Welcome to HCRA

Author: Webmaster

  • Swap And Sell Is Now Back!

    HCRA’s Swap And Sell Is Now Back

    With thanks to George (KC1V), Paul (NF1G) and Jim (KK1W), the HCRA swap and sell is now back. At our monthly meetings, we will have few tables setup for the members to sell amateur or electronic related items. You may never know what deals may show up at the meeting. If you are an HCRA member and items to sell, just bring them along to the next meeting.

    During the MTARA hamfest on March 11th, We’ve received a donation of equipment to be sold from (Steven) N1IBS. It will be available at the next meeting and all sales from the lot will go to HCRA for future events. Thanks Steven!

  • Eastern VHF/UHF/Microwave Conference – April 21-23

    43rd EASTERN VHF/UHF/MICROWAVE CONFERENCE:
    APRIL 21-23, 2017
    BAYMONT INN & SUITES (860)-643-5645
    20 TAYLOR ST. (OFF I-84 at exit 63)
    MANCHESTER, CT 06042

    Conference Web Address: http://www.newsvhf.com/vhfconf.html

     

     4/21/17     FRIDAY LODGING 2:30-5PM Afternoon Workshop TBD
    6:00pm ’til – SUPER HOSPITALITY ROOM (Food & Refreshments)!!   & Indoor SWAP/SELL & VENDORS.     (You may want to re-think going out to eat on Fri. Nite!)

     

    4/22/17     SATURDAY REGISTRATION, TALKS, AUCTIONS, TEST LAB,            VENDORS & MORE.
    7:30am       REGISTRATION BEGINS8:15 am      OPENING ANNOUNCEMENTS 8:30am       TALKS BEGIN (see SCHEDULE below):
    10:00am     AUCTION/BREAK
    10:25am       TALKS RESUME
    12:00pm     LUNCH (Pizza & Grinders included with Registration)
    1:15pm       TALKS RESUME
    1:00 – 5pm  Test Lab to 50 GHz: Greg Bonaguide, WA1VUG of Rohde & Schwarz
    3:05pm       BREAK
    3:15pm       TALKS RESUME
    4:15pm       AUCTION
    4:20pm       TALKS RESUME
    5:20pm       NEWS MEETING – WA2AAU
    5:30pm       Pre-Banquet Hospitality Room
    7:00pm       BANQUET BUFFET (7 PM – 8:30 PM)
    8:20pm       Tom Kirby Award Presentation8:30pm       VHF – MICROWAVE TRIVIA QUIZ, Dale Clement AF1T
    9:00pm       DOOR PRIZE EXTRAVAGANZA, Michele Clement W1MKY and Don Twombly W1FKF

     

    Updated PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE:* CLICK HERE for SCHEDULE and  Speakers*

    SUNDAY 8:00am-11am

    VHF+MW SWAP/SELL & VENDORS,            (Included with Registration- Please contact Mark             Casey K1MAP for details) 

     EVERY REGISTRANT RECEIVES THE PROCEEDINGS ON CD AND IS ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZE DRAWINGS. DIRECTIONS & RESERVATIONS FROM HARTFORD, I-84E TO EXIT 63. LEFT AT FORK, RIGHT ON TAYLOR ST. FROM WORCESTER, I-90W EXIT 9 TO I-84W EXIT 63, RIGHT OFF RAMP, RIGHT ON TAYLOR ST.

     

    HOTEL Overnight Rates $79 DBL or $99 Suite, MENTION “VHF CONFERENCE” by March 20, 2017 FREE Continental BREAKFAST for those staying at the Baymont Hotel  CALL (860)-643-5645 for BAYMONT INN RESERVATIONS*YOU MUST CALL HOTEL TO GET CONFERENCE RATE* Updated 13 February 2017.

