Category: Club News

It’s clear that the EAWA members and friends are ready to get into the spring radio activities! Many people arrived early, and attendance was great. The opening question centered on favorite contests, which morphed into favorite radio activities as not all of those attending participate in contests. The contests mentioned included phone, CW, and RTTY, and ranged from the big world-wide contests to smaller, more casual state QSO parties.

In the business part of the meeting, Barbara KC1SSY and Matt KC1VLH reviewed the final preparations for the communications tasks for the Sea of Blue Walk, 5K, & 10K. For the event, held on Saturday April 26, EAWA members and other experienced hams will provided real-time reports on participants progress during the race. Another point of business was a review of the recent symposium, given by Phil N1EP.  Looking forward, it was decided that the last Weekend Session, scheduled for Saturday, April 19, will be dedicated to planning for the club’s biggest event, Field Day. The ARRL Field Day is a nation-wide event, scheduled for June 28 – 29. Everyone is welcome to attend the session to learn more about Field Day and how they may participate. 

Following the meeting, the program focused on good manners and etiquette when on local repeaters. Dave N1DP shared a bit of the history of how amateur radio operators received the privileges of dedicated frequencies and the use of repeaters. He also reviewed the capabilities of the Franklin repeater. Most of his presentation reminded us of the best and expected behaviors while on a local repeater, what behaviors are not appropriate, and how to respond to those who are showing inappropriate behaviors. His words reinforced what we all know — any repeater transmission should be family friendly and display good citizenship. The evening ended as it started, with many conversations carrying on. Club meetings are the second Thursday of each month. All, no matter whether licensed or not, members or not, are welcome to attend.
Written by Marion W1GRL

As the season for Weekend Sessions winds down, EAWA members and friends gathered to work on items and share radio stories from the week. At the previous Weekend Session we had a new ham join us, and this week we had a returning ham join us.

Among the conversations heard this week were:
Congratulating Jeff on his completion of 5 band DXCC
Contacting DX, including Kuwait and Nepal
Hunting POTA activators
Exploring local Packet radio network
Creating filters for QRZ logbook entries
Plotting contacts on a map using Grid Tracker
Trying a QRP CW rig on the club’s HF antenna

As mentioned, the calendar of events is shifting to the summer schedule. Coming soon we have the annual Ham Radio Symposium on Saturday, April 5th, noon to 4:00, and the last Weekend Session scheduled for April 19th. Weekend sessions will start back up in the fall.
Written by Marion W1GRL

The March meeting started with introductions and the question, “Do you use any digital modes?” The question brought many laughs, and responses from “all the time” to “only as a last resort” to a tongue-in-cheek “never heard of it.” The meeting was packed with information. Among the highlights was further discussion of the Emergency Communications plan for the Sea of Blue Autism Awareness Walk & Run, scheduled for Saturday, April 26, in Northeast Harbor. There are slots for more operators if you would like to volunteer. Contact Barbara KC1SSY via QRZ or the Contact Us on this webpage.

Also coming soon is the EAWA Ham Radio Symposium scheduled for Saturday, April 5, from noon to 4:00. You will find a story about the symposium on this blog from February 21st. Updates and the final schedule will be posted here and many other ham radio websites and Facebook groups. 

Maine-wide POTA Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 17th. As many of the EAWA members enjoy POTA, last year the consensus was that each member would participate individually. If there is interest, there may be a club gathering for POTA on that day. If you are new to POTA, a club event would be a great way to get acquainted with this popular radio activity.

For the featured website, Marion W1GRL showed the ARRL Learning Center (https://learn.arrl.org). This is a free service for all ARRL members. There are many courses available for studying for your first or next license, learning about emergency communications (both introductory and intermediate), designing lesson plans for classrooms, and understanding basic electronics. 

Following the business meeting, the program was a presentation on the CQ DX Marathon Program (https://dxmarathon.com), given by the Program Administrator, Mark WC3W. This is the current version of a long-standing contest once promoted by CQ Magazine. While this a program with many categories and awards, the program is also a way to track how you are doing in terms of contacting DX entities and CQ Zones. Mark emphasized fairness in terms of the creating level playing field categories, such as competing with those who have similar antennas and power outputs, and also in terms of honesty in reporting. Club competitions, including the most improved club score over the previous year, are gaining popularity.

Last fall, Marion W1GRL and Stan W1BOY gifted the sponsorship of the winner’s plaque in a new category in the name of the EAWA. The new Formula Unlimited category is for those of us with more modest antennas who want to use our amplifiers. Mark thanked the club for sponsoring this new winner’s plaque.

The March meeting was full of information and motivation to remain or get active with our diverse hobby. From emergency communications to POTA to DXing, there is always another avenue of ham radio to explore.
Written by Marion W1GRL

A break in the snow-every-three-days cycle and sunny skies made for an inviting day to get together with other hams. EAWA members and friends met up to share radio stories, knowledge, and gear. Among the topics and projects were:
**A home-brew touch-sensitive CW paddle
**Setting up APRS on a hand-held
**Troubleshooting a radio glitch
**Packet radio
**A QSL card from Antarctica
**Interviews for upcoming website articles
**Upcoming YL POTA day (March 8)

There are three Weekend Sessions left for this season – March 9, 23, and April 19. These hands-on sessions provide mentoring opportunities, trouble-shooting opportunities, and time to chat about all things radio. Perhaps you will join us next time?
Written by Marion W1GRL

Once again, heavy snow changed club plans, moving the February meeting to Zoom. Even so, the meeting was enjoyable and informative as we tend to be lively bunch! The opening question asked us to share the longest amount of time spent on a QSO. While most shared stories of relatively brief QSOs, with some stretching 15 or 20 minutes, there were couple of reports of QSOs lasting a couple of hours.

Here are a few friendly announcements and reminders from the meeting:
*Dues for 2025 should be turned in if you haven’t done so;
*Please get your survey to Clinton Spaulding if you haven’t yet;
*Next Sunday Session is February 23;
*Bring those Lend and Learn Library items to the March meeting;
*Keep an eye out for more information about the Symposium, “ Technology & Preparedness,” to be held on April 5 from noon to 4:00.

The highlighted website was Wireless Society of Southern Maine (ws1sm.com). John KQ1P highlighted several sections of the website, including their own awards and a projects page. These items sparked some thoughts as to how the EAWA website might grow in the future.

Following the business meeting, the program focused on EmComm and volunteer needs for the Sea of Blue Autism Awareness Walk/5K/10K. The presenter, Matt KC1VLH, is an EAWA member and the director of the event. Matt shared an overview of the event which takes place April 26 in Northeast Harbor. He then shared a map of the various race routes and descriptions of the services needed. Several EAWA members expressed interest in volunteering. Barbara KC1SSY, Joan W1DLC, and Jeff KA1DBE, will work closely with Matt to coordinate Emergency Communications for the event.

Thanks, John KQ1P, for a well-run meeting under difficult circumstances! It’s unfortunate that the frequent snow storms have interrupted so many club events. Let’s hope the trend ends soon!
Written by Marion W1GRL