Category Archives: ARRL

Time to Get Ready for Field Day*

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ARRL Field Day is just over two months away, but like spring cleaning, it pays to start getting ready now.

2023 Field Day will be held June 24 – 25. It is ham radio’s open house. Every June, hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill and service to communities and the nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Some participants may also choose to operate from home, using the exercise to develop and practice their personal radio communications capability.

Field Day has been an annual event since 1933 and remains the most popular event in ham radio.

In 2022, 4,929 entries were submitted (including check logs), and there was a total of 29,679 reported participants.

Field Day is open to all amateurs in the areas covered by the ARRL/RAC Field Organizations and countries within IARU Region 2. DX stations residing in other regions may be contacted for credit and may submit entries as check logs.

The main focus of Field Day is to work as many stations as possible on the 160-, 80-, 40-, 20-, 15-, and 10-meter HF bands, all bands on 50 MHz and above, and to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less-than-optimal conditions. A premium is placed on developing skills to meet the challenges of emergency preparedness and acquaint the general public with the capabilities of amateur radio.

For Field Day 2023, several rules changes have been made. It’s a good idea to make sure that your logging software has been updated to the most current version to incorporate these rule changes including the updated Canadian sections list. There are many facets to operating on Field Day and knowing the rules and keeping good logs are paramount to successful contacts.

To start preparing for Field Day, check out arrl.org/field-day for the official rules and all the information you’ll need.

Newport County Radio Club will again participate as W1SYE 2A RI from Glen Park in Portsmouth, RI.

For more information on how to participate with NCRC contact: Dick Bianco

* from: The ARRL Letter for April 6, 2023

What the heck is that: ÄRTEN™ Workshops Continue …

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The ÄRTEN™ project held it’s fifth bi-weekly workshop on April 3, 2023 at FabNewport.  Project members and students from Pull It Apart! – FabNewport joined in a “What the heck is that?” gameshow to identify electronics gear stored in the hamshack closet at All Saints STEAM Academy.  SPOILER ALERT – from left to right the team identified an antenna rotator controller, a signal generator, a Heathkit® power supply and its matching amateur radio transceiver the venerable HW-101.

Glowing with gameshow success, project members then attempted to integrate an Ethernet-enabled CO2/Temperature/Humidity sensor from TEMCO Controls with a notebook controller.  Unfortunately, the aura of invincibility wore off and attempts to communicate with the device were unsuccessful; no habla IEEE 802.3!   Stay tuned.

ARRL Club Commission Program

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One of the benefits of being an ARRL Affiliated Club is having the ability to participate in the Club Commission Program. This program allows NCRC to earn a commission for enrolling new and renewing ARRL members.  New memberships will earn NCRC $15 and renewals $5 commissions. Members can renew at any time without losing time. If your renewal is normally in July and you renew in May, the time is added to your July date.

Participation in the program is simple:

  1. Each new or renewing ARRL member should print and fill out the membership application for Affiliated Clubs.
  2. Each new or renewing ARRL member should print the NCRC 2023 ARRL Club Commission Form. and indicate in the blue box whether they are a new or renewing member.
  3. Payment in FULL can be made to ARRL by check, credit card, or cash.
  4. The new or renewing ARRL member should then snail mail both forms with FULL payment to ARRL for processing.  Mailing address for the ARRL is indicated at the bottom of the forms.

It’s that simple!  ARRL will process the forms: you’ll be an ARRL member and NCRC will receive a commission check from ARRL.

In the spirit of 2023 and ARRL’s Year Of the Volunteers, the ARRL is offering the additional promotion to clubs using the Club Commission Program:

For every five new members signed through the Club Commission Program through the end of 2023, ARRL will give NCRC a copy of The ARRL Handbook, which will be used as a prize during an upcoming meeting or event.

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MESHing Around: ÄRTEN™ Workshops Continue

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The ÄRTEN™ project demonstrated a five (5) node MESH network at the March 20, 2023 FabNewport workshop.  The network consisted of: a range-extended GL.iNet AR150-Ext node (on tripod); a regular GL.iNet AR150-Ext; two GL.iNet AR300M16-Ext; and a Microtik SXTSQ Lite 2.  In addition, K1YBE demonstrated collecting CO2 measurements with two Vaisala GMP343 probes.

ÄRTEN™ Project goals were reviewed and consensus reached on a way forward using an Ethernet-enabled CO2 sensor.  A lively discussion on environmental monitoring in general and CO2 monitoring in specific ensued.

Details on the all aforementioned equipment can be found here.

ARRL Foundation Club Grant sponsored ÄRTEN™ microwave/mesh networking workshops continue at FabNewport on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 3:00pm.

Contact K1YBE for more info.

NCRC Pi Day Eve Special Event!

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To celebrate the night before Pi Day, please join us this Monday March 13th for a NCRC social hour from 6-7pm before the (hybrid) Monthly Meeting starts as usual at 7pm. We will be providing pizza, pies, coffee and cider. So come on down to St. Barnabas straight from work and talk radio with all of us, and have some fun.

(St. Barnabas Parish Hall, 1697 E Main Rd, Portsmouth. Parking Lot off Fairview Lane.)

W1LY has radio gear to raffle; John N1SMX will be on hand to help people renew their NCRC membership; and Dave KC1IPA can help you sign up or renew an ARRL membership so that the club gets a benefit!
Six club members just passed their license/license upgrade exam – so cheers to them, too! John Mills K1JSM and Paul K1YBE have planned Pi day activities, so there will be LOTS going on as we celebrate the return of Daylight Saving Time. (Maybe there will be some singing too?)