On Thursday, October 20th, WSSM hosted a VE Exam at Windham Fire Department’s South Station.
We’d like to congratulate John Black and Sullivan Falk for earning their Technician Class licenses, and Brian Dyer N1DSE, Rhodes Haskell KC1PDQ, and Terry Quinn KC1RUZ for upgrading to General!
Special thanks to Roger Pience N1XP, Eric Emery N1RXR, BJ Badyk WX1D, and Jason Andrews W1SFS for serving as VE’s, and to Jason W1SFS for helping secure a location for the exam.
SCARBOROUGH, ME – On the weekend of June 25-26, the WS1SM team participated in their 12th ARRL Field Day from Wassamki Springs Campground, in Scarborough.
Activities began Friday morning when club members helped to setup a utility trailer, tower, and antenna, that would make up the CW operating station. The station, which is the design of Rick Fickett K1OT, goes together smoothly. After assembling the antennas which consist of a 40 meter yagi and a 10/15/20m tri-bander, and tower components, the tower is pulled up by a winch, so it only needs to be guided on the way up, and when the tower is almost upright, a custom made bracket which holds the yagis, allows them to move into position and lock in place. After this was complete, the guys were tightened and the area was roped off for safety.
Rick Fickett K1OT, gets the station ready
The station consists of an Elecraft K3 that runs on a pair of deep cycle batteries. It was operated throughout Field Day by Rick K1OT, Greg W1GF, and Joe K1JB.
Unlike previous years, the SSB stations were setup on Saturday morning. One was setup in a large tent, and the other was setup in the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA) communications trailer. Antennas included a 160m end fed and a Buddipole, and 40m rotatable dipole (that mounts to the trailer). The two SSB stations consisted of a Yaesu FT-857d (in the tent) and Icom IC-7300 (in the trailer), which ran on battery power throughout the event.
Waylon KC1HJN operating SSB
After final checks and updates to the logging software, we were ready to get on the air by 2:00PM!
The weather was pleasant for the entire Field Day, including setup and break down, and the band conditions seemed very good as well. 40 meters was steady throughout most of the weekend, and 20m opened up nicely late Saturday afternoon and lasted well into the evening, similar to last year, and there was also activity on 10 and 15 meters, especially on Sunday.
Waylon KC1HJN, Tim KB1HNZ, Stefania K1GJY, Eric N1RXR, Peter KC1HBM, Jim KB1SDK, Brad KC1JMH, and others, each took turns operating the SSB stations. Eric N1RXR had a really good run on 15 meters Sunday morning, and Stefania K1GJY made lots of QSOs on 40 meters throughout the event.
Eric N1RXR getting ready for a satellite pass
Our Safety Officer for 2022 ARRL Field Day was Mike N5QYQ. Mike reported that he made sure any trip hazards were marked, that fire suppression was handy, first aid was accessible, and that stations were properly grounded. We also made sure to have RF exposure reports on hand for each operating station and antenna combination.
Fellow club members, Frank KR1ZAN in Plano, TX, and Ryan Michaelson KB1YTR, in Duluth, MN, helped us copy the W1AW Field Day message, which was super helpful because many of us were setting up station equipment during the broadcast.
Tim KB1HNZ prepared radiograms for the Section Manager and several others, and Brad KC1JMH sent them via the Digital Traffic Network using VHF Packet and HF Winlink.
Eric N1RXR attempted to make a satellite contact using his IC-9700, but despite hearing a few passes really well, we weren’t unable to make a verifiable contact.
Mike N5QYQ and Steve AA1HF reprised their roles as GOTA station coaches, setting up a nice station in the Wassamki Springs Ham Shack. There were both modern and classic radios to try out. They welcomed unlicensed operators, who took turns getting on the air throughout the weekend, as well as a few newer hams.
Jim KB1SDK operates SSB from the tent
Besides the lessons learned at the GOTA station, we also offered a formal educational activity about radio direction finding. Tim KB1HNZ hid a small purpose-built transmitter and explained some of the various methods that can be used to track it down, including using doppler finder technology, attenuators, body shielding, and a directional antenna. Tim’s son, Elliot, had a fun time trying to find a hidden transmitter and eventually did!
Rick K1OT, Greg W1GF, and Joe K1JB all took turns operating the CW station from Rick’s trailer. They made nearly 1200 QSO’s, of which 502 were on 40 meters alone!
Operating as 3A (three fulltime HF stations on emergency power), and call sign W1M, 2022 ARRL Field Day was not only a fun time, but a huge success! We logged 1900 QSOs for a total of 6,210 QSO points, and nearly maxed out on all the bonus points.
Elliot makes a QSO on HF!
Be sure to check the December issue of QST for the 2022 ARRL Field Day Line Scores!
