[SFDXA] A Message from Jeff

[Bill]

> New Year greetings to all,
> 
> Looking forward to a great 2015 in the SFL Section.  With the holidays
> behind us, we can get back in the swing of ham radio activity. Some New
> Year resolutions for your consideration:
> 
> 1.    Get on the air on your favorite bands.
> 2.    Mentor a new ham
> 3.    Support your local club and ARES group
> 4.    Try your hand at some contesting and DXing
> 5.    Help out at your local VE exam session
> 6.    Participate in your club’s Field Day
> 7.    Try a new mode: CW, AM, Digital, Satellite, Weak signal, etc
> 8.    Check in on a net.
> 9.    Attend a hamfest or two.
> 10.    And most of all, have fun with ham radio.
> 
> Hope to see you at one of these upcoming events around the SFL Section
> and SE Division:
> 
> 01/10/2015    Festivus Club Picnic
> Villages of Hillsboro Park, Deerfield Beach 
> Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association
> Info:  www.w4bug.org
> 
> 01/16/2015 | Southwest Florida Regional Hamfest
> Location: Fort Myers, FL
> Type: ARRL Hamfest
> Sponsor: Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club
> Website: http://www.fmarc.net
> 
> 01/23/2015 | Puerto Rico State Convention
> Location: Hatillo, PR
> Type: ARRL Convention
> Sponsor: Puerto Rico AR League, Caribbean AR Group & Hatillo
> Municipality
> Website: http://www.arrlpr.org
> 
> 01/30/2015 | 2015 Miami Tropical Hamboree
> Location: Miami, FL
> Type: ARRL Hamfest
> Sponsor: Dade Radio Club of Miami
> Website: http://hamboree.org
> 
> 02/13/2015 | Southeastern Division Convention (Orlando HamCation®)
> Location: Orlando, FL
> Type: ARRL Convention
> Sponsor: Orlando Amateur Radio Club (OARC)
> Website: http://hamcation.com
> 
> The ARRL Centennial is now history.  The year-long Centennial QSO
> party, the nationwide W1AW portable stations, the regional conventions
> and the National Centennial convention at Hartford, CT will be long
> remembered as one of the most outstanding 12 months in Amateur Radio. I
> hope you were a part of it. This new year celebrates another milestone
> in ARRL history; the 100th anniversary of QST magazine. Happy Birthday
> QST !
> 
> Happy New Year from your Public Information Coordinator staff!
> 
> May 2015 be happy, healthy, and prosperous for all.
> 
> While we think of our personal New Year's resolutions let's all make
> some for Amateur Radio.
> 
> We will try to recruit new hams.  We'll make new hams, visitors,
> reactivating hams, and the general public more aware of local Amateur
> Radio.
> 
> How can we easily do that?  First ask yourself: If I was interested in
> becoming a ham could I locate the local club easily?  If I were a
> visiting ham or a ham that recently located to the area could I find
> the local club(s)?  Second, take a look at ALL community calendar
> listings and vow to have  local ham activities (lunch, dinner, club
> meetings, ARES meetings, and training sessions) listed where anyone can
> find them.   ALL calendar listings means the local daily newspaper, the
> weeklies, the online listings, the ones you find at restaurants, the
> local repeaters, the ARRL site, social media sites, even bulletin
> boards at libraries and other places
> Club officers, publicity chairs/PIOs, and any member can do this.  
> Split up the chore, chat with each other about your progress getting
> the listings done, and make a new friend or two in the process.  Let us
> know how you are doing with the resolutions and contact us for any help
> you may need.
> 
> Very 73,
> Sherri Brower, W4STB
> Assistant Public Information Coordinator
> w4stb at arrl.net
> 
> Dan Fisher, AI4GK
> Public Information Coordinator
> ai4gk at arrl.net
> 
> My congratulations to Darrell Davis, KT4WX who assumes the reins of the
> West Central Florida Section as Section Manager. Retiring SM, Dee
> Turner, N4GD, who led the section for the past 10 years, will assist
> Darrell as an ASM. Looking forward to working with the WCF and NFL
> Sections during the upcoming year.
> 
> “Amateur Radio Parity Act” Campaign Will Resume in New Congress
> 
> Largely as the result of a grassroots campaign, “The Amateur Radio
> Parity Act of 2014” (H.R. 4969) attracted the support of 69 members
> of the US House of Representatives in addition to that of its sponsor,
> Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). While the just-adjourned 113th Congress did
> not enact the bill, the effort to gain passage of the legislation will
> resume anew when the 114th Congress convenes in January. Introduced
> with bipartisan support last June, H.R. 4969 called on the FCC to apply
> the “reasonable accommodation” three-part test of the PRB-1 federal
> pre-emption policy to private land-use restrictions regarding antennas.
> The limited PRB-1 pre-emption currently applies only to state and
> municipal land-use ordinances. The FCC has indicated its reluctance to
> provide the same legal protections from private land-use agreements —
> often called covenants, conditions, and restrictions or CC&Rs —
> without direction from Congress. ARRL Regulatory Information Manager
> Dan Henderson, N1ND, this week stressed that the fight is not over.
> “While we are disappointed that the bill did not make it through the
> process during the session, the effort was extremely energized by the
> efforts of thousands of ARRL members who participated in our grassroots
> lobbying effort,” Henderson said. “In just 6 short months we gained
> tremendous traction for the Amateur Radio Parity Act.”
