ARRL LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGERS NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020 As you probably know by now, the AARA Rayne Hamfest was impacted by the current Coronavirus situation. We had just set the ARRL table up when the announcement came. The club was allowed to serve the crawfish and have the guest speaker go ahead and give his presentation and then ALL of the prizes were drawn for….. MFJ, HamWorld, The Signman of Baton Rouge and Diamond Antennas had all set up their tables and displays. After supper they began to rig down and load up and I can only imagine the disappointment on their part as well as the AARA Club and everyone planning to come and enjoy a full day on Saturday. We were looking forward to a really good and informative ARRL forum on Saturday. At this point it will be a wait and see how this will affect hamfests scheduled next month and the months to come. Hamfest Update: As of March 18, 2020 the Northeast Louisiana Hamfest in West Monroe has been canceled. ***Some suggestions from ASM Matt Anderson, KD5KNZ: Here a few of the services that may be helpful to clubs to keep in touch with their members during the "Shelter-in-Place" Facebook Live www.facebook.com Free; Requires a Facebook Page Expected resolution: 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames per second 8-hour maximum length Allows viewers to comment or ask questions during the event Embed your live stream in a website Free Conference Call.Com https://www.freeconferencecall.com/ Pay What you can - Suggested $4 Host up to 1,000 participants Dial-in # or VoIP calling Chat Remote Desktop Screen Sharing Video Conferencing Zoom zoom.us Host up to 100 participants Free plans allow calls up to 40 min each Paid plans start at $14.99 / host / month Message from Norm Fusaro W3IZ Director of Operations ARRL: Here at HQ we’ve received lots of communications from our members either asking for guidance or offering suggestions during the current crisis. We hope everyone is adhering to CDC and local health department guidelines by staying home, maintaining safe distances when around people, and following sanitary practices. With many hams staying home there are opportunities to get on the air and call CQ or gather around the local repeater. We certainly don’t need a reason to get on the air, after all, that’s what hams do. In terms of ham radio preparedness, this current crisis has not disrupted communications on a national scale. We know many of our members practice and train for a personal radio communication capability that can be called on when disaster strikes. ARES volunteers and our partners in providing emergency communications already routinely monitor the information and requests from Emergency Coordinators and the like. Station and skills readiness are tenets of the Amateur Radio Service – and this current crisis hasn’t changed this. We can encourage members to remain safe, and to follow the guidelines and requests of their national and local government officials and public health leaders. For those members who are healthy and safe at home, we can encourage them to get on the air: Get on the air. As online fatigue and a feeling of isolation will inevitably creep into our “new normal,†being on-air will introduce variety into our communication practices. As many of us are now homebound or working and studying from home, turning on a radio to connect with your ham radio peers will be welcome respite! Radio Clubs. Think of this current challenge as an opportunity to encourage our club’s members to get on the air. Move (short) meetings to the club’s repeater, and encourage check-ins. Organize skeds, nets, and challenges. Try different bands (HF, VHF, UHF…) and modes. This will also help new radio amateurs gain practical operating experience. Readiness. Station and skills readiness are tenets of the Amateur Radio Service. Any time we spend on the air will contribute to developing and practicing our personal radio communication capability. If you are a radio amateur serving your community through the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) or by volunteering with any of our partners in providing public service communications, thank you. ARES members routinely monitor the information and requests from their ARES Emergency Coordinators. We are grateful for all the ways you stand-ready to support the emergency service personnel in your communities when disaster strikes. 73, Norm Fusaro, W3IZ Director of Operations ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio™ 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA Telephone: (860) 594-0230 FAX: (860) 594-0259 e-mail: w3iz@arrl.org web: www.arrl.org SILENT KEYS (As reported in April QST) Bertram L. Locke, WA5GXH Bossier City Harry L. Viosca, W5OSD Mandeville Milam C. “Lucky†Young, KA5SUR Sulphur New Hams: WELCOME! Report for 2020-03-04 Kenneth Grevemberg, KI5IIY Metairie, LA 70005-3734 Wilbert J Duhe, KI5IGY Destrehan, LA 70047-4031 Phillip J Malbrough, KI5IJK Houma, LA 70363-5803 James J Macareo, KI5IDM Morgan City, LA 70380-2882 Hubert J Cavalier, KI5IDL Napoleonville, LA 70390-8515 Kisha A Richard, KI5IHY Maurice, LA 70555-3033 John D Young, KI5IDB Prairieville, LA 70769-3862 Daniel D Plants, KI5IJG Ida, LA 71044-8750 Jacob A Dickson, KI5IIP Shreveport, LA 71106-7718 Hal H Moore, KI5IJQ Bossier City, LA 71111-6920 Arvil A Parish, KI5IIR Bossier City, LA 71112-3104 David G Jason, KI5IIQ Dubach, LA 71235-2263 Justin M White, KI5IBP West Monroe, LA 71291-8857 Bethany W Butterfield, KI5IGT Pollock, LA 71467-3942 Upgraded License: CONGRATULATIONS! Report for 2020-03-04 Royce J Griffin, KI5HDD New Orleans, LA 70123-6070 Ronnie P Voorhies, KI5HBA Madisonville, LA 70447-3269 Adam G Chapman, KG5TOD Ville Platte, LA 70586-2049 Matthew C Wiggins, KI5HLC Deridder, LA 70634-4552 James A Harvey, KG5TBL Denham Springs, LA 70706-0358 Bruce E Eilts, KD5GRC Baton Rouge, LA 70810-1241 New/Renewed ARRL Members: WELCOME/WELCOME BACK! Report for 2020-03-04 Walter R Rogge, KA5ATW Metairie, LA 70003-4305 Timothy G Lynch, AG5XK Hammond, LA 70401-1004 Homer W Jones, KA5TRT Independence, LA 70443-3742 Joel H Freeland, N5XQT Slidell, LA 70458-2224 Burke Huner Lafayette, LA 70508-5372 Kenneth J Turner, KG5YYL Lafayette, LA 70508-8100 Gregory Lavigne, AD5HA Washington, LA 70589-4059 Nathan J Daigrepont, KF5HXB Denham Springs, LA 70706-8578 Christopher J Winfough, K0CJW Denham Springs, LA 70726-2626 Daniel W Schmolke, KI5CTN Denham Springs, LA 70726-2915 Clay Runfalo, KF5SCV Prairieville, LA 70769-5870 Jacob A Dickson, KI5IIP Shreveport, LA 71106-7718 Samuel C Feldhaus, KC5NJF Monroe, LA 71201-3551 William M Drouilhet, KF5JLX Leesville, LA 71446-6213 Bethany W Butterfield, KI5IGT Pollock, LA 71467-3942 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE ARRL: FCC Turns Down Amateur Licensee’s Appeal 02/26/2020 In a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) released on February 20, the FCC turned down an appeal by William F. Crowell, W6WBJ, of Diamond Springs, California, of an Administrative Law Judge’s (ALJ) dismissal of Crowell’s amateur radio license renewal application. Chief ALJ Richard L. Sippel, ruled in 2018 that Crowell “failed to prosecute his application by refusing to attend a hearing scheduled by the judge,†and that this warranted dismissal of Crowell’s 2007 renewal application. The FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau had designated Crowell’s renewal application for hearing based on allegations that he had violated the Communications Act and FCC rules by causing intentional interference and by transmitting one-way communications, indecent language, and music on amateur frequencies. The hearing was set to be held in Washington, DC, and Crowell filed a notice of appearance certifying that he would appear and present his case. The case was interrupted by what the FCC in the MO&O called “a hiatus of several years, during which Crowell’s petition to disqualify the Judge was pending.†In August 2016, the FCC imposed a $25,000 fine on Crowell for intentional interference and transmitting prohibited communications. The FCC said in a Forfeiture Order (FO) that the penalty “is based on the full base forfeiture amount as well as an upward adjustment reflecting Mr. Crowell’s decision to continue his misconduct after being warned that his actions violated the Communications Act and the Commission’s rules.†The FCC noted that Crowell did not deny making the alleged transmissions but argued in large part that they were protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution,†the Forfeiture Order said. The February 20 MO&O does not reference the Forfeiture Order nor its disposition. When the renewal application litigation resumed in 2017, Crowell asked that the hearing be moved to the Sacramento, California, area, arguing that he could not afford to travel to Washington. Sippel denied the motion. “In the Dismissal Order, the Judge responded to Crowell’s refusal to attend a hearing in Washington, D.C., by granting the Enforcement Bureau’s motion to dismiss Crowell’s application,†the FCC said in its MO&O. The ALJ held that Crowell’s refusal to attend a hearing in Washington, DC, “constituted a failure to prosecute and thereby effectively violated Section 1.221(c) of the rules, which requires dismissal if an applicant fails to commit to appear on the date fixed for hearing.†The Judge agreed with the Enforcement Bureau that many of the arguments Crowell raised on appeal “are not properly before us in reviewing the Dismissal Order and should be disregarded.†Crowell’s amateur license expired in 2007, but he has been permitted, under FCC rules, to operate while his renewal application remains pending. Partially Submerged NEMO-1 WSPR Buoy Retrieved by Fishing Boat 02/26/2020 The NEMO-1 WSPR buy buoy launched by AMSAT-Argentina (AMSAT-LU) on January 30 was retrieved 12 days later by a fishing vessel. The buoy transmitted WSPR on 14.095.6 MHz and APRS on VHF FM using the call sign LU7AA. The captain of the tuna vessel Juan Pablo II considered that the buoy was partially submerged, decided to retrieve it, and informed AMSAT-LU. The NEMO-1 traveled another 8 days aboard the tuna vessel, arriving at Mar del Plata on February 19, where members of the Mar del Plata Radio Club were holding it until members of AMSAT-LU could recover it. The buoy will be reconditioned, and a new launch is planned, this time taking the buoy more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) offshore, so that it will navigate freely. Coronavirus Fears Postpone Another DXpedition 02/26/2020 Alex Gromme, 5B4ALX, has postponed his March 18 – April 2 T30ET DXpedition to Tarawa (West Kiribati) because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The Kiribati Ministry of Health told Gromme that he would need to be quarantined for 14 days in Honiara, Solomon Islands, before getting medical approval to continue on to Kiribati. “T30ET is currently postponed, not deleted,†Gromme said on his website. He’s now looking at October 2020, assuming the COVID-19 situation is resolved by then. Last week, travel restrictions imposed on individuals entering American Samoa as a result of the coronavirus outbreak caused Swains Island W8S DXpedition organizers to postpone that DXpedition until later in the year. The team members were unable to comply with a 14-day mandatory quarantine in Hawaii. The DXpedition announced tentative dates of September 23 – October 6. ARRL Seeks a New Chief Executive Officer 02/27/2020 ARRL is seeking an experienced radio amateur to be Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at its headquarters in Newington, Connecticut. The CEO is the top compensated employee in ARRL’s management structure and oversees all operations in collaboration with the President and the Board of Directors, in accordance with ARRL’s Articles of Association, Bylaws, and Board policies. The successful candidate will ensure day-to-day management of ARRL, including fiscal operations and will oversee and make certain that its fund-raising, marketing, human resources, technology, advocacy, and governance strategies are effectively implemented. Essential CEO functions include: • Leading the headquarters staff and field volunteers, in response to Board policy, in the development and implementation of effective programs for the promotion and growth of amateur radio and the provision of services to members. • Planning, developing, organizing, implementing, directing, and evaluating ARRL’s operational and fiscal performance. • Providing leadership, directing headquarters staff, and maintaining performance standards in headquarters operations. • Participating, in collaboration with officers, Directors, and staff, in developing ARRL’s plans and programs. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker with a record of significant amateur radio experience and a broad understanding of its operational, technical, regulatory, and social facets. The CEO will be responsible for effective financial and operational management and oversight. CEO candidates should possess a bachelor’s degree or equivalent (master’s degree preferred), be an active radio amateur who has initiated or led a significant amateur radio activity within the past 10 years, and have 10 years of management and supervisory experience. Candidates should be able to demonstrate ability in providing effective leadership and management of business operations. The position is located at ARRL Headquarters, and the successful candidate will be required to establish a residence in the Hartford, Connecticut, area. The CEO Position Announcement includes details. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume via e-mail to ARRL Human Resources Assistant Monique Levesque. International Space Station Resupply Mission to Carry New ARISS Ham Radio Gear 02/28/2020 The scheduled March 7 SpaceX CRS-20 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will include the initial Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Interoperable Radio System (IORS) flight unit. The IORS is the foundation of the ARISS next-generation amateur radio system on the space station. The ARISS hardware team built four flight units, and the first will be installed in the ISS Columbus module. A second flight unit expected to be launched on a later 2020 cargo flight will be installed in the Russian Service Module. NASA contracts with SpaceX to handle ISS resupply missions. The IORS represents the first major upgrade of on-station ARISS equipment. The package will include a higher-power radio, an enhanced voice repeater, and updated digital packet radio (APRS) and slow-scan television (SSTV) capabilities for both the US and Russian space station segments. The IORS consists of a custom-modified JVCKenwood TM-D710GA transceiver, an AMSAT-developed multi-voltage power supply, and interconnecting cables. Once at the space station, the IORS will be stowed for later installation. State of Maine Bicentennial Special Event Set for March 16 – 22 03/01/2020 A special event to mark Maine’s bicentennial will take place during Statehood Week, March 16 – 21, with the on-air event extending to March 22. Volunteers around the state will be on the air with special event call signs from the nine counties that existed in 1820, when Maine became independent of Massachusetts: W1C (Cumberland); W1H Hancock; W1K Kennebec; W1L Lincoln; W1O Oxford; W1P Penobscot; W1S Somerset; W1W Washington, and W1Y York. Three other special event stations will be K1J Jameson Tavern in Freeport; K1P Portland, and K1B Boston, in recognition of their contributions to Maine’s Statehood. CW, SSB, and digital operation will be continuous on HF, VHF, and UHF for the duration of the event. The event is sponsored by the Maine Bicentennial Special Event Committee. Maine stations may sign up to participate as special event stations. Certificates will be available. Additional information is available on the event website. Email questions with the subject line “Maine 200 Special Event.†Saint Patrick’s Day Special Event Set 03/06/2020 Many radio amateurs around the world will celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day on the air as part of the St Patrick Award. The 48-hour event will take place from 1200 UTC on March 16 until 1200 UTC on March 18. Saint Patrick’s Day is March 17. SWLs are invited to take part. Awards will be in five categories: SPD Station Award (for registered stations); Fixed/Portable Station Award; Digital Station Award; Mobile Station Award, and Short Wave Listener Award. Register to be an official participating station. Visit the event’s Facebook page. — Thanks to Bobby Wadey, MI0RYL Outer Space is Your Next Radio Frontier! 