Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter April/May 2018

LA SECTION MANAGER NEWSLETTER APRIL/MAY 2018
NEW APPOINTMENTS:
Assistant Section Manager:  Michael R. (Mike) McCrary WB5LJQ.
Section Emergency Coordinator:  James M. (Jim) Coleman AI5B.
Section Traffic Manager:  Jimmy Lewis AB5YS.
Public Information Coordinator: Joseph (Joe)Holland KB5VJY.  Joe also
ADEC Region 8 ARES.
PIO Region 6: Jim Bookter N5NVP. Jim also remains as Affiliated Club
Coordinator.
PIO Region 4:  Ed Roy WA5TNK. Ed will also remain as EC Lafayette Parish
ARES.
Local Government Liaison-Region 4: Jaclyn (Jackie) Price KA5LMZ. In
addition to already being EC Region 4 St. Mary Parish.
Technical Specialist:  Cedric F. Walker K5CFW.
Technical Specialist:  Christopher Higginbotham KG5VRQ.
ARES Region 8 EC Ouachita Parish Kevin Thomas W5KGT.
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SILENT KEYS for 2018:
JIM MOLAN KG5IGG
JOSEPH C BIENVENU WO5G
DONALD L STRODTMAN NJ5X
RICHARD K MAIER K9FTT
CHARLES E STARK N5AIB
ALLEN G VROOMAN N0CMW
JOHN E NASTASI, Sr N5CBB
EVERETT W WILD KG5MKU
HOWARD M HILL N5HMH
EARL L MORROW W5ELM
HERBERT D YOUNG KC5DHP
CLARENCE G SIKES KA5BNV
LUTHER C APGAR N5SRY
EDMOND B MORRIS KZ5K
JIMMIE L REEVES N8OVD
BILL SULLIVAN KB5PKW
JIMMIE WEAVER KF5IHX
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New Louisiana Hams within last 6 months:  Congrats and Welcome!
James A Danley, KG5ZCD
Ramon J Vega, KG5ZLD
Casey N Fernandez, KG5ZCC
Ronald V Jung, KG5ZAM
John W Leblanc, KG5ZEX
Jacob T Miller, KG5ZAK
Matthew J Fore, KG5ZEW
Thomas E Bennett, KG5ZLF
Roger D Peters, KG5ZLE
Michael C Brandon, KG5ZAL
Becky B Fritchie, KG5ZLB
John H Willis, KG5ZCE
Charles E Foster, KG5ZLC
Benjamin M Simmons, KG5ZMP
Robert W Stoll, KG5ZMQ
Amber S Reese, KG5ZBZ
Per ARRL website.
LA License Upgrades within last 6 months Per ARRL: Congrats!
Michael A St Pierre, KG5TGN
David P Forrest, KG5SBA
Nathaniel T Holland, KG5VRS
Jeffrey N Marcotte, KG5RKU
Keith H Jordan, KG5ZEQ
22 NEW/RENEWAL LA ARRL Members Per ARRL: Congrats and Welcome!
William E Burke, W5XNO
James F Williams, KG5DGA
Francis Minor, KF5YNN
Dorothy Minor, KF5YNM
George R Macri, KC9BCD
James D Dillon, N0KWA
John Leblanc, KG5ZEX
Michael J LeBlanc, N5MJL
A J Powell, W5SPD
Roger D Peters, KG5ZLE
Beauman Breeden, KC5DXR
Lacy E Breeden, AB5SB
Erne M Noble, KB5FKA
John D Scalzo, KG5YZJ
Eddie J Guidry, KF5ZFR
David L Raney, K5NAX
Frank P Robison, KA5RRQ
Kevin G Thomas, W5KGT
Robert A Moore, W5OPF
George Gaiennie
Keith H Jordan, KG5ZEQ
Mark F Kelley, AG5DT
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ARRL NEWS:
New ARRL CEO Comes Aboard Facing Challenges and Change
04/04/2018
ARRL’s new Chief Executive Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY, moved one
floor down at ARRL Headquarters earlier this year to assume leadership
of the organization with an overarching goal of promoting the League’s
mission, “To advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur
Radio.” Shelley has spent much of his tenure at ARRL Headquarters
toiling out of the limelight, so he’s a bit of an unknown quantity
within the greater Amateur Radio community. But, he brings to his new
position nearly 3 decades of experience as ARRL’s Chief Financial
Officer. Shelley intends to leverage that background in his role as CEO,
enabling him to hit the ground running.
“I am familiar with the issues that matter to ARRL members and the
Amateur Radio community at large,” Shelley pointed out in his
inaugural “Second Century” editorial “Advancing Amateur Radio,
Together,” in the April issue of QST.
He acknowledged that with both ARRL and Amateur Radio undergoing “a
great deal of change,” not all League members will necessarily be on
the same page, but he believes disagreement about the way forward “can
be healthy, and bring new perspectives to light.” At the same time, he
encouraged individuals to “remain respectful and constructive” in
discussing issues about which they may not agree.
“In my opinion, fulfilling ARRL’s mission means doing so for all
Amateur Radio operators, regardless of their license class, level of
technical ability, or particular interests within the wide range of
activities that Amateur Radio has to offer,” Shelley allowed.
Increasing the number of younger radio amateurs will benefit both the
avocation and ARRL, he said. And despite any generational rift —
perceived or otherwise — between older and younger hams, “There’s
more to enjoy than ever before — Amateur Radio in 2018 looks and
sounds different than it did in 1968 or even in 1988 — and licensing
numbers indicate that people are still interested in exploring Amateur
Radio.”
Blazing the trail for Amateur Radio’s future should involve all hams,
Shelley believes, noting that for more than a year, a team at ARRL
Headquarters has been looking into how to better define the needs of
radio amateurs “in the various generational and interest groups, and
plan for how ARRL can respond to those needs” effectively. ARRL’s
research, he said, has made clear that all radio amateurs want help,
regardless of license class, experience, and interests. “They want
help figuring out which activities to get involved in, what kind of gear
they need for those activities, and where to find like-minded fellow
hams,” Shelly wrote, urging radio amateurs to be there for each
other.
“[We] all need to keep our vibrant and varied community moving forward
amid great change,” Shelley concluded. “Let’s keep encouraging
others to join our wonderful hobby, let’s keep talking to each other,
and let’s keep teaching each other — after all, that’s the
tried-and-true ham way. It’s how we’ve gotten this far.”
The ARRL Board elected Shelley as CEO in January, to succeed Tom
Gallagher, NY2RF, who has retired. As Shelley himself nears his own
retirement over the next 18 months, the League continues to advertise
for applicants to fill the CEO position on a long-term basis.
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Hamvention Setting Space Aside to Spotlight Emergency Communication
Vehicles
03/27/2018
In keeping with its theme, “Serving the Community,” Hamvention®
2018 is offering an opportunity for Amateur Radio groups to display the
communication vehicles they use to serve their communities. A special
area has been set aside at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
for emergency communication trailers, vans, trucks, and other vehicles.
Hamvention organizers are hoping that emergency response groups such as
ARES, RACES, CERT, and others with an interest in Amateur Radio
emergency communication will take advantage.
“The displays will allow groups planning to develop their own units to
get suggestions and ideas and ask questions of those supporting the
vehicles,” Hamvention said in announcing the special display area.
Groups planning to display vehicles are encouraged to have them staffed,
functional, and able to demonstrate their capabilities during
Hamvention.
Gary Hollenbaugh, NJ8BB, who has coordinated Hamvention emergency
communication vehicle displays for 10 years, said that many groups are
thinking about building units and could gain some beneficial ideas from
seeing what other organizations have done. He encouraged teams to make
information about their units available to share with visitors.
Hollenbaugh, who shares EmComm organization duties at Hamvention with
Mike Crawford, KC8GLE, and serves as an assistant to the ARES Section
Emergency Coordinator for Ohio, said he’s looking for innovative
solutions. Past displays have ranged from a pop-up tent at the rear of a
pickup truck to complex RV-based vehicles. Groups that want to
participate can obtain more information on the Hamvention website’s
EmComm page.
During Hamvention, emergency communicators also will have an opportunity
to attend more than 10 forums dealing with public service. Those
attending at least three ARRL-sponsored public service forums will
receive a certificate. One session will offer attendees a chance to hear
firsthand reports from radio amateurs who served in Puerto Rico after
the hurricanes this past year.
“Our theme recognizes the valuable service that Amateur Radio provides
to our communities,” Hamvention General Chair Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ,
said. “We hope the EmComm display and forums provide valuable
information we can all use to be better prepared for that service.”
Hamvention 2018 will take place May 18 – 20 at the Greene County
Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio
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Two Radio Amateurs Now on International Space Station
03/24/2018
With the addition of three new crew members, the International Space
Station (ISS) now has a full complement of six. Astronauts Ricky Arnold,
KE5DAU, and Drew Feustel, and cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev headed into space
on March 21 aboard a Soyuz MS-08 vehicle, launched from Kazakhstan.
The new ISS residents were welcomed on March 23 as part of the
Expedition 55 crew by station commander Anton Shkaplerov and crew —
Scott Tingle, KG5NZA, and Norishige Kanai. During his time in space,
Arnold, a former educator, will wrap up NASA’s Year of Education on
Station, an initiative to engage students and educators in human
spaceflight and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
careers.
Arnold and Tingle will take turns handling all scheduled Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contacts in April.
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HAMSHACK HOTLINE
By Robert Hobbs, N5ULA
ARES Region 2 DEC
Hamshack Hotline (HH) is a FREE dedicated voip telecom service for the
Ham Radio community.  Typically, phones are established in hamshacks,
EOCs, Clubs & club members, ARES, and other Ham related areas and
functions.  It is not the intention of HH to replace traffic carried
over radio in an emergency or other tactical operation, but rather to
augment it, by offloading managerial tactical operations and providing a
full duplex path for such communications when spectrum is occupied,
conditions diminished, or otherwise unavailable.  HH also supports
FAXing of information (with appropriate equipment) which allows tactical
offices to share documents & data between tactical locations.  In a
non-tactical use, HH is an effective resource for off-air
troubleshooting when you need to coordinate a troubleshoot of a radio
circuit off-air and between multiple SMEs.  In addition to all this,
conference bridges on the HH network allow large groups of Hams to
coordinate & meet in real time anywhere in the world.
Getting on board HH is easy!  Just acquire a SIP capable phone (our
network prefers to register hardware phones first), and open a ticket
once you have your phone.  If you have one of the phones on our
supported hardware list, then also include a picture of the Phone’s
MAC address for super easy provisioning.  Before joining HH, please read
and understand our Covenant.
These phones can be bought on Ebay or Amazon ( I recommend the Cisco
SPA-303  Just remember before you buy a phone make sure it is on the
approved list and that it is unlocked. )
www.hamshackhotline.com
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
and we’ll see if there’s a spot for you.
7) I have a supported device, I’ve been provisioned, but I can’t seem to
get a connection. What’s
wrong?
We have, from time to time, seen cases where connection can be
challenging. We’ve found that
sometimes rebooting your cable modem and then your router tends to solve
this problem. If
you have done this, and still have trouble, open a ticket with the
helpdesk.
8) Can I have more than one number?
Absolutely! HH will give you a second number on request if you have
another phone you’d like
to hookup. Just open a ticket for it and provide the info we need in
question 4.
9) I’d like to get my club in on this! Can we have a group bridge?
Yes! Please send a copy of your club call, or EOC verifiable contact,
and we can establish a
private or public bridge for your group.
10) I have a large group and we want a block of numbers assigned for
them, is this possible?
Yes, but only when evidence of hardware purchase commitment is provided.
If your group
already has phones, we will ask you for more information about the
phones and to document
who they will be issued to – ie. Tactical position. HHOPS team will
confirm these details with
your group leader for accuracy and completeness.
11) Do I have a voicemail box on my HH line?
Yes. Every HH number has a voicemail box.
12) Do you support FAX?
Yes, HH supports faxing and FEC FAX (T.38) using an approved ATA.
13) Can you call regular phones with an HH line?
Yes, if you have a PSTN agreement with HH. PSTN hosting on HH has a
monthly maintenance
charge of $5 flat. You can purchase your own SIP termination from a 3rd
party and have it
hosted on your HH line. This allows you to receive and make calls with a
public phone number
mapped to your HH line. You can even do simultaneous voice and fax on
the SAME number!
14) What is the service area of HH? If I set my phone up at one
location, and then use it at
another, will it work?
The HH service area is largely defined by the quality of your internet
connectivity. If your
maximum latency is below 500ms, you should enjoy trouble free
performance on HH. You can
setup your phone at one location and it does not matter where you use
your phone as long as the
phone is able to contact our servers. You can dial *43 on your HH phone
to access the echo test
line. You can also dial 611 for the HHOPS team.
If you need more information, please be sure to read the following
documents in our FILES area
or on our website at www.hamshackhotline.com.
• HH Supported Endpoints
• HH Covenant1) Can I use any SIP phone on the HH network?
You may use any SIP endpoint that is on our “Supported Endpoints”
list. See this list for further
clarification and reasoning.
2) Can I use a softphone on HH?
See our “Covenant” for clarification on softphones in the section
entitled “Allowed
Equipment”.
3) Can I connect my own PBX to HH?
Yes! We support SIP and IAX trunking if your PBX also supports it. Just
open a new trunk
request via the helpdesk, and our team will be happy to get you setup
and explain the details.
4) I already have a device on your supported list, what do I need to do
to get started?
Easy Peasey – just open a ticket with our helpdesk and include your
MAC Address, Callsign, &
phone model. Our team will take care of it and let you know when you’re
all set.
5) I don’t have a SIP phone, do you sell phones?
HH does not sell phones. Please acquire them from a source of your
choosing. ie. Ebay,
amazon, etc Read our warning in the Supported Endpoints list!
6) I’m interested in joining the team, who do I talk to?
We’re always looking for qualified help! We’re glad you like what we’re
doing and want to be a
part of it. Contact any member of the HHOPS team and tell us about you!
Let us know your
areas of expertise
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FIELD DAY
Greetings All,
We are quickly approaching the dates for Field Day 2018 and before we
get too close. Please keep in mind that this exercise in communications,
our abilities in engineering, and our leadership.  One thing that we oft
forget is the public.  This whole exercise is basically us passing
traffic for people.  Now take a step back, and even though we have made
our checklists, picked up our fuel, water, portable towers, etc…. we
tend to forget that the overall importance in this exercise is the
people in which we volunteer our time.
About a month out from your field day, whoever your organization has in
place to address the public, PIO generally speaking, needs to send out a
simple press release to your news media agencies.  Radio, Television,
and Print.  make sure you add a catchy first sentence, such as, “On June
23rd amateur radio operators around the world are mobilizing this month
to hone their emergency communications skills”…    This will catch
the eye of the assignment editor, and trust me, they are always looking
for cool “Fluff” stories… too often it’s about slappy the one eyed cat
who saved it’s human. or something like that.. This gives plenty of time
for the news wheels to turn.. (trust me on fluff pieces, it can take
awhile)…..about 2 weeks off from the event, send it again.. this time
follow up with a call if you haven’t gotten a nibble.
NEXT EASY EASY EASY way to get people to know what your doing…
Television and radio Morning shows are ALWAYS looking for something to
talk about..  Contact them at least a month out. because they love
morning guests like us.  A lot of times their show gets hard to fill,
and the cooking segment gets boring.., They will LOVE for you or someone
very talkative in your group, to come on and spend 3-5 minutes talking
about what is going on.  BRING STUFF like a FT-817ND, a Magnetic
resonant loop antenna, your com van/trailer/tent/ tarp huge big show and
tell.  GIVE THEM AN ON AIR CONTACT NUMBER.. for potential new hams.
People will see this, you will get some calls……
LASTLY if you are going to have a practice session… INVITE the media..
(to the actual event as well) they will love to come out..
I will be preparing several press releases for you and your groups to
use.. PLEASE, if you are sending your own, send me a copy.  If you need
help writing or customizing a release, please let me know and I will be
more than happy to help!
73 de Joe KB5VJY
Joseph Holland
Public Information Coordinator
LA-ARRL
ADEC
LA-ARES District 8
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NEWS FROM REGION 8:
Ruston, LA – Hams from all over the state descended in Ruston, Louisiana
on the 28th of April, for the Piney Hills Amateur Radio Association
(Phara) Hot Dog Social.  Club President Jerry Darnell AD5AQ said, ” the
Weather was perfect, for the event.” as he was dropping another bag of
crawfish in the pot.  They had several events including a fox hunt, home
made drones show and tell, a special event station, as well as great hot
dogs and hamburgers.  A drawing was held and the grand prize was a
Kenwood TM-V71A that was won by Darrell AF5NQ.  If you haven’t ever made
a hot dog social, you need to mark it on your calendar to attend!
West Monroe, LA –  The Louisiana Delta Radio Club (LDRC) is on the
move. In West Monroe, a new DMR Repeater is up and operation!  It is a
MMDVM (Multi Mode Digital Voice Modem) which allows several different
modes to operate.  Currently, only DMR and D-STAR is activated but it is
a welcome addition to the area.  If you happen to be in the Northeast
Louisiana area, you can find it on 443.800 + offset.  Callsign for
D-STAR is KC5DR B,  DMR is using Color code 3.  For more information,
please contact KB5VJY@arrl.net  or you can find them at
facebook.com/groups/kc5dr  73!
Monroe, LA –  April 21st was the date of the Northeast Louisiana
Hamfest Sponsored by the Northeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club.  The
doors were opened and hams from all over the region made their way to
the event.  ARRL Vice Division Director Ed Hudgens, WB4RHQ was well
received in the ARRL forum and brought a wealth of issues the league is
working on,  along with other presentations made by the Louisiana
Section Manager Mark Roberts K5JMR, and Jim Coleman AI5B, Louisiana
Section Emergency Coordinator. Tables were full in the swap and tailgate
area, and several vendors made the trip.  NELARC had a drawing and the
grand prize winner was Eddie Petits N5JGK  and he won the Yaesu
FT-DX1200.  Food and fun was had by all, and can’t wait to see what the
guys up in Northeast Louisiana plan for next year.  73!
