OUR STORY
The
Wireless Society of Southern Maine began as a group of friends with a
common interest in ham radio, who met weekly at the Wassamki Springs
Campground in Scarborough. In early summer of 2010, these friends
decided to create a more formal organization, recognizing a need in the
community for a club that was welcoming, helpful, and receptive to new
ideas. WSSM brings together both new and experienced
operators alike to
share in the enjoyment of amateur radio, and encourages improvement in
all the various phases of the hobby,
including public service potential, operating ability, courtesy, and
technical proficiency.
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NEXT MEETING
10/12/17
from 7pm-9pm at the CCEMA Bunker,
22 High Street, Windham, ME
Informals
from 7pm-9pm at Wassamki Springs
Campground, 56 Saco Street, Scarborough, ME
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MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to
all persons
interested in radio communications. There is NO requirement to be
licensed, however only licensed operators and full time residents of
the area can be Full or "voting members." At our monthly meetings, we
like to encourage participation in round table discussions covering a
wide range of ham radio topics. We cordially invite you to visit us and
to become a member.
MEETING LOCATIONS
During the
fall and winter, (from September-May), formal meetings are
held on the second Thursday of each month from 7PM-9PM, at the
Cumberland County EMA Bunker, located at 22 High Street, in Windham,
ME. Click here for directions. Informal meetings are also held
at the CCEMA Bunker during the fall and winter.
During
the summer, (from June-August), informal meetings are held on the "off
Thursday" evenings
from 7PM-9PM at Wassamki Springs Campground, located at 56 Saco Street,
in Scarborough, ME. Click here for directions.
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2017
FIELD DAY AT WASSAMKI SPRINGS
SCARBOROUGH,
ME - In late June, the WS1SM team participated in their 6th Field Day
from Wassamki Springs Campground, in Scarborough. With over 30
participants and guests, including visitors from the state house,
Cumberland County EMA, and local public service representatives, the
activities were many. On the air, we operated as 3A (which is a club
station, on battery power, using 3 transmitters), maintaining a
continuous presence on the bands on CW, SSB, and digital. 2016 was our
most successful Field Day to date, and the results, published by the
ARRL in December, confirmed this, as we topped Maine overall. We'd like
to thank all of those who contributed. To
see photos from the event, (which will be posted soon) please visit our
image
gallery.
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WSSM TEAM
ACTIVATES MT. EQUINOX
(W1/GM-003)
Over
the past several years,
WSSM members have activated numerous
summits across New England, including Bradbury Mountain (ME), Mt.
Agamenticus (ME), Mt. Washington (NH), Mt. Battie (ME), Mt. Megunticook
(ME), Douglas Mountain (ME), Cadillac Mountain (ME), and others. Most
recently, on May 27th, K1GJY and KB1HNZ ventured to the 3850 ft. summit
of Mt. Equinox (VT), W1/GM-003, to
activate it for
Summits on the Air.
Look for WS1SM spotted on the SOTA Watch website, or monitor
146.520 simplex during the weekends to find us on the air from our next
hilltop expedition.
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| Above
(on the left), is a certificate for 1st Place in the CQWW VHF Contest.
WS1SM earned first place in the Multi-op
category for New Hampshire 4 years in a row! On the right is a QSL card
from one of our SOTA/Contesting adventures to the summit of Mt.
Washington, in New Hampshire. |
WSSM TEAM
ACTIVATES "NUBBLE" LIGHTHOUSE FOR ILLW
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CAPE
NEDDICK,
ME - On August 16, the WS1SM team activated Cape Neddick
"Nubble"
Lighthouse for this year's International
Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend
(ILLW).
Operating 3 stations simultaneously on mixed HF with battery
power, the team made over 100 QSO's, many of which were
lighthouse-to-lighthouse contacts.
Stations consisted of a Yaesu FT897d
with a BuddiPole rotatable dipole, an Icom IC7000 with a SOTA
Beams 40m dipole, and an Elecraft KX3 with random wire.
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International Lighthouse &
Lightship Weekend
is an annual radio activity that started 17 years ago in Scotland by
members of the Ayr Amateur Radio Group. It evolved from the Scottish
Northern Lighthouses Award Weekend
into a popular International event, which now sees over 450 lighthouses
and lightships participating from over 85 different countries.
Cape
Neddick Lighthouse had the designator
US0201 during the event. |
SEGUIN
ISLAND
EXPEDITION
SEGUIN
ISLAND, ME - On
July 26, an international team of hams set off to Seguin Island to
activate it for the 2014 RSGB Islands on the Air Contest.
Team members packed their gear aboard the Leeward
which departed from Fort Popham early Saturday morning.
Once at the
island, our planned operating position, which was Seguin Island Head
Light, vanished from view, since it was situated atop a large hill on
the far end of the island. Gear was packed aboard an inflatable dinghy
and a few people at a time were rowed to shore by one of the ship's
crew. Once everyone and everything was unloaded on the small beach, the
heavier equipment was piled onto a tram that was pulled to the top by a
chain-driven diesel engine. We hiked along a trail on the side of the
tram line, and made it to the lighthouse about 15-20 minutes later.
Once
there, we began to setup our 4 stations (3 HF, & 1 VHF). We
used a
variety of wire antennas, a BuddiPole, and mast and beam for VHF. We
made many contacts with participating stations, including several other
island expeditions around the world.
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CLUB
LOG
WS1SM is
the official club station
of the Wireless Society of Southern Maine. The call sign is activated
during contests, special events, and expeditions. Use this handy tool
to see if you're in our log.
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Wireless Society of Southern
Maine, P.O. Box 6833, Scarborough, ME 04074
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