03/06/2020 You can make contacts through amateur radio satellites, and even with the International Space Station, using equipment you probably own right now! All it takes is the right information, which you’ll find in ARRL’s new book Amateur Radio Satellites for Beginners. Dozens of spacecraft are in orbit just waiting for your signals, and more are being launched every year. This book is your guide to a whole new world of operating enjoyment. Inside you will be able to locate satellites and determine when they will be available in orbit, gain tips for building your own “satellite station, find a simple step-by-step guide to making your first contacts, and discover satellite antenna projects you can build at home. “Even with just a dual-band FM transceiver and a mobile antenna, you can make contacts through an amateur satellite!†said ARRL author and QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY. Building amateur radio satellites is difficult; communicating through amateur satellites is not. Amateur Radio Satellites for Beginners will introduce you to new experiences that you may have thought were out of your reach. Start reading and discover how easy it can be! Amateur Radio Satellites for Beginners is available from the ARRL Store or your ARRL Dealer. (ARRL Item no. 1304, ISBN: 978-1-62595-130-4), $22.95 retail, special ARRL Member Price $19.95. Call (860) 594-0355 or, toll-free in the US, (888) 277-5289. It will also be available as an e-book for the Amazon Kindle. ARISS Celebrating Successful Launch Carrying Interoperable Radio System to ISS 03/10/2020 Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is celebrating the successful launch and docking of the SpaceX-20 commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). One payload on the flight is the ARISS Interoperable Radio System (IORS), which ARISS calls “the foundational element of the ARISS next-generation radio system†on the space station. Amateur radio has been an integral component of ISS missions since 2000. The Dragon cargo capsule docked successfully with the space station on March 9. ARISS-US Delegate for ARRL Rosalie White, K1STO, said hundreds of ARRL members contributed to make the IORS project happen, and ARISS is celebrating the 4-year-long IORS project. “ARISS is truly grateful to ARRL and AMSAT for their co-sponsorship and support of ARISS since day one,†White said. “ARISS greatly appreciates the hundreds of ham radio operators who have stood by ARISS, sending financial support and encouragement. A robust ham station is on its way to replace the broken radio on the ISS, and tens of thousands of hams will enjoy strong ARISS packet and ARISS SSTV signals as a result. In addition, thousands of students will discover and use ham radio to talk with a ham-astronaut. We hope to see the trend continue where more ARISS teachers and local clubs set up school ham clubs.†The new system includes a higher-power radio, an enhanced voice repeater, updated digital packet radio (APRS), and slow-scan television (SSTV) capabilities for both the US and Russian space station segments. White called the March 7 launch, “beautiful, flawless.†ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, told ARISS that he had his fingers crossed for a successful launch. According to NASA Mission Control, it will take the three ISS crew members up to a month to unload and stow the 4,300 pounds of cargo on board the Dragon capsule, and the IORS is not a priority. The actual ham equipment will be installed in the ISS Columbus module. Another IORS unit is in line to be launched and installed in the Russian segment of the ISS later this year. The IORS consists of a custom-modified JVCKenwood TM-D710GA transceiver, a multi-voltage power supply, and interconnecting cables. The ARISS hardware team will assemble four flight units — and 10 IORS units in all — to support onboard flight operations, training, operations planning, and hardware testing. ARISS-International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, said earlier this year that future upgrades and enhancements to the next-generation system are in various stages of design and development. These include a repaired Ham Video system — currently planned for launch in mid-to-late 2020, an L-band (uplink) repeater, a microwave “Ham Communicator,†and Lunar Gateway prototype experiment. Dayton Hamvention Announces Cancelation of 2020 Show 03/15/2020 For the first time in its 68-year history, Dayton Hamvention® will not take place this year, due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. The glum news was not entirely unexpected, given widespread cancellations of public gatherings and a national state of emergency. “The Hamvention Executive Committee has been monitoring the COVID19 pandemic. We have worked very closely with our local and state health departments. It is with a very heavy heart the Hamvention Executive Committee has decided to cancel Hamvention for this year,†Hamvention General Chair Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, said in announcing the cancellation on March 15. “This decision is extremely difficult for us, but with around 2 months until the Great Gathering we felt this action necessary. More specific details regarding the closure will soon be posted. Thank you for your understanding in this time of international crisis.†The Dayton Hamvention cancellation comes less than a week after the International DX Convention in Visalia, California, called off this year’s show. The Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) sponsors Hamvention. Since 2017, Hamvention has been held each May at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio. The international gathering attracted more than 32,000 visitors in 2019. Hamvention’s announcement has caused the cancellation of other associated events. These include Contest University, the Contest Dinner, and the Top Band Dinner. Canceled Ohio ARES State Conference Morphs into Statewide Communication Exercise 03/17/2020 Ohio Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) canceled the Ohio ARES State Conference set for April 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic and repurposed the date for a statewide communication exercise, with an emphasis on communicating from home. “Ohio has a high-profile station at the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC), with regular weekly EOC nets,†ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway, N8BHL, said. “But with the national emphasis on staying home, we turned the vacated day into a 2-hour series of nets designed to have amateur operators check in using their home stations.†The exercise was the brainchild of Assistant SEC Tim Price, K8WFL, who suggested it would be a great way to showcase amateur radio’s capabilities for state and community leaders. The Ohio HF Emergency Net will take check-ins on 40 and 80 meters (SSB), with the Ohio Digital Emergency Net (OHDEN) operating on 80 meters. Then, around 1 PM ET, a linked digital radio system will be brought into play, using DMR’s Ohio talk group linked to the Fusion “Ohio Link†group. Broadway said stations will simply check in; no traffic will be handled. “It’s just designed to prove we can communicate from home, while locked down, and still get the job done,†he told ARRL. “This is the same network topology used for the Ohio Watch Desk Project, providing statewide reporting during such events as the Memorial Day tornado outbreak last spring,†Broadway said. The reports are fed directly to the watch desk at Ohio’s state EOC, to enhance situational awareness for state emergency managers. “We plan to video an operator on the Statehouse steps, talking statewide using a small handheld,†Broadway said. “This demonstration can be used to enhance our discussion of amateur radio with local and state officials.†Broadway said HF can be problematic most of the time if storms are moving across, producing static, and digital modes fill in the gap. “We used this [approach] during a couple tornado outbreaks to bring real-time local observation to the Ohio Emergency Management Agency Watch Desk,†he said. — Thanks to Stan Broadway, N8BHL Errata to 2020 – 2024 Amateur Extra-Class Question Pool Released 03/18/2020 The NCVEC Question Pool Committee has issued errata to the new (2020 – 2024) Amateur Extra-class question pool that goes into effect on July 1. Most changes are minor, involving typographical or style errors. In the syllabus at the top of the pool: E1C — Changed “bandwith†to “bandwidth†E3B — In sub-element heading, deleted “grayline†E9D — Changed “feedpoint†to “feed point†In sub-element 3, changed “41 questions†to “40 questions.†In the question pool: E1C13 — In answer C, changed “Utilities Telecom Council†to “Utilities Technology Council (UTC)†E1C14 — In question, changed “Utilities Telecom Commission†to “Utilities Technology Council (UTC)†E1D03 — In answer, choices C and D, changed “earth†to “Earth†E2A02 — In question, changed “inverted†to “inverting†E3B — In sub-element heading, deleted “grayline†E3B08 — Question withdrawn from pool and marked as deleted. The remaining questions in E3B were not renumbered, leaving 11 questions. E5B04 — In question, changed “220 microfarad†and “1 megohm†to “220-microfarad†and “1-megohm†E7C09 — In answer B, added a space between “1†and “kHz†E8C10 — In question, changed “symbol†to “data†E9C02 — In question, changed “1/4 wavelength†to “1/4-wavelength†E9C03 — In question, changed “1/2 wavelength†to “1/2-wavelength†E9D — in sub-element heading, changed “feedpoint†to “feed point†E9E09 — Removed brackets after answer (C). The Amateur Extra-class question pool will be updated to reflect these changes. Submit feedback or questions to the Question Pool Committee. FCC Levies $18,000 Fine on Louisiana Amateur Radio Licensee 03/18/2020 In an enforcement case prompted by complaints filed in 2017, the FCC has imposed an $18,000 forfeiture on Jerry W. Materne, KC5CSG, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, for intentional interference and failure to identify. The FCC had proposed the fine in a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) in the case in July 2018, and, based on Materne’s response to the NAL, the agency affirmed the fine in a March 12 Forfeiture Order (FO). As the FCC recounted in the FO, an FCC agent “observed Materne causing intentional interference to a local repeater by generating digital noise into an analog radio.†The agent further reported that Materne failed to transmit his call sign, as required. Materne disputed the FCC’s findings, arguing that the NAL should be canceled because the agent “was mistaken in his determination that the source of the interference was Materne’s station†as his radio was not capable of operating on the repeater frequency in question, the FCC said in the NO. Materne also asserted that he is unable to pay the fine and suggested in his response that the FCC should be able to access his financial information. The FCC countered that the radio the agent observed in Materne’s possession was capable of operating on the frequency in question. “We therefore are unpersuaded…that the proposed forfeiture should be cancelled because, he alleges, he was not the party causing interference to the repeater and the radio in his possession could not operate on the frequency in question,†the FCC said in affirming the findings of the NAL. “We are also unpersuaded by Materne’s argument that he lacks the ability to pay the full $18,000 forfeiture.†The FCC said Materne failed to provide the FCC with proof of inability to pay, as required by the NAL. The FCC gave Materne 30 days to pay the fine, or face having the case turned over to the US Department of Justice for enforcement. K3YV Wins the March QST Cover Plaque Award 03/19/2020 The winning article for the March 2020 QST Cover Plaque award is “Leaky†Antenna Switches by Ellwood (Woody) Brem, K3YV. The QST Cover Plaque Award -- given to the author or authors of the most popular article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll web page. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the April issue today. Ham Radio Clubs Connect Amid Social Distancing 03/20/2020 As college campuses have sent students home to finish their classes online, members of the K7UAZ Amateur Radio Club in Tucson — a student organization at the University of Arizona — have moved their radio club meetings to, well, the radio. K7UAZ Station Manager Curt Laumann, K7ZOO, said that when the university largely shuttered its campus, club president Ken Gourley, KM6BKU, immediately transitioned regular meetings to an on-the-air format using the university repeater. The club already was holding a weekly net on Monday nights, but the added on-air club meetings offer another opportunity to get on the radio. In recent months, in-person K7UAZ club meetings have hosted presentations on such topics as EME (Earth-moon-Earth) communication and an AMSAT CubeSat simulation. As meetings move on the air, Gourley explained, he will send out a copy of meeting presentation slides so members can follow along. “I will lead the net and start with check-ins,†he said. “We will work our way through the slides, discussing previous events, upcoming activities, the treasurer’s report, projects, etc. I will take new check-ins every 5 – 10 minutes. We will conclude with officer comments and general comments. Hopefully it won’t take more than 30 – 45 minutes.†ARRL staff member Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, who liaises for the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative (CARI), underscores the importance that all radio clubs encourage on-the-air activity in this challenging time. “While I know many businesses and schools have moved to online meetings and learning, I can think of many advantages for a radio club to move club meetings to on-air,†Inderbitzen said. His list includes: Holding short meetings on the air will encourage individual club members to practice their personal radio communication capabilities. Station and skills readiness are tenets of the Amateur Radio Service. Nets generally help new radio amateurs gain practical operating experience. Think of this current challenge as an opportunity to encourage your club’s new hams to get on the air. As online fatigue and a feeling of isolation will inevitably creep into our “new normal,†being on-air will introduce variety into our communication practices. As many of us are now homebound working or studying, turning on a radio to connect with your ham radio peers will be welcome respite! At K7UAZ, experienced club members provide instruction for members to access the K7UAZ ARC repeater from 2 meters and via Echolink. The club also offers members the opportunity to borrow handheld radios or to be patched in via HF or videoconferencing, if they live too far away from the repeater. ARRL is encouraging university radio clubs to network with other clubs and students via ARRL’s CARI Facebook group. “Keeping our campus radio clubs going will ensure we are, together, advancing the art, science, and enjoyment of amateur radio. It’s our collective mission,†Inderbitzen said. Refund Procedures in Place for Dayton Hamvention-Associated Social Events 03/20/2020 Refunds are being processed for Dayton Hamvention-associated social gatherings, including Contest University, Contest Dinner, and Top Band Dinner. Each event has its own procedures. Those who signed up for the DX Dinner will be able to obtain refunds via PayPal. An email to all registrants will provide details. — Thanks to Tim Duffy, K3LR, SWODXA Long Island CW Club Offering Free, Online Morse Code Instruction for Homebound Youngsters 03/20/2020 The Long Island CW Club in New York is offering free, online Morse code instruction for the “many youngsters at loose ends as a result of school closings due to COVID-19 concerns.†The club’s co-founder, Howard Bernstein, WB2UZE, pointed out that learning Morse code is “a fun and educational activity for children of all ages that can fill part of the gap left by the current unfortunate situation that has closed so many schools across the country.†Ongoing classes will take place Monday through Friday, specifically for school-agers anywhere across the country or overseas, via Zoom online video conferencing. A computer equipped with a microphone and camera is required. Classes for elementary schoolers run 30 minutes starting at 1600 UTC, followed by 45-minute classes for middle- and high school-aged students starting at 1645 UTC. Parental permission is required through advance registration. Contact class instructor Rob Zarges, K2MZ, by e-mail or call 508-831-8248. — Thanks to Mel Granick, KS2G, ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Public Information Coordinator FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly Nominated for Another Term 03/20/2020 President Donald Trump has nominated FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly for another 5-year term on the Commission. The nomination was sent to the US Senate on March 18. O’Rielly was initially appointed to the FCC in 2013 by President Barack Obama. “During my tenure at the Commission, I have advocated for preserving and advancing American free market principles to develop common sense regulation and eliminate unnecessary rules that hurt consumers,†O’Rielly said in a statement, expressing appreciation to President Trump. “I hope to continue this work should the Senate decide to approve my nomination.