The BEARS of Manchester
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Your Ham Radio Club
This non-profit all-volunteer Amateur Radio association maintains the BEARS (W1BRS) 145.110 MHz repeater PL 77
Throughout the year we support public service events, hold training classes for amateur radio licenses and hold on-the-air traffic nets Monday through Friday to uphold the traditions of Amateur Radio.
Hats off to Jimmy Altman a reporter at FOX61 News for featuring amateur radio in public service while the BEARS of Manchester proudly prepare to support Manchester’s Thanksgiving Day Road Race
Monthly Club Meetings
The club meets at 7 pm on the second Wednesday of every month except in the months of June, July and August at the Manchester EOC also known as the Department of Public Works located at 321 Olcott Street
Members meet for breakfasts on the 1st Saturdays of the month at various restaurants at 8am and on the 3rd Wednesdays of the month at The Gathering Restaurant in Manchester at 9:30am
Your amateur radio skills can make a difference
Help Your Community in Emergencies! Volunteer today. Your amateur radio skills can make a difference. The Manchester Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trains volunteers to assist in disasters and emergencies.
Licensed Hams:
Help Support the REpeater by becoming a member
Courage Kenny Handiham Program
- What it is: A program run by the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minnesota, USA. It helps persons with physical, sensory, or learning disabilities (or combinations thereof) become effective amateur radio operators.
- Offerings:
- Study/License Courses: Audio lecture series for Technician, General, Extra Class. Delivered self-paced, online. Active Elements+1
- Operating Skills Training: For those who already have a license and wish to improve operation skills. handiham.org
- Audio & Braille/DAISY & MP3 Materials: Manuals, tutorials, rig tutorials (often from blind users) in accessible audio formats. Active Elements+2handiham.org+2
- Remote Base Stations: They provide remote HF stations (i.e. you can use them over the Internet/other remote methods) so that a member doesn’t need to have all equipment at home. Active Elements+1
- Equipment Loans / Donation Program: Helps with getting equipment, both via loan and via matching donated equipment to people who need it. Active Elements+1
- Radio Camps: In-person camps for hands-on training (antenna theory, portable operation, etc.). These are accessible and adapted. Active Elements+2ardc.net+2
- Who is eligible: Anyone with physical, sensory, or learning disabilities. Blind or visually impaired, mobility issues, etc. Also helps with reading disabilities. OnAllBands+1
Club Activities
- Radio Direction Finding
( Fox Hunting )- BEARS members maintain low wattage amateur radio transmitters for the purpose of other hams to search and locate these devices in the field
- BEARS Traffic Nets
- Meets 8pm weeknights
- Informal swap net on Tuesdays at 8pm
- All nets are held on the W1BRS VHF repeater
- 145.110, offset -600, PL tone 77
- BEARS Breakfasts
- 8am 1st Saturday of the Month at various restaurants
- 9:30 3rd Wednesday of month at the Gathering Restaurant in Manchester
- BEARS monthly member meetings at Manchester EOC
- Meets 7pm 2nd Wednesdays
except for the months of June, July and August
- Meets 7pm 2nd Wednesdays
- Annual BEARS Summer Picnic
- Early to mid June in lieu of a monthly meeting
- Annual ARRL Field Day
- Fourth full weekend in June at the Manchester Recreation Center (a.k.a Nike Site) 225 Garden Grove Rd, Manchester
- Supporting Public Service events in Manchester
- Annual Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day
- Annual Little Manchester Road Race typically the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving Day
- Assisting local CERT teams with their public events when invited
Requested Tips and Tools From Our Club Members
- If you need to test your signal into a repeater do so by saying your call sign followed by “testing.” If you hear the repeater’s courtesy tone after you speak, you’re successfully reaching it. When keying the mic to test your signal to the repeater always always say your callsign and never just key the mic without identifying yourself. That is considered very poor practice and reflects poorly on yourself.
- Always listen first before transmitting. If the repeater is busy, wait for a break before calling. Ask if the repeater is in use before speaking and avoid interrupting ongoing conversations.
- Repeater etiquette is important. Welcome new operators, be friendly, and keep conversations concise to allow others to use the repeater.
- Remember, repeaters aren’t private. Your conversations can be heard by many, so use polite language and be mindful of who might be listening. Always refrain from speaking unkindly about others, as it only reflrects negatively on yourself.
- Mistakes happen. If you accidentally interrupt a conversation, apologize and move on.
- For more tips, check out suggestions from Dana Underhill KB1AEV, owner of the KB1AEV & Linked Repeater System.
Current Band Conditions
- Data for VHF Conditions is from
DXrobot – Gouda, Make More Miles on VHF,
and Andy (G7IZU) (all used with permission). - Data for Solar Flare Probability is from
University of Bradford (used with permission). - Data for solar data and conditions from
NOAA SWPC, solar flux from Space WX Canada, MUF data from Lowell GIRO Data Center (LGDC), solar images from NASA, and world map/globes/solar system from Fourmilab (credit given)
Propagation
- RF Line Of Sight
- Propagation Predictions
- Live RF Propagation Maps