Category Archives: Featured

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

Activities, Featured, General, Newsletter, On The Air

SOTA/6m Activation on Mt. Kearsarge

Portable 6m SOTA Station
Portable 6m SOTA Station

We were on Mt. Kearsarge a few weeks back for our second SOTA activation. This location had a great view to the south and provided us with a picturesque location to operate from The CQ VHF contest was going on at the same time that we were up on Mt. Kearsarge.

We brought our 6m portable station and used it for the second activation.

Solar Panel Power for SOTA Activation
Solar Panel Power for SOTA Activation

The setup is solar/battery powered and it has worked well during both of our club SOTA activations. The setup provides 100w out on 6m and keeps the batteries charged throughout an activation.

6m Portable SOTA Antenna
6m Portable Antenna

Anita and I used the same M2 Antenna Systems 3 Eelement, 6m Yagi and portable mast setup that we brought to our Pack Monadnock activation awhile back. We had lots of fun again and we made about 40 contacts on 6m.

Abby, AB1BY, and Jamey, KC1ENX, Provide a BBQ
Abby, AB1BY, and Jamey, KC1ENX, Provide a BBQ

Abby, AB1BY, Jamey, KC1ENX and Patrick, KC1HDN, were also up on Mt. Kearsarge and we all had fun hanging out together during the activation.

We have a great SOTA activation coming up on Mt. Washingon next weekend. Anita and I are really looking forward to this next one. See Jamey’s article for all of the details. It should be one of the most fun activities of the year for us. We hope to see you on Mt. Washington!

Fred, AB1OC

Featured, General, Newsletter, Space, Youth Activities

You Can Talk to the ISS With Nothing But a Ham Radio

You’ve just got to time it right.

Source: You Can Talk to the ISS With Nothing But a Ham Radio

Adrian Lane of Gloucestershire, England, got in touch with the International Space Station the other day. Thanks to impeccable timing and a prime location under the ISS’s path above the Earth, Lane was able to have a brief conversation with space station’s crew via ham radio. It must be surreal to have a casual chat with humans who are floating up there in the void, but technologically, it’s really not even that hard….

This article is a fun read about a man in the U.K. who made a chance contact with an astronaut on the ISS. We are considering working local schools as we did with our HAB project to see if we can secure an ISS contact for a group of local students. If you are interested in working with us on this project, please contact me at via email at [email protected].

Fred, AB1OC

Activities, Featured, General, Newsletter, Youth Activities

N1FD Foxes Run Wild At Picnic…

You really don’t have to dress like this or bring a horse to have fun doing a Fox Hunt at our annual picnic this month. Well, maybe the horse would help…

Fox Hunt at 2016 Picnic
Fox Hunters at 2016 Picnic

There will be two different N1FD Foxes on the loose at our picnic this year for double the fun. Also, Fox Hunting is a great activity for everyone. Furthermore, you don’t need a license and we will have a radio available for anyone who wants to give it a try.

Fox Hunting - 2m Foxes
2m Foxes

We have put together a new Fox Hunting Kit which includes two Fox small Fox Transmitters for 2m. One is a 10-15 mW unit and the other outputs 1/2 W. They operate on different Frequencies (146.535 Mhz and 146.565 Mhz FM). They each can be configured with a number of antennas depending upon the range and environment for the Fox Hunt. Both Foxes will be on the loose at our picnic!

Bring your 2m HT and plan to spend some time tracking down the N1FD Foxes at our picnic. Also, Gene, W3UA, will be bringing some 80m HF Fox Hunting gear for folks to play with at our picnic.

You can find more information on the picnic here. Finally don’t forget to drop Anita an email at [email protected] to let her know if you plan on coming so that we can plan for the proper amount of food, etc.

See you at the picnic!

Radio Amateurs Developing Skills Worldwide