[GVARC] May Newsletter
Tony
[email protected]
Sun, 19 May 2002 18:48:36 -0700
************************* Garlic Valley ******************************
Volume 17 May 2002
******************* Amateur Radio Club Newsletter ********************
GVARC OFFICERS
President Frank Fahrlander, N7FF
Vice President Ed Vines, KG6WU
Secretary Mark Deger, KG6IFQ
Treasurer Tony Armendariz, AD6ID
Newsletter Editor Tony Armendariz, AD6ID
WEBster Claud Furnare, NA6W
Web Site http://www.qsl.net/gvarc
FEATURES IN THIS ISSUE:
NEXT CLUB MEETING
GVARC MEMBERSHIP
FREE WORLD RADIO SUBSCRIPTIONS
FIELD DAY IS NEXT MONTH
HAM RADIO PHENOMENON
BILL COULD PROVIDE CC&R RELIEF
FCC - 5 MHz, 136 kHz AND 2400-2402 MHz PROPOSALS
ARRL CONTEST LOG CHECK REPORTS ONLINE
June 2002 CONTESTS
COMING EVENTS
***NEXT CLUB MEETING - Saturday, 25-May-02
--------------------
GVARC usually meets on the LAST Saturday of each month, at the Little
House Restaurant in Gilroy on Monterey Avenue (near the car dealers in
front of Motel 6). From the North or South, take the Monterey St. exit
from highway 101 (south end of Gilroy) and head north. We trickle in
about 8 a.m. and eat at 8:30ish. The South County ARES net is held
each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on K6THR/R (147.825 -.600, no PL).
***GVARC MEMBERSHIP
-------------------
Dues for all members become payable each January. The annual cost is
only $20 per person and $10 for each family member in the same
household. Membership dues helps such things as the K6THR/R repeater,
this newsletter, emergency readiness, etc. Membership, not required for
general use of the repeater, adds autopatch and autodial privileges.
GVARC is a non-profit organization per IRS section 501(c)(4) - we
don't make any money, do service for the community, but are not a
charity.
To join or for more information, please contact the treasurer:
Tony Armendariz, AD6ID
11950 New Avenue
Gilroy, CA 95020
408-683-2025 home
Internet: [email protected]
***FREE WORLD RADIO SUBSCRIPTIONS
---------------------------------
We have eight 1 year subscriptions to World Radio to hand out to
club members. Since I have them, I thought I'd offer one to each member
who contributes a story to this newsletter.
The write ups don't have to be polished; I will do that (Editor,
right?). The best kind is something local and personal; something from
your own experience.
More about World Radio at http://www.wr6wr.com/.
***FIELD DAY IS NEXT MONTH
--------------------------
Yes, we've talked about this recently. Field Day is getting closer than
we think - only 6+ weeks; June 28-30. Here are the probable plans.
We are still undecided whether to use the club tri-band beam. If there
are enough of you who want the beam, we can get it up. But on the other
hand, the wire antennas we used last year worked just fine - and they
build skill and character Hi,Hi!
We're still planning on a laptop for each HF station. We also will have
them networked together so all stations see all logged QSOs.
We will also have the usual 2M and 6M stations with beams.
Field day is alway great fun for experienced operators. But it's
downright exciting for newer HAMs, as you will be able to operate
anyplace on any band as all HF stations have an Extra control operator.
It's a great oportunity to get acquanted with the HF bands and enjoy
working as a team with other HAMs.
-- de AD6ID
***HAM RADIO PHENOMENON
-----------------------
Ham radio could have role in Phenomenon sequel: Amateur Radio is poised
to hit the big screen yet again in a movie tentatively titled Phenomenon
II. Phenomenon debuted in 1996 and featured John Travolta and his ham
operator friend Forest Whitaker. In one scene, Travolta's character
appears to be able to copy RTTY transmissions by ear. For the original
Phenomenon movie, ARRL provided several props for the ham radio shack.
The sequel is still in the very early stages of development. A
researcher working on checking facts in the script contacted ARRL to ask
if operators actually used the term "CQ" when initiating contacts. She
also told ARRL Media Relations Manager Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY, that the
possibility exists for the creation of a television series based on the
Phenomenon movies. Hagy offered further assistance if needed. No further
details were immediately available.
-- ARRL
***BILL COULD PROVIDE CC&R RELIEF
---------------------------------
A bill introduced in Congress this week could provide relief to amateurs
prevented by private deed covenants, conditions and restrictions -
CC&Rs--from installing outdoor antennas. Rep Steve Israel (D-NY)
introduced the "Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act"
on May 14. The bill has been designated H.R. 4720. Rep Greg Walden,
WB7OCE (R-OR)--the only Amateur Radio operator in Congress--and Rep Pete
Sessions (R-TX) have signed on as original cosponsors.
