Author: 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

• W1AQ (Associated Radio Amateurs of Southern New England) on Saturday October 7, 2023 at 9:30am (Rumford, RI)
• Blackstone Valley ARC (BVARC) on Saturday October 14, 2023 at 9am  (Woonsocket, 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. 

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: 

• Amateur Radio Technician Class (Zoom) Begins Tuesday Oct 17th at 6 PM: https://w1sye.org/?p=7456
• Become a Ham: https://w1sye.org/?page_id=151 
• ARRL Find an Amateur Radio License Class in Your Area: https://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-class

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]

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

• W1AQ (Associated Radio Amateurs of Southern New England) on Saturdays September 9 and October 7, 2023 at 9:30am (Rumford, RI)
• Newport County Radio Club (NCRC) on Saturday September 16, 2023 at 10am (Portsmouth, RI) [digital exam on iPads]
• Blackstone Valley ARC (BVARC) on Saturday October 14, 2023 at 9am  (Woonsocket, 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. 

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