NELA CLUB MEETINGS —  Piney Hills Amateur Radio Association  -June
7th at the Louisiana Center for the Blind- Great Room 6:30 pm  phara.us
      Northeast Louisiana Radio Club – June 5th at the West Monroe
Library 6:30pm nelarc.org    Louisiana Delta Radio Club – June 2nd at
Piccadilly Restaurant in Monroe, La 11:30
73 de Joe KB5VJY
Joseph Holland
Public Information Coordinator
LA-ARRL
ADEC
LA-ARES District 8
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NEWS FROM REGION 4:
REGION 4 ARES / SKYWARN ACTIVATION
On Saturday April 14, 2018 a line of severe thunderstorm activity moved
into the Acadiana area producing heavy rain, lightning, and high winds
with some tornado activity. A SkyWarn Net was activated at 0645 on the
145.370 SkyWarn repeater system and a text message alert was sent out to
all ARES members at 0655 Central time.
Glen Thibodeaux KF5FNP volunteered to be Net Control Station for this
event. Ed Roy WA5TNK gave real time radar reports all during this
activation. Glen KF5FNP, Ed WA5TNK and David KGJHR were in chat
mode with the National Weather Station in Lake Charles.
Many of the local hams participated in calling in WX observations from
all over Lafayette Parish including Acadia, Iberia, St. Martin and
Vermillion Parishes. These observations included rain conditions, wind
speed / direction and lightning. Radar showed some possibilities of
tornado activity in the Youngsville and Broussard areas. These
observations were reported to the NWS in Lake Charles.
A tornado was reported 3 miles NNW of the Carencro, Louisiana area at
0637AM with a EF-2 rating producing peak winds of 115 MPH with a
path of 4.5 miles and a width of 650 yards and ended at 0640 AM. The
tornado damaged several homes and businesses, a large advertising
billboard and toppled several trees. No fatalities or injuries were
reported.
Those amateur radio operators that took part in this event were: Glen
KF5FNP, Ed WA5TNK, David KG5JHR, Tom W5OHJ, Ray KG5QKH,
Keith W5KB, Bob KG5AYK, Gene KG5PHJ, John KG5NZF, Caine
KG5PUL, Steve KF5VH, Herman KN5GRK, John KG5FMP, Derek
WM5TS, Greg K5LFT, Bob KE5WLZ, Larry KE5KJD and Ric KF5KEL.
The SkyWarn Net ended at 0807 hrs with a total of 18 check-ins with a
total of 36 man hours made this a very significant event for out area
and
every one is to be commended for a job well done.
Submitted by:
Herman Campbell KN5GRK
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NEWS FROM REGION 9:
We made it through April without too much rain, so things are looking
up, somewhat!! However, we did get enough rain to put a hiatus on our
Special Event Station operations at the Strawberry Festival. May brings
us a little dryer weather and also the Louisiana Special Olympics at SLU
this month. Please get with Bob Priez, WB5FBS, and sign-up for your
favorite operating location for this event. Nothing fancy required –
just a good HT and batteries!
June Field Day 2018 is around the corner, so get with Lyle Wales,
KD5JRY, and lock in your operating times if you plan to operate. This
year’s FD will be held at the Ponchatoula Community Center club station.
More discussion on this at the club meeting! Hope 2 CU there!!
From: The SELARC “Hamster” May 2018
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DDD+1:
Acadiana Amateur Radio Association sponsored the Delta Division D-STAR
Day.
May 5, 2018 Lafayette Science Museum.
Speakers and Agenda:
Ray Novak, N9JA – Icom America Inc.
Will Jourdain, AA4WJ – Icom America Inc.
John Davis, WB4QDX – GEMA and D-STARinfo.com
Ed Woodrick, WA4YIH – GA Digital and D-STARinfo.com
Jim McClellan, N5MIJ – US root and Texas Inter Tie, K5TIT
David Norris, K5UZ – ARRL, Delta Division Director
John Mark Robertson, K5JMR – ARRL, Louisiana Section Manager
Michael McCrary, WB5LJQ – ARRL, Louisiana Assistant Section Manager
Robin Cutshaw, AA4RC (Via Skype) – Internet Labs, DV Dongle/DVAP
Agenda
Topics (Subject to change)    Speakers
Delta Division Welcome
Louisiana Section Welcome     David Norris, K5UZ
John Mark Robertson, K5JMR
Intro    Ray Novak, N9JA
Lifecycle of D-STAR – G1/G2/G3    Ray Novak, N9JA
Jim McClellan, N5MIJ
John Davis, WB4QDX
Keith Barnes, W5KB
Quick Key Net – How to Log    John Davis, WB4QDX
Ed Woodrick, WA4YIH
D-RATS – Email in an Emergency    John Davis, WB4QDX
GEMA – How We Roll    John Davis, WB4QDX
D-STARinfo.com – Repeater Directories    Ed Woodrick, WA4YIH
Other Things D-STAR    John Davis, WB4QDX
Ed Woodrick, WA4YIH
Robin Cutshaw, AA4RC
D-STAR in the Area    Keith Barnes, W5KB
Open Microphone
This event was lie streamed by Amateurlogic.tv and is available on
YouTube.
This event was well attended by Hams from several states. Prizes given
away were an Icom ID-5100, Icom ID-4100 and Icom ID-51+2 D-Star radios.
Please see the following links for more information:
ARES:
**See Field Day Information above**
The Louisiana ARES Emergency Communications Plan will be reissued June
15th.  Please be looking for that.
More information on the ARRL ARES plans to be released following Dayton
Hamvention.
LOUISIANA ARES STATS FOR APRIL 2018:
MEMBERS:  311
# ARES NETS ACTIVE:  55
# ARES NETS WITH NTS LIAISON:  4
# EXERCISES & TRAINING SESSIONS:  26  PERSON HOURS:  581
# PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS:  2  PERSON HOURS:  24
# EMERGENCY OEPRATIONS:  0  PERSON HOURS:  0
# SKYWARN OPERATIONS:  6  PERSON HOURS:  129
TOTAL:  Events:  34  Person hours:  734
Jim Coleman, AI5B
LA Section Emergency Coordinator
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Slidell Hamfest on July 21 at John Slidell Park, 105 Robert Road.
Shreveport-Bossier City Hamfest on 10-11 August with prizes, flea market
and FCC exams! Details at  http://www.shreveporthamfest.com
Greater New Orleans Ham Fest on November 10th, Harahan LA, with prizes
and flea market! Details at
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**If anyone has something they would like to see in the Section Manager
Newsletters; Please contact me at K5JMR@ARRL.org or LA Section PIC Joe
Holland at KB5VJY@ARRL.NET
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MILITARY SPOTLIGHT:
I would like to take this opportunity to Thank all our Men and Women who
serve and have served in our US Military. Your dedication to protect us
all is immensely appreciated. I would like to mention two of our
Louisiana Hams who are currently deployed in Afghanistan.
Both are with the LA National Guard Deployed from Bossier City with the
165th CSSB:
SFC MICHAEL (Mikey) R. McCRARY, JR, K5TNK.
Captain COREY M. McCRARY, W5MMC.
We pray for a safe return home to these two brothers and prayers for all
their family back home!
If anyone would like to see someone mentioned in our Military Spotlight
in future newsletters please let me know.
73,
John Mark Robertson
K5JMR
ARRL* Section Manager
Louisiana
www.arrl.org
www.laarrl.org
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ARRL Louisiana Section
Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR
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Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter June/July 2018

ARRL LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGER’S NEWSLETTER JUNE/JULY 2018
Greetings to all Louisiana ARRL Members! As you all know Hurricane
season began June 1st.  So far, we have had a quiet beginning and thank
goodness for that.
SILENT KEYS:  Our sincere condolences to the families.
Gerald Harking K5NCE
Clark Ruffner KE5LS
Chauncy Patterson W5CSP
Richard Teague K5BTP
Emerson Oaks K5CET
Calvin Bajon WB5CIH
James Mouille KJ5W
Fred Cook KE5LP
James Scott K5AFB
Jimmie L. Reeves N8OVD
NEW HAMS:  Welcome to the hobby!
Bryan P France, KG5ZRI
Brandon M Pierce, KG5ZVA
Conny I Tippett, KG5ZUZ
Gerard T Blanchard, KG5ZQE
Jordon G Gallacher, KG5ZPP
Ronald J Naquin, KG5ZPQ
Corey D Bordelon, KG5ZUR
Bradley T Miller, KG5ZSF
Christopher K Raymond, KI5ABN
Geoffrey R Garrett, KG5ZOD
Landon K Thornhill, KG5ZPC
Jimmy E Walters, KG5ZYM
John R Day, KG5ZPH
George C Gaiennie, KG5ZRL
Jerry S Wyles, KG5ZRJ
Michael J Danner, KI5AKL
Janice W Liang, KI5AKN
Timothy J Wilkerson, KI5AIO
Lindsay J Sullivan, KI5AKO
Patrick J Brady, KI5AKP
Mark P Dauer, KI5AKM
Ralph J Griffin, KI5AIN
Michael W Guzman, KI5AIL
Michael H Delee, KI5AIM
Elisha B Wilson, KI5ADM
Brian A Tarver, KI5AFY
Sean A Dixon, KI5AJY
Ian J Carney, KI5AJW
Phillip L Carney, KI5AJX
Donald W Ward, KI5AJV
Ronald J Bertucci, KI5AGS
Anthony W Miller, KI5AHX
Anthony W Ficklin, KI5AHW
Mikle B Schwaller, KI5ADL
Aaron P Ryan, KI5AHZ
Daiwei Lu, KI5AHQ
Kennedy A Lee, KI5AHY
Kenneth C Loftin, KI5ANX
LICENSE UPGRADES:  Congratulations!
David E Warren, N5YCP
Glenn H Bourgeois, KG5ZEA
William C Roy, KG5WBL
Jeffrey J Tircuit, N5SOE
Robert W Stoll, KG5ZMQ
Scott J Kropog, N5WWY
Michael G Tranchina, WD5CVN
Frank T Palermo, KG5UUN
NEW/RENEWED ARRL MEMBERS:  http://www.arrl.org/membership
Report for 2018-06-04:  Welcome/Welcome back!!
Rudy P Reboul, N5YIC
Joseph L S St Amant, N4TSU
Conny I Tippett, KG5ZUZ
Gerard T Blanchard, KG5ZQE
Trent M Hernandez, KD5PCM
Ronald J Naquin, KG5ZPQ
Laura Leblanc, AB5YP
Irma L Bookter, KE5UPK
Terry L Reeves, KE5OTL
Reuben S Bienvenu, KE5UPJ
Scott A Menard, N5MEG
James W Smith, KG5WES
Steven T Schuler, K5LSX
Robert W Stoll, KG5ZMQ
James E Ogden, KG5BTN
Mitchell I Neill, KG5OIF
Jerry S Wyles, KD5JSW
Henry L Berchak, KG5GTQ
Mark P Dauer, KI5AKM
Jeffrey Farmer, KG5ZFV
Heather M Glass, K6HEY
Dennis V Raymond, KD5EWE
Raymond Costilla, N5KIR
Christopher K Raymond, KI5ABN
Alva L Whittington, KD5RET
Dennis J Stallings, KE5OT
Cheryl Ellis, KA5VOP
John W Odum, K5JWO
Charles E Lee
Neal A Jaber, KG5LWP
William Z Spivey, KD5NAE
Wendy Manuel, KG5MVJ
FROM THE ARRL:
WX4NHC Station Test “Very Successful”
05/31/2018
The annual on-the-air station test of WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station
at the National Hurricane Center in Miami on Saturday, May 26, was
“very successful,” Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R,
reported. Among the guest operators was the new NHC Director, Ken
Graham, WX4KEG.
“All of our radios and antennas worked well,” Ripoll said. “Even
with our equipment maintenance, software updates, we were able to make
over 150 contacts nationwide, including stations in the Caribbean and
South America.” Ripoll said a few dozen contacts were made on the
EchoLink Hurricane Practice Net, thanks to Rob Macedo, KD1CY, and the
VoIP Hurricane Net team.
Several contacts were made on the Florida SARNET, which links more than
25 UHF repeaters statewide, including many emergency operations centers,
Ripoll said. “We also received dozens of weather reports from stations
using HF Winlink
President Nominates Enforcement Bureau Official to FCC
06/04/2018
Acting on a recommendation from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,
President Donald Trump has nominated FCC Enforcement Bureau Assistant
Chief Geoffrey Starks to fill the Commission’s sole open seat. If
confirmed by the US Senate, Starks would fill the seat vacated by Mignon
Clyburn. Both are Democrats. Republican nominees have a 3-2 advantage on
the FCC, which is headed by Chairman Ajit Pai. Starks’ term would end
in 2022. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is the other Democrat on the
FCC.
An attorney who holds degrees from Harvard University and Yale Law
School, Starks has worked in government for most of his career and
joined the FCC staff in late 2015. Before taking his current job in the
Enforcement Bureau, Starks worked for the Justice Department.
Rosenworcel congratulated Starks on his nomination and said he would be
“a welcome addition” to the Commission. “I look forward to working
with him to advance the public interest and ensure that everyone has
access to modern communications and a fair shot at 21st-century
success,” she said. “In the meantime, I wish him a speedy
confirmation.”
Clyburn called Starks “a sharp communications attorney committed to
public service.”
Republican Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said of Starks, “I know he
will bring a new voice to important debates before the Commission. I
look forward to getting to know him and working beside him in this new
capacity, pending consideration of the nomination by the US Senate.”
FCC Denies Petition Aimed at Preventing Interference from Digital
Repeaters to Analog Repeaters
06/01/2018
The FCC has turned away a Petition for Rulemaking from a Michigan radio
amateur that asked the Commission to amend Section 97.205 of the Amateur
Service rules to ensure that repeaters using digital communication
protocols do not interfere with analog repeaters. Charles P. Adkins,
K8CPA, of Lincoln Park, had specifically requested that discrete analog
and digital repeaters be separated either by distance or frequency and
that digital repeaters be limited to 10 W output, the FCC recounted in
its June 1 denial letter, released over the signature of Scot Stone, the
deputy chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau’s Mobility
Division. According to the letter, Adkins had characterized digital
repeaters as “a major annoyance” to analog repeater operators.
“In 2008, we rejected a suggestion to amend Section 97.205(b) to
designate separate spectrum for digital repeaters in order to segregate
digital and analog communications,” the FCC said in its letter to
Adkins. “We noted that when the Commission has previously addressed
the issue of interference between amateur stations engaging in different
operating activities, it has declined to revise the rules to limit a
frequency segment to one emission type in order to prevent interference
to the operating activities of other Amateur Radio Service
licensees.”
The FCC told Adkins that current Part 97 rules already address the
subject of interference between amateur stations, prohibiting, among
other things, willful or malicious interference to any radio
communication or signal, and spelling out how interference disputes
between repeaters should be handled.
“You have not demonstrated any changed circumstances or other reason
that would warrant revisiting this decision,” the FCC concluded.
“Consequently, we dismiss your petition.”
The FCC did not assign a rulemaking petition (RM) number to Adkins’
petition nor invite public comments.
———————————————————————————————————————
ARRL Foundation Announces Two New Scholarships
06/04/2018
The ARRL Foundation has announced two new scholarships available to
young radio amateurs to support their post-secondary education, bringing
the total number of scholarships the Foundation administers to 81. The
new scholarships have been endowed by the East Coast Amateur Radio
Service (ECARS) and the Palomar Amateur Radio Club (PARC). Applicants
for the ECARS scholarship must be performing at a high academic level
and pursuing full-time studies at a 2-year vocational school or 4-year
undergraduate degree-granting institution, with no restrictions on the
applicant’s field of study.
ECARS Scholarship applicants must be between 17 and 25 years old at the
time of the award and reside in the general ECARS coverage area, which
includes the ARRL Atlantic, Great Lakes, Hudson, New England, and
Roanoke Divisions (Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland/DC,
Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont,
Virginia, and West Virginia).  The scholarship award will be $1,000
annually. ECARS will submit an annual contribution for its scholarship.
Applicants for the PARC scholarship must be high school seniors
performing at a high academic level and accepted at an accredited
college, university, junior college, or a vocational-technical school in
the US. They should demonstrate activity and interest in radio service
or technical proficiency by participating in some form of radio-related
activity, such as emergency communications, equipment construction, or
community service. Preference will go to applicants who live in San
Diego or Imperial counties, California. Applicants are encouraged to be
members of PARC.
The scholarship award(s) will be $1,000 annually, with the first
scholarship awarded in 2019. The PARC Scholarship Fund Committee will
determine the number of scholarships to be awarded each year. The PARC
scholarship is endowed with a $25,000 gift from the club.
——————————————————————————————————————————-
Eagles Guitarist Joe Walsh, WB6ACU, Promotes Amateur Radio in Media
Announcements – Legendary rock guitarist Joe Walsh, WB6ACU, of the
Eagles is featured in a just-released set of ARRL audio and video public
service announcements promoting Amateur Radio. ARRL will provide the 30-
and 60-second PSAs to Public Information Officers (PIOs) to share with
their Section’s television and radio stations. The ARRL Media and Public
Relations Department also will provide these announcements files
directly to interested television and radio outlets, and the
announcements are available for downloading from the ARRL website for
members to use in promoting Amateur Radio at club meetings and public
presentations, such as ARRL Field Day on June 23-24 (PSAs specifically
for ARRL Field Day also are available). Those PSAs will also be
available for download from the ARRL website, so that members can
present them at club meetings and other public gatherings.
———————————————————————————————–
MARS Urging Members to Use Computers that are Isolated from the Internet
– US Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) headquarters is
recommending that MARS members “migrate to standalone computer systems
for [MARS] radio operations,” subject to the availability of a dedicated
computer. “These computer systems (or their associated local area
networks) should be ‘air-gapped’ from the internet,” Army MARS
Headquarters Operations Officer David McGinnis, K7UXO, said in a message
to members. “Although not a requirement for membership at this time, we
will continue make this a condition of certain parts of our exercises.”