With respect to ham antennas, the measure would subject private land-use
regulations to the PRB-1 limited federal preemption that now applies
only to governmental zoning and land-use regulations. It contains but
one sentence: "For purposes of the Federal Communications Commission's
regulation relating to station antenna structures in the Amateur Radio
Service (47 CFR 97.15), any private land use rules applicable to such
structures shall be treated as a state or local regulation and shall be
subject to the same requirements and limitations as a state or local
regulation."
H.R. 4720 is expected to be assigned to the Telecommunications and
Internet Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Israel, whose father, Howard, is K2JCC, noted in a statement read into
the Congressional Record that the FCC does not now apply PRB-1
consistently. "My bill addresses this issue and provides amateur radio
licensees with the ability to negotiate reasonable accommodation
provisions with homeowners' associations, just as they do now with
public land-use regulators."
After the ARRL ran into a brick wall trying to convince the FCC to
include CC&Rs under PRB-1, the League's Board of Directors agreed to
pursue a congressional remedy. ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, and
other League officials met with Israel, Walden, Sessions and others on
Capitol Hill earlier this year to discuss the prospect of such a bill
and how it should be worded. With the proposal now in the legislative
hopper, Haynie urged ARRL members to write their members of Congress and
voice support for the measure.
Haynie said the important thing to point out is that the bill, if passed
by both houses of Congress and signed by the president, would give
amateurs living under CC&Rs an opportunity for reasonable accommodation
they don't have now.
Visit the US House of Representatives "Write Your Representative
Service" Web page <http://www.house.gov/writerep/> for information on
how to contact your representative. A sample letter is available on the
ARRL Web site
<http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2002/05/14/102/sample-letter.html>.
ARRL requests those writing or e-mailing members of Congress to copy
ARRL on their correspondence--via e-mail to [email protected] or via US
Mail to CC&R Bill, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. Include the
bill number--H.R. 4720--your name and address on all correspondence.
-- ARRL
***FCC - 5 MHz, 136 kHz AND 2400-2402 MHz PROPOSALS
---------------------------------------------------
The FCC has released the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in ET Docket
02-98, which proposes to create new amateur allocations at 5 MHz and 136
kHz and to elevate the status of Amateur Radio at 2400 to 2402 MHz from
secondary to primary. In response to separate petitions filed by the
ARRL, the FCC voted unanimously May 2 to adopt the NPRM in ET Docket
02-98.
The Commission announced in a Public Notice released May 9 that it would
propose a new, secondary, domestic (US-only) HF allocation at 5.25 to
5.4 MHz and a new LF allocation 135.7 to 137.8 kHz. If eventually
approved, the 5 MHz band would be the first new HF allocation since the
early 1980s, when amateurs got 30, 17 and 12 meters. The LF allocation
would be the first ever for US hams. The FCC said it received 87
comments on the 5 MHz proposal and 32 comments on the LF proposal.
"We agree with ARRL that propagation and interference conditions in the
3500 kHz and 7000 kHz bands could hinder effective amateur HF
communications," the FCC said in its NPRM. "In particular, as ARRL
indicates, the nature of the ionosphere prevents communications during
certain portions of the day because of increased atmospheric noise
levels at certain times on certain frequencies."
The FCC said ARRL's WA2XSY experimental operation "appears to support
its contention" that the band could supplement 80 and 40 meters at
certain times.
The FCC has proposed letting amateurs operate at full legal limit on a
new 5 MHz allocation, but it left open for further discussion whether to
restrict the band to Amateur Extra Class licensees or make it available
to General and higher class licensees. The FCC also invited further
comment on whether the band should be broken down into mode-specific
subbands. The ARRL had proposed opening the entire band to RTTY, data
(including CW), phone and image emission types.
Assuming the 5-MHz band eventually is authorized, it could be a few
years before it actually becomes available. The band 5.250 to 5.450 MHz
now is allocated to Fixed and Mobile services on a co-primary basis in
all three ITU regions.
On 136 kHz, the FCC has proposed mirroring technical limits suggested by
Canada during World Radiocommunication Conference 2003 preparations to 1
W effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and with a transmission
bandwidth of only 100 Hz. The ARRL has asked for than 2 W EIRP and a
maximum transmitter power of 200 W PEP.
The FCC proposed no restrictions on antenna size or design, saying it
did not want to inhibit experimentation by hams. It proposed to limit
access to the band to General and higher-class licensees, as ARRL had
proposed.
The FCC said it was reluctant to also propose allocating an amateur band
at 160 to 190 kHz--as ARRL had requested--because of concerns about
possible interference to unlicensed power line carrier (PLC) systems in
that band. The FCC noted it had turned down a 1978 ARRL petition for the
same reason.
