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
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:
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