McGinnis pointed to remarks by Cisco researchers in a recent Ars
Technica article that discussed how hackers “possibly working for an
advanced nation” have infected more than a half-million home and
small-office computers “with malware that can be used to collect
communications, launch attacks on others, and permanently destroy the
devices with a single command.” McGinnis told Army MARS members that
MARS Headquarters does not discuss specific cyber threats with MARS
members or with the public. “We also cannot confirm or deny information
about specific threats,” he said, adding that he had “no specific
knowledge” about VPN Filter malware and no comment on the Cisco report.
For communication exercises this year, MARS established conditions for a
certain portion of the drill that requires use of standalone computer
systems “normally not connected to the internet.” He said used or
refurbished PCs are widely available at low cost and could be dedicated
to serve a standalone function.
———————————————————————————————–
ARRL Renews Memorandum of Understanding with SATERN, Promotes
Partnerships at Forum – On May 18 at Hamvention, ARRL and The Salvation
Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) renewed the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between the two organizations that spells out how
they will work together in disaster and emergency responses. ARRL
President Rick Roderick, K5UR, signed the MoU on behalf of ARRL on
Hamvention’s opening day. SATERN National Liaison Bill Feist, WB8BZH,
represented SATERN at the signing and delivered a copy of the MoU
already signed by The Salvation Army. ARRL Emergency Preparedness
Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, said ARRL and SATERN have enjoyed a formal
working relationship since 1976, and the MoU was up for renewal. The MoU
“defines the partnership” between ARRL and SATERN and The Salvation
Army, in which ARRL and SATERN agree to work together toward common
goals, particularly in disaster response, Corey said, adding that the
MoU opens the possibility for sharing resources. Corey said ARRL and
SATERN also have agreed to coordinate their disaster response
activities, to eliminate duplication of effort. SATERN meets regularly
on 14.265 MHz SSB, and is activated for extended periods during disaster
and emergency responses. Cooperation was the focus of an ARRL Hamvention
forum, “Building Partnerships,” attended by more than 100 people.
Leading the discussion were Corey and FEMA Community Partnership
Specialist Sarah Byrne, who outlined the four “Cs” of partnerships:
Collaboration, Communication, Cooperation, and Coordination.
CQ World Wide Contest Rules Updated for 2018 Contest Season
07/12/2018
CQ has announced that, effective with 2018 contests, some modifications
to the CQ World Wide Contest rules have been developed and approved by
the contest committee.
•    The “busted call/NIL” penalty is reduced from 3× to 2×.
•    Email addresses for log submissions have been removed, and the
committee now “strongly prefers” using web uploads to submit logs.
Paper logs will still be accepted.
•    The 10× penalty for “rubber clocking” with MS/M2 entries has
been eliminated, although the committee “will continue to vigorously
pursue time abuses.”
•    The observer program has been eliminated. “Given the absence of a
reasonable pool of volunteers and supporting funding, the program has
proven to be impractical,” CQ said.
•    The top entry in the “Rookie” category will be awarded on a
one-time-only basis. Previous Rookie winners are ineligible for plaques
in this category.
•
•    Radio Technology Designed by Radio Amateur Used in Thailand Cave
Rescue
•    07/12/2018
•    UK radio amateur John Hey, G3TDZ (SK), was the original designer of
special low-frequency radio equipment — the HeyPhone — used in the
recent cave rescue in Thailand. Al Williams, WD5GNR, reported in
Hackaday that the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) was asked for its
help and equipped the rescuers with HeyPhones. The HeyPhone is “now
considered obsolete, but is still in service with some teams,”
Williams wrote. The radio transmits on USB at 87 kHz, which can
penetrate deep into the ground, typically via electrodes driven into the
ground.
•    In a 2018 update, the British Cave Research Association (BCRA) Cave
Radio & Electronics Group (CREG) HeyPhone Cave Rescue Communication page
called the HeyPhone “a pioneering development in cave radio” that
“can no longer be recommended for construction.” Several successor
products — including the Nicola Mark III, which has been tested by the
BCRC — have been developed.
•
•
———————————————————————————————–
ARES
FROM HQ:
APRIL 2018 REPORT
MAY 2018 REPORT
ARES E-LETTER JULY 2018    http://www.arrl.org/ares-el?issue=2018-07-18
ARES® Continues Move Toward Enhanced Training, Paperless Reporting
As part of upgrades to the ARES® program, ARRL will phase out
traditional hard-
copy report forms later this year in favor of an online system, ARES®
Connect
a new volunteer management, communication, and reporting system. The
system, in beta testing since March in four ARRL sections with large
ARES
organizations, will allow ARES members to log information for ARRL Field
Organization handling but does not change how ARES serves partner
organizations. ARES training also is due for enhancement.
At the Hamvention®ARRL Membership Forum in May, Great Lakes Division
Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK, who chairs the ARRL Public Service
Enhancement Working Group, discussed dramatic changes occurring among
agencies in the emergency/disaster response sector and the transition
to
ARES Connect. In his presentation, “ARES Advances into the 21st
Century — a New Program, a New Mission,” Williams outlined the
vision for an ARES comprised of organized, trained, qualified, and
credentialed Amateur Radio operators who can provide public service
partners with radio communication expertise, capability, and capacity.
Goals include aligning the ARES organizational structure with the
National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System
(ICS). Emergency Coordinators (ECs) will continue to lead local ARES
teams during an incident, with support from District and Section
Emergency Coordinators.
Changes would encompass additional mandatory training to include ARRL
Emergency Communications courses and the now-standard FEMA NIMS/ICS
courses IS-100, 200, 700, 800, with IS-300 and 400 for higher levels.
Other specialty training could include SKYWARN and agency-specific
programs.
Training levels attained would dovetail with three new levels of ARES
participation: Level One would be comprised of all entering the program
with no training, while progressing through the ARRL emergency
communications training and the FEMA Independent Study courses 100, 200,
700, and 800.
Level Two would be attained upon successful completion of these courses,
and would be considered the “Standard” level for ARES participants.
Level Three would be attained upon completion of the advanced FEMA
courses IS 300 and 400, which would qualify candidates for ARES
leadership positions.
Level One participants would be able to fulfill most ARES duties, with a
target of attaining Level Two in 1 year. Level Two, the standard
participant level, would permit participant access to most incident
sites and
emergency operations centers (EOCs). Level Three would convey full
access as granted by the authority having jurisdiction, plus
qualification for ARES leadership. It’s been proposed that ARRL
provide a basic ARES ID, which would convey recognition of registration
with ARES nationally and indicate level of training but convey no
guarantee of site access. The authority having
jurisdiction in an incident could grant an additional ID/pass for site
access.
The ARRL Headquarters staff is undergoing training in ARES Connect
administration, with group registration under way and IDs assigned.
ARES-related publications also are being updated, along with an ARES
strategic plan and introductory announcement. An article on ARES
enhancements — once they have been approved by the ARRL Board of
Directors — is set to appear in the September 2018 issue of QST.
— Thanks to Rick Palm, K1CE/ARES/E-LETTER.
LA Section Monthly ARES Reports:
May 2018
Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 46 for 608 Hours.
Number of public service events this month: 5 for 141 hours.
No emergency or Skywarn events in May.
51 total events for 749 hours.
June 2018
33 Active nets
Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 20 for 261 hours.
Number of public service events this month: 1 for 14 hours.
No emergency or Skywarn operations in June.
21 total events for 275 hours.
Please note:
Any suggested changes to the Louisiana Section ARES Emergency
Communications Plan should be sent to AI5B@ARRL.NET by Sunday, July
29th.
Jim Coleman, AI5B
Section Emergency Coordinator
———————————————————————————————
From PIC Joe Holland, KB5VJY:
Louisiana Delta Radio Club is Now an Official ARRL affiliated Club.
THE LA ARES 80m net is on 3.878 every Sunday night at 7:30 PM all
amateur radio operators that can operate on that frequency are more than
welcome to check in.
Louisiana DMR net is on Talkgroup 3122 (All Louisiana) on Wednesday’s
at 8:00 pm.
ARK-La-Tex D-Star net is on Tuesday’s Starting at 7:30pm on Ref48B.
FROM STM Jim Lewis, AB5YS:
MAY
SESSIONS  QNI  QTC  QTR
    12            160    15    136
JUNE
SESSIONS  QNI    QTC  QTR
    12              138    19      147
Jim invites everyone to check-in to the Louisiana Traffic Net on 3.910
LSB every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday(beginning in August) at
6:00pm.
———————————————————————————————————————
REGION NEWS:
REGION 4:
Communications support for the Cajun Cup race (downtown Lafayette) and
the Veterans Day Special Event SW Veterans Home, Jennings, LA are both
scheduled for November 10th.  Since the Cajun Cup race is a VHF event
that usually ends by lunch time and the Veterans Day Special Event is an
all-day HF, it was decided that any conflicts would be minimal.
Therefore, both events remain on the calendar as scheduled. Members
interested in supporting the Cajun Cup race let the club leadership know
so they can be put on the list for participation. The Avery Island
special event commemorating the 150th anniversary of Tabasco Sauce is
scheduled for May 19th & 20th.
The club communications and antenna trailers will be deployed at the
Tabasco visitor center on Avery Island.
D-Star Forum: Keith Barns W5KB gave the group an overview of the
upcoming D-Star forum to be held May 5th at the Lafayette Science Museum
(LSM). There are ~65 persons scheduled to attend including
those presenting information at the forum. Registration for the event
includes a shirt, meal and chance to win one of several D-Star radios
and ARRL gift certificates to be given away. A 70 cm UHF D-Star module
will be temporarily installed at the LSM for potential use during the
forum. Keith stated D-Star implementation is increasing across the Gulf
Coast area.  He  also  stated  that  the  owners  of  the  existing
KF5ZUZ  D-Star repeater in St. Martinville, LA are interested in
obtaining club assistance
to relocate the repeater to a higher site to increase its usage.  Dave
Kleinatland KE5BMS resides in Carencro and is working on getting his
WD5TR  UHF  D-Star  repeater  fully  functional. Dave is also the
administrator for the KF5ZUZ repeater. Anyone seeking D-Star related
information is encouraged to contact Dave at ke5bms@ke5bms.com.
LARC Club Newsletter
June 2018
AARA Monday Night 2 Meter Net Rotation
Beginning January 1, 2018, the net will not rotate between
repeaters but the Net Controllers will rotate each week and held on the
146.820 W5DDL repeater only. During 2018, if you check into the net you
will receive one (1) point, and if you stay for the 73 round, you will
receive an extra point
for a total of two (2). At the end of 2018, persons with the top score
will receive a nice prize from the club. In case of a tie, a drawing
will be held to chose a winner.
In case of a repeater failure, the alternate receiver will be the W5EXI
repeater.
The July 2018 schedule can be downloaded and printed in Adobe Acrobat
.PDF from the club website
REGION 4 ARES / SKYWARN NET
Each Tuesday night at 7:00 PM (local), the Region 4 ARES / SkyWarn
Net will take place on the 145.370 SkyWarn repeater in Lafayette. Net
Control Operators will alternate each week. You do not have to be a
ARES
member to participate. In case the 145.370 repeater fails, the net will
be held on the 146.820 W5DDL repeater PL Tone 103.5.The July schedule
can be found at this link: http://www.w5ddl.org/clubsite/news/htm
When using the SkyWarn 145.370 repeater, be sure to use the receiver
PL Tone for your area as follows: NW Quadrant 114.8 – NE Quadrant 127.3
– SW Quadrant 141.3 – SE Quad-rant 94.8 – Central 103.5.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Tour de Teche
October 5-7
Rice Festival – Crowley
Cajun Cup
November 10
Veterans Day
November 10
Test Session Results
26 June 2018
We had a test session at the Lafayette Science Museum for the folks
taking
the Technician Class. It was fairly successful in as much as there were
4
who came out with a General Class.
Those earning a Technician License were: Keith Faulk; Andre L. LeMaire;
Charlene C. Chauvin & husband Albert J. Chauvin; Wilton J. Meaux; Paul
T. Holcomb; and Benjamin Crosier. Those earning General were: Blaire A.
Michel; Jess E. Crosier of Cade; Michael A. Cavell of Youngsville; and
Jeff P. LeBlanc.
The Ves in attendance were: Greg ~ K5LFT, Dave ~ N5ELM, John ~
W4HVH, 7 Galen ~ KF5BET.
It was a very good evening & I believe we will have some repeat
customers in the near future. Much thanks to the VEs for their always
wonderful assistance, & Congratulations to all the new HAMS.
LARC Club Newsletter
July 2018
——————————————————————————————————————————————–
REGION 9:
SELARC ARES Members Honored
At the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association’s Annual
Membership Awards Luncheon in Baton Rouge on May 16th, Region 9 ADEC Ed
Mason, KE5GMN, and Tangipahoa EC Pat Mason, KE5KMM, received a
Dedication Award for Outstanding Service in Emergency Preparedness.
Congratulations and Thanks to both of them for their service to amateur
radio and our communities!
VP8STI/VP8SGI trip to South Sandwich and S. Georgia Islands presentation
by David Assaf III W5XU at the June 12th SELARC meeting — don’t miss
this one!
Field Day 2018 will be June 23-24 at the SELARC club station in the
Ponchatoula Community Center. Lyle Wales KD5JRY will head up
preparations for FD and invites you to participate.
Hammond VE Group – ARRL/W5YI tests are scheduled for the last Sunday of
each month [with the exception of holiday conflicts] in Room “B” of the
North Oaks Medical System Diagnostic Center at 2pm with $15 testing fee.
Bring photo ID and any appropriate CSCE. For more information contact
n5xes@arrl.net or Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area.
Happy Birthday!!
Birthday wishes this June go to Dean Melancon KG5AAE, Scott Hernandez
KD5PCK, James Redmond K5QNT, Lambert Michel KG5DDW and Jason Liuzza
K5WDH! If we missed your birthday, please let us know.
GET WELL SOON –
Best wishes for a speedy recuperation go to Carmen Bray KF5VXO, Al Baker
KF5IBW, Sandy Blaize W5TVW, James Redmond K5QNT and Ken Brown WB7NCW. We
hope you are “up and about” and get back on the air real soon!
In Sympathy –
Our condolences go to the families and friends of two former SELARC
members:
John Braud KB5UV passed away on May 21 at the age of 65. Among his many
talents, John was an attorney, musician and benefactor of various causes
in our area.
Henry (H.P.) Forbes KC5KJ passed away on May 22 at the age of 91. He was
a retired US Navy Captain, served in the LA Air National Guard where he
retired with the rank of Colonel, and was an active businessman and
supporter of many civic and cultural events in Hammond. Among his many
survivors is son Harold C. Forbes N5JCM.
Congratulations to the following new Hams from the May VE session:
Technician: Mikle Schwaller – Prairieville
Eli Wilson – Covington
FROM: THE SELARC “HAMSTER” June 2018 edition
Happy Birthday!!
Birthday wishes in July go to Michael Mason KE5KMH! If we missed your
birthday, please let us know.
GET WELL SOON –
Best wishes for a speedy recuperation go to Al Baker KF5IBW, Sandy
Blaize W5TVW, James Redmond K5QNT and Ken Brown WB7NCW. We hope you are
“up and about” and get back on the air real soon!
In Sympathy –
Condolences go to SELARC members George AE5FK and Joseph KG5HZU Swan on
the loss of their sister-in-law Elizabeth Swan of Bossier City.
Elizabeth passed away on June 30 and was the wife of Ray Swan.
Tyke’s TidBits —
Well, FD 2018 is in the history books, for better or worse, it got
done!! I think the total number of contacts was 218. Band conditions
weren’t bad, great operating location, good weather and plenty of radio
equipment to do the job, and best of all…the food…fried speckled
trout, tater salad and a big ol’ pot of home cooked white beans! Many
thanks to Lyle and Pat for providing the food.
The Dxpedition presentation after the June meeting was well attended by
the membership also. David did a great job! I hope ya’ll enjoyed it.
Jerry W5NJJ was in attendance and it was good to see him!!
C’ya’ll at the club meeting at the PCC. We are about due for an eating
meeting, so think of a place we can go and throw your idea into the
hat!!
73, Tyrone Burns N5XES, President
VE Session Results…
Congratulations to the following new Hams and Upgrades from the VE
session of June 29 in Hammond:
Technician: Robert K. McCants – Baton Rouge
Lazaro Naredo – Franklinton
General: Mary Matamoros, KF5AXR – New Orleans Eli Wilson – Covington
FIELD DAY 2018 Report —
I want to thank everyone who participated in Field Day. We had a good
turnout. The food and drinks were great. Fried Speckled Trout, homemade
white beans, potatoe salad, and snacks kept everyone fueled up to
continue making contacts.
We had six antennas up and several hf radios. We made a total of 218
contacts. The logs have been submitted to ARRL.
Lyle Wales KD5JRY, FD Chairman
FROM: THE SELARC “HAMSTER” July 2018 edition
——————————————————————————————————————————-
HAMFEST/CONVENTION:
Hamfest/Convention
07/21/2018 | Slidell EOC Hamfest
Location: Slidell, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Ozone Amateur Radio Club
Hamfest/Convention
08/11/2018 | Shreveport Bossier Hamfest
Location: Shreveport, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Shreveport Amateur Radio Association
Hamfest/Convention
11/10/2018 | The Greater New Orleans Ham Fest
Location: Harahan, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Crescent City Amateur Radio Group
CONTEST CALENDAR:
July 2018
14-15  IARU HF World Championship
August 2018
4-5  222 MHz and Up Distance Contest
18-19  10 GHz & Up – Round 1
19        Rookie Roundup – RTTY
September 2018
8-10      September VHF
15-16    10 GHz & Up – Round 2
29-30    EME – 2.3 GHz & Up
October 2018
15-19  School Club Roundup
27-28  EME – 50 to 1296 MHz
Club Corner:
This is YOUR corner of the newsletter. Send me what your club is doing
and I’ll make sure that it gets in. Got a special event or club
project that you
want everyone to know about? Send it to me!
Let me know what you club is up to. Are you going to have a special
guest at
your meeting or are you having a special anniversary? Just sent it to
MILITARY UPDATE:
Both Michael R. McCrary, Jr, K5TNK and his brother Corey McCrary, W5MMC
have returned safely to the US from overseas deployment.