    MORE DETAILS WILL BE ADDED SOON – check back often to website at the top…

    Questions? Contact one of the 2 Conference Co-Chairmen:

    Paul Wade, W1GHZ, (presentations, proceedings): w1ghz(AT)arrl.net

    Mark Casey, K1MAP, (hospitality, hotel, swaps/vendors): map92map(AT)gmail.com

    43rd EASTERN VHF/UHF CONFERENCE REGISTRATION:

    Note: SAVE $10 on Conference admission by pre-Registering early ON LINE at Web Address http://www.newsvhf.com/regpayp.html or print form at: http://www.newsvhf.com/regmail.html
    $20 for early registration by or before April 10. Registration at the door will be $30.
    Dinner Buffet tickets are $30 and available through April 10 only.

  • HCRA March Meeting (Mar 3rd, 2017) – VHF/UHF Weak Signal Communications

    HCRA March Meeting 2017

    Friday March 3rd 2017 at 7:30pm. Holyoke Medical Center Auxiliary Conference Center

    This month HCRA is proud to have Dick Frey (WA2AAU), president of the North East Weak Signal group. He will be discussing working long distance on VHF and UHF. With the solar cycle heading into a null, this would be an excllent meeting for those wishing to try out other aspects of amateur radio.

    This will also be the last chance to purchase KX2 Raffle tickets at the general meeting. If you are interested in becoming an HCRA member, there will be applications available at the meeting. You can also download an application from our website. If you are a member and haven’t renewed yet, we’ve made it easy. You can securely renew online using either your credit card or paypal.

    All members and the general public are invited

    Click Here for directions to the HMC Aux conf center

  • HCRA Clublog Challenge 2016 Winners Are In

    HCRA like to encourage on air activity from our members. We compete in a few contests and challenges every year. This year HCRA participated in the “Clublog Challenge”. The goal was to make as many contacts with as many countries or entities throughout the year. At the end of the year, we would tally up the results and hand out certificates to everyone involved. We used a service called Clublog. Approved HCRA members would periodically upload their log files to clublog where DXCC contacts are sorted and by each band, overall unique DXCC contacts and the sum of unique DXCC contacts on each band. It proved to be very successful in 2015 so we did it again in 2016. We now have 25 HCRA members participating in the year long event.

    This

    [table]
    Category,1st,2nd,3rd
    DXCC,NU1O (248),NF1G (229),NV1Q (199)
    SLOTS,NU1O (882),NF1G (737),KK1W (720)
    [/table]

    Congrats to Christopher Scibelli (NU1O), Paul Kelliher (NF1G), Juegren Malner (NV1Q) and James Mullen (KK1W)

    Band Winners Are

    [table]
    Category,1st,2nd,3rd
    160,KK1W (80),K1NZ (26),WD1S (15)
    80,KK1W (87),NV1Q (71),K1NZ (67)
    60,K1NZ (21),NU1O (4),KK1W (2)
    40,NU1O (190),KK1W (120),W1MSW (109)
    30,NF1G (102),NU1O (84),KK1W (37)
    20,NU1O (211),NV1Q (134),N1FTP (127)
    17,NF1G (186),NU1O (93),AB1WT (71)
    15,NU1O (127),KK1W (121),NF1G (119)
    12,NF1G (88),W1MJB (26),NU1O (24)
    10,KK1W (92),NU1O (75),NV1Q (73)
    6,NU1O (2), W1AST (2),
    [/table]

    Thank you to those who participated. Certificates are available to all those who participated in 2016 at the next meeting. Hopefully we can do this again in 2017 and put some incentives to get members on the air.

    If you’re an HCRA member and you are interested in participating in the Clublog challenge, We’ve setup a step-by-step guide in how to become a clublog member.