†If the Senate confirms O’Rielly’s nomination, the new term would date retroactively to last July and end in 2024. In a statement, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai praised O’Rielly’s work in such areas as 3.5 GHz spectrum policy. ARRL Headquarters Remains in Operation, Many Staffers Working Remotely 03/20/2020 Interim ARRL Chief Executive Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY, informed members on March 20 that ARRL will remain operational to meet their needs during the coronavirus pandemic. Shelley noted that ARRL is taking steps to help protect the health and safety of ARRL Headquarters employees, in line with the recommendations provided by US and Connecticut health officials and government leaders. “We have arranged for many of our staff, depending on their job responsibilities and requirements, to work remotely during this unprecedented time,†Shelley said. “This helps the organization reduce the number of people in the building and improve our ‘social distancing’ capabilities.†At present, all departments at ARRL Headquarters are functioning, and customer service representatives remain available to answer members’ questions or direct them to the appropriate department for assistance. Shelley advised that ARRL is encouraging members to use email as the preferred method of communication with ARRL, in order to get a timely response. The ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) has been dealing with a higher-than-normal volume of emails and phone calls and is asking for members’ patience as they attempt to answer everyone’s questions as promptly as possible. “There has been some significant disruption to VE exam session schedules, given the restrictions imposed on gatherings in many locales,†Shelley pointed out. “As with our employees, the health and safety of our Volunteer Examiners is a top priority, and we have informed our VEs that they need to follow their local community’s guidelines and then use their best judgement when deciding whether to conduct, postpone, or cancel an exam session.†As previously announced, ARRL has suspended all tours and guest visits to ARRL Headquarters and to W1AW until further notice. ARRL has also posted a statement relating to Field Day and the coronavirus situation. “We will continue to monitor conditions from this outbreak and follow any additional guidelines provided by federal and state health professionals and government officials. We thank you for your understanding and patience during this difficult time,†Shelley said. 2020 ARRL Field Day Update: Coronavirus & Field Day 2020 With 2020 ARRL Field Day – one of the biggest events on the Amateur Radio calendar – just about 15 weeks away, ARRL officials are monitoring this situation with the coronavirus very closely and paying close attention to all of the information and guidance being offered by the CDC's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html). At its core, Field Day is a local event and an opportunity for local amateur radio clubs to showcase the skills, science and technologies that make radio communication such a wonderful hobby and a valuable public service. Since the impact of the coronavirus outbreak has been very different in different parts of the country, we recommend that all amateur radio clubs participating in Field Day be in regular contact with their local or state public health officials for their advice and guidance on hosting Field Day activities. This also offers an opportunity for amateur radio clubs to bolster or re-establish their relationships with local and state public health and emergency management officials. Because of the unique circumstances presented this year, this can be an opportunity for you, your club and/or group to try something new. Field Day isn't about doing things the same way year after year - use this year to develop and employ a new approach that is in line with our current circumstances. Local club officials are the most appropriate people to be making decisions about their specific Field Day programs. We are all concerned about protecting the health and safety of those participating in or attending Field Day activities, and so we trust local club officials to take the appropriate steps to monitor local conditions and make decisions in the best interest of their communities. ARRL officials strongly believe that following the guidelines of local, state and national health care professionals will help ensure everyone's safety in the coming weeks and months. ARRL Field Day is always held on the 4th full weekend in June -- 27-28, 2020. 2020 Field Day results will appear in December QST. ARRL Headquarters is Closing 03/23/2020 ARRL Headquarters will comply with an executive order from Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont that all non-essential businesses and not-for-profit entities reduce in-person workforces by 100% no later than March 23, 2020, at 8 PM. ARRL will equip as many Headquarters staffers as possible to work remotely. W1AW bulletin and code practice transmissions will continue. Customer service representatives will be available to take calls, although response times could be longer than usual. Operations at the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) will also continue, and the best way to receive a timely response is via email, as call volume has been heavy. The ARRL publication schedule will remain unchanged. The ARRL warehouse will be working with a reduced staff, so orders will be delayed, and ARRL will not be able to respond to expedited shipping orders. ARRL Headquarters will remain open until 5 PM on March 23, as managers and staff prepare for the shutdown. ARRL will keep members posted on this situation. Radio Amateurs Team Up to Help University Design Low-Cost Ventilator 03/23/2020 Amateur radio volunteers from around the world have volunteered to assist University of Florida Professor Sam Lampotang and his engineering team in their quest to rapidly develop an open-source, low-cost patient ventilator that can be built anywhere from such commonly available components as PVC pipe and lawn-sprinkler valves. The amateur radio volunteers are developing Arduino-based control software that will set the respiratory rate and other key parameters in treating critically ill coronavirus victims. Multiple volunteers responding to a call for help from Gordon Gibby, MD, KX4Z, included noted software developer Jack Purdum, W8TEE, and uBITX transceiver maker Ashhar Farhan, VU2ESE. University of Florida physicians are working to address the critical legal aspects as the design moves closer to fruition. The ventilator’s valves would precisely time compressed oxygen flow into patient breathing circuits under Arduino control, allowing exhausted patients with “stiff†lungs impacted by viral pneumonia to survive until their body can clear the infection. The software design team is also adding simple features such as an LCD display, encoders to choose parameters, and watchdog safety features. -- Thanks to Gordon Gibby, KX4Z FROM AROUND THE SECTION: Louisiana QSO Party Announcement: Fellow Ham Radio Operators, I'm Scott, W5WZ, President of the Louisiana Contest Club. We sponsor the annual Louisiana QSO Party. Please accept this invitation to participate in the 2020 edition of the Louisiana QSO Party. The 2020 edition of the Louisiana QSO Party will run from 14:00 UTC, April 4, 2020 to 02:00 UTC, April 5, 2020 (9:00 AM to 9:00 PM CDT Saturday, April 4, 2020). The rules, and all other pertinent information is found online at: http://laqp.org/ I do hope you'll join us on the air! 73, Scott W5WZ ARES: ARES Monthly Section Emergency Coordinators Report 1. ARRL Section: Louisiana 2. Month: February 3. Year: 2020 4. Total number of ARES members: 427 5. Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 8 6. Number of ARES nets active: 51 7. Number of nets with NTS liaison: 2 8. Calls of DECs/EC reporting: W4NDF KD5BNH KE5BMS AG5LR KD5DFL W5GAS KD5IGZ KE5GMN 9a. Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 44 9b. Person hours: 562 10a. Number of public service events this month: 2 10b. Person hours: 125 11a. Number of emergency operations this month: 0 11b. Person hours: 0 12a. Number of SKYWARN operations this month: 1 12b. Person hours: 10 13a. Auto Sum 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a: 47 13b. Auto Sum 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b: 697 Reported by: Jim Coleman, AI5B ARRL Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator http://www.arrl.org/ares-el?issue=2020-03-18 ***Please congratulate our newest Emergency Coordinator appointee from Beauregard Parish, Lonnie Jacobs AC5A. Welcome to the Team Lonnie. Louisiana Traffic Net Report: Sessions QNI QTC QTR 16. 353 27 416 Reported by: Jimmy Lewis, AB5YS Louisiana Section Traffic Manager The Louisiana Traffic Net will run six days a week Sunday through Friday during the pandemic. I would encourage each one of you with a General class license and above to check-in with us. We meet at 6:00pm CDT on 3.910MHZ. Jim Lewis AB5YS Louisiana Traffic Net Manager REGION 4: ACADIANA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOC., INC. - March 2020 Volume 60, Number 03 VE Test Session February 6, 2020 73, de Greg ~ K5LFT Started off the year pretty good. Two new Techs & one upgrade to Amateur Extra. The candidates were Kisha Richard ~KI5IHY ~ of Maurice & Louis Truxillo ~KI5IHZ ~ of Breaux Bridge both earned their Technician. Adam Chapman ~KG5TOD~ from Ville Platte Upgraded to Extra. Congratulations to the testees & a great big thank you to the VEs in attendance...... The VEs for this session were Michael Cavell KI5ARX, John Cunniff W4HVH, Richard Wallace KF5KEL, Archibald Hill W5AG, and Galen Wilson KF5BET JOY BREAUX N5YCS - SILENT KEY It is with great sadness that the Amateur Radio World and the Acadiana Amateur Radio Association, Inc. (AARA) loses another member. On the evening of February 7, 2020, Joy Breaux N5YCS passed away after being on life support for a while. Her wishes were that her body to be donated to science, no obituaries, or funeral announcements to be published. A little about Joy for those who or who did not know her. Joy was a long time member of the AARA and served as past treasurer for 12 years. Joy and Rick shared in being "backyard bird watchers" among other hobbies such as traveling, attending hamfests, especially the AARA hamfest where you could usually find her at the front door at the registration desk. Joy and Rick also participated in many special event activities. Joy & Rick were long time members of the QCWA Chapter 109 in Baton Rouge. I am sure all that knew Joy will miss the beautiful smile and kind words she had for everyone. Our prayers go out for the Breaux family. Randy Rushing KG5KFI - Silent Key Thanks to Greg Dolan II - K5LFT, it was just noted that Randy Rushing KG5KFI, age 53 of Breaux Bridge, became a Silent Key on January 7, 2020. Randy was a proud United States Veteran. He served honorably in the U.S. Army, and was a member of the American Legion Post #69, Blind Veterans Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and the Acadiana Honor Guard. He was also a Amateur Radio Operator (KG5KFI) and a member of the Acadiana Amateur Association, Inc. in 2016. Obituary: https://www.waltersfh.com/obituary/Randy-Rushing SPANISH RICE 2 Tbs Olive Oil 1 Onion, finely chopped 1 Garlic, minced 2 Cups long-grain Rice 3-1/4 Cup Chicken Broth 1 Cup diced Tomato, drained ½ tsp Oregano 1 tsp Salt Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium/high heat. Add the rice and stir it so that the rice coats with the oil. Cook, stirring often, until much of the rice has browned. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently another 3 minutes, until the onions begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and softened, about a minute more. Combine broth, tomato, oregano, salt, and browned rice with onions and garlic. Bring to a boil Cover; reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package. Remove from heat for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork to serve. REGION 6: FROM: The Brass Key April 2020 A Publication of the Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Attendance at the March 2020 meeting, during which we had Skywarn Basic Storm Spotter Training, was encouraging. Andy Patrick, Meteorologist-in-Charge at the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, conducted the training and did a fine job. In addition to presenting the required information on the slides, he added some personal observations about storms in our area based on his 35 years of experience in the weather business. We had several in attendance who were not club members including five deputies from Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, a city marshal, Tyler Hall of KALB Weather, and the Executive Director of Rapides Parish 911/Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP), Sonya Wiley-Gremillion. The Executive Director expressed an interest in having amateur radio operators participate in emergency preparedness and communication. Based on her expressed interest in participation by amateur radio operators, I met with the Director for an hour and a half at her office. I learned that our 147.330 and 443.300 repeaters were purchased with grant money connected to the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). I learned that these repeaters are housed in an environmentally controlled, government-owned facility, and that the antennas are on a government-owned tower. The cost of continuing operation, utilities and tower space, of these repeaters is borne by 911/OHSEP; therefore, Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club (CLARC) is, in a manner of speaking, somewhat “joined at the hip†with Rapides 911/OHSEP. Utilities and tower space are valuable commodities, and CLARC is getting them for free. During our meeting, the Director cited some actual emergency events when she needed amateur radio communication, both HF and VHF, but it was not forthcoming. She expressed an interest in having amateur VHF and HF capabilities available to her when the need arises. During our meeting, we identified a location for an amateur radio operating position at Rapides 911/OHSEP. Anyone who serves at the 911 center will need to be vetted, which includes a criminal history investigation. Before anyone takes me to task, I am fully aware that CLARC and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) are separate and distinct entities. CLARC is, however, the largest organized group of amateur radio operators within the parish, and as stated above, has a relationship with Rapides 911/OHSEP. Currently, that relationship is oneway. Local amateur radio operators are deriving benefit and providing nothing in return. We need to identify an ARES Emergency Coordinator (EC) and an assistant or deputy EC for Rapides Parish, and we need ARES radio operators. The people in these roles need to be accessible, responsive (in a timely fashion), and responsible if called by 911/OHSEP. If the EC is away, then the assistant needs to be able to respond in a timely fashion. With the exception of some man-made emergencies, our events usually involve weather-related problems, and in most cases, we know in advance that there may be power outages, property damage, and injuries. Membership in ARES does not mean that one is “on call†24x7x365. It does mean that if one is not providentially or otherwise seriously hindered, one should agree to serve. Public service of this nature is a gratifying experience. As a communicator, you are part of the solution, you are helping fellow citizens, and given that you are working with the decision-makers, you know what is happening during an emergency event. When the ARES organization for Rapides Parish is up and running, it will exist more or less independently of CLARC under the guidance of the EC and not in competition with CLARC. Please think about volunteering for ARES service if you have not already done so. I’ll remind you that one of the primary reasons you have an amateur radio license is “Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications,†and I’ll remind you that the reason CLARC has two nice repeaters with free rent and utilities is for public service. I was disappointed that we had to cancel the April meeting, VE testing, and board meeting, but we had no choice. At this point, you know as much as I know about our May meeting. Hopefully we will be somewhat back to normal by then and be able to meet. We have some good programs waiting to be presented not the least of which is Skywarn Advanced Storm Spotter training that is scheduled for the May meeting. For the June meeting, we will need to discuss Field Day plans. Field Day is scheduled for Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. Assuming we are free of current restrictions, we will begin to set up on Friday, June 26. We will conduct Field Day at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Outdoor Education Center in Woodworth, which is the same location we used for our successful Winter Field Day. One of our members has suggested that we have some building sessions. Those interested could agree on a common project for the building session. The common project could be a code-practice oscillator, a balun, a wire antenna of some sort or whatever else. The project would be up to those interested in building something. Building something and actually having it work well is an educational and satisfying experience. Building sessions could be held at a mutually agreeable time and place but not during a club meeting. The rationale behind this is to learn a little more about electronics, to learn how to build things we might otherwise buy, and to build a quality product for our own use. A building session or sessions will not be of interest to everyone in the club, and it doesn’t have to be. It would be, however, a way for a few members to get together, learn something, have some fun, and walk away with some new equipment. 