International Lighthouse & Lightship weekend 2024 report

 (from Sept-24 RAGS Review newsletter)

INTERNATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE AND LIGHTSHIP WEEKEND– 2024 EDITION

Fred , W2LGA again operated from Oswego Harbor. Here is his report: 

We set up inside the Derrick Boat and it could not have worked out better!! We had more visitors than I have ever had during this event. Setup was super easy and not being hampered by the weather really made it nice!! Charlie Abbot helped set upon Saturday morning and we were on the air by 8am! . We made over 125 total contacts by phone and another 76 contacts via digital modes!! We contacted 18 lighthouses and 2 lightships. Saturday we contacted a lighthouse in France and Sunday we got a lighthouse in Sydney Harbor in Australia!! 

Visitors were from the area as well as one couple from Connecticut that wanted to see the museum as well as the Amateur Radio set up … the lady used to be a “Ham” when she was young and saw the announcement about the set up on the internet. The highlight was a family of 5 who stopped in Saturday afternoon. Two adults and three children. The kids were about 6-10 years old and I let them work the radio!! The youngest called “CQ Lighthouse” and he got a return call from a Canadian light house on Prince Edward Island. I walked the lil guy through the contact but he handled the mike the whole time!!! He was beyond excited!! I even let him enter the contact in the log!! Already looking forward to next year’s events

AWA Conference & Flea Mkt - 10/3-4/2024

The AWA Annual Conference has a flea market on Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of October 2024 at the RIT Conference Center in Henrietta, NY.

Selling and buying is free.  Just park, set up and sell (or buy).  No registration needed unless you want to attend the conference inside. Take as many spaces as you want; it's a nice parking lot.

See this link for more  details:  https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/conf-main-page/

Conference schedule:  https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/conf-schedule/

Please contact me if there are any questions.

73

Michael C. Migliaccio

Vice President,  AWA

AWA eMail:  vicepresident@antiquewireless.org

Personal email: n3hlm@arrl.net

Fulton Amateur Radio Club - General Class - starts 9/5/24

 General Class Instruction - Press Release - 8/15/24

General Class Amateur Radio Exam Instruction Offered

Starting on Thursday, September 5, the Fulton Amateur Radio Club will host a free 10-week course designed for Technician Class licensees who are interested in obtaining their General Class Amateur (Ham) Radio license. 

The class will meet on Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:00 pm in the lower level of the Oswego County Office Building, across from Mimi's Restaurant, Route 481, Fulton, NY. Class dates are September 5, 12, 19, 26, October 3, 10, 17, 24, November 7. The exam will be administered on Thursday, November 14.

There are many reasons to upgrade. General Class licensees have access to many more frequencies, some of which allow for around-the-world wireless communication without the need for intermediate infrastructure (such as the internet, cell towers, repeaters, etc.). More communications modes and new technical opportunities are also available. 

The course material resembles that which was covered in the Technician exam, with more in-depth focus on high frequency (HF) operation and advanced operating modes. Topics will include operating effectively using single sideband (SSB) on HF, digital modes, solar effects on HF propagation, test instruments, practical electronic circuits, and antennas.

For more information contact Redd Swindells, AI2N, at ai2n(at)twcny.rr.com. Potential students are requested to preregister to assure proper course resource preparation.

More info at: https://www.fultonamateurradioclub.org/

International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend - August 17 & 18

 

Also in Oswego NY: https://www.upstateham.com/2024/07/international-lighthouse-lightship.html

Ithaca VE Exam by TCARA on 8/24/24

 Tompkins County Amateur Radio Association has an upcoming VE exam session on 8/24/24.

To register for a TCARA (AF2A) test session, email:

Kevin Howe; AD2DD: tcara-ve-contact@googlegroups.com

https://hamstudy.org/sessions/66a7d8312d306a6a63fc4518/1

ROC City Hamfest - 8/24/24

 

more info at: https://roccitynethamfest.com/

International Lighthouse / Lightship Weekend Event - 8/17-18/2024

 

Good afternoon all,

 Once again, I will be setting up a portable station at the West Pierhead Lighthouse in Oswego, NY. I hope to be operating from inside the Derrick Boat near the museum itself …. If not I will be directly out front once again. 😊

My tentative hours of operation are from 8am until 4pm both Saturday and Sunday August 17th and 18th. Longer if they will have me!! The 48 hour event runs from 8pm Friday until 8pm Sunday EDT. I will be on most bands using SSB, CW, and FT8 whenever possible. I will try to stay in the General frequency range for the most part. It is hoped to have over 500 lighthouses and lightships registered on the website (illw.net) but regardless …. It will be fun!!

 Hope to see or “hear” you all,

Fred, W2LGA

more info at: https://illw.net/

Keuka Lake ARA Hamfest - 8/17/24

 

Saratoga County Hamfest - 9/7/24

 

More info at: https://www.k2dll.org/

RAGS Hamfest - Sat. July 13th, 2024

 

More info at: https://ragsclub.org/ham-fest/

Ithaca Hamfest - Sat. 8/3/24

 

more info at: https://www.tcara-ny.org/hamfest

Send us your Field Day photo's and stories!

 Its Field Day 2024!

Hope you get out and visit a club or group activity. Or just sit in your air conditioned shack and make a few contacts!

After its all done please consider sending us some pictures and maybe even a story or two about this year or past memories. We'll try to publish them all on UpstateHam!

link to the Field Day locator: https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

Email us at: UpstateHam@gmail.com 

Technician Licensing Class - Fulton Amateur Radio Club - starts 6/20/24

 

Skywarn Training....still some classes left

 

more info at: https://www.weather.gov/bgm/outreachskywarntraining

Commemoration - 80 years of D-DAY

 Plusscouts will be operating a special event station June 2nd-9th at the D-Day Museum at Omaha Beach to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Allied Forces landing at Normandy on D-Day. The event callsign will be TM80DDAY. 

Scheduled operating frequencies should include:

1.882 MHz LSB

3.682 MHz LSB

7.182 MHz LSB

14.182 MHz USB

21.182 MHz USB

28.482 MHz USB

DMR TalkGroup 907 - JOTA

More info at: https://www.qrz.com/db/tm80dday