On this page: who we are • meetings • projects • membership • officers • appointees • more about Amateur Radio
Nearby: Newsletter • Public Service Events • Membership Applicaion
Public Service Season is underway; please see our planned events schedule.
Field Day is an annual nationwide test in which tens of thousands of Amateur Radio operators gather on the air to demonstrate emergency communications capabilities. NVARC will be operating N1NC from the Lost Lake Fire Station in Groton Massachusetts. The Lost Lake fire station is easy to reach from Groton center, and has convenient parking. Take Rt 40 east 1.8 miles and turn right on Lost Lake Road. The fire station is .8 miles on the left. For a map, enter N1NC into the "location or callsign" field of the ARRL Field Day site locator .
The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club (NVARC) was formed in Groton, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1992 and has grown from the original 13 founders to over 60 members. While our membership is centered in the towns of Groton and Pepperell, Massachusetts, our membership includes residents from many communities in north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.
The purpose of NVARC is to facilitate the exchange of information and general cooperation relating to Amateur Radio and to conduct club programs and activities to advance the interest and welfare of Amateur Radio in the general community. For more information on public service events utilizing Amateur Radio please visit the PSLIST page. The FoxFinder, described in April 2001 QST, is a project of several NVARC members. The Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club also sponsors the Worked All Massachusetts Counties Award.
We have participated in the ARISS program by providing communications for the Hawthorne Brook Middle School to talk to the International Space Station November of 2005. The club organizes radio support for several public service events in our local area. We regularly participate in Field Day; see photos from Field Day 2006.
NVARC is a Special Service Club of the ARRL, the US national association for Amateur Radio. Special Service Clubs are actively involved in new Ham development and training, public relations, emergency communications, technical advancement, and operating activities. One of our non-radio activities is the 2 mile stretch of route 119 in Groton and Pepperell along which we pick up trash monthly as part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Adopt-A-Highway program. A sign at the east end of our section provides constant publicity.
NVARC meets the third Thursday of each month except July and August at the Pepperell Community Center. The May meeting is relocated to the Pepperell Lawrence Library if — as has been the case for several years — the Library book sale is using the Community Center that month. The April issue of the Signal will usually announce when this is the case, as will the Library event calendar. The meetings start at 7:30 PM. The meetings are social with a guest speaker or program for each meeting.
NVARC members have engaged in several special projects to benefit the Amateur Radio Community. Materials are available on this site for:
NVARC also hosts the Web site for the Central Mass 2 Meter (traffic) Net as of April 2007.
The club provides its monthly newsletter the Signal and yearbook to all members. While the club does mail some printed newsletters to members, as exchanges with other clubs, and to ARRL officials, we encourage interested readers to take advantage of the electronic version.
NVARC welcomes all persons with an interest in Amateur Radio. Yearly membership dues are $15 for an individual and $20 for a family and include the monthly newsletter either electronically or in printed form mailed to you. To join fill out a membership application and submit it to our Treasurer with your dues at a monthly meeting or send it to NVARC, PO Box 900, Pepperell, MA. 01463. In November 2008 the Board initiated a recognition program to acknowledge contributions of individual Club members in achieving the 5 principles of the Amateur Radio Service.
| President | Stan Pozerski, KD1LE |
| Vice President | Peter Nordberg, N1ZRG |
| Treasurer | Ralph Swick, KD1SM |
| Secretary | John Griswold, KK1X |
| Director | Bob Reif, W1XP |
| Director | Skip Youngberg, K1NKR |
| Director | Joel Magid, W1JMM |
| Newsletter Editor | Stan Pozerski, KD1LE |
| Public Information Officer | Dave Peabody, N1MNX |
| Emergency Coordinator | Larry Swezey, KB1ESR |
| Librarian | Peter Nordberg, N1ZRG |
| Property Master | John Griswold, KK1X |
| Awards Manager | John Griswold, KK1X |
| N1NC Trustee | Bruce Blain, K1BG |
NVARC has created a brochure, "Amateur Radio: Hobby of a Lifetime and a Public Service", intended to explain to non-Hams some of the reasons why Amateur Radio is an important part of the community.
"Amateur Radio: Getting the message through for your family and community" describes the role of Amateur Radio in emergency communications. Real-world stories include the contribution of Amateur Radio volunteers in the Katrina relief operation.
The Eastern Massachusetts ARRL Section and Western Massachusetts ARRL Section Web sites provide information from and about the local ARRL field organization, including public service and club activities.
For materials on getting an Amateur Radio license, visit "How to get started in Amateur Radio". A list of upcoming exam sessions in CT, MA, and NH will help you find a convenient testing session when you are ready.
The New England Division Public Service List contains upcoming requests for Amateur Radio volunteers for community events including marathons, road races, and parades.
National Incident Management System (NIMS) Training.