
The next WECA meeting will be on
Tuesday,
May 13th
The next WECA member meeting will be on
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
at the Westchester County Center located at 198 Central Avenue in White Plains, NY. This
month's presenter will be
Bob Wilson /
N2DVQ who will talk about a recent DXpedition. Bob, Adam Epstein
/
N2DHH, Mike Mardit /
WA2VQW
and Bob Schaps /
WB2NVR went down to St. Barthelemy (St. Bart's) at beginning of April as
TO5RZ and created about 11,000 contacts in less than a week!
. The meeting (may even have some pictures of four tired contesters) will begin at
7:00 pm and Bob's discussion will start at 7:30.
The latest WECAgram is now online
- click here
to download
Upcoming Meeting Dates:
Monday,
June 9, 2008 - Field Day preparations and elections
Monday, September 8, 2008 - TBA
Less than 50 days to Field Day
2008 !
Would you like to help out with
Field Day 2008?
Please
help with Field Day 2008 preparations this year by contacting Rich /
KC2HZW. Rich and his committee will need help with planning and
setup / takedown. Please send Rich email to fieldday2008 at
weca.org.
Notes from
the Field day meetings:
April 26, 2008 -
click here to read the notes
May 10, 2008 -
click here to read the notes
Con Edison to deploy remote
"R.F." meter readers in
NY
If
you live in Westchester and use Con Edison as a provider for
electricity or natural gas, expect a letter in the mail shortly indicating that
older meter installations are going to be upgraded so that meters can
be read without requiring entry to a private house. The "remote"
units will be transmitters that operate on 910.920 MHz and radiate 3/4
of a milliwatt - once a month.
Would you like to help out
with the
Irvington HS
Radiosonde
Balloon with APRS
aboard Project? This would be an interesting project involving
amateur radio gear that Hams could help offer their knowledge to the
members of the Irvington High School Science Club. If you are
interested in this project, please send email to the
Balloon at
weca.org. A general distribution email was sent out in early
December seeking members to help out with great this technical project.
Field Day 2007 scores are in - we
scored 5,710 points!
In the December 2007 issue of
QST
magazine the Field Day 2007 results have been published and WECA
scored 5,710 points putting us in 15th place out of 125 plus clubs
in the "4A" class. Congratulations to the participants and those who
helped bring the event together!
We hope you
enjoyed Field Day 2007 - WECA style!
WECA's
Field Day 2007 was held on Saturday, June 23rd & Sunday June 24th
at Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck, NY. This year we setup at the
beach pavilion structure located along the south-eastern part of the
park. Setup began at 9am on Saturday, radio operations began at 2pm and
went go through the night and finished up at 2pm on Sunday. Many hands
were needed to setup on Saturday and to pack up on Sunday - we finished
at about 3pm - a new record!
This year WECA we had four transmitters (4A) on HF along, a VHF 6 meter
station along with a GOTA
station (to introduce people to the many facets of Ham Radio). There
was many types of antennas used - beams, dipoles, verticals, long
wires, etc. and of course many types of radios and some experimental
gear as well. We also had a continuous demonstration of APRS as well.
Our claimed score submitted to the ARRL
was 4,780 points - nice job!
If you have any questions, suggestions, compliments or complaints about
the event, please let Rich Kautz / KC2HZW or Jim Faukner / N2WQG know
your opinion by sending email to fd2007@weca.org.
FD 2007 Pictures from Bob / N2DVQ can be viewed by clicking here.
Do you have any pictures of Field Day 2007 that you would like to
share? Please send email to fd2007@weca.org.
Please welcome our
2007 - 2008 Officers & Directors:
At
the June 2007 meeting, the following Officers & Directors were
elected into office.
President
- Russ Stevenson / N2AMP
Executive Vice President - Open
Vice President / General Counsel - Michael Weitzner
/ N2EJI
Treasurer - Andy Farber / N4OOX
Secretary - Milton Galamison / KC2GWK
Director at Large - Stan Rothman / WA2NRV
Engineering Director - Bob Wilson / N2DVQ
Newsletter Editor - James Lyles / AB2WS
Repeater Operations Director - Dwight Smith / N2FMC
Social Activities Director - Richard Kautz / KC2HZW
Education Director - Ed Granato / WA2JXI
Digital Modes - Rich Benda / WB2QJA
Emergency Services - Tom Raffaelli / WB2NHC
Membership - Ron Devenuti / N2TJE
Publicity - Ann Rodier / KC2MFF
Public Service - Robert Kantor / N2TSE
Directors
and honorariums appointed by the board
Trustee - Russ Stevenson / N2AMP
County Liaison - Michael Volk / KC2MFA
President Emeritus - Lyle Anderson / K2LCA
Information Technology / Webmaster -
Peter Johnson / N2TFC
If you have any questions for the Officers &
Directors, please email them with your questions by sending email to
their callsign @weca.org email address.