    Overall Results

    [table]
    Rank,Callsign,160,80,60,40,30,20,17,15,12,10,6,DXCC,Slots,Range
    1,NU1O,5,67,4,190,84,211,93,127,24,75,2,248,882,29 yrs
    2,NF1G,0,18,0,75,102,110,186,119,88,39,0,229,737,2 yrs
    3,NV1Q,9,71,0,86,24,134,54,118,19,73,0,199,588,38 yrs
    4,KK1W,80,87,2,120,37,126,38,121,16,92,1,185,720,41 yrs
    5,N1FTP,0,4,0,40,0,127,12,79,0,30,1,150,293,8 yrs
    6,W1MSW,0,51,0,109,5,114,18,108,1,47,0,149,453,6 yrs
    8,W1AST,0,16,0,43,1,93,51,51,3,37,2,131,297,8 yrs
    7,K1VOI,0,11,0,42,14,96,34,84,8,32,0,131,321,16 yrs
    9,AB1WT,0,18,0,33,0,76,71,49,13,22,1,125,283,3 yrs
    10,N1HM,1,4,0,25,0,92,26,45,4,10,0,124,207,2 yrs
    11,KX1X,1,30,0,59,4,66,10,86,0,57,0,115,313,19 yrs
    12,K1NZ,26,67,21,86,6,52,11,48,1,11,0,113,329,6 yrs
    13,N1AW,0,12,0,25,5,70,9,22,1,6,1,101,151,3 yrs
    14,W1MJB,0,11,0,10,13,39,50,34,26,8,1,97,192,14 yrs
    15,WD1S,15,34,0,57,4,74,2,36,0,23,1,95,246,5 yrs
    16,AB1XW,0,5,0,44,0,84,0,68,0,9,0,95,210,4 yrs
    17,WN1E1,0,4,0,44,24,59,7,68,2,16,0,92,224,26 yrs
    18,KB1VWQ,1,2,0,14,1,37,3,5,1,2,1,46,67,6 yrs
    19,KC1BDF,0,0,0,5,0,37,0,0,0,1,0,37,43,2 yrs
    20,WA1MOW,0,0,0,2,0,11,7,0,3,4,0,24,27,1 yrs
    21,KB1VSX,0,1,0,2,0,19,2,0,0,2,0,20,26,0 yrs
    22,KC1PUG,0,2,0,11,0,12,0,0,0,0,0,18,25,0 yrs
    23,KC1BTA,0,0,0,1,0,7,0,3,0,3,0,11,14,2 yrs
    24,NT1K,0,1,0,2,0,5,0,2,0,1,0,9,11,7 yrs
    25,N1MFL,0,1,0,2,0,7,1,0,0,0,0,7,11,4 yrs
    [/table]

    Thanks for reading! Stay On The Air
    – Jeff

  • HCRA Contest University – Slides And Links

    Thanks to all who attended HCRA Contest University. Hopefully it was beneficial. Here are the slides (in PDF format) and notable links.

    HCRA – Introduction To Contesting Presentation

    HCRA – Small station Bang For The Buck Presentation

    VOAcap Online – Propagation Prediction Website/Software
    Contest Calendar – Upcoming Contest Schedule
    3830 Scores – Study your colleagues
    CQcontest.net – Live contest scores

  • HCRA Contest University – Sept 17th 2016

    contestu2

    On Saturday (September 17th 2016) HCRA will be continuing its “Share The Knowledge” series with Contest University. This class is perfect for those who are interested in contesting and for experienced contesters to use a refresher. The goal is to make the transition into contesting as easy as possible. We will be covering everything from choosing a contest, setting up your station, and optimizing both your station and score. We will also cover the installation and overview of the popular contesting software N1MM Logger +

    Class will start at 9am and continue on into the early afternoon. Please come prepared.

    When: Saturday, September 17th 2016
    Where: Holyoke Medical Center Aux Conf. Center
    Address: 575 Beech St. Holyoke MA, 01040
    Time: 9am – ???

    HCRA will provide coffee, donuts and lunch to HCRA members.

     

  • Meeting Topic Changed For Feb 5th’s Meeting

    NP77

    Due to a sudden work schedule change, John Kalotai will not be able to be our guest speaker this Friday. However the meeting is still taking place.

    Frandy Johnson (N1FJ) and Jim Mullen (KK1W) will be doing a presentation on their recent National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) adventures. We will also be discussing some possible future club events. This will be an excellent way to discuss our club.

    We apologize about the short notice but we wanted to make sure we had a speaker lined up. A Big thanks to Frandy and Jim for helping us out. It should be exciting.

