Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association
EAWA members Stan W1BOY and Marion W1GRL were interviewed by Kevin Thomas, W1DED, for his World Wide Ham Radio YouTube Channel. Kevin interviews a wide variety of amateur radio operators, including contesters, DXpeditioners, youth, and others with an interesting story to tell.
Stan and Marion discuss their journey with ham radio, and speak specifically about the Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association beginning at 23 min, 30 sec into the video.
The meeting started with introductions and a question, “Are you equipped to operate your radio when the electricity is out?” As is the case in most all EAWA monthly meetings, the agenda flowed through old and new business. Of note were three items. First, a reminder that the Maine QSO Party is September 28, Second, In the name of the club, Stan W1BOY and Marion W1GRL donated sponsorship money for the winning plaque in the Formula High Power category of the upcoming 2025 CQ DX Marathon contest. They wanted to honor the club by having “Sponsored by the Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association” on the first place plaque.
The third item of note was an overview of the emergency communications efforts for the MDI Marathon on October 20. Barbara discussed what volunteers should bring, including equipment, weather protection, food, and water. She also discussed the need to be prepared for any type of injury or emergency, including the extreme, such as a runner being hit by a cyclist or car. The radio coverage of the race is highly organized into teams with precise instructions. If you are interested in participating but have not yet contacted someone in the EAWA, it is critical that you do so immediately and plan to attend the next club meeting on October 10.
Following the business meeting and an intermission for some sweet treats (thanks Bernie KI4VCR), Phil N1EP gave a presentation on the National Traffic System and Radiograms. He shared some of the history of the program and the new NTS 2.0. (See https://www.arrl.org/nts/ and https://nts2.arrl.org/ for more information.) Within the NTS system we are in the Eastern Area Net, and more specifically 1RN or the 1st region. Phil provided details for the primary Maine Nets: Maine Seagull Net (voice), Pine Tree Net (cw), Maine Public Service Net (voice), and Maine Slow Speed Net (cw). Time and frequencies for these are in a photo below. The heart of Phil’s presentation centered around how to record a message (traffic) on the ARRL Radiogram form. He concluded with several funny examples to make some key points.
The meeting topics were good reminders that, particularly with winter on the way, now is the time to make sure we are prepared to use our radios in difficult conditions.
Written by Marion W1GRL
Do you have a bug in your radio you can’t figure out? Do you need some guidance with entering repeater info in your hand-held? Maybe you need something soldered but you don’t have the equipment or some help getting logging software configured. Whether you have something to bring, want to be there to help, or just want to hang out with other radio folks — Sunday Sessions are the place for you. Each session is a bit different, depending on what people bring in to work on or just show off.
Sunday Sessions begin at noon at the Meadow View Phase 4 Community Room at 25 Tweedie Lane in Ellsworth (map here). Sessions typically last a couple of hours, and people come and go during that time. People also come to socialize, hang out, and see what others are doing. There will be a voluntary donation can and all money goes to the facility. The 2024-2025 days are:
September 8, 22
October 6, 20
November 3, 17
December 1, 15, 29
January 12, 26
February 9, 23
March 9, 23
April 6, 19 (yes, we will have a Sunday Session on a Saturday!)
Barbara KC1SSY, Stan W1BOY, and I (Marion W1GRL) attended the 41st Northeast HamXposition & ARRL New England Division Convention, held August 22 – 25, in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The short story is that we had a great time!
For most of Friday, all day Saturday, and a bit on Sunday, there were 10-15 different activities, presentations, or meetings occurring each hour. Some of the presentations were linked by themes, such as such as POTA and EmComm, and others had a more unique focus, such as Linux, AMSAT, antenna phasing and matching, and even a merging of Minecraft and ham radio to become RadioCraft. There were continual Kit Building activities, a Tech in a Day session, and several VEC testing sessions. Many groups used this convention to schedule club and organizational gatherings, including the Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL) and the New England QRP Club. And as if that wasn’t enough, there was a Flea Market to browse. Obviously we had to pick and choose our sessions, so I asked Barbara and Stan if they would share their personal highlights.
Barbara KC1SSY shared, in her words: This is my first time attending a larger ham radio conference and I had a great time. I met many other hams and had some great conversations with them and learned a lot from them. I attended many interesting seminars – the hardest part was picking between them on which ones to attend. I attended a seminar on Ham Radio support and the Boston Marathon which provided some useful tips for the EAWA’s support for the MDI marathon. I also enjoyed a presentation about the 13 Colonies Special Event and all the work that happens behind the scenes before, during and long after the event. The majority of my focus was related to EmComm, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), Skywarn, the National Traffic System and MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio Service) – I even signed up to start the approval process to become a MARS member. I find the important role that amateur radio enthusiasts have supporting so many missions of other groups fascinating. I was reminded that on those very bad days, when things are falling apart, ham radio operators are there to help.
