For years, the Boston Marathon has relied on a big group of ham volunteers to provide communications support for the race. For 2015, they’ve even put together a Communications Committee to review event plans and make sure we’re as useful as possible to the race. I’m one of seven hams on that committee.
We need almost 300 volunteers to keep all the communications running smoothly. If you can make it, I hope you’ll sign up to join us. I’ve worked at the Marathon for a few years now. You really get put to work, and the energy of the race and the community around it makes it really rewarding.
Race day is April 20, and there are assignments available all along the course. The Boston Athletic Association has more information about volunteering on their site. That’s also where you sign up to volunteer. The registration deadline is February 10, so don’t put it off. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message.
HCRA is now listed as a club on ClubLog.org. This allows HCRA members who use clublog to see how they rank against other HCRA members in DXCC standings. HCRA could also compete with other clubs. This could create friendly competition within the club as well as with other clubs. It can also benefit knowing that if your fellow club member made contact with a certain DX entity, that it could be possible for you as well.
If you are a HCRA who uses electronic QSL services such as LoTW, QRZ.com and eQSL.cc then it would be stongly suggest that you create an account at clublog.org, upload your logs and join the HCRA club on ClubLog to see where you stand.
If you are a ClubLog member and would like to Join the HCRA League, please do the following
1: Go to Clublog.Org and Sign In.
If you do not have an account, you can sign up for free and upload a log. Please follow the instructions on ClubLog.org
2: Once you’re signed in, Click Settings
Located on top of the page, Click on the Setting Link
3: Click on the “Clubs” Link/Button located near the top of the page
4: Look for “HCRA – Hampden County Amateur Radio Association”: in the list, Highlight it and click the “Join Club(s)” button under the list
Please note that members have to be manually added to the club to prevent random people from joining in. Once approved you should be able to view your standings.
On the left side of the page, please click “DXCC Leagues” then choose HCRA from the dropdown list and then click “Generate DXCC League” button. You should now be able to see standings from all HCRA members that are participating on ClubLog. Please note that if you don’t see your callsign right away, don’t worry. Sometimes it takes a day for the lists to repopulate on the server which we have no control over.
This year propagation was really good. According to some people, you may never see 10 meter band conditions this good for a long time. The band was alive with decent windows to EU and SA. I hope you all had a great time on the air!
[table]
Call Used,Operators,CW,SSB,Mults,Total
KK1W,Jim,542,382,275,806300
W1AST,Larry (AST) Jim (KC2FEV) Bob (NO4MM),53,760,136,235552
NV1Q,Juergen,182,156,156,162240
W1MSW,Matt,232,109,120,137520
NT1K,Jeff,132,224,113,110288
WD1S,James,140,63,106,72716
N1FTP,Harold,0,293,83,48638
NQ1C,Bob (1C) Andrew (KB1WPJ),24,179,66,29964
N1AW/QRP,Al,114,0,48,21888
AB1WT,Jeff (fmr KB1VKY),0,100,45,9000
W1NY,Ed (KB1NWH),0,53,26,2756
NZ1MT/QRP,Mike,0,50,27,2700
N1FJ,Frandy,3,4,6,120
K1MAZ,Nick,0,2,2,8
[/table]
Total Claimed Score For HCRA in 2014: 1,639,690
Past Final Scores
2013 Final Score: 1,144,606 (14 entries)
2012 Final Score: 466,188 (11 entries)
2011 Final Score: 1,546,158 (18 entries)
2010 Final Score: 197,830 (9 entries)
2009 Final Score: 72,258 (8 entries)
2008 Final Score: 38,378 (11 entries)
2007 Final Score: 19,544 (8 entries)
2006 Final Score: 64,878 (6 entries)
2005 Final Score: 72,910 (4 entries)
2004 Final Score: 35,956 (5 entries)
2003 Final Score: 212,070 (6 entries)
2002 Final Score: 925,124 (12 entries)
Source: ARRL Contest Results Page
Soapbox Comments
Mike (NZ1MT): I operated QRP SSB with only an end fed dipole attic antenna and only
operated when I had time during the day between household jobs. The
propagation on the 10M band was excellent and seemed better than
previous years. A lot of fun using my new ICOM IC-703.
James(WD1S): Made good use of N1MM to spot multipliers this year. I was using a 160m inverted L and a G5RV and surprisingly worked almost everyone I could hear.
Al (N1AW): Approximately 6 hours operating time. 24 states, 3 provinces, 21 DX, 114 Qs 48 multipliers. At my age I may never see another 10 meter contest like this one.
Jeff (AB1WT, Formally KB1VKY): i can’t wait until next years so i can do it again.
Larry (W1AST): It was great fun and I had Jim, KC2FEV and Bob, NO4MM helping me. We’re already planning on doing it again next year
Jeff (NT1K): This is my first 10M contest. I did SOLP mixed without using spotting assistance which made a bigger challenge for me on CW. My new 3el beam is working fantastic.
Bob (NQ1C): Andrew and I operated the 10M contest as a multi-op from Montgomery, MA. Andrew built a 10M dipole antenna for a science project for school and since our G5RV came down, we decided to use the 10M dipole to run the contest. Conditions were great and the dipole, only up about 15 feet, worked quite well. We interspersed working the contest with visiting family so it wasn’t a full-out effort, but we had fun.
