[SFDXA] A Message from Jeff
Bill
bmarx at bellsouth.net
Fri Dec 2 14:18:53 EST 2016
Holiday greetings to all,
We hope you and your families had a pleasant Thanksgiving holiday as we
have much to be thankful for. No hamfests to report on in December in
SFL, however, many clubs hold their annual holiday parties this month.
Join with your fellow club members and their families for a festive
evening to celebrate the holiday season.
Mark your 2017 calendars for the upcoming Southwest FL Hamfest in Fort
Myers on January 20 & 21 and our Southern Florida Section Convention in
Fort Lauderdale on February 3 & 4.
Southwest Florida Regional Hamfest
Start Date: 01/20/2017
End Date: 01/21/2017
Location: Gulf Coast Church of Christ
9550 Six Mile Cypress Parkway
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Website: http://fmarc.net/hamfest
Sponsor: Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Talk-In: 146.345 (PL 136.5)
Public Contact: Lawrence Zimmer , W4LWZ
1719 NW 21st Street Cape Coral, FL 33993
Phone: 239-282-1526
Email: W4LWZ at arrl.net
Southern Florida Section Convention
Start Date: 02/03/2017
End Date: 02/04/2017
Location: War Memorial Auditorium
800 NE 8th Street
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Website: http://hamboree.org
Sponsor: Dade Radio Club of Miami, Inc.
Type: ARRL Convention
Talk-In: 147.000 (PL 94.8)
Public Contact: Lloyd Kurtzman , N4LJK
8266 Mills Drive PO Box 835367 Miami, FL 33283
Phone: 305-332-9142
Email: LLOYD0703 at gmail.com
If you need to satisfy your hamfest cravings this month, visit our
friends in the West Central Florida Section at their convention at
Plant City on December 9 & 10.
West Central Florida Section Convention
Start Date: 12/09/2016
End Date: 12/10/2016
Location: Strawberry Festival Agriculture Center
2508 East Oak Avenue
Plant City, FL 33564
Website: http://www.tampabayhamfest.org
Sponsor: Florida Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Council
Type: ARRL Convention
Talk-In: 145.410 (PL 131.8)
Public Contact: Bill Williams , AG4QX
3215 West Tambay Avenue Tampa, FL 33611-1539
Phone: 813-837-3833
Email: ag4qx at arrl.net
And don’t forget the 2017 ARRL Southeastern Division Convention in
Orlando. Hope to see you at these events next year.
Southeastern Division Convention
Start Date: 02/10/2017
End Date: 02/12/2017
Location: Central Florida Fairgrounds
4603 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32801
Website: http://www.hamcation.com
Sponsor: Orlando Amateur Radio Club
Type: ARRL Convention
Talk-In: 146.760 (no PL tone)
Public Contact: Lidy Meijers , KJ4LMM
PO Box 574962 Orlando, FL 32857
Phone: 407-841-0874/800-214-7541
Email: info at hamcation.com
On December 7th the Martin County Amateur Radio Association and Martin
County ARES/RACES will hold a special event station using call K4ZK
from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Road to Victory Military Museum, 319 SE
Stypmann Blvd, Stuart, FL.
Another successful ARISS contact was held at the Boca Raton Christian
School on November 7th. The school partnered with members of the West
Palm Beach ARC assisted by SFL ARISS mentors Ryan, W4NTR and Steve,
W1HQL and SFL ASM Barry, KB1PA. Congratulations to all !
December Youngsters on the Air Event Set
The annual Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) event takes place during the
entire month of December, with YOTA stations attempting to contact many
other young radio amateurs around the world. The event offers an
excellent opportunity for get radio amateurs in their teens and early
20s to get together on the air.
“The idea of this is to show the Amateur Radio hobby to youth and to
encourage youngsters to be active within the hobby,” said
International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU-R1) Youth Working
Group Chair Lisa Leenders, PA2LS. “Consider giving a demonstration at
a school or local club, gather together with your friends, grab a pizza,
and make some QSOs, or enjoy a great pile-up. Let’s show this great
hobby to the world!”