The FCC said ARRL's request to upgrade the 2400-2402 MHz band "has
merit." It did not propose any changes in service rules or operational
requirements.
The NPRM is available on the FCC Web site
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-136A1.doc>.
The FCC is expected to soon make this proceeding available for comments
filed via its Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). Visit the ECFS
site <http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html>, click on "Search for Filed
Comments" and enter "02-98" in the "Proceeding" field.
-- ARRL
***ARRL CONTEST LOG CHECK REPORTS ONLINE
----------------------------------------
Log Checking Reports now are available for selected ARRL contests. These
documents provide a detailed error analysis of a contest entry. LCRs
will be available for selected events commencing with the 2001 ARRL
November CW Sweepstakes. ARRL members may access the available reports
on the ARRL Web site <www.arrl.org/members-only/contests/lcr.html>. To
access your reports, you must be registered on the ARRL Web site as a
League member.
ARRL Contest Branch Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, said that while the
League recognizes that it's useful for participants to review errors
found in their contest logs, the ARRL has established firm guidelines
regarding how it will address inquiries.
"Simply put, we will not enter into discussions or debates over
individual QSOs," Henderson said. "All electronic log data is checked
using custom software. All logs are judged by the same criteria."
Henderson said the policy was dictated by the need to minimize staff
time and avoid any inequities in the treatment of individual contest
entries.
Henderson said the log-checking software can--and does--perform a good
job of impartially adjudicating the logs. While audio tapes or files of
particular QSOs, e-mail confirmations from others or other types of
"documentation" can be useful for a contester's research and learning,
they "usually are not definitive and will not be considered" in the
event of a dispute.
The only exception might be in the rare event that a log file was
corrupted during transmission to the ARRL. "We will deal with these
problems as necessary," Henderson said.
Reports may be accessed as soon as the results for the ARRL contest
become available. For single operators, your log-in username (call sign)
must be the same as the one that appears on the log submitted for the
event. If you were a guest operator at another station or part of a
multioperator entry, you may access the LCR for that entry if your call
sign appears as an operator in the Cabrillo header (summary) for that
log. ARRL members without Internet access may request their report free
of charge by sending a request and an SASE to LCR Request, ARRL,
Contesting Branch, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.
Non-ARRL members may obtain log check reports by mailing a request along
with $3 and an SASE for each event (eg, the Phone and CW weekends of the
ARRL November Sweepstakes count as separate events). For each request,
include the name and year of the contest as well as the call sign of the
entry.
Henderson said the style and format for each report may differ from
contest to contest, since the various operating events are checked and
processed by different software. For more information, contact Henderson
via e-mail [email protected] or by telephone 860-594-0232.
-- ARRL
***June 2002 CONTESTS
-----------------------
Date Time (UTC) Mode Contest
----- ---- ---- -----------
01-02 0000-1600 CW W W South America
01-02 1500-1500 CW IARU Region 1 Fieldday
08 0000-2400 SSB Portugal Day Contest
08-09 0000-2400 RTTY ANARTS WW RTTY Contest
08-09 1200-1200 SSB TOEC WW Grid Contest
09 1100-1300 SSB Asia-Pacific Sprint
09 1800-2400 CW/SSB West Virginia QSO Party
15-16 0000-2400 CW All Asian DX Contest
16 1800-2400 SSB Kid's Day Operating Event
22-23 1400-1400 CW Marconi Memorial Contest
22-23 1800-1800 SSB King of Spain Contest
29-30 1200-1200 CW SP QRP Contest
29-30 1800-2100 CW/SSB ARRL Field Day
-- http://home.online.no/~janalme/hammain.html
***COMING EVENTS
----------------
- Livermore Swap Meet - 1st Sunday of each month at Las Positas
College in Livermore, 7:00 AM to noon, all year. Talk in 147.045 from
the west, 145.35 from the east. Contact Noel Anklam, KC6QZK, (510)
447-3857 eves.
- Foothill Flea Market - may 2nd Saturday of every fairweather month.
See http://www.electronicsfleamarket.com moredetails and various
sponsors and specials.
***GVARC EMAIL LIST SUMMARY
---------------------------
[email protected] is the official list of GVARC members with
e-mail addresses. This is a closed list; Joining GVARC gets you on the
list. Anyone on the list can send to the list; no one else can.
[email protected] is a list of those interested in gvarc.
Anyone can join (with confirmation message) and any member may
unsubscribe freely. Members of the gvarc_cc list can send to the list.
No one else can send to the list. List administrators, Tony, AD6ID,
and Frank, N7FF. The list's web site is http://www.qth.net.
______________________________________
To leave GVARC list, Contact Tony Armendariz, [email protected]. If you're
a GVARC member with email, you must be on the list.