended his thanks and appreciation for the leadership of Congressman Johnson and Congressman Courtney in their tireless efforts to support and protect the rights of all Amateur Radio Operators and to further STEM education and the advancement of American expertise in wireless technology.

National Traffic System

Update on NTS 2.0 Modernization Project

- by Phil Temples

NTS logoMarcia Forde, KW1U, writes:

The following update on the NTS 2.0 modernization project was recently sent to all ARRL Section Managers and Section Traffic Managers for dissemination to traffic handlers in their areas. More information can be found on the new website nts2.arrl.org under the Standards and Procedures tab. Information on handling instructions and numbered radiograms is available now and information on the encapsulation radiograms for emergency communications will be there soon. There is also a tab To Contribute Your Ideas if you wish to contribute those.

Greetings to all STMs and SMs,

It was brought to my attention that little to nothing has been disseminated regarding progress on the part of the NTS 2.0 teams. My apologies for not keeping folks better up to date.

You are aware that we held briefings throughout the various ARRL divisions during the latter part of 2022, and enlisted the help of 35 to 40 volunteers. Each was assigned to one or more of five implementation teams who have met weekly since the beginning of 2023. We have been able to secure a page on the ARRL website to inform you of the ongoing projects, but it is only recently that we are now able to share some results of these teams’ work.

1. An article on NTS has been published in the July issue of QST which you may have received already. We are grateful to the editors of QST for highlighting this program and look forward to more articles in the future.

2. Perhaps highest on the minds of most folks is an update to the Net Directory. This is a major undertaking as the current directory has not been updated in recent times and the software has not been felt by many to be very user friendly. While we don’t have a finished product to show you at this time, it is important for folks to know that one of our NTS 2.0 implementation teams has drawn up a set of requirements we think various groups will want to see implemented and this has been forwarded to the IT department at ARRL. Emergency manager Josh Johnston KE5MHV and the IT department have been pleased with our work and are now working with us to develop a product we hope you will find informative and easy to use. It will take a little time yet before you will see a finished product as the entire website at ARRL is in the process of being updated. We want you to know however that definite progress is being made, so we ask for your patience and hope you will be happy with the new net directory once it has been completed.

3. In accord with renewed interest in emergency communications preparedness on the part of amateur radio and the ARRL in particular, several of our teams have been working on encapsulation of the forms used by emergency service organizations. Forms such as the ICS-213, ARC-213, HICS-213 and the Texas STAR Form originated by emergency personnel must be deliverable exactly as sent, and to accomplish this these forms must be encapsulated within a radiogram for transmission via the National Traffic System. A great deal of thought and testing have gone into this product which will be revealed on the ARRL’s website (nts2.arrl.org). Documentation and training will be provided. While we recognize such emergency traffic will likely be sent via digital means where available, we feel it is important that voice and CW circuits must be capable and practiced in the event they are needed.

4. Because of the above mentioned use of emergency type traffic, there are some additional requirements which are important. You will find these on the above noted website as additional handling instructions and ARRL numbered radiograms.

Two new handling instructions are being added. One is HXI which indicates an encapsulated message is included which must be relayed so as to be deliverable in a particular format. The second is HXR, which requires the delivering station to notify the originator of the message confirming that the recipient has personally received the message. This is a frequent requirement from served agencies. This is different from the HXC instruction, which is sent by the delivering station instead to the station of origin, whose call sign is in the header. Where HXC notifies the station of origin of delivery (such as the message being deposited in a mailbox) of their Radiogram, HXR confirms to the sender that the recipient has the message in-hand.

A new ARRL numbered radiogram has been added as “ARL FORTY ONE”. This is to be used with an HXD handling instruction where tracing a message is important to find any possible breaks in the relay chain. You will find a number of blanks to be filled in a service reply. This standardization of the HXD reply will allow for more efficient tracking and better understanding of the process.

While we understand change can be hard, we hope you will find value in the above. The teams continue to work diligently to make improvements and we welcome feedback from the NTS community. Please share with net participants in your sections.