    Thanks,
    Jeffrey Bail (NT1K)

  • HCRA BOD meeting notes for January 20th, 2016

    HCRA BOD meeting notes for 20-Jan-2016

    Attendees:
    President: NT1K
    Vice President: N1FTP
    Treasurer: NV1Q
    Membership: K1VOI
    Program Dir: W1AST
    ZB Editor: WA1MOW
    Tech Dir: K1YO

    Absent:
    At-Large: W1MOR
    Secretary: WM1B

    President Report:

    – Jim Mullen has volunteered to help out with updating our Website.
    – A Web Forum has been created at “members.hcra.org”. The site will be
    directed and administered by the BOD. It will be a members only site and
    integrated with our web site.

    VP Report:

    – 90 tickets for the TS590SG have been sold to date. The minimum goal is 150
    tickets sold. Many tickets will be sold at the MTARA flea market. We should reach
    our goal plus some.

    Treasurer Report:

    – There was quite a bit of discussion on how to divvy up the funds from the Xmas
    party. From members to non-members to MTARA members and non-member
    spouses as well as member spouses. There may be some double-dipping. This
    needs to be revisited.

    Financial Statement:

    Beginning balance: $6771.95
    Dep/Wdr: $1038.68
    Ending Balance: $7810.63

    Membership Report:

    – There are 89 members with 80 paid and 9 family members. Question was
    raised, why does it take so long for some individuals to renew? Could there be
    some sort of incentive added to renewing? One suggestion was to put all the paid
    members in Zero Beat. If your name is not there, you didn’t pay. This also answers
    the question “Did I already pay my dues?”. Also discussed was greeting new
    members and asking them what their interests are at the monthly meetings.

    Program Dir Report:

    Here is a tentative list from W1AST

    – February 6, 2016: Jon Koltai, Hamsource – Power poles & really cool shack gadgets
    – March 2016:  First Robotics Competition: Gary, WA1MOW
    – April 2016: Mini Presentation: Jeff, AB1WT: Portable IRLP & Echolink Node PLUS
    Show and Tell
    – May 2016: Jon Perelstein, WB2RYV –  How to Report Weather & How to Properly
    Read Your Weather App
    – June: Field Day planning, Jeff, NT1K

    ======================================================

    – September 9, 2016: Tony Brock-Fisher, K1KP – Solar Power and RFI, what you
    need to know
    – October 7, 2016: Dennis Markel, N1IMW : The history of WCC and Chatham
    Marconi Radio.
    – Nov 2016: tbd
    – Dec 2016: annual HCRA Holiday Party

    Zero Beat Editor:

    – Submit your articles by 29th of January. Submit anything, please. Someday there
    will be blank pages in Zero Beat…

    Technical Director Report:

    – 2 requests on interference. Services rendered, none.

    ————————————————————————————————————-

    Old Business

    Welcome Package:

    A draft of the Welcome Package was handed out. The BOD must read and submit
    changes to Jeff or Larry within the next 2 weeks. These Packages will be handed
    out to all who pass their exams.A motion was made for HCRA to pay for the printing of the Welcome Package. The front page should be printed in color with printing on both sides. Staples is the preferred vendor for printing.

    In Favor – 7
    Apposed – 0

    A motion was made for HCRA to pay for the printing of the HCRA tri-fold as well.
    In Favor -7
    Apposed – 0

    Stub J-Pole Project:

    The material has been purchased and cut. 80% of the project is complete.

    License class exams:

    Classes will be held on April 27,28, and 30. With Saturday being a full day.
    Bob, K1YO has volunteered to help with the Extra Class.

    DXLabs Class:

    Setup will be on Feb 6th starting at 9am. Looks like 6-7 people will be in the class.
    The Club will supply Coffee and donuts.

    ————————————————————————————————————-

    New Business

    Field Day:

    We need Band captains ! Band captains bring their own radios and computers.
    Antennas and antenna accessories are supplied by the Club.

    Larry W1AST has volunteered to step up for 40m CW.
    Jeff NT1K will be contacting the Parks & Rec dept.

    Field Day will be discussed at the next membership meeting.

