[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] Fwd: MARCH 202 VIRGINIA SECTION UPDATE NEWS LETTER

Fri Mar 13 15:15:24 EDT 2020

Looks like Winterfest is cancelled

-------- Original Message --------
 Subject: MARCH 202 VIRGINIA SECTION UPDATE NEWS LETTER
 From: ARRL Members Only Web site <memberlist at www.arrl.org>
 Sent: Friday, March 13, 2020, 2:06 PM
 To: N4ASX at cox.net
 CC: 

MARCH 2020 VIRGINIA SECTION UPDATE LETTER

This report is a bit late because of numerous items, including ham radio
items, that are drastically changing in Virginia as well as the world
today, as I am writing this.

First I must address the CORONA VIRUS , PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING
INFORMATION:
There is currently NO vaccine to prevent CORONA VIRUS disease 2019
(COVID-19). The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to
this virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday
preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases,
including:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
•	Stay home when you are sick.
•	Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in
the trash.
•	Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a
regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
•	Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
o	CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to
protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
o	Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to
help prevent the spread of the disease to  others. The use of facemasks
is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of
someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).
•	Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds,
especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing
your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
o	If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand
sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and
water if hands are visibly dirty.

For more information on the corona virus please visit the CDC website:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html 

BE AWARE of cancellations of Hamfests and Conventions: There ARE many.

The March 29 AUXCOMM conference in NVA is cancelled because the
community college location is closed because of the virus. It will be
announced when rescheduled. 

ARES Connect is moving along well and people still need to be careful
when registering because it is easy to wind up being registered for the
wrong location. Stafford County and the City of Roanoke are two more new
additions to Connect. 

Virginia legislature has adjourned their normal yearly session. With
this being said, initially there were several bills in both houses that
were directed at distracted driving. In the end, consolidation and
agreements resulted in HB874 which is now signed by the governor and
goes into effect January 1, 2021. I would like to note the great effort
by Win Grant W4WIN, our ASM State Legislative Legal Specialist and all
of our Virginia Hams who contacted their local representatives to
support our efforts. Please see below the final bill signed into law,
where amateur radio is exempted:

2020 SESSION
ENROLLED
1 VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY –– CHAPTER
2 An Act to amend and reenact § 46.2-868 of the Code of Virginia, to
amend the Code of Virginia by
3 adding in Article 1 of Chapter 8 of Title 46.2 a section numbered
46.2-818.2, and to repeal
4 § 46.2-1078.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to holding handheld
personal communication devices
5 while driving a motor vehicle; report.
6 [H 874]
7 Approved
8 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
9 1. That § 46.2-868 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted
and that the Code of Virginia
10 is amended by adding in Article 1 of Chapter 8 of Title 46.2 a
section numbered 46.2-818.2 as
11 follows:
12 § 46.2-818.2. Use of handheld personal communications devices in
certain motor vehicles;
13 exceptions; penalty.
14 A. It is unlawful for any person, while driving a moving motor
vehicle on the highways in the
15 Commonwealth, to hold a handheld personal communications device.
16 B. The provisions of this section shall not apply to:
17 1. The operator of any emergency vehicle while he is engaged in the
performance of his official
18 duties;
19 2. An operator who is lawfully parked or stopped;
20 3. Any person using a handheld personal communications device to
report an emergency;
21 4. The use of an amateur or a citizens band radio; or
22 5. The operator of any Department of Transportation vehicle or
vehicle operated pursuant to the
23 Department of Transportation safety service patrol program or
pursuant to a contract with the
24 Department of Transportation for, or that includes, traffic incident
management services as defined in
25 subsection B of § 46.2-920.1 during the performance of traffic
incident management services.
26 C. A violation of this section is a traffic infraction punishable,
for a first offense, by a fine of $125
27 and, for a second or subsequent offense, by a fine of $250. If a
violation of this section occurs in a
28 highway work zone, it shall be punishable by a mandatory fine of
$250.
29 D. For the purposes of this section:
30 "Emergency vehicle" means:
31 1. Any law-enforcement vehicle operated by or under the direction of
a federal, state, or local
32 law-enforcement officer while engaged in the performance of official
duties;
33 2. Any regional detention center vehicle operated by or under the
direction of a correctional officer
34 responding to an emergency call or operating in an emergency
situation;
35 3. Any vehicle used to fight fire, including publicly owned state
forest warden vehicles, when
36 traveling in response to a fire alarm or emergency call;
37 4. Any emergency medical services vehicle designed or used for the
principal purpose of supplying
38 resuscitation or emergency relief where human life is endangered;
39 5. Any Department of Emergency Management vehicle or Office of
Emergency Medical Services
40 vehicle, when responding to an emergency call or operating in an
emergency situation;
41 6. Any Department of Corrections vehicle designated by the Director
of the Department of
42 Corrections, when (i) responding to an emergency call at a
correctional facility, (ii) participating in a
43 drug-related investigation, (iii) pursuing escapees from a
correctional facility, or (iv) responding to a
44 request for assistance from a law-enforcement officer; and
45 7. Any vehicle authorized to be equipped with alternating, blinking,
or flashing red or red and white
46 secondary warning lights pursuant to § 46.2-1029.2.
47 "Highway work zone" means a construction or maintenance area that is
located on or beside a
48 highway and is marked by appropriate warning signs with attached
flashing lights or other traffic
49 control devices indicating that work is in progress.
50 E. Distracted driving shall be included as a part of the driver's
license knowledge examination.
51 § 46.2-868. Reckless driving; penalties.
52 A. Every person convicted of reckless driving under the provisions of
this article is guilty of a Class
53 1 misdemeanor.
54 B. Every person convicted of reckless driving under the provisions of
this article who, when he
55 committed the offense, (i) was driving without a valid operator's
license due to a suspension or
56 revocation for a moving violation and, (ii) as the sole and proximate
result of his reckless driving,
ENROLLED HB874ER
2 of 2
57 caused the death of another, is guilty of a Class 6 felony.
58 C. The punishment for every person convicted of reckless driving
under the provisions of this article
59 who, when he committed the offense, was in violation of §
46.2-1078.1 § 46.2-818.2 shall include a
60 mandatory minimum fine of $250.
61 2. That § 46.2-1078.1 of the Code of Virginia is repealed.
62 3. That the provisions of this act shall become effective on January
1, 2021.
63 4. That the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and DRIVE SMART
Virginia shall create
64 training and educational materials on the implementation and
enforcement of this act to be made
65 available to law-enforcement agencies.
66 5. That DRIVE SMART Virginia and other traffic safety organizations
shall develop and provide
67 educational materials to the public regarding the provisions of this
act prior to its effective date.
68 6. That the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the
House Committee for
69 Courts of Justice shall annually request the Office of the Executive
Secretary to report all of the
70 citations issued pursuant to the provisions of this act and, to the
extent available, the relevant
71 demographic characteristics of those persons issued a citation.

