Program

Don’t miss, “The Mystery of Earthquakes in the Eastern United States: Why Does the Earth Quake in New England?” by Dr. Alan Kafka, at the 2026 Northeast HamXposition (“HamX”).

“When people think of earthquakes, they probably think of a lot of places other than the Eastern United States (EUS), such as California and Japan,” says Kafka.  “But (long ago), when I was a graduate student studying earthquakes in the Caribbean plate region, I discovered that earthquakes also occur in ‘my own backyard’ here in the EUS, and in fact they occur all around New England. Since then, I have been obsessed with the enigma of why earthquakes occur in the EUS, and in New England in particular, deep within the interior of the North American plate.”

Dr. Kafka’s research and teaching integrates geophysics, earthquake science, applied mathematics, environmental systems, and community science for the greater good. He studies earthquakes in many regions of planet Earth and has long been obsessed with the enigma of why earthquakes occur in the Eastern US, deep within the interior of the North American plate. Dr. Kafka is also active in the global community of seismologists maintaining networks of seismographs for monitoring earthquakes and other seismic events around the world. After 42 years of teaching at Boston College and conducting research at BC’s Weston Observatory (a geophysical research and science education center), he retired from his faculty position at BC at the end of 2025 to pursue his lifelong dream of being an independent scientist. 

HamX is the largest amateur radio convention in the Northeast!  With close to 1,800 attendees each year, HamX draws radio amateurs from all over and is an ideal venue to present your ideas and experiences.

This is a call for speakers on topics of general interest to the amateur radio community.  Some examples include: Operating practices, contesting, DXing, mobile stations, emergency communications, emerging activities, STEM outreach, club improvement, radio history, restoring antique gear, test equipment, kit building, antenna design, AI in amateur radio, VHF/UHF/Microwave/Mesh, EME and more.  If you have a story to share, we would like to hear about it.

To submit a talk proposal, please go to the following website and enter the requested information. 

 https://registration.hamx.org/speaker/

If you have any further questions, please reach out to the program chair at the e-mail address listed below.

We look forward to your contribution at HamX 2026!

Mark Noe KE1IU

HamX Program Committee Chairperson

ke1iu@hamx.org

YOUTH FORUM 2025 — Group Photo at this year’s HamX. Twenty eight students got to talk with Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, an Associate Professor of Physics and Engineering at The University of Scranton (center of photo), who was the guest speaker for the Saturday evening Grand Banquet. His talk was about the study space weather and its impacts on the ionosphere and radio propagation. [photo courtesy Sci-Tech ARS]

Jim Irby, WB4EJR, writes:

On August 22nd at around 10:00 AM, twenty-one amateur radio operators who were attending the Northeast HamXposition in Marlborough, Massachusetts boarded a bus for the 90-minute trip to ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut (https://www.arrl.org/inside-w1aw). The trip was organized by Bob DeMattia (K1IW, HamX) and Bob Inderbitzen (NQ1R, ARRL).

Once on site, the group was given a tour of the station by Bob Inderbitzen and John McAuliffe (W1DRF). They pointed out early transmitting equipment used by ARRL founder Hiram Percy Maxim, and they discussed the history of the ARRL. Equipment used to send code practice training transmissions throughout the world was seen as well as new conferencing facilities. Vintage Collins and Drake line equipment was also on display. One or two of the attendees made QSOs from W1AW.

For lunch, Bob DeMattia organized delivery of more than enough subs to feed the tour group. Lunch was taken outside the W1AW building on picnic tables under a beautiful stand of trees. The tour group returned to Marlborough by mid-afternoon.