    Open Floor

    More special classes and presentations.

    – Introduction to digital modes
    – Tips and Tricks on Towers
    – Contesting in general/Awards chasing
    – Member Benefits

    EZ-UP with Walls

    Gary made a query as to purchasing a good EZ-UP for the Club. In the $300 range.

    One with walls. A motion to purchase a EZ-UP with walls and not to exceed $300
    was made.

    In Favor – 7
    Apposed – 0

    The Big E’s 100th

    The discussion was around HCRA participating for only a weekend. Gary will look
    into getting permission and location. Participants will be required to purchase their own entry tickets for each day. To be successful, we need to make this a very
    big deal. SDR’s, HF live, Multiple Monitors, tower, large antenna. More will be
    discussed at the next BOD meeting .

    Next meeting with be in Mid March and be a VOIP meeting.
    Jeff will be handling the details with “Google Hangouts”

  • HCRA’s Amateur Radio License Class – April 2016

    HamRadioClass

    Hampden County Radio Assocation Amateur Radio License Class
    April 2016

    Are you or do you know someone who’s interested in amateur radio? Do you want to upgrade your license? The Hampden Country Radio Association (HCRA) is holding classes and study groups for those interested. With a combination of these classes and at-home studying, it’s possible to make it happen. Learn from experienced instructors who are active within the amateur radio community who are willing to help you along the way.

    CLASS HAS ALREADY PASSED. 
    We now have 13 new techs, 1 new Tech+General, 5 New Generals and 1 New Extra. Class had a 97% pass rate. Next course will be planned for the Fall (Sept/Oct) 

    Thank you to those who signed up 

    Dates:

    Wednesday April 27th, 2016 – 6:00pm to 9:00pm
    Thursday April 28th, 2016 – 6:00pm to 9:00pm
    Saturday April 30th, 2016 – 9:00am to 3:00pm
    VE Session: Saturday April 30th, 2016 – 3:15pm (Walk-Ins Welcomed)

    Where:
    Holyoke Medical Center Auxiliary Conference Center
    575 Beech Street, Holyoke MA, 01040

    Cost: FREE/$15 Exam Fee

    Classes open to anyone and everyone interested in obtaining or upgrading their amateur radio license.

    Our classes consist of two weekday night classes and one full Saturday class with an examination following the course. Due to the short amount of time, it’s up to the candidate to do most of the studying at home before attending the classes. The classes will cover the exam questions, provide some details about the questions and help you to better understand the material needed to pass the exam.

    Even though it’s not required, it’s suggested that you purchase and use the latest edition of ARRL’s Ham Radio License Manual (Level 1/Technician) to study. Other alternatives can be found online like KB6NU’s No-Nonsense study guides (FREE For Tech/General). It’s best that you study and learn as much as possible before attending the classes.

    We’re also having study groups for those who are interested in upgrading their current license to general or extra class

    If you’re interested in these classes or study groups, please contact the following or fill out the form below.

    Jeffrey Bail (NT1K)
    NT1K@arrl.net
    P.O. Box 562
    Agawam MA, 01001

     

  • HCRA Meeting, January 8th 2016. Guest Speaker will be Jeff Jolie (NM1Y)

    Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Jeff (NM1Y) will not be able to make it to the meeting to give his presentation. However Jeff will be providing us with a DVD about the DXpedtion and the Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) will still be there to hold an area meeting. 

    Happy new year! HCRA is starting it off with a bang!

    We’ve invited Jeff Jolie (NM1Y) to be our guest speaker of the first meeting in 2016. It should be exciting as Jeff was part of the DXpedition team that activated Navassa Island. Navassa was considered to be one of the rarest DX entities because of its location and restricted access. The Crew manage to get permission and gain access to the island. During their time there, they’ve managed to make just over 140,000 contacts. Jeff will be doing a presentation about the K1N DXpedtion.

    HCRA has also invited the Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) to hold an area meeting in conjunction with HCRA’s meeting. This will allow those who are intersting in contest a chance to see what it’s all about. Anyone and everyone is welcome to meeting.

    Hope to see you there.