Author: Nancy Austin

RI Section Manager Newsletter

Welcome to your October 2023 RI Section Newsletter

- by Nancy Austin

https://ri-arrl.org/welcome-to-your-october-2023-ri-section-newsletter  

Welcome to your October 2023 RI Section Newsletter

Announcing two RI Section Cabinet appointments 

Rhode Island Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC)

Jeremy Taylor, K1JST was appointed Rhode Island Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) on October 25, 2023. Most recently Jeremy did an outstanding job leading RI’s official Section Emergency Test (SET) exercise, done in collaboration with MARS. Jeremy’s inspired momentum rebuilding RI ARES continues in November with a Winlink training scheduled for Wednesday November 1st at 7:30pm via Zoom; training on getting started with SSTV digital image messaging is planned for December. Links are available on the RIARES.org website calendar. All are welcome to join. 

A 41-year old Rhode Island native, Jeremy Taylor, K1JST brings 20 years of experience as a Technology and Management professional in a wide range of roles in Education, Broadcast, Public Safety, and Retail industries. He enjoys building and maintaining repeaters and other amateur radio infrastructure, and many will know Jeremy K1JST from his work supporting the state-wide NB1RI repeater network. Jeremy is Treasurer and Control Operator for the Narragansett Bay Amateur Radio Club (NB1RI), Managing Director of the RI AREC Foundation, Secretary for the NE Spectrum Management Council, and serves on the boards of several other local non-profits. Jeremy enjoys mentoring new hams and founded a radio club at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District. He is a member of several local radio clubs, and first licensed in 2017. 

Jeremy looks forward to meeting old and new hams ready to jump in and help collectively rebuild RI ARES as a reinvigorated state-wide team network of well-trained radio amateurs prepared to deliver on our Public Service mission. 

Jeremy Taylor, K1JST – Rhode Island’s new Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC)

Rhode Island Section ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC)

John Brewer, N1SXB  was appointed Rhode Island Section Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) on October 18, 2023. A recently retired IT executive who has moved back to Rhode Island, John N1SXB is a current or former member of each of the state’s three largest radio clubs. An active ham, John has stepped up to be the ACC, as well as our Section representative reaching out to welcome and orient new hams to the various ways they might get involved, find mentors, and join the club or clubs that fit their interests. John will also be a liaison between the local clubs and the statewide skills training opportunities supported by RI ARES. We are a small state, and fostering this kind of information sharing and collaboration will help our entire RI amateur radio ecosystem. 

John Brewer, N1SXB – Rhode Island’s new ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC)

Congrats to last month’s 2 new FCC licensed Rhode Island Radio Amateurs and 1 new FCC Extra License. 

(September 5 – October 5, 2023 report of 2 new RI hams and 1 license upgrade.)

  • Kevin McCarthy, KC1TLP – Pawtucket > New Technician

  • Robert Yates, KC1TJR – Cumberland > New Technician

Let’s welcome these 2 new RI hams and help them get active on the air in 2023-2024. 

  • Robert Hart, KC1NAB – Cranston > Upgrade to Extra  

Congrats to Robert, KC1NAB for earning your new Extra license!

RECAP: In the seven months, April 7 – October 5, 2023 >

  • 31 new FCC licensed RI Radio Amateurs 

  • 30 FCC License Upgrades 

Don’t forget the new ARRL First Contact Certificate you can download here:

https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Awards/ARRL_First_Contact_Certificate.pdf

Get licensed! Upgrade? Upcoming Rhode Island In-person VE Sessions 

Many thanks to these RI Clubs offering in-person VE sessions during November and December 2023. https://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session

W1AQ (Associated Radio Amateurs of Southern New England) on Saturday November 11, 2023 and Saturday December 2, 2023 at 9:30am (Rumford, RI)

Blackstone Valley ARC (BVARC) on Saturday December 9, 2023 at 9am  (Woonsocket, RI)

Newport County Radio Club (NCRC) on Saturday December 9, 2023 at 10am (Portsmouth, RI)

License Exam Prep via HamStudy.org. License prep has never been easier than with this transformational learning platform offering self-paced study and practice tests. Available on demand, for free. 

NEW RI POTA parks c. November 11th

Watch for the pile-ups this November 2023 when about six or seven new Rhode Island POTA parks are officially added to the list of POTA parks available to hunt and activate. (There are currently 53 POTA parks across RI, so the new total of RI POTA parks will be around 60.)

In October 2023, POTA HQ lifted its hiatus on adding new US (domestic) parks and invited each state’s POTA Mapping Representative to designate new parks to add.  

Jim Garman, KC1QDZ is our POTA Mapping Representative for RI. 

As of late October, Jim KC1QDZ is wrapping up the democratic process he used to solicit suggestions from the POTA community on what parks to add. (Subject to the POTA constraints about what was an eligible park.) After gathering the responses into a long list, Jim KC1QDZ worked with a team to test the conditions at each potential location and report back. This helped get the list shortened to about six or seven parks that will be announced around November 11th. 

POTA Hunters may have already noticed the recent pile-ups around the new 5-digit POTA parks just opened for activation in some other states. So, heads-up that these brand new RI POTA parks will likely prompt similar interest by mid-November. 

Jim Garman, KC1QDZ would like to thank the following activator team that helped in this vetting process: Briann Swann N1BS, Fran Kelly K1NDQ, Scott Toner N1SWT, Willy Maclean W1LY, and Jonathan W. Winokur KY1K. 

The new RI POTA sites are spread across our state, so plan a portable op road trip this November before the snow falls. 

Jim Garman, KC1QDZ – the POTA Mapping Representative for Rhode island

ALSO: Don’t forget to check out the ARRL’s own new book on POTA for beginners: 

The Parks on the Air Book

How would you help a POTA beginner get started? 

Contesting Season Update by W2DAN

Dave Neal, W2DAN – AVID contester and RI’s Representative for YCCC shares this write-up on Contesting Season:

“Well, we have been waiting for the CQ Worldwide DX SSB Contest, October 28, 0000Z to October 29, 2359Z. This is why they call this time of year Contesting Season! 

The CQ Worldwide DX Contest is the largest amateur radio contest in the world with over 35,000 participants. The challenge is to make as many contacts with as many DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible, while competing against the world’s elite contesters. Not into SSB? The CW portion of the contest is next month from November 25 – 26. 

3830scores.com is a great place to see how well you did and check out the results of your fellow contesters. Personally I did not get to spend full time in the contest but did spend about 16 hours and worked 864 QSO’s, 82 Zones and 305 Countries working on 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 meters. This is just my submitted scores, but others did much better. Contesting is a great way to add DX contacts to your log.” Go for it!

Here is the website for 3830scores:  https://3830scores.com

Here are the results for the regional Yankee Clipper Contest Club and the RI contesters among us:

http://www.3830scores.com/editionscores.php?arg=xBgmy6zBvvqvr&cs=27&loc=11

YCCC logo              

New England Mesh Networking Initiatives & Rhode Island Microwave Skill Building Opportunities

Rob Leiden KI1U, Assistant Director for Spectrum Protection & Utilization, continues to share important updates on the maturing collaboration underway across various New England mesh networking initiatives. Interested in joining the conversation?

“As always, the New England Division of the ARRL will help to bring interested hams together to promote mesh network expansion. The nemesh group  (nemesh @ groups.io) meets every other month via zoom and you are invited to join and contribute to the discussion.”

  • Rob Leiden KI1U writes in a pending Beacon article: 

“Last October, we noted that the Maine and Rhode Island sections had received grants to expand their mesh networks.  Since then, New Hampshire has also received a grant to expand its mesh network including sites that position the network to grow into Massachusetts.  In particular, the partnership between the New England Digital Emergency Communications Network (NEDECN) has proven especially productive, providing both high sites for long haul mesh network backbones as an emergency facility but also providing a link between repeater sites independent of the commercial internet.  Rhode Island is also making use of mesh networks to link repeaters located on fire towers to enhance their emergency services utility.  Mesh networks can provide radio amateurs with our own “intranet,“ should the commercial internet become unavailable due to natural or man-made disasters. These networks offer served agencies tools that they already depend on using the commercial internet operated by hams that understand how best to use them.

The New England Division has made the growth of mesh networking a priority, both for these reasons and to make productive use of the frequencies to strengthen amateur radio’s position against encroachment by commercial interests.

