Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association
Maine State POTA Day: Saturday, May 16
Next Monthly Meeting: Thursday, June 11, 7pm
Field Day Annual Event, Friday-Sunday, June 26-28
–Location: Trenton Elementary School
–Friday, Set up, 10am into the afternoon
–Saturday, Prep & Activities, 8am to 2pm
–Saturday, 24 hr Radio Operations start at 2pm
–Sunday, Clean Up, all afternoon
Nets: Every Tuesday & Wednesday at 7:00pm
Clandestine Coffee: Every Wednesday at 9:30am
All are Welcome to Attend, Licensed or Not
In light of Maine State POTA Day coming up in two days (Saturday, May 16), the opening question to accompany introductions was, “Do you have a favorite location to operate portable.” While many EAWA members enjoy POTA, the responses were as varied as the number of parks in our area. Regarding the Maine State POTA Day, we were reminded that while many operate on 20 meters, we are more likely to contact others in Maine on 40 meters.
The business section of the meeting offered several noteworthy items. Barbara KC1SSY, the Emergency Coordinator for Hancock County, announced that there will be EmComm exercises in the fall that we may participate in. Andrew W1AXS, Hancock County EMA Director, gave an update on the new facilities which are currently under construction.
Two major club events have occurred since the last meeting, thus After Action Reports were on the agenda. The annual Symposium, held April 18, was a great success. (See article here.) The topics presented were of general interest, and the presenters were able to speak to the new operators as well as the experienced operators in the room. Many thanks go to the team of volunteers, headed by Jeff KA1DBE. The annual Sea of Blue Walk/5k/10k, held April 25, was also a great success. (See article here.) Everyone felt the Emergency Communications Team worked well together and performed excellently throughout the exercise. Again, many thanks to the team of volunteers, headed by Matt KC1VLH, Joan W1DLC, and Barbara KC1SSY. The Race Coordinators, Matt & Sue Heel, expressed their sincere thanks to the club.
Phil N1EP, the ARRL Section Manager for Maine, surprised Jeff KA1DBE by presenting him with the Maine Ham Radio Operator of the Year for 2026 award. Congratulations to Jeff! Anyone in the local and regional ham radio community knows Jeff is among the most active, dedicated, and generous amateur radio operators around. There will be a separate article sharing more of Jeff’s radio experiences and accomplishments coming soon.
The remainder of the meeting focused on the detailed planning of the upcoming Field Day weekend, June 27-28. The exercise has two primary themes. It serves as an opportunity to invite the public to learn about amateur radio while the stations are in operation, and if they choose, to get on the air with the help of a mentor to guide them through the process. It also serves as a challenge to clubs to try as many ways as possible to send radio waves through the air while totally off-grid, and to maintain those efforts as much as possible for a full 24 hours.
Field Day set up starts on Friday, June 26, at 10am at the Trenton Elementary School. Everything — from tents to tables, generators to radios to antennas — must be set-up in the parking lot and ball fields. Saturday, June 27, begins at 8am with any last minute set-up, educational and safety meetings, and a quick lunch. The 24 hour operations period starts at 2pm on Saturday. Many club members will be wearing club t-shirts, which Barbara kindly coordinated, ordered and shared at the meeting. (There are a few left, contact Joan W1DLC or Barbara KC1SSY for purchase.) Across the 24 hours, EAWA members and friends, and members of the public will come and go. The task of taking everything down and cleaning up the space will begin around noon on Sunday, June 28.
There will be a press-release, information to share, and many announcements coming over the next several weeks. If you have any questions, please contact:
*Field Day Coordinator, Jeff KA1DBE
*CW Captain, Rob W8HAP
*SSB Captain, Bob AB1EP
*Digital & Satellite Captain, Jeff KA1DBE
*GOTA Captain, Joan W1DLC
You may also contact our information officers, Dick W1KRP and Marion W1GRL, for press releases and other information.
For a group that sees each other frequently, whether it is at radio events or the Clandestine Coffee gatherings on Wednesdays, we still seem to have much to talk about before and after the meetings. Looking ahead, our next meeting is scheduled for June 11. All members and friends are invited to bring favorite radio “gadgets” to share with the group. This is always a fun meeting. We hope to see you there!
Written by Marion W1GRL
For the second year, EAWA members and friends teamed up with the Hancock County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) to provide race communications for the Sea of Blue Autism Awareness Walk/5K/10K. Directors Matt and Susan Heel do an amazing job organizing all aspects of the event, including welcoming the race communications team. (Learn more about Sea of Blue here.)
The morning of Saturday, April 25th, started early for the operators setting up the equipment in the EMA trailer. Special thanks goes to Andrew W1AXS for authorizing use of the Hancock County EMA trailer. The warm, sunny day put everyone in a great mood! At 7:30am, in a cozy room at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor, Barbara KC1SSY started the pre-race briefing. The Sea of Blue race directors graciously provided coffee and donuts, along with special race communications shirts. Also, as a gift of gratitude, the operators received coffee mugs with both the Autism Awareness logo and the EAWA club logo.