If you have anyone you would like to see mentioned please let me know.
We want to thank all of our service men and women for their sacrifices.
FIELD DAY:
I plan to send out a newsletter in August and have as much Field day
coverage etc….as possible….so please look for that!
——————————————————————–
ARRL Louisiana Section
Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR
——————————————————————–

Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter August 2018

Louisiana Section Manager’s Newsletter August 2018
      Summer is in full swing and I hope everyone has managed to stay
as cool as possible.
SILENT KEYS:
Broox Owen N5NS
Joseph Lodato W5IIA
Matthew Haggard KD5Buu
NEW HAMS:
Report for 2018-08-02
Kenneth C Lods, KI5BBQ
David H Liang, KI5BBR
Robert J Jourdan, KI5BBM
Christopher J Landry, KI5ASL
Andre P Granier, KI5BBO
Gillian C Decossas, KI5BBN
Lee S Whatley, KI5BBT
Henry J Kern, KI5BBL
Lazaro A Naredo, KI5APR
Jeffrey P Sanders, KI5BBP
Andre L Lemarie, KI5ARU
Albert J Chauvin, KI5ART
Charlene C Chauvin, KI5ARV
Lawrence F Lemarie, KI5AVC
Keith M Faulk, KI5ARP
Wilton J Meaux, KI5ARS
Benjamin Crosier, KI5ARQ
Paul T Holcomb, KI5ARR
Blair A Michel, KI5ARZ
Jeff P Leblanc, KI5ARW
Myron C Brown, KI5ARK
Loretta S Greenleaf, KI5ARL
Bruce E Easterling, KI5BBF
Leonard W Belcher, KI5ATU
Kenneth E Russ, KI5ATW
Camille I Humble, KI5AYR
William J Schahn, KI5AYX
Alice S Walters, KI5APW
UPGRADED HAMS:
Report for 2018-08-02
Rudy P Reboul, N5YIC
Charles E Safford, KG5EFK
Mary L Matamoros, KF5AXR
Marilyn M Mitchell, KE5LYC
Jess E Crosier, KI5ARY
Michael A Cavell, KI5ARX
David J Granger, KC5ZEJ
Hewitt C Smith, KG5RFQ
Greg E Parker, KG5UKB
William T Woodside, KA5HVK
Herbert P Brouillette, KD5HHH
Donald W Ward, KI5AJV
Joshua G Reese, KG5PFD
NEW/RENEWED ARRL MEMBERS:
Report for 2018-08-02
Janice W Liang, WA5RDR
Rafael R Shabetai, W5BAI
Mary L Matamoros, KF5AXR
William R Hare, N5DEA
Elliot S Le Normand, KE5VJR
Wilton J Meaux, KI5ARS
Jeff P Leblanc, KI5ARW
Michael A Cavell, KI5ARX
Dustin K Royer, KG5AFX
Paul J Mccrory, KF5MHG
Terry J Martin, KG5MCQ
Gary A Fulton, KG5TBN
James Higdon
Linda V Evans, KG5SXY
Jimmy E Walters, WA5DFW
Donald W Ward, KI5AJV
Jerry A Keeton, WB5LHD
Anyone wishing to inquire on the status of their ARRL membership please
email me direct.
——————————————————————————————————————————-
FROM THE ARRL:
FCC Proposes $18,000 Fine in Louisiana Amateur Radio Interference Case
July 25, 2018
The FCC has issued a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) proposing to
fine Jerry W. Materne, KC5CSG, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, $18,000
“for apparently causing intentional interference and for apparently
failing to provide station identification on amateur radio
frequencies,” the FCC said.
“Mr. Materne was previously warned regarding this behavior in writing
by the Enforcement Bureau and, given his history as a repeat offender,
these apparent violations warrant a significant penalty,” the FCC said
in the NAL, released on July 25.
In 2017, the FCC received numerous complaints alleging that Materne was
causing interference to the W5BII repeater, preventing other amateur
licensees from using it. In March 2017, the repeater trustee banned
Materne from using the repeater.
Responding to some of the complaints, the Enforcement Bureau issued a
Letter of Inquiry (LOI), advising Materne of the allegations and
directing him to address them. Materne denied causing interference but
admitted to operating simplex on the repeater’s output frequency. In
June 2017, the FCC received an additional complaint alleging that
Materne had repeatedly interfered with an attempted emergency net that
was called up as Tropical Storm Cindy was about to make landfall. The
complaint maintained that Materne “repeatedly transmitted on the
repeater’s input frequency, hindering the local emergency net’s
ability to coordinate weather warnings and alerts on behalf of the
National Weather Service,” the FCC said in the NAL.
Local amateurs were able to track the interfering signal to Materne’s
residence and confirmed their findings to the FCC, prompting a Warning
Letter advising Materne of the complaint and pointing out that his
behavior “as described in the complaint would be a violation of
Section 97.101(d) of the Commission’s rules.” Materne responded to
the Warning Letter to argue that it was legal to transmit on the
repeater’s output frequency, further stating that “he was tired of
this trash harassing me,” the FCC said.
In the wake of further complaints, FCC agents visited Lake Charles,
tracked transmissions on 146.130 MHz to Materne’s residence, and
monitored them for up to 7 hours. The agent reported hearing Materne
“playing music on 146.130 MHz and warning other amateur operators that
the local Amateur Radio club would not be able to conduct their net
later that day.”
That evening, the agent watched as Materne drove to a location near the
W5BII repeater, where, the agent said, Materne “began transmitting an
amateur digital radio signal from a hand-held radio in his vehicle,”
disrupting the net and failing to identify. Subsequently, the agent,
accompanied by a deputy from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office,
approached Materne’s vehicle and confirmed that he possessed a radio
capable of operating on 146.130 MHz. “Audio recordings captured by the
agent demonstrate that the intentional interference ceased as the agent
and the Sheriff’s deputy approached Mr. Materne’s vehicle,” the
FCC said in the NAL.
The FCC said that based on the evidence before it, Materne “apparently
willfully violated Section 333 of the Act and Section 97.101(d) of the
Commission’s rules by intentionally interfering with other licensed
amateur communications,” and that he “apparently willfully violated
Section 97.119(a) of the Commission’s rules by failing to transmit his
assigned call sign.”
“[W]e find that Mr. Materne’s apparent repeated, intentional, and
egregious apparent violations of Section 333 of the Act and Section
97.101(d) of the Commission’s rules warrant an upward adjustment of
$10,000 to the proposed forfeiture,” the FCC said. “In applying the
applicable statutory factors, we also consider whether there is any
basis for a downward adjustment of the proposed forfeiture. Here, we
find none.”
Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club Fires Up 1950s Vintage Gear for
NASA on the Air Special Event
07/30/2018
W5RRR, the Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club (JSCARC), is on the
air as part of the NASA on the Air (NOTA) year-long special event —
one of 12 NASA ham club stations participating in the event, which
celebrates significant NASA milestones as the agency observes its 60th
anniversary.
This week, JSCARC members will focus operations on 80, 40, 20, 15, and
10 meters, as well as on satellites. A commemorative 1958 vintage vacuum
tube vintage station will be activated. It pairs a Johnson Ranger
transmitter and Courier amplifier with a Hammarlund HQ-145C receiver,
courtesy of Kenneth Goodwin, K5RG, a JSARC member.
“This station will be used to make CW, SSB, and AM QSOs,” Keith
Brandt, WD9GET, said. “In addition, our other shack radios will use
SSB, FT8, FM, CW, and SSTV to make contacts on all bands.”
A special 60th anniversary QSL card — designed by AB5SS — will be
available with an SASE for contacts made only to JSC Amateur Radio Club,
2101 NASA Rd. 1 M/C AW7, Houston, TX 77058. A certificate is available
for top stations that work modes and bands across the NOTA NASA
centers.
ARRL Exhibits for First Time at AirVenture Oshkosh 2018
07/26/2018
ARRL has been exhibiting for the first time ever this week at AirVenture
Oshkosh 2018 in Wisconsin. The ARRL exhibit complements other ham radio
demonstrations at the air show. ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen,
NQ1R, is working with a team of members who are supporting the exhibit
at the weeklong aviation celebration and fly-in. The annual event draws
more than 500,000 visitors. Inderbitzen said that by mid-week, the ARRL
guest book was filled with call signs from around the world.
“Cool! ARRL is here! That’s the sentiment shared by hundreds of ham
radio operators who have visited our exhibit at AirVenture this week,”
Inderbitzen said. ARRL Life Member and flight instructor TJ Johnson,
K9KJ, of Munster, Indiana, was among those stopping by the ARRL booth.
He shared his experience of operating aeronautical mobile during ARRL
Field Day with his friend Bob Johnson, W9XY. They made hundreds of radio
contacts from a Cessna 182 aircraft, 7,000 feet above the Wisconsin
countryside. They operated on 20-meter CW using an end-fed wire; they
also made many contacts on 2-meter FM simplex.
Two Amateur Radio Special Event Stations are on the air throughout
AirVenture. Organized annually by the Fox Cities Amateur Radio Club in
Appleton, Wisconsin, W9ZL is set up at KidVenture at the Pioneer Airport
airstrip in Oshkosh. The EAA Warbirds of America AirVenture Celebration
Special Event Station, W9W, is set up near the display of vintage
military aircraft. It celebrates historic aviation achievements,
legendary pilots, and groundbreaking aviation innovations.
The ARRL display also includes an APRS beacon, operating as W1AW-9.
“Many pilots carry small APRS beacons on their aircraft,” said
Inderbitzen. “The beacons are easily tracked by other APRS users, but
also by friends and family who can track the beacons and aircraft
position in real-time on map-based web services such as aprs.fi.”
“Our booth volunteers are also helping direct newcomers to radio clubs
and testing locations,” said Inderbitzen. Those committed to getting
their first Amateur Radio license are able to become ARRL members at
AirVenture and get a free Technician class license manual in the
bargain. ARRL’s booth is located in Hangar B, Booth 2152.
Member Dan Vanevenhoven, N9LVS, from Appleton, Wisconsin — a private
pilot and one of the organizing chairs who oversee the show’s
admission booths — escorted Inderbitzen and ARRL Central Division
Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA, around the sprawling grounds and
airfields where thousands of aircraft have converged for AirVenture. At
least for a week, the fly-in makes Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh
the busiest airport in the world. AirVenture continues through Sunday,
July 29.
International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend Welcomes First-Time
Lights
07/24/2018
Marking its 21st anniversary this year, the International Lighthouse and
Lightship Weekend (ILLW) in August will celebrate Amateur Radio
operation at several lighthouses that will make debut appearances in
this year’s event. So far, 300 groups or individuals have registered
to indicate plans to participate from a lighthouse or lightship during
the 2-day operating activity. Newcomers joining the list of perennials
include the Ashdod and Mount Carmel lighthouses in Israel; Shabla
Lighthouse in Bulgaria; Porthcawl Breakwater in Wales, and Tanjung Datu
in Malaysia. Additional newcomers are in Mexico and Cuba, sponsors
said.
ILLW is always held on the third full weekend in August. This year, it
will get under way at 0001 UTC on August 18 and continue until 2400 on
August 19 — 48 hours in all. The ILLW typically attracts more than 500
lighthouse entries in dozens of countries. Registration is not required
for participation, but it does let other stations know which lighthouses
and lightships will be activated.
Other lighthouses making a first appearance in ILLW include Malarrif in
Iceland and Akmanrags Lighthouse in Latvia. The Lightship Huron on the
St Clair River in Michigan also is a newcomer.
As the ILLW website notes, “August seems to have become the
international weekend for lighthouses.” In the US, August 7 in
National Lighthouse Day, which is marked by Amateur Radio operations at
lighthouses during US National Lighthouse Week. In Britain, the
Association of Lighthouse Keepers conducts International Lighthouse
Heritage Weekend during the third full weekend in August, coinciding
with ILLW.
Sponsors stress that the event is not a contest — and there are no
prizes, certificates, or other enticements to participate. Each
station’s operators decide how they will operate their station with
respect to bands and modes, and participating stations do not have to be
on the air for the entire weekend.
Activity does not need to take place inside the structure itself. A
Field Day-style setup at the light or other building adjacent to the
light is sufficient. Sponsors say the intent of that requirement is to
make the station visible to visitors.
FROM LOUISIANA:  The International Lighthouse / Lightship Weekend will
be on the weekend of August 18th & 19th, 2018 from
00.01UTC 18 August to 2400UTC 19 August 2018 (48 hours).
The Morgan City ARC BEARS (Bayou Emergency Amateur Radio Service) will
be operating from the Southwest
Reef Lighthouse (USØ176) Park using the call W5BMC.  We will operate 40
& 20 meters and EchoLink W5BMC-R.
Hours will be Saturday 1700Z to 2200Z and 1700Z to 1900Z Sunday but not
set in stone.
For some reason or other August seems to have become the international
weekend for lighthouses. Countries all over the
world have become involved in one form or another of lighthouse
activity. Some years ago, the United States Congress
declared August 7th as their National Lighthouse Day and during that
first week in August amateur radio operators in
America set up portable stations at lighthouses and endeavor to contact
each other. This event is known as
the US National Lighthouse / Lightship Week.  The Southwest Reef
Lighthouse has been given the designation number
USØ176.
More information can be found at:  https://illw.net/
Captain Cook Commemorative Special Event Set
08/22/2018
The Pontefract and District Amateur Radio Society (PDARS) in the UK has
been assigned special event call sign GB250CC (GB25ØCC) to mark the
250th anniversary of the first voyage of explorer Captain James Cook.
PDARS plans to apply for a series of regulatory variances (NOV) to
coincide with key moments in the voyage and hopes to make contacts with
the Pacific Islands that Cook visited 250 years ago. The first NOV for
August 23 will mark Cook’s departure from Plymouth on his first
voyage. Nigel Ferguson, G0BPK, a member of the Captain Cook Society and
of PDARS, said Cook rose from a humble background through the ranks.
“The Royal Society had approached the Admiralty for a ship to sail to
Tahiti and view the Transit of Venus in 1769, a rare astronomical
observation,” Ferguson explained. “The Admiralty insisted that the
captain should be from the Navy, and James Cook was chosen. This was the
first scientific voyage of discovery.” The bark Endeavour set sail on
August 25, 1768. Ferguson expressed the hope that regulator Ofcom will
continue to allow NOVs for GB250CC for the next 3 years. Logs will be
uploaded to Logbook of the World (LoTW).
Visit the GB250CC QRZ.com profile for more details.
ARRL Announces New Contests Web Portal
08/21/2018
The ARRL Contest Branch has announced a new ARRL Contests Portal, which
ARRL Contest Branch Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, calls “a one-stop shop
for all of your ARRL contest interests, offering access to everything
from the starting bell of a contest to your post-event hard-fought
certificate of accomplishment.”
Use the navigation tabs on the left to locate information about specific
contests. Use the tabs at the top to submit logs, manage club
eligibility lists, download certificates, and view other information for
all contests. Jahnke said the new portal is still under construction,
and information on specific contests and other contest-related content
is being added every week.
————————————————————————————————————————————-
ARRL 2017 Annual Report:
The ARRL Letter
ARRL Contest Update:
August 22, 2018:
August 8, 2018:
ARES:
E-Letter
LA Section ARES Report for July 2018:
ARES Members: 351
Number of ARES nets active: 44
Number of nets with NTS liaison: 1
Exercises/Training: 21 @ 271 Hours
Emergency Operations: 0/0
Public Events: 1 @ 7 Hours
Skywarn Events: 2 @ 7 Hours
Total:  24 events @ 291 Hours
ARRL ARES SEC Report for July 2018:
ARRL Board of Directors’ Committee Seeks Input for Proposed ARES
Strategic Plan
08/08/2018
Following up on an ARRL Board of Directors directive at its July
meeting, the Public Service Enhancement Working Group (PSEWG) has
contacted all ARRL Section Managers (SMs) and Section Emergency
Coordinators (SECs) seeking comments and suggestions regarding the
proposed ARES Strategic Plan, via an online form.The deadline is October
31, in order to give the PSEWG sufficient time to review the comments
and suggestions, formulate any necessary revisions, and submit the
revised document to the Board for consideration at its January meeting.
Created in 1935, ARES has undergone very few changes over the years,
while the agencies ARES serves have undergone many. The PSEWG evaluated
the ARES program for 2 years and drafted several proposed enhancements
aimed at updating the program.
The ARES Strategic Plan introduces changes and a platform for future
growth. For many, this will represent a major paradigm shift; for
others, it will formalize many of the requirements they have employed
routinely for several years.
An independent team of individuals experienced in ARES and emergency
work from across the US has reviewed the proposed plan. Their
suggestions and recommendations were carefully considered, and many were
included in the plan during its development.
Now, the ARRL Board wants SMs and SECs to have the opportunity to offer
comments on the recommended changes prior to implementation of the plan.
While SMs and SECs are invited to reach out to their Emergency
Coordinators (ECs) for their thoughts and feedback, formal responses
must be submitted through SMs and SECs.
The PSEWG asks SMs an SECs to keep their comments respectful, concise,
and on point, and to keep in mind that the ARES framework must remain as
close to universal as possible, even while participants in some
geographical areas may require specific training that others do not
need. Mutual aid pacts may require training specific to adjacent
jurisdictions.
Also, SMs and SECs are reminded that specific agency agreements and
needs must be honored. Those having concerns about a proposed new policy
are requested to offer alternatives.
———————————————————————————————————————
SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGER REPORT:  July 2018
SESSIONS    QNI    QTC    QTR
12                  110      33      121
Jimmy Lewis/AB5YS
Louisiana Section Traffic Manager
———————————————————————————————————————
CLUB CORNER:
The following is a list of Louisiana Affiliated Clubs: In the order as
listed at ARRL.org….
Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club
CABRINI AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
Radio Amateur Service Club***
Louisiana Amateur Packet Radio***
BATON ROUGE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB***
SHREVEPORT ARA
Bayou Contest Club***
THE WASHINGTON AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
ASCENSION AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
Delta DX Association***
NEW ORLEANS VHF CLUB; INC.***
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA ARC INC***
Southeastern LA University ARC
Acadiana ARA Inc
SW LOUISIANA AMATEUR RPTR CLUB***
WEST CENTRAL LOUISIANA ARC INC.