We note that the progress made thus far is largely due to the efforts of a few dedicated individuals who have obtained grant funding and established partnerships to deploy new network nodes.  As the transition from building these networks to operating and maintaining them occurs, we need to answer some questions: …. “

  • On October 19, 2023 Rob KI1U shared:

The Merrimack Valley Amateur Radio Association has received a grant award of $46,125 from Amateur Radio Digital Communication, a California-based foundation, to expand its current 7-node microwave network in southern New Hampshire. The project includes extending the New Hampshire network into northeastern Massachusetts and southwestern Maine as a bridge between states towards the larger goal of a New England-wide network.

The project is a collaboration with the New England Digital Emergency Communications Network to provide microwave radio backup to DMR repeaters in New Hampshire that rely on the internet for primary connectivity between sites. Collaborating on DMR sites also increases MVARA’s capability to support local emergency management organizations with amateur radio operators and equipment. …

Jay, K1EHZ is available to answer any questions about the expansion plan and is a valuable resource for anyone looking to support further expansion of mesh networking in New England.”

https://nediv.arrl.org/author/k1ui/

https://nediv.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/NEMESH.pdf

See also the funded RI mesh experimentation by NCRC’s Paul Fredette K1YBE: “RI is experimenting with mesh network technology using backbones as high as 10 GHz.”

RI Microwave Skill Building Opportunities 

Don’t miss the ARTEN Microwave Grant’s upcoming build night at the Fab Newport [RI] Maker Space this November 3, 2023 from 5-8pm. 

For more information contact Paul Fredette, K1YBE at [email protected]

For more on the ARTEN experimental microwave mesh project see:

https://w1sye.org/?page_id=6690

Steve Day N3VHI, Rob White KB1ZZU, Sean Baker K1SDB with Paul Fredette K1YBE (right) at the NCRC’s May 15, 2023 Fab Newport Maker Space Microwave hands-on build event.
ARTEN (grant-funded) mesh demo at the recent 2023 HamXPO.

RI ARES SET & Situational Awareness

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) framework includes three major components relevant to amateur radio:

  • Resource Management
  • Command and Coordination > Incident Command System (ICS)
  • Communications and Information Management 
    • Situational Awareness – maintained through the flow of information

Hams are getting new attention for their skilled ability to accurately report real time, ground truth situational awareness information when other forms of communication may not be available. 

Partnering with the community to provide additional situational awareness underpins the National Weather System’s Skywarn program. It is central to FEMA’s new Community Lifelines. On October 19, 2023 at 10:19am, over 57 million people worldwide participated in the Great Earthquake Shakeout Drill; and this year’s drill included new ways for hams to contribute via Winlink in this global situational awareness exercise.

This August, Tom Kinehan, the US Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) Region One Director, reached out to New England ARRL Section leaders to see if any Section might be interested in working together with MARS on an Airport Weather situational awareness SET, or Simulated Emergency Test, scheduled for October. MARS recognizes that experienced, motivated radio amateurs could be a “force multiplier” passing structured traffic. Let’s see what’s possible in post-pandemic 2023. 

Under Jeremy Taylor’s leadership as then Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator, RI ARES stepped up to the challenge. Within days of discussing this with the new and pre-occupied Section Manager and getting the green light, K1JST had completed the necessary administrative documentation and met with key stakeholders. Early communication was sent out here:

https://ri-arrl.org/join-the-ri-ares-mars-airport-weather-exercise-starting-this-weekend/

Jeremy K1JST then planned and led the RI ARES team and anyone interested in a practice exercise over the weekend of October 7-8, 2023. He followed up promptly to implement changes based on some of the challenges reported. Some lessons learned were posted here:

https://ri-arrl.org/rx-on-the-aviation-band/

Two weeks later, the actual SET took place over the weekend of October 21-22, 2023. 

An interim report was posted here:

https://ri-arrl.org/ri-ares-mars-set-underway/

The final SET net closed Sunday at 10pm. The first October 2023 RI-ARES & MARS SET was a resounding success.

  • 50 net check-ins 

  • 35 reports for 8 unique airports 

  • 2 airports out of state in CT and Worcester, supporting regional situational awareness

  • Team building success

    • Among RI hams across the state.
    • New and old connections fostered
    • RI ARES – MARS relationships renewed or begun. Many thanks to Tom Kinehan N1CPE, Matt Hackman KB1FUP and John E. Miller N1UMJ.
    • Opportunity to assess RI ARES’ baseline capabilities as of October 2023 to provide situational awareness to a served agency – and how to set a path forward.

  • Outreach and communication will take time. RI ARES is a statewide organization where hams can connect on the mission, get a certain kind of training, and bring this all back to help support their local community. 

  • Counties are not an ideal organizational unit for RI ARES. 

    • The final SET participation by RI County looks like this (not counting MARS members):
      • Kent County: 39%
      • Newport County: 28%
      • Providence County: 17%
      • Washington County: 17%
      • Bristol County: 0%

  • Jeremy Taylor, K1JST – our new RI SEC – has proposed other RI ARES organizational structures, and welcomes your suggestions. 

    • How can we come together to support a state-wide, relevant RI ARES training program that will deliver value to our communities in 2023, no matter where in RI we live? No matter how many different radio clubs or radio interests we also care about?
    • What would you prioritize? 
    • Please join the conversation. Step up and get involved. Take action and help us all succeed. 

Rhode Island’s amateur radio community makes a difference. And we can do more. 

From FEMA IS-0700.b – An Introduction to the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Nationwide, ARES members are introduced to situational awareness, ICS and other fundamentals in the course sequence: FEMA IS-100, 200, 700, 800. These courses are available for free, on-line, on-demand. See, for example: https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=is-700.b&lang=en

 

73, Nancy Austin KC1NEK

RI Section Manager

 

ARES / Operating / Public Service

RI ARES & MARS SET Underway

- by Nancy Austin

The October ARES Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is a longstanding ARRL opportunity for Sections to come together and evaluate how hams can contribute value to statewide preparedness efforts. Are we organized, reliable, disciplined? A supportive and inclusive team able to problem solve in real time, and collaborate with a sincere interest to provide a public service? Is this a team served agencies can trust to turn to?

Each July QST issue has, for decades, highlighted each Section ARES and other teams that have come together to participate in the annual October SET challenge. It is one measure of a Section’s preparedness maturity to be able to follow up in this way and self-report their own progress year over year.  RI ARES has not been in a place to report results for at least a decade. But the good news is that is changing in October 2023.

The RI ARES official SET started this Saturday October 21 and will run until Sunday at 10pm. We held two nets so far this weekend, with this summary of Saturday reports to date:

  • 15 check-ins
  • 8 airport weather traffic reports for 4 RI airports
  • accurately passed to at least 2 MARS members
  • via 80m and 2m voice, and so open to all license classes,
  • including a new Technician ham licensed less than 2 months. (wow!)

The Sunday SET nets will begin October 22nd at Noon, with the last one at 10pm.

Want to join the momentum? Please see RIARES.org and the Incident Action Plan put together by A-SEC, Jeremy Taylor, K1JST.

For more on the Practice Exercise held  two weeks ago , please see:

Join the RI ARES MARS Airport Weather Exercise starting this weekend

 

 

 

ARES / Ham Outreach / Public Service

RX on the Aviation Band

- by Nancy Austin

23 radio amateurs contributed 26 results during last weekend’s RI ARES MARS Airport Weather Practice Exercise. Thank you! 

It was open to all anytime from 10am Saturday to 10pm Sunday October 7-8, 2023. As noted, 23 hams joined in. Two of these reported hearing nothing and one of the 26 submissions was a landline verification report. These are not shown in the data summary charts below. 

Given this generous 36-hour window of time in which to submit results from home, 23 hams participated. Is this a large turnout, or less than expected? Too early to say. For comparison, the 2m RI ARES VHF Simplex net last night lasted about 45 minutes and had 15 check-ins from across 4 of the 5 RI counties. The month before, the RI ARES Simplex net had 20 check-ins across all 5 counties. Just FYI as we seek to understand baseline interest and commitment – and work to build aligned skill-development opportunities and continued outreach. 