73, Marcia KW1U
NTS 2.0 Implementation Teams

Organizational

New England Division Town Hall Meeting, June 15, 2023

- by Phil Temples

ARRL logoFred Kemmerer, AB1OC, writes on the New England ARRL members list:

Phil Temples K9HI, our Assistant Directors, and I will hold our next New England Division Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, June 15th, at 7 pm ET. The purpose of the meeting will be to provide you with an ARRL update, get your thoughts on what we should be focusing on, and answer any questions that you might have about the ARRL and what we are doing on behalf of ARRL members here in New England.

We plan to spend a good deal of our time together answering your questions. If you’d like to send us a question in advance, you can do so via an email to [email protected], or you can just plan to ask your questions during the Town Hall Meeting.

We will hold our Town Hall Meeting via a Zoom Webinar. You can get a personal link to join the Town Hall Meeting via the following link (paste the link in your browser to register) –

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_e5ufUAYVQFaVOzWXr8O0XQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

We hope to see you on June 15th!

——————————————————————–
ARRL New England Division
Director: Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC
[email protected]
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Public Information

Ham Volunteers Needed to Staff The BIG E Booth, September 15-October 1, 2023

- by Phil Temples

Project BIG E logoLarry Krainson, W1AST, writes:

We are doing another ham radio booth at the Big E [in West Springfield, MA] this September. The dates are Friday, September 15th through Sunday, October 1st. The goal is to introduce ham radio to the general public, show that it is still relevant, and to interest the public in signing up for ham courses.

Just like last year there are two shifts per day with each one being 6 hours long. Each shift requires 3 people in the booth this year.

We are making changes in the layout of the booth to make it more friendly to the public in the hopes to draw more people in.

We have applied for another ARDC grant and if we get it, we can reimburse the cost of admission and parking for everyone. We do hope to get another grant.

Last year the booth spoke to approximately 1200 to 1300 people about ham radio. We hope to do the same or more again this year.

As clubs you are welcome to show your banner on the day or session you are there as well as bring a few items to showcase what your club is about to the public.

We are asking that you spread the word to your club members and try to get a group together to staff the booth for a session or the whole day. OR just ask your club members to sign up for a session to help staffing the booth. Last year we have over 100 volunteers from clubs all over New England. Will your club be one of them this year?

Please follow this link to sign up or if you are a club and want a certain day/session that is still available, please email Larry, W1AST direct at [email protected] or if you have any questions about the booth.

We do have a groups.io group at: https://groups.io/g/ProjectBigE

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvo1vUzuuJTHbTtDLeApQQD1m4ZzX9kVe_hF2416e6apho3g/viewform

Help to make this year’s Ham Radio Booth at the Big E a success, please volunteer!

73,

Larry, W1AST

ARRL WMA Affiliated Club Coordinator
HCRA President
Visit my Ham Radio club website at: www.HCRA.org
Team K2H – 13 Colonies Massachusetts State Manager
Project Big E 2022 & 2023 Organizer
Proud Member of ARRL, FCARC & YCCC
413-348-3289
[email protected]
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Organizational

KC1NEK Elected to Rhode Island Section Manager Post

- by Phil Temples
Photo of Nancy Austin, KC1NEK
Nancy Austin, KC1NEK, Section Manager Elect of the ARRL Rhode Island Section.

From the ARRL Letter, May 25, 2023:

ARRL Section Manager Spring Election Results

The results of two balloted Section Manager elections held this spring were determined when the ballots were counted at ARRL Headquarters on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

Nancy Austin, KC1NEK, was elected as ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager, defeating incumbent Section Manager Bob Beaudet, W1YRC.

Austin, of Middletown, is the President of the Newport County Radio Club, and she will begin a 2-year term of office on July 1.

Beaudet, of Cumberland, has served as ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager for 21 years.