73 and good DX, John, N5CM CLARC President Many of us are self-isolating due to the Corona Virus threat, but this does not mean that we have to isolate without communicating. I think that most of us are staying in touch with our friends and relatives via phone and social media, and we need to keep that up. To increase socialization we cannot forget about ham radio. If all you have is your technician license you have a number of ways to communicate with the outside world while still staying physically isolated. Starting with local methods of ham radio communications we have our club repeaters. Start by throwing out your callsign on the 147.330. This is the club's main frequency. Many hams monitor this frequency throughout the day. Our secondary repeater is 147.375. Next are our linked repeaters, 444.975 and 145.470. These two repeaters are internet linked. If you key up and say your call sign someone may come back to you from almost anywhere in the U.S.. Don’t forget about using Echolink on your phone to get into the 147.330 repeater. CLARC congratulates new hams Will Butterfield, KI5IPJ and Etienne Blanchat, KI5IPK, for passing their Technician Class exam on March 3. Congrats go to John Eubanks, KI5HVM, for upgrading to Amateur Extra! CLARC also welcomes Will to our club as its newest member! On the HF front: HF activity has picked up since the Corona virus threat has hit the U.S. 80 and 40 meters are usually open most evenings and during the daytime it’s not uncommon to find someone to have a QSO with on 15, 17 and 20 meters. If you have any questions about how to get active on the bands please get with me or one of our other club members. We will help you. Some of your questions can be answered by going to the club’s website at www.clarc.us Thanks, Scott Wren, KD5DFL Vice President, CLARC Update on ALLSTAR The repeater committee has successfully linked the 444.975 and 145.470 repeaters to the new controller. The link is now active, but we are still tweaking the settings and we should have full ALLSTAR accessibility in the very near future. This project has been ongoing, and due to the technical nature of the system and everyone's schedules lining up as well as a little luck and Pixie Dust we have made significant headway and foresee the project being complete in the very near future. I would like to thank Scott KD5DFL for his extensive efforts working with Matt Anderson KD5KNZ, Angelo Glorioso N5UXT, and would like to thank Dave Van Rood KG5POW for his help with this project as well. I also helped in this endeavor but not nearly to the extent that these other gentleman have and their efforts are greatly appreciated and the All Star system is going to be a great asset for all members of CLARC. The system is up, and the repeaters work locally as they should for the moment, we are doing some tweaking of the system and it's not fully operational but the hard part is done and now we just have to tweak the All Star system and it should be fully operational shortly. Marlin, KG5RPZ NOTE: More information on ALLSTAR, see allstarlink.org/ As many of you already have discovered, a CLARC Members only Facebook group has been recently created. Our President, John N5CM, and Marlin KG5RPZ, are the administrators. As an administrator and moderator, our president has the power to delete or make changes as he sees fit. Members can and are encouraged to invite other Members and we also welcome anyone else who wants to join, the group web page is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/673431650062145/ any CLARC Members that want to join need only list their call signs and either John or Marlin can approve them. The Group was created to give CLARC Members a medium to share ideas, projects all things Amateur Radio related, and encourage fellowship between members between meetings. We also encourage Elmering or if members just have a question please feel free to ask and someone from the group will try and help them. REGION 9: The SELARC "Hamster" *Serving Amateur Radio Since 1974* Published Monthly by the Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Inc. Visit our website: www.selarc.org Vol. 47, No. 3 ......................... March 2020 Happy Birthday Birthday Wishes for March go out to - Joe KG5HZU, Jerry N5GKJ, and Bob WB5FBS If we missed your birthday, then please let us know. Get Well Soon — Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members Tom Simpson N5HAY and Homer Jones KA5TRT. We look forward to hearing you on the air! VE Session Results Hammond VE Group - 23 Feb, 2020 - VE Session Results Congratulations to the following new Amateur Radio Operators and upgrades Technician Charles Richardson / KI5ILL - Holden, La. Johnny Shaw / KI5ILM - Covington, La. Travis Tharp / KI5ILN - Denham Springs, La. General Billy Orehowsky / KI5HZE - Saucier, Ms. Tyrone Burns - VE Liason - Hammond VE Group March Prize Drawing winners: CONGRATULATIONS!!! ARRL Publications: Club: Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club (SELARC) ARRL Member: Daniel W. Delcambre, KE5UM ELECTRONIC PRIZE (Scanner): Daniel R. Vandervort, AD5NW NEXT DRAWING IS APRIL 1ST. As always before I send out my newsletter, I feel like I have left something out. Please send me or one of our Section’s PIO’s/PIC Joe Holland KB5VJY anything you would like to see in future newsletters! LAARRL.org 73, -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Louisiana Section Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR k5jmr@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
Month: April 2020
Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter February 2020
ARRL LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGERS NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2020 The Hammond Hamfest was very successful and well attended. We had approximately 50 in the ARRL/ARES Forum. Jim and Corey gave us a great ARES presentation. WE gave away some very nice prizes! Next hamfest is in Rayne in March. I hope to see many of you there. SILENT KEYS: Milam Columbus "Lucky" Young, KA5SUR Joy Breaux, N5YCS **I was asked recently to include the city for each person listed below; and am doing so in hopes that you will be able to see those in your area and include them in your local activities….. NEW HAMS: Report for 2020-02-04 Daniel R Sicuro, KI5HVO Kenner, LA 70062-6040 Patrick M Brown, KI5HSL Hammond, LA 70403-0431 Hailey R Doucet, KI5HTC New Iberia, LA 70563-3320 Chad D Durr, KI5HSK Opelousas, LA 70570-1360 Adam C Permenter, KI5HZD Clinton, LA 70722-5260 Devin B Martin, KI5HZC Greenwell Springs, LA 70739 James D Pastorick, KI5HSM Greenwell Springs, LA 70739-3854 Colton W Byrd, KI5HVR West Monroe, LA 71291-4740 Bryan R Fussell, KI5HVJ Alexandria, LA 71303-2126 Jeffrey P Foley, KI5HVK Pineville, LA 71360-0623 John L Eubanks, KI5HVM Pineville, LA 71360-5801 Corey Paulk, KI5HVL Pineville, LA 71360-9718 LICENSE UPGRADES: Report for 2020-02-04 Bradley K Vincent, KG5KZR Gueydan, LA 70542-3725 Tiphanie Clark, KI5DUG Baton Rouge, LA 70810-1627 Ricky L Little, KI5GEI West Monroe, LA 71292-0421 Jason M Bowen, KB5VXX Newellton, LA 71357-5002 Christopher A Wright, KI5HDW Pineville, LA 71360-5479 NEW/RENEWED ARRL MEMBERS: Report for 2020-02-04 Michael S Foster, KC8PZA Metairie, LA 70005-4034 Andre P Granier, KI5BBO Luling, LA 70070-4242 Albert D Geier, KW5PAN River Ridge, LA 70123-2723 Elizabeth E Wotawa, KI5HRA New Orleans, LA 70123-6147 Federico M Lertora, KI5HQU New Orleans, LA 70123-6169 William R Hare, N5WRH Abita Springs, LA 70420-3312 Christopher J Ancelet, N5MCY Egan, LA 70531-3011 Bradley K Vincent, KG5KZR Gueydan, LA 70542-3725 Paul T Holcomb, KI5ARR Maurice, LA 70555-3825 Chad D Durr, KI5HSK Opelousas, LA 70570-1360 Carl W Service, KG5GGL Lake Charles, LA 70605-6527 Matthew C Wiggins, KI5HLC Deridder, LA 70634-4552 Henry H Forrester, KG5GVV Clinton, LA 70722-4849 Dawson Andrews French Settlement, LA 70733-2540 Toby J Latino, KI5ERB Prairieville, LA 70769-3341 Robert Gray, KI5GYO Blanchard, LA 71009-0245 William W Barrett, WW5MB Keithville, LA 71047-8806 Grantham P Frederick, KI5GBD Shreveport, LA 71106-2209 Elizabeth O Miller, N5UIJ Shreveport, LA 71107-2408 Richard E Hayes, AC5EU Monroe, LA 71203-2230 Stephanie E Miller, KD7KWS Monroe, LA 71203-9575 Carolyn Morris, KM5YL Downsville, LA 71234-3410 James L Wilhelm, WW5L Sterlington, LA 71280-0427 Robert A Moore, W5OPF West Monroe, LA 71292-1625 Bryan Fussell, KI5HVJ Alexandria, LA 71303-2126 Jeffrey W Hall, KA5YZQ Alexandria, LA 71303-4152 Frederic W Smith, KG5PKG Alexandria, LA 71303-4160 Jason M Bowen, KB5VXX Newellton, LA 71357-5002 Jeff P Foley, KI5HVK Pineville, LA 71360-0623 John L Eubanks, KI5HVM Pineville, LA 71360-5801 FROM THE ARRL: ARRL On the Air Podcast Premieres on January 16 01/14/2020 ARRL’s new On the Air podcast for those just getting started on their amateur radio journey, will debut this Thursday, January 16, with a new podcast posted each month. The podcast is a companion to the new bimonthly On the Air magazine, which is already on its way to member subscribers. On the Air magazine editor Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, will be the host of the new podcast. Both the podcast and the magazine are aimed at offering new and beginner-to-intermediate-level radio amateurs a fresh approach to exploring radio communication. Listeners can find the On the Air podcast at Blubrry, Apple iTunes (or by using your iPhone or iPad podcast app (search for On the Air), and Stitcher (or through the free Stitcher app for iOS, Kindle, or Android devices). Episodes will be archived on the ARRL website. Each On the Air podcast will take a deeper dive into the articles and issues raised in the magazine, including advice and insight on topics covering the range of amateur radio interests and activities: radio technology, operating, equipment, project building, and emergency communication. Supplementing On the Air will be a new Facebook page for those who share a love of radio communication and are looking to learn and explore more about their interests. The biweekly Eclectic Tech podcast for experienced radio amateurs will launch on February 13. Hosted by QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, Eclectic Tech will highlight topics involving amateur and non-amateur technology, offer brief interviews with individuals involved in projects of interest to amateurs, and include practical information of immediate benefit to today’s hams. Eclectic Tech will be available via iTunes and Stitcher. The ARRL Mags apps including QST and On the Air are now live on Apple iTunes and Google Play. The digital edition of On the Air magazine is now live and linked from the On the Air page on the ARRL website. YOTA Month Reported a Success in the Americas 01/15/2020 For several years now, Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) has sponsored YOTA Month each December, primarily involving young radio amateurs in Europe and Africa. In December, youth-operated amateur radio stations in the Americas picked up the ball to contribute more than 12,000 contacts to the worldwide event. Eighteen operators aged 25 or younger deployed special event 1 × 1 call signs — K8Y, K8O, K8T, and K8A — to promote youth in amateur radio. Fifteen young operators across the US took turns using these call signs throughout December. They logged 10,474 contacts using those call signs on SSB, CW, digital modes, and satellites. Some operators also aired the call signs during contests. Participants in the Americas offered opinions on what made the event special for them. “Operating-wise, it was definitely the pileups…I love a good pileup,†said Mason Matrazzo, KM4SII. “Apart from that, it was great getting to be part of a group of youngsters that are all into the hobby. Even though we weren’t physically working together, we all got to be part of the YOTA program over the air.†Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN, also cited the on-air camaraderie. “My favorite part of YOTA month was getting the wonderful experience of talking to other youth all over the world and sharing our experiences,†she said. “It gives us hope to know the future of Amateur Radio is in the hands of these great kids.†Her brother Jack, KM4ZIA, also took part. In Canada, David Samu, VE7DZO, signed VE7YOTA in December, making 458 contacts on CW. “My favorite part was seeing all the YOTA stations on the air throughout December and seeing all the high energy youth activity,†he said. Mathias Acevedo, CE2LR, activated XR2YOTA, and met another young operator from Chile, Manu Pardo, CA3MPR, through YOTA month. Between them, they put 1,535 contacts into the log on CW, SSB, and digital modes. Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, coordinated the efforts of the 17 participants and the logs for the US stations. “I learned much during the month about the importance of teamwork and communication...just like baseball,†Bryant said about his role as coordinator. “I think YOTA month was a great success considering the short amount of time we had to plan this all out. I had a lot of fun operating this event, but it was even more rewarding to see other youth here in the Americas make tons of QSOs during December.†Bryant managed Logbook of The World accounts for the US stations and QRZ.com pages for all call signs, maintained an operator schedule, worked with YOTA Month Award Manager Tomi Varro, HA8RT, and reported in to the YOTA Camp Committee in the Americas. Globally, nearly 129,000 contacts were logged using 48 call signs, all operated by hams under the age of 25 or younger. More than 2,500 operators of all ages requested and received awards based on the number of YOTA contacts they had made. Statistics are available. The first Youth On The Air camp in the US will take place next June 21 – 26 at the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio. For more information about YOTA in the Americas, contact YOTA Month in the Americas Coordinator Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, or YOTA in the Americas Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. New Book from ARRL: Amateur Radio Contesting for Beginners 01/17/2020 Contesting is one of the most exciting aspects of amateur radio — and for some, it’s their primary ham radio activity. Amateur Radio Contesting for Beginners by contesting veteran Doug Grant, K1DG, offers practical information and ideas that will help you to get started in contesting — “radiosport†— or to build your skills, if you’re already active. Contesting tests station capability and operator skill, and it really is a sport, with a typical objective of contacting as many stations and multipliers — ARRL Sections, states, grids, or DXCC entities, for example — within the contest period. “Doug Grant has written the ideal guide for anyone interested in contesting,†said QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY. Grant’s book explains what equipment you need, typical contest formats, details of some more popular events, operating techniques, how to submit an entry, and how to improve your scores. No matter how modest your station or experience, you can compete, too! A couple of events over the January 18 – 19 weekend to get you started include the ARRL January VHF Contest (CW, phone, and digital) and the North American QSO Party, SSB. See the ARRL Contest Calendar for information on other events. Amateur Radio Contesting for Beginners is available from the ARRL Store or your ARRL Dealer. (ARRL Item no. 1243, ISBN: 978-1-62595-124-3, $27.95 retail, special ARRL Member Price $24.95). Call 860-594-0355 or, toll-free in the US, 888-277-5289. It’s also available as an e-book for the Amazon Kindle. For more information about ARRL-sponsored contests, including rules and results, and to view the contest photo gallery visit the ARRL Contests page. Barry Shelley, N1VXY, to Become ARRL Interim CEO 01/19/2020 At its meeting this weekend, the ARRL Board of Directors did not elect Howard Michel, WB2ITX, as the ARRL Chief Executive Officer. Beginning Monday, January 20, Barry Shelley, N1VXY, will become interim CEO. Mr. Shelley was ARRL’s Chief Financial Officer for 28 years