Top Challenge: AM Aviation Band (108-137MHz) awareness & solutions for your FM radio, scanner, or SDR

The Practice Exercise asked hams to listen on their radios and report what, if anything, they heard when tuned to 5 specific frequencies between 120-135 MHz, on the AM Aviation Airband. 

Listed below are two of the FM radios used by this weekend’s practice exercise participants. These familiar ham radios do include the ability to receive on the aviation band. 

  • 5w Yaesu FT-60R (c. $190) w Diamond wide receive SRHF40A
  • 50w Icom 5100 base 

Add to the mix: reviewing how to program a new frequency, the benefits of a wideband receive antenna, and making time and effort to participate within the timeframe. 

Location still matters: Nancy, KC1NEK used the Yaesu HT to clearly hear 4-5 airport weather stations over the last week from Middletown, RI. But then heard nothing when testing from the grounds of the New England Wireless & Steam Museum in East Greenwich.

This Practice Exercise was also an opportunity to learn about FM modulation/demodulation and slope detection.  (Thank you, Steve, WA1GVM from Coventry!) Some people got creative with police scanners and planned SDR solutions. Yes, it was a good practice exercise. Stay tuned!

Join us tonight, Wednesday October 11, 2023 at 7:30pm on Zoom to share your experiences and tips. (For the Zoom link and more events, please see the RIARES.org calendar.)

What changes, if any, do you plan to put in place before the actual Simulated Emergency Test planned for Oct 21-22?

County [ham entries] TF Green Newport N. Central Block Island Westerly
Bristol* [0]
Kent [5] 5 1 1
Newport [9] 5 9 3 3 1
Providence* [2] 2 1
Washington [6] 1 1 2 4
Outside RI [1] 1

*Requesting ambassadors especially for Bristol and Providence Counties. ARES looks to the team-building leadership role of the DEC and ECs to build this prepared capacity. This is a great opportunity to encourage, mentor, and learn while supporting a state-wide shared mission. 

For more, see:

Join the RI ARES MARS Airport Weather Exercise starting this weekend

 

ARES / Ham Outreach / Public Service

Join the RI ARES MARS Airport Weather Exercise starting this weekend

- by Nancy Austin

All interested RI licensed radio amateurs are welcome to join RI ARES Members for a MARS situational awareness practice exercise this weekend.  We will be discussing this further on the RI ARES 1st & 3rd Tuesday night repeater NB1RI network nets, and in a Zoom meeting. (Details below.)  This marks the beginning of RI ARES  training exercises and monthly Zoom meetings scheduled for the rest of 2023. We welcome your participation.

Introduction

The following is the Simulated Emergency Test (SET) for the Rhode Island Section for the calendar year 2023.  

We appreciate the leadership and support provided by Chuck Chandler, WS1L, the Western Massachusetts (WMA) Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) and Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, US Army MARS Region One Director as your new RI Section and ARES leadership put together a SET/Practice Exercise in time for ARRL’s SET. 

 We will run: 

1) a Practice Exercise open to all interested RI licensed radio amateurs 

from Saturday, October 7, 2023 beginning at 10:00 local (14:00 UTC), through
Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 22:00 local (10/9/23 02:00 UTC).

2) the RI ARES Simulated Emergency Test will be held two weeks later: 

from Saturday, October 21, 2023 beginning at 10:00 local (14:00 UTC), through
Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 22:00 local (10/23/23 02:00 UTC).

Separate Instructions will be sent for the Simulated Emergency Test.

Rhode Island’s five Airport Surface Weather Observation Stations (ASOS/AWOS)

SITUATION

Repeated patterns of wet weather have been experienced throughout New England, leaving soils saturated and incapable of absorbing additional rainfall. Several instances of flooding have already led to road washouts impacting the transportation sector. 

The first arctic cold front of the season approaches with a large pressure differential producing a sudden onset of high winds. With root systems already weakened in soft soil, large numbers of trees are felled throughout the region. Multiple roads become impassable.  Wire and cable damage has led to degradation of the Public Switched Telephone, internet and cellular networks. Calls placed without GETS/WPS are taking up to one hour to complete. Limited internet access is available in some areas, with other areas suffering extended outages. High demand has made VoIP communications impossible.

Resource requests for high priority items are ready to transport via air to local airports but with no ability to receive local weather conditions at those airports ARES has been tasked with reporting local airport weather information.

MISSION

RI Radio Amateurs interested in participating will attempt to receive local airport weather broadcasts in the VHF-AM Aviation Band from 119-136 MHz.  A list of local airport weather frequencies will be provided. Any weather reports received will be transcribed for later reporting.

For the Practice Exercise, participants will report their information via a Google Form located at: 

https://forms.gle/rnEGgsEWhqvYhJfdA

EXECUTION

A Simulated Emergency Test is a structured excercise.  RI Radio Amateurs will attempt to receive local airport weather broadcasts in the VHF-AM Aviation Band from 119-136 MHz.  A list of local airport weather frequencies in scope will be provided. Participants may elect to establish a temporary station at an advantageous position in order to improve their chances of receiving one or more airports.

For the Practice Exercise, participants who are able to receive these reports will transcribe the weather reports so that they may be reported to US Army MARS via the Google Form.  

Participants who are unable to receive airport weather reports are requested to report that fact, along with their location, in order to alert authorities to any airports that may not be operational, or may have degraded weather reporting capabilities. Participating in this exercise also helps to build baseline awareness about who can hear what Rhode Island airport weather stations under good conditions. For the Practice Exercise, this should all be reported via the Google Form.

Two weeks later, the Simulated Emergency Test will involve passing this airport weather traffic over the air via one or more radio nets, or via WinLink. 

ADMINISTRATIVE & LOGISTICS

This SET will require the following ICS forms:

  • ICS-202 Incident Objectives (summarizing this operations plan)
  • ICS-217 Communications Availability Worksheet (listing the five Rhode Island airport weather channels in scope)
  • ICS-213 General Message (printable Information Gathering Template) 

The Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator will notify ARES members of this exercise in advance and solicit their participation. Any licensed amateur who expresses an interest is encouraged to take part.  

An after-action review will be conducted soon after the conclusion of the Practice Exercise.  Lessons learned will be implemented for the SET planned for two weeks later, October 21-22, 2023.

COMMAND & SIGNAL

The Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator has submitted this SET + Practice Exercise Operations Order to the Section Manager for their approval. Once approved, it will be disseminated to RI ARES members and those who have expressed interest in RI ARES for whom we have email addresses on file. It will also be announced on the RI ARES Repeater Net and posted to the RI section website: https:ri-arrl.org

The actual SET is anticipated to run for a 36-hour period from 1000 local on Saturday 21 October 2023 until 2200 local on Sunday 22 October 2023.  This will allow participants to have sufficient time to monitor airport weather broadcasts and to report them. Participants may submit their Google Form at any time during the exercise period. 

Participating in the Basic Practice Exercise is an important first step designed to be accessible for any interested radio amateur.  All are welcome to give this a try. 

Additional challenges and MARS crossband exercises are possible. The ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book for Level 2 presumes annual participation in a Simulated Emergency Test, such as RI ARES is offering this October 2023. Please join in!

VFRmap.com of Rhode Island airports.

NOTES

You are invited to review additional documents at:

https://riares.org

Please join the RI ARES 2m repeater nets on Tuesdays Oct 3rd and 17th at 7:30pm on the NB1RI repeater network, ie Exeter 146.985 (-0.6 MHz) PL 67 Hz

Please join a scheduled RI ARES Zoom meeting to discuss this other 2023 ARES training opportunities further. 

RI ARES General Meeting, Wednesday October 4, 2023, 19:30 Local

ZOOM Meeting Link: https://ewg.zoom.us/j/81260554381?pwd=NGlyVFQ1d1ZaQmdEZnVUSGplU1EyQT09

For the Practice Exercise, participants will report their information via this Google Form: https://forms.gle/rnEGgsEWhqvYhJfdA

(The form will be available for practice before hand, but only data reported during the exercise will be utilized.)

Congratulations to Jeremy Taylor, K1JST for stepping up to put much of this together on short notice. Many thanks for contributing additional capacity to take on the new role as your volunteer RI Division Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator.

RI Section Manager Newsletter

RI Section September Newsletter (September 30, 2023)

- by Nancy Austin

Welcome to your September 2023 RI Section Newsletter  

Outreach and the spirit of collaboration remain my top take-aways after three months as your new RI Section Manager. Thank you for contributing!

