[SFDXA] A Message from Jeff WA4AW

[Bill]

Greetings to all,

October brings the beginning of the fall season with, hopefully, cooler
weather and the return of our seasonal visitors and residents to South
Florida. Hamfests and outdoor club activities are more enjoyable during
this time of the year, so,  get out of the shack and support our various
SFL club events.

Upcoming SFL events include the following:

10/03-04/2015        ARRL Simulated Emergency Test

More info about the SET can be found on page 88 of the September QST
All are invited to participate. Contact your local EC or DEC
Their contact info is listed on the SFL Section website at
www.sflarrl.org

10/09-10/2015 | Florida State Convention (Melbourne Hamfest)

Location: Melbourne
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Platinum Coast Amateur Radio Society
Website: http://www.pcars.org

Special Guest: Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager

10/16-18/2015   Jamboree on the Air (JOTA)

Type: Special Event
Website: http://www.scouting.org/jota.aspx

10/19-23/2015   ARRL School Club Roundup

Webpage: http://www.arrl.org/school-club-roundup

For more info on JOTA and SCR, contact SFL Section
Youth Coordinator Bruce Ratoff, KO4XL at ko4xl at arrl.net

02/12/2016 | ARRL National Convention (Orlando HamCation®)

Location: Orlando, FL
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Orlando Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://hamcation.com

Our latest ARRL Affiliated Club is the North Broward
Radio Club in Deerfield Beach.  Welcome to the SFL club family !

Along with 18 other Section Managers from around the nation, I
attended
a weekend seminar at ARRL HQ in Newington, CT. on September 17-20.
Joining me there were the SMs from the Northern and West Central
Florida
Sections with whom I work with on a regular basis for the benefit of
all
Florida ARRL members. We met with HQ staff and volunteers as well as
networking with my fellow SMs. A worthwhile session and I was pleased
to
have had the opportunity to attend.

Hurricane Watch Net Activating for Hurricane Joaquin

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has made it official: It’s
Hurricane Joaquin, a Category 1 storm. But the NHC said that Joaquin is
gaining strength and “could become a major hurricane during the next
couple of days.” The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) activated at 1500 UTC
today (September 30) on 14.325 MHz (after nightfall, the net will
convene on 7.268 MHz) to gather observer reports. WX4NHC at the NHC is
not active at this time. Currently packing maximum sustained winds of
85 MPH, Hurricane Joaquin was about 190 miles east-northeast of the
central Bahamas as of 1800 UTC. A hurricane warning is in effect for
the central Bahamas, including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum
Cay, and San Salvador.

“Due to the close proximity to land, whether or not this storm makes
landfall in the Bahamas, the Hurricane Watch Net will be active until
the storm is no longer a threat in this region,” said HWN Manager
Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. “Everyone along the US East Coast should keep a
close eye on this system. The current forecast brings Joaquin near the
New England area by late Sunday or early Monday.”
During HWN activation, the net control station will request
measured/observed ground-truth data from stations in the affected area.
The HWN also remains available to provide back-up communication to
official agencies, such as emergency operations centers and Red Cross
officials in the affected area. The net also will gather and report to
FEMA officials in the NHC any information on significant damage.
Stations should not check into the net unless specifically requested to
do so.

The NHC reported at 1800 UTC that Joaquin was moving toward the
southwest at nearly 6 MPH. “A general motion toward the
west-southwest or southwest is expected to continue through tonight,”
the NHC said. “A turn toward the northwest and a decrease in forward
speed are forecast on Thursday or Thursday night. The center of Joaquin
is expected to move near or over portions of the central Bahamas tonight
and Thursday.”

According to the NHC, Hurricane conditions are expected to reach
portions of the Central Bahamas by Thursday morning. “Winds are
expected to reach tropical storm strength in the warning area tonight,
making outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to
protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the NHC
said.
Dangerous storm surges are possible, and Joaquin is expected to produce
5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches
possible over San Salvador and Rum Cay through Friday morning.
The NHC said swells generated by Joaquin will affect portions of the
Bahamas over the next few days and will start affecting portions of
Florida’s eastern coast and the US southeast coast by Friday.
“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip
current conditions,” the NHC predicted.

“We’re monitoring the situation and the forecasts regularly. Like
most, we’re waiting to see which way the storm will go,” ARRL
Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, told the ARRL Field
Organization leadership in the areas that could be affected by Joaquin.
“ARRL Headquarters will be in touch with our National VOAD partners,
FEMA, and NHC as things develop.”
Visit the HWNwebsite for the latest information on this storm and HWN
activation plans.

Phishing Scheme Targeting ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service Participants

A phishing scheme currently afoot has been targeting ARRL members who
have signed up for the ARRL E-Mail Forwarding Service and have an
@arrl.net e-mail alias. An e-mail from “Arrl Webmail Admin” with
the subject line “ACCOUNT UPGRADE” was received September 25 by an
unknown number of members who use @arrl.net e-mail aliases. The e-mail,
which requests that recipients reply by providing their usernames and
passwords, did not come from the ARRL, and anyone receiving this sort
of message should delete it and not reply. The ARRL would never
distribute an e-mail requesting personal information.

“ARRL is aware of this phishing scheme and is working to block the
sender’s e-mail address at our upstream provider,” said Andy
Shefrin, KB1YHB, ARRL’s IT Infrastructure & Operations Manager. “As
with any e-mails of unknown origin, do not open or reply.” Simply
replying to this e-mail alerts the sender that your e-mail address is
valid.

