BARC General Meeting, Thursday, April 21

nv1w Meetings

The next General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club will be held on Thursday, April 21, at 7:30 pm on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. The meeting will be opened at 7:00 pm for a period of socializing.

Our speaker will be Barbara Dougan, N1NS, who will present “A Little Bit About Forest Fires”. Her background includes 20 years of western wildland fire assignments along with a few other types of incidents. She was an ICS qualified Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer, Resource Advisor, Radio Operator, and Comm Tech.

Information on joining the meeting will be forthcoming.

FCC $35 Amateur Application Fee Effective Date will be April 19

nv1w Exams, News

The FCC released a Public Notice on March 23, 2022, stating that the amateur radio application fees, including those associated with Form 605 application filings, would become effective on April 19, 2022. The Federal Communications Commission’s authority to impose and collect fees is mandated by Congress.

The $35 application fee, when it becomes effective on April 19, will apply to new, renewal, and modification applications that request a new vanity call sign. The fee will be per application.

Administrative updates, such as a change of name, mailing or email address, and modification applications to upgrade an amateur radio licensee’s operator class*, will be exempt from fees. (*this new information was just confirmed by FCC staff on Tuesday, March 29.)

Youth Licensing Grant Program

Anticipating the implementation of the fee in 2022, the ARRL Board of Directors, approved the ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program in July 2021. Under the program, ARRL will cover a one-time $35 application fee for license candidates younger than 18-years old for tests administered under the auspices of the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC). Qualified candidates also would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC. ARRL is finalizing details for administering the program.

ARRL VEC Application Fees webpage: arrl.org/fcc-application-fee

ARRL News Story: arrl.org/news/new-amateur-radio-license-applications-fee-to-become-effective-april-19-2022

Radio demonstration at the Milton Klondike Derby, March 12

nv1w Outdoors

The Scouts BSA Great Blue Hill district has expressed interest in having a few hams on hand to provide a demonstration of amateur radio during their Klondike Derby event at New England Base Camp in Milton on March 12, 2022.

We will be operating under the special event callsign W1BSA. (Thank you to Pi K1RV for use of the callsign.)

The base camp is in the Blue Hills State Reserve (K-8402); as such this event could count as a POTA activation.

Please fill in the information below if you might be interested in participating, including whether you’d like to attend and operate in person or monitor the airwaves for calls from the event. Details are still being worked out with the event organizers, including the number of operators that they’d like to have attend; please don’t be offended if in the end we have more interested hams than can be hosted.

If interested, sign up here: https://forms.gle/7SmjoZLPh4cyYHxJ6

If you have questions, please contact Tom Ulrich KC1OCY (thomas.rm.ulrich@gmail.com, 617-571-8650).

MS Walk Boston April 3 Request For Help

Ethan Hansen Announcements, Public service ,

From Rick Savage KB1LYJ:

After a 2-year hiatus MS Walk Boston is back. Throughout the year, the National MS Society organizes walks to raise funds for multiple sclerosis research and patient advocacy.  The Boston walk has long relied on hams to help ensure everyone’s safety. 

This year’s MS Walk Boston is on Sunday, April 3rd.  It starts and ends  at Boston University’s Nickerson Field in Boston, and runs along  Commonwealth Ave and Boston University.  Volunteers will check in at 8:00 AM, and stay until the early afternoon. 

To volunteer, register online at https://nmss.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=659389

I’ll be organizing the hams for this event.  In addition to registering, please respond me with the following information:
* Your call sign, full name, and name you prefer on the air
* Contact information: your e-mail address, and phone numbers where you can be reached (cell, home, office)
* Your shirt size
* The transmit band(s) of your radio(s), and other equipment you could bring
* Do you have any needs or requests we should consider when making your assignment?

I addition to contacting me All Volunteers  must
 This is a requirement of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Thanks for volunteering, and 73,

Rick Savage KB1LYJ
rpsavage@comcast.net

Boston Marathon volunteers still needed

nv1w Announcements, Public service

From Bruce Blain, K1BG:

Please let your membership know that the Boston Marathon is in need of an additional 80 – 100 volunteers to provide communications for the 2022 Boston Marathon. It’s a great opportunity to provide a public service, meet many fellow hams, and just have fun enjoying amateur radio during this event. It’s a great way for new hams and old hams alike to show what amateur radio is all about.

Make your membership aware! By email, webpage, local 2 meter/440 net, social media, newsletter, etc. Please get the word out.

For more information, please go here: https://ema.arrl.org/2022/01/23/boston-marathon-amateur-radio-volunteers-still-needed-race-day-monday-4-18-22-volunteer-registration-closes-2-18-22/

BARC Holiday Party is Sunday, January 9

nv1w Announcements

The Boston Amateur Radio Club will hold its annual Holiday Party on Sunday, January 9 at 1:00 p.m. at the Stockyard Restaurant in Brighton. The cost will be $25 per person including tip; you will be responsible for your own bar bill. We will be ordering off the menu.

Directions can be found here.

Please RSVP to Joe, NV1W, at joechapman@alum.mit.edu by Thursday,January 6, specifying your name and call sign (if any) and the number of people attending. If you put “BARC Holiday Party” in the subject line of your email it will make my life easier. You may settle up with Jim, N1ICN, at the party.

You may also send nominations for Ham of the Year to me at the same address.