At the September 28, 2022 club meeting, Eric Balles, W1ENB, was unanimously elected as the new president of the Waltham ARA. Rich Comer, K1RBC, and Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, were re-elected into their roles as Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, respectively. The positions of Vice President and Secretary remain open.
The 2022 Cycle for Life is coming up on Saturday October 1st, 2022 and I am in need of Amateur Radio Operators to volunteer for SAG (Support & Gear) operations and if there is sufficient quantity of volunteers we will also be staffing the rest stops.
For those who have not worked this event before, it is a charity bicycle ride starting and finishing in Holliston Massachusetts. Funds raised benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in their quest for a cure.
There are 3 routes. A 12 mile, 30 mile and 62 mile loop and 4 rest stops traversing several towns around Holliston.
If you are available to help out please fill out this Volunteer Sign Up Form and I will be in touch with more details as the date gets closer.
Thank You,
Dave Gilman KC1DDH
Course Safety & Communications Coordinator
KC1DDH@Gmail.com
Eric Balles, W1ENB, has answered our call for leadership, offering to serve as President of the Waltham ARA. Eric was licensed in 1994, and upgraded to Extra class in 2021. He operates QRP with an FT-818 on hiking and bicycle outings, and uses an IC7300 at home. Being mostly retired from work now, Eric has more time for volunteer activities, including communications support for community events, and now offering to take the helm at WARA. A longer bio about Eric will appear in the Summer issue of PHI.
We still need candidates for the open Vice President and Secretary positions. These are 1-year terms, with an option to run for re-election. Anyone interested in these positions should contact Rich Comer, K1RBC, at rich.comer@live.com.
A Special Election will be held at the September 28 club meeting.
Officer Elections at the May 25th Waltham ARA Chime (online) meeting came up short of candidates. We presently have no President, Vice President, or Secretary. For the club to continue to function, we need members to volunteer and assume a little bit of extra responsibility. These are 1-year positions, with an option to run for re-election. Anyone interested in any of these positions should contact Rich Comer, K1RBC, at rich.comer@live.com.
Filling the role of president is of course vital. The main responsibility is chairing monthly meetings (or delegating that task when unable to attend). Past President Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, is offering to mentor, and may be reached at eliotmayer@yahoo.com.
Hidden transmitter hunting, also called fox hunting, has enjoyed a resurgence in the Boston area over the past few years. It is an activity that combines amateur radio, exercise, fresh air, and puzzle solving. It can even be turned into a family activity.
The online Waltham ARA meeting on Wednesday evening, April 27, 2022, featured a fox hunting program, with the goal of bringing new people into this activity. Eliot W1MJ, Jeff AC1JR, and Pat K1PJW shared their experiences – what works, and what doesn’t work – and answered questions.
While some fox hunters use fancy equipment, we described how a transmitter can also be located using only a handheld 2M radio with the “body fade” method.
Presentation Slide Shows: by Eliot, W1MJ | by Jeff, AC1JR
Officer Elections: We will be holding elections on Wednesday May 25th, during our monthly Waltham ARA Chime (online) meeting to fill two vacancies: President and Secretary. For the club to continue to function, we need members to volunteer and assume a little bit of extra responsibility. These are 1-year positions. Anyone interested in either of these positions should contact Rich Comer, K1RBC, at rich.comer@live.com to have their name placed into nomination.
Field Day Planning: This year’s ARRL Field Day is June 25-26th. Last year’s outing on Crow’s Island in Stow, MA was a resounding success and current thinking is to return this year. To make this happen though, the club is looking for 2 or 3 people to form an ad-hoc Field Day committee to plan equipment, food, etc. and take the lead. If you are interested, please e-mail Rich Comer, K1RBC, at rich.comer@live.com. We will kick off planning at the 25th meeting after the election of officers.
https://www.bedfordfuneralhome.com/obituary/patricia-pellegrini
Patricia A. Pellegrini, 77, of Bedford, died suddenly on April 29, 2022.
