Elmira Hamfest - CANCELED (9/26/20)

 Sadly, The 2020 Elmira Hamfest has been CANCELED. 

Their website was updated this week.

http://www.arast.info/arast_website/public/hamfest.php

AWA re-opens their museum in Bloomfield NY (by appointment)

Details at:
https://antiquewireless.org/homepage/museum-visitation/


...and there is lots more going on with the AWA.
More details here: https://antiquewireless.org/homepage/news/

QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo - August 8-9 - check it out!

Full details at: https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/

Wander the virtual exhibit hall but be sure to check out the lectures by some notable speakers...........


QSO Today called on its former guests and other expert amateur radio operators to create an amazing series of lectures in webinar format from one of our five virtual lecture halls.

All lectures are:
-fully live interactive with speaker during the session hour
-completely downloadable
-collateral materials are downloadable in PDF format
-everything available up to 30 days beyond the presentation

Some of the lectures/speakers:

RAGS Hamfest - Cancelled

RAGS Hamfest Cancellation

Greetings;

Due to the recent pandemic of Covid Virus the Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse is reluctant to say we are cancelling the RAGS Hamfest on July 11, 2020. We are sure you will understand as we are not even sure if the venue will be open and available.

The ARRL web site will also reflect this cancellation.

We will be looking forward to seeing you all at Hamfest 2021 thinking positive that conditions will be better by then.

On a brighter side we will however still be having several drawings as usual using the pre-sale tickets purchased by many for our prizes.

Thank you,

Roger WA2AEW

RAGS Hamfest Chairman

RARA online Academy - Fusion Radio - Sat. 5/26/20

Pre registration is required for the Zoom presentation.

Zoom Registration Link

Latest information and link also available at:

https://www.rochesterham.org/rara_academy.htm.

Possible online VE Testing for Amateur Radio licensing exams

As we navigate the present demands of COVID-19 social distancing and stay at home guidance, many Hams are still interested in taking licensing exams. Most radio groups have  postponed or canceled their meetings and Hamfests where VE testing would have normally taken place. Several groups around the country are presently running remote testing trials to come up with long-term on-line testing options. The ARRL and other VE groups are presently evaluating these trial programs and hope to have new testing options available in the near future.





Learn more about the possibilities through the following links:

ARRL press release:
http://www.arrl.org/news/remotely-administered-amateur-exam-systems-showing-promise

Info from HamStudy blog:
https://blog.hamstudy.org/2020/04/fully-remote-amateur-radio-license-exam-administration/

New England SCiTech online courses and exams:
https://nescitech.org/

RARA - Online DMR class - Saturday 5/2/20

RaRa Academy

Digital Mobile Radio as an Online Class

Image Courtesy KE2YK

Saturday May 2nd, 2020 (10:00am-noon — Note the Time Change!)

Saturday’s RaRa Academy will cover Digital Mobile Radio or DMR. A DMR radio is made up of three layers: Network, Link and Radio. Course topics will include:

•  Brandmeister dashboard and learn about talk groups

•  Repeaters and hot spots

•  Radio with zones, channels and scan lists

•  CPS programming tool, code plugs, and how to program the radio

•  Operations and digital nets

With COVID-19 upon us, this academy will be an online video conference using the Zoom platform. To participate in the conference, first download Zoom to your PC or Smartphone at https://zoom.us/download

The pre-registration link:

https://truepathtech.zoom.us/j/92953198196?pwd=T1JFM0tzZ04vVTExWGNXS0VGUzlVQT09

Latest information and link also available at:

https://www.rochesterham.org/rara_academy.htm.

Please register before the 10:00am session. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to the actual Academy Zoom Session. Please remember to mute your audio after you enter the zoom session (mute icon located in the lower left portion of the zoom screen).

Presenter: Rich Hoffarth, K2AXP

Fusion will be covered in separate online class on May 16th.

Take advantage of the RaRa sponsored training and operating opportunities, have fun!

Timothy Brown,
FCC Callsign: WB2PAY
RaRa Education Coordinator

cell: 585 750 2087

email: education@rochesterham.org

email: tjbrown@rochester.rr.com

Covid-19 Heroes - Special Event station - May 1st-31st

April 17, 2020

As New York amateur radio operators, we have a unique opportunity to do something positive during a pandemic that has also turned New York State into a deadly hotspot.

We can express our gratitude to all those men and women on the front lines who are taking personal risks every day to tend to the needs of the healthy among us as well as the sick and even those whose lives were taken in this crisis.

Special Event Station K2H will help us do that. With the coordination of the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club in Lindenhurst, N.Y., Suffolk County, we will be on the air starting May 1st and will continue our operation through the end of the month in each county throughout the state.

That’s where you come into the picture; By joining us in activating K2H (with the suffix of your NY county appended, for example, K2H/SUF for Suffolk), you will be able to help everyone say thanks to those who are helping guide us through an unprecedented crisis – whether by keeping watch on quarantine enforcement, keeping food store shelves well-stocked or tending to the sick.

ARRL update on Field Day 6/27-28, 2020

Field Day (6/27-28) 2020 — A Time to Adapt

03/27/2020

Many individuals and groups organizing events for Field Day 2020 have been contacting ARRL for guidance on how to adapt their planned activities in this unprecedented time of social distancing and uncertainty.

