Hampden County Radio Association

Welcome!

See below for the latest blog posts and news about our activites and events. You can also follow the links above for more information about specific aspects of the club. If you’re brand-new at all this, here’s an introduction to what the Hampden County Radio Association is all about.

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Latest Blog Posts

  • Z60K/Kosovo – Possible new DXCC Country

    There’s a new kid on the block, Z60K. They went QRV a few days ago and have been very active on the bands. Although not ‘yet’ accepted by ARRL as a DXCC entity the scuttlebutt is they will most likely be approved once the IARU issues a prefix. So what to do until then –…

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    KK1W
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  • SOTA Jerks head to the ‘dacks!

    Frandy/N1FJ and I will be heading to the high peaks of the Adirondacks to activate a few mountains for SOTA. We will activate Whiteface Mountain Monday afternoon then meet up with Dennis/WA2USA Monday evening. The three of us will attempt summits on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning before returning to our respective homes. Dennis, one…

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    KK1W
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  • Home Made Off Center Fed Dipole

    Here is my first attempt at an article.  I wanted to make a all band antenna without the long tail of a G5RV.  I did some research and remembered that awhile back I had received an antenna from a fellow ham that had been struck by lightning.  It was a 40 meter Carolina windom. Started…

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  • Activating Crag Mountain, Northfield, Mass.

    Around midnight on Friday (Aug. 31) night Jim/KK1W emailed me that he, Nick/K1MAZ and John/Kx1x would be activating Prospect Hill the next day. I had already activated Prospect Hill this year, so I decided to do Crag Hill in Northfield and snag a sure S2S (Summit to Summit). Jim was going to use NE1SJ so…

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  • KX3 vs FT-817 Receive Comparison

    Now that I have your attention let me tell you what this post does NOT say! This isn’t a technical comparison between the two radios. Nor is it meant to infer one radio is better or worse than the other. You have to look at all the features/benefits and figure out what works best for…

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    KK1W
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  • September Zero Beat is live, on the web and in your email box

    Don’t forget! Our first meeting of the new season is this Friday, September 7th. Read all about the meeting, upcoming raffles and more in the September issue of Zero Beat. Frandy once again has put together eight pages of HCRA and local interest for September. Enjoy!

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    KK1W
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  • NE1C SOTA Activation Review – September 1, 2012 – Prospect Hill

    Nick (K1MAZ) and I, along with Jim (NE1SJ/KK1W) made the trek to Prospect Hill, MA (near Athol) for a SOTA (Summits on the Air) activation.  Great weather and great propagation made for a perfect day!!! We hung a mini-G5RV from the fire tower (up about 80′ sloping to a tree branch).  We used KK1W’s FT100…

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  • 2012 Field Day Summary

    Last June Hampden County Radio Association once again participated in the annual ARRL Field Day event. This year we added an additional transmitter, which put us in the 8A category. As usual, the event was an overall success with our members and visitors having a great time while operating and enjoying each other’s company. And…

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  • Help Wanted

    Our club is looking for a few volunteers for the upcoming 2012/2013 season. Here’s a chance for you to give something back to your fellow club members. The pay is little (well actually none!) but the rewards are great. KX3 Raffle Coordinator As coordinator you would actively promote the raffle at HCRA meetings, local hamfests…

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    KK1W
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