Contesting

Avid Rhode Island contesters who are more often competing against one another than collaborating, teamed up recently to conquer together the CQ World Wide WPX Contest – chasing “thousands of unique callsign prefixes from hundreds of DX entities in the world’s largest everyone-works-everyone radio contests.”

The collaborating team results were impressive: FIRST in the US, SECOND in North America, and THIRD in the World during the recent “immensely popular” global CQ World Wide WPX Contest. 

Congrats to the RI Section Technical Coordinator and YCCC RI organizer, Dave Neal, W2DAN who combined forces with Don Rosinha, WA1BXY – using his club call sign NC1CC. Along with RI operators Melissa Rosinha, KC1BXY and Amanda Carr, KB1OHC and nearby MA contester, Charles Morrison, N1RR from Seekonk.

Way to go, NC1CC – Newport County Contest Club!

Parks on the Air (POTA) – Activate All RI 2023

Over the five days of Wednesday to Sunday September 6 – 10, 2023 every one of Rhode Island’s 53 POTA parks was activated at least 4 times for a total of at least 262 POTA activations; at least 11,000 QSOs were made by at least 35 radio amateur activators exploring every part of our state during splendid New England fall weather. 

Over 50% of these POTA activations happened because of the generous outpouring of support by nationally-known POTA operators in solidarity with Jim Garman, KC1QDZ and his vision of all that the first-ever Activate All RI could be. Adding in the regional POTA community networking Jim, KC1QDZ had built as he grew from POTA newbie to a passionate POTA leader, and the outcome stands as an unforgettable reminder of what’s possible when we reach out and come together to flexibly deliver on a shared mission led by a next-generation leader.

Read more: POTA – Activate All RI wildly successful

https://ri-arrl.org/pota-activate-all-ri-wildly-successful/

The Providence Radio Association’s 102nd Annual Awards Dinner

This annual PRA tradition began in 1921 to recognize the club’s new affiliation with the ARRL. The Providence Radio Association (W1OP) remains one of the oldest amateur radio clubs in the United States. http://w1op.com/

Under the leadership of Dave Tessitore, K1DT, the club has embarked on a remarkable revitalization mission – welcoming 30 new members to join long standing ones. His recent 2023 HamXpo talk on Club Revitalization is one that I often hear about from hams across the region who found it particularly timely and memorable. 

Here are some of the delightful Awards from the PRA’s 102nd Awards dinner held September 16, 2023 in Johnston, RI:

The following Awards were handed out by PRA President, Dave Tessitore, K1DT:

  • Jim Meltzer – K1TNX: “Mobile Antenna Award”, Limited Space DXing
  • Bob Hart – KC1NAB: “Volunteer of the Year”, Always There to Help
  • Neville Bedford, Esq. – W1ESQ: “Jolt Award”, Fueling Progress
  • Andy Stenberg – AJ1S: “The Lad” Award, Antenna Experimentation
  • Domenic Mallozzi – N1DM: “Wizard Award”, Technical Guidance
  • Dave Smith – WA1UWU: “FBOM Award”, Unwavering Dedication
  • Ron Cameron – WA1FOS: “I Got That Award”, Most Helpful Member
  • John Good – W1GS, “Old Buzzard Award,” 67 Years of Contribution
  • Frank DePetrillo – W1EYH: “Godfather Award”, Longest Continuous Member – since 1955!

Fidelity Amateur Radio Club and area team Fox Hunting

Newly-elected Fidelity ARC Officer Jim Ferranti, N1ZJI, encourages area hams to participate in the follow-up Fox Hunt offered by the Bristol County Repeater Association and scheduled for November 18th, 2023 from 10:00am to 1:00pm.

Jim, N1ZJI writes:

On Saturday, September 23rd, 2023, the Bristol County Repeater Association held a Fox Hunt from 10:00am to 1:00pm EST within a 5 mile radius of 120 President Avenue, Fall River, MA. To make the challenge more exciting, the hunt consisted of two foxes to be found within the allotted time frame.  Both foxes operated with a 5-watt signal and transmitted 1 minute of tone followed by Morse Code ID and 4 minutes of silence.

Fox 1 activated at 10:00am on 146.565 MHz FM, manned by Sheldon, K1KOS, located in a Jeep Gladiator Pickup Truck.

Fox 2 activated at 10:02:30 am on 146.430 MHz FM, unmanned, located in Kevin’s, N1KJS, blue Toyota Pickup Truck.  Once found, a picture of the truck, with the sign in the window, was to be sent to Kevin for verification.

The event, which is open to anyone who wishes to participate, proved to be very challenging despite its five mile radius.  There were a total of six teams who participated in this event and despite the weather, everyone seemed to have had a good time, utilizing their fox hunting skills to locate these foxes.  We look forward to the next fox hunt, which will be on November 18th, 2023 from 10:00am to 1:00pm EST.  All are welcome to take part in this Fox Hunting event.

For more information, go to https://bcra.club/bcrawprel/fox-hunting/.

73, Jim, N1ZJI – Fidelity Amateur Radio Club https://k1nqg.wordpress.com/

In other news from Fidelity Amateur Radio Club, the club has elected the following new officers:

  • President: Sal Caiozzo, WN1B
  • Vice President: Jim Ferranti, N1ZJI
  • Secretary: Nick Kettle, KC1DWH
  • Treasurer: Steve Williams, WA1GNB
  • Member at Large: Bob Berlyn, N1PWU

The Associated Radio Amateurs of Southern New England (ARASNE | W1AQ) continues to offer monthly walk-in VE Sessions at their historic club house in Rumford.

Would you like to take your VE session license exam this fall near Providence, RI at W1AQ’s historic 1920s radio club house? The address is 54 Kelley Ave, Rumford 02916 and the building is hard to miss with its 50′ railroad signal tower mast out front. The ARASNE club’s scheduled VE Session dates are this Saturday September 9, and also October 7, November 11, and December 2, 2023 at 9:30am. Walk-ins are welcome, too. 

For more, please see: VE Session near Providence this Saturday September 9, 2023

https://ri-arrl.org/providence-area-amateur-radio-license-exam-options-continue-at-historic-1920s-club-house-walk-ins-welcome/

Big E & New England Division Volunteer Outreach at the Ham Radio Booth

For more, see the Project BIG E Coverage in The ARRL Letter!

https://nediv.arrl.org/2023/09/24/project-big-e-coverage-in-the-arrl-letter/

These photos capture some of my favorite moments sharing the excitement of amateur radio at the Big E in Springfield, MA this September 2023. 

New Section Manager Training at ARRL HQ & operating the historic W1AW station

The ARRL HQ staff did a phenomenal job orienting new Section Managers from across the country. We gathered in Newington, CT for a recent Friday-Sunday training and retreat, with presentations by leadership across all ARRL departments, tours of the buildings, operating from W1AW, and important opportunities to compares notes about ARES, club vitality, and prioritizing as volunteer new Section Managers on a mission to serve, and with lots to do. 

Here’s a humorous note: some Section Managers had to travel 5-7 hours to visit every club in their Section and foster collaboration. And that, of course, is a totally different scale of travel than what we face in RI – despite our state’s cultural resistance to drive an hour without, you know, needing to pack a suitcase! On-air connecting plus remote meetings make ongoing collaboration easier than ever, but there is still no substitute for opportunities to get together in person.

As new Section Managers, we were given tours of the Technical Lab, QRT editorial offices, and a comparison of the Ham Shack of the past and cord-free future. It was a valuable orientation and I look forward to leveraging this opportunity for the benefit of the RI Section. (I might note that I was the only Section Manager who came to the role through an election.)

Providence EOC tour offered by the Providence Radio Association (PRA)

Barry Noel, W1BSM, the RI-ARES Providence-County District Emergency Coordinator (DEC), PRA Club Member, and Sunday night RACES net control, arranged an insightful presentation and tour today of the Providence EMA. 

It was a pleasure to meet with PEMA Director DeCerbo and others critical to our state’s resilient communication readiness requirements. 