This is not a formal contest but a way to get young people on the air
with their peers. Numerous participating stations, primarily in Region
1, will be sporting YOTA call sign suffixes.
2016 SFL Field Day Results
# Call Score Category QSOs Power Mult GOTA
Call Section Participants Club
1 K4LRA 8,120 4A 2,205 2 SFL 13 Lighthouse AR Alliance
2 W4MLB 7,104 2F 1,786 2 AF4Z SFL 38
3 W4SS 5,348 2A 1,383 2 SFL 20 Palms West ARC
4 W8HW 5,000 1E 485 5 SFL 1
5 N4BP 4,846 1D 1,199 2 SFL 1
6 N4UM 3,570 1E 352 5 SFL 2
7 W4LX 3,450 7A 544 2 SFL 20 Fort Myers ARC
8 N4BRF 3,126 3E 680 2 SFL 15
9 W4J 2,986 2A 823 2 SFL 50 Jupiter Tequesta Rep Group
10 WX4MC 2,728 2A 539 2 SFL 24 Martin Cty ARES
11 W4HAW 2,584 4A 467 2 N4NAQ SFL 615 West Palm Beach ARG
12 W4AB 2,472 2A 554 2 NA4DC SFL 48 Broward ARC & Davie Cooper City
ARC
13 W4SLC 2,406 2A 462 2 SFL 27 St. Lucie Cty ARES/ FP ARC/PSL ARA
Combined FD
14 W4OT 2,140 3A 489 2 KC2LXV SFL 25 Vero Beach ARC
15 W4BUG 2,078 2A 437 2 N4FL SFL 40 Gold Coast ARA
16 W4F 2,024 4F 837 2 SFL 20 ARA of SW FL
17 K4HRS 1,470 1A 308 2 SFL 10 Harris - Intersil ARC
18 N1KSC 1,144 2A 197 2 SFL 6 Kennedy Space Center ARC
19 K4FAU 1,024 2A 287 2 SFL 18 Florida Atlantic Univ ARC
20 AJ4IR 674 2A 135 2 SFL 8 Indian RIver ARC
21 NK4DX 600 1B1B 50 5 SFL 1
22 WA1LBG 534 1E 96 2 SFL 1
23 K4RUM 518 1D 240 1 SFL 1
24 KG4EOC 486 3F 57 2 SFL 14 Osceola Cty ARES
25 WB4CPJ 408 1E 79 2 SFL 1
26 K3QC 338 1D 72 2 SFL 1
27 WC4H 276 1D 59 2 SFL 1
28 KA4PNE/M 142 1C 21 2 SFL 1
29 N2NYR 116 1E 8 2 SFL 1
30 AJ4PN 68 1D 9 2 SFL 1
31 NP2OR 16 1D 8 2 SFL 1
My thanks to all of you who answered the call to contact Senators
Nelson and Rubio. For those of you who have not done so, please go to
the Rally Congress page at the ARRL website. We have worked too hard
on this legislation to lose out at the end of the trail due to lack of
support on our part.
ARRL Calls on Members to Press for US Senate Passage of Amateur Radio
Parity Act
ARRL once again is calling on its members to urge their US Senators to
support the Amateur Radio Parity Act (H.R. 1301) when it comes up in the
Senate during the “lame duck” session of Congress that adjourns in
mid-December. The House of Representatives approved the bill in
September, but if the Senate does not follow suit, the bill will die,
and the entire process will have to be repeated. ARRL Hudson Division
Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who chairs the ARRL Board’s Legislative
Advocacy Committee and has been heavily involved in efforts to move H.R.
1301 forward, said today, “The clock is ticking!”
“We begin the e-mail campaign once again, as the US Senate returns to
work this week after a month-long hiatus,” Lisenco said. “We were
just beginning to build momentum in the Senate following the unanimous
passage of the Parity Act in the House when Congress shut down for the
4 weeks prior to Election Day.”
