Franklin County Amateur Radio Club The home page is now also the place to find the latest club news. Click here for general information about the FCARC. News items below are posted with newest items at top of page. Old items will be moved to the News Archive page.

The July 2009 breakfast date has been changed to Saturday July 11. (On the original 2008-2009 Club Calendar it was planned to be on July 18). The location (Denny's) and time (8 a.m.) remain as originally scheduled.

If you are not going to operate at Poet's Seat with the club, please look for FCARC on the air. The regular FD stations will use Dick's distinctive AC1L call as we have done in the past. The GOTA station plans to use KB1MSU, the club call of the Greenfield High School Radio Club, as it is expected many of the operators will be from GHS. Please give them a call if you hear them!

The SkyWarn folks issue detailed forecasts for Field Day weather. Click here for the forecast.

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day for 2009 is the week end of June 27 and 28. Every year the FCARC participates from portable stations set up around the Poet's Seat tower in Greenfield. Field Day is intended to test the readiness of radio amateurs to provide communications under emergency-like conditions, including emergency power sources.

Last year we had two HF stations, a GOTA station, and a packet-slow scan station. This year we may also operate on VHF frequencies. Phil, N1YPS, has offered to bring a portable 6m beam for setting up a separate 6m station. Al, N1AW, is working to make sure we have operators willing to work CW (Morse code).

The public is invited to visit and see ham radio in action. The purpose of the Get On The Air (GOTA) station mentioned above is to provide an opportunity for members of the public to operate an amateur radio station, or to allow amateurs with Novice or Technician class licenses an opportunity to operate on frequencies or using modes reserved for higher license classes. A control operator with a General, Advanced, or Extra\ class amateur radio license will supervise.

A map showing the location of the Field Day site can be seen by clicking here. The entrance to the park is on Mountain Rd in Greenfield, a few yards south of the intersection with Parkway St. The Field Day site is at the tower, approximately 1/3 mile north of the entrance on the paved park road.

There is more information about Field Day on the ARRL website. You can also find there a Field Day locator page to help you find other Field Day sites around the country.

The annual election of officers was held at the Monday, June 15 meeting. Club president Chet Chin, N1XPT, announced that for personal reasons he is stepping down as president. Vice-President Carter MacDonald, WA1TVS, assumed the duties of President. On a motion by Nominations Committee chairperson Dick Burnham, AC1L,, Carter was elected to serve out the remaining year of Chet's term, Chris Myers, KB1NEK was elected to a two year term as Vice-President, and Howard Field, N1LUP, and Bill Boutwell, N1EWK, were re-elected to two year terms as Treasurer and Director, respectively.

Normally officers elected at the June meeting begin their terms on the following September 1st, but because the succession of Carter to President would leave the Vice-President's office vacant, Chris will step into that position immediately.

For the first time in a number of years the club will have a booth at the Franklin County Fair, Sept 10-13. More information will be posted when available. Contact N1XPT to volunteer.

Four candidates came to the May 25 VE session. Jeremiah, KB1RZC, of Swanzey, NH, upgraded to General class, and new Technician licenses were earned by the others. A few days later the new Technicians knew their callsigns: Christopher (KB1SMY) and Jenna (KB1SMZ), of Northfield, and Cathleen (KB1SNA), of Greenfield. Christopher and Jenna's parents are Cindy, KB1IAE, and Bob, WA1QKT.

Look for an update with pictures soon.

We have widened the text area -- please send comments to the webmasters.

Photos from the Whately drill have been posted: See link on the Photos page.

According to an article appearing on the front page of the Greenfield Recorder, April 7, 2009, three local women are to be honored for their service to the community. One of them, Belle Dyer, KB1NOG, has been an active member of the Franklin County Amateur Radio Club for the last three years. She will be among a hundred women from around the state to be honored in a ceremony and reception at the Boston Statehouse on May 13.

For more details, see the Emergency section of this site.

MEMA and VT Yankee will be holding 3 drills in 7 towns within the 10 mile radius of the VT Yankee Nuclear Plant. The towns to be included in the drill are Bernardston, Colrain, Greenfield, Gill, Leyden, Northfield, and Warwick. The drill is currently scheduled for March 18th, April 15th and June 10th, from 8.00am to 2.00pm. The first two dates are considered practice drills, the final date is an actual test of each town's capacity to react to a nuclear disaster.

Greenfield, and Northfield have appointed RACES officers. Help is needed with the other towns, where arrangements will have to be made depending on availability of amateur operators and the openness of town officials to their support.

Tasks for hams would include radio communication, as well as answering telephones, fax, e-mail and so on.. All messages going to MEMA would be to MEMA Region 3 only.

Positions needed:

1 or 2 radio operators per town

1 or 2 operators for 2m net between the 7 towns and MEMA Region 3

1 or 2 operators to relay on HF to MEMA Region 3

1 operator to relay from area net to VT ARES / RACES net

1 operator to relay from area net to NH ARES / RACES net

Please contact:Tom Foxwell N1OTS ARES / DEC

Home phone: 413.774.2874

Work phone: 413.557.2130

e-mail: n1ots@yahoo.com

KB1NEK points out that in the current (March 2009) CQ Magazine, on p. 34, there is an article by Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, titled "Public Services" with the headline "No Holiday Rest for Some Hams". The article describes ham radio response to the ice storm in December. Unfortunately, although CQ has some articles on-line, this one is not on their website. If you don't subscribe you may be able to find it at a newstand -- for example, CQ has recently been available at the Barnes and Noble store at the Hadley Mall.

You'll notice a new look to the FCARC website. We are trying to do the change over this weekend (Feb 28 - March 1). For more info click on this link.

The FCARC For Sale page on this website has been updated. What do you have to sell or trade? Contact the webmasters to have your item listed.