Greetings to all,
During April, I visited with members of the Palm Beach Packet Group at
their dinner meeting at Sonny’s BBQ in Clewiston, the AREC Repeater
Group, where I presented the club with their certificate of ARRL
affiliation and the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association.
At the Broward County EOC, members of both Broward and Palm Beach
County ARES participated in the “Hurricane Chuck” exercise. The
exercise was designed to test communications between each of the
municipalities in Broward County and the EOC.
On April 25th, SFL ARES leadership officials and Cabinet members
traveled to West Palm Beach for our annual leadership conference at the
Palm Beach County EOC. Led by SEC Larry Zimmer, W4LWZ and yours truly,
participants had the opportunity to network with their peers and come
away with the latest info to assist with their respective
responsibilities. My thanks to all SFL Field Organization volunteers
for their dedication to the Section and our members.
After serving the Section as our Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) for
the past 5 years, Steve Lowman, N4SGL stepped down due to increasing
work commitments. Steve did a great job for us as ACC and he will
continue as Treasure Coast DEC and St. Lucie County EC. Thanks, Steve
I will be acting ACC until the position can be filled and will be
accepting applications for ACC from members of the Section. For more
info on the ACC appointment, please visit
http://www.arrl.org/affiliated-club-coordinator
May events in SFL:
05/15-17, 2015 Dayton Hamvention
HARA Arena, Trotwood, Ohio
Info- www.hamvention.com
Look for me in the ARRL Expo at the Public Service booth.
05/21, 2015 PBC Hurricane Expo 5-9 PM
Lake Worth Golf Club, 17th Ave. No., Lake Worth
Info: Sandy Wolf, WB2MBV wb2mbv at arrl.net
05/23/2015 | JFK Bunker on Peanut Island FL479S
May 23-May 24, 1300Z-1600Z, N4J, Palm Beach, FL. Jupiter Lighthouse
Radio Group. 21.285 14.285 7.185. QSL. JLRG c/o Andrea Kola, AJ4PW,
16183 127th Dr, Jupiter, FL 33478-65. We will be headed to the island
on Friday, May 22rd. The Special Event station will activate 05/23 at
9am EDT and run through 5/24 until about noon EDT. Operating
Frequencies: Phone: (+/-) 3.830, 7.185, 14.285, 18.130, 21.285, 28.400
PSK31: 3.582.70, 7.037.70, 10.142.70, 14.072.70, 18.102.70, 21.072.70,
28.122.70.www.jlrg.org/USIsland_FL479S.shtml
Check out our new and improved SFL Section website at www.sflarrl.org
My thanks to SFL Web Designer, Bill Laakkonen, N4BKT and Webmaster
Barry Porter, KB1PA for their dedication and efforts to improve and
update our Section website. On the Section page, you will find club and
ARES info. For changes and additions to that info, contact Barry at
kb1pa at arrl.net
If your club or ARES group publishes a newsletter, please add me to
your mailing list. This info will keep me better informed on Section
activities.
ARRL, US House Members Coming Through to Support H.R. 1301
Many ARRL members have answered the call to urge their US House member
to co-sponsor The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 — H.R. 1301 —
helping to raise the list of co-sponsors to 39. But ARRL Regulatory
Affairs Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, said the campaign continues, and
more voices are needed to join the chorus.
“We have had a good initial response from our members in support of
our grassroots efforts, but we have a long way to go,” Henderson
said. “Our Washington team has met with dozens of members of Congress
and congressional staffers over the past month.”
Henderson said the ARRL has forwarded another 426 letters from ARRL
members to Washington for delivery to House members representing 132
Congressional districts in 34 states. “These letters are a key piece
in the puzzle of pushing HR 1301 forward,” he said. “We encourage
all ARRL members to get actively involved.”
If approved by Congress and signed by the president, The Amateur Radio
Parity Act of 2015 would direct the FCC to extend to private land use
agreements its PRB-1 policy rules requiring reasonable accommodation of
Amateur Service communications. Those private agreements are better
known as deed covenants, conditions, and restrictions, or CC&Rs. At
present, PRB-1 only applies to state and local zoning laws and
ordinances. The FCC has been reluctant to extend the same legal
protections to private land-use agreements without direction from
Congress.
