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Topics & Links

Most Wireless Society of Southern Maine meetings include a rountable dicussion period about the "topic of the night." These can range from  planning a field operation to ham radio basics such as antenna modelling, dx'ing, operating QRP, digital modes, or even kit building. As this page gets updated, you'll be able to keep up to date with the latest topics, and some of the useful info that rises out of our research, activities, and presentations. Explore the Topics & Links Archive for a history of meeting topics, events, and ham radio related resources.



2024 Events


October 26th
The WSSM-ECT will participate in the 2024 Maine Simulated Emergency Test, from 8AM-12PM, on Saturday, October 26th. The emergency drill will focus on developing skills using FM Simplex, UHF repeater, digital NBEMS, and PACKET communications within a simulated event. 
WSSM ECT

September 28-29th
Join us the weekend of September 28-29th for the 12th Annual Maine QSO Party contest. The Maine QSO Party is a fun contest that encourages Maine stations to expand their knowledge of DX propagation, improve their operating skills, and station capability in a competition where W/VE and DX stations have the incentive to work Maine. Click here for more details. 
Maine QSO Party

August 18th
The WS1SM team will activate Cape Neddick "Nubble" Light (US0201) for this year's International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW) on August 18th. We plan to operate mixed HF on battery power, as well as some VHF.

International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend is an annual amateur radio activity started in Scotland by members of the Ayr Amateur Radio Group. It evolved from the Scottish Northern Lighthouses Award Weekend into an international event in 1998. This year, nearly 450 lighthouses and lightships, in 85 different countries are expected to participate.

ILLW 2024 Nubble

June 22-23rd
The WS1SM team will take part in their 14th ARRL Field Day during the weekend of June 22-23rd, during Windham Summerfest, at the Windham High School Campus.

We'll be operating in the 3A category (3 full-time HF transmitters) and also plan on having a Get on the Air (GOTA) station for visitors to try out Amateur Radio. On-air activities. More details to be annouced soon.
2024 ARRL Field Day

May 18th
The WS1SM team will activate Crescent Beach State Park (US-2386) for Maine Parks on the Air Day, on Saturday, May 18th. Currently the plan is to arrive at 11 AM, setup and get on the air by noon, and operate until 2-3, depending on weather and activity. Rick K1OT is kind enough to let us use his tower trailer.

For more information about Parks on the Air, please click here.
POTA

March 16th
You're invited to take part in a fun and competitive 2m-only contest, on Saturday, March 16th, from 12pm-4pm. Participants may be entered as either mobile (as a rover), or fixed, and there are power levels for everything from a handie-talkie to a high power base station. The contest exchange is your callsign, the name of the town, township, or city that you are operating from, and your power level.

For more information and complete rules, click here.
2 Meter FM Simplex Challenge

January 27-28th
The WS1SM team will participate in their fifth annual Winter Field Day during the weekend of January 27-28, at the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency, located at 22 High Street, in Windham, ME. The purpose of Winter Field Day is to foster Ham camaraderie, field operation, emergency operating preparedness, and just plain on-the-air, outdoor fun -  in the midst of winter! 
Winter Field Day



2024 Meeting Topics


October's Topic: D-STAR, by Cory Golub KU1U

Join us Thursday, October 10h, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll begin with a presentation about D-STAR by Cory Golub KU1U.

Cory has been an avid D-STAR user since 2012. A ham since 1995, he has been very involved in emergency communications, which has helped him with his career path, having dispatched for various emergency and 911 centers, and he now works in 911 administration. Cory is the Assistant Section Manager for the Maine Section, previously serving as Assistant Director for Emergency Communications for the New England Division, and Section Traffic Manager for Maine. He currently serves as Vice President of the Androscoggin Amateur Radio Club.

The presentation will take place first, followed by our Monthly Business Meeting.


September's Topic: Station Automation Using NodeRed, by Todd Rodgers,
followed by Annual Business Meeting and Officer Elections


Join us Thursday, August 8th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll begin with a presentation about Station Automation using NodeRed, by Todd Rodgers KC1SQ.

