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LINK TO 2009 PHOTO SCRAPBOOK  by John Gianopoulos, W1JEG


The FOXBOX -- for current status, check the CTFoxhunters group at Yahoo
The BEARS President N1TUP occasionally puts a "foxbox" out in the woods or in an obscure but  public place, so amateur radio operators can practice their direction-finding skills.   This is an "ammo box" containing a battery, a low-power transmitter, and a controller that issues an ID in morse code whenever it hears a certain code transmitted.   The details -- simplex frequency, PL code, and the codes to wake and reset the box, are all available at the Yahoo "CTFoxhunters" group.   You will also find posted there some hints by hams who have found the box.  (Please don't give the exact location if you find it, just some clues, bearing, or general area.) Once you've tried it, you'll understand why we need to practice.  It's not as simple as taking two bearings and "voila". Radio waves bend and refract as they pass over lakes, hills, iron deposits, etc.  And when you get close enough, the signal swamps most receivers and seems to come from everywhere at once.  As one hunter put it recently, sometimes you feel like you need at least four hands and two radios to find the fox.   And if the vagaries of radio wave propagation were not enough of a challenge, the foxmaster is very skilled at finding locations where "you can't get there from here."

Calendar of BEARS events 
Please submit calendar items to the webmaster for posting. The following are sanctioned BEARS events:

  • Tech License Class - This class for beginning Amateur Radio Operators begins Friday Feb 5, 2010, 7 pm at the new Manchester EOC on Olcott Street.  LOCATION CHANGE: 1st class will be held at the Manchester Fire House at 75 Center Street, 2nd floor. Class is free and open to the public, but must preregister with the CERT training officer, Linda Bycholski, bycholski@yahoo.com. First four Fridays are review of the question pool, fifth Friday is the official FCC license exam, next three Fridays are operating tips and help finding the right radio for you.
  • General License Class - Begins April 2nd, the week after the Tech class concludes.  Same format but for the Amateur Radio General License. Register with Linda Bycholski.  Class instructor for both classes:  Paul Gibson, N1TUP and friends.
  • April 11, Sunday - Hockanum River Canoe and Kayak Race - The BEARS provide radio communications and river spotters for this event, which begins at the Vernon line and ends in East Hartford.
  • .April 18, Sunday - MS Walks in Manchester and Enfield - The BEARS provide radio communications and observers for this charity event at two different sites on the same day.
  • June 13, Sunday - The Annual BEARS picnic at Camp Newhoca.

Calendar of local amateur radio-related events

These events are NOT sanctioned BEARS events, we're just listing them here as a convenient reminder for amateur radio enthusiasts, regardless of what club memberships they hold.

  • March 15th - Monday - 7 PM - "Elmer" Class - eQSL - how to use electronic contact confirmation cards, for new Emcomm hams. All welcome. Olcott Street EOC, Manchester, 2nd floor.
  • March 20 - Saturday - ECARA Hamfest, Pomfret, CT
  • March 21 - Sunday - SARA Hamfest, Southington. Quarterly ARES meeting.
  • April 5th - Monday - 7 PM - "Elmer" Class - AB1GL will demonstrate NTS message handling for newly minted emcomm hams.  All welcome.  Olcott Street EOC, Manchester, 2nd floor.
  • April 10 - Saturday - RASON Hamfest, Gales Ferry, CT
  • April 19th - Monday - 7 PM - "Elmer" Class - AB1GL visually demonstrates practical application of basic electronic components for the non-technical new ham. All welcome. Olcott Street EOC, Manchester, 2nd floor.
  • April 19th - Boston Marathon -- Many hams from Manchester Emcomm will be providing radio communications (BEARS, keep in mind the day before this is TWO MS Walks in Manchester.)
  • May 13th - Thursday 7-10 PM - NWS Skywarn basic training at Channel 3 studios in Rocky Hill.  All are welcome even if you have taken this class a few years ago. No reservation needed.
  • May 22 - Saturday - SBARC Hamfest, Goshen, CT
  • May 29 - Saturday - Natchaug Hamfest, Tolland Agricultural Center, Vernon, CT.  BEARS table!
  • June 12th - Saturday - Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Walk/Ride -- communications by ARES  -- Event begins in Simbury and encompasses ARES Regions 3 and 5.  The event is expanding this year to include walkers and a 75-mile bike route. The ham functions are greatly expanded for this year and will require over 38 volunteers.  There will be double the amount of SAG wagons and motorcycles, more shadows, and a complex command center for which we will need many hams, scribes, and runners. Please contact your ARES leadership to volunteer: Richard Hodge KB1ONM@arrl.net  (Region 3 West); George Lillenstein AB1GL@arrl.net (Region 3 East); or your town's ARES EC or acting EC.
  • June 19 - Saturday 8 am - NARL Hamfest in Newington at St. Mary's School.  This is the last local hamfest before Field Day and the last chance to purchase those last-minute gizmos you need for your rig.
  • June 26-27 - Sat & Sun - ARRL Field Day - local affiliate clubs each hold their own Field Day demonstration, setting up a completely free-standing ham radio operating station in a field or a public place to demonstrate Amateur Radio's resiliance under emergency conditions such as a natural disaster. The stations vie to see who can make the most contacts and do the best job informing the public about Amateur Radio and its contributions to the public good.
  • July 24th - 5K Walk/Run for Dyslexic Children - NARL and New Britain CERT will be providing radio communications for this Scottish Rites event. Starts at the Scottish Rites temple, behind the Laz-E-Boy showroom on the Berlin Turnpike. Contact Armando Landrian, KB1PRP, to volunteer.

Local Nets of interest to BEARS

  • BEARS Traffic Net - Sun thru Fri, 9:15 PM on the 145.110 - PL77, all checkins welcome, with or without traffic. Net Manager, Rusty Hack NM1K
  • Manchester Emcomm net, Tues & Thurs at 7pm. 145.330 repeater. Net Manager, Ray Gagnon, KB1JJX
  • Vernon Emcomm net, Tues. at 7PM, 145.110 - PL77.  Net Manager, Richard Phelps, K1SW
  • ARES Region 3 net, Monday 8pm, 147.345. Net Manager, Richard Claing, W1RGC. For all hams in and of the 41 towns in Region 3. NOTE: net may use EDH or other alternate repeaters.
  • Skywarn Weather Net, 9pm Thursdays, various repeaters
  • NARL INFO net, Thursdays at 7:30 pm on 145.450. Net Manager Steve Ewald, WV1X
  • Nutmeg VHF NTS Traffic net, weeknights 9:30PM,  ICRC's 146.880 repeater with PL of 77. Net Manager, K1HEJ

Explanation:   All frequencies are in Megaherz.   A + or - sign indicates a 600KHz repeater offset for 2 meter repeaters. You should listen on the listed frequency, but shift up or down as indicated when transmitting. PL refers to Motorola's "Private Line," which in other brands of radios are designated as "Tone" or "CTCSS" or "Tone Encode/Decode".

The "BEARS of Manchester, Inc." amateur radio club meets monthly in Manchester, Connecticut, USA.