The task is simple: Go to our Rally Congress page, enter your ZIP code,
fill in your name and address, press enter, and e-mails will go directly
to your Senators. Members may do this, even if they have already
contacted their US Senators for support.
“We have to remind our legislators that we are still here and that we
need the Amateur Radio Parity Act to become law,” Lisenco stressed.
“We must to do this now as we have, at most, only 4 weeks left in the
session to get the bill passed this year. Otherwise, we will have to
begin the entire process in 2017 with a new 115th Congress.”
There are no guarantees, Lisenco said, and we are subject to the
political bickering that goes on daily between the parties, despite the
fact that the bill is truly a bipartisan effort. “In order to have a
chance at overcoming political obstacles that have little or nothing to
do with the legislation, we need our voices to be heard,” he said.
“And we need that input today!”
September’s victory in the US House was the culmination of many years
of effort on ARRL’s part to gain legislation that would enable radio
amateurs living in deed-restricted communities to erect efficient
outdoor antennas that support Amateur Radio communication. The measure
calls on the FCC to amend its Part 97 rules “to prohibit the
application to amateur stations of certain private land-use
restrictions, and for other purposes.” While similar bills in past
years gained some traction on Capitol Hill, it was not until the
overwhelming grassroots support from the Amateur Radio community for
H.R. 1301, and ARRL’s relentless and strident efforts on Capitol Hill
that this bill made it this far.
As the amended bill provides, “Community associations should fairly
administer private land-use regulations in the interest of their
communities, while nevertheless permitting the installation and
maintenance of effective outdoor Amateur Radio antennas. There exist
antenna designs and installations
that can be consistent with the aesthetics and physical characteristics
of land and structures in community associations while accommodating
communications in the Amateur Radio services.”
SKYWARN Recognition Day On-the-Air Event is Saturday, December 3
The annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD) on-the-air activity will take
place Saturday, December 3, from 0000 until 2400 UTC (starts on the
evening of Friday, December 2, in US time zones).
SKYWARN Recognition Day was developed in 1999 by the National Weather
Service and ARRL to honor the contributions that SKYWARN volunteers
make to the NWS mission — the protection of life and property during
threatening weather. During the SKYWARN Special Event, hams will
operate from several NWS offices. W1AW will take part in the event.
The object of the event is for all participating Amateur Radio stations
to exchange contact information with as many NWS stations as possible on
80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2 meters plus 70 centimeters. Contacts via
repeaters are permitted.
Stations will exchange call signs, signal reports, locations, and a one
or two-word description of the weather at their respective locations
(e.g., “sunny,” “rainy,” “partly cloudy,” “windy”). NWS
stations will use various modes, including SSB, FM, AM, RTTY, CW, and
PSK31. While using digital modes, special event stations will append
"NWS" to their call signs (e.g., N0A/NWS).
Event certificates will be electronic and printable from the main
website after the conclusion of SRD. An online submission form is
available to submit your log summary for SRD.
SRD Webinar Set
A webinar will be offered on November 30 at 0100 UTC (the evening of
November 29 in US time zones) in advance of the 18th SKYWARNRecognition
Day (SRD) on December 3. Register for the webinar online.
The pre-event webinar will cover SKYWARN Recognition Day basics,
explain how to participate, and alert participants to a few changes in
store for 2016. The webinar will be recorded and posted to the ARRL
YouTube channel.
ARRL Seeks Nominations for Six Awards
The ARRL is inviting nominations for awards that recognize educational
and technological pursuits in Amateur Radio. Nominations are also open
for the League’s premier award to honor a young licensee.
The Hiram Percy Maxim Award recognizes a radio amateur and ARRL member
under age 21, whose accomplishments and contributions are of the most
exemplary nature within the framework of Amateur Radio activities.
Nominations for this award need to be made through your ARRL Section
Manager, who will then forward the nomination to ARRL Headquarters by
March 31, 2017.
