Interest and Excitement around HamXposition @ Boxboro are building! The event will take place on September 6th – 8th in Boxboro, Massachusettes. You can learn more about HamXposition here.
The Nashua Area Radio Society will be hosting several activities and displays at HamXposition this year. Our planned activities include:
- NEW! Ham Bootcamp Program – a hands-on activity to help folks get on the air and build their stations
- Our Ham Expo Display featuring information and hands-on activities you can do with Amateur Radio
- A Kit Building Activity featuring a choice of two different kits
- Multiple Get On The Air Stations including an HF Remote GOTA station and an on-site Satellite GOTA station
- A Special Event Station using the N1T Callsign
- NEW! Radio Programming Station – Get your FM HT programmed with a custom repeater list for your location
- Two Forum Presentations by Nashua Area Radio Society Members
The ARRL and the HamXposition team have been helping us to promote our activities. You can see what the ARRL is saying about our plans in their recent posting – Dayton Hamvention Radio Club of the Year to Hold Ham Bootcamp at New England Convention.
You can learn more about HamXposition and our activities there at the HamXpostion website.
Ham Bootcamp
We have created a program that we call Ham Bootcamp to help recently licensed and upgraded hams to get on the air. We are making this program available to up to 100 HamXpostion attendees on a first-come-first-served basis.
Our Bootcamp program will run from 9 am to noon on Saturday, September 7th in the Federal Room. Bootcamp will feature tracks for both Technician and General class license holders. It is also a great place for folks who are not yet licensed to learn more about Amateur Radio and how to get on the air.
Our Bootcamp program will include:
- How to make a contact and join a repeater net
- Putting together an HF station
- Radio, antenna, and feed line choices
- Getting started with FT8 and digital modes
- Exchanging QSL cards
- Learning Morse code
- Tips on upgrading
- Introduction to ham radio kit building
- Handheld radio programming tutorials
Ham Bootcamp is free. Participants will receive discount certificates for a kit build at the show and for purchase of Ham Radio Gear from Ham Radio Outlet.
You can learn more about Ham Bootcamp on the HamXposition website and on our website.
Ham Expo Display and Kit Building Activity
Our Ham Radio Expo will feature a total of 10 hands-on exhibits about activities that you can do with Amateur Radio. Our display will include:
- Information on Licensing and Ham Radio Skill-Building Activities
- Ham Radio Communications via Satellites and the ISS
- High-Altitude Balloons carrying Amateur Radio
- Radio Direction Finding (Fox Hunting)
- DXing and HF Station Construction
- Portable Operating
- Field Day and Emergency Communications
- Ham Radio Kits and Computers
- Learning and using Morse Code
- and more!
Our kit building activity will feature a choice of two kits that you can build at HamXposition. In addition to the popular Morse Tutor kit, will also have a 70 cm Ground Plane Antenna kit available at the show.
We will have tools and mentors available to help you build your kit at HamXposition.
You can learn more about our Ham Expo Display on the HamXposition website and on our website.
GOTA Stations and N1T Special Event
Our Remote HF GOTA Station will be back again this year. Visitors can use it to make HF contacts around the world. You can also help to operate our N1T Special Event Station. This is a great way to learn about DXing and speak with other Hams in the USA and around the world!
We will also have a Computer-Controlled Satellite Station on-site. The station will feature the new Icom IC-9700! It will also use an automated antenna system to track satellites in space. Visitors can use the station to learn about satellite communications and to talk to other Hams through a satellite in space.
Get Your HT Programmed At HamXposition
We will be offering an HT programming service at HamXposition. Programming software and cables will be available to program the following popular FM HTs:
- Icom – ID-31A and ID-51 Models
- Kenwood – TH-D72 and TH-D74
- Yaesu – FT60, FT65, and FT70
- BaoFeng – UV-5R and BF-F8HP
- TDXOne – TD-Q8
We will help you to create and load a custom list of repeaters into your HT that are available near your home QTH.
HamXposition Forum Presentations
It has been a very active year for the Nashua Area Radio Society. We will be sharing some of the fun in two Forum Presentations at HamXposition:
A Recent Local School ISS Crew Contact
Time/Place: 1 pm in the Cotillion Room
The Nashua Area Radio Society worked with the Hudson (NH) Memorial School to plan for and execute and ISS crew contact this past year. Join us for an overview of this project including information about what goes into planning, preparation, and execution. The presentation will feature a video of the students talking with astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor abroad the ISS. The talk will highlight the STEM learning aspects of the project.
The Journey to 2019 Club of the Year
Time/Place: 2 pm in the Cotillion Room
The Nashua Area Radio Society was recently honored as the Dayton Hamvention (R) 2019 Club of the Year for its work in bringing new people into the Amateur Radio service and providing mentoring and STEM learning opportunities for young and old. Members will discuss some of the programs that NARS has created to help folks enter the Amateur Radio service, build their skills, and have fun with Amateur Radio.
Reaching Out To Hams Across New England
The Nashua Area Radio Society is continuing to expand the reach of our Licensing and Training programs to as many Hams as possible. Our hands-on weekend License Training classes for Technician, General, and Extra class licenses are already quite popular with folks outside of our area.
We are also making our training video content and our popular Q&A forums available to Hams outside of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. These materials are available via our Internet Subscriptions. Look for more information about what we can provide in the HamXposition program and visit us at www.n1fd.org/hamradiofun to learn more as well.
We hope to see you at HamXpostion!
Fred, AB1OC