This is another example of positive, productive networking and outreach across clubs (PRA – plus also Brown University’s Michael Umbricht, W9GYR), ARRL RI-Section leadership (SM Nancy Austin, KC1NEK), and served agencies as we all work together for the shared goal of becoming better operators prepared to provide situational awareness. Or, for some, commit to more advanced training available via CERT, RACES, MARS, and/or ARES. Thank you to all for an important opportunity to build bridges and plan enhanced collaboration.

 

Upcoming VE Sessions & RI Classes

Many thanks to these RI Clubs who are offering in-person VE sessions during October 2023. https://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session

License Exam Prep via HamStudy.org. License prep has never been easier than with this transformational learning platform offering self-paced study and practice tests. Available on demand, for free. 

OR: Do you know someone who would prefer to set a goal and achieve their first Tech license studying with a weekly instructor-led class? 

Interested NYAH (Not Yet a Ham) folks can sign up now for the excellent Zoom Technician course led by long-time NCRC educator Bob Beatty, WB4SON. It will begin Tuesday October 17th at 6pm and wrap up with an exam session December 9th. For more information, please see: 

Congrats to these 29 new FCC licensed RI Radio Amateurs and 29 FCC License Upgrades over the last six months (April 7 – September 5, 2023)

A. Let’s welcome these 29 new/renewed RI hams and help them get active on the air in 2023:

April 5, 2023 report of 13 new RI hams 

Curt Moan, KC1SRM – Coventry (+upgrade listed below)

Arthur Dennis, KC1SQC now W1ACD – Newport

Maria Chytka, KC1SPI – Portsmouth

Jared Ladino, KC1SSS – Warwick

Stephen Sheriff, KC1SOX – Warwick

Jack Cole, K1JWC – Warwick

Chris Cinieri, KC1SRO – North Smithfield

Jared Niedzwiadek, KC1SQR – N Smithfield (+upgrade listed below)

William G Ranson, KC1SON – Providence

Patricia Gallagher, KC1SRT – Providence

Dante M Catoni, AC1OR – East Providence

John Greene, KC1SRK – Rumford

Michael Villella, KC1SOD – Johnston

May 8, 2023 report of 9 new RI hams 

Christopher Carman, W1CEC – Providence

Michael Viveiros, KC1SVQ – West Warwick (+2 upgrades listed below)

David Halford, KC1SWD – Westerly (+upgrade)

Annaliva Rayne, KC1SWJ – Charlestown (+upgrade)

Bjorn Wellenius, KC1SWK – North Kingstown (+upgrade)

Michael Crittenden, KC1SWL – Portsmouth

Nathaniel J Pakuris, KC1SWM – Saunderstown

Jacqueline Day, KC1SWT – Saunderstown

Linda Matthews, KC1SWV – East Greenwich

June 5, 2023 report of 2 new RI hams 

Joseph Paravisini, KC1SXY – Providence

Christopher Pilla, KC1SYY – Woonsocket

July 6, 2023 report of 1 new RI hams

Eric R Roderick, KC1TDS – Cumberland

August 8, 2023 report of 1 new RI hams

Andrew P Dunham, KC1TER – Coventry

September 5, 2023 report of 3 new RI hams

Alfred J Watterson, KC1TGV – Warwick

Steven Figella, KC1TJG – Warwick

Michelle A Dupuis, KC1TJH – Pawtucket

B. Congrats to these 29 FCC License Upgrades over the last six months (April 7 – September 5, 2023)

April 7, 2023 report of 4 RI ham FCC license-class upgrades

Jeremy Dennis, KC1SFF now N1JAD – Upgrade, Newport

Robert Matose, KC1RFM – Upgrade, Middletown

John Jackman, N1SMX – Upgrade, North Kingstown

Scott Toner, N1SWT – Upgrade, Tiverton

May 8, 2023 report of 5 RI ham FCC license-class upgrades

James Manahan, KC1NOP – Upgrade, Ashaway

David C Zaluski, KC1SHF – Upgrade, Barrington

Octavio Vieira, N1RHH – Upgrade, Bristol

Patricia Strong, K2PRU – Upgrade, Prudence Island

Thomas Anthony Viscione, KC1QIF – Upgrade, Warwick

June 5, 2023 report of 6 RI ham FCC license-class upgrades

Randy Parrott, N1OTG – Upgrade, Harrisville

Howard Welsh, W1HOW – Upgrade, Warwick

Michael Viveiros, KC1SV – Upgrade, West Warwick

Jared Niedzwiadek, KC1SQR – Upgrade, N Smithfield

Paul Fontana, KC1IEN – Upgrade, North Providence

Steven J Serapiglia, N1OSI – Upgrade, Smithfield

July 6, 2023 report of 7 RI ham FCC license-class upgrades

David Halford, KC1SWD – Upgrade, Westerly

Michael Viveiros, KC1SVQ – Upgrade, West Warwick

Scott Owen, KC1RQL – Upgrade, Riverside

Annalivia Rayne, KC1SWJ – Upgrade, Charlestown 

Sandra Velazquez,  KC1PUX – Upgrade, Middletown 

Jim Garman, KC1QDZ – Upgrade, Newport 

Nolan Bryne, K1PRU – Upgrade, Prudence Island 

August 8, 2023 report of 3 RI ham FCC license-class upgrades

Curt Moan, KC3CIL – Upgrade, Coventry

Andrew Dunham, KC1TER – Upgrade, Coventry

Chris Ertl, N3OEW – Upgrade, Rumford

September 5, 2023 report of 4 RI ham FCC license-class upgrades

Michael Cullen, K6MAC – Upgrade, Newport

John B Scungio, KC1KEJ – Upgrade, Lincoln

Christopher Alekna, N3UBU – Upgrade, West Kingston

Michael D Della Bitta, KC1PQA – Upgrade, Providence

CONGRATS!!!

General housekeeping note to RI resident hams who might have relocated to RI: For information on updating your FCC license address for free, see: 

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/support/knowledge-base/common-amateur-filing-tasks/common-amateur-filing-task-changing

There is no fee for “Filing a Request to Update Administrative Information on a License in ULS”: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/support/knowledge-base/universal-licensing-system-uls-resources/updating-administrative

Thank you for being an ARRL member.  

Stay tuned for the launch next week of an October ARES-MARS entry-level Situational Awareness exercise open to all licensed amateurs. 

73, Nancy Austin, KC1NEK

RI Section Manager

[email protected]

Clubs / Ham Outreach / Operating / POTA

POTA – Activate All RI wildly successful

- by Nancy Austin

Parks on the Air (POTA) is one of the most popular ways to get on the air and practice portable operations. 

What can we say now that two weeks have passed since Rhode Island hosted the first and wildly successful Parks on the Air (POTA) – Activate All RI?  This community building initiative was proposed and led by Jim Garman, KC1QDZ. It was hosted by the Newport County Radio Club and aligned to wrap-up at Colt State Park with the club’s annual “Outdoor Adventure” picnic. 

Here’s a preliminary review of the available POTA – Activate All RI data with some first lessons learned. 

Over the five days of Wednesday to Sunday September 6 – 10, 2023 every one of Rhode Island’s 53 POTA parks was activated at least 4 times for a total of at least 262 POTA activations; at least 11,000 QSOs were made by at least 35 radio amateur activators exploring every part of our state during splendid New England fall weather. 

Over 50% of these POTA activations happened because of the generous outpouring of support by nationally-known POTA operators in solidarity with Jim Garman, KC1QDZ and his vision of all that the first-ever Activate All RI could be. Adding in the regional POTA community networking Jim, KC1QDZ had built as he grew from POTA newbie to a passionate POTA leader, and the outcome stands as an unforgettable reminder of what’s possible when we reach out and come together to flexibly deliver on a shared mission led by a next-generation leader.

Here are preliminary data take-aways:

1) POTA National Ambassadors

Five top POTA operators traveled to RI at their own expense to inspire and support this first-ever POTA: Activate All RI outdoor adventure. Thank you! 

Their phenomenal passion and dedication set a memorable high bar for all of us to aspire towards in the years ahead. It was frankly astonishing to watch these disciplined radio amateur operators, all of whom have made 10,000 to 200,000 QSOs activating hundreds or thousands of POTA parks. 

With patience and unflappable commitment, they pretty much activated from sunrise to past sunset for our five day marathon, calmly logging 132 POTA activations and over 5000 QSOs. 