Following the meeting, the operators moved into their assigned positions. Joan W1DLC began the official net at 9:00am, with each station checking in using tactical callsigns. Each of the seven stations was ready to go when the event started. Those who were walking in the event started at 9:30am, and those running started at 10:00am.
Race communications ran smoothly through net control. Stations reported on the first three runners of each race and the last runner. In the net control trailer, Jesse KC1YSY, noted on a white board the locations of the lead runners and the last as they moved beyond each station. Thankfully there were no emergencies and all went as planned.
As the last runner passed each station, operators packed up equipment and relocated to either another station or the central hub, the Neighborhood House. Along with the walkers and runners, the operators were treated to sandwiches, cookies, and other snacks at the finish line.
Community service and emergency preparedness are critically important to the EAWA and the Hancock County EMA. Thanks again to Barbara KC1SSY, Joan W1DLC, and Matt KC1VLH, for your many hours of thoughtful planning and leadership. While all of the operators enjoyed the camaraderie with other operators and the festivities, there is a serious side to this exercise. The race event presents an opportunity to hone our skills, put our equipment through the paces, and practice the art of moving information along radio channels in an accurate and timely manner.
Community service, emergency practice, good food, and warm, sunny weather — we couldn’t have asked for anything better!
Written by Marion W1GRL
The annual EAWA Ham Radio Symposium, held on Saturday, April 18, offered attendees five presentations, several information tables, a raffle, light refreshments, and wonderful conversation. The event started at noon with greetings from John KQ1P, the President of the Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association, and Jeff KA1DBE, the Symposium Coordinator. Below is a quick review of the presentations and photos of special interest groups represented at the symposium.
The first presenter, Marion W1GRL, shared ways to get the most from a free app called “HamAlert.” The app sends notifications when certain callsigns or locations are active. She demonstrated how to set conditions using several examples, including setting alerts for when a friend is activating a POTA park on a particular band, a needed state for WAS (worked all states) for a particular band and mode, specific needed POTA parks are activated, and when needed DXCC entities are active. One item she emphasized is the use of the spotters’ locations, choosing spotters that make it more likely a ham can hear the other station. A second item was the value of connecting ClubLog to HamAlert.
The second presenter, Gerry W1VE, demonstrated how easy it is to use a remote radio connection to make a QSO. He shared stories to illustrate the value of remote radio, and busted the myth that remote radio is always an expensive operation. The information he presented can be found at https://remote.radio. Gerry also shared an app he created to show operators where propagation is in their favor, the RBN S-Meter. This app is found at https://rbsm.rm.gl/.
The third presentation, given by David and Dakota, was an introduction to MaineMesh, an off-grid Mesh Network. They shared reasons why this off-grid communication system is useful, and why they chose Meshtastic over Meshcore for their needs. For someone who would like to be a part of the mesh network, they shared tips on choosing mobile and base station hardware, and filters, as well as ways to configure the settings. You can learn more at MaineMesh.org. The pair highly recommended the Discord to find more information.
Greg KC1RID was the fourth presenter, sharing tips for 3D printing ham radio-related items. He summarized some of the evolution of 3D printers, comparing previous high cost/early development printers to the current wide-ranging cost points and capabilities available today. The talk began with an introduction for anyone unfamiliar with 3D printing, moved to equipment and CAD software considerations, and then explored ham-radio related projects. Greg brought many actual examples of the items he discussed in his slide presentation. His primary message was that with current capabilities and resources, anyone can master the basics of 3D printing for ham radio-related items.
The fifth and final presentation was given by Jeff KA1DBE, highlighting the various uses for APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System). The primary focus of the talk was to show that APRS can be used for messaging as well as tracking. He reviewed how to send messages and bulletins, check your inbox, and use QRX and APRSLink.
Between sessions, attendees had an opportunity to browse several information tables as well as talk with presenters and enjoy some snacks. Members of three special interest groups set up information tables and stayed close to answer any questions.
The 2026 annual symposium ended with a 50/50 raffle drawing and many declarations of success! Special thanks goes out to Jeff KA1DBE for taking the lead on this event, the presenters, and the many helpers who made this special afternoon possible. All who attended left with new knowledge and inspiration to try some new things. It’s clear why the annual symposium is a highlight in the yearly schedule of the EAWA.
Written by Marion W1GRL
The April club meeting started in the traditional way, with introductions and a question: What is your favorite radio to use? Responses ranged from “my first radio” to “the radio that works” to radios known for their excellence. Among the meeting highlights was the EmComm report given by Barbara KC1SSY. She and several other EAWA members and friends participated in an emergency exercise that simulated radio responses to hurricane damage. The exercise, named “Angry Moose,” involved the local receiving and sending of precise information across 4 counties.
We also had several people bring in books, magazines, and lots of small equipment items for the Lend and Learn Library.