Special thanks to Chris Wheeler, and everyone at Cumberland County EMA for their support and allowing us to use the CCEMA communications trailer, and to the Hillock Family for their continued hospitality, allowing us to operate from Wassamki Springs Campground for the 12th consecutive year! We’d also like to thank Steve’s wife Marilyn, who provided us with a fantastic cookout Saturday evening and breakfast sandwiches Sunday morning!
Maine’s Premier International HF Contest.
Mark your calendars!
Contest Period: 1200 UTC Saturday September 24, 2020 to 1200 UTC Sunday September 25, 2022.
Bands and Modes: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10, CW, and phone (SSB, FM, AM).
Exchange: Stations in Maine send signal report and county. Stations outside of Maine, but within either the United States or Canada, send signal report and state/province. DX stations send signal report and “DX.”
Click here for more details and complete rules.
For the second time in Simplex Challenge history, we had a tie for the overall win. Stefania Watson K1GJY and Tim Watson KB1HNZ, who operated as Mobile Medium, each made 164 QSOs, in 17 different towns, for a total of 2,788 points. Congratulations on a job well done!
Although most pandemic-related restrictions had been lifted by late March, served agencies, such as the National Weather Service, County EMAs, and Red Cross facilities were still closed to the public, which prevented activations from those facilities.
John Horton KC1LSO, and Dakota Dumont KB1YYC, operated as QRP mobiles, while Stefania Watson K1GJY and Tim Watson KB1HNZ, operated in the Medium Mobile category. Dakota and John were heard mostly in the towns around Portland and west (Falmouth, Yarmouth, Cumberland, Westbrook, Windham, etc.), while Tim and Stefania covered the most ground, ranging from Camp Ellis to Waldoboro, and west along Rt. 196 to Androscoggin County.
Similar to years past, the most popular categories were the medium-powered classes, and they were also the most competitive, with K1GJY and KB1HNZ being even on QSOs and multipliers in Medium Mobile, and Medium Fixed continued to show a strong number of entries. K1HC and WD1F led the pack, but K1JJS and AC1FB were close behind.
Some stations that appeared in many logs, include KC1HBL, KC1MPV, K1CYJ, and WZ1J, but of those only KC1MPV and K1CYJ submitted logs.
The Wireless Society of Southern Maine captured the club competition, earning 7,533 points from 8 logs. Congratulations on a job well done!
Click here for complete details, and to see all the category winners.
Mark your calendars! The next Maine 2 Meter FM Simplex Challenge takes place Saturday, March 25, 2023.
Mark your calendars!
THE 2022 MAINE QSO PARTY IS SEPTEMBER 24-25!
Contest Period: 1200 UTC Saturday September 24, 2020 to 1200 UTC Sunday September 25, 2021.
Bands and Modes: 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10, CW, and phone (SSB, FM, AM).
Exchange: Stations in Maine send signal report and county. Stations outside of Maine, but within either the United States or Canada, send signal report and state/province. DX stations send signal report and “DX.”
Click here for more details and complete rules.
Congratulations to 2021 MEQP overall winner, Joe Blinick K1JB, of Portland, Maine! Joe scored a total of 217,905 points, making 990 QSO’s! For 2021, we received 207 logs from 6 different countries, 27 U.S. States, 2 Canadian Provinces, and 7 Maine Counties. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Michael Snook W7LG, from Lewiston, PA, captured the Single Operator QRP (SOQRP) category with 3,915 points. Robert Coakley KX1E, from Portland, ME, won the Single Operator Low Power (SOLP) category with 15,300 points. This year’s overall winner, Joe Blinick K1JB, won the Single Operator High Power (SOHP) category with 217,905 points. In Multi Op, Stefania (K1GJY) and Tim (KB1HNZ) Watson, who operated as YO/KB1HNZ from Baicoi, Romania, won the Multi-Operator High Power (MOHP) category with 127,428 points, and also placed second overall.
In the club competition, the Yankee Clipper Contest Club took the top spot, with 3 log entries totaling 220,333 points. Congratulations!
For complete results, including State, Province, National, and Maine County winners, click here.
The 2022 Maine QSO Party will take place the last full weekend of September, (9/24 – 9/25). Click here for complete rules and details.
There will be no ECT Training Net this evening. Take the time to get your gear ready and rest up for Field Day, which takes place this weekend, June 25-26 at Wassamki Springs Campground, (56 Saco Street, in Scarborough, ME).
We will be having a work detail at the Cumberland County EMA (CCEMA) bunker, located at 22 High Street, Windham, starting at 6:00PM this evening. The focus will be to clean out and load the communications trailer for Field Day. If you’d like to help out, feel free to stop by.
The next ECT Training Net will take place Thursday, July 28th at 7:00 PM on the W1QUI 147.090 (+ / 100) repeater.
73′
Tim
KB1HNZ
Please join us this weekend, June 25-26, at Wassamki Springs Campground, (located at 56 Saco Street, Scarborough, ME) for ARRL Field Day!
We will be operating in the 3A category (club station with 3 full time HF transmitters), plus we’ll also be active on 6 meters, VHF, and satellite throughout the event.
