[SFDXA] A Message from Jeff

[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:


                ARRL Simulated Emergency Test

More info about the SET can be found on page 78 of the September QST
All are invited to participate. Contact your EC or DEC for local date
and time.
Their contact info is listed on the SFL Section website at
www.sflarrl.org


10/07-08/2016 | Florida State Convention (Melbourne Hamfest)

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

Special Guest: Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, ARRL  Field Services Asst. Manager
  
10/14-16/2016   Jamboree on the Air (JOTA)
Type: Special Event
Website: http://www.scouting.org/jota.aspx

10/17-21/2016   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

HELP WANTED

Section Traffic Manager

The STM is a staff position and the job description can be found at
http://www.arrl.org/section-traffic-manager

Drop me an email for more info or to apply.

Hurricane Watch Net Keeping an Eye on Hurricane Matthew’s Progress
  
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is currently monitoring the progress of
Hurricane Matthew. On the current forecast track, Matthew will make
landfall near Guantanamo, Cuba sometime on the evening of October 3.
“Should the track move to the west, the storm will make landfall on
the island of Jamaica with a second landfall on Cuba,” said HWN
Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. “Any shift to the east and landfall
would be eastern Haiti. Once the storm passes Cuba, or Haiti, the
Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands will be affected.”

Graves pointed out that last year the Bahamas were ravaged by Hurricane
Joaquin.
He said that when the time comes to activate the net, it will remain
active around the clock, using 14.325 MHz by day and 7.268 MHz by
night. “We are no longer a 20 meter-only net,” he said. “If
propagation dictates, we will operate both frequencies at the same
time.”
Graves said the HWN has a number of fully bilingual operators to assist
those in need.

“At the moment, we are in monitoring mode,” Graves said. “We
normally activate our net when a storm is within 300 miles (482
kilometers) of landfall. Due to the close proximity of Matthew to
Jamaica and Haiti, net activation may come as early Saturday
morning.”
“As with any net activation, we will be requesting observed
ground-truth data from those in the affected area (wind speed, wind
gust, wind direction, barometric pressure — and, if available, rain,
damage, and storm surge),” Grave said. “Measured weather data are
always appreciated, but we do accept estimates.”
“We are also available to provide backup communications to official
agencies such as Emergency Operations Centers and Red Cross officials
in the affected area,” he added. “We will also be interested to
collect and report significant damage information for FEMA.”

ARRL Foundation Invites Scholarship Applications for 2017-18 Academic
Year

The ARRL Foundation will begin accepting scholarship applications on
October 1 from eligible radio amateurs planning to pursue
post-secondary education in the 2017-2018 academic year. Completed
applications must be received by January 31, 2017. Individuals and
clubs support many of the more than 80 scholarships, ranging from $500
to $5,000, that are awarded annually. Applicants for all scholarships
must be active radio amateurs and must complete and submit the online
application.

“The ARRL Foundation Board of Directors is very pleased to be
entrusted with managing this program. The scholarship program is a
wonderful way to encourage students to continue their Amateur Radio
activities while assisting them with the costs of their higher
education,” says ARRL Foundation Secretary and ARRL Development
Manager Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD. “All ARRL Foundation scholarships are
made possible by individuals or clubs, and we are grateful for their
support.”
The Foundation reported that 81 radio amateurs were the recipients of
2016-2017 academic year scholarships it administers. Awards totaled
$120,150.

Students planning to apply for 2017-18 academic year awards should
first carefully review the eligibility requirements and scholarship
descriptions. Although only one application per applicant is required,
applicants may ask to be considered for as many of the scholarships for
which they are eligible (some scholarships have geographic criteria or
other requirements). Check off only the scholarships for which you
would like to be considered. In addition to completing the online
application, applicants must submit a PDF of their academic transcript
from their most recently completed school year.
Applications are due on January 31, 2017, by 11:59 PM ET. Applications
without accompanying transcripts will not be considered. Awards winners
typically are notified in mid-May by USPS mail and e-mail.

Established in 1973 as an independent and separate IRS 501(c)(3)
organization, the ARRL Foundation manages grant and scholarship
programs to support the Amateur Radio community. All grants and
scholarships are funded entirely by the generous contributions of radio
amateurs, clubs and friends. Individuals, groups or clubs wishing to
establish an ARRL Foundation Scholarship Fund should visit the ARRL
Foundation website.

For more information about ARRL Foundation scholarships, e-mail the
ARRL Foundation (foundation at arrl.org) or call 860-594-0348.

Momentum Building to Urge Senate Passage of the Amateur Radio Parity
Act

The response to ARRL’s call to action urging the support of US
Senators for the Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, has been
gratifying — although the campaign continues. More than 50,000
e-mails have been sent to Capitol Hill via Rally Congress, and all 100
US Senate members have been contacted. The League continues to
encourage members of the Amateur Radio community who have not yet done
so to reach out to their two US Senators seeking their support. Just
where things stand with respect to the bill’s future in the US Senate
is not yet entirely clear.

“As of this moment, we have no date set for action by the Senate,”
said ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, who has been
deeply involved in promoting passage of the legislation. “The Senate
will adjourn the September work period soon and members will return
home to campaign. If we do not achieve consideration before they go
into hiatus, we will have to wait until they return after Election
Day.”

On September 12, the US House of Representatives approved H.R. 1301 on
a voice vote under a suspension of the rules, culminating many years of
effort on ARRL’s part to gain legislation that would enable radio
amateurs living in deed-restricted communities to erect antennas that
support Amateur Radio communication. The bill 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.”

Shepherded by ARRL, the overwhelming grassroots support for H.R. 1301
from the Amateur Radio community was credited for getting the bill
through the US House, but it faces significant obstacles to passage in
the US Senate. The earlier U.S. Senate version of the bill, S. 1685, no
longer is in play, and the Senate is expected to vote on the version of
H.R. 1301 that the House adopted this month. The vote came after ARRL
worked with the Community Association Institute — which represents
homeowners associations — to develop language that both organizations
could support.

Rally Congress makes it easy to generate letters to Senators in support
of The Amateur Radio Parity Act. The entire process takes just a couple
of minutes.
“So it is critical that ARRL members continue to write their
Senators,” Lisenco urged. “To those who have already written, thank
you! If you haven’t done so already, please do so today. We can only
do so much. After that, it becomes the responsibility of the membership
to participate.”
According to 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.”

More information on The Amateur Radio Parity Act is on the ARRL
website.

August Section ARES report from SEC Larry, W4LWZ

Total number of ARES members: 683

Change since last month (+, -, same): -102

Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9

Number of ARES nets active: 9

Number of nets with NTS liaison: 4

Calls of DECs/ECs reporting: WW4RX, AD4RZ, KA4HLO, KJ4AWB, N4ZIQ,
W9GPI, WA4ASJ, K1UQE, KK4ATI.

Number of drills, tests and training sessions this month: 45

Person hours: 349.5

Number of public service events this month: 1

Person hours: 6

Number of emergency operations this month: 2

Person Hours: 12

Total number of ARES operations this month: 48

Total Person hours: 367.5

Comments: Several counties held drills on digital instruction and SET
preparation.

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

Harry Sevush, KD4JMV of Naples and formerly of Ft. Lauderdale. Harry
was an ARRL Life Member and a member and past Director of the Amateur
Radio Association of SW Florida.


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

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