09/15/2022

by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R

The Big E, "New England's Great State Fair," kicks off on Friday, September 16,
2022, and includes Project Big E[1], a 17-day amateur radio exhibit that runs
through October 2, 2022. The fair, held in West Springfield, Massachusetts, is
the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the sixth-largest
fair in the nation.

Planning for Project Big E began in 2021 by Larry Krainson, W1AST, ARRL Western
Massachusetts Section Affiliated Club Coordinator and President of the Hampden
County Radio Association[2] (HCRA), as well as its members and other interested
individuals. They envisioned an exhibit that would demonstrate the many aspects
of modern ham radio and provide an opportunity for future amateur radio
operators to sign up for information and courses in their local area.

"If just one-tenth of one percent of attendees sign up for ham classes, that
would be 1,600 names to distribute to all New England radio clubs," said
Krainson. "We would all benefit and grow ham radio," he added.

HCRA will operate special event station N1E during the 17-day event. A donation
from Remote Ham Radio[3] (RHR) will allow N1E access to remote stations
throughout the entire event.

Additional highlights at the event will include:

o An Emergency Communications (EmComm) display
o D-STAR and/or other digital mobile mode demo
o Digital HF modes on a big screen
o SSB, CW, and digital modes
o Demonstrations of portable stations for field operation, such a Parks on
the Air (POTA) and Summits on the Air (SOTA)
o Youth in ham radio

A related effort includes The BIG E Space Chat involving a scheduled ham radio
contact from the fair with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station
(ISS). The contact is organized through Amateur Radio on the International
Space Station[4] (ARISS). At press time, the contact is scheduled to take place
in The Big E Arena between September 27 - 29. The exact date and time will not
be known until a decision is made by NASA approximately a week before the
event.

Around a dozen youth associated with New England Sci-Tech[5] (NEST), a STEM
learning and makerspace center in Natick, Massachusetts, have been selected to
participate in The BIG E Space Chat. They will each get to ask the astronaut
questions that will be relayed via an ARISS telebridge ground station - an
amateur radio station that will establish radio contact with the ISS, and then
relay the signals to the student group at The Big E.

In addition to making a once-in-a-lifetime contact from The Big E with an
astronaut in space, the students are participating in in-person and virtual
educational activities over a 12-month period. These experiences include
building and launching a beginner-level model rocket, earning an amateur radio
license, participating in a basic electronics course, and learning about
astronomy, satellite communications, and other space-related science.

ARISS Mentor and ARRL New England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, is
providing overall coordination between ARISS and the science education program
component provided by NEST. Ray Lajoie, AA1SE, is responsible for pre-contact
programming as well as the stage audio-video setup at The Big E Arena, a
performance venue that can accommodate up to 3,000 people with additional
capacity for folks to stand.

A number of other organizations - both local as well as international - will
play critical roles in ensuring a successful contact with the ISS from The Big
E venue. A 45-minute pre-contact program will feature inspirational videos
about the ISS, space, and previous contacts. Introductory remarks will be made
by Kemmerer; Eastern States Exposition President and CEO Gene Cassidy; ARRL CEO
David Minster, NA2AA, and NEST President Bob Phinney, K5TEC.

The Big E Project was awarded a grant by Amateur Radio Digital Communications
(ARDC), a private foundation that supports amateur radio and digital
communication science and technology.

In 2021, The Big E had 1.5 million visitors, and over 1.6 million visitors in
2019. Visit The Big E[6] website for additional information. More information
about Project Big E can be found at the ARRL New England Division[7] website.

-- Thanks to ARRL New England Division Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, for
some of the information in this article.

[1] https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e/
[2] http://www.hcra.org
[3] https://www.remotehamradio.com/
[4] https://www.ariss.org/
[5] https://nescitech.org/
[6] https://www.thebige.com
[7] https://nediv.arrl.org/project-big-e/

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Re: Amateur Radio Takes Center Stage at The Big E
By: ARRL de WD1CKS to QST on Thu Sep 15 2022 20:35:50

AD> The Big E, "New England's Great State Fair," kicks off on Friday, September 16, 2022, and includes Project Big E[1], a 17-day amateur radio exhibit that runs through October 2, 2022. The fair, held in
AD> West Springfield, Massachusetts, is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the sixth-largest fair in the nation.

I wish them all the best, does it count I still use packet to log into my bbs occasionally :D

73 de wx4cb
Charles Blackburn
SYSOP - The F.B.O BBS
Aviation related fun @ bbs.thefbo.us IPV4 and IPV6
DOVE-Net
Coming soon: FSX-Net, FIDO-Net

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