The new “ON the Air” ARRL magazine should be hitting the streets
this week and the digital edition will be available Friday

The ARRL Liability Insurance program is available to ALL HAM CLUBS. You
DO NOT NEED to be an ARRL affiliated ham club to qualify for the
program. ANY ARES group can participate as long as they can be
identified as a CLUB.

Hurricane Season is coming.   Hurricane Season: Some Nets to Know

Caribbean Emergency and Weather Net – Meets daily at 1030Z and 2230Z
on 3815 kHz. The Caribbean Emergency and Weather Net was established in
1958 by Colonel Henry Frew, KV4BZ, for the purpose of having a general
calling frequency for the Caribbean Islands and their North and South
American friends. The net’s original name was the Antilles Emergency
Net.
Hurricane Watch Net — 14.325 MHz (day)/7.268 MHz (night). Activated
whenever a hurricane is within 300 statute miles of expected land-fall.
Disseminates storm information and relays meteorological data to
National Hurricane Center via embedded NHC station WX4NHC. Also relays
post-storm damage reports and other relevant information.
Intercontinental Net — 7 AM to noon US Eastern Time – 14.300 MHz.
Provides a means of emergency communications to any location where the
normal means are disrupted by local disaster such as fire, earthquake,
storms, floods and terrorist activity.
Maritime Mobile Service Net — 12 PM to 9 PM US EST or 12 PM to 10 PM
EDT – 14.300 MHz – The network acts as a weather beacon for ships
during periods of severe weather and regularly repeats high seas and
tropical weather warnings and bulletins from the National Weather
Service and the National Hurricane Center.
14.300 MHz Net Information – More information about nets on 14.300
MHz.
Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) – 14.265 MHz –
The purpose of the SATERN net is to support the Salvation Army
operations in local, regional and international disaster situations, as
well as other functions.
VOiP SKYWARN/Hurricane Net — A weekly Prep Net is held on Sundays at
0000 UTC, which is Saturday evenings for most of North America. Join by
connecting to the EchoLink WX-TALK conference server, IRLP Reflector
9219 or if necessary to one of the backup systems. Monitor the net
during hurricanes and other major severe weather events.

ALL HAMS IN VIRGINIA –PLEASE pay attention to your local health and
government agencies. This virus is MANY,MANY more times lethal that the
normal flu virus we are used to coming around each year. 
Dr Joe Palsa
Virginia Section Manager
K3wry at arrl.org
804-350-2665

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ARRL Virginia Section
Section Manager: Dr Joseph G Palsa, K3WRY
k3wry at arrl.org
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