Organizational

Rhode Island May 2023 Section News

- by Phil Temples

Bob Beaudet, W1YRCRhode Island Section Manager Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC, writes:

Greetings ARRL members and friends:

May is a special month in the Amateur radio calendar. In addition to normally nice weather, it marks the start of sporadic E openings. Our friends down south see May as the start of the active tornado season but here in New England, we see it as better antenna weather and the “get ready” month for Field Day which is only a few weeks away.

ARRL sent out a survey recently asking questions about a dues increase and your views about it. If you filled it out and submitted it, thank you but if not, please do so. It is important and will only take a few minutes of your time. Surveys must be completed by May 31st.

Dayton Hamvention takes place this coming weekend. 33,000 of your best friends will be there. If you’re going, best advice I can give is to hang on tightly to your plastic cards. Temptation to exercise them will be everywhere.

HF band conditions are improving slowly. Six meters opened for a short while to tease us. I managed to snag one new entity. Watch the bands, they are improving. Read about stormy geomagnetic space weather at https://www.space.com/sun-reverse-sunspot-auroras-supercharge. Are you puzzled by the SFI, K and A indexes? You aren’t alone. G3YWX explains them in a 2002 QST article. See Understanding Solar Indices (arrl.org).

As of this writing on May 16th, I do not know if I have been re-elected or Nancy Austin, KC1NEK was elected to replace me. Either way, I thank you for your trust and support. You did vote, didn’t you?

FCC’s ruling on RF exposure takes effect May 3, 2021 with a two year transition period was implemented to allow existing amateur licensees to conduct evaluations and make any changes necessary to ensure that their station complies with the exposure rules. On May 3, 2023, the transition period ended. All licensees must now conduct evaluations of their current station and reassess compliance when making changes to their stations that would affect exposure going forward. An on-line calculator is available so you can determine your compliance. Go to ARRL Helps Radio Amateurs Comply with New RF Exposure Evaluation Rules and select http://www.arrl.org/rf-exposure to access the tools. Chances are good that you are compliant but you must check according to the FCC ruling.

ARRL publishes monthly magazines to address special interests of new hams, more advanced hams and contesters. QEX, NCJ, and On The Air are available in digital format on the www.arrl.org website. New hams in particular find On The Air very useful since it usually targets topics that are most interesting to them.

Members of the Blackstone Valley ARC participated in a Business Expo hosted by the Bellingham, MA Public Library on April 29th. Most of the exhibits were commercial and aimed at business in the community, Amateur radio captured a great deal attention. The club attracted several new members including a 14-yea-old who already holds a Technician license and wants to work lots of countries. His mother seemed fairly interested herself asking if any women are members of the club. The normal BVARC area includes northern RI and the border communities of MA to the north and east. So, setting up an exhibit over the state line in Bellingham is quite normal.

Field Day is June 24-25. As your Section Manager, if I am re-elected, I shall try to visit your Field Day site. The Field Day locator shows a location for four groups. I shall try to visit each of these groups on Saturday, June 24th. Good luck to all, including those who choose to operate from their comfortable air conditioned ham shacks.

Thanks and 73,

——————————————————————–
ARRL Rhode Island Section
Section Manager: Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC
[email protected]
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Operating

“Rhode Island’s Radio Legacy Continues”

- by Phil Temples
Photo of rhombic antenna at W1OP
Providence Radio Association’s historic Collins antenna used during the recent MARS Armed Forces Day Crossband Test, with PRA Club President Dave Tessitore, K1DT, and Vice President John Good, W1GS

Contributed by Nancy Austin KC1NEK, NCRC and Dave Tessitore, K1DT, PRA

Rhode Island is a small state with a rich history. The Providence Radio Association invests in RI’s radio legacy by maintaining a historic Collins 237B-1 rotatable 13 element log periodic antenna originally installed as part of NAVCOMMSTA Newport’s impressive transmit antenna farm on Beavertail Point, Jamestown RI from c.1964-1975. On Saturday 13 May 2023, the Providence Radio Association again participated in the MARS Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test using their historic antenna and the equally historic call sign, NAF.