Raised in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Dorothy (Keegan) Quinn.
Mrs. Pellegrini graduated from Woonsocket High School, Class of 1962 and went on to attend Northeastern University where she received her Bachelor of Arts. While at Northeastern, she met Paul Pellegrini and they were married in 1966.
In 1972, they moved to Bedford to start their family and she decided to further her education, receiving her Master of Education from Harvard University.
Mrs. Pellegrini was a lover of history and for 34 years, she taught Social Studies at Bedford High School as well as Psychology elective courses.
She volunteered as a historical tour guide at the Job Lane House for many years and was a member of the Bedford Historical Society and the First Parish Bedford. She enjoyed art and spending time painting.
She is survived by her loving husband, Paul W. Pellegrini, her beloved daughter, Mary Pellegrini Wood and her husband Brendan of Malden, cherished granddaughter, Willow and dear brother-in-law, John Pellegrini of Kentucky.
Visitation will be held at the Bedford Funeral Home, 167 Great Rd., Bedford, on Thursday, May 5, from 4:00-7:00 PM.
Funeral services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to CSF of Bedford Dollars for Scholars, P.O. Box 585, Bedford, MA 01730 or Bedford Historical Society, 16 South Rd., Bedford, MA 01730.
Hidden transmitter hunting, also called fox hunting, has enjoyed a resurgence in the Boston area over the past few years. It is an activity that combines amateur radio, exercise, fresh air, and puzzle solving. It can even be turned into a family activity.
The online Waltham ARA meeting on Wednesday evening, April 27, 2022, will feature a fox hunting program, with a goal of bringing new people into this activity. Eliot W1MJ, Jeff AC1JR, and Pat K1PJW will share their experiences – what works, and what doesn’t work – and answer your questions.
While some fox hunters use fancy equipment, we will show you how a transmitter can also be located using only a handheld 2M radio with the “body fade” method.
WARA members will receive a link to the meeting by email. If you are not a WARA member and would like to receive the link, you can SIGN UP HERE.
On Sunday, March 20 Eliot, W1MJ will deploy his 5-watt fox in the Rock Meadow Conservation Area in Belmont from 9:30 AM until 5:30 PM. The fox will transmit frequently on 147.54 MHz. Information about this fox is available at http://w1mj.com/fox.
The Rock Meadow parking lot is at 248 Mill St, Belmont, MA. If the lot is full, parallel parking on Mill Street is allowed. Due to the rain expected on Saturday, please come prepared for mud in some parts of the meadow.
If you have never tried a hidden transmitter hunt, we encourage you to give it a try. While some fox hunters use fancy equipment, the fox can also be located using only a handheld 2M radio with the “body fade” method. Turn around slowly with the radio close to your belly – the signal is weakest when your body is blocking the signal. When you get close and the fox is full quieting, replace the antenna with a very short piece of wire (about 1/2 inch), or use no antenna at all. Much more info about hidden transmitter hunting is available online. In the worst case, you will still get some fresh air and exercise.
Interest in hidden transmitter hunting – fox hunting – has been growing. Most of the recent local hunts have utilized automated transmitters hidden in conservation lands. But on Saturday, February 26, we will be running a more traditional mobile fox hunt. No hiking required.
Starting point: Prospect Hill Park, 314 Totten Pond Rd, Waltham, MA
Date & Time: Saturday, February 26, 2022, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Fox Description: Blue Honda Fit with license plate W1/MJ, parked somewhere on a public road or parking lot within the Waltham city limits. Frequent transmissions will be made on 147.54 MHz.
We’ll be on the WARA 2m repeater beforehand (146.64 pl 136.5). If you haven’t tried fox hunting yet, you will find many how-to resources online. As for local resources, look for K1MJC, K1PJW, and W1MJ on the WARA repeaters. Some hunters use fancy gear, while other just use a handheld radio and the “body fade” method.
Note: This is a rescheduling of the February 19 fox hunt announced in the Winter 2022 edition of Prospect Hill Intermod.