United Radio Amateur Club***
AMATEUR RADIO CLUB OF SABINE***
WESTSIDE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB; INC.
Jefferson ARC Inc
MINDEN AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION
LOUISIANA CONTEST CLUB
Bayouland Emergency ARS
New Orleans ARES***
NEW ORLEANS AMATEUR RADIO CLUB***
LOUISIANA COUNCIL OF ARC; INC
Louisiana Tech Arc***
ARC OF SHREVEPORT (ARCOS)
Ozone ARC
SULPHUR AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
THIBODAUX ARC
Livingston Ars
Fist & Mouth Contest Company***
LOUISIANA DELTA RADIO CLUB
Twin City Ham Club
Once a club becomes affiliated, it will always be that unless the club
dissolves or chooses to no be affiliated with the ARRL.  After a two
year period of no one updating the club’s profile at ARRL.org the
status becomes “inactive”. I have placed asterisks on the clubs who
are currently “inactive”. To return the club’s status to
“active” please have someone with your club to go to the following
and update:
FacebookTwitter
PDF Tutorial – http://www.arrl.org/clubs
E-mail clubs@arrl.org with any questions about club updates.
——————————————————————————————————————————-
AROUND THE STATE BY REGION:
Region 2:  From August 2018 RF New/Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club
Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club PO Box 4004, Baton Rouge, LA 70821 Web:
www.brarc.org Email: brarc@brarc.org
Repeaters: 146.790 – and 444.400 + (PL tone 107.2) Both Yaesu System
Fusion
Nets: Region 2 ARES Net Sundays 8:00 PM 146.790 (PL tone 107.2)
BRARC Club Net Sundays 8:30 PM 146.790 (PL tone 107.2)
10 Meter Net Mondays 7:30 PM 28.450 MHz USB
Aug 28 (Tues) BRARC Meeting 7:00 PM
Main Library Goodwood Branch
Presenter: Dana Browne, AD5VC
Sept 4 (Tues) BRARC Board Meeting
6:30 PM Bluebonnet Library
Sept 6 (Thurs) Technician Class Begins
6 PM Main Library Goodwood Branch
Sept 13, 20 & 27
Sept 25 (Tues) BRARC Meeting 7:00 PM
Main Library Goodwood Branch
Topic: TBA
Visit the BRARC Website at
www.brarc.org to keep up-to-date
on all the club happenings including
meetings, activities, and classes.
W5KID Operating Schedule USS Kidd
11 Nov Veterans Day
7 Dec Pearl Harbor Day
Times and dates may vary, and will be included in RF News. Operating
times on the weekend are usually 10 AM – 3:30 PM. Sign-up sheets will
be available before the club meetings. Contact Dave Thomas, K5CGX
225.572.7836  If you would like to schedule another date/time to
operate the USS Kidd station, please contact the BRARC Board at
Technician Licensing Class An Amateur Radio Operator Technician
Licensing Class is scheduled to start on Thursday, September 6, 2018 at
the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library on Goodwood Boulevard. The
classes begin at 6 pm and will be held on Thursdays in the 2nd floor
Technology Lab. The classes will conclude with a VE session on October
25, 2018. There is no fee for the course. The recommended text for the
classes is Stu Turner’s HamRadioSchool.com Technician & General License
Course. Anyone interested in learning about Amateur Radio is welcome to
attend. For information on Amateur Radio visit arrl.org and brarc.org.
LA ARES Region 2 Quarterly Meeting 08.14.18 American Red Cross
The Louisiana ARES Region 2 held its 3rd quarterly meeting at the
Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross on Tuesday evening from
7:00pm to 8:30pm. Region 2 Emergency Coordinator Robert Hobbs, N5ULA,
welcomed amateur radio emergency operators, and thanked Steve Irving,
WA5FKF, Red Cross DST Lead, for hosting the meeting. The purpose of the
meeting was to give fellow operators an update from the major “served
agencies” within Region 2. Those agencies attending included the
American Red Cross, EBRP MOHSEP, and GOHSEP. SkyWarn updates are planned
to be presented at the 4th quarter meeting with EBRP MOHSEP. Steve,
WA5FKF, spoke to the group regarding Red Cross updates where there will
be a National response to Baton Rouge within 120 hours of a major storm
hitting South Louisiana. At 96 hours Steve would be alerting the 16
supervisors within DST as to the event. Steve is actively recruiting
communication personnel for those positions. Robert, N5ULA, gave an
update regarding the status of the radio room at EBRP MOHSEP and
HamShack Hotline that can interface with smartphones. Roger Fabre,
N5NXL, GOHSEP, was introduced by Jim Coleman, AI5B, ARES Section
Emergency Manager. Roger, N5NXL, introduced the link system using
repeaters in Southeast Louisiana along with GOHSEP band plan. Jim
Coleman, AI5B, presented the 2018 LA Section Emergency Operation Plan.
Jim, AI5B, indicated that there is no Command Staff, but rather a
Section staff of volunteers who would be available to assist the Parish
Emergency Coordinator (EC) when called upon to do so. If a Parish does
not have an EC, the Region’s EC would be available to the Parish EOC
if there is a request for amateur radio emergency services. The major
point in the plan is that the request must be initiated by the Parish
EOC Manager for the event or incident. Training: In regards to training,
an EC is recommended to have ICS courses IS100c, IS200b, IS700b, and
IS800c. The online courses are available on the FEMA’s Emergency
Management Institute website, https://training.fema.gov/emi.aspx. Region
ECs and Section level leadership are recommended to have additional
courses IS300 & IS400 which are classroom based. Non leadership
emergency amateur radio operators are not required, but recommended to
have the basis courses, IS100c & IS200b, IS700b, & IS800c. Both Roger,
N5NXL, and Jim, AI5B, shared that a number of the parishes EOCs,
“served agencies”, do require the basic 4 courses to operate in
their respective agency. The consensus of the presenters indicated that
it is important for ARES members to become embedded in their “served
agency” of choice rather than wait for an event or incident. A copy of
Jim’s, AI5B, presentation will be requested to post on the BRARC’s
website. Section Manager John Mark Robertson, K5JMR, was in attendance,
and thanked all who participate in amateur radio emergency services for
their time, money, and work in serving others. – Michael Nolan, KD5MLD
SkyWarn training is scheduled on Tuesday, October 9 at 6:30 PM. Amateur
Radio Emergency Services (ARES) is part of the SkyWarn system with our
National Weather Service. Location: The Mayor’s Office of Homeland
Security and Emergency Preparedness MOHSEP on Harding Blvd – 1 st
floor training room. It is near the Baton Rouge Airport. It will open to
the public and help fulfill a Storm Ready requirement for the
parish/city. We invite everyone to join the Region 2 ARES Net on Sundays
at 8 PM CDT on 146.790 (PL tone 107.2). – Michael Nolan, KD5MLD LA
ARES Region 2, ADEC
Hamshack Hotline is a free dedicated VoIP for ham operators. Its
intended use is to enable the transmission of emergency and/or tactical
traffic when normal radio traffic handling is overloaded or unavailable.
It’s another tool in the bag for emergency operators. Operators can
also be a part of conference bridges that connect hams worldwide in real
time A phone book is available on the website:
http://apps.wizworks.net:9091/. To open an account, you will need to
purchase a SIP capable phone. Then go to the website and open a ticket:
http://apps.wizworks.net:9090/. For FAQs, visit the Hamshack Hotline
website: https://hamshackhotline.com/. Information provided by Robert
Hobbs, N5ULA
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Region 4:  From the ARRA Newsletter August 20128
Tour de Teche Sandy Leblanc KE5KJF reported that the 2018 Tour de Teche
canoe race will be held October 5 th – 7 th. Volunteers are needed to
man the New Iberia check point on Saturday morning. Anyone wishing to
assist with this event should contact Sandy. Anyone wishing to operate
their own HF Special Event in conjunction with the race is encouraged to
do so.
LOUISIANA TRAFFIC NET EXTENDS NETS ARRL Louisiana Section Manager, Jim
Lewis AB5YS, has made a suggestion that the Louisiana Traffic Net that
meets on 3910 KHz on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays at 1800 hours Central
time, extend the net to include Sunday evenings during the months of
August and September due to these months to be the greatest risks for
Louisiana during hurricane seasons. The idea was hashed around by LTN
members and a vote taken and all agreed it was a good idea. Jim polled
the net members and volunteers were selected to be Net Control Operators
for these extra nets, If this idea takes off, we may carry it on during
other months during the year. Anyone licensed for this frequency is
welcome to check into the net. At times, we may pass NTS Radiogram
traffic and do some message handling training
The International Lighthouse / Lightship Weekend will be on the weekend
of August 18th & 19th, 2018 from 00.01UTC 18 August to 2400UTC 19 August
2018 (48 hours). The Morgan City ARC BEARS (Bayou Emergency Amateur
Radio Service) will be operating from the Southwest Reef Lighthouse
(USØ176) Park using the call W5BMC. We will operate 40 & 20 m and
EchoLink W5BMC-R. Hours will be Saturday 1700Z to 2200Z and 1700Z to
1900Z Sunday but not set in stone. For some reason or other August seems
to have become the international weekend for lighthouses. Countries all
over the world have become involved in one form or another of lighthouse
activity. Some years ago, the United States Congress declared August 7th
as their National Lighthouse Day and during that first week in August
amateur radio operators in America set up portable stations at
lighthouses and endeavor to contact each other. This event is known as
the US National Lighthouse / Lightship Week. The Southwest Reef
Lighthouse has been given the designation number USØ176. More
information can be found at: https://illw.net/
Field Day Chris Ancelet gave a review of this year’s Field Day event
held at the farm of Steve Webre AF5VR in Church Point. The club operated
on the 80, 40, 20 & 15 meter bands and logged ~1365 contacts. Steve’s
farm provided a large, low noise environment that allowed the 40 meter
beam to operate without adversely affecting operation on the 20 meter
beam.
On behalf of the Acadiana Amateur Radio Association, Inc., Herman
Campbell KN5GRK AARA member and SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency
Radio Network) liaison presents a check to Lt. John and Lt. Samantha
McGee officers of the Lafayette Salvation Army. This donation is to help
those in need. Each year the AARA makes a donation to charitable
organizations to help those in need. On average, The Salvation Army
Emergency Services attend an emergency at least once every day of the
year. It responds to people in times of emergency and disaster,
providing assistance such as: refreshments meals, clothing, financial
aid, accommodation, emergency shelters, counseling and responsible
referral. Herman Campbell KN5GRK SATERN Liaison K5LSA (Lafayette
Salvation Army)
REGION 4 ARES / SKYWARN NET Each Tuesday night at 7:00 PM (local), the
Region 4 ARES / SkyWarn Net will take place on the 145.370 SkyWarn
repeater in Lafayette. Net Control Operators will alternate each week.
You do not have to be a ARES member to participate. In case the 145.370
repeater fails, the net will be held on the 146.820 W5DDL repeater PL
Tone 103.5. The July schedule can be found at this link:
http://www.w5ddl.org/clubsite/news/htm When using the SkyWarn 145.370
repeater, be sure to use the receiver PL Tone for your area as follows:
NW Quadrant 114.8 – NE Quadrant 127.3 – SW Quadrant 141.3 – SE Quadrant
94.8 – Central 103.5.
Region 9: From the August “Hamster”
Multiple Sclerosis “Dat’s How We Roll” Bike Tour a 150-mile ride from
Hammond to Percy Quin Park in Mississippi and back will be held on
Saturday, Oct. 6 & Sunday, Oct. 7. Ham radio volunteers to assist with
communications can contact wb5fbs@arrl.net for more information or to
volunteer.
Hammond VE Group – ARRL/W5YI tests are scheduled for the last Sunday of
each month [with the exception of holiday conflicts] in Room “B” of the
North Oaks Medical System Diagnostic Center at 2pm with $15 testing fee.
Bring photo ID and any appropriate CSCE. For more information contact
n5xes@arrl.net or Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area.
GET WELL SOON –
Best wishes for a speedy recuperation from surgery go to Tom Simpson
N5HAY, who at age 96 is still “young”, and to Al Baker KF5IBW who has
been hospitalized. We hope you get back on the air real soon!
Congratulations to the following new Hams and Upgrades from the July VE
session in Hammond:
Technician: Ryan A. Kling – Port Mathilda, PA
General: Pat Mason KE5KMM – Amite
Craig Waggoner, KG5UAQ – Ponchatoula
Many thanks to all the VEs’ who come out to make these session
possible!
Congratulations also to Hillary Portier W5DIY who upgraded to General
class license at the Slidell Hamfest!
Tyrone Burns, VE Liaison N5XE
————————————————————————————————————-
FIELD DAY 2018:
The Louisiana Section had 20 Field day sites listed on the ARRL website;
they were:
WN5AIA, SHREVEPORT
N5VU, SHREVEPORT
K5SL, HAUGHTON
KI5EE, LAKE CHARLES
N5RD, MINDEN
W5BMC, MORGAN CITY
W5LSV, LEESVILLE
W5YL, HOUMA
N5I, ALEXANDRIA
W5ABD, BELLE CHASSE
W5DDL, CHURCH POINT
K5SAR, GREENWOOD
W5EA, WEST MONROE
W5GAD, METAIRIE
WM5T, TICKFAW
W5SLA, SLIDELL
KC5DR, WET MONROE
W5SUL, SULPHUR
W5GIX, BATON ROUGE
W5CCG, METAIRIE
The 2018 Field Day results have not been released by the ARRL as of this
posting; and once released I will publish them.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
HAMFESTS:
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
09/29/2018 | ARC of Shreveport Tailgate Party
Location: Shreveport, LA
Sponsor: Amateur Radio Club of Shreveport
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
10/13/2018 | CLARC HAMFEST
Location: Pineville, LA
Sponsor: Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
11/10/2018 | The Greater New Orleans Ham Fest
Location: Harahan, LA
Sponsor: Crescent City Amateur Radio Group
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
12/15/2018 | MARA Christmas Hamfest
Location: Minden, LA
Sponsor: Minden Amateur Radio Association
Website: http://n5rd.org
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
01/19/2019 | 38th SELARC Hammond HamFest
Location: Hammond, LA
Sponsor: Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club
——————————————————————–
ARRL Louisiana Section
Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR
——————————————————————–

Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter September 2018

LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGERS NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2018
Greeting all Louisiana ARRL members.  Well, we seemed to have dodged a
bullet with TS Gordon.  Hoping the rest of Hurricane season is quiet.
SILENT KEYS
Duane Ebarb N5VAL
Edmond B. Morris KZ5K
Roy A. Todd WA5UEO
NEW HAMS
Report for 2018-09-06
Shirley M Jordan, KI5BFH
Brooklyn Isaac, KI5BDT
James L Simon, KI5BDV
Brian M Bolden, KI5BDU
Charles E Lee, KI5BHW
Meagan R Raney, KI5BHY
Shawn P Dorsey, KI5BHU
Justin A Frasier, KI5BHV
Kimberly S Powell, KI5BHX
LICENSE UPGRADES
Report for 2018-09-06
Kenneth C Lods, KI5BBQ
Andre P Granier, KI5BBO
Lee S Whatley, KI5BBT
Jeffrey C Farmer, KG5ZFV
Jason J Pepper, KG5VHT
Mary B Mason, KE5KMM
Craig D Waggoner, KG5UAQ
Charles J Lopushansky, KE5THM
Jeffrey J Tircuit, N5SOE
Clayton F Runfalo, KF5SCV
John D Scalzo, KG5YZJ
Brynn E Hebert, KG5KRV
James M Smith, N5TOS
Jason C Smith, KI5BCM
John R Hurd, KC5RRL
Christy L Joseph, KG5SSH
Kenneth E Russ, KI5ATW
Timothy J Dempsey, KA5GEX
NEW ARRL MEMBERS
Report for 2018-09-06
Kenneth Lods, KI5BBQ
Ralph J Griffin, KI5AIN
Charles H Baughman, KG5OSX
Glen P Strecker, KG5CEN
Gregory B Fortune, WD5GNX
Dane L Devalcourt, W5DLD
James L Simon, KI5BDV
Charles L Drummond, KD5CCO
Willis E Shobe, W6LKT
Marty M Parent, KA5LUM
Henry Schwenke, KE5WUB
Jason C Smith, KI5BCM
Christy L Joseph, KG5SSH
James R Draeger, AB5JM
FROM THE ARRL
The October Edition of Digital QST is Now Available
09/07/2018
The September edition of Digital QST is now available for viewing on
your desktop or laptop.  It is also available for reading on your Apple,
Android, or Kindle Fire device.
● Build an active receiving antenna for the medium and long-wavelength
bands.
● Put your classic rig on digital modes with an easy interface.
● Discover the relationship between radio and the paranormal.
● Find out who pays for DXpeditions – and how much.
…and much more!
Enjoy Content You Won’t Find in the Print Edition…
● Watch our video review of the Icom IC-7610 HF and 6-meter
transceiver.
Every issue of QST is filled with the news and features you need to keep
active in Amateur Radio.
Top 10 Most Wanted DXCC Entities List Updated
09/06/2018
Club Log’s DXCC Most Wanted entities list has been updated as of
August 28. The list includes 340 entities, and the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, is the #1 most-wanted DXCC
entity, as it has been for quite a few years.
The other top ten most-wanted entities, listed in descending order, are:
3Y/B Bouvet Island; FT5/W Crozet Island; BS7H Scarborough Reef; CE0X San
Felix Islands; BV9P Pratas Island; KH7K Kure Island; KH3 Johnston
Island; VK0M Macquarie Island, and FT5/X Kerguelen Island.
Ham Radio will be Represented at 9th Annual World Maker Faire in New
York City
09/06/2018
The Garden School (K2GSG) and Hall of Science Amateur Radio clubs (ARC)
in New York City will join forces this month to put Amateur Radio on
display during the 9th annual World Maker Faire NYC at the New York Hall
of Science in Corona, Queens, September 22 – 23. Last year’s World
Maker Faire NYC drew some 90,000 attendees. The Garden School’s ham
radio club advisor and science teacher John Hale, KD2LPM, said
participating youngsters will introduce Amateur Radio and mentor
attendees in constructing small, electronic “Maker Key” Morse code
oscillators. The project helped Garden School win a blue ribbon at last
year’s Maker Faire.