The ARRL Herb S. Brier Instructor of the Year Award honors an ARRL
volunteer Amateur Radio instructor or an ARRL professional classroom
teacher who uses creative instructional approaches and reflects the
highest values of the Amateur Radio community. The award highlights
quality of and commitment to licensing instruction. Nominations are due
by March 15, 2017.
The ARRL Microwave Development Award pays tribute to a radio amateur or
group of radio amateurs who contribute to the development of the Amateur
Radio microwave bands. The nomination deadline is March 31, 2017.
The ARRL Technical Service Award recognizes a licensed radio amateur or
group of radio amateurs who provide Amateur Radio technical assistance
or training to others. The nomination deadline is March 31, 2017.
The ARRL Technical Innovation Award is granted to a radio amateur or
group of radio amateurs who develop and apply new technical ideas or
techniques in Amateur Radio. The nomination deadline is March 31, 2017
The Knight Distinguished Service Award was established to recognize
exceptionally notable contributions by a Section Manager to the health
and vitality of the ARRL. The nomination deadline is April 30, 2017.
The ARRL Board of Directors selects all award recipients. Winners are
typically announced following the Board’s July meeting. More
information about these awards on the ARRL website, or contact Sean
Kutzko, KX9X (860-594-0328) at ARRL Headquarters.
JOTA 2016 Report Shows Participation was Up
The Boy Scouts of America has released the final report on the 2016
Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), and the news is good. Participation was up
from 2015 despite what the report called “terrible propagation.”
According to the report, 10,761 Scouts took part, an increase of more
than 50% from a year earlier, and the number of stations filing
reports, at 267, jumped by 28% from 2015 (the record was 271 in 2013).
The number of Amateur Radio operators was up by 14% to 1,120, although
the number of radios reported in use dropped by 25% to 631.
Total JOTA 2016 contacts remained flat at 8,254. Over the next several
months, the BSA National Radio Scouting Committee will review various
suggestions to determine improvements that can be made for JOTA 2017.
These included concerns over conflicting on-the-air activities and the
need for better advance publicity.
The 15th running of the Miami Marathon will take place on January 29,
2017, and we urgently need amateur radio operators. Thanks to those of
you who have already confirmed, either as a new or returning
communications volunteer. If you have not yet confirmed, please let me
know as soon as possible if you will be able to help again in January.
I will hold all of last year's posts (subject to possible changes in
the race route) until the end of November, and will do everything
possible to accommodate any special requests or locations.
We are expecting more than 25,000 runners and thousands of kids in the
fantastic Run for Something Better Program. By volunteering, you are
helping our community raise millions of dollars for a wide range of
critical charities, and also promoting health and fitness in our
schools.
Please call or email Ben Nemser WA4DZS at 305-439-7190 or
bnemser at nemal.com
Silent Keys- It is with deep regret that we report the passing of the
following SFL members:
Southern Florida Assistant Section Manager Ray Kassis, N4LEM, SK
ARRL Southern Florida Assistant Section Manager Ray Kassis, N4LEM, of
Cocoa, Florida, died unexpectedly on November 9. He was 69. Licensed as
WB4CTZ in 1966, he served the ARRL Southern Florida Section for many
years in various capacities, most recently as Space Coast District
Emergency Coordinator (DEC) and Assistant Section Manager (ASM).
Kassis had been the Brevard County Emergency Coordinator (EC) since
1991, and he was instrumental in constructing several mobile
communications units in the area. He was the owner of, and air
personality on, WWBC radio, where he maintained a second ham station.
“We have suffered a great loss in our Section family with Ray’s
passing,” said Southern Florida Section Manager Jeff Beals, WA4AW.
“Ray was a dear friend and a valued member of my section staff.”
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.
On behalf of the entire SFL volunteer Field Organization Team, Myra and
I wish you all the very best of the holiday season and a happy, healthy
New Year.
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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