and CEO during 2018 before his retirement. The board has created a search committee to select the next CEO. More details on this and other matters which took place at the board meeting will be released shortly. ITU Development Sector Publication Highlights Amateur Radio’s Role in Emergency Communication 01/21/2020 Amateur radio is featured in the publication, ITU Guidelines for national emergency telecommunication plans, published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Development Sector (ITU-D). The publication notes that radio amateurs have supported communication in emergency situations on a voluntary basis since the dawn of radio. “They are experts in radio communications and have the equipment, skills and necessary frequencies allocated by ITU to deploy networks in emergency events quickly and efficiently,†the publication says. ITU-D said amateur radio support offers “great coverage due to the large number of amateur radio stations available;†training programs and exercises have been developed for emergency communication; “qualified temporary volunteers who provide skills and experience essential for emergency telecommunications;†problem-solving skills and an ability to work with “often very limited resources,†and the ability to work with alternative power sources. Past ARRL President and IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, represents the International Amateur Radio Union at ITU-D meetings. — Thanks to Southgate Amateur Radio News; IARU ARRL Events App is Available for Apple iOS and Android Devices 01/21/2020 The ARRL Events app is available to use with Apple iOS and Android devices. A web-browser version, optimized for most browsers and other types of mobile devices, is also available. ARRL Events will be featured at Orlando HamCation 2020, February 7 – 9, which has been sanctioned as the 2020 ARRL Northern Florida Section Convention. AMSAT Says its GOLF-TEE Initiative has Met a Major Milestone 01/21/2020 AMSAT reports that an array of GOLF-TEE (Greater Orbit Larger Footprint – Technology Evaluation Environment) satellite prototype boards transmitted telemetry for the first time on January 14. “The boards are laid out on a bench as a ‘flat-sat,’ with interconnecting wires, bench power supplies, and a dummy load on the transmitter,†AMSAT said. The interconnected boards include an early radiation-tolerant internal housekeeping unit (IHU, i.e., computer) prototype; a control interface prototype, and a set of spare boards from HuskySat-1 that act as prototypes for the legacy IHU and legacy VHF/UHF RF components. “Now that the development team has reached this point, it has RF to use as a basis for developing a GOLF-TEE decoder for FoxTelem, the ground telemetry receiver software,†AMSAT said. “Thousands of hours of work by many AMSAT volunteers have gone into the hardware and software that got GOLF-TEE this far, with much work yet to be done before flight units are ready.†GOLF-TEE is designed as a low-Earth orbit testbed for technologies necessary for successful CubeSat missions to a wide variety of orbits, including medium- and high-Earth orbits. AMSAT invited donations to further the project. It’s also seeking additional volunteers. — Thanks to AMSAT News Service. ARRL to Argue for Continued Access to 3-GHz Spectrum as FCC Sets Comment Deadlines 01/24/2020 At its January meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors instructed the League’s FCC counsel to prepare a strong response to protect amateur access to spectrum in the 3 GHz range. In its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348, the FCC proposed to relocate all non-federal operations, including amateur uses, to spectrum outside the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band. The Commission anticipates auctioning this spectrum to expand commercial use of 5G cellular and wireless broadband services, if agreement can be reached on relocation of — or sharing with — the federal incumbents that operate in the same band. Publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register on January 22 established deadlines of February 21 for comments and March 23 for reply comments. The FCC has requested comment on the uses radio amateurs make of the spectrum and appropriate relocation options. Complicating matters is the fact that radio amateurs must consider the possibility that the immediately adjacent 3.1 – 3.3 GHz band is included in the spectrum that Congress has identified for similar study. FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, in a December statement, referenced the fact that the lower band may also be considered for non-federal reallocation, potentially limiting relocation possibilities. Amateurs make substantial use of the 3.3 – 3.5 GHz band that would be hard to replicate elsewhere, and they have filed more than 150 comments before the designated comment period even began. Among users looking at options are those who use this spectrum for Earth-Moon-Earth (moonbounce) communication, mesh networks, experiments with communication over long distances, radiosport, and amateur television. A portion of the band also is designated for use by amateur satellites in ITU Regions 2 and 3 (the Americas and Asia/Pacific). A report is due by March 23 from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) evaluating the feasibility of having federal users share all or part of the 3.1 – 3.55 GHz band with commercial wireless services. This report is required by the Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless (MOBILE NOW) Act. The results of the NTIA report will impact how much spectrum ultimately may be re-allocated for auction to wireless providers. ARRL urges amateurs who comment to inform the FCC about the uses they make of the 3 GHz spectrum. Short comments and longer statements may be filed electronically. Visit the FCC “How to Comment on FCC Proceedings†page for more information. Commenters should reference WT Docket 19-348. Swains Island DXpedition Team is Ready to Roll 01/27/2020 The W8S DXpedition team heading to Swains Island in the Pacific in March reports, “All lights are green.†Team members will leave from home in early March, and all will convene in Pago Pago, American Samoa, to board the vessel Manu Atele, which will transport everyone to the atoll. The voyage will take 24 hours. Smaller vessels will ferry the operators and equipment to the island at high tide, which the update called “a serious challenge.†The ship will not remain offshore while the DXpedition is under way, “hopefully picking the team up again after 14 days.†An international team of 10 operators will be active from March 10 to March 25 on all HF bands on CW, SSB, FT8, and RTTY. Operation will be 24/7 from two separate camps on the island, each with two stations. Visit the Swains Island 2020 DXpedition website for more information. New Amateur Extra Question Pool Released 01/27/2020 The new Amateur Extra-class license examination question pool, effective from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2024, has been released and is available at the National Conference of Volunteer Coordinators (NCVEC) website. The 2020 – 2024 Extra-class pool incorporates significant changes compared to the current 2016 – 2020 question pool, which expires on June 30. The number of questions in the pool was reduced from 712 to 622. The result was 239 modified questions, 49 new questions, and 139 questions removed due to changes in what was felt to be an abundance of outdated questions, while areas of new technology and subjects were added. In addition, an effort was made to balance the difficulty level, removing or replacing some questions deemed too easy or too difficult compared to the rest of the pool. The 2020 pool has 10 diagrams, which have been renumbered because the new question pool has two fewer than the 2016 question pool. State QSO Party Challenge Announced 01/28/2020 The State QSO Party Challenge is a competition comprised of other contests, namely state and provincial QSO parties. As explained on the website, the annual cumulative score program is open to any radio amateur who participates in any approved state QSO parties (SQPs). Participants just need to submit their QSO party scores to 3830scores.com to enter the challenge. Participants’ cumulative scores will be calculated by totaling up the number of reported contacts and multiplying by the number of SQPs entered in the year to date. Periodic standings will be posted to 3830scores.com, the QSOParty Groups.io forum, and the StateQSOParty.com website. “Using the number of QSO parties entered as a multiplier is expected to encourage radio amateurs to enter more state/province QSO parties,†the program’s organizers said. “The first SQPs in 2020 are the Vermont, Minnesota, and British Columbia QSO Parties in the first weekend of February.†Entrants must make at least two contacts in a QSO party for it to count as a multiplier. Full details are available on the State QSO Party Challenge website. Challenge sponsors expressed appreciation to Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, for developing the SQP Activity Tracker on 3830scores.com. ARRL Expands its Roster of Online Discussion Groups 01/29/2020 ARRL’s Committee on Communication with Members has launched three new online discussion forums as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance and improve communication between ARRL leadership and members or prospective members. The new forums, which focus on antenna law, regulatory issues, and support for new amateur radio licensees, will go live on Thursday, January 30, at 0400 UTC. The committee launched the three new discussion groups on the basis of requests from the amateur radio community, to support ARRL’s efforts to provide more resources for beginner-to-intermediate operators. The online discussion program launched last fall with three forums — contesting, awards, and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) — all open to the amateur radio community. The program was based on the success of the online ARRL-LoTW Group, which, for the past several years, has served to answer questions and generate discussions about ways to improve the service. ARRL New England Division Director and attorney Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, will moderate the Antenna Law and Policy Forum. Hopengarten is the author of Antenna Zoning for the Radio Amateur. ARRL Regulatory Affairs Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, will moderate the Regulatory Affairs forum. QST Editor and ARRL Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY, will moderate the New Hams forum. ARRL IT Manager Michael Keane, K1MK, worked with Groups.io to set up the new groups. Those wishing to subscribe must use a Groups.io username and password, if they have one, or create a Groups.io account if they don’t. The new groups join an ARRL discussion forum lineup that already includes: ARRL-Contesting, moderated by ARRL Contest Advisory Committee Chairman Dennis Egan, W1UE. ARRL-Awards, moderated by ARRL Radiosport and Field Services Manager Bart Jahnke, W9JJ. ARRL-IARU, moderated by IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ. ARRL-LOTW, moderated by ARRL IT Manager Michael Keane, K1MK. Everyone who subscribes to an ARRL Group is automatically subscribed to “ARRL Groups,†an administrative feature that allows ARRL to convey routine announcements to subscribers of all ARRL groups, such as planned system outages. ARRL expects to create additional online groups that focus on other areas of interest to radio amateurs, including ARRL activities, services, initiatives, and policies. ARRL currently hosts some “members-only†online forums that include the topics of Awards and Contesting. While these forums will continue to operate, participants are being encouraged to post new topics in the new Groups. All questions will be welcome, no matter how many times they have already been asked and answered, or how obvious the answers might be. Neither personal attacks nor foul language will be tolerated. Violators will immediately be placed on “moderated†status, meaning their subsequent posts will require Moderator approval. Civility and courtesy are expected, even when disagreeing. The Committee believes that providing more opportunities for two-way discussion between the organization’s leaders and the entire ham radio community will assist ARRL in truly serving the needs of this community. — Thanks to ARRL Communications Manager Dave Isgur, N1RSN Foundation for Amateur Radio Invites 2020 – 2021 Academic Year Scholarship Applications 01/29/2020 The Foundation for Amateur Radio Inc. (FAR) has invited applications for the 2020 – 2021 academic year for the scholarships it administers. Applications must be submitted via the online form. Several questions ask for essay responses. The deadline for initial submissions is April 30, 2020. Applicants may amend their applications until May 7. All applicants must hold a valid amateur radio license and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an accredited university, college, or technical school. Applicants attending school outside the US must provide a brochure describing the school. Students do not apply for specific scholarships; each application will be considered for all of the scholarships for which the applicant is qualified. QCWA scholarships and the Chichester Memorial Scholarship all require recommendations to be awarded. Data entered onto the application goes directly into an encrypted, password-protected PDF file available only to the review committee. No part of the application is stored online. More information is available on the FAR website. ARRL Board of Directors Re-Elects President Rick Roderick, K5UR 02/10/2020 Meeting January 17 – 18 in Windsor, Connecticut, the ARRL Board of Directors re-elected ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, to a third 2-year term. Roderick outpolled the only other nominee, Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, 8 – 7. New England Division Vice Director Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, was elected First Vice President, succeeding Greg Widin, K0GW, who did not seek another term. Raisbeck was the sole nominee. A successor will be appointed to fill the Vice Director seat that Raisbeck has vacated. Bob Vallio, W6RGG, was re-elected as Second Vice President as the only nominee. On a 9 – 6 vote, the Board voted not to re-elect Howard Michel, WB2ITX, as Chief Executive Officer. Michel was in the post for 15 months. Former ARRL Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY, has come out of retirement to serve as interim ARRL CEO. He also was elected as Secretary. Shelley was ARRL’s CFO for 28 years and served as CEO during 2018 before his retirement, following the departure of former CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF. The ARRL Board has appointed a committee to spearhead the search for a new CEO. That panel will screen suitable CEO candidates, presenting three to the Board for consideration. Former ARRL President and IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD, was elected International Affairs Vice President, succeeding Jay Bellows, K0QB, who did not seek another term. Also re-elected by the Board were Treasurer Rick Niswander, K7GM, and Chief Financial Officer Diane Middleton, W2DLM. Elected as members of the Executive Committee were Atlantic Division Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM; Central Division Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA; Roanoke Division Director Bud Hippisley, W2RU; New England Division Director Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, and Great Lakes Division Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK. The Executive Committee addresses and makes decisions regarding ARRL business that may arise between scheduled Board meetings. Hudson Division Director Ria Jairam, N2RJ, was elected as a member of the ARRL Foundation Board for a 3-year term. Tim Duffy, K3LR, and Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF, were elected to the Foundation Board for 3-year terms as non-ARRL Board members. Relief from Private Land-Use Restrictions The Ad Hoc Legislative Advocacy Committee provided the Board with drafts outlining three legislative approaches to address relief for radio amateurs facing private land-use restrictions impacting outdoor antennas. The Board signed off on the draft legislative approaches “as presented and possibly modified†and directed the committee “to proceed to obtain congressional sponsorship, employing any of these three approaches and using its best judgment on any alterations or modifications that our advisors or sponsors may require or suggest.