Something new this year: Visiting radio amateurs will be able to build a
tape-measure Yagi for satellite or terrestrial use. In cooperation with
the Hall of Science ARC, radio amateurs will attempt to make satellite
contacts with the tape-measure Yagis as a demonstration, Hale said.
The Hall of Science will host a working HF radio demonstration called
“When Disaster Strikes, Amateur Radio is Ready.” Radio amateurs will
be on hand to operate the radios and encourage those attending the Faire
to attempt to make some contacts.
Established in 2016, the Garden School ARC is an integral part of the
school’s curriculum for educating students in STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and math) disciplines. The Garden School ARC
students are mentored by the co-exhibiting Hall of Science Amateur Radio
Club (WB2JSM/WB2ZZO). Both are ARRL-affiliated clubs.
ARRL Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, believes that Maker Faire
events offer excellent opportunities to give greater exposure to Amateur
Radio. “Exhibiting at a Maker Faire is a great way for radio club
members to share their enthusiasm for ham radio with the public,” he
said.
Inderbitzen often gives tips to ham radio groups considering a Maker
Fair exhibit. “Your exhibit should represent radio communication as
innovative, hands-on, and cool!” he advised. “Not everyone will want
to become a ham, but have radio club, class, and licensing information
on-hand for Faire attendees who seem especially interested.”
Digital Mobile Radio Hotspots May Be Interfering with Satellite Uplinks,
AMSAT Reports
09/05/2018
This week, AMSAT News Service (ANS) cited an August 27 report from AMSAT
Vice President-Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, saying that a digital
mobile radio (DMR) signal has been interfering with the AO-92 (Fox-1D)
satellite’s 435.35 MHz uplink frequency. Glasbrenner said hotspots,
repeaters, terrestrial simplex, and “anything not satellite” should
never transmit in the segments 145.8 – 146.0 MHz or 435 – 438 MHz by
international band plan. Well-known satellite enthusiast Patrick
Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK, told ARRL that one DMR hotspot operating on the
AO-92 uplink frequency in the St. Louis area has shifted to another
frequency. But, he added, “I think there are still issues, since not
all hotspots will report their frequencies and positions to websites
such as BrandMeister or via APRS, where they appear on other sites such
“There are others surely operating near satellite uplinks,” Stoddard
added. “For many, the 435 – 438 MHz satellite subband is a big piece
of quiet real estate in a busy part of the 70-centimeter band for
weak-signal work, repeater links, amateur TV, and other possible
uses.”
Stoddard points out that FCC Part 97 addresses Amateur Radio operation
in these segments, although regulations in many other countries may not
be as detailed. §97.3(a)(7) defines Auxiliary Stations as, “an
amateur station, other than in a message forwarding system, that is
transmitting communications point-to-point within a system of
cooperating amateur stations.”
Stoddard said this would include remote bases, EchoLink and IRLP nodes,
and hotspots used for digital voice modes, as well as stations using
these hotspots and nodes. Auxiliary stations may not transmit in the
145.8 – 146.0 and 435 – 438 MHz satellite subbands (among others in
the 2-meter and 70-centimeter amateur bands), per §97.201(b).
•    §97.3(a)(40) defines a repeater as, “an amateur station that
simultaneously retransmits the transmission of another amateur station
on a different channel or channels.” Stoddard said that because most
hotspots operate on a discrete frequency, they would not qualify as
repeaters, even if they operate like a repeater, per §97.205(b).
•    §97.101(a) stipulates, “In all respects not specifically covered
by FCC Rules, each amateur station must be operated in accordance with
good engineering and good amateur practice.” Stoddard remarked,
“Whether the hotspot is interfering with a satellite downlink in a
particular area, or it is interfering with the satellite uplink
affecting a much larger area, this would not be good amateur
practice.”
•    In addition to subbands where hotspots are not permitted, Stoddard
said, §97.101(b) is also relevant. It states, “Each station licensee
and each control operator must cooperate in selecting transmitting
channels and in making the most effective use of the Amateur Service
frequencies. No frequency will be assigned for the exclusive use of any
station.”
Stoddard noted that frequencies used by satellites are usually incapable
of being changed and are coordinated in advance of launch, while
hotspots typically are frequency agile, and the frequencies used by
those systems can be changed to avoid potential interference to
satellites and other stations. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service, Patrick
Stoddard, WD9EWK/VA7EWK
Three Towers of San Marino Special Activity Announced
09/06/2018
The Amateur Radio Association of the Republic of San Marino (ARRSM) has
announced a special activity from the Three Towers of San Marino,
September 15 – 16 (UTC, 24 hours). A group of towers located on the
three peaks of Monte Titano, they are depicted on both the national flag
and coat of arms.
The event will take place in conjunction with a civil protection
exercise. The standard Three Towers Award is issued to a station
submitting proof of contact with all the three towers on at least two
bands; the honor roll award requires confirmation of contacts with all
three towers on three bands.
Stations will be active on 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters (modes not
available). Call signs will be T71A (Guaita), T71B (Cesta), and T71C
(Montale). All three towers have historic and architectural significance
and are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Request QSLs via T70A or via the bureau. Submit award requests directly,
including $15, to PO Box 77, 47890 Republic of San Marino (via Italy).
September’s US Route 66 On the Air Special Event Marks 19th Year
09/03/2018
The 19th annual Route 66 On the Air special event, celebrating the
storied highway between the west coast and the US heartland, gets under
way on September 8 and continues until September 16. The Citrus Belt
Amateur Radio Club (CBARC) of San Bernardino, California, sponsors the
event, which will feature 21 stations — including two rovers —
operating from sites along or near the path of US Route 66. Sporting
W6-prefix 2 × 1 call signs, the stations will be active on CW, SSB, and
digital modes, as well as some VHF and UHF repeater operation.
Through story, song, film, and television, the highway — also known as
“The Will Rogers Highway” and “The Mother Road” — came to
symbolize the spirit of the freedom of the open road, inspiring many to
see America. Stretching nearly 2,500 miles from California to eastern
Illinois, US Route 66 was established in the mid-1920s. After it had
been replaced piecemeal by the Interstate Highway System, it was
formally removed from the US Highway System in 1985, although segments
of the highway now have been designated a National Scenic Byway —
Historic Route 66.
The US National Park Service says Route 66 “holds a special place in
American consciousness and evokes images of simpler times, mom-and-pop
businesses, and the icons of a mobile nation on the road.” NPS
includes the roadway in its “Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel
Itinerary.”
Started by the Northern Arizona DX Association, the US Route 66 Special
Event offered a way for radio amateurs to “relive the ride,” CBARC
said on its website. CBARC assumed sponsorship of the event a couple
years after the inaugural running, and it has become a staple of the
September special event schedule.
Several Amateur Radio clubs will participate in making the event a
reality by sponsoring stations set up along the original US Route 66 or
in cities nearby. Listen for W6A – W6U during the event period.
CW operation will center on or near 3.533, 7.033, 10.110, 14.033,
18.080, 21.033, 24.900, 28.033, and 50.033 MHz. SSB operation will focus
on or around 3.866, 7.266, 14.266, 18.164, 21.366, 24.966, 28.466, and
50.166 MHz. For digital modes, look for Route 66 stations around 3.580,
7.070, 10.140, 14.070, 18.100, 21.070, 24.920, and 28.120 MHz.
Commemorative QSL cards and certificates will be available.
Korean Postage Stamp Recognizes Amateur Radio Direction Finding
Championships
08/30/2018
Korea Post has issued a postage stamp in recognition of the 19th Amateur
Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) World Championships, being held September
2 – 8 in Sokcho City, Gangwon Province, Korea. The Korean Amateur
Radio League (KARL) will host the event. Representatives of at least 30
countries, including the US, are expected to participate. Events will
include formal ARDF competitions on 2 meters and 80 meters, plus sprints
and foxoring. Each country may have up to three persons per age/gender
category on its team, in accordance with International Amateur Radio
Union (IARU) ARDF rules. Nine men and three women have been preparing to
represent the US in Korea.
“I issued invitations to 30 persons to compete for the US, based on
their finishes in the 18th USA ARDF Championships in June and in the
17th USA ARDF Championships last August,” said ARRL/USA ARDF
Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV. “Because of health issues, economic
considerations and activity conflicts, only 12 were able to accept.”
Moell said Team USA members range in age from 29 to 76 and are paying
their own way to attend the event.
“They’re very motivated and I think they’ll have a great time,”
Moell added.
ARDF World Championships take place every 2 years, as hams from around
the world compete to determine who is best at on-foot hidden transmitter
hunting. The US has been represented at every ARDF world championship
since 1988.
In Korea, hidden transmitters will be scattered in a forest that might
encompass 1,000 acres or more.
Sokcho is located along the coast near the northeast corner in the
Gangwon-do province of South Korea. Participants and visitors will
arrive in Sokcho on Sunday, September 2. The next day will include short
practice courses and opening ceremonies. Foxoring events take place on
Tuesday, followed by the first classic event on Wednesday. The sprint
event will be on Thursday morning, followed by a cultural excursion in
the afternoon. The second classic event will be Friday, followed by the
farewell party.
This marks the second time that ARDF Team USA has competed in Korea. In
2008, Korea hosted the World Championships near Hwaseong. That year, in
the 2-meter competition, George Neal, KF6YKN, became the second Team USA
member to stand on the winners’ podium by capturing bronze in the M50
age category. The US has earned at least one medal in every World
Championship since 2006. The greatest number of medals the US team
brought home from a foreign competition was 2012 in Serbia, when team
members won five medals in the World Championships and eight more in the
associated World Cup competitions for individuals.
A weekend training camp for Team USA members and other ARDF enthusiasts
took place August 10 – 12 at Mount Pinos in the Los Padres National
Forest of California. Visit Moell’s “Homing In” website for more
information about Amateur Radio direction finding.
Ham Radio Equipment for Emergency Communication Delivered in Honduras
08/28/2018
The Honduras National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) on August
22 delivered Amateur Radio equipment to COPECO — a government
disaster-organization coordination agency — for use in an
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) pilot project that aims to
take wider advantage of the Winlink HF email system for emergency
communication. The ITU pilot project includes Central America and the
Caribbean with the aim of achieving implementation throughout South
America. Winlink already enjoys wide usage in North America by Amateur
Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams. ITU donated the equipment.
“The most important thing is that CONATEL, COPECO, and radio amateurs
start working with the Winlink tool,” said ITU Area D Representative
Miguel Alcaine. “I am very happy to know that we are doing something
before disaster strikes.”
The donation consists of an HF radio, a VHF radio, a multiband dipole, a
VHF antenna, an automatic antenna tuner, a modem, and coaxial cable.
National Commissioned Minister of COPECO Lisandro Rosales said that one
of his agency’s objectives has been to strengthen information and
communication technologies (ICTs) — a primary ITU initiative. “We
have realized that telecommunications is a key element in order to give
early warning and to warn about imminent danger, or to coordinate
assistance or reconstruction activities,” Rosales said, “and thanks
to them, the institution has one of the most powerful communications
networks of the region, with coverage of 95% of the national
territory.”
COPECO technicians, along with professionals of the 911 National
Emergency System and CONATEL personnel, initiated a series of workshops,
with the support of Honduran radio amateurs.
“This program and radio equipment will allow first responders that
work during emergencies to send information [via HF bands], when
telephone and digital communications collapse or if there are power
outages,” commented Omar Paredes, HR1OP, secretary of Club de Radio
Aficionados Central de Honduras (CRACH). — Thanks to IARU Region 2
New ARRL Chief Executive Officer Elected by Board of Directors
08/27/2018
The ARRL Board of Directors has elected Howard E. Michel, WB2ITX, of
Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to be ARRL’s new Chief Executive Officer,
starting on October 15. Michel (his name rhymes with “nickel”) is
currently Chief Technology Officer at UBTECH Education, and Senior Vice
President of UBTECH Robotics, a $5 billion Shenzhen, China, artificial
intelligence and robotics company. As the Chief Technology Officer at
UBTECH Education, Michel helped build this company from a startup in
China to $100 million in valuation.
“I have Amateur Radio to thank for starting me on a very successful
career, and I’m excited about the opportunity to further ARRL’s
goals as CEO. Leading the League will allow me to ‘give back’ to a
great community and provide similar opportunity for future
generations,” Michel said. “I have been a licensed ham for 50 years,
and I’ve seen many changes in the hobby. One of my top priorities as
CEO will be to develop new products and services so all licensed hams,
whatever their license class or interest, find value in League
membership,” he added.
Michel was first licensed as WN2ITX when he was about 16 years old and
upgraded to General and Advanced within a year. He earned his Amateur
Extra-class license in 2000. He notes that he has always had a strong
interest in building and repairing radio equipment. “I’ve operated
CW/AM/FM/SSB/digital on 80/40/20/15/10/2 on equipment that I have either
built, repaired, or modified.”
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said, “We are excited to have
someone of Howard’s qualifications to lead this organization.
Howard’s management experience, along with his experience at leading a
membership-driven association, makes him an ideal person to move this
organization forward.”
In 2015, Michel was the volunteer president and CEO of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a volunteer-led IRS
501(c)(3) association advancing technology.
“In any large membership-led organization such as ARRL, its members
and volunteers are its greatest asset, and a good staff-volunteer
relationship is crucial to its success,” Michel said. “I intend to
build on this relationship and multiply and amplify the efforts of both
staff and volunteers in furthering ARRL’s goals to advance the art,
science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.”
Michel is a retired US Air Force officer, having served as a pilot,
satellite launch director, engineer, and engineering manager, including
a tour in the People’s Republic of China where he served as a senior
US government technical representative enforcing technology-transfer
control plans and procedures during two satellite launch operations.
He notes that during his time in the military, wherever he could set up
an antenna, he took the opportunity to operate.
Michel earned his bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from New
Jersey Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in electronic and
computer engineering from the University of Massachusetts, and a
master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern
California. He holds a PhD in computer science and engineering from
Wright State University.
His noteworthy academic background further includes current service as a
visiting professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering Science at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.
Previously, he was on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth and of the University of Dayton.
Michel says that some of his favorite activities include attending
hamfests to find old stuff to repair or repurpose, contest operating,
and DXing, especially on 80/40 meters. He adds that he is a Life Member
of the Southeastern Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association.
Michel will succeed Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY, who had been serving as
ARRL’s CEO since January of 2018 following the resignation of Tom
Gallagher, NY2RF. Shelley had been ARRL’s Chief Financial Officer
since January of 1992.
Captain Cook Commemorative Special Event Set
08/22/2018
The Pontefract and District Amateur Radio Society (PDARS) in the UK has
been assigned special event call sign GB250CC (GB25ØCC) to mark the
250th anniversary of the first voyage of explorer Captain James Cook.
PDARS plans to apply for a series of regulatory variances (NOV) to
coincide with key moments in the voyage and hopes to make contacts with
the Pacific Islands that Cook visited 250 years ago. The first NOV for
August 23 will mark Cook’s departure from Plymouth on his first
voyage. Nigel Ferguson, G0BPK, a member of the Captain Cook Society and
of PDARS, said Cook rose from a humble background through the ranks.
“The Royal Society had approached the Admiralty for a ship to sail to
Tahiti and view the Transit of Venus in 1769, a rare astronomical
observation,” Ferguson explained. “The Admiralty insisted that the
captain should be from the Navy, and James Cook was chosen. This was the
first scientific voyage of discovery.” The bark Endeavour set sail on
August 25, 1768. Ferguson expressed the hope that regulator Ofcom will
continue to allow NOVs for GB250CC for the next 3 years. Logs will be
uploaded to Logbook of the World (LoTW).
Visit the GB250CC QRZ.com profile for more details.
Nominations Sought for 2018 ARRL Bill Leonard Award
09/17/2018
The ARRL Public Relations Committee is seeking nominations for the 2018
Bill Leonard Award, which recognizes this year’s best newspaper,
radio, or television news story about Amateur Radio. The award honors
professional journalists or journalistic teams whose outstanding
coverage highlights the enjoyment, importance, and public service value
that Amateur Radio offers. It was created as a tribute to the late CBS
News President Bill Leonard, W2SKE, an avid radio amateur and advocate.
Awards are presented in print, audio, and visual categories.
Members of the ARRL Public Relations Committee will judge nominations
and recommend winners to the ARRL Board of Directors, which will
announce winners at its annual meeting next January.
Award winners in each category (either an individual or a group) will
receive an engraved plaque, and a $250 contribution will be made in each
winning entrant’s name to the charity of their choice.
Each nominee must be a professional journalist or a professional
journalistic team in print, electronic media, or multimedia. The
nominee’s work must have appeared in English, between December 1,
2017, and November 30, 2018, in a commercially published book,
recognized general-circulation (non-trade) daily or weekly newspaper,
general- or special-interest magazine (except publications predominantly
about Amateur Radio), commercial or public radio or television broadcast
(including services delivered via cable), a website operated by a
generally recognized journalistic organization (e.g., newspaper,
magazine, broadcast station, or network), or multimedia format intended
for and readily accessible to the general public within the US. The
scope of the work nominated may be a single story or series.
The story must be truthful, clear, and accurate, reflecting high
journalistic standards. Submission may be made by the authors of the
work or on their behalf by an individual who believes the work merits
the award.
Submit entries to ARRL Headquarters c/o Communication Manager, ARRL, 225
Main St., Newington, CT 06111, by 5 PM ET on November 30, 2018.
For more information about the award, contact ARRL Communications
Manager David Isgur, N1RSN, or call (860) 594-0328. The nomination form
is on the ARRL website.
Fifth Annual “Enigma Reloaded” Operating Event Set to Start on
September 28
09/24/2018
The fifth running of the “Enigma Reloaded” operating event will
begin on September 28. Sponsored by A.R.I. Fidenza Radio Club, the event
celebrates the history of the Enigma cipher machine and its crucial role
in World War II, as well as honoring the individuals who developed the
device and contributed to its success.
