W1TU

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

The ARRL has several initiatives for 2026 commemorating the Year of the Club and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The EAWA has sent in a club photo for a chance to be featured in QST, and has entered this website in the club website competition.

This article is focused on how you can participate in the largest initiative, the “America250 WAS,” is a year-long event offering several special awards through the ARRL’s Logbook Of The World (LoTW).

Using the terms in LoTW, there are new WAS endorsements available for 2026. Endorsements are are like branches on a tree, indicating specific achievements. For example, the tree is the Worked All States Award, completed in any combination of bands and modes. An endorsement, or branch on the tree, is added when the operator works all states in just one mode (CW, Phone, Digital), or just one band, or even one mode/band combination (for example, SSB only on 20 meters). The America250 WAS offers several new endorsements.

One of the awards or new endorsements is for contacting each state when hams in that state are using the ARRL callsign of W1AW/Portable. The “Portable” is the number corresponding to the state’s ARRL region or territory. For example, New York hams will use W1AW/2, while Louisiana hams will use W1AW/5. Across the year each state will have two separate weeks when W1AW/Portable will be on the air, and for Maine those are the weeks of January 28 and December 16. Maine will use W1AW/1 as will all states in the 1 call area, however we will be distinguished from other 1 call area states by our designated weeks. It would be ideal to have W1AW/1 activated on all bands and in all modes often during our two weeks.

You can participate in this award chase in two ways. The first is to follow the ARRL calendar and make QSOs with W1AW/Portable operators in each state – on any band or mode. The first two states, New York W1AW/2 and Nebraska W1AW/0 start their first weeks on Wednesday January 7th. The second way you can participate is to represent Maine as W1AW/1 in the modes and on the bands of your choice during our specified weeks. The exchange is a typical one, with the addition that W1AW/1 is a special event station, part of the ARRL America250 WAS. To learn more or sign up, please contact club member and Maine Section Manager, Phil N1EP, at was250me@gmail.com. Several club members have volunteered, including Matt KC1VLH, Rob W8HAP, and Bob AB1EP.

Another award is for making a QSO with an ARRL Affiliated Club station in all 50 states. You don’t have to wait for a specific week for this activity. The ARRL has a search mechanism for affiliated clubs in each state. Not only can you search for them, but if you happen upon an affiliated station there will likely be a statement about America250 WAS in the exchange. Announcements will be made as plans are finalized to put W1TU on the air.

A third award, the WAS Triple Play, is earned by contacting operators all 50 states, using W1AW/Portable and/or Affiliated Club calls on all three modes (CW/Phone/Digital). Just like the first two awards, you apply for this endorsement through LoTW after you have achieved the award requirements. 

There are also awards for contacting all 50 states on one band, using one mode, or by satellite.

A summary of the event can be found in the ARRL’s On The Air magazine. You can check the event webpage for more details. America250 WAS is a great way to make sure you get all the states this year, and also a way to give back to the hobby by representing Maine as a special event operator.
Written by Marion W1GRL