UPDATE: Technician License Class

Falmouth Amateur Radio Association (FARA) is offering an amateur radio license class in September.   Details of the class are shown below.  

Technician Class License Course:

Class Dates: Sept. 19 - 21, 2025

Class Schedule:

Friday: Sept. 19, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday: Sept. 20,  8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday:  Sept. 21, 8:00 AM – Noon, Lunch break and Test Session

(Please sign up by September 4th, to receive your study guides and materials in time for you to properly prepare for the class.)

Exam: Sunday, Sep. 21 after class

Location: Falmouth Fire Station, Main Street, 2nd Floor, EOC Room

Text: Provided

Course Fee: $50

The course fee includes the following:

1) Fifteen hours of classroom instruction
2) ARRL Course Manual
3) Online test practice and tutoring
4) Refreshments
5) Access to instructors for questions & tutoring
6) License exam
7) 1-year membership with FARA
8) Admission to the next FARA Fest
9) VHF/UHF handheld radio (if the student passes the examination).

This is a great value for anyone seeking to get their license, as the total cost of the individual items is well over $100.

Contact Charlie Bresnahan, K1CB via email at: kilo1cb@aol.com for further information.  See https://www.falara.org/exams-classes/license-classes for complete details.

Paul White Road Race Comm Support

FARA volunteers supplied communications and medical support for the 46th Annual Paul White Road Race in North Falmouth. This is a new volunteer opportunity for FARA. Held every July, the 4.81-mile race begins and ends on Chester Street between North Falmouth Library and Megansett Park (the site of the market owned by Paul White and his wife, Audrey, for many years). This race was created to commemorate local legend Paul White.  The Race is the main fundraiser for the North Falmouth Village Association. The monies raised will be used to fund NFVA operating costs and four college scholarships for North Falmouth graduating seniors.

FARA members Mel-K1ELB, Barry-KB1TLR, Ralph-N1YHS, Jeremy-WA1JRC, Matt-KB1MLP, Tim-W1TCD, Chris-WA1CMR, Tegan-KC1VOS, Henry-K1WCC, Alden-K1IZB, Phil-KB1DOS, and Glen-KC1GKT volunteered to assist with the event.  Mel and Alden worked with the Medical Team.  Phil and Glen did double duty with both Communications and Medical.

Some photos and a video clip of the event follow:

Field Day 2025

FARA's Field Day (FD) began on Friday, 27 June.  The setup group met at the club storage container, which holds the club's FD materials.  The group loaded up and transported the towers, beams, coils of coax cables, dipoles, tools, tables and related items to the FD location at the Morse Pond School.

Once at the FD location, the primary tasks were to setup the communications trailer and generators, assemble and test three beams, setup three towers with beams and dipole halyards, and run coaxial cable between the towers and the trailer.   The goal was to have the towers ready to raise on Saturday.  Setup went smoothly and was quickly done.

On Saturday morning, the SSB and CW stations were setup in the communications trailer.  The towers were raised.  The generators were started early to allow for testing. The GOTA station was setup under the fixed shelter to be more publicly accessible.  A VHF station, primarily for use for Winlink message traffic, was also setup under the fixed shelter.  In addition, a VHF/UHF station for satellite operation was setup when satellite passes were available.

Operations commenced at 1400 local time and continued until 1400 on Sunday, 29 June.  The SSB station operators made 839 contacts and the CW station operators made 1,439 contacts.  Contacts were made with all US ARRL sections and nine of the fourteen Canadian sections.  Two DX contacts were made via CW.

The GOTA station had one youth operator who made eleven contacts.  Messages were sent via Winlink to the EMA section manager and to ten local and state officials.  Two satellite contacts were also made during FD.

FARA's total contact points, which include a 2X multiplier for CW contacts and another 2X power multiplier for all contacts, are 7,434 points.  We also qualified for bonus points totaling 1,625 points.  FARA's total claimed score is 9,059--a great score.

We had a nice cookout on Saturday with hot dogs, burgers, and sausages.  A sausage, hash browns, and egg breakfast was served on Sunday morning for the overnight crew and anyone else that attended.  Mike, KC1HKW, kept us all well fed and hydrated throughout the FD weekend.

Sunday afternoon, the teardown crew took everything down, packed it into vehicles and transported the equipment to the storage container.  The container was loaded and locked by approximately 1600--a very quick and efficient disassembly operation!

A gallery of photo's taken by Ralph, N1YHS and Larry, W1IZZ can be viewed at this link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rbASMK1z3iH2Eaxx8