Winter Field Day 2025

 

Winter Field Day - January 25th & 26th, 2025

What is WFD?

Winter Field Day is a communications exercise. WFD is held on the last full weekend in January. WFD can be worked from the comfort of your home or in a remote location. You can participate by yourself or get your friends, family, or whole club involved. Winter Field Day is open to participants worldwide. Amateur radio operators may use frequencies on the HF, VHF, or UHF bands and are free to use any mode that can faithfully transmit the required exchange intact. Similar to the ARRL’s Field Day, bonus points are earned in several ways, including using non-commercial power sources, operating from remote locations, satellite contacts, and more.

Send us your plans and or pictures and we will share them with our readers!

more info at: https://winterfieldday.org/index.php

Marathon Hamfest 2025 - Sat. 1/11/25

 Skyline’s Winter Hamfest

The Skyline Amateur Radio Club Winter’fest will be January 11, 2025 at the Marathon Civic Center, 16 Brink St in Marathon NY from 7 AM to noon. 

Admission $6.00. 

35 indoor tables available at $10.00 / 8ft. 

Reserve tables with Pat KC2BQZ at pdunn5@gmail.com.

VE Testing will be available

More info at: https://www.arrl.org/hamfests/sarc-winter-hamfest

Christmas Season Shortwave listening - 2024

 There is still quite a bit of shortwave to listen to out there.....tune around the bands, you might be surprised! 

SAQ on-the-air Christmas eve. 

On Christmas Eve morning, Tuesday December 24th 2024, SAQ Grimeton is scheduled to be on the air, to send out the traditional Christmas message to the whole World, using the 200kW Alexanderson alternator from 1924, on 17.2 kHz CW. More info at: https://alexander.n.se/saq-to-air-on-christmas-eve-morning-dec-24th-2024/

Alan Roe’s 2024 Holiday Programmes on Shortwave list. 

Check out this exstensive list of Christmas season shortwave listening. Here: https://swling.com/blog/2024/12/alan-roes-2024-holiday-programmes-on-shortwave-version-3-0/

Anniversary of Fesenden first voice broadcast

 What has become an annual LF listening event, WI2XLQ (an FCC Experimental Callsign) will once again be QRV for a recreation of the alleged first voice transmission made by Reginald Fessenden in 1909. Transmission on 486kHz in full carrier AM will start at 22:00z on Dec 24th and run for 24hrs. In keeping with tradition, a repeat transmission will take place on Dec 31st at 22:00z and run for 24hrs. More info at: https://swling.com/blog/2024/12/wi2xlq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast-starting-christmas-eve-and-new-years-eve/

Texas Radio Shortwaves Christmas programming: https://swling.com/blog/2024/12/texas-radio-shortwaves-christmas-programs/

Don't forget Pirate radio staions for some unique, unusal Chrsitmas fare. The holidays bring out all kinds of unique broadcasts. Start with this list of possible frquencies you can search on: https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/List_of_Pirate_Radio_Frequencies

Pirate spots on the HFunderground forum: https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php

Merry Christmas from all of us at UpstateHam.com!

25th Anniversary Skywarn Recognition Day - 12/7/24

 CQ CQ CQ... WE'RE UNDERWAY for the 25th Anniversary Skywarn Recognition Day (0000Z to 2359Z Dec 7, 2024)!  This event was developed in 1999 by the NWS and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), celebrating the contributions that Skywarn volunteers make to the NWS mission:  The protection of life and property.  

Amateur radio operators are a significant portion of Skywarn volunteers/spotters across the country.  When everything else fails, ham radio is the last line of communications (as just occurred with Hurricane Helene when many hundreds of cell towers were knocked out in the Southeast as well as fiber cuts).

While Skywarn Recognition Day features amateur radio contacts being made all over the country, ANY SKYWARN SPOTTERS, FEEL FREE TO "CHECK IN" HERE in the comments section.  https://www.facebook.com/NWSBinghamton

more info: https://www.weather.gov/crh/skywarn_operating_procedures

We love our trained spotters!  You provide a critical service in getting the word out of the ground truth of what is really happening, also leading to better warnings and forecasts.  

Thank you! 

NWS Binghamton NY