Please follow all campground rules! All visitors must check in at the main gate and park where they are directed to by the attendant. No campfires are allowed, no swimming, and no pets.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY – 10:00 AM – Setup for the CW tower/trailer [Contact: Rick K1OT at (207) 939-9333].
SATURDAY – 10:00 AM – Setup for the other HF stations, including tents, antennas, and small items such as the table display.
SATURDAY – 2:00 PM – On-air activities begin.
SUNDAY – 2:00 PM – On-air activities end, followed by breakdown of equipment and site cleanup.
GOTA STATION
The public is encouraged to attend, and there will also be a Get on the Air (GOTA) station available for anyone who’d like to try out ham radio! Here’s the preliminary schedule for the GOTA station:
Setup: SATURDAY 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Operating hours: SATURDAY: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM & 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Operating hours: SUNDAY: 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM & 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
TEMPORARY RULE WAVER
Similar to last year’s Field Day, a temporary rule waiver allows participants from any Class to optionally include a single club name with their submitted results. This means that if you’d prefer to operate from home, using your own call sign, and would like to contribute to our club aggregate score, you may do so. Please include the full club name: Wireless Society of Southern Maine with your entry.
Click here to review the complete 2022 Field Day rules.
FIELD DAY BULLETIN
Since quite a few of us will be involved with setup, we could use some help copying the Field Day bulletin. Click here to view the 2022 ARRL Field Day Bulletin schedule, including times, frequencies, and modes.
See you there!
73′
Tim
KB1HNZ
Wassamki Springs Campground is located at: 56 Saco Street, Scarborough, ME 04074.
Talk-in on 146.580 FM Simplex.
Good Morning,
We are requesting SKYWARN activation today for the potential for severe weather. While severe weather is not expected to be widespread, isolated severe storms will be possible in the 11am through 4pm timeframe. The most likely area for severe weather will be over western Maine.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we would request remote coverage of WX1GYX. Any method possible to send in reports is acceptable, with the preferred method being population of the SKYWARN NET Reporting Google Sheet.
Thank you,
NWS Gray
National Weather Service Gray
207-688-4081 – Operations
www.weather.gov/gyx
Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. Since these storms are expected to be isolated, please activate local nets as necessary. Remember, if you don’t hear SKYWARN activity in your locality, and severe weather is happening, help gather reports!
Be alert and stay safe,
73′
Tim Watson
KB1HNZ
Members of the Wireless Society of Southern Maine (WSSM) are set to participate in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise June 25-26 at Wassamki Springs Campground, 56 Saco Street, Scarborough.
The public is encouraged to attend on Saturday, June 25, from 2p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more than 100 years, amateur radio – sometimes called ham radio – has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster. Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network. More than 35,000 people from thousands of locations participated in Field Day last year.
“Field Day is part emergency communications exercise, and part competition, where we accumulate points and test our operating skills against other clubs and individuals around the U.S. and Canada,” says club President, Brad Brown, Jr., of North Waterboro, ME.
During the event, participants will try to earn points by meeting specific goals as outlined by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). Some of these include handling and delivering messages, hosting educational activities, and making contacts with other amateurs through various methods, such as voice, telegraphy, satellites, and digital modes.
“This is a fun event that gives us an opportunity to share our passion with the community and to improve our operating skills, all while getting everyone out there and on the air,” says Brown.
Field Day, which has taken place annually since 1933, is designed to test radio operators’ ability to quickly setup and operate portable stations in emergency conditions.
“The entire operation will exclusively use emergency power sources like batteries, or solar energy, in order to simulate how things would be during a catastrophic event,” adds club Vice President, Peter Hatem, of Scarborough. “The public should be aware that in the event of an emergency, we’re ready to assist in any way that we can. While people may have the impression that cell phones and other technologies are good enough, we stand by as a trained pool of experienced radio operators to provide the vital communication services others may not. Hams have provided emergency communications during hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, blackouts, and other disasters, where more complex and fragile communications systems, such as cell networks, have failed or become overloaded.”
The Wireless Society of Southern Maine’s Emergency Communications Team provides auxiliary communications support to the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency and members are also active in supporting the National Weather Service’s SKYWARN program in Gray, ME.
“Last year, the Wireless Society of Southern Maine, using call sign WS1SM, recorded the highest Field Day score in Maine and we hope to do well again this year,” says Brown. “The public is welcome to attend the event and if anyone is interested in learning more about the hobby, we’ll be glad to help.”
Anyone can become a licensed amateur radio operator. There are more than 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 5 and as old as 100. The Wireless Society of Southern Maine is ready to help anyone get involved and licensed right here in Scarborough. The club meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at the Scarborough Public Safety Building, located at 275 U.S. Route 1.
For more information about Field Day, and amateur radio in general, please visit: http://www.mainehamradio.com
WS1SM Ham Radio Blog 