RI Section Manager Newsletter

Organizational / RI Section Manager Newsletter

New Rhode Island Section Manager

- by Mike Corey

Mike Corey, KI1U, has been appointed to be the ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager as of the New Year,  January 1.  Corey, of Coventry, has been serving as the Assistant Section Manager and Public Information Coordinator.  Rhode Island Section Manager Nancy Austin, KC1NEK, has decided to step aside early from her term of office that continues through June 30, 2027.  Austin has been SM since 2023.

In addition to her Section Manager duties, she has also served as an ARES Emergency Coordinator and District Emergency Coordinator. She has also served as a net control operator for the Rhode Island ARES net. Austin informed ARRL HQ and New England Division leadership she was stepping down because she didn’t feel she could devote the time necessary to the Section Manager role for the remainder of her term due to professional commitments.

In accepting the role of Section Manager, Corey said “First, I want to thank Nancy Austin, KC1NEK, for her leadership as Rhode Island Section Manager over the last couple of years. There is a lot going on in the Rhode Island Section – great clubs, top notch contest stations, new ARES leadership, active SKYWARN participation, just to name a few. The Section Manager role can be challenging and demanding. Thank you, Nancy, for all your work on behalf of Rhode Island radio amateurs.”

Rhode Island ARRL members should expect to hear more from Corey after the start of the new year.

Clubs / Ham Outreach / Innovation / Operating / RI Section Manager Newsletter / STEM

Nearby World Amateur Radio Open House Events, April 16-21+, 2025

- by Nancy Austin

https://www.arrl.org/open-house

Saturday April 19, 2025 

The Providence Radio Association (W1OP) invites you to an ARRL World Amateur Radio Open House at the PRA this Saturday April 19th, 2025 – 10am to 2pm.

This will be another open house where members and the public will see what the Providence Radio Association is all about.  Come see the clubhouse, our rooftop log-periodic antenna and get on the air.  Hope to see you there! https://w1op.com/

Clubhouse GPS location: 30 Ludlow Street, Johnston RI 02919 – on top of historic Neutaconkanut Hill

 

Friday April 18, 2025

https://www.arrl.org/exam_sessions/

W1AQ is  offering another in-person licensing exam Friday evening,  April 18, 2025. Interested to learn more? Reach out. Or just visit them at their clubhouse in the Rumford section of East Providence, RI. 

Contact: Martin Dean Chapman, Email: [email protected]

Remember: there is no Morse Code requirement for getting an  Amateur Radio license.

 

Wednesday April 16, 2025 (Zoom)

The Virtual National Traffic Training Net (VNTN)

https://nts2.arrl.org/2025/03/15/virtual-nts-training-net/

Get started on Radiograms – all levels and license classes welcome. Structured communication basics + practice for Field Day bonus points

VNTN Virtual NTS Training Net: 7pm in April; moving to 8pm in May

The RI Section is SHORT on traffic handlers! Learn the basics and help out once a week or month as you are able. 

More on Radiograms and the National Traffic System: 

  • https://nts2.arrl.org
  • https://nts2.arrl.org/radiogram/

 

Friday April 18, 2025 1-3pm

Nearby Bridgewater State University in the Eastern MA Section is holding an Open House on World Amateur Radio Day, April 18, 2025.  Paul Fredette, K1YBE  from the Newport County Radio Club (NCRC) shared the following invitation. For more information and to RSVP,  please contact him at [email protected]

“Every April 18, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day.  

The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU, https://www.iaru.org/) is celebrating its centenary in 2025 so a special focus year for us. 

Since its founding on April 18 in Paris, France, IARU has worked to promote innovation in amateur radio and to encourage the growth of the service in communities throughout the world.

We invite you to come on Friday April 18 and experience an Amateur Radio shack on the Bridgewater State (MA) campus in DMF room 290 from 1 pm to 3 pm. In addition to getting on the radio, you can compose a Radiogram for delivery to anyone worldwide and find out how to get your Amateur Radio License.

