Phil Temples, K9HI, presented to members of the PART of Westford (MA) radio club on April 16, 2024 about the 2024 Northeast HamXposition. The talk included the showing of the Convention’s new promotional video produced by Eric Pfeifer, N1JUR. The PART meeting was well attended.
Several PART club members are actively involved with the Convention, both presenting talks and volunteering their time.
[The Nashua Area Radio Society is a big promoter of HamXposition, and conducts a “Ham Radio Exhibit” annually showcasing in the vendor area the various operating activities in the hobby.]
The Nashua Area Radio Society will be holding an online Ham Bootcamp on Saturday, May 11th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Eastern Time.
Ham Bootcamp is a program to help new, inactive, and prospective hams gain the skills and information that they need to Get On The Air. It is open to any interested Ham or Prospective Ham in the US and Canada and there is no charge to attendees.
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[Rob Macedo, KD1CY, New Bedford, MA, is a regular presenter at the Northeast HamXposition, conducting SKYWARN training and leading emergency communications workshops. He is the Section Emergency Coordinator for Eastern MA. Jim Palmer, KB1KQW, Peabody, MA, serves as a District Emergency Coordinator in Eastern MA. Jim provides videographer services at New England Division conventions. Josh Johnson, KE5MHV, Newington, CT, is ARRL Director of Emergency Management. Josh was the featured EmComm Keynote speaker at the 2023 Northeast HamXposition.]Amateur Radio will again be represented at the 2024 National Hurricane Conference which will be held this year in Orlando Florida (https://www.hurricanemeeting.
NHC Session #1 – 130 PM-300 PM EDT: John Cangialosi, Senior Hurricane Specialist, from the National Hurricane Center will also present on the importance of Amateur Radio surface reporting. Bob Robichaud-VE1MBR from the Canadian Hurricane Centre will provide a video on a Canadian Hurricane Centre Overview and a few meteorological topics via a video recording. Julio Ripoll-WD4R will present WX4NHC Operations and Bobby Graves-KB5HAV will present an overview on the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN).
NHC Session #2: 330 PM-500 PM EDT: Rob Macedo-KD1CY will present on the VoIP Hurricane Net and best practices in SKYWARN Tropical Systems presentation, Joe Bassett-W1WCN will provide a SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Radio Network) overview video. Josh Johnston-KE5MHV will give an ARRL update and K1CE-Rick Palm will present on his personal Hurricane Idalia experience. This will be followed by a Q & A session and raffle prizes will be offered.
Amateur Radio presentations will be recorded and posted to Youtube after the workshop within the month of April. The Amateur Radio presentations will also be livestreamed via Youtube as a best effort. It is noted that Internet connectivity can be a challenge at hotel locations for livestreaming but we will do our best to livestream the workshop but please note technical difficulties could affect the livestream so please be patient if you watch the livestream and we will have recordings available post workshop. The YouTube livestream link is: https://www.youtube.com/live/-
2024 National Hurricane Conference Presenters and Moderator:
• Moderator: Rob Macedo, KD1CY, VoIP Hurricane Net
• John Cangialosi, Senior Hurricane Specialist, National Hurricane Center
• Special guest speaker Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, Canadian Hurricane Center
• Special guest speaker Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, Director of Emergency Management, ARRL HQ
• Julio Ripoll, WD4R, WX4NHC Assistant Amateur Radio Station Coordinator
• Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) Manager
• Joe Bassett, W1WCN, SATERN, Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Radio Network
• Rick Palm, K1CE, ARRL ARES E-Letter Editor/Public Service Columnist
• Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Director of Operations, VoIP Hurricane Net & ARRL ARES Eastern Mass SEC
• Jim Palmer, KB1KQW, VoIP Hurricane Net (Videographer)
Detailed Schedule Outline – All Times (Eastern Daylight Time):
130-135 PM: Opening Remarks
135-210 PM: Hurricane Surface Reports and 2023 Season Review (John Cangialosi)
210-220 PM: Canadian Hurricane Centre Overview and Meteorological Topics Video (VE1MBR-Bob R)
220-250 PM: WX4NHC Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center (WD4R)
250-310 PM: HWN Overview (KB5HAV)
310-330 PM: Break
330-400 PM: VoIP Hurricane Net Overview & Best Practices in SKYWARN for Tropical Systems (KD1CY)
400-410 PM: SATERN – Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network Overview Video (W1WCN)
410-430 PM: ARRL Update (KE5MHV)
430-450 PM: Florida Hurricane Response & His Personal Hurricane Idalia Story (K1CE)
450-500 PM: Moderated Q & A session and Panel Discussion (All)
500-510 PM: Door Prizes (All)
We’re pleased to announce our Saturday Keynote Speaker: ARRL’s Steve Goodgame, K5ATA.
Steve Goodgame spent 21 years in the classroom working to incorporate amateur radio into his instruction. Now, Steve leads ARRL’s Education and Learning Department. Steve has a passion for youth outreach, and works constantly to find ways to engage more youth in wireless technology and help teachers ELEVATE their STEM programs.
Married to Cyndi, K5CYN and father of Jherica, KI5HTA, Steve is a part of a true ham family, and has seen first-hand how an early introduction to amateur radio can have a positive impact on students.
A firm believer that amateur radio’s future lies in STEM Education, Steve is on a mission to make it more accessible for everyone.