The bogus message indicates that access to @arrl.net account holders is
being “removed” and accounts “upgraded to a new enhanced web mail
user interface provided by arrl.net.” Recipients are being asked to
provide usernames and passwords “to ensure your e-mail address book
is saved in our database.” This is clearly an effort to harvest
@arrl.net subscriber information and valid e-mail addresses.
Ignore any message of this sort that seeks to have recipients provide
any sensitive information, such as usernames, account numbers, and
passwords. If you experience any problem with e-mail forwarding, send
details to the ARRL IT Department.

Opponents’ Representations of Parity Act’s Purpose “Just Not
True,” ARRL President Says

ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has taken strong exception to certain
claims being made by community association organizations about the
Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 — H.R. 1301 and S. 1685. In an
interview with Ham Radio Now host Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, during the ARRL
Roanoke Division Convention in Shelby, North Carolina over Labor Day
weekend, President Craigie stressed that passage of the legislation is
critical to ensuring the future of Amateur Radio. And she described as
“false” recent assertions that the bills’ passage would prevent
community associations from requiring prior approval for 70-foot ham
radio towers and from creating reasonable processes and aesthetic
guidelines.
“As bills go, it’s pretty short, and it’s in plain English,”
President Craigie said. “The legislation does not say that, it does
not mean that. It’s just not true!” She pointed to the League’s
recent “Clarity on Amateur Radio Parity” posting, which attempts to
separate fact from fiction regarding the legislation. The “Clarity”
document explains the bill and “addresses some of these statements
that have no resemblance to anything that is factual in this or any
other solar system,” she said.

“The only authority that [homeowners associations] would lose is the
ability to say, ‘No, go away,’” said President Craigie. HOAs, she
explained, would at least have to negotiate “reasonable
accommodation,” which would depend on the circumstances existing in a
given neighborhood.
She also said that the Parity Act does not represent any sort of
federal government or FCC takeover or preemption of HOAs. “It does
not take their authority to regulate away,” she said. “It only
takes away their authority to say ‘no.’ There’s a big
difference.”

“The legislation does not even come close to what they are saying,”
agreed ARRL Roanoke Division Director Dr Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, who was
interviewed with President Craigie at the Shelby Hamfest.
President Craigie said the proliferation of antenna-restricted
communities could dramatically affect the ability of young newcomers to
engage in and enjoy Amateur Radio. “A lot of people who are hams today
got started as young folks, and it led them into careers; it led them
into all kinds of interesting opportunities in their lives,” she told
Pearce. If a young person’s parents buy into a deed-restricted
neighborhood, however, any ham radio aspirations could be shut down,
she said.
“We need to make sure that whatever community their parents decide to
buy a house in, that [prospective newcomers] will be able to have some
kind of a functioning antenna,” President Craigie said. “Otherwise,
our future has got a major crimp in it.”
“The world will not come to an end if the HOAs actually have to sit
down and communicate with the radio amateurs who live there,”
President Craigie concluded.

August Section ARES report from SEC Larry, W4LWZ


Total number of ARES members: 397

Change since last month (+, -, same): +6

Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 10

Number of ARES nets active: 12

Number of nets with NTS liaison: 5

Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: AD4RZ, KK4ENJ, K1UQE, WA4ASJ, WA4PAM,
N4LEM, WB2MBV, KB1PA, W9GPI, KJ4FJD

Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 66

Person hours: 274.67

Number of public service events this month: 0

Person hours: 0

Number of emergency operations this month: 2

Person Hours: 21

Total number of ARES operations this month: 68

Total Person hours: 295.67

August Section traffic report from STM Mike, KM2V

SAR

CALL	 TOTAL

WA4BAM	116
W9GPI	009
K9GZT	011
K4KFF	117
W4LWZ	002
KA3PYO	015
KR4ST	033
NT4TS	005
KM2V	203
W4ZE	018

PSHR
Callsign	Total

WA4BAM	100
K4KFF	110
KM2V	130

NETS

NET	 ABB.	QNI	QTC 	QND	 SESS	MGR

All Florida CW Traffic Net 	QFN	232	46	330	30	WA4BAM
Florida Medium Speed Net	FMSN	176	33	372	29	AG4RJ/AB4XK
Southeast Florida Traffic Net	SEFTN	586	110	1160	31	KM2V
Southwest Florida Traffic Net	SWFTN	405	54	932	31	KE4CB/N9WS
Broward County Emer Prep Net	BCEPN	37	0	153	4	K2MOL
Jupiter-Tequesta Repeater Group	W4JUP	24	0	75	4	K4VMS


Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the
following SFL members:

Siegfried R. “Sigi” Boernert, W2JQ of Naples. Sigi was a member of
the
Amateur Radio Association of SW Florida.

Michael J. “Mike” Renz, KA1UDV of Boynton Beach and formerly of
Plymouth MA passed away suddenly on September 23rd.   Mike was the
incumbent President of the West Palm Beach ARC and lead instructor of
the club’s education program. A memorial service will be held in his
honor in late October at the Unity Church of Delray Beach.

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 with ham radio.

Vy 73,

Jeff, WA4AW

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ARRL Southern Florida Section
Section Manager: Jeff Beals, WA4AW
wa4aw at arrl.org