We have lots of great activities coming up this summer for young people and for new and recently upgraded Hams. You can click on one of the links below to find out more about a specific activity that you are interested in or just read on. Our planned activities include:
- A High-Altitude Balloon Launch (HAB) – launch and track our HAB to the edge of space and back
- ARRL Field Day – build and operate a multi-transmitter radio station on emergency power
- 13 Colonies Special Event – on-air fun with Hams around the world
- Fox Hunts – locate hidden radio transmitters (like Geocaching with a radio)
- Weekly Repeater Chat Nets – join us on the air for one of our weekly Repeater Chat Nets every Sunday evening
- SOTA Activations – join us to operate from the top of local mountains
- Summer Ham Camp and Technician License Class – hands-on fun with Ham Radio and a chance to earn your Technician License
- Our Annual Picnic – make some new friend, hunt our foxes, and make a satellite contact with a hand-held antenna
- Youth Expo and Ham Bootcamp at the Northeast HamXposition at Boxboro – learn about all things Ham Radio, talk to Hams around the world on the shortwave bands or using a satellite in space, and learn how to get a station of your own on the air.
All of these activities will be great fun for folks who are exploring Amateur Radio or have just gotten their Technician or General Licenses.
High-Altitude Balloon Launch
We are hoping to launch our High-Altitude Balloon for the fourth time (HAB-4) on an upcoming weekend in June. The launch will take place at the Winchester School at around 11 am. You can use your smartphone, tablet, or computer to track HAB-4 to the edge of space and back. You can learn more about our HAB, our launch plans, and tracking our HAB here.
We are currently monitoring the weather and the jetstream conditions to determine when we are GO for launching HAB-4. Please monitor our Youth Forum for up to date information on HAB-4 and a final decision on when we will launch.
ARRL Field Day
We will be holding our 2019 Field Day at the Hudson Memorial School in Hudson, NH on Saturday, June 22nd and Sunday, June 23rd. We will be building a 14 transmitter station with 4 radio towers starting on Friday and we’ll be on the air from 2 pm on Saturday to 2 pm on Sunday. Everyone is welcome to join us for a tour, to do a Fox Hunt, and to Get On The Air and talk with other Hams. You don’t need a license to participate.
Field Day is a great way to learn about how radio stations are put together and operated on the air. You can learn more about our Field Day Plans here.
13 Colonies Special Event
Each year during the July 4th week (July 1st, 9 am Eastern Time to July 7th, midnight Eastern Time) Amateur Radio operators around the world participate in the Thirteen Colonies Special Event. The idea is to work at least one K2x special event station in each of the states that grew from the original Thirteen Colonies.
The Nashua Area Radio Society operates the New Hampshire stations using the K2K special event call sign during this event. NARS members and guests operate from their home stations as K2K. This is a great way to have fun on the air, learn to operate using voice or digital modes, and practice your operating skills.
We are making our station AB1OC/AB1QB for guests to operate during the Thirteen Colonies Special Event. If you’d like to operate or just come by and listen in and learn, please contact Anita, AB1QB at [email protected].
Fox Hunts
We hide small radio transmitters during Field Day and on weekends so that folks can track them down using their radios. This activity is called Fox Hunting. All you need is a basic Handy Talky (HT) radio. You don’t need a license to try Fox Hunting.
We will have all the gear as well as experienced Fox Hunters available at Field Day to help you get started. We can also help you learn about and try Fox Hunting during any weekend that our Foxes are out.
Jamey, AC1DC is our Fox Hunting chairperson and he posts information about when our Foxes are out in the On The Air Forum here on our website. You can learn some more about what a Fox Hunt is like here. Please contact Jamey at [email protected] if you’d like some help hunting our Foxes.
Repeater Chat Nets
Abby, AB1BY, and Jamey, AC1DC Operating during our Chat Net
We hold a weekly Repeater Chat Net every Sunday evening at 7:30 pm Eastern Time. Everyone is welcome to check-in to our nets, hear about upcoming activities, and answer our weekly question. Our question is usually about Ham Radio and gives each person who checks in a chance to share some information about their interests and activities.