The WECAgram Newsletter is always online
WECA's
monthly newsletter about Ham Radio events, projects and its local
members in the greater Westchester County, NY area located about 20
miles north of New York City. Please
welcome our "New" WECAgram Editor volunteer - James Lyles / AB2WS.
Do you have something for the WECAgram ? Please send
your article by the 20th of each month to The WECAgram Editor.
Past
and present issues of
The WECAgram
the latest issue is Fall
2007
It's project time at WECA!
At our
meeting in April 2007 with Rich Moseson / W2VU
from CQ Magazine, a
discussion began about Ham Radio and the "way it used to be" where Hams
would build many items including receivers, transmitters, electronic
keyers, antennas, power supplies and other items used in Ham Radio.
With so many projects that can be built, we need to know what type of
project the members would like to build. Please send your ideas via
email to Stan Rothman / WA2NRV by using this email address:
projects@weca.org.
Morse Code requirement ended on
2/23/07!
From the Hudson
Division 01/26/07, 14:15 ET--- It's Official! The Morse Code
Requirement Ends Friday, February 23 (Jan 24,2007 [REVISED Jan 26, 2007
14:15 ET]) -- Circle Friday, February 23, on your calendar. That's when
the current 5 WPM Morse code requirement will officially disappear from
the Amateur Radio Service Part 97 rules in accordance with the FCC's
Report and Order (R&O) in the "Morse code proceeding," WT Docket
05-235. Beginning on that date, applicants for a General or Amateur
Extra class Amateur Radio license no longer will have to demonstrate
proficiency in Morse code. They'll just have to pass the applicable
written examination. Publication of the new rules in the January 24
Federal Register started a 30-day countdown for the new rules to become
effective. Deletion of the Morse requirement -- still a matter of
controversy within the amateur community -- is a landmark in Amateur
Radio history. Read the entire story from the ARRL by
clicking here
Looking for special Ham Radio related
websites?
WECA member Dwight Smith / N2FMC has found a bunch of web
sites containing ham radio related information. Please click here for a list
of "Dwight's Sites". If you have any technical or Ham Radio related
sites and would like to share these sites with others, please send
email to sites@weca.org.
New Amateur rules & regulations changes
to take effect
FCC
Modifies Amateur Radio Service Rules, eliminating Morse Code Exam
Requirements and Addressing the ARRL Petition for Reconsideration. Read about the changes by clicking
here.
2008 meetings , lists, dates and calendars
are online!
Please click here for the 2008
WECA meeting list
Please click here for the 2008 Ham
Radio testing dates
Please click here for the 2008
Public Service event calendar
Santa
visited Blythedale Children's Hospital (on 147.06)!
Last year, Santa and
the "elves" from WECA visited The Blythdale Children's Hospital on
Tuesday, December 11, 2007.
Santa's helpers visited
the children at the Blythedale
Children's Hospital and Santa talked to them via ham radio on
147.060 ! Plenty of ham radio volunteers were onsite to hand out gifts,
unpack the presents, install batteries and help the patients
communicate with Santa over the repeater. The event began at 6:00 pm
and finished at about 8:00 pm. Again, thank you for all of your
contributions that made this heart warming event happen for all these
years!
If you can
participate in these types of events or would like more information,
please contact Robert Kantor, N2TSE,
at 914-949-4231.
What to do with your ORANGE Ham Radio hat !
For the 600 or
so Hams that help out at The Marathon each year, the ORANGE hat is a small token of appreciation for
all the hard work expelled. At many WECA meetings the ORANGE hat is sometimes used as a door prize,
others proudly wear the hat at Public Service Events.
During a recent snowstorm, another use was
discovered for the hat. No microphone or
key was found when this guy melted down!