Thank you, Bob DeMattia, Bob Inderbitzen and John McAuliffe, for this wonderful trip. It was beautifully organized, and it fulfilled a dream many of us have had for many years!

~~~

Larry Banks, W1DYJ, writes:

I was happy to have the opportunity to visit ARRL Headquarters on the Friday of HamXposition. I was last in Newington in 1965 while home one summer from college. Some highlights and a personal story.

First, everyone we met made us feel welcomed: my thanks to the great Headquarters’ staff, especially our host Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R. Naturally, everything I saw was great, from the antenna farm, to the “shack” (as if such a high-level, multi-operator-position, impressive looking W1AW could be even thought of as a “shack!”), to the lab and museum. Two personal highlights were seeing (and smelling) “Old Betsy” – Maxim’s spark transmitter – operate, and the ARRL’s OSCAR I satellite. Three were built: the ARRL has one, the Smithsonian has one, and the third one burned up when it came back to earth.

A personal delight: My original call in 1961 was KN1VFX, and then K1VFX in Stratford Conn; I became W1DYJ in 1966. While sitting on the bus in Marlboro I noticed a person walking down the aisle wearing a call sign tag: K1VXY! I asked him “Is that your original call?” Howard said YES, and that he also was licensed in December 1961. I mentioned that I grew up on Stratford – and Howard said “My sister-in-law lives in Stratford!” Small-World Squared!

The slides from the 2025 HamX presentation, “Antennas for Backyard, Balcony, Attic, or Wherever” by Bob Glorioso, W1IS, are now posted on the Battery Eliminator Store website.

Talk Description:

We have found that many new hams and retiring hams are living in apartments or condos where they have limited ability to get on HF while others have constraints like HOAs or family concerns about the aesthetics of wires, masts or beams hanging on the house. It takes more than reading an add or buying a mobile antenna to get on HF. First, they must understand the basics of antennas or they are stymied. This presentation covers the principles needed and examples of successful HF antennas in a restricted environment.

Join facilitator Seth Kendall, KC1PZY, and friends and play some games with your fellow hams! “We’ve got everything from party games, to strategy games, to classic games like Chess and Go.” Saturday, August 23 at 5 PM for 90 minutes in the Atrium.

Join W1UAA in Wayland/W1 at 2 PM, Saturday, August 23, 2025, and discover how K2K, the New Hampshire station of the 13 Colonies Special Event, uses HAMLOG as a powerful collaboration tool for event managers, team operators, and hunters. This session explores how HAMLOG streamlines scheduling, QSL handling, award tracking, and team communication — all in one secure, passwordless platform. Whether you manage a special event or participate as a chaser, learn how HAMLOG can enhance efficiency, reduce manual work, and bring your event coordination into the modern era. Perfect for organizers looking to simplify logistics and improve participant engagement.

Eugene Glukhov, W1UAA, has over 15 years of experience in amateur radio. He’s an active participant in various contests, both individually and as a team member. He is co-founder of HAMLOG, a platform for active amateur radio operators. Eugene has organized and managed special event stations for ten years. W1UAA is currently manager of K2K, the special event station representing New Hampshire in the annual 13 Colonies Special Event. 

New England Spectrum Management (NESMC), the amateur radio repeater frequency coordinator for Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island will hold its annual meeting in the Southborough Room/ W6 at 3:00 PM on Saturday, August 23, 2025.  Repeater owners, users, members, and non members are invited to attend. 

Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, will discuss the equipment and operating steps he has used to make QSOs on all—yes, ALL—of the 29 Amateur Radio bands including two that are no longer Part 97 allocations. His talk will be held in the Sudbury/W4 Room at 1 PM on Saturday, August 23, 2025.

Brian was first licensed in 1976 at age 11 as WA1ZMS and has held the same callsign since. He is originally from Vermont but currently lives in Virginia. He holds many World DX records and various firsts on the bands above 24 GHz including the very first Worked All Bands Award, awarded by the North East Weak Signal Group. 

The Minuteman Repeater Association will once again provide talk-in and directions to the 2025 Northeast HamXposition via its “Marlborough West” repeater systems:

        147.270      +0.6    pl 146.2
        223.940       -1.6    pl 103.5
        449.925       -5.0    pl 88.5

Be sure to stop by the MMRA booth at the convention and say hello!