Thomas Witherspoon, K4SWL, To Present Keynote Address at 2025 HamXposition

by

The Northeast HamXposition and New England Division Convention is most fortunate to have as its keynote speaker Thomas Witherspoon, K4SWL. Thomas has been a ham radio operator since 1997, making most of his contacts in the field with low-power (QRP) gear. He runs QRPer.com, the SWLing Post, and the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, and is a regular co-hosts the Ham Radio Workbench podcast. A 2023 inductee into the QRP Hall of Fame, Thomas has a deep love for chasing weak signals from the great outdoors.

Thomas will explore the enduring values of amateur radio—joy, kindness, community, diversity, and mentorship—and how they have always been at the heart of the hobby. He will highlight how mentorship, or Elmering, ensures amateur radio remains self-sustaining. It is through these values that amateur radio continues to be a dynamic and innovative space where operators push technical boundaries, foster new ideas, and build lifelong connections that will carry the hobby into the future. [Full story]

Four FEMARA Scholarships to be Announced at 2025 HamXposition and New England Division Convention

by

The ARRL Foundation will award four individuals with FEMARA scholarships in 2025, according to ARRL Development Operations Manager Christina Lessard, KC1TDM.

“We had a record number of applicants this year and are happy that we have such generous donors like FEMARA to assist these young amateur radio operators towards achieving their educational goals,” Christina writes. “The Foundation hopes to have the final list of recipients completed by early summer.”

HamXposition Promotion at Algonquin ARC Flea Market

by

HamXposition volunteers were out in force to promote the Northeast HamXposition (“HamX”) on February 15, 2025, at the local Algonquin Amateur Radio Club Flea Market in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Around 300 people attended the annual flea market, and many interacted with the convention volunteers, watched a photo carousel on a large computer monitor from last year’s HamXposition, and picked up flyers and business cards promoting the convention. 

The Northeast HamXposition in run by FEMARA, Inc., and hosts the ARRL New England Division Convention.  

HamXposition table at Algonquin Flea Market
L-R: Barbara Irby, KC1KGS; Phil Temples, K9HI; Skip Youngberg, K1NKR; Bob DeMattia, K1IW

VE2DX Electronics Design’s “Project Maple Syrop” Release at 2025 Northeast HamXposition

by
 
VE2DX logo
 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Following incredible technical exchanges at HamCation 2025, VE2DX ELECTRONICS DESIGN INC president Richard G. Desaulniers Sr., VE2DX, is announcing a new project called “Project Maple Syrop.” It will be introduced as a revolutionary new product at HamXposition 2025 in late August.
 
This product is currently oriented at the huge ICOM IC-705 market that is STILL growing. It will be a game changer, low-cost, never-before-seen, and will blow your pants off!
 
At HamXposition 2025, Richard G. Desaulniers Sr., VE2DX, will be officially releasing “Project Maple Syrop,” product ID, name, technical aspect, images, and prototype. Market release dates and resellers/Partners will also be introduced.
 
VE2DX Electronics Design Inc. is a proud Canadian company founded in 2020 by Richard G. Desaulniers Sr. VE2DX creates innovative products to help ham radio operators around the world. Some of our innovations include TrueTTL advanced designs, Software Defined Interlock (SDI), and Blind and Deaf Operator Assistance (BOA).
 
“We are especially proud of our innovations, like BOA and our IM1-HDMI, which are of great help to our friends around the world with vision problems!”
 
Please join us for the official announcement at HamXposition 2025. 
 
73
 
Richard G. Desaulniers Sr., VE2DX
President and Lead Designer
VE2DX Electronics

AA7A: “Remote DXpeditioning” at the 2025 Northeast HamXposition

by

Ned Stearns, AA7AWe are pleased to have as our special guest presenter a well-known international DXer/Contester, Ned Stearns, AA7A, at the DX/Contest Banquet at the 2025 Northeast HamXposition.

The Radio-In-a-Box (RIB) technology has made a big impact in the DX (and contesting) realm. Its use in high-profile DXpeditions has changed the DXing game forever. The use of RIBs in DXpeditions can provide numerous benefits such as reduced project costs, lower environmental impact and safer operations. The “Remote DXpedition” presentation will provide AA7A’s perspective on the nearly seven-year development effort of the RIB concept and other emerging technologies and how their application to DXing is an exciting step forward in amateur radio.

