Police Amateur Radio Team
of Westford, Massachusetts
An ARRL Special Service Club
WB1GOF
Our diverse membership has interests ranging from public service support and community outreach, to radio contesting, equipment construction, radio fox hunting, and more. In fact, it is the diversity of our interests that has kept the club strong and vibrant throughout its 45+ year run.
If you have an interest in ham radio but don't know how to get started, please join us at one of our club meetings, either in person, or online. To get on the invitation list for our meetings, including a link for the video-conference, just join our email group (instructions at the bottom of this page).
It's easy to become a PART member. Just scroll to the bottom of this page to the "Join PART" section and fill out an application.
Click on the menu tabs at the top of this page to learn more about us.
Club News
- General information for PART members, including descriptions and availability of loaner gear, can now be found on the "Member Assistance" tab.
- Congratulations to PART members who upgraded their licenses or got a new license at the Northeast HamXposition in August! Our upgrades are: Sue, WB2OSY, and Gary, WA1MCR, to Amateur Extra Class. Our new Technician licensees are: Kevin, KC1TJD, and Ginny, KC1TJE. Well done to all!
- Congratulations to PART member Mikayla Wagner, N1BKR, for receiving the Dayton Amateur Radio Association scholarship, awarded through the ARRL Foundation.
- The Field Day wrap-up slides from the July 18 meeting are posted in the Activities tab in the PART Field Day Results section.
PART set several club records in Field Day this year, with over 1,800 contacts and the longest DX in its Field Day History (Australia!). Almost 60 club members and friends participated. We'll have full details at the July 18 meeting, along with awards.
The following radiogram was sent to PART:
DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS WHO ASSISTED WITH
COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE APPLE BLOSSOM
PARADE IN WESTFORD MAY 13
X 73
BT
PHIL TEMPLES
ARRL VICE DIRECTOR
NEW ENGLAND DIVISION
Compliance with FCC RF exposure rules will become mandatory on May 3, 2023. It takes very little effort to evaluate your station; you can use the ARRL's RF Exposure Calculator for every frequency band, antennas, and the maximum power level to obtain a complete environmental analysis. See May 2023 QST, page 64, for more information.
The Introduction presentation given by Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager Jon, N1ILZ, at the February 21 PART meeting is posted in the Club Presentations tab.
The Repeaters tab now shows a map of WB1GOF repeater coverage around New England.
Congratulations to PART member Niece, KA1ULN, on achieving a 35 word per minute (WPM) Certificate of Code Proficiency at the November 2022 ARRL code proficiency test! These tests are given several times a month from W1AW, and range from 10 to 40 WPM. A little practice and you can get one too! See QST for details.
PART has been awarded a grant of $22,000 by the ARRL Foundation for incorporation of amateur radio functionality into the Minecraft online game. Congratulations to Lucas, W1BTR, for leading this effort! Learn more about this project by visiting the Minecraft page on this site.
Club Meetings
Every Sunday 8 PM
146.955 (-) pl 74.4
Echolink: WB1GOF-R
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Topic: To be announced.
WB1GOF Repeater Status
All repeaters are operational
Echolink is operational
Join the WB1GOF D-Star users group here.
Join the WB1GOF DMR users group here.
Please send signal reports to repeater@wb1gof.org
Heavy Weather and Emergencies
All hams are encouraged to get SKYWARN training. For information on SKYWARN and SKYWARN training, click here.
Upcoming Events
NEAR-FestXXXIV will be held on October 13-14, 2023, in Deerfield, NH. This semi-annual event is run by and for all radio hobbyists and enthusiasts. Full details are on the NEAR-Fest website.
During 2023 ARRL is sponsoring the Volunteers on the Air operating event. Similar to the ARRL Centennial event of 2014, you can get points for making QSOs with ARRL volunteers, including ARRL and division staffs, Volunteer Examiners, Diamond Club members and other ARRL members. Every week, there will be ARRL portable stations operating from a different state or US territory, so you've got many opportunities to work all states.
Details on the event can be found on the ARRL VOTA website here. The Volunteer Point Table is here, and the state activation table is here.
Online License Training & Testing
Several organizations now offer online testing for Amateur Radio license exams. Click on the links to these websites for details:
- New England Sci-Tech
- HamStudy has a listing of sites around America
- MIT Radio Society
- Billerica Amateur Radio Society
Join PART
Annual Dues
- Full member: $25.00
- Family membership: $30.00
- Full-time Student member under 25: Free
- Senior member (over 64): $15.00.
- Associate member (non-Hams only): $10.00
- First year free for anyone first licensed less than a year prior to joining!
Subscribe to PART Email
ARRL Membership & Renewal
PART Supports These Organizations
The Westford Food Pantry provides services for individuals and families in the local community and surrounding towns with emergency, short and long-term needs for quality fresh and dry foods along with personal care and household items. You can donate food at five drop-box locations in Westford and at the Food Pantry itself. For a location list, go here.
PO BOX 503
Westford, MA 01886
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