Thank you to these unforgettable POTA radio amateurs who delivered an average of over 1000 QSOs per operator:

  • Kerri Wright, KB3WAV from Maryland; currently #2 on the POTA Top Activator Leaderboard 
  • Brian Duddy, N2BTD from New York; he was a comet of QSOs for his few days available
  • Lou Nickles, WZ3J from Maryland 
  • Scott Major, K3SDM from Kentucky
  • Curtis Turner, KB3CMT from Pittsburgh 

2) RI & Regional POTA Heroes 

Pilgrim Amateur Wireless Association (Taunton, MA)

Another group of activators had been mentoring Jim, KC1QDZ since he was a new POTA operator; they had all become close friends along the journey. These hams rallied around his vision for a welcoming and collaborative Activate All RI, and stepped up to the fun. Special thanks to these three top operators from PAWA, an Eastern Massachusetts radio club in nearby Taunton, MA. All very active in POTA, these hams brought camaraderie and the experience of each having completed between 10-40,000 POTA QSOs. 

  • Fran Kelly, KC1NDQ
  • Rob, WC1N
  • Mike, N1NTM

Rhode Island POTA Heroes – a remarkable collaboration 

POTA – Activate All RI was remarkable for a new spirit of collaboration across RI radio clubs and operators. 

Providence Radio Association (W1OP)

  • Between September 6-10, 2023, this dynamic large club contributed six activations and over 500 QSOs to POTA – Activate All RI. This is in addition to the club’s already impressive commitment to activate Beavertail Lighthouse with over 30,000 QSOs already logged. 
  • PRA club member Dave, W3DRE went further and stepped up to activate at least eight other parks during the September 6-10, 2023 special event window, contributing 584 QSOs. Pre and post-event, Dave continues to actively get on the air via POTA, and has completed his POTA certificate for Activated all US – RI. Congrats! 

RI / CT  Individual + Other Club Contributor Heroes 

  • Brian, N1BS – a highly active POTA operator offered over ten activations in less-frequently activated rural RI parks. Activated All US – RI.
  • Kathy, KA1THY – thank you for an  impressive contribution of at least ten activations and over 500 QSOs logged during September 6-10, 2023.
  • John, K9JFB – another highly active reliable operator for difficult parks, delivering at least seven activations and 566 QSOs.  Activated All US – RI.
  • Glen, W1GHD – thank you for spending your weekend in RI helping activate four parks and offering hunters a hundred QSOs.
  • Matt, NA1Q – thank you for joining in from MA to contribute three activations and 45 QSOs as inspiration to keep activating RI POTA parks. 
  • Peter, K1AV (BVARC – former club president) – great to meet you at the recent HamXpo,  and thank you for activating two parks with Dave, W3DRE from W1OP. Positive cross-club collaboration, for sure! 
  • Jason, AA1VV (Fidelity Amateur Radio Club) – thank you for contributing three activations and at least 185 QSOs. Can’t wait to see how your POTA journey unfolds!
  • John, AJ1DM (Westerly Amateur Radio Team and ARRL RI Section NTS CW Traffic Handler) – Great to see your contribution joining POTA for a first activation. Thank you!

Plus, thanks to the four visitors to Rhode Island who jumped in while traveling to activate a park or two:

  • Ray, K1RAH 
  • Dimitris, NE1D
  • Michael, KC1OCA 
  • William, K2HVN 

3) Newport County Radio Club (NCRC)

About fourteen NCRC members helped activate parks during Activate All RI. Going into the event, only two club members were in that “passionate about POTA” camp – with over 10,000 logged activator QSOs. For the rest of us, POTA is probably more like a prompt to have fun getting on the air quickly with a flexible portable set-up. Many hams new to POTA expressed an interest in making that first activation, and more needs to be done to understand what kind of resources would deliver a bias toward action. 

Jim, KC1QDZ assigned those who signed up to specific parks they were to activate – and everyone delivered on their commitment. This happened without the use of a master daily schedule of who would be where at what time each day and on what band (as some felt would have delivered better results). 

There is no getting around the reality that this first Activate All RI was unique and special because of the outpouring of support among the larger national and regional POTA community for Jim, KC1QDZ and his enthusiasm to make this happen as a gift for RI and those seeking to hunt RI parks. Were a club plan to rely only on in-club activators, it would require significant prep getting new operators trained and ready to deliver and log the kind of QSO rate found in this premier POTA – Activate All RI, 2023. 

Stay tuned for Jim’s ongoing commitment to lead POTA – Activate All RI in a 2024 variation.

  • NCRC Accomplished POTA Activators (Activator QSOs: 10,000-20,000; both already completed Activated All US – RI. Both accomplished contesters and top Field Day contributors.) Both actively and selflessly supported others to achieve their goals during this ambitious venture.. 
    • POTA Lead – Jim KC1QDZ – more than 7 activations during Activate All RI
    • Willy Maclean, W1LY – 12 park activations during Activate All RI, including helping a club member achieve a goal of activating Block Island; contributed 654 QSOs, including from parks difficult to activate.
  • NCRC Advanced Beginner Activators (QSOs: 50-1500) Thank you!
    • Mike, AA1XQ > 6 activations / 179 QSOs
    • Randy, K8ZFJ > 5 activations / 75  QSOs
    • Bob, WB4SON > 4 activations / 143 QSOs
    • Rob, KB1ZZU > 3 activations / 104 QSOs
    • Scott, N1SWT > 3 activations / 102 QSOs
    • John, K1JSM > 3 activations / 83 QSOs
    • Nancy, KC1NEK > 2 activations / 81 QSOs
    • Jim, KA1ZOU >  2 activations / 31 QSOs
    • Corry KE1AK > 1 activations / 41 QSOs
  • NCRC First time as POTA Activators – Congrats!
    • Greg Bonaguide, WA1VUG
    • Bruce Braga, W1UQN (CW)
    • Paul K1YBE: no logs uploaded – first POTA (pending) (microwave band)

Summary Finding 2 weeks out*

*Best estimate based on POTA log data as of 23 Sep 2023

POTA – Activate All RI parks (September 6-10, 2023) 
Project Lead: Jim Garman, KC1QDZ 
Club Host: Newport County Radio Club (NCRC)
Sept 6-10, 2023 POTA Activate RI 5-day Total Natl POTA

Ambassadors

 RI & Region Heroes Newport County Radio Club host Travelers
Activations 262 132 (50%) 75 (29%) 55 (21%)
QSOs 11,104 5,182 (47%) 4,082 (37%) 1,840 (17%)
Activators 36 5  13 14 4
QSO/Op avg 308/op  1,036/op 314 /op 131 / op
Activations/op 26 avg 6 avg 4 avg

 

Congrats to at least 4 new POTA Activators: K1YBE, WA1VUG, W1UQN, AJ1DM

PLOA Wrap-up Picnic 

Thank you for making this a successful collaboration. It was wonderful to meet so many of you and your families at the Outdoor Adventure wrap-up picnic at Colt State Park on Sunday September 10, 2023 hosted by the Newport County Radio Club.  

Thank you for making this year’s picnic so remarkable.

 

ARRL National, Division, and RI Section Leadership: 

Kevin Beal, K8EAL (CT); Phil Temples, K9HI (Boston)

ARRL RI Section Cabinet: Mike Corey, KI1U; Dave Neal, W2DAN

 

NCRC Officers: Nancy Austin, KC1NEK; Paul Fredette, K1YBE; Rob White, KB1ZZU

NCRC Executive Committee: Bob Beatty, WB4SON; Willy Maclean, W1LY; John Vecoli, KC1KOO; Dick Bianco, KC1IPJ

POTA – Activate All RI project lead: Jim Garman, KC1QDZ

PLOA – picnic project leads: John Mills, K1JSM; Willy Maclean, W1LY; Jim Sendrak, KC1YG

PLOA 2023 – Honoring Silent Key Jack Garforth, N1JK

POTA National Activators:

  • Lou Nickles, WZ3J from Maryland 
  • Scott Majors, K3SDM from Kentucky
  • Curtis Turner, KB3CMT from Pittsburgh 

POTA RI & Regional Hero Activators:

  • Fran Kelly, KC1NDQ (Pilgrim Amateur Wireless Association – PAWA)
  • Rob, WC1N (PAWA)
  • Mike, N1NTM (PAWA)
  • Dave, W3DRE (Providence Radio Association – W1OP)
  • John, K9JFB 
  • Glen, W1GHD  (CT)
  • Jason, AA1VV (Fidelity Amateur Radio Club)

NCRC POTA Activators (not mentioned earlier)

  • Mike Seil, AA1XQ
  • Randy Jones, K8ZFJ
  • Scott Toner, N1SWT
  • Greg Bonaguide, WA1VUG 

NCRC Members at the wrap-up PLOA picnic (not mentioned earlier)

Alan, KB1DJ

AnnaLivia, KC1SWJ

Bill, W3CJK

Bob, KC1RFM

Bob, NE1E

Brian, N1TBT

Crystal, KE1KAT

Dave, KC1IPA

Ed, W1NQH

Hayden, KC1IPM

Jacqueline, KC1SWT

Jeff, N1CSE

Jim, KJ6YKT

John, N1SXB

Keith, KC1LPV

Keith, W1KJR

Linda, KC1SWV

Mark, KB1RYX

Mike, WA1KSN

Nolan, K1PRU

Patricia, K2PRU

Rich, N1ZSR

Scott, WX1X

Sean, K1SDM

Steve, KC1AQQ

Steve, N3VHI

Teri, W1PUP

 

Thank you to everyone for making this experience so unforgettable.