The DX/Contest Banquet will be held at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center Marlborough, Massachusetts on Friday evening, August 22, 2025.  Tickets for the banquet and other events can be purchased online at https://ticketing.hamxposition.org.

W2NAF: “HamSCI: Space Weather We Can Do Together” at the 2025 Northeast HamXposition

by

Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAFWe are proud to feature special guest speaker Dr. Nathaniel A. Frissell, W2NAF, from the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) program who will present “HamSCI: Space Weather We Can Do Together!” at the 2025 HamXposition Grand Banquet. Dr. Frissell will discuss results from a number of recent HamSCI experiments, what’s next for HamSCI in the future, and how you can participate in these exciting projects.

The Grand Banquet will be held at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center Marlborough, Massachusetts on Saturday evening, August 23, 2025.  Tickets for the banquet and other events can be purchased online at https://ticketing.hamxposition.org.

W1XPO/1 Participation in the 2024 World Wide Digi DX Contest

by
The Northeast HamXposition’s station, W1XPO, was active on the air in several scenarios during the 2024 convention weekend.  In addition to the official Get On The Air (“GOTA”) event at the hotel, several Parks On The Air activations in Connecticut were conducted. W1XPO was also QRV from the hotel as a remote digital contest station in the WW Digi DX Contest.
 
According to Providence Radio Association‘s Vic Farmer, NE1Y: “[We ran] remote from W1XPO/1 to W1OP HQ, in the Multi-Operator Single-Transmitter Low-Power category and finished #1 in the United States 1st Call Area, #3 North America, and #9 in the World.”
 
Kudos again to the PRA gang for showcasing Amateur Radio at the convention!
 
 
W1XPO 2024 World Wide Digi DX Contest

Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, Safe

by

Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWWWoodland Hills resident Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, reports that she is safe following the devastating wild fires in the Los Angeles area. Skov was the 2024 Northeast HamXposition Grand Banquet speaker.

She writes: “So many unexpected events have happened recently. For me, it’s the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area that are among the most traumatic. Thankfully, our home has remained safe. Several of our friends’ homes were not so lucky. We now face the daunting prospect of helping our community heal, amid uncertainty and change.”

Looking for Inspiration?

by

Looking for inspiration?

We’re intentionally soliciting talks at all levels: introductory, general interest, advanced. The ideal presentation is preferably about 45 minutes in length and absolutely no longer than 50 minutes. This will allow time for subsequent speakers to set up. Here are just a few ideas to spark your imagination as you prepare a talk about The Excitement of Amateur Radio. (Don’t worry. You may see an inspiration in one subject group and apply it to another.)

Antennas and Propagation Subjects. Simple antennas for the newcomer. Making antennas out of aluminum, or wire. Antenna projects as club activities. All about transmission lines and connectors. Knowledgeable purchasing. Rotators. Tower safety. When should I get on the air, and on which band? Propagation basics. Beacons. Propagation modeling. Propagation reporting. What are all these sunspot numbers, A, and K factors, anyway? The decibel. What’s next in the solar cycle. Results of your own propagation studies. HamSCI activities.

Operating Activities Subjects.

On The Air. Introduction to fox hunting, to ARDF, to OTAs (Summits, Parks, Lighthouses, Boy Scout Jamborees, Girl Scout Thinking days, etc.). International cooperative efforts. Operating practice and/or ethics. Operating awards. Geography and topography. VHF+ hilltopping and roving. Tips and techniques for your successful activity. Activity travelogues. QSLing. Occupying underutilized bands or modes.

Contesting. Introduction to contesting. Configuring your station. Maximizing your score. Breaking through pile-ups. Tips for the “little pistol” competitors. Logging programs and techniques. Submitting logs. Field day war stories.

DXing. Introduction to DXing. Wallpaper opportunities. Organizing and managing a DXpedition. Amateur Radio demographics around the world. Tips for the “little pistol” DX chasers. Getting started with Logbook of the World. Travelogues.