> 
> Henderson explained that sometime after the new Congress is called into
> session in January, a new “Amateur Radio Parity Act” bill with a new
> number will be introduced into the US House. “Once this happens, the
> ARRL will gear up for a fresh effort to push this legislation
> forward,” he added.
> In a note to ARRL Section Managers this week, ARRL CEO David Sumner,
> K1ZZ, thanked Section leaders and Field Organization volunteers on
> behalf of the ARRL Board of Directors and Headquarters staff for their
> help in garnering legislative support for H.R. 4969. “We had hoped to
> gain 30 co-sponsors for the bill and ultimately ended up with 69, plus
> the sponsor,” Sumner noted. “The overwhelming majority of these 70
> supporters are returning in January, which gives us a good base on
> which to grow additional support.”
> Sumner said the objective for 2015 is to continue the momentum,
> gathering enough support to move the bill through the Energy and
> Commerce Committee. “We have received expressions of interest from
> the Senate side and are hoping to have the bill introduced there as
> well,” he added.
> Henderson said the bill would not have attained its current level of
> support in the US House without the thousands of letters and phone
> calls made by ARRL members to their congressional representatives.
> “The success of this crucial issue relies on the efforts of all radio
> amateurs and ARRL members,” he said. “We know you will step forward
> in the new year, when we renew our efforts on Capitol Hill.”
> 
> Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) Invites Scholarship Applications
> 
> The non-profit Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) invites applications
> for the Amateur Radio-related scholarships it administers. These
> academic awards are sponsored by individuals and by Amateur Radio clubs
> across the US. The FAR scholarship application process is open to
> Amateur Radio licensees worldwide. For 2015 FAR is administering 67
> scholarships worth an aggregate $125,500. The list includes 36 Quarter
> Century Wireless Association scholarships worth a total of $77,000 for
> 2015 (these require a recommendation from a QCWA member). Individual
> awards range from $500 to $5000. Applications are due by March 30,
> 2015.
> 
> The preferred method to apply is to enter the required information into
> the electronic form on the FAR website. Information entered on the form
> goes directly into an encrypted, password-protected PDF file that is
> available only to the review committee. Raw data are not stored online.
> Applicants will have an opportunity to print their applications and to
> edit them.
> 
> The application cannot be downloaded and completed, however. Applicants
> who are unable or unwilling to use the online application should contact
> Dave Prestel, W8AJR. FAR may be able to provide an alternate form of the
> application.
> Official or unofficial transcripts may be submitted but are not
> required; it is preferred that these documents be scanned into PDF
> files, if they are to be submitted via e-mail. Schools that prefer to
> mail paper copies should send them to FAR Scholarships, PO Box 911,
> Columbia, MD 21044.
> 
> Visit the FAR Scholarship Information page or contact FAR, if you have
> questions about the 2015 scholarship application process.
> FAR’s scholarship program is one of the largest for Amateur Radio
> licensees in the US. The organization’s purpose is to further Amateur
> Radio in all of its various facets.
> 
> November ARES report from Larry, W4LWZ
> 
> Total number of ARES members: 358
> 
> Change since last month (+, -, same): +2
> 
> Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 10
> 
> Number of ARES nets active: 10
> 
> Number of nets with NTS liaison: 5
> 
> Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 40
> 
> Person hours: 371
> 
> Number of public service events this month: 1
> 
> Person hours: 4
> 
> Number of emergency operations this month: 1
> 
> Person Hours: 15
> 
> Total number of ARES operations this month: 42
> 
> Total Person hours: 390
> 
> November traffic report from Mike, KM2V
> 
> SAR - NOVEMBER 2014
> 
> CALL TOTAL WA4BAM 174 KE4CB 052 KM4DUA 010 NC3F 049 W9GPI 009 K9GZT 006
> KK4KAH 009 W4LWZ 010 KA3PYO 005 KD8SYP 002 NT4TS 005 KM2V 073 W4ZE 020
> 
> PSHR - NOVEMBER 2014 
> 
> Callsign Total WA4BAM 100 KE4CB 160 NC3F 109 KM2V 120
> 
> NETS - NOVEMBER 2014 
> 
> NET ABB. QNI QTC QND SESS MGR All Florida CW Traffic Net QFN 320 101
> 527 30 WA4BAM Florida Medium Speed Net FMSN 238 86 531 30 AG4RJ/AB4XK
> Southeast Florida Traffic Net SEFTN 675 64 1142 30 KM2V Southwest
> Florida Traffic Net SWFTN 485 105 1425 26 KE4CB/N9WS Broward County
> Emer Prep Net BCEPN 37 4 146 4 K2MOL
> 
> Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the
> following SFL members:
> 
> Roy J. Durso, W2KTG of Cocoa. Roy was a member of the Indian River ARC
> and QCWA Spaceport Chapter 66.
> 
> Richard C. Hickey, KK4RCT of Cape Coral. Richard was a member of the
> Ft. Myers ARC and Lee County ALERT ( ARES )
> 
> Well, I guess that’s about it for now. My thanks for all that you do
> for Amateur Radio. Have a happy and healthy New Year and see you at a
> club meeting, hamfest or on the air.
> 
> 
> Vy 73,
> 
> Jeff, WA4AW
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> ARRL Southern Florida Section
> Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW
> wa4aw at arrl.org