 

Saturday – Monday April 19-21, 2025

630 meter expedition for planned first RI activation 

Historic 630m (472–479 kHz) RI activation planned for this Saturday to Monday by Eric NO3M, traveling from Pennsylvania  to Burlingame Campground in Rhode Island. The goal is to complete “Worked All States – and help everyone that wants that coveted QSO from little Rhode Island. https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?attachments/630m-was-list-19aug24-pdf.1223859/

He will be operating “FST4 – a 4-GFSK extreme weak-signal amateur radio communications mode, designed especially for the MF and LF bands.” https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/FST4

Eric NO3M previously earned a distance award for 630m: New 630-Meter Distance Record Claimed

That 2019 contact “represented the culmination of 2 years of effort: “Hopes were wearing thin as we were moving away from the recent equinox on September 23,” he said. “Even when the path may have been open over the past 3 weeks, either end would be plagued with QRN.” He said that while the opening that facilitated the record-breaking contact was not comparably as strong as past openings, “something special was obviously at play.” The contact covered 9,307.5 miles (14,979 kilometers), topping the previous record of 8,351.9 miles set by Roger Crofts, VK4YB, and Kenneth Roberson, K5DNL, by nearly 1,000 miles. 

Tichansky said his transmit antenna is a 67-foot top-loaded vertical, and the receive antenna is a full-sized eight-circle array comprised of short verticals. The transmit/receive at VK4YB is a linear-loaded vertical.”

For more on the 630 meter Amateur Band privileges that opened in 2017, see:

“It’s a big win for the Amateur community and the ARRL,” ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, said. “We are excited by the FCC’s action to authorize Amateur Radio access for the first time on the MF and LF spectrum. As amateurs begin using these new allocations in the next few weeks, we encourage the entire Amateur Radio community, as secondary users, to be especially attentive to the rules.”

It has not been an easy win, however. ARRL has been trying since the 1970s to convince the FCC to allow amateur access to parts of the spectrum below the Standard Broadcast Band. Through the Utilities Telecoms Council (UTC), electric power utilities have opposed Amateur Radio use of the MF and LF spectrum, raising unsubstantiated fears of interference to unlicensed Part 15 power line carrier (PLC) systems used to manage the power grid. The FCC said the Amateur Radio service rules it has adopted for 630 meters and 2,200 meters allow for co-existence with PLC systems that use the two bands.

April is Citizen Science Month – Contribute to One Million Acts of Science

https://scistarter.org/citizensciencemonth-report

ARRL has teamed up with HamSCI — Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation — and the science community organization SciStarter to invite the public to participate in One Million Acts of Science during April, which is Citizen Science Month. By hosting a Ham Radio Open House at your group’s station in April, you’ll introduce individuals who might never otherwise find out about today’s amateur radio where science and technology intersect with fun and learning. Clubs are encouraged to showcase the latest weak-signal modes, such as FT8 using WSJT-X or other digital modes. This could be a great opportunity to explore new areas of amateur radio and demonstrate how the service is at the cutting edge of electrical engineering.

HamSCI and SciStarter Collaborations

HamSCI (hamsci.org) has built a community by connecting radio amateurs and citizen scientists in ionospheric research. The Solar Eclipse QSO Parties held during the 2023 annular eclipse and the 2024 total solar eclipse provided significant data for researchers studying the ionosphere’s response to the eclipses, wrapped into fun operating events.   SciStarter is working to engage people from all walks of life in one million acts of science during Citizen Science Month in April (scistarter.org/citizensciencemonth), to promote public participation in scientific research. ARRL’s Ham Radio Open House provides a unique opportunity to help achieve that goal.

 

Ham Outreach / RI Section Manager Newsletter / STEM

Welcome to our RI Section Newsletter for February 2025

- by Nancy Austin

Welcome to our RI Section Newsletter for February 2025

Brown University Amateur Radio Club and Space Engineering

Congratulations to new ham Jose Sandoval, KC1TWM for success revitalizing the Brown University Amateur Radio Club (BARC) as an official, funded school club. This has been a team effort across RI, with special thanks to Don Stanford, KV4DN; Chad Cavanaugh, KC1DOH ; Adam Paul, KC1KCC; and Rhode Island Section Youth Coordinator, Rowan Eggert, WO1P for mentoring next-gen collegiate hams. 