Our nets usually take about a 1/2 hour and are lots of fun! All you need is a basic HT or FM radio or a computer with EchoLink software. Anyone with an Amateur Radio License can check in. If you’d like some help in getting started on our net, please contact Jamey, AC1DC at [email protected]. You can find some more information about how to access our net here.
SOTA Activations
We have several Summits On The Air (SOTA) activations planned for this summer. These events involve taking our radios to the top of a mountain peak in New Hampshire or Massachusetts to put them on the air and contact other Hams. A 5W Handy Talky (HT) radio is all you need to talk to Hams all over New England from a mountain top!
You can see the SOTA activations that we have planned here.
Summer Ham Camp and Technician License Class
We will be again holding a Summer Ham Camp and Technician License Class at Hudson Memorial School in Hudson, NH. Our 2019 Summer Ham Camp will take place Monday, July 29th through Thursday, August 1st – 9 am to 3 pm.
Summer Ham Camp provides a combination of hands-on Ham Radio activities and classroom prep to enable you to earn your Technician Amateur Radio License. The planned activities include:
- A Fox Hunt
- HF Digital and Voice Operating with Hams around the world via a remote station
- Making Contacts on Local Repeaters using an Emergency GoKit
- Building a Portable HF Radio Station and Antenna and using it to Make Contacts around the world
- A Practice Repeater Chat Net on a Local Repeater
- Building and Tuning an HF Antenna
- And more
Our Summer Ham Camp includes classroom instruction to prepare you to earn your Technician Amateur Radio license at the end of the week. We provide scholarships for students and teachers which covers a license training book and the class fees. The only cost is a $15 fee to cover the FCC license exam (which we administer) at the end of the week.
You can register for Summer Ham Camp and the associated license training here. Contact Anita, AB1QB at [email protected] for more information and for help in getting your Technician License training book.
Our Annual Picnic
We will hold our Annual Picnic on Saturday, August 24th (rain date Sunday, August 25th) a Greeley Park in Nashua, NH. This is a family activity that gives us a chance to meet everyone’s family members and get to know each other better.
Ham radio fun includes a Fox Hunt and making some satellite contacts with a simple handheld antenna and an HT.
Members bring food, drinks, and/or a desert and we share in a great pot-luck meal.
Everyone is welcome to attend. Please contact Jamey, AC1DC at [email protected] for more information.
Youth Expo and Ham Bootcamp at Boxboro
We will again be holding our Ham Radio Youth Expo as part of the Northeast HamXposition at Boxboro, MA. The dates are September 6th, 7th, and 8th.
We will be hosting a display featuring hands-on elements that will introduce you to many aspects of Amateur Radio.
We will be providing multiple GOTA stations including a Computer Controlled Satellite Ground Station, and HF Shortwave Station, and a Repeater GoKit Station.
Our display will also include Kit Building activities. NARS members will provide tours of the display, help using the GOTA stations, and guidance to help you learn to solder and build a kit!
Something New at HamXposition – Ham Bootcamp!
Do you already have your Technician License and wondering how to use it to get on the air and have fun? Maybe you’ve recently upgraded to General class and would like some ideas on how to go about building an HF station and operating on the shortwave bands? Perhaps you don’t have a license yet and you are interested in trying out Ham Radio?
We’ve created an activity just for you! Its called Ham Bootcamp and we’ll be offering a one-day version of it as part of the Northeast HamXposition at Boxboro. We’ll spend a morning together helping you to get your station together and get on the air.
Ham Bootcamp will include several hands-on activities including a chance to use the GOTA stations and Kit Building elements of our display to learn with help from experienced NARs members. We will also provide a guided tour of the HamXposition Vendor area and the Nashua Area Radio Society display to help you learn about Ham Radio Gear and activities.
This activity will be free to a limited number of HamXposition attendees on a first-come-first-served basis on Saturday Morning, September 7th from 9 am until noon. Also, the Kit Building Activity will be available at a discounted price for Ham Bootcamp attendees.
Want More Information?
Interested in these activities and want to find out more? Please contact Jamey, AC1DC at [email protected].
We hope to see you this summer!