†HF Band Planning Outgoing chair of the HF Band Planning Committee Greg Widin, K0GW, presented the panel’s report and entertained questions. Board members noted that staff turnover and funding limitations at the FCC might impact ARRL’s efforts to tweak the bands. The Board agreed that ARRL would post the report and solicit comments from members on it. Contests and Operating Awards The Board approved raising the maximum number of contacts a Field Day GOTA station can make to 1,000. It amended the ARRL RTTY Roundup rules to add Multi-Two and Multi-Multi categories and to permit multioperator stations to operate for the entire contest period, and it divided entry categories into RTTY only, Digital only (i.e., no RTTY), and Mixed (both RTTY and digital). Matt Holden, K0BBC, presented the DX Advisory Committee report, telling the Board that the panel engaged in extensive discussion on a proposal to change the 5-Band DXCC award from the current required bands to offer credit for any five bands. The committee unanimously rejected the proposal. ARRL Elections The Board revised rules governing ARRL Division and Section Manager elections to clarify some terminology, to extend the campaign period from the call for nominations to the deadline for ballots received, and to make other miscellaneous changes. Revisions will become effective by February 15, 2020. In the interest of “openness and fairness,†the Board also approved a measure that would offers candidates and members an opportunity to be present during the counting of ballots. Candidates also may designate one ARRL member to attend as a surrogate if they’re unable to observe ballot counting, or to accompany them at the count. The Board further approved an amendment to permit ARRL members, upon petition, to travel at their own expense to witness the counting of ballots from their Division. The Board charged the Programs and Services Committee to consider changes to the ARRL By-Laws that would give members, upon petition, the opportunity to attend the public portion of the Annual Meeting in January. The number of members permitted to attend would be subject to available space and fire code regulations. Public Service Enhancement Working Group Chair, Roanoke Division Director Bud Hippisley, W2RU, reported that with field adoption of the 2019 ARES Plan now under way, the group is putting increased focus on the National Traffic System, including plans for dialog with representatives of Radio Relay International. Reduced Dues for Younger Applicants The Board approved an amendment giving the CEO discretion to raise the eligibility age for reduced full ARRL membership dues from 22 to 26, provided the rate not be less than one-half of the established rate. In addition, the Board approved the establishment of a reduced-rate, revenue-neutral Life Membership for individuals age 70 or older, with cumulative annual membership of 25 years or more, at an initial rate of $750. Headquarters staff will work out the administrative details of the program, subject to approval of the Administration and Finance Committee. The Board also agreed to allow for a “digital-only†access membership, at the discretion of the CEO, discounted no more than 10% from the established dues rate. Other Business In other business, the Board: • approved a grant of $500 to the Youth on the Air (YOTA) in the Americas program, which is sponsoring a camp in June for young radio amateurs. Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, a former ARRL Youth Coordinator, is heading the initiative, which is funded through the non-profit Electronic Applications Radio Service Inc. • authorized creation of an Emergency Management Director Selection Committee, with its chair and members to be named by the president. The minutes of the January Annual Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors are posted on the ARRL website. Mississippi ARES® Emergency Coordinator Credits Training for Effective Tornado Response 02/21/2020 Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) volunteers in DeSoto County, Mississippi, devoted several days in January to assisting local emergency managers in responding to tornado damage in the region. Desoto County Emergency Coordinator Ricky Chambers, KF5WVJ; Assistant EC Gene Adams, KF5KVL; Tate County EC Brad Kerley, KG5TTU, and Andy Luscomb, AG5FG, reported at 3 AM on January 11 to the DeSoto County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to open a SKYWARN weather watch. After a tornado warning was issued for DeSoto County, Chambers activated an emergency net on a local repeater. Ten minutes into the net, however, the repeater went down, and the net switched to simplex. The net subsequently moved to another operational repeater. Initial reports of downed trees blocking roadways and an eyewitness report of a possible tornado southwest of Hernando came in just after 5 AM. The ARES team at the EOC began taking damage reports, answering the telephone, and monitoring and taking calls from public safety dispatchers. When the deputy EMA director requested traffic control in Lewisburg, three of the ARES volunteers accompanied EMA director Chris Olson to Lewisburg. Chambers and Kerley assumed traffic control, and Olson asked that Chambers put out a call for ARES/RACES volunteers and EMA reservists to report to the EOC. The ham radio volunteers also handled welfare checks. A dozen ARES/RACES and EMA reservists returned the next day to conduct door-to-door damage assessment. For the next 10 days, Chambers reported, the DeSoto County volunteers assisted in handling telephone traffic in the EOC, freeing up first responders to do their primary jobs. “I attribute our effective response to the training we have conducted on a monthly basis,†Chambers said, noting that training included recommended ARRL courses. “We were able to see how the Incident Command System worked on a first-hand basis as the incident unfolded, based on the ICS training courses we have taken. My group went from 0 to 110 MPH in seconds, never missing a beat [and] everyone performed on a professional level.†— Thanks to DeSoto County and EMA Reservist Coordinator EC Ricky Chambers, KF5WVJ ARRL Opposes FCC Plan to Delete the 3.4 GHz Band 02/25/2020 ARRL has filed comments opposing an FCC proposal to delete the 3.3 – 3.5 GHz secondary amateur allocation. The comments, filed on February 21, are in response to an FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking () in WT Docket 19-348 in which the FCC put forward a plan to remove “existing non-federal secondary radiolocation and amateur allocations†in the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band and relocate incumbent non-federal operations. The FCC’s proposal was in response to the MOBILE NOW [Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless] Act, enacted in 2018 to make new spectrum available for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use. ARRL noted that amateur radio has a long history of successful coexistence with primary users of the band. “There is no reason suggested by the Commission, or known to us, why the secondary status for amateur radio operations should not be continued for the indefinite future,†ARRL said in its comments. “We understand that secondary commercial users are less flexible than amateur radio users and may desire to relocate to protect continued provision of services and service quality. Radio amateurs, by contrast, benefit from having technical knowledge and no customer demands for continuous service quality, more flexibility to make adjustments, and often have the technical abilities necessary to design and implement the means to coexist compatibly with the signals of primary users.†ARRL pointed to amateur radio’s “decades-long experience observing and experimenting with radiowave propagation†in the 3.3 – 3.5 GHz band that includes mesh networks, amateur television networks, weak signal long-distance communication, Earth-Moon-Earth (moonbounce) communication, beacons used for propagation study, and amateur satellite communications. In its comments, ARRL argued that it would be “premature†to remove the current secondary amateur radio allocation. “This spectrum should not be removed from the amateur radio secondary allocation and left unused,†ARRL told the FCC. “Only at a later time may an informed assessment of sharing opportunities be made in the specific spectrum slated for re-allocation…. This depends upon the Congressionally-mandated NTIA studies of sharing or relocation options that have yet to be completed and, if all or part of this spectrum is re-allocated, the nature and location of buildout by the non-federal users.†The NTIA oversees spectrum allocated to federal government users. ARRL noted that radio amateurs have established extensive infrastructure for the current band and are engaged in construction and experimentation that includes innovative “mesh networks†and amateur television networks that can be deployed to support public service activities. With the NTIA report addressing the 3.1 – 3.55 GHz spectrum not expected until late March, ARRL said, “we do not yet know how much spectrum below and above the amateur secondary allocation may be reallocated to non-federal users and what opportunities may exist or be developed to share [that] spectrum†with new primary users and systems. “Even if suitable new spectrum could be found for the existing amateur uses — which is difficult before the spectrum musical chairs activity is concluded — the costs to radio amateurs would be significant and be borne with no countervailing public benefit,†ARRL told the FCC. “If the advent of new primary licensees forecloses some types of secondary operations, the amateur community will reevaluate the situation when some certainty exists,†ARRL concluded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM AROUND THE LOUISIANA SECTION: ARES Monthly Section Emergency Coordinators Report December 2019 1. ARRL Section: Louisiana 2. Month: December 3. Year: 2019 4. Total number of ARES members: 428 5. Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9 6. Number of ARES nets active: 48 7. Number of nets with NTS liaison: 5 8. Calls of DECs/EC reporting: W4NDF KD5MLD KD5BNH KE5BMS AG5LR KD5DFL W5GAS KD5IGZ KE5GMN 9a. Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 42 9b. Person hours: 385 10a. Number of public service events this month: 1 10b. Person hours: 12 11a. Number of emergency operations this month: 4 11b. Person hours: 100 12a. Number of SKYWARN operations this month: 5 12b. Person hours: 112 13a. Auto Sum 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a: 52 13b. Auto Sum 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b: 609 Submitted by Jim Coleman, AI5B ARRL ARES Section Emergency Coordinator ARES Monthly Section Emergency Coordinators Report January 2020 1. ARRL Section: Louisiana 2. Month: Janaury 3. Year: 2020 4. Total number of ARES members: 427 5. Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9 6. Number of ARES nets active: 54 7. Number of nets with NTS liaison: 3 8. Calls of DECs/EC reporting: W4NDF KD5MLD KD5BNH KE5BMS AG5LR KD5DFL W5GAS KD5IGZ KE5GMN 9a. Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 39 9b. Person hours: 535 10a. Number of public service events this month: 13 10b. Person hours: 92 11a. Number of emergency operations this month: 1 11b. Person hours: 18 12a. Number of SKYWARN operations this month: 3 12b. Person hours: 80 13a. Auto Sum 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a: 56 13b. Auto Sum 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b: 725 Submitted by Jim Coleman, SAI5B ARRL ARES Section Emergency Coordinator --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Louisiana Traffic Net Manager’s Report December 2019 Sessions QNI QTC QTR 17. 418 44. 393 January 2020 Sessions QNI QTC QTR 16 342 31. 467 73, Jimmy Lewis/AB5YS Louisiana Section Traffic Manager ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REGION 2: As always, the Ascension Airwaves has an AWESOME Newsletter for February: http://k5arc.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Feb-20-AA1.pdf REGION 4: From: Volume 60, Number 02 ACADIANA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOC., INC. - a 501(c)3 Corporation February 2020 60th Annual 2020 AARA Hamfest Each year the AARA hosts it's annual Hamfest to support club activities as well as the purchase and maintenance of club equipment. The upcoming 2020 Hamfest will be held March 13 - 14, 2020 at the Rayne Civic Center in Rayne, LA. The event will be open to the public from 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM on Friday. It will reopen to the public from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM on Saturday. Plenty of good food will be available on site. Boiled crawfish will be served at 6:00 PM on Friday but pre-registration is required. Pre-registration forms are available at the w5ddl.org website Preregistration form Additional information regarding vendors, prizes, forums, etc will be posted on this website once that information becomes available. VE Test Session January 2, 2020 73, de Greg ~ K5LFT Started off the year pretty good. One new Tech & one upgrade to Amateur Extra. The candidates were Hailey R. Doucet ~KI5HTC ~ of New Iberia (Tech) & Bradley K. Vincent ~KG5KZR ~ of Gueydan (KG5KZR) upgraded to Amateur Extra. The VEs helping out were: Greg ~ K5LFT, Dave ~ N4ELM, Archie ~ W5AG, Michael ~ KI5ARX, & a new Ve Raymond Costilla ~ N5KIR. Congratulations to the testees & a great big thank you to the VEs in attendance...... What is a Net? By Joseph “Moe†Meaux K2JDM When someone first gets into the Ham radio hobby, one of the first questions they may ask is “What is a net?†The general definition of a Net (or Network) “is to allow people to be helpful to each other professionally, particularly in finding a better job, or moving to a higher position†doesn’t exactly apply to the Ham radio hobby. It is close! A Net in Ham radio is a gathering of people used to share information and to train in proper radio etiquette or protocols. Most radio nets are held at a regular scheduled time and frequency. There are two formats of any net; Formal and Informal. A FORMAL NET has one operator that is in control for maintaining order on the net, “making sure that traffic is passed in a timely manner and that more than one person doesn’t talk at the same timeâ€. The operators in the field must first ask permission to talk typically by giving their callsign only. The net control station will acknowledge that they have traffic and give them permission to pass said traffic or to tell that person to standby if there is higher priority traffic that needs to be passed first. Once the field operator has finished with whatever traffic they need to pass, they will clear with their callsign per FCC regulations. The net control station will then log the information and/or pass the traffic to where it needs to go to. Formal nets are often more efficient than informal ones because someone is basically directing traffic. INFORMAL NETS still have a net control station, but they do not control the flow of traffic. Instead, they keep a log of traffic and stand by in case something major happens and the net needs to be changed to a formal net forum. This format allows field operators to call other field operators without having to ask permission first. This type of net is often used when it is not really important to have an organized flow of traffic. An example of this informal net would be if the local skywarn team sees that there is a major storm coming but is still a little ways away from the area. This allows the field operators to get to their spots before the storm makes your area to allow as much coverage as needed. Once the storm gets closer, the net can change to a formal style. What types of nets are there? Well, there are several types. One of the most common is the SKYWARN Net. This is storm spotting in a formal format and in conjunction with the National Weather Service and your local Emergency Management Office. These are only activated by the NWS or your local EMC. Hams will be activated and meet on a predetermined frequency and will “watch†the storm as it comes into your area, passing on what they see to the net control so the information can be in turn relayed to the nearest NWS office. SKYWARN personal are very important to the NWS because after a couple of miles from their radar station, it can not see below about 10,000 feet. Spotter on the ground have to fill in the blanks for the meteorologists the NWS office. Information and/or Training Nets is also a common net. These are typically done in a formal format to help train operators how to operate during a net, how to pass traffic, or just give news of upcoming events. They are usually done as club nets on a VHF or UHF repeater, at a scheduled time and frequency. This type is good to get a new ham over their fear of talking over a radio. Rag Chew Nets are typically done in a semi-formal or informal format. These types are held on HF and sometimes on UHF or VHF. These are usually done when a bunch of people come together at the same time and same frequency to talk about there day, what they are doing, or just general discussions. SWAP Nets are used to buy or sell equipment. Well, per the FCC regulations, you can not actually conduct business on the air, you can say what you have that you want to sell, the price you are