Enigma Event 2018 takes place in two stages: from September 28 until
October 5, so-called Activator Stations will be on the air for others to
work and to qualify for awards. On October 6, the event’s final day,
Activator Stations will exchange predefined CW messages previously
encrypted by a real or emulated Enigma machine.
VP6D Ducie Island 2018 DXpedition to Offer Near Real-Time Contact
Posting
09/24/2018
The VP6D Ducie Island 2018 DXpedition, on schedule to begin October 20,
has announced that it will use DXA to post contacts on a near real-time
basis. “Bob Schmieder, KK6EK, of Cordell Expeditions, offered the use
of DXA, and we gladly accepted,” the DXpedition said in a news update
this week.
“Within 60 seconds of your contact with VP6D, the browser page is
automatically updated to show your call sign; this confirms that your
contact is in the log (DXA reads the VP6D log). This process eliminates
the need for duplicate contacts on the same band/mode and minimizes the
confusion caused by pirates or other DXpeditions operating at the same
time.”
The DXpedition leaders said they performed an end-to-end test of the DXA
system, and expressed confidence that DXA “will significantly reduce,
or eliminate, the hundreds of emails asking for ‘log checks.’ If you
see your call sign on DXA you’re in the log.”
The VP6D Ducie Island 2018 DXpedition will continue from October 20
through November 3. The VP6D team also plans to put Ducie Island on
6-meter moonbounce for the first time ever. Operation will be on 50.200
MHz using JT65.
ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program
Applications for the 2019 ARRL Foundation scholarship program will be
accepted between midnight, October 1, 2018 and 11:59 PM Eastern Standard
Time January 31, 2019.  Transcripts must be received by Thursday,
February 14, 2019.
More than 80 scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 are awarded
through the ARRL Foundation scholarship program.
The Louisiana Memorial Scholarship-
•    Award Amount: $1,000
•    Number of Awards: 1 per year
•    License Requirement: Active Technician Class or higher
•    Region: Any
•    Field of Study: International studies
•    Institution: Accredited post-secondary institution
•    Other:
1) Academic merit, financial need and interest in promoting Amateur
Radio
2) Preference to an ARRL member
3) Preference to baccalaureate or higher degree candidates
For additional information please contact Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD, in the
ARRL Development Office at 860-594-0348 or lclarke@arrl.org.
CONTEST CALENDAR
September 2018
8-10      September VHF
15-16    10 GHz & Up – Round 2
29-30    EME – 2.3 GHz & Up
October 2018
15-19  School Club Roundup
27-28  EME – 50 to 1296 MHz
November 2018
3-5      Nov. Sweepstakes – CW
17-19  Nov. Sweepstakes – Phone
24-25  EME – 50 to 1296 MHz
11/30-12/2  160 Meter
December 2018
11/30-12/2  160 Meter
8-9              10 Meter
16    Rookie Roundup–CW
Upcoming Hamfests
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
09/29/2018 | ARC of Shreveport Tailgate Party
Location: Shreveport, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Amateur Radio Club of Shreveport
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
10/13/2018 | CLARC HAMFEST
Location: Pineville, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
11/10/2018 | The Greater New Orleans Ham Fest
Location: Harahan, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Crescent City Amateur Radio Group
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
12/15/2018 | MARA Christmas Hamfest
Location: Minden, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Minden Amateur Radio Association
Website: http://n5rd.org
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
01/19/2019 | 38th SELARC Hammond HamFest
Location: Hammond, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club
Around the State
REGION 4- From the AARA September 2018 Newsletter
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tour de Teche October 5-7 various locations
Cajun Cup November 10 morning hours
Veterans Day November 10
Tour de Teche ~ Sandy Leblanc provided an update on the 2018 Tour de
Teche canoe race to be held October 5th – 7th. The Command Center will
be located at St. Martinville on Friday and will relocate to Franklin
and Berwick as the race progresses over the weekend. Radio operators
manning checkpoints will receive a folder containing race information
and are requested to set up at their assigned checkpoint one hour before
racers are expected to arrive at their checkpoint. Individuals wishing
to operate their own special event station are welcome to do so. Danny
and Kathy Daigle volunteered to fill the one remaining slot at the New
Iberia checkpoint on Saturday morning.
GENERAL MEETING
September 6, 2018 @ 7:00 PM
Local 2-Meter Nets
Monday
AARA Monday Night Net 7:00 PM
146.820 PL 103.5 Lafayette, LA
Tuesday
Region 4 SkyWarn Net 7:00 PM
145.370 – PL 103.5 Lafayette, LA
Wednesday
Silent Key Memorial Net 6:30 PM
145.410 No PL New Iberia, LA
Thursday
Youth Net 7:00 PM
146.820 – PL 103.5 Lafayette, LA
EchoLink Node: 370324
REGION 4 SKYWARN NET
Each Tuesday night at 7:00 PM (local), the Region 4 SkyWarn
Net will take place on the 145.370 SkyWarn repeater in Lafayette. Net
Control Operators will alternate each week.
In case the 145.370 repeater fails, the net will
be held on the 146.820 W5DDL repeater PL Tone 103.5.
The September schedule can be found at this link:
When using the SkyWarn 145.370 repeater, be sure to use the receiver
PL Tone for your area as follows:
NW Quadrant 114.8 – NE Quadrant 127.3 – SW Quadrant 141.3 – SE Quadrant
94.8 – Central 103.5.
Rice Pilaf
Not unlike store bought Rice-A-Roni.
2-2/3 Cups of Chicken Broth 1/3 Cup Butter
1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Black Pepper 1/8 tsp Paprika
2 Tbs Olive Oil 1/3 Cup Vermicelli or Orzo
1 Cup Long Grain Rice 1/3 Bell Pepper, fnely chop
1 Tbs fresh or 2 tsp dried Parsley
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan set to medium heat, add the
chicken broth, butter, salt, garlic powder, parsley,
pepper, bell pepper, paprika, and onion powder. Once
the mixture starts to simmer, reduce to low heat.
In a large skillet, set at medium-low heat, add the olive oil.
When the oil is hot, add the vermicelli or orzo and
cook until brown. Add the rice and cook for 5-7
minutes, while stirring.
Pour the warm broth mixture into the skillet and stir to
combine. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, cover
and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until all the liquid is
absorbed.
REGION 7-
Minden Amateur Radio Assn. News by John Beck KB5LE
We meet this coming Saturday (third Saturday each month) at Chen’s
Garden
Buffet, 1104 Homer Rd, Minden, LA. Off I-20 take exit #47 or #49.
We eat and visit at 11:30am, and the business meeting follows at
12:15pm.
Hope to see you there.
                =====================
              MARA WEBSITE EXTRA FILES
There may be some files of interest in this directory, both ham radio
files
and other tidbits which have landed there.
It’s the EXTRA directory: http://n5rd.org/extra
For example, the pdf file regarding end-fed half-wave wires, subject of
Edwin’s, KD5ZLB, ‘show and tell’ last meeting. It’s direct address is:
REGION 8- Submitted by Joe Holland KB5VJY
Louisiana Delta Radio Club – Our Parks on the Air / Catfish fry was a
huge success.  Over 50 hams from across the area attended.  The Club
activated K-2369 and had several contacts.  Several portable stations
were set up for everyone to be able to use.  A huge 3 transmitter fox
hunt ended by loosing the last fox… Fortunately with over 20 hunters,
the Fox was found..
NELARC –  On August 27, Jim, W5LA, had the opportunity to make an
“Introduction to Amateur Radio” presentation to the Introduction to
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) classes at West Monroe
High School. There were two classes with about fifteen Freshman students
in each class. The goal at WMHS would be to get several of the students
licensed with the possibility of forming an Amateur Radio club at the
school. Thanks to the teacher, Denise Cavin, who arranged for this to
take place.
Pine Hills Amateur Radio Club –  On October 6th at the Lincoln Parish
Park, PHARA will host a Family day.  Fish Fry, Special Event Station,
Fox hunt,  with presentations on Portable operations, and Satellite
communications.  Food, Fun, and activities.  Please RSVP at
The 55 Simplex group will have their 2nd annual Hamboree at Cheniere
Lake AREA 1 Park on October 13th.  All persons interested in Amateur
Radio are invited to attend.
REGION 9- From “The Hamster” September 2018
Special Events, Hamfests & VE Sessions
Multiple Sclerosis “Dat’s How We Roll” Bike Tour a 150-mile ride from
Hammond to Percy Quin Park in Mississippi and back will be held on
Saturday, Oct. 6 & Sunday, Oct. 7. A few more ham radio volunteers to
assist with communications are needed, especially on Sunday. Contact
wb5fbs@arrl.net for more information or to volunteer.
Greater New Orleans Ham Fest on November 10th, Harahan LA, with prizes
and flea market! Details at
Hammond VE Group – ARRL/W5YI tests are scheduled for the last Sunday of
each month [with the exception of holiday conflicts] in Room “B” of the
North Oaks Medical System Diagnostic Center at 2pm with $15 testing fee.
Bring photo ID and any appropriate CSCE. For more information contact
n5xes@arrl.net or Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area.
Happy Birthday!!
September Birthday Wishes go to John Shettles K5SNB, David Oehler K4BHY,
Sue Mueller WD5BVC and Brenda Ricks KG5KBS! If we missed your birthday,
please let us know.
GET WELL SOON –
Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members James
Redmond K5QNT, Tom Simpson N5HAY, Al Baker KF5IBW and Sandy Blaize
W5TVW. We hope to work you on the bands real soon!
VE Session Results…
Congratulations to the following new ham from the August VE session in
Hammond:
David Esola – New Orleans
—————————————————————————-
ARES
August 2018 LA ARES Report:
ARES Members: 347
DEC’S reporting: 9 (100%)
NETS:  37
NETS WITH NTS LIAISON: 1
EXERCISES/TRAINING SESSIONS: 27 FOR 318 HOURS
PUBLIC SERVICE EVENTS:  3 FOR 20 HOURS
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS:  0
SKYWARN EVENTS:  1 FOR 40 HOURS
TOTAL ACTIVITIES: 31 FOR 378 HOURS
JULY ARRL ARES REPORT:
——————————————————————————————————————————-
Louisiana Section Traffic Manager report for August 2018:
Sessions QNI    QTC    QTR
16            55        20      93
Louisiana HF ARES NET
Time
2 Hours
Checkins
120
73,
Jimmy Lewis/AB5YS
Section Traffic Manager
——————————————————————————————————————————-
I will be attending the Section Manager’s workshop for new section
managers next month in Newington, CT and hope to have interesting news
to pass on for next month’s newsletter.
73
——————————————————————–
ARRL Louisiana Section
Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR

Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter October 2018

LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGERS NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2018
I am beginning this newsletter fresh from my recent Section Managers
Workshop at ARRL HQ in Newington, CT.
SILENT KEYS:
William Ockman N5HGR
Henry Contant N5ZAQ
Jim Prothro N5IOO
NEW HAMS:  WELC0ME TO HAM RADIO!
Report for 2018-10-02
Jeffery S Pruitt, KI5BQC
Nathan A Cooper, KI5BRV
Charles T Clasen, KI5BQB
Bobby J Williams, KI5BNZ
Mark J Vining, KI5BNY
Anna C Gibbens, KI5BSC
Lynn P Percle, KI5BPE
Henrietta B Percle, KI5BPD
Lafayette, LA 70508-4251
Adam W Toepfer, KI5BRS
William S Tindall, KI5BRW
Madeline G Hunt, KI5BSA
Jamie A Jewell, KI5BRZ
Scott G Laiche, KI5BSB
Kenneth B Goodwin, KI5BSU
LICENSE UPGRAGES:  CONGRATULATIONS!
Report for 2018-10-02
David Esola, KI5BND
Charles P Kearney, KG5TRX
William Z Spivey, KD5NAE
Donald W Ward, KI5AJV
Jerry W Penfield, KG5UPA
NEW/RENEWED ARRL MEMBERSHIPS:  WELCOME/WELCOME BACK
Report for 2018-10-02
Todd J Rudloff
Glenn H Bourgeois, WX5RLT
Andre P Granier, KI5BBO
Joe C West
David Esola, KI5BND
Angelo Glorioso, N5UXT
Charles Clasen, KI5BQB
Esdy S Agoro
Matthew Anderson, KD5KNZ
Veronica Ward, KE5MEM
Karl M Fontenot, KG5KZP
Samuel E Williams, WZ5A
Clay Runfalo, KF5SCV
Ronald G Stroope, W5RGS
Shawn P Dorsey, KI5BHU
Donnis H OBryan
Charles R Smith, AE7BM
James L Wallis, KG5CKS
Samual P Yanz, KF7YQC
Jimmy Reed, KI5BNX
Richard D Rose, KA5QJS
If anyone needs to know the status of their ARRL membership please just
let me know.  If you need to renew you can do so at the ARRL website:
NEW SECTION APPOINTMENTS:
Roger Farbe N5NXL Assistant Section Manager:  GOHSEP/LWIN/LWARN
Matt Anderson KD5KNZ Assistant Section Manager:  Red Cross/LCARC
Chris Joseph KG5SSH Emergency Coordinator Region 8 Union Parish
Dick Lundy WA5CAV Official Relay Station Region 6
FROM THE ARRL:
ARRL, FCC Discussing Issue of Uncertified Imported VHF/UHF Transceivers
10/03/2018
ARRL has taken a minor exception to the wording of a September 24 FCC
Enforcement Advisory pertaining to the importation, marketing and sale
of VHF and UHF transceivers and is in discussion with FCC personnel to
resolve the matter. The Enforcement Advisory was in response to the
importation into the US of certain radio products that are not FCC
certified for use in any radio service, but identified as Amateur Radio
equipment.
“While much of this equipment is actually usable on Amateur bands, the
radios are also capable of operation on non-amateur frequencies
allocated to radio services that require the use of equipment that has
been FCC-certified,” ARRL said. “Such equipment is being marketed
principally to the general public via mass e-marketers and not to
Amateur Radio licensees.”
ARRL said the upshot is that the general public has been purchasing
these radios in large quantities, and they are being used on the air by
unlicensed individuals. “
“Radio amateurs have complained of increased, unlicensed use of
amateur allocations by people who are clearly unlicensed and unfamiliar
with Amateur radio operating protocols,” ARRL said. But while it
supports the general tenor and intent of the Enforcement Advisory, ARRL
said it disagrees with the FCC on one point.
“In several places, the Enforcement Advisory makes the point that
‘anyone importing, advertising or selling such noncompliant devices
should stop immediately, and anyone owning such devices should not use
them,’” ARRL pointed out. “The Advisory broadly prohibits the
‘use’ of such radios, but our view is that there is no such
prohibition relative to licensed Amateur Radio use — entirely within
amateur allocations — of a radio that may be capable of operation in
non-amateur spectrum, as long as it is not actually used to transmit in
non-amateur spectrum.
ARRL has had extensive discussions about this issue with FCC Wireless
Bureau and Enforcement Bureau staff, and those discussions are ongoing.
“It is important to protect the flexibility of the Amateur Service as
essentially an experimental radio service, but it is also very important
to stop the unlawful importation and marketing of illegal radios in the
United States and the use of those radios by unlicensed persons,” ARRL
maintained. “We will keep our members informed as our discussions with
FCC on this subject continue.”
Remembering the Launch of Sputnik 1 — Earth’s First Artificial
Satellite
10/04/2018
October 4 marks the 61st anniversary of the launch by the Soviet Union
of Sputnik 1, Earth’s first artificial satellite. The Soviets heralded
the launch as a national triumph, and the space race between the USSR
and the US began.
Sputnik 1 was a 58-centimeter diameter, polished aluminum sphere
sprouting four antennas and transmitting a 1 W signal on 20.005 and
40.002 MHz, putting it within the range of nearly any radio amateur.
Orbiting the planet about once every 96 minutes, Sputnik 1 could be seen
from Earth. Following the launch, the US National Institute of Standards
and Technology’s HF radio station WWV even halted its nighttime 20 MHz
transmissions to avoid interfering with the satellite’s signal.
Scientists studying it gained information about such things as the
density of the upper atmosphere, deduced from orbital drag. The
propagation of its signals also helped to better understand the
ionosphere. The US launched its first artificial Earth satellite,
Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958.
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 Overhauls Marking Requirements for Short
Rural Towers
10/09/2018
Thanks to ARRL efforts on Capitol Hill, language in the 2018 Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, just signed by
President Donald Trump, resolves the issue of problematic or preclusive
rules affecting some rural Amateur Radio towers. The previous FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2016 had instructed the FAA to enact
tower-marking requirements, similar to those in some state statutes,
aimed at improving aircraft safety in the vicinity of meteorological
evaluation towers (METs). These towers are typically between 50 and 200
feet and set up in rural areas, often on short notice.
In the wake of fatal crop-dusting aircraft collisions with METs, the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had recommended that states
institute laws, sometimes called “crop duster” statutes, requiring
marking and registration of METs. While some state crop-duster laws
exempted ham radio towers, federal regulations dating to the 1996 FAA
Reauthorization Act did not, and ARRL had expressed its concerns since.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that even one Amateur Radio antenna
below 200 feet has ever been involved in an aviation accident,” ARRL
General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, said. “To impose painting and
lighting requirements on Amateur Radio antennas between 50 and 200 feet
tall would preclude many, if not most, of the exurban, rural, and, in
some cases, suburban Amateur Radio antennas that are and will be sited
outside incorporated towns and cities. This would ironically defeat the
entire reason such antenna facilities are sited in those environments:
because rural and exurban areas are where such antennas are permitted
and the few areas where antennas are not precluded entirely by private
land use regulations.”
Prior to 2017, per long-established FAA regulations, unless such short
radio towers were located within the glide slope of airports or
heliports, they were not required to be painted or lighted.
After attempting to address the issue through the FAA, ARRL’s
legislative team met with staff members of Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and
other lawmakers and their staffs associated with the congressional
committees of jurisdiction. Senator Inhofe — himself a pilot — was
of the view that the 2016 legislation was excessive and that exemptions
should exist for both broadcast and Amateur Radio antennas and support
structures. “We worked with our close allies at the National
Association of Broadcasters (NAB), [who were] afraid that this
legislation would have a large adverse effect on short broadcast
towers,” Imlay recounted. “We also worked with the Association of
American Railroads, which has hundreds of short towers along rail lines
in rural areas that would have been affected.”