Henderson advised members, as they work with members of Congress to
encourage their support of the legislation to thank them their time.
“Do it in writing or in an e-mail,” he said, “and if they do
become a co-sponsor, make a special effort to thank them for their
support. Henderson said such courtesies will leave a lasting impression
with lawmakers and their staff members. “The more positive interaction
we have between the Amateur Radio community and our elected
representatives, the better our chances in attaining the results we
desire,” he said.
A regularly updated H.R. 1301 page on the ARRL website includes key
“talking points” and other information for Amateur Radio
delegations or individuals to use when approaching US House members for
their support.
US Rep Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced H.R. 1301 on March 4 with 12
original co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. The bill has been
referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep Greg Walden,
W7EQI (R-OR), chairs that panel’s Communications and Technology
Subcommittee, which will consider the measure. Efforts are under way to
have a companion bill introduced in the US Senate.
The most recent H.R. 1301 co-sponsors include US Representatives Mark
Amodei (R-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Chris Gibson (R-NY), Bob Goodlatte
(R-VA), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Thomas Rooney (R-FL), Bruce Westerman
(R-AR), and Jared Huffman (D-CA).
ARRL Field Day is June 27-28, 2015
http://www.arrl.org/field-day
ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in
the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 35,000
radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends
to operate from remote locations.
•
Field Day Locator http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator
Looking for a Field Day site near you? Want to promote your club's
Field Day efforts? Use the Field Day Locator to do both!
Field Day is part educational event, part operating event, part public
relations event – and ALL about FUN!
FCC Proposes to Permit Amateur Access to 2200 and 630 Meters
Amateur Radio is poised to gain access to two new bands! The FCC has
allocated a new LF band, 135.7 to 137.8 kHz, to the Amateur Service on
a secondary basis. Allocation of the 2.1 kHz segment, known as 2200
meters, was in accordance with the Final Acts of the 2007 World
Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07). The Commission also has
proposed a new secondary 630 meter MF allocation at 472 to 479 kHz to
Amateur Radio, implementing decisions made at WRC-12. No Amateur Radio
operation will be permitted in either band until the FCC determines, on
the basis of comments, the specific Part 97 rules it must frame to
permit operation in the new bands. Amateur Radio would share both
allocations with unlicensed Part 15 power line carrier (PLC) systems
operated by utilities to control the power grid, as well as with other
users. In addition, the FCC has raised the secondary Amateur Service
allocation at 1900 to 2000 kHz to primary, while providing for
continued use by currently unlicensed commercial fishing vessels of
radio buoys on the “open sea.”
The allocation changes, associated proposed rules, and suggested topics
for comment are contained in a 257-page FCC Report and Order, Order, and
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addressing three dockets — ET-12-338,
ET-15-99, and IB-06-123 — which affect various radio services in
addition to the Amateur Service. The FCC released the document on April
27.
With respect to the new LF sliver band at 135-7-137.8 kHz, the FCC
concluded that Amateur Radio and PLC systems can coexist there.
“Since the Commission last considered this issue, amateurs have
successfully operated in the band under experimental licenses without
reported PLC interference,” the FCC said. “We are also encouraged
by the fact that numerous fixed radionavigation beacons, which operate
at much higher powers, share spectrum with PLC systems without reported
interference.”
In 2003 the FCC turned down an ARRL proposal to create a 135.7-137.8
kHz Amateur Radio allocation, after utilities raised fears of a clash
between Amateur Radio and PLC systems operating below the AM broadcast
band. This time, the FCC said, “It is clear that we will have to
establish appropriate requirements for amateur use of the band, if we
are to ensure compatibility with PLC systems.” WRC-07 set a maximum
effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) limit of 1 W, which is what
the FCC is proposing.
The FCC said it “explicitly” rejects the suggestion that it choose
one use of the spectrum over the other. “Our objective is to allocate
spectrum on a secondary basis to amateur stations in a
manner…compatible with existing PLC systems,” the FCC said.
“However, we also expect to permit amateur operators to make use of
the allocation in a manner that is less burdensome and more productive
than they are currently afforded under the experimental authorization
process.”
The Commission said that if it concludes, after considering the record,
that Amateur Radio and PLC systems cannot coexist, it would “defer the
adoption of service rules, and amateur users will have to continue to
use the experimental licensing process to operate in the band.”