Jose, KC1TWM wrote: “The Brown Radio Club has been officially reconstituted in 2025, anticipating its 50th anniversary on May 14, 2025. After operating as an Amateur Radio Community for the ARRL Collegiate Roundup last semester, we are excited to function as an official club in 2025. 

In addition, as custodians of the Brown Space Engineering ground station, the Brown Amateur Radio Club (K1AD) is proud to announce its participation in the Fram2Ham satellite receiving competition. With support from the School of Engineering, the ARRL, the Providence Radio Association, and Brown Space Engineering, we look forward to a productive and vibrant semester. We encourage all interested hams to stay tuned for our upcoming activities!” 

Speaking of School Club Roundup….

Rhode Island Section Youth Coordinator Rowan, W01P wrote:

“ARRL’s School Club Roundup is here!! This week, February 10-14, amateur radio operators can find schools and youth organizations activating across the country. Students kindergarten through college have the opportunity to get on the air, some for their very first time! This event is a fantastic introduction to amateur radio and provides a hands-on STEM learning opportunity before, during, and after school hours.

In Rhode Island, students at All Saints STEAM Academy in Middletown will be getting on the air as a part of an after school program hosted by Mike K1NPT and the Newport County Radio Club. Volunteers will spend a few hours after school working HF and 2m bands with students asthey learn more about battery powered operations and the application of radio communications in their community.

Want to get involved? Take some time to work student stations on the air, you may even be their first contact! Being friendly and engaging with students. It’s one of the best parts of this hobby. Some of my first contacts came with QSL cards that I still keep on the wall. Your time is valuable for School Club Roundup, so please take the time to work schools on the air, especially this week.”

For more on School Club Roundup:

Leveraging the biannual ARRL School Roundup – an untapped youth force multiplier follow up to Winter Field Day and Scouting’s JOTA.

And did we mention ARRL scholarships awarded in 2024 – totaling over $700,000?

 

 

From Florida’s Treasure Coast Skywarn Weather Nets to RI ARES SKYWARN 

Calm confidence and experience matters. Many thanks to Wayne Burkett, KA1VRF for again stepping up to be overnight Net Control Station during last weekend’s early February Snowstorm. From 10pm Saturday night to Noon Sunday, any licensed radio amateur interested in contributing situational awareness about weather at their location could join his Skywarn nets, and report their snow totals. Or offer a heads-up about what might be an unexpected, evolving situation that deserves closer monitoring.  In a “Unity of Effort”, Wayne gathers our reports and delivers them to Rob Macedo, KD1CY, our ham radio Skywarn liaison for our local National Weather Service office in Norton/Boston. 

This is a team effort. Many thanks to longtime RI Skywarn lead Martin Mendelson, N1JMA, for distributing Rob’s NWS breaking updates and likely Skywarn Activation net schedule via [email protected]. It is fantastic to see Rhode Island and the NB1RI Repeater network now included among the regional reliable go-to Skywarn nets. 

Wayne moved back to RI recently, and his depth of experience during severe weather events in Florida offers an opportunity for us all to learn more and prepare – whatever your level of experience might be. Do join in his weekly RI ARES Training and Skywarn Nets held every Wednesdays on the NB1RI repeater network at 7:30pm. No special equipment needed – just your eyes and ears and a public service mindset.

 

Save the Date: Saturday July 12, 2025, 9am-3pm, East Greenwich, RI 

New England Wireless & Steam Museum will host an ARRL sanctioned hamfest at their better-than-ever Tune-Up event in East Greenwich, Rhode Island on July 12.