73, Nancy Austin, KC1NEK

NCRC club president (2022-2023)

RI Section Manager 

For more on POTA, see: https://ri-arrl.org/pota/

Ham Outreach / Operating / POTA

RI QSO hunters – this is your week!

- by Nancy Austin

 

Scene at Block Island today, POTA -Activate All RI: Jim, KC1QDZ (RI) and Fran, KC1NDZ (MA) with Scott, K3SDM (KY).

RI QSO hunters – this is your week! 

Starting today through Sunday (Sept 6-10, 2023)  a collaborating team of about twenty POTA – Parks on the Air enthusiastic activators from across the country, region, and state are setting up their portable rigs across the 52 officially-recognized POTA parks. 

Already this morning from just before 8am until around Noon, I was able to hunt 12 unique parks across the SSB bands of 40m, 20m, 17m and 15m from my home QTH. I was logged by 11 unique operators, including Kerri Wright, KB3WAV (with over 170,000 POTA QSOs to her credit) as well as the NCRC organizer of this event, Jim Garman, KC1QDZ – taking a break from his farm between tomatoes and turnips. 

POTA hunters, near and far, are encouraged to keep an eye on POTA Spotting and join the fun. It’s a great way to understand your band propagation and make progress on your POTA – Worked All RI award.

Real time POTA spotting information here: https://pota.app/#/

The list of the 52 RI POTA parks can be found here: https://pota.app/#/parklist. Select United States, and then the drop down filter to select Rhode Island.

Eager to jump in and activate? Go for it! And maybe bring along a licensed operator who hasn’t been able to get on the air recently for whatever reason. Second and even third operators are always welcome.

Meanwhile, kudos to the team currently activating Block Island park K-0513: Jim Garman, KC1QDZ from Newport, RI. Shown here with Fran Kelly, KC1NDQ from nearby Swansea, MA and hosting event visitor Scott Majors, K3SDM from Kentucky. (Another NCRC team will be activating Block Island again tomorrow – so check back frequently. )

Huge shout out to the POTA RI Park Activators I spoke to already this morning,

  • Kerri, KB3WAV
  • Brian, N1BS
  • Kathy, KA1THY
  • Brian, N2BTD
  • Lou, WZ3J
  • Dave, W3DRE
  • Willy, W1LY
  • Jim, KC1QDZ
  • Fran, KC1NDQ
  • Scott, K3SDM
  • John, K9FDB
  • John, K1JSM

Thanks to so many for voluntarily traveling to RI to amplify everything we love about radio in RI. Thank you to the many Rhode Island hams activating and collaborating to show what’s possible with amateur radio today. 

With special thanks to the Newport County Radio Club for supporting new ham Jim Garman, KC1QDZ and his vision for POTA – Activate All RI. 

What’s not to love about the ham community? 

73, Nancy Austin, KC1NEK 

  • Newport County Radio Club outgoing club president
  • new RI Section Manager

Don’t miss POTA – Activate All RI (Sept 6-10, 2023) 

Remember, POTA Hunters do not need to submit logs.

Activators will need to keep and submit their log of at least 10 time- and frequency- marked QSOs for an official activation to be recognized by POTA.  QSO credit will then be awarded to both parties, almost instantly. 

Lots of activators – but still. Small State; Big Pile-up.

Have fun! Get on the Air! Meet new hams. 

For more on what’s possible with POTA, check out: https://ri-arrl.org/pota/

Clubs / Licensing, Education & Training / RI History

Providence-area Amateur Radio License Exam Options continue at Historic 1920s Club house; walk-ins welcome.

- by Nancy Austin

VE Session near Providence this Saturday September 9, 2023

Would you like to take your VE session license exam this fall near Providence, RI at W1AQ’s historic 1920s radio club house? The address is 54 Kelley Ave, Rumford 02916 and the building is hard to miss with its 50′ railroad signal tower mast out front. The ARASNE club’s scheduled VE Session dates are this Saturday September 9, and also October 7, November 11, and December 2, 2023 at 9:30am. Walk-ins are welcome, too. 

Recently I enjoyed a welcoming visit with the Associated Radio Amateurs of Southern New England (ARASNE | W1AQ) at their club house, and encourage everyone to reach out and say hello to this vigorous club actively seeking new members, both remote and local. 

Here are some of the interesting things I’m learning about the club:

 

 

 

W1AQ (1926) is a historic call sign.

Last weekend on the ARRL Audio News I heard that the ARRL HQ historic callsign, W1AW, of the Maxim Memorial Station in Newington, Connecticut, was celebrating its 85th Anniversary; it was dedicated September 2, 1938. 

If you are interested to learn more about the history of Amateur Radio call signs, I can recommend:

Sure enough, W1AQ is listed in the Amateur Radio Stations of the United States (June 30, 1928) running 500 watts from their East Providence club house. 

 

W1AW is also listed in the June 1928 Call Sign directory, but as the personal call sign for Hiram Percy Maxim (1869-1936), co-founder of the ARRL – American Radio Relay League (1914). 

At this point, I turned for a RI comparison to an excellent history of another RI historic club, the Providence Radio Association, W1OP, written by Dominic Mallozzi, N1DM in 2016. He covers the history of the PRA’s club’s W1OP call sign and club house (1955-58; p.7). The Providence Radio Association is one of the oldest ARRL-affiliated clubs in the country, founded in 1919. 

It’s remarkable that RI has two ARRL-affiliated clubs continuously active since the 1920s. Both owning clubhouses and organized as Associations. This all deserves a follow-up conversation to compare notes, further document this history, and consider insights relevant today. Our shared goal is collaboration and outreach to welcome and support radio amateurs, offering a range of robust and varied clubs across the state. 

W1AQ’s Historic Club House (1926)

The Associated Radio Amateurs of Southern New England set up shop in East Providence at the border of the industrial Phillipsdale and residential Rumford sections. The club located  their clubhouse just up the hill from the significant industrial wire, telecom cable, steel and other fabrication businesses already established in Phillipsdale on the banks of the Seekonk River and Omega Pond. 

Phillipsdale, off Roger Williams Ave, is an historically interesting but little known area of RI where, among other things, Roger Williams originally settled in 1636. The streets were platted out in the 1850s-1890s. After about 1900, this industrial, coastal neighborhood became known as Phillipsdale. See: Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission: East Providence (1976: 4,5,20,30-33,44,72-73) and Phillipsdale Historic District National Register Nomination (2011: 60)

Once you turn off Roger Williams Ave on to Wilson and then take the first left towards 54 Kelley Ave, it is easy to identify this Rumford clubhouse because of its two prominent railroad signal towers used as 50′ antenna masts. (See image above.)

The W1AQ club house has an elevated line of sight across the Seekonk River to downtown Providence and the contemporary Art Deco Industrial Trust or Superman Building (1925-27). The father of one of the club founders was an executive there. It’s worth remembering the Superman Building was built with an eye toward zeppelin airships tethering to the top of these early skyscrapers. It’s remarkable to imagine the boundless vision of the future that inspired this club’s founding. W1AQ’s current leadership remains deeply committed to the club and all it can bring to a new generation.