NAF began operation from the Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, RI c. 1900, and was among the first US Naval Radio shore stations. Eventually, several naval radio stations were consolidated as NAVCOMMSTA Newport. NAF transmitted from c.1900 until 1975 at various coastal Narragansett Bay locations, including NAVRADSTA (T) Beavertail Point (Jamestown).

The Providence Radio Association shares the next chapter in this rich Rhode Island radio history: “The drastic curtailment of naval operations on Narragansett Bay in 1975 closed all naval activities at Sachuest Point and Beavertail Point. In 1975 the Navy allowed the Providence Radio Association to hold its annual Field Day exercises at the Beavertail Station. Following the decommissioning of the facility and turn over to land of the State, in 1983 the PRA acquired one of the Collins 237B-1 rotatable log periodic antennas used by NAF and erected it at our club facility in Johnston, RI. It has been utilized since then under the Amateur call sign W1OP. Once a year, we either operate from the original NAVRADSTA (T) location at Beavertail Pt, or we use this antenna from our clubhouse in Johnston to participate in the Armed Forces Day Crossband Test, using its original naval call sign NAF.”

Providence Radio Association club president "Tess," K1DT
Providence Radio Association club president “Tess,” K1DT

For this year’s AFD Crossband Test, the Providence Radio Association again got permission to operate as NAF and transmit on their restored original Collins antenna. The W1OP clubhouse on Neutaconkanut Hill (on the Providence/Johnston border) opened its impressive radio station to members and Amateur Radio guests, including: Dom, N1DM; David, W3DRE; Doug, K3DRE; Andy, AJ1S; John, W1GS; Dave, K1DT; Teri, W1PUP; Jeremy, K1JST; Adam, KC1KCC; and Nancy, KC1NEK. Hundreds of phone QSOs were logged on mostly 20m and 40m.

As the ARRL notes: “The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario. Military stations will transmit on selected frequencies and will announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All of the times are Zulu (Z), and all frequencies are Upper Side Band (USB) unless otherwise noted.”

For more on the history of call sign NAF and their restored Collins antenna, reach out to Providence Radio Association club president Dave Tessitore “Tess”, K1DT, at [email protected].

Radio communication has a long history in Rhode Island. By 1900, Newport’s naval officers were given instruction in wireless technology. Newport’s Torpedo Station was one of the first of a network of U.S. Navy shore radio stations, along with an adjacent site at the Naval Training Center used to train radio operators for the Navy. From c.1964 until 1975, Sachuest Point on Aquidneck Island and Beavertail on Jamestown served as key receive and transmit stations. Today, Amateur Radio offers an experiential learning gateway to 21st century workforce development opportunities in electronics and wireless radio communication, both analog and digital. This highly relevant mission is at the heart of many ARRL-affiliated RI radio clubs.

 

—
For more information, see also:
https://www.arrl.org/news/annual-armed-forces-day-crossband-test-1
https://www.navy-radio.com/commsta/newport.htm
https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/NAVCOMM-history-1958.pdf

Public Information

Blackstone Valley ARC Participates in Expo at Bellingham, MA Public Library

- by Phil Temples

Members of the Blackstone Valley ARC in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, participated in a “business expo” at the Bellingham, MA library on April 29, 2023.

“We set up an HF station and club president, Ken [Trudel], N1RGK, presented an overview of what Amateur radio is all about,” reports BVARC founding member and Rhode Island Section Manager Bob Beaudet, W1YRC. “We had handouts from ARRL  and our club brochure. We picked up several new members and several non-hams who showed interest in getting a ticket.”

Beaudet explained that a club member is a friend of the library director.  “She had us do a similar event before COVID and wants us back any time we can do it again.”

W1YRC presented the library with the ARRL Handbook six-volume set.

[See also: “Blackstone Valley ARC Amateur Radio Day at Bellingham, MA Public Library A Great Success“]