Andrew (KB1WPJ) operating during the 2014 10m Contest (NQ1C Photo)
Ed (KB1NWH as W1NY): Lots of great opening, not enough time for the chair
Please Check Back For Updates! Don’t Forget To Submit your scores to the ARRL!
Always a favorite among serious and casual contesters alike, the 2014 ARRL 10 Meter Contest may enjoy excellent worldwide openings, plus a record number of participants! Activity in the CQ World Wide CW contest in late November was through the roof, with some operators reporting better 10 meter conditions than they could ever remember.
“Don’t miss out on this opportunity to work the world, before the Sun works its way back into a slumber,” ARRL Contest Branch Manager Matt Wilhelm, W1MSW, urged.
There are a few new twists this year. Single Operator stations using assistance will no longer be categorized as Multioperator entries. Also, nine new Unlimited categories have been added: Single Operator QRP, Low Power, and High Power CW Only, Phone Only, or Mixed Mode.
Single or Multioperator stations may operate for up to 36 hours. Technicians have phone privileges from 28.300 to 28.500 MHz, so operators new to contesting, or even to HF operating, can take part.
All stations will send a signal report as part of the contest exchange. Stations in the US (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada, and Mexico will send their state or province abbreviations as part of the exchange; stations in the District of Columbia stations will send “DC.” DX stations (including KH2, KP4, etc) will also send a sequential serial number starting with 001.
The 2014 ARRL 10 Meter Contest gets underway at 0000 UTC on Saturday, December 13 (Friday, December 12, in US time zones). It concludes at 2359 UTC on Sunday, December 14. Logs should be e-mailed or postmarked by 0000 UTC Wednesday, January 14, 2014. Mail paper logs to ARRL 10 Meter Contest, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
This December’s ARRL 160 Meter and 10 Meter Contests complete the addition of new Single-Op Unlimited categories. All three power sub-categories: High Power, Low Power, and QRP are available. This means stations using spotting information will no longer be assigned to the Multioperator category. It also means there are quite a number of new records that will be set in December! Will your score be one of them?
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications (DHS-OEC) has released the first updated National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) since the original publication in 2008. According to the Department, the DHS-OEC developed the NECP in cooperation with more than 150 public and private sector emergency communications officials.
Of interest to Amateur Radio Operators, is that in this 2014 updated NECP, the DHS has incorporated Amateur Radio in its mix of media that could support and sustain communications in a disaster or emergency. The publication is titled the “2014 National Emergency Communications Plan“, and a PDF of this plan may be obtained by clicking here.
Attending:
Ed: KB1NWH
Dave AA1YW
Larry W1AST
Jeff NT1K
Gary W1MOW
Dave WM1B
Dave AA1YW: Cost of Analyzer was not budgeted nor was the cost of the Badges. Income: $1266.22. Expenses: $1266.13 Balance 9/18/2014 $9508.72
Gary W1MOW submitted a bill for the last Zero Beat printing and mailing
Frandy submitted a bill through the President for $60 for recognition gifts.
Dave Fant volunteered to print and mail the Zero Beat Newsletter to the 5 members who receive the ZB by snail mail. He will also verify that the recipients do not have an EM address.
Membership: Only 36 have paid dues (does not include Pay Pal – which will be added about 15) Will included information in Zero Beat regarding dues.
Program, W1AST: No program yet for October meeting. Any suggestions should be sent to Larry. Board will put program together. All asked are willing to speak in a couple of months. We may do a general meeting with a varied program.
Secretary: Minutes were put onto the web, but did not get published Were published on 9/18/2014
Webmaster Jeff NT1K gave a tutorial on the use of the Web and posting documents to the Web.
New Business: Holiday Party Ed to finalize plans, Webmaster to provide advertisement on Web Page
Next meeting: Bank Conference Room Nov 13@ 7:00 PM Board members urged to get payments in for Badges and shirts
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.
Dates:
Wednesday Nov 19th, 2014 – 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Thursday Nov 20th, 2014 – 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Saturday Nov 22nd, 2014 – 9:00am to 3:00pm
VE Session: Saturday Nov 22nd, 2014 – 3:15pm (Walk-Ins Welcomed)
Where: Holyoke Medical Center Auxiliary Conference Center 575 Beech Street, Holyoke MA, 01040 (Click Here For Directions)
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.
We’re also having study groups for those who are interested in upgrading their current license.
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 0484 West Springfield MA, 01090
CLASS FINISHED. CONGRATS TO THE NEW HAMS Please note that this class is finished. The form will be available for those interested in obtaining or upgrading their license. We will inform you when a new class is available.
[contact-form to=’NT1K@nt1k.com’ subject=’Interested in upcoming classes’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Phone Number (Optional)’ type=’text’/][contact-field label=’Interested License Class’ type=’select’ options=’Technician (Entry level),General (Upgrade),Extra (Upgrade)’/][contact-field label=’Callsign (if any)’ type=’text’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]
Please Press The Submit Button once. It will appear there is an error but the form will be submitted.
Anyone wanting Holiday Tickets email me @ W1MOR@comcast.net. I am sure I can make arrangements to meet up with you. If not make a check out payable to HCRA & mail it to Hampden County Radio Association, P.O. Box 562, Agawam, MA 01001 and we will have your tickets waiting for you at the door!!