Imlay said Section 576 of the large 2018 FAA reauthorization now
requires that the only towers less than 200 feet tall that have to be
painted and lighted are meteorological aids and those within the glide
slope of an airport or heliport. The remainder of such towers in rural
or agricultural areas lower than 200 feet need to only be included in an
FAA-maintained database, which will be updated by the owners of such
towers.
Imlay credited members of the ARRL Legislative Advocacy team, as well as
Senator Inhofe and ARRL’s broadcast and land mobile association
partners for getting the language revised in the new, 5-year
Reauthorization Act. “We consider this a big success for Amateur
Radio,” Imlay said, “and it would not have been possible but for the
visibility that has been achieved for ARRL through our active Capitol
Hill advocacy for the Amateur Radio Parity Act.”
Scouting’s Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) Looking Forward to Successful
2018 Event
10/12/2018
Some 450 sites in the US are among nearly 3,000 locations around the
world that will host Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) or Jamboree on the
Internet (JOTI) stations over the October 19 – 21 weekend.
“It looks [like it will] exceed last year’s registration number by
next weekend,” JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND, said.
One site that will be activated for JOTA is the Voice of America (VOA)
Museum in West Chester, Ohio, which hosts the West Chester Amateur Radio
Association’s club station WC8VOA. WCARA member Jocelyn Brault,
KD8VRX, grew up in Canada, where, as a 12-year-old, he took part in a
JOTA event, making a friend in France and becoming pen pals. Years
later, he became a Scout leader and a radio amateur. The station in the
VOA station has been hosting JOTA for the past 5 years and allows anyone
in Scouting to participate from the museum.
“For JOTA last year, we had over 100 Scouts stop by and get on the
air,” he recounted. “They could also explore the VOA Museum.”
Brault said that at one point, stations in five states conducted an
on-the-air roundtable, sharing stories and experiences. “That was a
great way to do it, it made it much more fun for the Scouts and for us
as well. I’m looking forward to repeating the experience again this
year,” he said.
Wilson urged JOTA station coordinators to review the best practices and
to try taking some video of JOTA-JOTI activity.
Bidding in ARRL On-Line Auction Set to Begin on October 19
10/15/2018
More than 230 items will be on the block as bidding gets under way on
Friday, October 19, at 10 AM ET (1400 UTC) for the 13th Annual ARRL
On-Line Auction.The auction will continue through Friday, October 26, at
10 PM ET (0200 UTC on Saturday, October 27). An auction preview opens on
Wednesday, October 17.
The 2018 auction includes lab-tested QST “Product Review” gear,
vintage books, used equipment, and one-of-a-kind items, plus the ARRL
Lab team has contributed four of the very popular “mystery boxes.”
Some premier “Product Review” items up for bid include the Apache
Labs ANAN-8000DLE HF and 6-meter SDR transceiver, an Icom IC-R8600
communications receiver, a Yaesu FT-991 HF/VHF/UHF transceiver,
BridgeCom Systems BCM-144 2-meter mobile transceiver, and many more
items.
The auction also will offer items donated from the popular television
series “Last Man Standing,” starring Tim Allen, an actual radio
amateur who portrays the fictional Mike Baxter, KA0XTT, in the show,
which has featured ham radio in some episodes.
Among book offerings in the auction are History of QRP in the US 1924
– 1960, a special defense edition of The Radio Amateur’s Handbook
from 1942, and a 1958 ARRL Handbook.
Proceeds from the annual On-Line Auction benefit ARRL education
programs. These include activities to license new hams, strengthen
Amateur Radio Emergency Service® training, offer continuing technical
and operating education, and create instructional materials.
All bidders must register (your arrl.org user ID and password will not
work on the auction site). If you have registered for a previous ARRL
On-Line Auction, you may use the same log-in information. If you have
forgotten your user ID or password, click on the “Help” tab for
instructions on how to retrieve these credentials. Make sure your
correct address and other information are up to date. The auction site
only accepts Visa and Mastercard.
DX Group Seeks Reconsideration of Kure Atoll DXpedition Permit
Application
10/16/2018
The Pacific Islands DXpedition Group (PIDXG) is hoping to gain approval
of its latest application for a DXpedition from Kure Atoll — currently
the 7th most-wanted DXCC entity according to Club Log. The last ham
radio activity on Kure Atoll took place in 2005. Once home to a US Coast
Guard LORAN station, Kure Atoll is a part of Hawaii, although separated
from the rest of the state by Midway Island. It is included within the
Hawaii State Seabird Sanctuary at Kure Atoll and the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands State Marine Refuge. The Hawaii Department of Land and
Natural Resources (DLNR) formally denied PIDXG’s prior application
last June.
“The official position was that Amateur Radio ‘cannot be conducted
with adequate safeguards for the resources and ecological integrity’
of Kure Atoll,” PIDIXG said in an October 13 news release. According
to PIDXG, officials contended that its antennas would pose a risk to the
island’s avian population. The group said their application assured
that they would follow US Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS) guidelines
and protocols used by other DXpeditions in National Wildlife Refuges
(NWR). They also said that it they’ve adhered to all necessary
procedural and application guidelines in requesting access to public
land where Amateur Radio already is determined as an “existing use”
by the federal agencies overseeing Kure and other Pacific National
Wildlife Refuges.
“It is the understanding of PIDXG that there have been no documented
instances of negative impact to the ‘ecological integrity’ at any
NWR from any previous Amateur Radio activity,” the PIDXG said in its
news release. “Thankfully, through the guidance of the oversight
agencies and the protocols directing radio operations from these
environmentally sensitive areas, it can be said that Amateur Radio has
maintained an impeccable track record in this regard.”
PIDXG said no provisions are in place to appeal the decision, although a
letter accompanying the denial package indicated that the group was
welcome to submit another application in the future, which it did on
August 6.
FT8 to be Permitted in 2019 ARRL RTTY Roundup
10/17/2018
The ARRL Contest Branch has announced that participants in the 2019 ARRL
RTTY Roundup will be permitted to use the new FT8 protocol, which is
part of the WSJT-X software suite.
“Even though digital modes other than RTTY have been permitted in the
RTTY Roundup for 30 years, FT8 was excluded in 2018, because it could
not manage the required exchanges,” ARRL Contest Branch Manager Bart
Jahnke, W9JJ, said. “Through the work of the WSJT-X development team,
the latest version of FT8 can handle the necessary exchanges that
earlier versions were unable to do.”
Some limitations will apply to FT8 entrants. Participants must use
WSJT-X version 2.0 or later to ensure they are able to transmit and
receive the exchange messages the event requires. No unattended
operation, including QSO/macro automations, will be allowed. Neither is
FT8’s Fox-and-Hounds mode; each contact must be carried out in a
one-to-one mode, manually accepting/logging each contact.
Since ARRL contest rules regarding spotting assistance prohibit the use
of “automated, multi-channel decoders” by Single-Operator entrants,
stations using software that decodes more than one FT8 signal at a time
will have to enter as Single-Operator Unlimited or as Multioperator,
just as PSK participants have had to do in the past when using fldigi or
DigiPan software.
Logging software developers have been advised that “DG” will be
accepted as a mode abbreviation for all digital QSOs other than RTTY,
which will continue to be designated as “RY.” This will assist the
ARRL Contest Branch in distinguishing RTTY from other digital-mode
contacts in order to assess the popularity of each. Logs designating all
contacts with “RY” will be accepted, however.
The Contest Branch is encouraging all participants to make the use of
FT8 a success in RTTY Roundup by managing frequency selection and being
patient with new contest operators. FT8 users also are advised to spread
out to help increase decoding and contact success. The FT8 users’
groups and online discussions will offer information about alternate
carrier frequencies for FT8.
“This is a great opportunity for beginners interested in digital mode
contesting,” Jahnke said. “If you are a first-time RTTY, FT8, or
other digital-mode contester, understand that high power and large
antennas are not necessary for successful decodes.”
Complete rules are at www.arrl.org/rtty-roundup.
ARRL Website Security Software Update Could Affect Certain LoTW ADIF
Downloads
10/17/2018
The ARRL website updated its security software on October 15 in order to
meet standards required to continue accepting credit cards for internet
purchases. ARRL Information Technology Department Manager Mike Keane,
K1MK, said that the upgrade should not affect the vast majority of
members, beyond a guarantee of better security on the website. It’s
possible that those using old browsers or running outdated operating
systems could encounter a browser error message when trying to log in or
make a purchase on the website. To check if your browser will be
affected by this change, you can use the “How’s My SSL?” website
to advise you of your browser’s version. Also affected by the upgrade
was the ability of certain logging software running under Windows 7, 8,
and 10 to continue downloading ADIF reports from Logbook of The World
(LoTW). Uploads via TQSL are not affected.
“Affected users should report the issue to their logging application
software vendor,” Keane said. “In several cases, logging application
vendors have already released updates of their products that resolve the
problem.”
Keane said the security update and any possible disruption in service
are for the sake of progress, “and represent the reasonable efforts
that our members expect from us in order to secure their private
information.” The updates completed this week were mandated
security-related changes that allow ARRL to continue to accept credit
cards for purchases and memberships via the website. “These security
changes are no different than what is required by other organizations
and vendors performing online transactions,” Keane noted.
The updates were carried out in order to comply with PCI Security
Standards Council requirements. All payment processors, merchants,
service providers, and other stakeholders must use TLS 1.1 or higher to
ensure the transmission and receiving of secure communications. TLS is a
cryptographic protocol that provide authentication and data encryption
between different endpoints (e.g., a client connecting to a web server).
On October 15, ARRL disabled support for the outdated TLS 1.0 protocol.
Among the browsers that are safe to continue using are Google Chrome 30
or higher (version 40 or higher recommended), Mozilla Firefox 27 or
higher (version 34 or higher recommended), Microsoft Internet Explorer
11 or higher, Apple Safari 7 or higher (Safari 5 or higher on mobile),
all versions of Microsoft Edge, and Opera 17 or higher (version 27 or
higher recommended).
Silent Key Memorial Event Commemorates Departed Radio Amateurs
10/31/2018
The Silent Key Memorial Contest on November 1 will honor radio amateurs
who have died in past years or more recently. The CW-only event gets
under way at 0600 UTC on November 1 and continues until 0859 UTC. The
event is annual and takes place on 80 and 40 meters. The event website
contains complete rules and guidelines.
The 13th Annual ARRL On-Line Auction Grosses More than $22,000
10/30/2018
The 13th Annual ARRL On-Line Auction October 19 – 26 took in more than
$22,000. In addition to hundreds of browsers, the auction saw 214
individual bidders vying for QST “Product Review” equipment, vintage
publications, one-of-a-kind finds, and the ever popular “mystery
junque boxes” from the ARRL Lab. Also receiving many bids were “Last
Man Standing” KAØXTT QSL cards autographed by Tim Allen. A total of
1,084 bids were recorded.
Proceeds from the yearly auction benefit ARRL education programs. These
include activities to license new hams, strengthen Amateur Radio
Emergency Service® (ARES®) training, offer continuing technical and
operating education, and create instructional materials.
Always the most popular auction items, QST “Product Review”
equipment was in high demand. The premier item turned out to be the
Apache Labs ANAN-8000DLE HF and 6-Meter SDR Transceiver, which drew a
winning bid of $3,200. In second-place was the ICOM IC-R8600
Communications Receiver, which brought in $2,100. The Yaesu FT-991A
HF/VHF/UHF Transceiver drew a final bid of $1,060.
“We would like to express our appreciation to the donors who provided
such a diverse mix of items, and we look forward to our 14th auction in
2019,” said ARRL Advertising Sales Manager Janet Rocco, W1JLR.
Weather Forecast Forces Early Shutdown of VP6D Ducie Island DXpedition
10/31/2018
The VP6D Ducie Island DXpedition announced just after 1600 UTC on
October 31 that, “due to an expected worsening in landing
conditions,” it would cease operations. VP6D now is off the air. The
final contact count was 121,136. Most contacts — 67,686 — were on
CW, with 28,736 on SSB and 24,714 on digital modes. The plan had been to
continue operating until November 1 at 1500 UTC.
“It’s been raining all night, with 20+ knot winds,” a news
bulletin from the team said. “The ship is about 300 meters off shore,
the forecast indicates continuing 20+ knot winds, 2 – 3 meter
seas.”
“We are collecting all the logs and will send to the EU QSL management
team (hopefully before we leave); they will remove FT8 dupes and refresh
the server before turning on OQRS.”
According to DXA, KB7QFE appears to have scored the final contact with
VP6D.
Earlier this week, the team announced plans to tear down the CW and SSB
camps on November 1, with antennas, and all non-essential equipment
removed from the island to the M/V Braveheart. The next day, sleeping
tents were to come down and all remaining gear will be transported to
the ship, which was expected to depart Ducie Island at about 2300 UTC,
getting under way at 0200 UTC on November 3 after all gear has been
stowed. The schedule was arranged so that the team would not miss the
once-per-week flight from Mangareva, French Polynesia, to Tahiti. It’s
likely that this schedule will be accelerated.
“We want to thank everyone for their support and hope we met your
expectations,” the team’s latest update said.
ARES
ARES CONNECT:
Amateur Radio Emergency Service Transitioning to New Online Reporting
System
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) will phase out the
traditional ARES report forms later this year in favor of an online
system called ARES Connect, a volunteer management, communications, and
reporting system. The new system will allow information to be logged by
ARES members and managed through the Field Organization.
“ARES Connect is a volunteer management system that covers event
signup, reporting, and roster management,” ARRL Emergency Preparedness
Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, said. “It does not change how ARES operates
when serving a partner entity; it is simply a system that will make
managing volunteers and events easier.” Beta testing of ARES Connect
will began in March. ARES made changes to its report forms last year to
make it easier to process information at ARRL Headquarters and to
standardize the format for all forms. ARES Monthly Reports have been
posted to the ARRL website, providing regular information on Amateur
Radio public service communication activity, the report noted.
According to the 2017 report, ARES membership stands at 31,332, up by
nearly 13% from 2016. The number of emergency operations events reported
was up by 665 from the previous year, with 1,913 reported in 2017. The
top three states in terms of ARES membership in 2017 were California
(2,265), Texas (1,930), and Ohio (1,858).
Reported ARES events amounted to 51,673 in 2017 — a 4% increase —
accounting for 718,930 volunteer hours at a calculated value of more
than $17.3 million.
“There was a noticeable increase in reported activity during August
through November,” the ARES 2017 Annual Report said. “During this
period there was Amateur Radio response activity for hurricanes Harvey,
Irma, and Maria; wildfires in the western states, and the total solar
eclipse that occurred on August 21.”
According to the report, 26 states gained ARES members, while 13 lost
members.
Enrollment for The Louisiana Section will begin sometime within the next
2 months.  ARES members will be notified about the procedures.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
ARES MONTHY SEC REPORT
Section:  Louisiana
Month:  September
Year:  2018
Total ARES Members:  348
# ARES Nets active:  43 w/NTS Liaison: 1
# Exercises/Training:  36 for 293 hours
#  Public Service Events:  1 for 200 hours
# Emergency Operations: 1 for 64 hours
# Skywarn Operations: 1 for 40 hours
TOTAL:  39 / 597 HOURS
August HQ ARES Report:
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Louisiana Traffic Net
Sessions    QTC    QTR    QNI
16              105      11      110
Louisiana HF ARES NET
Time  QTC    QTR
120      40        0
73,
Jimmy Lewis/AB5YS
Louisiana Section Traffic Manager
UPCOMING HAMFESTS:
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
11/10/2018 | The Greater New Orleans Ham Fest
Location: Harahan, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Crescent City Amateur Radio Group
Minden Civic Center
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
12/15/2018 | MARA Christmas Hamfest
Location: Minden, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Minden Amateur Radio Association
Website: http://n5rd.org
Pennington Student Activity Center
HAMFEST/CONVENTION
01/19/2019 | 38th SELARC Hammond HamFest
Location: Hammond, LA
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Contest Calendar:
November 2018
3-5        Nov. Sweepstakes – CW
17-19  Nov. Sweepstakes – Phone
24-25  EME – 50 to 1296 MHz
11/30-12/2  160 Meter
December 2018
11/30-12/2  160 Meter
8-9                10 Meter
16    Rookie Roundup–CW
——————————————————————————————————————————————
ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program
Applications for the 2019 ARRL Foundation scholarship program will be
accepted between midnight, October 1, 2018 and 11:59 PM Eastern Standard
Time January 31, 2019.  Transcripts must be received by Thursday,
February 14, 2019.
More than 80 scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 are awarded
through the ARRL Foundation scholarship program.
The Louisiana Memorial Scholarship-
•    Award Amount: $1,000
•    Number of Awards: 1 per year
•    License Requirement: Active Technician Class or higher
•    Region: Any
•    Field of Study: International studies
•    Institution: Accredited post-secondary institution
•    Other:
1) Academic merit, financial need and interest in promoting Amateur
Radio
2) Preference to an ARRL member
3) Preference to baccalaureate or higher degree candidates
For additional information please contact Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD, in the
ARRL Development Office at 860-594-0348 or lclarke@arrl.org.
Please continue to pray for our Military and First Responders!
——————————————————————–
ARRL Louisiana Section
Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR
——————————————————————–

ARRL LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGER

Louisiana Elects New Section Manager

02/20/2018ARRL members in Louisiana have elected John Mark Robertson, K5JMR, as Section Manager for the next 2-year term of office that starts on April 1. Robertson, of Bossier City, outpolled incumbent Section Manager Scott Wren, KD5DFL, 341 to 148 votes.  Ballots were counted and verified at ARRL Headquarters on Tuesday, February 20. This was the only contested Section Manager election this winter.

An ARRL Life Member and radio amateur since 2008, Robertson currently serves as Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator. He is a past president and board member of the Shreveport Amateur Radio Association. He is an active member of the Shreveport Digital Team, and a charter member of the Minden Amateur D-STAR.