“Due to the unique situation presented this year, this can be an opportunity for you, your club, and/or group to try something new,” ARRL Contest Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, said. “Field Day isn’t about doing things the same way year after year. Use this year to develop and employ a new approach that is in line with the current circumstances.”

Social distancing and state and local requirements very likely will impact just how — and even whether — you are able to participate in Field Day this year. ARRL continues monitoring the coronavirus situation, paying close attention to information and guidance offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If social distancing means that Class A with a 30-member team set up in a city park won’t work this year, then it’s time for a Plan B. Part of the Field Day concept has always been adapting your operation to the situation at hand. At its heart, Field Day is an emergency communication demonstration. Field Day rules are flexible enough to allow individuals and groups to adjust their participation and strategies in a way that still addresses their needs while being fun. Some possibilities:

• Encourage club members to operate from their home stations on emergency power (Class E).
• Use the club’s repeater as a means for individual participants to keep in touch during the event.
• Family members interested in operating Field Day and unable to participate as part of a larger group may want to consider setting up a portable station in the backyard with a temporary antenna.

One big impact this year will be a decline in public visibility and any interaction with the visitors. Prudence may dictate dispensing with the ham radio PR table to attract passersby, should you set up in a more public location. It’s okay not to score all the bonus points you may have attempted in the past. Local and served agency officials may be unwilling to visit, which is understandable under the circumstances. Do be sure to reach out to them as part of your preparations and remind them that you look forward to continuing your working relationship with them in the future.

The impact will differ from place to place, so ARRL recommends that all amateur radio clubs participating in Field Day stay in regular contact with local or state public health officials for their advice and guidance on hosting Field Day activities.

Demonstrating an understanding of the health crisis we all face and your willingness to adapt will show that you and your club or group are good working partners with local or served agencies.

“With any emergency preparedness exercise, it’s not about adapting the situation to your operation, it’s about adapting your operation to the situation that presents itself,” Bourque said. “Try something different. Learn something new about how you prepare. It may be a challenge, and you may have to ask yourself if you’re up to the challenge. We hope to hear you on the air over the June 27 – 28 weekend.” — Thanks to Paul Bourque, N1SFE, and Dan Henderson, N1ND

 From the ARRL website 3/27/20 - link:  http://www.arrl.org/news/field-day-2020-a-time-to-adapt

FAQ's for 2020 Field Day (6/9/20): http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-contest-program-issues-field-day-2020-faq

RARA online meeting (4/1) and events

Registration link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5081567116246792203

Cancellations and postponements

Folks - As we work through the developing COVID-19 issue, we should all expect that most meetings and events will be canceled or postponed. We will try to list a few for CNY here.

As we all practice social distancing, take a few minutes to enjoy a QSO on HF or one of your local repeaters!

Message from the Bear Bait Club:

Hello,

 Please add our April Technician class and VE session to the latest list of postponements.

I will reschedule for a later date.

Thx and 73

de Scott WA2DTN
Education Chairman,  Bear Bait RC.

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Message from LARC:

To all LARC Members
March 16,2020
Hello to all,
Due to the current health crisis gripping the country, all LARC meetings, test sessions,
Boot Camp and Board meetings have been canceled until at least the middle of May. As
that time grows closer we will access the situation and determine if it would be safe to
resume club activities. While I'm sure we will all miss our monthly meetings, our current
membership includes a greater than average number of at risk folks.
Please stay safe and keep washing those hands.
73, John
WB2DVE
Director
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Message from RAGS:

Note: Thursday April 9th RAGS meeting will be online using Zoom. Members should receive an email with instructions.

Greetings to all RAGS members,

I am writing this email to inform you, our membership, that it is the decision of the RAGS Board of Officers to cancel the RAGS meeting for April.  The annual RAGS Auction that was to be our program for that meeting will be postponed to a future date to be decided.  

With Dayton Hamvention being canceled, Drumlins Hamfest “postponed”, and with the continuing guidance out of the County, State, and Federal authorities we believe canceling is the prudent thing to do.

Your board of officers  will be monitoring the situation and will resume meetings when it is deemed safe to do so by competent medical authority.

The steps being taken to control the transmission of the COVID-19 virus are unprecedented in our time.  “Social Distancing” is a new term in our local vernacular.  But HAM radio operators have practiced “social distancing” from the start of our hobby!  We may not be able to gather together for eyeball qso's for awhile, but the airwaves are still there.  I encourage you to take advantage of all of the local nets we are blessed with here in Central New York.  Go to www.upstateham.net for all of the information on the times and frequencies for a net near you.

All of the local repeaters are operated and maintained for your use and enjoyment.  Take advantage of it and get out there and have some fun!  You are sure to find someone out there ready to talk to you if you send out a CQ or two.

73!

Barry Burge KD4MCB

President, Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse

Drumlins Hamfest - POSTPONED 4/18/20

We just got this update from Drumlins.

Also please note that 2020 Dayton Hamfest has been canceled because of the COVID-19 virus. It is very likely that most events scheduled over the next several weeks will be also delayed or canceled.

Bullthistle Hamfest - POSTPONED

Read the full story at: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1411323802362414&id=211911008970372&sfnsn=mo