The Mt. Tom Amateur Repeater Association held its annual Amateur Radio & Electronics Hamfest on March 2, 2024 in Chicopee, Massachusetts. HamXposition’s Prize Chair Larry Krainson, W1AST, attended. He’s
shown here passing out flyers to the vendors for the 2024 Northeast HamXposition and New England Division Convention.
Kevin Thomas, W1DED, writes on the YCCC mailing list:
After one of our past Contest Crew conversations, Doug Grant, K1DG, sent an email reminding me that there ARE resources available to contesters – a book that he wrote (and that the ARRL publishes), and Contest University. So, I asked him to come on the show to talk about those resources.
As all of you know well, Doug is a worthy contest educator given his participation in five World Radiosport Team Championships (he medaled in three) and his well earned place in the CQ Contest Hall of Fame.
We also talk about learning options if you can’t travel all the way to Xenia, Ohio or just can’t get the gumption to crack open “Contesting for Beginners” by Doug Grant or the dense compilation of Contest University powerpoint slides.
The bottomline is that there are plenty of options – including subscribing to this YouTube channel – for those who want to learn more about ham radio contesting.
Thanks for joining the Contest Crew’s K5ZD and N6MJ (KL9A and KØMD were unavailable) for Episode 5. And, if you’ve subscribed to the channel, we all thank you.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first ARRL New England Division Convention, and Northeast HamXposition committee members are discussing ways to commemorate the milestone.
New England Division conventions have been held for one hundred years, although there haven’t been one hundred annual conventions. New England’s first ARRL-sponsored Division convention was held in Springfield, MA, on 28 and 29 March 1924. Division conventions moved to Worcester (1925), Providence (1926), Hartford (1927), and Boston (1928). Throughout the twenties and thirties, Boston-based Massachusetts State conventions were typically held in combination with the Boston Hamfest. Division and State (Section) conventions filled the average ham’s social calendar from the 1920s to the 1960s.
The original New England gathering, the 1920 Conference on Interference, was a meeting of the FCC Boston office, Amateurs, and Harvard and MIT traffic handlers to address issues affecting the passing of traffic. The 1922 “convention” was also principally one of a continuing series of traffic meetings. The 1924 convention (“the first real convention ever held as such,” per QST) and those thereafter were usually the kind of technical get-to-know-you events we are now used to.
A few historical highlights:
So what does today’s New England Division convention offer? Camaraderie, flea markets, a full program of talks, vendors, activities and demonstrations, banquets, guest speakers, and prizes. Amateur Radio is a doing, achieving, learning hobby, with many personal rewards. At conventions, we convene: we share the opportunity to exchange brags and ideas, and have the opportunity to learn about the full spectrum (pardon the pun) of Amateur activity and interest.
—Thanks, Skip Younberg, K1NKR
[The complete article can be viewed at <https://hamxposition.org/one-hundred-years-of-new-england-division-conventions/>]The Northeast HamXposition had a presence at the Algonquin ARC Flea Market in Marlboro, Massachusetts on February 17, 2024. Volunteer Chair Barbara Irby, KC1KGS; Marketing & Promotion Chair Phil Temples, K9HI; and Program Chair Skip Youngberg, K1NKR, staffed a table with handouts, business cards and a large computer monitor displaying photos from the 2023 Convention. The table was co-sponsored by New England Sci-Tech.
HAM-CON 2024, the ARRL Vermont State Convention, will be held Saturday, February 24.
HAM-CON is a fully hybrid show, meeting live at the Hampton Inn in Colchester, Vermont AND also ON-LINE at http://ham-con.org/ If you are not in a position to join us live, you have the opportunity to join us from the comfort of home!
We have a great line-up of speakers and events. These include:
Considering a New HF Rig? – NC0B
Grounding and Bonding – N0AX
Winning the WRTC – VE3DZ
HAM-SCI Solar Eclipse – N1XGB
ARRL Forum – AB1OC
The KI1P Ham Van – KI1P
In addition we will also have the W1V Special Event Station, the DMR table, Tech table and N1YD Science Demonstration.
And, not seen at any other Ham Event anywhere, we have GAME SHOWS:
Who Wants to Run a DXpedition?
The Weakest Radio Link
All this and a flea market and hundreds of hams from the North Country. It is a GREAT WAY to spend your Saturday morning!
Advance sale tickets are only $7 – a real special deal considering the cost of everything these days. If you plan to attend, we also have a special room rate at the Hampton Inn. But you must act soon as the special rate for the hotel ends February 10 and the special rate for HAM-CON ends February 15.
Full details on HAM-CON are at http://ham-con.org/
To buy tickets go directly to: http://ham-con.org/hamconpay.h
Please be sure to let your ham radio friends know about HAM-CON!
So, Don’t sit home thinking about Ham Radio. Instead join us for HAM RADIO FUN at HAM-CON 2024!
The Providence Radio Association, Inc. (PRA) is proud to sponsor and staff the official station of this year’s Northeast HamXposition and ARRL New England Convention. The station will be open at various times through the convention for all to operate and will utilize the FEMARA club call sign W1XPO (“hamXPOsition”). Mentors from the PRA will be on hand to assist in operating and to encourage new amateurs to Get on the Air.
A few PRA members who manned the 1956 and 1958 New England Convention station will be present. “The equipment has changed in 68 years. We will not be using the E.F. Johnson Viking II transmitter and Hammarlund HQ-140-XA, but the thrill and excitement of Amateur Radio will be the same,” writes PRA President “Tess” Tessitore, K1DT.