EMCOM, Public Service, and Traffic Subjects. What happens to “When all else fails” when the Internet fails. EMCOM/PS preparation and training. The Incident Commander concept. Initiating and managing local EMCOM relationships. Case studies of or reports on emergency communications.
Introduction to public service. Public service experiences. Case studies of or reports on public service events. Go-kits/portable/packable/mobile equipment. Portable power. Introduction to traffic handling.

Restructuring of the NTS. Analog and digital repeater systems and networks. Analysis of command, control, and communications during Paul Rever’s 1775 ride.

History, Invention, and Reinvention Subjects. Where did we come from. Historical artifacts. Amateur Radio’s contributions to the art and technology of radio. Amateur Radio demographics. A tank away: radio-related tourist venues. How can Amateur Radio thrive: where are we going, how do we get there. Rejuvenating clubs and club meetings.

League, Division, and Section Activities and News. What’s next, what’s big in Amateur Radio. Rules and regulations. Major operating activities. Supporting scouting activities and college clubs.

Technical Subjects. New signal sources, modes, or modulation schemes. Introduction to the digital modes. Introduction to repeaters, DSTAR, DMR, etc. The analog modes aren’t dead. Unusual modes (video, telemetry, remote control, etc.) Equipment construction techniques. Physical circuits versus programming. The basics of software defined radios. SMD soldering. Parts and programs resources. Hints and Kinks. RFI chasing and fixing. Using clusters, spotters, and reporters. How to remotely control your station. Frontiers in the hobby. The Clean Signal Initiative. Exploring Lightwave communications. Experiences at HF and below, VHF and above. Shack networking and interfacing. Remote operation. Reports of experiments, studies, or significant achievements.

Training and Education Subjects. T&E planning for your club. T&E success (or failure) stories. Demonstrations, and how to present them. Long format versus short format license preparation. Tech Nights. Post-exam, continuing, and remedial training. Finding candidate trainees. Bringing the next
generation on board. Elmering.

2025 HamX Call for Talks

by

HamX is the largest annual gathering of Radio Amateurs east of Dayton and north of Huntsville. And it fields more talks and workshops than any other ham convention in the world. We’re not just a trade show, we convene to exchange ideas. Here’s your chance to participate. Locally, 2025 will be celebrated as the 250 th anniversary of “the shot heard ‘round the world.” But we all know that for over a century Amateur Radio’s signals have been heard ‘round the world.

Every year’s talks pretty much run the same gamut of subject areas—Antennas and Propagation, Contesting and DXing, EMCOM/PS, League, Operating Activities, Organization and Innovation, Technical, and Training. This year we’re emphasizing “signals heard ’round the world.”

So, consider volunteering to speak on signals.

  • How we generate and transmit Amateur signals. (our bands, equipment, remote systems, antennas, propagation, etc.)
  • How we modulate our signals. (CW, phone, digital, image, etc.)
  • The uses we make of our signals. (on-the-air activities, EMCOM and public service, DXing, contesting, traffic, repeaters, EME. etc.)

Even if you can’t speak, you must have some ideas regarding what you or others want to hear about—elementary topics for the newcomers among us, intermediate-level topics for the general attendees, even advanced topics to challenge and educate us all. Pass them on as a
request.

Here are this year’s planning and preparation milestones:

  • January through April – Individuals propose presentations. The Convention’s Programs Committee also solicits presentations. Speaker Login webpage active.
  • By 30 April – Solicited presenters reply.
  • By 1 June – Potential presenters commit to speaking if scheduled.
  • By 30 June – Closeout: presentation curation complete. Presenters notified.
  • By 30 June – Presenters finish populating database with personal information, talk title, and talk summary. (Minor grammatic and spelling edits are permitted until the database is locked.)
  • 15 July – Database locked. No further editing by presenters.
  • 31 July – Scheduling resolved, locked, and provided for brochure preparation.
  • 10 August – Brochure submitted to printer.
  • 21-23 August — HamXposition 2025!

It’s never too early to start planning! Contact HamXposition Program Chair Skip Youngberg at K1NKR@hamxposition.org.