Announcement

FlexRadio Systems, an Austin, Texas-based manufacturer of advanced software defined radio products for the amateur radio, government and commercial markets will display and sell its products at the 2024 Northeast HamXposition.

“Software defined radios have arrived, and FlexRadio is leading the charge. We are on a mission to change commercial and amateur radio.

“FlexRadio was the first to introduce a true SDR transceiver to the amateur community that allows the personality, functionality, and performance of the radio to be upgraded through simple software downloads. With the introduction of FlexRadio’s SDR-1000 transceiver and the PowerSDR platform in 2003, we single-handedly changed the course of the ham radio industry. This revolution continues to change the face of amateur radio today through our new software solution aptly named SmartSDR and the new FLEX-6000 Signature Series transceiver line. Through innovation and design, we want to help all operators Find Everywhere.“

[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.

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.

https://youtu.be/EJgSI3fnc1w

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:

• The Springfield ARA celebrated its 20th anniversary and the League’s 25th anniversary by sponsoring the New England Division convention in 1939.
• Attendance at early conventions was in the low hundreds. Attendance finally totaled one thousand—at the Massachusetts Section convention—in 1939.
• Conventions were suspended from 1941 through 1945. Then in April 1946, QST pronounced, “FLASH!  First Postwar New England Division Convention, Dennison Memorial Hall, Framingham, Mass.  Saturday May 4th.”
• The New England Division conventions presented a Ham of the Year award in the mid-1960s.
• The New England Division convention was billed as “the world’s largest “hamfest” in April 1964 QST.

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

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.html

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!