Photo by Kristen Johnson
- 12/09/05
Thank you to WECA volunteers from Multiple
Sclerosis
The
Multiple
Sclerosis T-Z Bike tour held on Sunday Oct 1, 2007 had eight WECA
members and one non-member help with communications. they are N2TJE,
N2FMC, N2TSE,KC2PDJ,KC2MPF,KC2ESU,KC2NXM, WB2NHC and KA2FIQ. Thanks to
all of these Hams who worked so hard under some trying times loaded
with bad weather. A comment from one executive with MS was, "How did we
do this event without you guys last year?" - Rob / N2TSE

Want to know what
Amateur Radio is all about?
Click here to
listen a 30 second message about "Ham Radio". Listen to a public
announcement about the way "Hams" helped the survivors of hurricane
Katrina by clicking here.
Want to see and hear what Ham Radio is all about, click here for a 30
second video!
Click here
for a brochure about the Ham Radio hobby.
Please visit www.hello-radio.com
Not getting
WECA member email announcements ?
If you would like to receive WECA email, please click
here.
Found - old
WECAGRAMS!
Nick /
K2ZVI found some old WECAGRAMS while
cleaning one day to share with the newer members. Please click on any
date below to view these found treasures!
February 1980
August 1981
September 1987
January 1988
If you
have some old WECAgrams that could be "PDF" scanned, please send email
to Peter / N2TFC - webmaster@weca.org.
WB2NHC - Tom Raffaelli
awarded 2005 Ham of the year!
Tom was first licensed in 1964. His interests then, as now,
were in experimenting and building radio devices. Tom married Jeanne
Fyfe in 1966. They moved into a three room apartment in the Bronx. Due
to space limitations Tom operated exclusively on the VHF and UHF bands.
In 1970, with two children in tow, Tom and Jeanne moved to a home in
Thornwood New York. Beam antennas, verticals and wire dipoles soon
sprang up on the roof and in the yard. In 1979 Tom joined the New
Rochelle Communications Club and soon after that the Westchester
Emergency Communications Association (WECA). He was elected Vice
President of WECA in 1985 and President in 1987, and served for seven
years. WECA doubled its membership under Tom's leadership, strengthened
its affiliation with Westchester
County's Office of Disaster and Emergency Services and initiated an
affiliation with the Westchester chapter of the American Red Cross. He
expanded the club's Field Day event and grew WECAFEST, the club's
hamfest event into a major "must attend" event. Tom is now Director of
Emergency Services.
Tom served
as President of TSARC
for several years and resolved several long standing coordination
disputes and established a coordination waiting list for all bands. Tom
taught many Amateur Radio license classes over the years bringing more
than 50 people into the hobby. Tom began volunteering at the New York City
Marathon in the mid eighties and is currently the ham radio
supervisor at the Family Reunion area.
Tom was
instrumental in establishing extremely strong relationships between
WECA and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services and
the American
Red Cross. Both of these organizations are providing funding and
support for maintenance of WECA's communications vehicles and equipment
as well as providing meeting space and training facilities. Tom recently
retired from the County of Westchester as its Director of
Radio Systems. Tom continues to build on the strong ties between RACES, WECA and the county government
while helping to bring state of art communications facilities to
the county's public safety departments.
Amateur of the Year
Award Sponsored jointly by:
The Peconic
Amateur Radio Club
and
Westchester Emergency
Communications Association - WECA
As printed
in the Hudson Division Awards Diner pamphlet from November 12, 2005
Again, WECA helped "run"
the 2007 ING
New York City Marathon!

About
25 WECA members helped "run" The 2007 New York City Marathon as
communication volunteers that was held on Sunday, November 4,
2007.
WECA members covered assignments including "The Family Reunion area",
"Mile Captains", "finish line area", countless "Shadows" for the NYC
Road Runners Club officials and many other key positions as
communicators using Ham Radio, net control protocol procedures as
well as "hi-tech" systems including APRS and
WIFI.
Please visit the following links for pictures of previous NYC
marathons as photographed by WECA members.
Photos
from K2LCA, please click here.
Photos
from WK6R,
please click here
Information about the 2007 NYC Marathon can be found here
Think you know it all about Ham Radio - try a
crossword puzzle !
Click here
and try out your knowledge and luck about Ham Radio.
Here is what the Journal News said about the
WECA Field Day event:
Amateurs ham it up
By MARCELA ROJAS
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: June 27, 2005)
At 11 a.m. yesterday, the sun was
positioned just right for contact with Florida. With headphones on,
12-year-old Taylor Wilson, maneuvered the radio dial for the correct
frequency to ham it up. "Alpha Echo 2 Fox Trot," he repeated into his
headset with vigor. A few crackled voices from north Florida responded.