Jeff KA1DBE reviewed the plans for the upcoming ham radio symposium to be held Saturday, April 18th, from Noon to 4:00, titled, “Focused Communications: Choosing the Best Tools” (see details here). The event includes 5 presentations, numerous information tables, a 50/50 raffle and door prizes, and light refreshments. All proceeds go the facility, Meadow View Apartments. The symposium has been well-publicized in the local press and the ARRL Letter, as well as through many regional nets. Jeff requested that all presenters and those helping with set-up be on site at 10:00am. It would also be a great help to have volunteers to assist with the clean-up afterward.
Barbara KC1SSY and Matt KC1VLH reviewed the plans for our EmComm operations for the Sea of Blue Walk/5K/10K (see website) on Saturday, April 25. There will be 6 communications stations, staffed by EAWA members and friends, ready to relay information to the Net Control. Everyone involved in the EmComm operations should be at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor at 7:30am for an organizational meeting. The walk starts at 9:30 and the races at 10:00. Any hams who would like to observe the process are welcomed to attend.
We are never without things to plan and activate! On the horizon we have the New England QSO Party on May 2 and 3, the Maine-Wide POTA Day on May 16, and of course, Field Day on the weekend of June 27 and 28. As the weather gets nicer it’s time to get all your gear prepped, your calendar filled, and most of, get on the radio!
Written by Marion, W1GRL
As Winter turns to Mud Season in Downeast Maine, many EAWA members and friends are thinking of the upcoming Parks On The Air (POTA) season. Yes, hams can activate POTA year-round, but many of us wait for the milder temperatures of spring to start our POTA adventures. POTA is not only popular among our local hams, it’s exploding in popularity around the world. According to Kevin Thomas, a member of the POTA Board of Directors, “More than 85,000 parks are now active across 236 DX entities, with over 84,000 registered operators.” He also noted that the POTA website “processed 10.6 million QSOs in 2023, 13 million in 2024, and 15.2 million in 2025.”
Part of the fun of any ham radio activity is setting personal goals, then working to achieve them. In the POTA program, some of those goals may involve achieving POTA.app awards. Whether it’s that very first award, the Bronze Award, for activating/hunting 10 different parks, the Sapphire Award for activating/hunting 75 different parks, the Kilo Award for activators who have made 1,000 QSOs from the same park, or the Rhino Award for activating 10 different parks in 24 hours (a POTA Rove Award), there are many short-term and long-term challenges to consider. (See the full list here.)
There is a new POTA challenge slowly gaining popularity that comes from POTA News & Reviews, called the Pack Mule Award. This challenge involves hiking all your equipment into a park such that you are at least 1/2 mile from your vehicle. The Award requires 100 hiking activations, with at least 22 QSOs per activation. This certainly qualifies as a long-term challenge! (See more about the Pack Mule Award here.)
For some operators, the awards are nice but secondary to the personal goals and challenges that keep their POTA experiences fresh and interesting. Let’s hear from some of the EAWA members regarding their 2026 POTA goals.
Joan W1DLC plans to activate Baxter State Park, using CW and 10 watts. She added, “In addition to other camping activations, I am looking forward to operating with my POTA friends Barbara KC1SSY and Matt KC1VLH.”
Matt KC1VLH, shared “My goal is that by the end of the year I hope to add parks in the remaining 3 New England states as well as New York and Pennsylvania. I also plan to get other Maine state parks.”
Barbara KC1SSY shared that one of her goals has already started, which is to try her best to make a POTA contact everyday. Her second goal is “to increase my number of individual and group POTA activations through 2026, including some new-to-me parks and ideally at least one in another state.”
Dick W1KRP said, “2025 was a ‘year to forget’ so 2026 is going to be the opposite. POTA is at the top of my fun-list.”
John KQ1P hopes to try bicycling to a location for an activation, enjoy the EAWA club POTA activations, and to activate some new-to-him parks.
Greg KC1RID, an avid SOTA activator and hiker, said that while at Baxter State Park this year he will “at least do POTA in the evenings.” He added, “one of my goals is to hike all the Maine 4000′ mountains, so I might bag one or two other mountains outside of Baxter.”
Stan W1BOY stated his goals included “more activations this summer, both 100w picnic table portable and QRP hiking portable.” Stan has his eye on the Pack Mule Award.
Marion W1GRL shared that she hunts POTAs often, but hasn’t completed many activations. Her goal is “to keep up with W1BOY’s activations and use CW for POTA QSOs.”
In a club the size of the EAWA, there are likely to be active POTA hunters and operators not mentioned here. For example, Mark W1ABY is a dedicated POTA hunter. There are also those who support POTA operators, both human and canine. In a location as beautiful as Downeast Maine, combining ham radio with the natural landscape creates a perfect match!
As you make your POTA plans, mark your calendar for the Maine-wide POTA Day, Saturday, May 16. Also, keep an eye out for the traditional fall EAWA Club POTA activation, which usually comes around in September or October. If you haven’t tried POTA yet, perhaps reading these goals will inspire you to become a POTA operator. The people mentioned in this article would be happy to chat with you if you have questions. POTA ON!
Written by Marion W1GRL
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