Todd was first licensed in 1969 (as WN2NMH). He grew up in New York City (Manhattan), which posed some interesting antenna problems. It turned out to be a truly amazing tower situation (3 element beam on top of a 16 story tall apartment building). Moving to Massachusetts in 1989, he started anew in building a modern station. Back to an apartment in Boston, then in 2014, he and his wife Laura purchased a log cabin on 5 acres in Standish, Maine as a second home. While a real tower is still dreamed of, the swampy "back 40" makes for a great ground plane (for a vertical with loads of radials). He's spent a career in science (physics/astronomy) and computer science and now consults in Internet of Things development, calling it semi-retirement.

After the presentation, we'll have our Annual Business Meeting and Officer Elections.


August's Topic: Planning for ILLW, & TX5S DXpedition Movie

Join us Thursday, August 8th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll do some planning for our upcoming activation of Cape Neddick "Nubble" Light for International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend (ILLW), which takes place August 17-18, and watch a short video about the TX5S Clipperton Island DXpedition 2024.

July's Topic: Northeast Ham Xposition

Join us Thursday, June 6th, from 7pm-9pm at the
South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll begin with a presentation by Phil Temples K9HI, abouth the Northeast Ham Xposition, which takes place August 22-25, in Marlboro, MA. For more information, please visit: www.hamxposition.org. After the presentation, we'll review ARRL Field Day, and start planning for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW), that takes place August 18th.

June's Topic: ARRL Field Day

Join us Thursday, June 6th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll discuss final preparations for Field Day, including equipment and personnel needs, Bonus Point categories, Windham Summerfest activities, and more!

May's Topic: VARA Digital Software

Join us Thursday, May 16th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as Brad Brown KC1JMH will give a presentation on the VARA Digital Software Modem. The presentation will take place first, followed by our regular business meeting.

April's Topic: Morse Code (CW)

Join us Thursday, April 18thth, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as Rick Fickett K1OT will give a presentation on the topic of Morse Code, also known as CW. Rick will talk about training methods, CW's origins, use, and the gear required. The presentation will take place first, followed by our regular business meeting.

March's Topic: Field Day Planning & 2 Meter Challenge Preview

Join us Thursday, March 14th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll begin Field Day planning and also preview the upcoming Maine 2 Meter FM Simplex Challenge, which takes place Saturday, March 16th.

February's Topic: Movie Night

Join us Thursday, February 8th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll be doing a quick recap of Winter Field Day, and begin planning for several upcoming activities, plus, we'll watch a movie about a recent DXpedition.

January's Topic: WSJT-X and GridTracker

Please join us Thursday, January 11th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as Roger Pushor NK1I, will give a presentation on the WSJT-X and GridTracker softwares, covering installation and tips for use.

Click here to view the presentation. Thanks Roger!

December's Topic: Holiday Pot Luck

Please join us Thursday, December 8th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll be having our annual pot luck dinner, following a brief business meeting.



WSSM HAM RADIO PAGES

DMR Intro

CW Page
SOTA

Ham Radio Projects
Message Handling

Digital Modes
Lighthouse Activations

D-STAR Intro



HAM RADIO LINKS

ARRL

DX Info Centre

SM3CER Contest Service

Echolink
Radio Amateurs of Canada

DX Coffee

DX World

DX Summit
Radio Society of Great Britain

425 DX News

N3GK

AMSAT
Romanian Federation of Radio Amateurs

QRZ.com

Ham Atlas

AC6V

There are hundreds of resources online for the radio amateur, but we've made an effort to collect links to some of the best websites in the radio community. Please keep checking, as we will continue to update this page as new sites are brought to our attention.

ARRL Division & Sections

New England Division
Maine Section
New Hampshire Section
Connecticut Section
Western Mass Section
Eastern Mass Section
Rhode Island Section
Vermont Section


Public Service

New Hampshire ARES
ARRL National Traffic System
SKYWARN.org
Air Force MARS
Army MARS
Radio Relay International
Repeater / Frequency Resources

New England Repeater Directory
New York Repeater Directory
Repeaterbook
Levine Central Repeater Map

Call Sign Lookup / Callbooks

HamCall.net
1X1 Special Event Call Book
QRZ.com

Ham Radio Clubs

ME & NH Amateur Radio Clubs
Operating / DX / Contest Clubs

3.905 Century Club
RSGB Islands On The Air (IOTA)
Summits On The Air (SOTA)
D-STAR Reflector
FISTS CW Club
AMSAT
YO DX Club
Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Int'l Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend
British DX Club

Education

W5YI Resources for Amateur Radio
QRZ Practice Exams



  

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