With respect to the proposed 630 meter allocation, the FCC has proposed
limiting amateur stations in the US to a maximum 5 W EIRP. In the US,
435-495 kHz is allocated to the Maritime Mobile Service on a primary
basis for federal and non-federal use, and to the aeronautical
radionavigation service on a secondary basis for federal use.
The ARRL submitted a Petition for Rule Making in 2012 asking the FCC to
allocate 472-479 kHz to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis and to
amend the Part 97 rules to provide for its use. Several countries,
including Canada, already have access to the band. The ARRL has pointed
out that during its extensive course of experimentation in the spectrum
around 500 kHz, no interference reports have been received.
The FCC said that the “cornerstone” of the technical rules it’s
proposing for both bands is “physical separation between amateur
stations and the transmission lines” carrying PLC signals. “Such a
separation, in conjunction with limits on the amateur stations’
transmitted EIRP and antenna heights, will enable PLC systems and
amateur stations to coexist in these bands,” the FCC asserted. “In
addition, we propose to limit amateur stations to operations at fixed
locations only, to ensure that this separation distance can be
maintained reliably.”
The FCC said it wants to hear from both PLC system users and radio
amateurs regarding technical requirements it would have to put into
place to permit both users to operate comfortably and without
compromising the PLC systems. The Commission suggested that other
requirements might include limits on antenna heights, transmitter power
limits, and operating privilege limits based on license class or mode.
The ARRL will file comments in the proceeding.
The FCC will accept comments for 60 days following publication of the
Report and Order, Order, and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the
Federal Register. Reply comments would be due 30 days after the comment
deadline.
SEC Report for March from Larry, W4LWZ
Total number of ARES members: 268
Change since last month (+, -, same): -3
Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 6
Number of ARES nets active: 5
Number of nets with NTS liaison: 3
Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 29
Person hours: 264
Number of public service events this month: 4
Person hours: 147
Number of emergency operations this month: 0
Person Hours: 0
Total number of ARES operations this month: 33
Total Person hours: 411
Traffic Report for March from STM Mike, KM2V
SAR - March 2015
CALL TOTAL
WA4BAM 185
KE4CB 053
K9GZT 006
KK4KAH 010
K4KFF 046
KA3PYO 006
KR4ST 020
KD8SYP 032
NT4TS 003
KM2V 073
PSHR - March 2015
Callsign Total
WA4BAM 100
KE4CB 160
KM2V 130
NETS - March 2015
NET ABB. QNI QTC QND SESS MGR
All Florida CW Traffic Net QFN 334 101 464 31 WA4BAM
Florida Medium Speed Net FMSN 266 89 549 31 AG4RJ/AB4XK
Southeast Florida Traffic Net SEFTN 658 90 1073 31 KM2V
Southwest Florida Traffic Net SWFTN 485 105 1425 27 KE4CB/N9WS
Broward County Emer Prep Net BCEPN 24 0 72 4 K2MOL
Jupiter-Tequesta Repeater Group W4JUP 19 0 235 10 K4VMS
Jupiter Farms CERT JFCERT 12 0 40 4 AG4BV
Palm Beach District ARES Central PBDAC 50 8 148 4 AC4FC
Palm Beach District ARES North PBDAN KB2BX
Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the
following SFL members:
Charles G. “Charlie” Davis, N4BBZ of Sanford, ME. Charlie was one
of the founding members of the Jupiter-Tequesta Repeater Group in the
early 80s.
Raymond L. “Ray’ Pearson, KJ4OMK of Stuart. Ray was an active
member of the Martin County Amateur Radio Association.
Lee J. Pennington, K4LJP of West Palm Beach. Lee was very active with
clubs in both Palm Beach and Martin counties. He was a fixture at most
Florida hamfest flea markets over the years. Lee was very generous with
his time and knowledge assisting his fellow amateurs. Services for Lee
were held at Aycock Funeral Home in Jupiter this past Sunday.
Well, I guess that’s about it for now. My thanks for all that you do
for Amateur Radio. Get on the air, Elmer a new ham, support your local
club and ARES group but most of all, have fun.
Vy 73,
Jeff, WA4AW
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ARRL Southern Florida Section
Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW
wa4aw at arrl.org
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