Stan W1BOY shared, in his words: The highlight of the HamXposition for me was the Mini Contest University arranged and presented by DX Engineering, running 9am to 5pm on Friday. Unlike the full Contest University which is held the Thursday before the Hamvention begins, the mini University is only a single track, not 4, and targeting beginning and causal contesters. Randy, K5ZD, started the day with my favorite talk titled, “Getting Started in Contesting.” It was an information-packed hour discussing station readiness, building critical skills, logging, planning, and important tasks before the contest. He finished his hour with the following summary: Set goals, do your best, enjoy the journey, submit your log, and plan to improve for the next time. For me the Contest University was worth the trip to Marlborough, and that was just the first day. Then came the icing on the cake; other great talks, meeting YouTube and podcast celebs, banquet speakers, talking with FlexRadio people and other vendors, and of course the prizes. I’m already planning for next year.
For me (Marion W1GRL), the all-day Mini Contest University on Friday was also my top highlight. Including Randy’s presentation, sessions covered contest ethics, strategy, desk ergonomics, radios, antennas, remote operating, and FT8 contesting. My top take-aways were to get on the radio often in any contesting situation, set personal goals, and have fun! The HamXposition is large enough to bring in some of the best people in ham radio, and yet small enough that you can actually talk these amazing people. (I admit to going full “fan girl” by asking for selfies throughout the weekend.) Another impactful experience was the presentation by Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, the Space Weather Woman. It’s clear she’s a teacher, understands ham radio, and is an expert with a far reach into many industries. After her presentation I’m energized to learn more about space weather. I also learned a few tips and tricks in the presentations on the 13 Colonies, Winter Field Day, and how to up-your-game in POTA Hunting.
I hope we have inspired you to consider attending the Northeast HamXposition next year. Our personal observations make it clear that you can choose the presentation to match your interests. The weekend was energizing, inspirational, and educational. Best of all, the convention increased our awareness of the new and growing areas in amateur radio and brought new people into our personal circles of acquaintances and friends.
Written by Marion W1GRL
Questions and conversation started as soon as folks began putting out their gadgets and books prior to the start of the meeting. Jeff KA1DBE, who always has a question with the introductions, asked each of us to tell the number of years we have had a ham license. After going around the room, he tallied 461 years of experience! Among the notable announcements were that Barbara KC1SSY has agreed to coordinate the EAWA communications involvement in the MDI Marathon on October 20. Thanks to both Evie KA1BRA for your many years of coordinating this, and to Barbara KC1SSY for accepting this important position. Another notable announcement was that Dick W1KRP is working to set up the Weekend Sessions for the fall/winter season. Dates will be posted once they are available.
Jeff KA1DBE started the program off by telling stories of his poor man’s bug, a Vibroplex champion, the desk callsign plate he made in high school (with accompanying photo), a handy way to use magnets to hold your CW key on a clipboard, and his first crystal.
From Zoom, Joe WA4OVO shared one of his favorite gadgets, an MFJ 269 antenna analyzer. Next up was Phil N1EP who brought several books for lend and give away, along with the tiniest handy talkies as a prank gift for Jeff KA1DBE and Bernie KI4VCR. Stan K3PW showed off a tiny midi controller, the CTR2-MIDI, that he uses as a CW interface and to move across frequencies on the pan adapter via SDR software. Also in the photo collage below, John KQ1P, showed the value of using a capacitance/inductance meter to test capacitors you might find in bulk at a hamfest.
The next group started with Barbara KC1SSY who brought many books to loan as well as a kit to build an AM/FM superset radio. Ian KC1SCB shared a clever set of 2 BaoFeng radios in a box. The radios were placed so that the output from one speaker would be taken in by the other microphone, thus producing a cross band repeater. He also demonstrated a directional antenna that would be great for radio fox hunting and determining the source of radio interference. Jack W1IU shared a 70cm version of a home-brew antenna based on one found in the 2010 version of the ARRL Antenna Designer’s Notebook. He also brought some old Russian radio maps for anyone to take.
Just as the conversations and questions started prior to the meeting, many stayed around afterwards for more demonstrations. It was clear from the 461 years of experience and the diversity of gadgets and books, the EAWA members bring many varied areas of experience and expertise to the table. Ham radio is often called ‘a hobby of a thousand hobbies’. This meeting highlighted that we are all experts and novices, experienced and beginners, depending on the radio topic. It also reminded us of how much we can learn from each other.
Written by Marion W1GRL
W1TU 