May Club Mtg: Maine-Wide POTA & Field Day

Marion MasonLeave a comment

This is an active time of year for the EAWA, and the May club meeting reflected that! In addition to business matters, the members discussed the recent Ham Radio Symposium with an eye toward maintaining the success of last month’s gathering. Most of the meeting was taken with an introduction to Parks on the Air. Saturday, May 18, is Maine-Wide POTA Day. This even, organized by EAWA President Jeff Hanscom, KA1DBE, seeks to activate the 32 state parks, 4 national parks, and other POTA entities in Maine. The Parks on the Air website provides a spotting page, list of Maine entities, and rules for POTA awards (https://parksontheair.com).

Field Day, June 22-23, was also a topic of discussion. The next EAWA meeting, June 13, will be dedicated to Field Day planning and preparations. Those planning to participate with the EAWA in Field Day may want to review the rules for Field Day prior to the next club meeting. Starting with the main Field Day page, https://www.arrl.org/field-day, you can find information for those new to Field Day as well as the full set of rules. There is also an ARRL Field Day Facebook Group.

Also in the busy stretch is the 2024 ARRL Maine State Convention and Hamfest in Augusta on Saturday, June 15. You can more about the speakers, vendors, and accommodations at the Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club website, https://www.w1npp.org/2024-maine-state-convention/.

Written by Marion W1GRL

Ellsworth Ham Radio Symposium

Stan Mason, W1BOYLeave a comment

Saturday, April 27, the Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association sponsored another ham radio symposium celebrating the 233rd birthday of Samuel Morse.

Marion Mason, N3OA, started the celebration with a presentation on Samuel Morse’s life, including his passions for art and communication. She talked about Morse Code, not only in ham radio, but also several ways it’s been employed in current scientific research.

Jerry Burns Jr, K1GUP, gave an entertaning talk about the Maine Seagull Net now in its 85th year.

Jeff Hanscom, KA1DBE, talked about the development of the Raspberry Pi single board computer and discussed some of his recent ham radio projects using the RPi.

Ian Richards, KC1SZB, discussed his project which uses multiplexed RF transmitters to produce visual alphabetic characters on a standard SDR receiver spectrum display.  He also demonstrated a operational prototype.

Joan Hildreth, W1DLC, and Barbara MacPike, KC1SSY, tied for first place in the Go-Kit competition by presenting comprehensive well planned kits.  During breaks between the presentations and demonstrations there was lots of opportunity for social and snack times.

Finally, we want to give a special thanks to Phil Duggan, N1EP, for planning, organizing, and promoting this great event. It would not have happened without his efforts.

Written by Marion W1GRL

Ham Radio Symposium, Sat., April 27, Noon-4:00pm

Marion MasonLeave a comment

Happy 233rd Birthday, Sam!
Samuel Morse Meets Ellsworth Hams, Raspberry Pi, & Arduino

This year, in honor of Samuel Morse’s 233rd birthday, Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association is conducting a symposium featuring not only Samuel Morse’s contribution to ham radio, but also other technologies such as a what a Raspberry Pi miniature computer can do for ham radio, packet radio demonstrations and much more.

Marion Mason, N3OA, will share some highlights from Samuel Morse’s distinguished life, including his passion for art as well as telegraphy. Morse code had a profound effect on communication around the world. The presentation will also include a look at how Morse code is being used today in amateur radio as well as in other innovative and surprising ways.

Ian Richards, KC1SZB, will introduce Arduino C+ programming and hardware using a few examples of audio processing.  The presentation also includes a demo of “Morse Code 2.0” or its working title “Radio Amplitude Display, Alphanumeric Function”.  The RAD-AF system combines the concepts of Morse code and Teletype to create a visual representation of RF signal whilst conveying legible information using a software defined radio’s waterfall feature.  

Club President Jeff Hanscom, KA1DBE, and Maine Section Manager Phil Duggan, N1EP, will give presentations and demonstrations on amateur (ham) radio applications for the Raspberry Pi computer.

Jerry Burns Jr, K1GUP, will talk about the Maine Seagull Net, now in its 85th year of operation!

There will also be demonstrations of packet radio by Steve Montague, W1DTX, which is still a valuable emergency communication tool.

Finally, there will be a ham radio “Go-Kit” competition. Anyone can enter a go-kit or go-bag that meets the following criteria:
Portable and safe.
Can be used in the field for fun events such as Field Day, Parks-On-The-Air, etc.
Useful at public service events or emergency communications.

The event will be at Meadow View Apartments Phase IV Dining Hall, 25 Tweedie Hall, Ellsworth from noon until 4pm on Saturday, April 27. Admission is by donation, which will benefit the host facility. There will be door prizes and refreshments. All are welcome. For additional information, Contact Phil Duggan 207-598-5397, of the Ellsworth Amateur Wireless Association.
Written by Marion W1GRL

April Club Mtg: Thinking about Field Day

Marion MasonLeave a comment

Stories of the eclipse, peppered with eclipse ham radio activations, were the first topics of the evening. Announcements included reminders of the upcoming QRP to the Field on April 20, the Ham Radio Symposium on April 27, and the Maine Parks on the Air (POTA) Day on May 18. A special round of applause was given to Matt W1MRH for attaining the monumental 5 band DXCC. A special welcome was also given to several first-time attendees.

The program on Contest Logging with N1MM, presented by Stan K3PW, continued the theme of exploring logging software over several previous club presentations. Following an introduction to explain how and why contest logging software is unique, Stan introduced “the least you need to know” basics. He also shared insights into the more sophisticated capabilities of N1MM and how some of those features might be used to improve Field Day performance. He demonstrated some of these features using two networked laptops with one connected to his ICOM IC-705.

Written by Marion W1GRL

Club Meeting, March 2024

Marion MasonLeave a comment

In the business part of the meeting attendees received updates on the program for the upcoming Ham Radio Symposium on April 27, a licensing exam session to be held on April 6, weekly net controls, and upcoming contests. Discussion topics included ways we have promoted ham radio recently and activities related to the upcoming solar eclipse. In recognition of her first HF contact, Barbara KC1SSY was presented a certificate from Phil N1EP, the Maine Section Manager, as he was her first contact.

The program, “Introduction to Logging,” was presented by Phil N1EP. He began with pencil-and-paper logs, emphasizing the important pieces of information to include in a log. He shared bits from his personal logs, including contacts with other club members. Phil then moved to a quick overview of popular computer logging programs, with a special focus on N3FJP.

Written by Marion W1GRL