New England Wireless and Steam Museum (NEWSM): https://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

More info: Ken Carr, KE1RI 

https://newsm.org/

 

Save the Date: 21-24 August, 2025 — Our New England Division HamXposition, Marlborough, MA 

https://hamxposition.org/

August 23, 2025: RI Town Hall Meet & Greet 

Keynotes August 22 and 23:

AA7A:  “Remote DXpeditioning” by Ned Stearns, AA7A, at the Aug 22, 2025 Friday night DX/Contest Banquet

W2NAF: “HamSCI: Space Weather We Can Do Together”, Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, from the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) at the Saturday night Grand Banquet, Aug 23, 2025

Interested in giving a talk? Helping with the event? 

Reach out to Program Chair: Skip Youngberg, [email protected]

 

Ham Outreach / RI Section Manager Newsletter

Amateur Radio Alive and Well in Rhode Island

- by Nancy Austin

Welcome to our RI Section Newsletter for January 2025

Yes! Amateur Radio remains alive and well in Rhode Island with eighty (80) new Technicians licensed in the last year. Let’s get to work first looking at some data, and then begin exploring ways to use our spectrum privileges to creatively navigate 2025 together. How can amateur radio be a force multiplier of inspiration for us all in the coming year?

Did you know?

  • For the last ten years (January 2015 – January 2025), the number of ARRL members in the RI Section has remained steady, plus or minus 10%.  
    • Yes, it’s a niche hobby that we can do better explaining. 
    • Especially now when Amateur Radio is a more relevant hands-on learning gateway than ever before. 
    • Yes, the baseline “normal” fluctuates, but not (so far as I can see) outside these +/- 10% guardrails.  Thank you for your consistent ongoing support.
  • Over the last year, the number of FCC-licensed radio amateurs with a RI official address dropped by thirty (-30, or -1.6%).  But what does that really tell us? 
    • For the last calendar year (December 30, 2023 – December 29, 2024) the total number of FCC-licensed radio amateurs in RI dropped from 1896 to 1865. Some of our RI hams have become Silent Keys. Others may have not renewed for any number of reasons, including older hams downsizing. Others may have moved  outside the Ocean State because of work. Or perhaps for sunnier and/or less expensive locations?  
    • It would be great to have more data-driven insights into the roughly 1900 FCC-licensed amateurs in RI. How has the community demographic actually changed over five to ten years, and how is it changing now? This seems foundational to setting out an informed RI Section Strategic Plan for 2025. 
  • Over the last year, the RI Section welcomed EIGHTY (80) new Technicians. 
    • This includes 14 women, with 12 licensed since last Summer Field Day 2024.
    • New Technician Jose Sandoval, KC1TWM has gone on to successfully restart the Brown University Amateur Radio Club as an officially-sanctioned School Club that will be on the air for School Club Roundup this February. Stay tuned on that!
    • The ARRL New Amateur / License Upgrade Reports available to me also show 24 License upgrades from the available reports, Dec 05, 2023 through June 01, 2024. 
  • Congrats to all! This means over 4% of  Rhode Island’s FCC-licensed radio amateurs were newly licensed over the last year. Let’s reach out and listen to what led them to get licensed. What’s their experience with amateur radio so far? What welcome and Get On the Air (GOTA) coaching would be helpful?  
    • The RI Section Affiliated Club Coordinator (RI-ACC), John Brewer, N1SXB, will be reaching out to the ARRL-affiliated clubs in Rhode Island to put together a coordinated process for sharing information about new RI hams, and then following up to see how clubs might best support the GOTA journey. We understand many hams belong to multiple clubs that meet each ham’s radio interest needs in different ways at different times. And, in our small state, location may not be the deciding factor. Please consider: What’s your club culture? How would you describe your welcome? What nets, club programs, POTA activations, antenna builds, public service options, and coaching can you point to as best practices to pitch to new hams? What’s working? And thank you for all you are doing already. 
  • Finally, please support ARRL and its Spectrum Protection mission at this critical time by joining or renewing for $59. We are all incredibly privileged to be living at a time when we are granted a remarkable opportunity to play on the amateur radio frequency bands and learn something new every day with a remarkable growth-mindset Super Community. Never a dull moment! The hobby for a lifetime.

From Dr. Tamitha Skov’s August 2024 Keynote address at the New England HamXposition in nearby Marlborough, Massachusetts. (SpaceWeatherWoman.com)