W1TU

Every Wednesday, and twice a month on Sundays, EAWA members and friends gather for ham radio conversations and workshop-style support for kits, home-brew builds, and troubleshooting. Perhaps you will join us sometime?

“Clandestine Coffee” provides an easy, enjoyable way to get know ham radio operators in the Downeast area. We usually have 10 to 20 EAWA members and friends around the tables, some coming from as far away as Belfast and Millbridge. Conversations often touch on many radio topics, reflecting the diverse interests of EAWA members.

Like Clandestine Coffee, everyone is welcomed to join in the Weekend Sessions as well. These workshop-style sessions begin at noon at the Meadow View Phase 4 Community Room, 25 Tweedie Lane in Ellsworth (see map here). We regularly have hams come just to hang out and see what everyone else is working on. People often bring in items they are working on, both hardware and software, to share or assemble, and perhaps get advice. Lately there have been soldering activities, assistance with logging programs, and trouble-shooting older equipment.

Unlike Clandestine Coffee, which happens every Wednesday, the Weekend Sessions are held only in the fall and winter months. We have 4 sessions left: March 8 and 22, and April 12 and 26. While you are thinking of what’s on your calendar, make a note that the EAWA’s Annual Ham Radio Symposium, held at the same location, is scheduled for Saturday, April 18. Check this website for more Symposium details as they are announced.

The EAWA is an active group! Whether you are a member of the club or not, don’t be shy about joining us for any event, or get to know us through our EAWA Facebook group. Amateur radio is an awesome “hobby of a thousand hobbies,” and part of that is joy comes from sharing in a community. We hope to see you soon!
Written by Marion W1GRL

With two large RTTY contests on the horizon, this is a good time to consider adding RTTY to your ham radio experience. If you are a RTTY operator, this a friendly reminder that the CQ World Wide RTTY WPX happens the weekend of February 14th, and the North American QSO Party RTTY is scheduled for Saturday February 28th. Unlike Phone or CW, it can be difficult to find a RTTY station to work outside of a contest. RTTY contesting is similar to other modes in that some hams enjoy the speed of running a frequency while others prefer the more causal pace of search and pounce. 

Radio Teletype, abbreviated RTTY, refers to the use of a radio and modem connected to a basic teleprinter. Some call it the “original keyboard to keyboard mode.” Amateur radio use of RTTY became popular as the first generations of commercial teleprinters were being retired. As technology developed, the physical teleprinters were replaced with computers making the mode much more accessible. RTTY is a digital mode, often grouped along with FT8, JS8Call, and PSK31 in contests. RTTY uses Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) or Audio Frequency Shift Keying (AFSK) to transmit data at a standard 45.45 baud rate. It is less automated than FT8 and requires operator skill in tuning. 

It’s often said that if your radio is configured for FT8, you can easily setup for RTTY with the addition of some software. Stan W1BOY put that claim to the test, and found RTTY contesting to be compelling and fun! His first RTTY contest experience was the Worked All Europe DX RTTY contest in November 2024. He was hooked and worked all of the major and many of the smaller RTTY contests in 2025. In fact, he has more RTTY contacts in his log for 2025 than any of the other mode and he’s looking forward to a better year in 2026! 

RTTY is a relatively recent addition to Stan’s radio journey. His interest began when as a schoolboy he heard his principal taking about amateur radio. After being licensed in his early 20s, he was been active off and on as life got busy. Once retired and had more time, he focused mostly on station building and home-brew radios. When his wife, Marion W1GRL, decided to get active in the hobby, Stan started spending more time operating. RTTY suddenly became more attractive as a way to be in a contest, flex his technical muscles, and celebrate a traditional HF mode. 

Tuning RTTY signals involves aligning the transceiver’s frequency so that two FSK or AFSK signals, comprised of ‘mark’ and ‘space,’ properly fit within the receiver’s passband. Typically, software tools such as MMTTY or 2Tone are used to match signal peaks on a waterfall or an X-Y display. Often operators will have two programs individually working to decode signals, watching to see which program is doing the best at the moment to pull out the accurate call sign or exchange. As mentioned above, if you’ve setup your radio for FT8, half of the work is done. Setting up RTTY involves using CAT to control your radio and using a modem to send and receive audio to and from the radio. For help with RTTY software and just learning more about the mode, Stan recommends https://www.rttycontesting.com/rtty/.

One of the best things about the ham radio hobby is that if you find the type of operating you really enjoy, then you can settle in and have fun! And if you are ready for a new challenge or just something different, there’s lots to choose from! RTTY provides a way to celebrate a long-standing amateur radio mode and enjoy either casual or serious contesting. Maybe you can give it a try in the upcoming contests.
Written by Marion. W1GRL

Over the weekend of January 24th and 25th, EAWA members and friends participated in Winter Field Day in a variety of ways. Some went “all out” with their off-grid wilderness set-up, while others stayed closer to home. Although Winter Field Day (WFD) has much in common with the ARRL Field Day in June, the focus and point system is aimed at true field operations. The WFD website states the event, “aims to help participants improve their preparedness for disasters and enhance their operational abilities in adverse conditions.” With temperatures below zero, made worse by winds, and heavy snowfall directly following the event, coastal Mainers nailed the “adverse conditions”!

Matt W1MRH and Jeff KA1DBE set up their special events station N1S at Matt’s lakeside camp. Bill KC2NMK joined the team this year. They were ready to go an hour before WFD started, and worked the allowed 24 out of 30 hours. The bands were noisy, and around midnight 40 meters was the only band open. Two hours into the event they realize they were using two different versions of N3FJP. Thankfully, the mix-up turned out to be a non-issue. Bill operated PSK while Matt and Jeff worked SSB, CW, WinLink, satellites. The team also copied the WFD bulletin.

Joan W1DLC chose to set up an off-grid station near her home. In a small out-building she setup her gear, along with a wood stove. Although she added some insulation, the cold temperatures and wind were too much for the small stove. She worked for 6 hours, with both SSB and CW, before shutting down.

Matt KC1VLH operated inside his home but used only emergency power for his radio and computer. He used a battery box he build for POTA to power his equipment. Matt operated for 16 hours, making many SSB contacts. This was Matt’s first WFD activation.

Marion W1GRL choose the easiest way to participate, hunting stations from home.

Most likely there were others operating WFD as well. One of the best things about ham radio is the many ways we can engage the hobby. It’s wonderful to have a community that offers so many ways to participate and enjoy radio communications. Cheers to Winter Field Day! Perhaps next year it will coincide with a January thaw? Perhaps not. Whatever the conditions, EAWA members and friends will be up for the challenge.
Written by Marion W1GRL