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.

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2025 Events

October TBD

The WSSM-ECT will participate in the 2025 Maine Simulated Emergency Test. The emergency drill will focus on developing skills using FM Simplex, UHF repeater, digital NBEMS, and PACKET communications within a simulated event.

September 27-28th

Join us the weekend of September 27-28th for the 13th 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.

August 24 - September 6th

The Wireless Society of Southern Maine is celebrating our 5th Anniversary with special event operations using the call sign W1V, between August 24 - September 6th! Find out more here. During the two weeks, club members will take turns activating the call sign and we are offering a special certificate with the following endorsements for contacts:  GOLD for QSOs on 10 or more different band slots SILVER for QSOs on 5-9 different band slots BRONZE for QSOs on 1-4 different band slots.

August 16th

The WS1SM team will activate Cape Neddick "Nubble" Lighthouse for the 28th Annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend, which takes place August 16-17, 2025. 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.

June 28-29th

The WS1SM team will take part in their 15th ARRL Field Day during the weekend of June 28-29th, 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.

May 17th

The WS1SM team will be activating Crescent Beach State Park (US-2386) for Parks on the Air. The park, located at 109 Bowery Beach Rd., Cape Elizabeth, ME, which offers walking trails, picnic areas, and beach activities. We plan on setting up and being on the air by 10:00 am, and operating through 2:00 pm (weather depending). Look for us on DXSummit.fi and the POTA spots!

March 15th

You're invited to take part in a fun and competitive 2m-only contest, on Saturday, March 15th, 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.

January 25-26th

The WS1SM team will participate in their sixth annual Winter Field Day during the weekend of January 25-26. 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!

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2025 Meeting Topics

July's Topics: ARRL Field Day Review & W1V Special Event Planning

Join us Thursday, July 10th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll do a recap of ARRL Field Day, and begin planning for the W1V 15th Anniversary Special Event, which takes place August 24 - September 6th.

June's Topic: ARRL Field Day Final Prep

Join us Thursday, June 12th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll hold our final planning session before 2025 ARRL Field Day, (which takes place the weekend of June 28-29).

May's Topic: ARRL Field Day & POTA Planning

Join us Thursday, March 8th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll continue our planning for 2025 ARRL Field Day, (which takes place the weekend of June 28-29), and we'll also discuss the upcoming Parks on the Air (POTA) activation of Crescent Beach State Park, which takes place Saturday, May 17th.

April's Topic: Batteries

Join us Thursday, April 10th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as Brad Brown KC1JMH will do a presentation on batteries - focusing on the various different types used in ham radio activities, from backup power for your base station to small, lightweight batteiries that are ideal for portable operating.

March's Topic: ARRL Field Day Planning, Maine 2 Meter FM Simpex Challenge

Join us Thursday, March 13th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll begin planning for 2025 ARRL Field Day, which takes place the weekend of June 28-29, and we'll also discuss the upcoming Maine 2 Meter FM Simplex Challenge, that takes place Saturday, March 15th.

February's Topic: Amateur Radio Satelites

Join us Thursday, February 13th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll begin with a  presentation by Frank Krizan KR1ZAN, about Amateur Radio Satelites. Frank will cover what satelites are available to use, how to setup your radio, what gear is necessary, and demonstrate how to make a QSO, among other things. MEETING SWITCHED TO ONLINE VIA ZOOM DUE TO SNOWSTORM.

January's Topic: SDR

Join us Thursday, January 9th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll begin with a  presentation by Zach Madore KC1SES, about the world of SDRs. Zach's experience focuses on monitoring the public safety bands, and he is excited to share how SDRs can be used stand alone and in conjunction with traditional transceivers for a superior RX experience.

Following the presentation, will be the regular business meeting and planning session for the upcoming Winter Field Day.

December's Topic: Holiday Pot Luck

Join us Thursday, December 12th, from 7pm-9pm at the South Windham Fire Station, 33 Main Street, Windham, ME, as we'll begin with a brief business meeting, followed by a Pot Luck and a movie about the 2015 K1N Navassa Island DXPedition.

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.