"The frequency depends on the time of day. Right now it's favoring the
south," said his father, Bob Wilson (N2DVQ), of Yorktown. "The
atmosphere is like a mirror. "Later, Taylor grew frustrated as he tried
to extend his reach and get the attention of an operator from the
Virgin Islands. With some patience, a connection was made with a clear
sound from the Caribbean. "This is so much fun," said Taylor. "Now that
school's out, it's a great way to meet people. "The boisterous pre-teen
was among 60 members of the Westchester Emergency Communication
Association who participated in Field Day yesterday, an annual event
during which amateur radio operators test their ability to establish
and sustain long distance radio communications in the event of an
emergency. At Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck, five 50-foot-high
antennas were positioned around the field and five stations were set up
for the 24-hour experiment that started at 2 p.m. Saturday. "Our
objective is to set up quickly and log contacts," said Lyle Anderson
(K2LCA) of Chappaqua, the association's president. "And to see if our
procedures work. "More than 3,000 stations nationwide participate in
Field Day, which is hosted by the American Radio Relay League. By
midday yesterday, the Westchester club had contacted about 1,300 and
expected to reach 1,800 by day's end, Anderson said. In the event of a
terrorist attack or natural disaster, when telephone and/or computer
services are lost, emergency officials and relief agencies utilize
local amateur radio operators, or hams, for communication. During the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and 2003's blackout, the Westchester Emergency
Communications Association helped officials stay in contact throughout
the region, Anderson said. "People do this for a hobby," Anderson said.
"But we do it as a public service. "There are 260 amateur radio
operators in the volunteer group. Field Day also offered some friendly
competition, in which each radio operator received a point for each
contact made. Last year, the association came in sixth in their class.
They expected to do better than that this time, Anderson said. Results
are expected in two weeks. "The contest is just for fun," said
Anderson. "What we are really trying to do here is train people. When
you are stressed, tired and you have five people trying to contact you,
you have to be cool and know what to do."
Who said Morse code was dead and slow ?
On the May 13, 2006 "Jay
Leno Show" a contest between very modern technology using "Instant Messaging"
on a cell phone and good old fashioned "170 year old" technology using Morse code was run.
Guess who won ? Click here
to find out !

Don't
know what Ham Radio is ?
The Ham Radio
hobby has made it ! Well, now there is a "Ham Radio for Dummies" book
on the market. Check this
out by clicking here
! Available in many book stores like Borders,
Barnes
& Noble and the ARRL
for $21.99 or less.
Interested
in APRS, or want to know about this part of the hobby?
BPL - do you know what it is and that it WILL
destroy HF ?
Please visit the ARRL website for more information about
this proposal that could DESTROY HF amateur
radio operation.
This is a must read
article for all ham operators ! Recent RFI tests in Briarcliff
reported 20 over 9 readings from 2 MHz to 80 MHz with hash-like
sounding noise. Check out this recently released video made in North
Carolina - click
here.
Please click here to read the complete BPL story on the
ARRL site.
Broadband over power line (BPL) has come to
Briarcliff, NY !
Club
Member Alan Crosswell / N2YGK has complied information about the BPL
interference in Briarcliff Manor, NY. Please click on this link for his
detailed report - recently updated (May 2007).
So, where were you in '72 ? When WECA was
born !
On the first Friday night in early April
1972, five men met in Tarrytown, NY at William T. Knott's (W2QGH-sk)
home to form what is now the Westchester Emergency Communications
Association (WECA). Thirty one years ago these middle aged "family" men
were Ham Radio
hobbyists who decided start this club "for the continuation of the
Civil Defense Radio network in Westchester County, NY". Meeting minutes
from those early gatherings can be read by clicking here.
WECA thanks John von Sneidern, Jr. / W2QGH
for copies of those notes "from the beginning" of WECA and Efrem Acosta
/ W2CZ for organizing this historic
project.
Comments (good/bad)? Please let us know by clicking here.
Public
Service Operators Needed !
Please contact Robert
Kantor / N2TSE if you would like
to participate in the upcoming Public Service events that WECA helps by
supplying Ham Radio communicators. Operators are needed for other upcoming events. This is
the best possible emergency preparedness training for Ham Radio
communicators available, so please send email
now and volunteer!
Invitation to Join ENY-ECOM
The Eastern New York Emergency Communications (ENY-ECOM) online
discussion group has been around since 1996 and so we're about due
for another general invitation announcement since there have been
many new ARES/RACES members in the section lately. Click here for details
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