Category Archives: Featured

This category is for featured articles that we want to include in the sidebars and other areas on our website.

FT8 Mode on the 6m Band

Anita and I have been operating using the FT8 Mode on the 6m band using our remote operating gateway quite a bit this summer. The SDR-based remote operating gateway in our station allows us to operate…

Source: Operating FT8 Remote on the 6m Band

FT8 Mode on 6m
FT8 Mode on 6m

Our next Tech Night will be about the FT8 Mode. I’ve been using FT8 to work quite a few contacts on the 6m Band this summer using the remote operating gateway in our station. The link to the post above shows how we use the WSJT-X software and other tools to operate using the FT8 digital mode at our station. It also provides links to much of the software that we use to do FT8 and other weak signal digital modes.

Fred, AB1OC

2018 13 Colonies Special Event Results

The 2018 13 Colonies Special Event took place from July 1-7 this year and Nashua Area Radio Society members operated as K2K, the New Hampshire station.

Charlie, W1CBD operating the pileups from AB1OC station
Charlie, W1CBD operating the pileups from AB1OC station

Several members operated from AB1OC and AB1QB’s QTH.  We were operating from 2 stations.  The SSB station was in our shack and used the stacked SteppIR DB36 beams.

Fred, AB1OC operating FT8 as K2K
Fred, AB1OC operating FT8 as K2K

We also had an FT8 station set up in our kitchen.  It used the Flex 6700 in our shack remotely and the SteppIR BigIR vertical antenna, which is in the woods next to our house, far enough from the tower to avoid interference.

We live-streamed much of the operation on our Facebook page – here is one of Brian, AB1ZO operating as K2K.

In addition to the operators at AB1OC and AB1QB’s QTH, several members operated as K2K from their own stations.

13 Colonies Certificate
13 Colonies Certificate

With 13,622 QSOs, the Nashua Area Radio Society won the top club and New Hampshire was the 2nd state behind K2J, North Carolina.

Congratulations to all of the 13 Colonies operators:

Congratulations New Techs!

We held a technician license class for students, teachers, and parents from our HAB-3 schools and other youth outreach programs on July 16th through 19th at Hudson Memorial School.  The new Hams from the class have just received their call signs and are ready to get on the air!  Congratulations to the new Techs!

New Ham with her CSCE - Amateur Radio Youth Outreach
New Ham with her CSCE
  • Mackenzie Pooler, KC1KBU
  • Victoria Trost, KB1KBV
  • Karen Crivac, KC1KBW
  • Bridget Lalmond, KC1KBX
  • Christopher Levasseur, KC1KBY
  • Adam Goldstein, KC1KBZ
  • Daiel Bartus, KC1KCA
  • Maximillian Piech, KM6UVJ
  • Tatiana Piech, KM6UVK

Here are some of the upcoming activities that the new Techs can get involved in:

  • Join our Weekly Repeater Net – Sundays at 7:30pm – see our Amateur Radio Nets page for more info
  • Get on Echolink
  • August Tech Night on FT8, a very popular digital mode on 6 meters – August 14th, 7:00pm at the First Church Nashua
  • Family Picnic – August 18th at Greeley Park in Nashua
  • ARRL Rookie Roundup RTTY – August 19th at AB1OC/AB1QB’s QTH – we will be control operators so Techs can participate
  • Fox Hunts – Stay tuned to our forums for announcements when the Foxes are out
  • Open House – Get your HT programmed, make your first contact, train for your first contest (ARRL Rookie Roundup RTTY) – August 12th at AB1OC/AB1QB’s QTH
  • Customize your QRZ page 
  • Sign up for our General License Class in November and start studying!

If you haven’t yet joined the Nashua Area Radio Society, you can do so at https://www.n1fd.org/join-us/

Tech Students Tuning an Antenna - Amateur Radio Youth Outreach
Tech Students Tuning an Antenna

Thanks to the following members who helped out with the license class as instructors, giving demos, updating tech class materials, donating equipment, and as VEs:

Radio Amateurs Developing Skills Worldwide