In the 21st century, Phillipsdale’s industrial buildings have gone through major adaptive reuse campaigns. In 2022, Phillipsdale Landing sold for over $8 million and is now home to a vibrant community of entrepreneurial innovator businesses and artisan studios. It would seem a natural fit to connect the Phillipsdale community to their nearby neighbors at the ARASNE clubhouse. 

RI’s centuries of industrial innovation relied on the skilled artisans working with other kinds of engineers, designers, and technical problem solvers. In 2023, it’s exciting to consider what’s possible connecting the W1AQ club’s deep bench of skilled radio/electronic maker/fabricators (who prefer to make everything themselves) with the sympatico industrial design and other studio neighbors down the street in Phillipsdale. Stay tuned to see what kind of continued mentoring and welcoming radio amateurs near and far is happening at 54 Kelley Ave, East Providence. 

W1AQ has an open door social meeting almost every Friday night from about 7-9pm to discuss radio building questions. In this time of remote work, it’s a welcome change to shift from talking to the world for work to unwind with your fellow local hams in person. Amateur Radio offers a wealth of neighborhoods, and clubs are one way to find your people in a new place and join in. A place to return to and know you will belong. 

Looking to get an amateur radio license this weekend? Saturday September 9, 2023 at 9:30am? Reach out with questions to the W1AQ club VP Martin Dean Chapman, W2FQ at [email protected]

Ham Outreach / Operating / POTA

NCRC POTA demo helps new Generals GOTA

- by Nancy Austin

 

 “I learned more from your POTA demo today than I learned as a new ham over the last year! Thank you!” – Mike, KC1NFG (visiting Newport and welcomed to join in and GOTA.)

Today’s Newport County Radio Club (NCRC) POTA demo at Brenton Point Park was well attended by club members as well as a ham just passing by.  All were curious to jump in and learn how to quickly deploy a portable antenna and POTA setup to get on the HF bands quickly and make contacts. Jim Garman, KC1QDZ and Randy Jones, K8ZFJ were ideal mentors, helping some make their first POTA QSOs. 

From September 6-10, 2023, the NCRC is hosting a collaborative effort to activate all 52 RI POTA parks. For more information on POTA – Activate All RI and resources for getting started with Parks on the Air, please bookmark: https://ri-arrl.org/pota/

RI Section Manager Newsletter

RI Section August Newsletter (August 31, 2023)

- by Nancy Austin

August 31, 2023

Welcome to your August 2023 RI Section Newsletter  

Thank you for letting me share some of my thoughts from HamXpo, along with other things that stand out for me after two months as your new RI Section Manager.

Ham Competencies & Platform Capabilities

There have never been more ways to “reach out and talk to the world“. In such a changed world, what does amateur radio bring to the table? 

One of my surprise takeaways from last weekend’s HamExpo 2023 was how often speakers highlighted radio’s platform capabilities and the keenly-relevant competencies skilled amateur radio operators deliver. 

This shift toward emphasizing ham radio’s unique and relevant “platform capability” was called out in the ARRL President’s Keynote address. Ham competencies provided context for the DX/Contest dinner speaker, Don Greenbaum, N1DG and his riveting talk on DXpeditioning with a “Rig in a Box” given contemporary constraints (including cost, environmental concerns, permission timelines) and new opportunities (including Starlink satellites and drones). https://www.dx-world.net/vp6a-ducie-island/

Rob Macedo, KD1CY from our nearby regional National Weather Service (NWS) station emphasized: 

What distinguishes a licensed amateur radio operator is their proven discipline in structured voice and digital communications, technical skills, and awareness of the importance of maintained infrastructure. 

Hams can “augment the situational awareness mission when communications don’t fail”, using their capabilities and skills to accurately operate and report as part of a team. 

During Macedo’s talk on how hams can contribute on the Hurricane Net, KD1CY stated: “Amateur radio operators provide the discipline in structuring both voice and data communications in an organized format…” Ham competencies and the platform capabilities of amateur radio are more relevant than ever. (He spoke as Hurricane Idalia gathered force, and Ocean State hams pondered our own community preparedness during another hurricane season.  (Screenshot below from one of Rob Macedo’s many presentations at the 2023 HamXpo.)

Like a rainy day bank account, now is the time for skill development and the professional relationship building of mutual trust and practiced respectful collaboration.


This shift also aligns with FEMA’s new Community Lifelines approach. https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/lifelines

It provides context for the upcoming regional MARS exercise where hams will be asked to see if they can hear the weather reports at local airports and accurately transmit that to another station. This only requires the basic radio operator skills that any licensed radio amateur can practice daily by joining nets and contesting – from entry-level POTA on up to EME. 

Communicating why these seemingly basic skills matter is important. Strengthening these skills is only one part of an overall ham competency portfolio however. Collaborative teamwork and professionalism matter too, more than ever. 

The amateur radio community is a cross generational, growth mindset, force-multiplier that excels in mentoring technical capabilities via experiential learning. All of this aligns to the FCC’s mission statement for Amateur Radio. HamXpo presenters went back to basics referencing Part 97, and I read it again in a new light:

Title 47, Subpart A—General Provisions  https://www.arrl.org/part-97-text

  • 97.1   Basis and purpose.

The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles:

(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

(b) Continuation and extension of the amateur’s proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.

(c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art.

(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.

(e) Continuation and extension of the amateur’s unique ability to enhance international goodwill. 

RI Section priorities 

About 45% of RI’s licensed radio amateurs hold a Technician license. Nationally the figure apparently is 51%. As many as 75% of new Technicians never become active hams in that critical first year. Why is that? What can we in RI do better? 

Over the last six months, RI welcomed about 28 new Technician licensees and 22 license class upgrades. Other hams became Silent Keys, moved or otherwise changed their QTH. Many hams joined or renewed their ARRL membership; a far fewer number let their membership lapse – and this group includes Silent Keys. I’m still trying to sift through the available data on RI to find that most helpful kernel and how it might influence RI Section conversations on priorities. The average age of a ham is 75, and the dynamic of the seesaw is something to be mindful of. IMO it’s good news that a situational awareness public service mission is well suited for older hams who have deep experience and can provide tremendous value reliably operating from their home stations. But there is still a lot to learn about what opportunities and challenges are coming down the way. Regardless, it’s never too soon to build positive relationships across our small state on sunny days like today. 

Tonight on the nightly W1SYE 2m repeater net, one of these new Technicians tried to check in, but hadn’t yet solved everything about programming his new handheld. One of us reached out to let him know he was heard, if weak-readable. Within 15 minutes, five hams who belong to multiple clubs stepped up to help this new ham making his first QSOs feel heard, and to offer mentoring follow-up. It was heartening to see this kind of welcoming collaboration across the state. I had already drafted this newsletter before this happened tonight. It reminded me again that troubleshooting technology may be part of the skills package, but gathering people who care enough to selflessly step up, work together, and follow up to help someone else succeed is a leadership competency that really matters. 

Upcoming VE Sessions (Sept-Oct 2023)

Many thanks to these RI Clubs who are offering in-person VE sessions during September & October 2023. https://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session

License Exam Prep via HamStudy.org. License prep has never been easier than with this transformational learning platform offering self-paced study and practice tests. Available on demand, for free. 

Getting Active with 2m nets & POTA – Activate All RI

Helping Technicians and new General licensees bridge that initial gap from book learning to experiential learning feels like something many RI hams would support. I’ll be continuing to get the word out about how to join 2m nets and get comfortable talking on the air and asking for mentoring. There are also Simplex, ARES, and other club nets to add in. It also helps to understand the available RI radio repeater infrastructure at a beginner level: the NB1RI repeater network and at this point, the W1SYE 6 days/week 2m net, plus the Quahog repeater network and the significant radio infrastructure at W1OP. I look forward to researching this further to put together a resource on the RI Section website that will be useful for every RI ham. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, POTA is a great opportunity for new General radio amateurs AND experienced hams who want to be active but for various reasons can’t have an antenna where they live. For more on the upcoming POTA – Activate All RI and companion resources useful at any time…

Please check out the new POTA tab on the RI Section website:

https://ri-arrl.org/pota/

Thank you again for being an active ham & ARRL member.

73, Nancy Austin, KC1NEK

RI Section Manager