Join us June 27–28 at Heald Street Orchard in Pepperell MA for ARRL Field Day, amateur radio’s biggest annual event, a nationwide, off-the-grid communications exercise that brings together thousands of hams across the U.S. for 24 hours of radio, resilience, community, and FUN.

First held in 1933, Field Day is part emergency drill, part outdoor adventure, and part contest, testing our ability to deploy radios and antennas anywhere, anytime, using backup power when traditional systems go down.

Radio signals travel across the country and around the world, even when the internet and cell towers can’t.

This year, we’ll be operating from the high ground at Heald Street Orchard in Pepperell, MA, transforming an open meadow into a temporary, self-sufficient communications hub.

Whether you’re here to operate, learn, or just check out what ham radio is all about, you’ll find hands-on STEM demos, a GOTA tent for unlicensed visitors.

Stations you’ll find on-site:
1 Phone (voice) station
1 CW / Digital (Morse code and Digital Communications) station
1 VHF / UHF / Satellite station
1 GOTA station (Get On The Air – for guests and newcomers, no license required!)
STEM & Educational Activities

Throughout the weekend we’ll be offering hands-on demonstrations and informal talks on:

Radio frequency (RF) science – how we create and transmit signals
Signal propagation – how signals travel across terrain and around the world
Antenna design – the physics and strategy behind getting on the air
Digital modes & software – decoding, sending, and logging radio traffic
Emergency preparedness – how amateur radio keeps working when the grid goes down

Whether you’re into amateur radio, electronics, emergency planning, software, or just good old-fashioned tinkering, there’s something to learn (and try out!) at Field Day.
YOU are invited! Feel free to bring family members and friends!

When: June 27th and 28th. Radio operations from 2 PM Saturday through 2 PM Sunday.  Setup after 9 AM Saturday

Where:  Heald Street Orchard in Pepperell.  Entrance adjacent to 119 Heald Street.

For more information, contact Bruce Blain at K1BG.bruce@gmail.com

I got it past my proof reader.

Read it here.

https://youtu.be/i1p8glqWids?si=QiKFoZ_P4f57TToj

The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club’s May meeting is Thursday, May 21st, at the Pepperell Community Center. We’ll start socializing at 7:00 PM, with the main meeting kicking off at 7:30 PM.

Guest Speaker: Phil Erickson, W1PJE

Part 97 of the FCC rules states that a primary purpose of the amateur radio service is the “Continuation and extension of the amateur’s proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art.” Recent advances in the fields of computing, software defined radio, and signal processing provide unprecedented opportunities for radio amateurs to meet this mandate, specifically in the field of radio science.

HamSCI (https://hamsci.org/), the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, is a platform for the publicity and promotion of projects related to this.

Phil will provide an update on HamSCI activities from the recent March 2026 workshop held near ARRL headquarters, including the current configuration of the Personal Space Weather Station and other relevant projects. Phil is a wonderful speaker, and we are all looking forward to the presentation.

Hope to see you there.  Feel free to bring a family member or friend!

Rod WA1TAC recently took this antenna out of service and it’s surplus to his needs.

Rod is generously offering it to anyone who needs such an antenna.

Contact Rod.