looking for, and the phone number where they can contact you. You can not negotiate prices or talk about the price on the net or on any over the air frequencies. These nets are semiformal. RACES and ARES Nets are both formal nets used during and after a natural disaster or a large scale event. A RACES Net is used during the actual emergency event, while the ARES Net is used after the emergency event. The ARES Net operators will typically do things like search and rescue, damage assessments, clean up, etc. More information on these two types of nets can be found at the ARRL.org website. ARRL.org ARES / RACES FAQ As you can see both formal and informal nets are used in a wide variety of types of nets, and can be interchanged at a moments notice to help facilitate the amount of traffic. Slidell EOC Hamfest, 7/24-25/2020 in the New Slidell Auditorium My name is David Hartley (K5OZ) and I am the 2020 Ozone Amateur Radio Club (OARC) Hamfest coordinator. Our Club is located in Slidell, Louisiana 25 miles northeast of downtown New Orleans (w5sla.net). This year’s Hamfest will again be a big one; we will be combined the second year in a row with the W9DYV Vintage Radio Symposium (www.cemultiphase.com). Last year our event combination drew over 500 hams and this year we expect it to be more than 1000 because we have located the symposium/forums in the same building as our hamfest. This building is the new Slidell Auditorium and features Forum Rooms and over 10,000 square feet of trading space. In addition, Slidell offers a great tourist spot to see New Orleans and other local area attractions while you are here. We would love to have your company join us as a Hamfest vendor July 24-25, 2020. This year we are considering a one and one half day hamfest because our symposium is a full two days; i.e., 1) on Friday we will have vendor setup from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, 2) Flea market setup from 12 to 2 pm and 3) doors opening at 2:00pm to 5:00pm for Symposium/Hamfest attendees and Saturday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm for all attendees. Tear down will be from 2:00pm to 5:00pm Saturday afternoon. Let us know your thoughts on this day and one half idea. The attached file shows the layout for the vendors and flea market tables. Please save the date and get your request in early via my email below. The vendor tables (blue) along the walls are 3’ x 8’ and are $15 each. Flea market tables (Green) are $10 each. Thank you for your amateur products and please consider participating in our Hamfest in Slidell, LA this year. Please let us know as soon as possible so we can advertise your attendance on our flyers. David E. Hartley, K5OZ dehartley@charter.net 985-707-8010. Milam Columbus "Lucky' Young KA5SUR – SK Lucky Young KA5SUR KA5SUR, 92, a resident of Sulphur passed away January 19, 2020 after a short illness. He was born May 13, 1927 in Kenedy, Texas. Graduated from South Park High School, Beaumont, Texas in 1945. Joined U S Navy in 1945 and served honorable in WW II and continued in the navy reserves until 1987 retiring after 42 years of service. AARA Monthly Meeting Presentation Topics In the January 2020 meeting, we had great discussion on the continuation of a monthly training topic. Many ideas were presented, and I was able to capture all of the ideas put on the table. I am excited to see what our members will bring to the meeting as the Q4 meetings of 2019 were a big hit. I am certain that the demonstrations on the Raspberry Pi and Batteries eased the frustration of some and opened an avenue for others. With that said, I will list the topics that were brought up and a suggested name on each topic. As you read through the list, please reply to me stating whether or not you would be willing and/or able to present on the topic. This will allow us to build a schedule for the 2020 year and we can make reservations on the agenda. 1. Grounding – Fred Marshall 2. Contesting – Scotty Menard/Charlie Morrison 3. Different types of coax and their application – Dave Redfern 4. Solar Panels – Fred Marshall 5. Traffic Generation and relaying that information – (OPEN) 6. Winlink – Glen Thibodeaux 7. Antenna Building – (OPEN) This can take on so many roles from Dipoles, to J-Poles, to Emergency Communications. 8. Soldering (Possible conflict with LSM policy – Paul McCasland to check) 9. Radio Etiquette – (Chris Ancelet – February Topic) 10. Antenna Q&A – (Dave Redfern) 11. How to build a J-Pole – (Danny Daigle – Possible Summer Field Day Project) 12. How to Build a Home brew Yagi for 2m – (OPEN) 13. SDR Radio – (OPEN) 14. 3D Printing – (Paul McCasland) So, with the list, we have over a year’s worth of topics that could potentially be presented in our monthly sessions. I am looking forward to seeing who will step up to the plate and share their knowledge. If there are any additional topics you would like to see on this list, please feel free to send me an email or bring it up at one of our next meetings. Chris Ancelet N5MCY No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie 1 Graham Cracker pie shell 8 oz cream cheese – softened 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk ½ cup lemon juice 1 Tsp grated lemon peel – optional Chill pie crust about 1 hour. In large bowl, beat Filling ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly in crust. Refrigerate 4 hours but no longer than 8 hours. Serve with whipped topping REGION 6: Winter Field Day 2020 This has been one of the better Winter Field Days that our club has seen. The turnout was great, the food was delicious and the friendship was boundless. We set up multiple dipole antennas as well as the triband beam for 10, 15 and 20. The bands did not cooperate with us. 20 and 40 were open a little during the day and 40 and 80 a little at night. The morse code operators had better luck than the voice operators. It rained off and on from Friday afternoon through shut down on Sunday. This did not slow us down a bit. We discovered shortly after setting up that we were missing a box of supplies. The box is plastic and translucent. It has headphones, jumpers, a bandpass filter (missing from pelican case), and many other supplies. Thanks to everyone who supplied food, radios, and hard manual labor. Special thanks to Kevin/ and Chris/KI5HDW for helping with the login software (N3FJP) and logging. Our score is 7322 for Winter Field Day. 2166 points for contacts—159 morse and 43 phone contacts. Bonus points: 1500 for generator power, 1500 for setting up away from home, and 1500 for SOAPBOX Bonus of 3000 (for entering information to Winter Field Day group?) We are already set up for summer field day 2020 at the same location at the Wildlife and Fisheries Education Building in Woodworth, Louisiana. Scott, KD5DFL From: The Brass Key February 2020 A Publication of the Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Prior to the conclusion of Winter Field Day, I was at a bit of a loss for this month’s column, but on the way home from the event, the content of the column became clear. Winter Field Day, 2020, was a success. Members came to the event and brought radios, antennas, ancillary accessories, tools, supplies, food, and drinks. Members participated in the assembly of four stations on Friday and Saturday. Members got on the air. Members had a great supper on Saturday evening, complete with some outstanding desserts, all prepared by members. Members participated in the disassembly of four stations on Sunday and “field- dayed†the site. In Marine Corps jargon, the term field day is often used as a verb and means ‘to clean a site, stow equipment, make it spotless etc. Members had fun at the event, and members made it a success. Band conditions were abysmal. Forty and eighty meters died completely in the wee hours of Sunday morning and they weren’t much to brag on even when they were open. They came back for a while on Sunday morning, and twenty meters opened to an extent on Sunday morning. Unlike the case in previous Field Day and Winter Field Day events, fifteen meters never showed its face, ten meters likewise. Although I didn’t conduct a formal census, I believe about ten members stayed at the site for the duration of the event. Some took advantage of the sleeping accommodations in the rear of the building. We had good participation for installation of antennas and assembly of stations on Friday and Saturday. Except for an hour or so beginning around 03:00 local time on Sunday, members persevered and stayed on the air for the duration of the event despite the dismal band conditions. The disassembly of stations and field-day of the site on Sunday after 1:00 PM local time was a particular success. All of those who were on site for the duration and those who returned to the site for this effort participated and contributed. These members knew what had to be done, and they got it done. The mobile command unit was cleaned, equipment was stowed, the generator was shut down properly, and all switches were left in the proper positions as instructed by the representative of the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office. The kitchen, dining, and operation areas were cleaned well, trash was taken to the dumpster, floors were cleaned, and furniture was restored to the configuration in which it was found. The requirement for use of these facilities was to leave them as we found them, and club members made that happen. ARRL Field Day, 2020, is June 27 and 28. Mark your calendar. Good DX and 73! John N5CM Many thanks to our president, John, N5CM, our field day coordinator, Scott, KD5DFL, all those who helped with set-up and take down, Jack W5ETL for creating the masterpiece gumbo, all those who contributed to the gumbo supper, and especially all those hams who came out to operate! It was nice to see so many new faces! Everyone made this field day one of our best ever! We thank the LDWF for the use of their facility, and the RPSO for the use of their mobile command post again this field day. The generosity of both of these agancies continues to help CLARC to better its operating skills. Additional photos of the Field Day can be viewed at the link below. Scott KD5DFL Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jcojSNLUG5RUPpxE6 Kevin, KG5SGI Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZkYwM9rYGfuHn9Cc8 • ** March 3 - CLARC Meeting - SKYWARN Certification Class - NWS Meteorologist Roger Ericson. Location: Kees park Community Center, Pineville. Doors will open at • 5:30 PM for VE Testing and fellowship. There will be no Board or business meeting tonight. Class will start at 6:00 PM. ** April 4 - 5 - LOUISIANA QSO Party - The 2020 edition of the Louisiana QSO Party will run from 14:00 UTC, April 4, 2020 to 02:00 UTC, April 5, 2020 (9:00 AM to 9:00 PM CDT Saturday, April 4, 2020). For further info, see: http://laqp.org/ ** May 5 - CLARC Meeting - Advanced Skywarn Certification Class - This is the Advanced Class for those who took the Basic Class in March - NWS Meteorolgist Roger Ericson. Location: Kees park Community Center, Pineville. Doors will open at 5:30 PM for VE Testing and fellowship. There will be no Board or business meeting tonight. Class will begin at 6:00 PM. From: The Brass Key March 2020 A Publication of the Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Given the severe weather events we’ve experienced during the past few months, the program at the March meeting, SkyWarn Basic Storm Spotter Training, is very appropriate. By serving as trained spotters during severe weather events, we serve our respective communities as well as our fellow club members. This service to our communities provides a means to fulfill a portion of the basis and purpose for the Amateur Radio Service, “Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.†Our communities provide for the Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club (CLARC). For example, most of our repeater sites are provided by a local government entity as is our monthly meeting site, and the site for our last Field Day and Winter Field Day. In each case, space and utilities are provided by the community at no cost to CLARC; therefore, it is only fitting that we train and use our unique capabilities to give back to the community. Perhaps we could look at opportunities, in addition to SkyWarn, to use our communication capabilities and equipment to give back to the communities that support us. Foot races, triathlons, bike rides, festivals etc. could be venues where our talents, skill, abilities, and equipment could be used not only to serve the community but also to highlight amateur radio and CLARC. Think about it. Scott, KD5DFL, investigated CLARC’s status as an “inactive†ARRL Affiliated Club. He made appropriate contacts, and our affiliation is back to “active†status. Thank you, Scott! Kudos to Josh, KI5DDA, for calling the Sunday evening ARES net. I admire his courage and determination to step into this new role. Young people such as Josh are the future of amateur radio and our club. Well done, Josh! ARRL Field Day, 2020, is June 27 and 28. Mark your calendar. 73 and good DX! John, N5CM NOTICE OF MARCH 3 MEETING LOCATION CHANGE!!! March 3 - CLARC Meeting - SKYWARN Certification Class - Due to a scheduling conflict at Kees Park . . . the March meeting location has changed to: Pineville Main Street Community Center, 708 Main Street, Pineville. NOTE: VE testing will begin at 5:00 PM due to the Skywarn class start time. There will be no club business meeting tonight. Skywarn Class will start at 6:00 PM. REGION 9: From: The SELARC "Hamster" ________________________________________ *Serving Amateur Radio Since 1974* Published Monthly by the Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Inc. Visit our website: www.selarc.org Vol. 47, No. 2 ......................... February 2020 SELARC 2020 Hamfest The SELARC 39th Annual Hammond Hamfest was held on Saturday January 18, 2020; thanks to all those who sold tickets and participated in the event. The results of the main prize drawing are shown below: o 1st Prize: Yaesu FT-450D — Lyle Wales–KD5JRY o 2nd Prize: Yaesu FTM-400XDR — John Beicher–KF5OPB o 3rd Prize: AA-230 Zoom Antennae Analyzer — Ralph Shaw–K5CAV o 4th Prize: Yaesu FT-70DR — Bob–WB5FBS Special Events, Other Hamfests & VE Sessions 60th Annual Acadiana Hamfest 2020 - http://www.w5ddl.org/hamfest.htm 2020 ARRL Field Day - June 27-28, 2020 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 for February go out to - John Guthans AA5UY, Pat KE5KMM, David N5QOX, and Lyle KD5JRY If we missed your birthday, then please let us know. Get Well Soon — Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members Tom Simpson N5HAY and Homer Jones KA5TRT. We look forward to hearing you on the air! VE Session Results Congratulations to the following new Amateur Radio Operators and upgrades!! 18 Jan 2020 - Hammond Hamfest - Hammond VE Group Technician Billy Orehowsky / KI5HZE - Saucier, Ms. Adam Permenter / KI5HZD - Clinton, La. Devin Martin - Greenwell Springs, La. General Randall Davis / KF5TEW - Picayune, Ms. Extra Charles Freeman / W5CCF - Summit, Ms. John Barnes Jr. / N5WWL - Denham Springs, La. 26 Jan, 2020 - Hammond VE Group Technician Joel McClure / K5KZX - Madisonville, La. Many thanks to all the VEs' who came out and helped with the sessions! Your time and dedication is greatly appreciated!!! 73 Tyrone / N5XES - Hammond VE Group UPCOMING EVENTS: 60th Annual Acadiana Hamfest 2020, ARRL Louisiana State Convention HAMFEST/CONVENTION 03/13/2020 Start Date: 03/13/2020 End Date: 03/14/2020 Location: Rayne Civic Center 210 Frog Festival Drive Rayne, LA 70578 Website: http://www.w5ddl.org/hamfest.htm Sponsor: Acadiana Amateur Radio Association and The City of Rayne, LA Type: ARRL Convention Talk-In: 146.820 MHz -0.600 (PL 103.5) W5DDL Public Contact: Brandon Stelly , KG5LQMPhone: 337-205-2112 Email: hamfest@w5ddl.org Northeast Louisiana Hamfest, ARRL Louisiana Section Convention HAMFEST/CONVENTION 04/17/2020 Start Date: 04/17/2020 End Date: 04/17/2020 Location: West Monroe Convention Center 901 Ridge Avenue West Monroe, LA 71291 Sponsor: NorthEast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club (NELARC) Type: ARRL Convention Talk-In: 146.85- Public Contact: Scott Dickson , W5WZ Phone: 318-355-2220 Email: w5wz@arrl.net Please remember that anyone who wishes to see something published in the monthly newsletters please email me at k5jmr@arrl.org or contact our Section PIC or any of the Region PIOs: Public Information Coordinator(PIC): Joe Holland, KB5VJY kb5vjy@gmail.com PIOs by Region: R1: Joey Falgout, N5TWR n5twr@outlook.com R2: Elmer Tatum, N5EKF elmer.tatum21@gmail.com R4: Ed Roy, WA5TNK edroy@edroy.com R6: Jim Bookter, N5NVP n5nvp@arrl.net R7: Marcel Livesay, N5VU n5vu@yahoo.com R8: Joe Holland, KB5VJY kb5vjy@gmail.com Our next Monthly Book/Prize drawing is March 1st…..If you have not sent me your call sign please do at k5jmr@arrl.org I will draw for our ARRL Louisiana Section Affiliated Club(Book), ARRL Louisiana Section Member(Book) and for a ARRL Louisiana Section Member for the Electronic item. Good Luck to ALL! See you in Rayne/73, -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Louisiana Section Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR k5jmr@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter January 2020
Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter January 2020 I hope this finds each of you happy and healthy as we enter the new year. The Hammond Hamfest is coming soon; January 18th. I hope to see many of you there. We will have two hours for our ARRL/ARES Forums and I will have some nice prizes to give away. Silent Keys: (as listed in the February 2020 QST) Randall B. Prewitt, K4LJA New Hams: Welcome to the hobby! Report for 2020-01-03 Henry D Flanagan, KI5HQT Tobi Provenzano, KI5HQW Geoffrey M Single, KI5HQX Todd J Rudloff, KI5HNX Shane J Stokes, KI5HQZ Nicholas B Dykes, KI5HQR Salvatore Esola, KI5HQS Christopher Biernat, KI5HQP Federico M Lertora, KI5HQU Elizabeth E Wotawa, KI5HRA Luke A Cressionie, KI5HQQ Eric G Benoit, KI5HQO Matthew M Lewis, KI5HQV Charles R Smith, KI5HQY Heather B Heaney, KI5HOF James A Johnson, KI5HQC Upgraded License: Congratulations! Matthew C Wiggins, KI5HLC New/Renewed ARRL Members: Welcome/Welcome back! Elise G Karcher, N5LIT Kenneth A Bell, WB5UYN Esdy S Agoro Trygve E Reid, KI5HFU James Boyd, KI5HLN Mary L Matamoros, KF5AXR Steve P Webre, AF5VR Randal J Castille, N5MLJ Willis E Shobe, W6LKT Kaleb Morgan, KG5AAF Paul J Mccrory, KF5MHG John C Marston, KG5VWN Jeffrey G Welsh, KF5ENP Robert E Hobbs, N5ULA Cheryl Ellis, KA5VOP Robert M Ellis, KA5NGO Emily Laprarie, KI5GJB Dustin W Howell, W5CFI Randall F Ford, KF5EZR Connor Wiedemeier, KF5MTQ James Johnson, KI5HQC ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the ARRL Computer Bulletin Board System Co-Inventor Randy Suess, ex-WB9GPM, SK 12/31/2019 The co-inventor of the Computer Bulletin Board System, Randy Suess, ex-WB9GPM, died on December 10. He was 74. According to his obituary in The New York Times, Suess and IBM engineer Ward Christensen collaborated on the system in 1978, during the dial-up era, a year before Compuserve began offering online consumer service. The computer bulletin board was a forerunner of today’s proliferation of social media outlets. Suess and Christensen were members of the Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists’ Exchange (CACHE), and the system was initially developed so that club members could more easily communicate with one another. By the time the Chicago BBS was retired in the 1980s, it had been accessed more than 500,000 times. — Thanks to Wes Plouff, AC8JF New England Radio Amateur Hosts Video on Tower Safety 12/31/2019 Jim Idelson, K1IR, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, recently provided a club meeting program on ham radio tower safety for the Billerica Amateur Radio Society (BARS). Kayla Creamer, W2IRY, recorded and edited the presentation and made it available online. It runs approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. In his presentation, Idelson said an estimated 38,000 amateur radio towers are standing in the US, with 24 hours of climbing time per tower each year. He noted that two tower-climbing fatalities have occurred in the past year, with a calculated fatality rate that’s twice that of commercial tower workers. In more than half of amateur tower incidents, the climber fell while tied into the tower, while another 37% involved falls. Idelson advised radio amateurs to plan, identify, and mitigate risks in advance of a climb, to focus and be patient, and not to get distracted. “Risks of tower work are far too high,†Idelson told his audience. “Success depends on creating a culture that values safety.†http://www.arrl.org/news/new-england-radio-amateur-hosts-video-on-tower-safety Yahoo Groups Shutdown has Ham Radio Interest Groups Seeking to Save Content 12/31/2019 Yahoo Groups, which has hosted a considerable number of ham radio interest groups over the years, is shutting down. All previously posted content on the site became unavailable in mid-December, but Yahoo is processing requests to download content until January 31, 2020. Yahoo also has provided group administrators (“adminsâ€) a way to export data ahead of that deadline. Groups will continue to live on in some limited fashion, but all groups will become private, and nearly all of the functionality that made them popular in the first place will disappear. Around since 2001, Yahoo Groups, now owned by Verizon, has provided online repositories of communications and information on a wide variety of specialized subjects and activities, including Amateur Radio. Yahoo Groups for nearly every radio have been established, where owners could exchange information and ask questions. Other groups on the Yahoo platform offered a watering hole for those interested in a particular ham radio activity as well as for those who want to buy and sell gear and components. Some clubs and ham radio logging software users have taken advantage of Yahoo Groups. New platforms such as Groups.io, Facebook, and Google are looking to assume the role that Yahoo Groups is stepping away from. Groups.io charges fees to migrate content onto its platform, however, and Facebook and Google lack the ability to import content at all. With Groups.io as the most likely successor platform, many admins have assumed the migration expense and relocated group content so it would not be lost. Not all groups have been as fortunate, however, putting them into the position of starting from scratch and losing years of conversations, files, polls, and data. Web application developer Andy Majot, K5QO, of Sellersburg, Indiana, took the initiative to download archives of Yahoo Groups devoted to individual ham radio gear and uploaded them to his personal website. “I hope to have them hosted in perpetuity for future hams to use,†Majot told ARRL. “It should be noted that I backed up groups regardless of whether they are living on in other platforms; I wanted to snapshot the groups as they were on Yahoo prior to their deletion.†Majot noted that several of the groups he has archived have already migrated their content to Groups.io, but many more have not. Majot said an organization called Archive Team is helping to save as many Yahoo Groups as possible and has been backing these up since the closure announcement in October, but, Majot said, progress has nearly halted since Yahoo cut off access to many group features in mid-December. Majot invited those seeking to relocate Yahoo Groups archives to contact him. “I would be happy to host these files, alongside my other archives,†he said. — Thanks to Andy Majot, K5QO Texas Scout Leaders Promote Amateur Radio as a Communication Resource 12/31/2019 In 2017, Category 4 Hurricane Harvey left the region of Texas where Assistant Scoutmaster Scott deMasi, KC5NKW, lived under water. With roads flooded, bridges washed away, and cellular service and power out, deMasi said it soon became clear that his Scout troop’s emergency preparedness plan wasn’t designed for a storm of this magnitude. It was frustrating, deMasi says, to discover he couldn’t reliably reach all of Troop 839’s 100 Scouts and their families to check if they were okay or to organize relief efforts as a unit. Something had to be done. After the waters receded, deMasi and Assistant Scoutmaster David Godell came up with a plan that would not leave the troop incommunicado after a major weather disaster. With 15 years’ experience as a radio amateur, deMasi suggested encouraging Scouts and parents trained to become ham radio licensees. “It’s a lifesaving skill, and it helps us to be prepared,†Godell said. (“Be Prepared†is the Boy Scouts motto.) An initial interest meeting was set, and Scouts were given links to study materials and offered transportation to examination sites, but participation was low. So, deMasi and Godell worked with a local radio club, the Texas Emergency Amateur Communicators, to organize a 1-day Technician licensing class that also would fulfill most requirements for Scouting’s Radio merit badge. In addition, the two Assistant Scoutmasters bought inexpensive handheld radios that they programmed to frequencies the troop would use, so after the class, the Scouts would receive the equipment needed to continue using their new skills. Armed with their radios, more than two dozen licensed Scouts and adults began utilizing their newly earned communication capability at Scouting events. During campouts, they radioed information to patrols across the camp. On these occasions, the troop practices a “no cell phone†policy; ham radio provided the means to stay in touch with others. At service projects, they communicated directions to Scouts spread throughout a wide area. Having radios and opportunities to regularly use them gave the Scouts confidence to get on the air. Seeing licensed Scouts with their handheld radios also encouraged other Scouts to get licensed as well. “Once the Scouts got radios, others wanted radios,†Godell said. Some Troop 839 members participated in the annual Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), talking with other Scouts in several other states and in Central America. “You could see eyes light up,†deMasi recalled. — Adapted from a Scouting Magazine blog post by Michael Freeman MIT Radio Society W1MX Announces January Lecture Series on “Everything Radio†01/02/2020 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Radio Society (W1MX) and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are hosting a lecture series in January that may answer some of your questions about such topics as radar techniques, interferometry, imaging, and radio astronomy, to antenna design and modern chip-scale RF devices. No prior experience with radio is necessary, and all are welcome. All lectures will take place in the Green Building — MIT’s tallest academic building. Sessions will be live streamed and archived for later viewing. The lectures kick off on January 10 with “The Next Generation of Weather Radar.†Other topics include “Lightning Interferometry†(January 13); “Radio Noises from the Sky†(January 15); “EDGES: Measuring the Early Universe†(January 22); “Antennas†(January 24), and “Chip-Scale THz Circuits and Sensors†(January 29). Lectures begin at 5 PM ET and conclude at 7 PM. The club’s Daniel Sheen, KC1EPN, noted that the rooftop W1XM facilities in the Green Building are scheduled for removal as part of a renovation project. A capital campaign is under way to establish a new facility with improved capabilities for academic research and recreational activity. W1AW to be on the Air for Winter Field Day 01/02/2020 Members of the Warren County (New York) Amateur Radio Club (W2WCR) will activate Maxim Memorial Station W1AW for Winter Field Day 2020 over the January 25 – 26 weekend. Winter Field Day is sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association (WFDA), which believes that emergency communication is important throughout the year. Winter Field Day is open to radio amateurs worldwide. The WFDA’s goal is to help enhance operating skills and to prepare participants for all environmental conditions. Winter Field Day runs for 24 hours. Station set-up may start no earlier than 1900 UTC on the day before the event and may not take any longer than 12 hours in total. Expect activity on all amateur bands except 12, 17, 30, and 60 meters. All modes that can handle the required exchange are welcome; this does not include FT8. Entry categories include indoor, outdoor, and home. Full details are on the Winter Field Day website. https://www.winterfieldday.com/ New 60 MHz Beacon Now on the Air from Ireland 01/03/2020 The first — and so far only — beacon on 60 MHz went on the air on December 16. The call sign is EI1KNH. In early 2018, the 60 MHz (5-meter) band was allocated to radio amateurs in Ireland on a secondary, non-interference basis. The beacon is on 60.013 MHz and runs 25 W into a vertical folded dipole. The new 5-meter beacon is sharing a site already occupied by EI0SIX on 6 meters, and EI4RF on 4 meters, about 12 miles south of Dublin in IO63VE. An 8-meter beacon is scheduled to be on the air in the next few months. It will operate on 40.013 MHz. Australian Bushfires Causing Major Telecommunication Outages, Hams Asked to Remain Alert 01/03/2020 Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) President Greg Kelly, VK2GPK, says the bushfires in Australia have caused or are expected to cause significant disruption of telecommunication services in the states of Victoria and New South Wales. “The scope and range of these impacts is unknown at this stage but are predicted to cover all internet and phone (fixed and mobile) and other commercial radio services,†he said. Kelly has asked radio amateurs in International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 3 to monitor the emergency communications frequencies, per the IARU Region 3 band plan, whenever possible, as well as repeaters. “Amateurs seeking to establish emergency communication should use these EMCOMM frequencies in the first instance, or repeaters if available,†he said in a statement posted on the IARU Region 3 website. “Radio amateurs who are volunteers for [emergency communication organizations] should keep themselves updated. Emergency communication is one of the main reasons radio amateurs have access to RF spectrum. Please assist if and when you can.†The IARU Region 3 emergency “center of activity†frequencies are 3.600, 7.110, 14.300, 18.160, and 21.360 MHz. These are not net frequencies, but they are recommended as starting points for emergency traffic, and activity may extend 5 kHz above or below the designated center frequency. San Joaquin Valley Section Manager Dan Pruitt, AE6SX, SK 01/03/2020 ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section Manager Dan Pruitt, AE6SX, of Fresno, California, died on December 27. He was 68. At the time of his death, Pruitt had been hospitalized as a result of a fall. First licensed in 1965, Pruitt had served as SJV SM since 2009 and earlier this year began a new 2-year term. A successor will be appointed. Pruitt had previously served as Fresno County Emergency Coordinator, and his focus has been on improving emergency communication in his region, working with the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), the National Traffic System, the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS), the American Red Cross, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and the System for Administration, Training, and Educational Resources for NASA (SATERN). He had also served as SJV Public Information Officer. South Orkney Islands DXpedition will Use VP8PJ 01/03/2020 The Perseverance DX Group’s DXpedition to South Orkney, set for February 20 until March 5, will use the call sign VP8PJ. The group initially announced that it would use VP8/VP8DXU. “Alan Armstrong, VK6CQ, a recent addition to the team, holds the call sign VP8PJ that was issued to him for operation from the British Antarctic Territory,†the DXpedition has announced. “After submission of a copy of Alan’s license, ARRL has issued us a new LoTW certificate for the use of this call from South Orkney for the duration of our expedition.†Contact the DXpedition via email. http://www.arrl.org/news/south-orkney-islands-dxpedition-will-use-vp8pj YOTA Month Reported a Success in the Americas 01/15/2020 For several years now, Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) has sponsored YOTA Month each December, primarily involving young radio amateurs in Europe and Africa. In December, youth-operated amateur radio stations in the Americas picked up the ball to contribute more than 12,000 contacts to the worldwide event. Eighteen operators aged 25 or younger deployed special event 1 × 1 call signs — K8Y, K8O, K8T, and K8A — to promote youth in amateur radio. Fifteen young operators across the US took turns using these call signs throughout December. They logged 10,474 contacts using those call signs on SSB, CW, digital modes, and satellites. Some operators also aired the call signs during contests. Participants in the Americas offered opinions on what made the event special for them. “Operating-wise, it was definitely the pileups…I love a good pileup,†said Mason Matrazzo, KM4SII. “Apart from that, it was great getting to be part of a group of youngsters that are all into the hobby. Even though we weren’t physically working together, we all got to be part of the YOTA program over the air.†Audrey McElroy, KM4BUN, also cited the on-air camaraderie. “My favorite part of YOTA month was getting the wonderful experience of talking to other youth all over the world and sharing our experiences,†she said. “It gives us hope to know the future of Amateur Radio is in the hands of these great kids.†Her brother Jack, KM4ZIA, also took part. In Canada, David Samu, VE7DZO, signed VE7YOTA in December, making 458 contacts on CW. “My favorite part was seeing all the YOTA stations on the air throughout December and seeing all the high energy youth activity,†he said. Mathias Acevedo, CE2LR, activated XR2YOTA, and met another young operator from Chile, Manu Pardo, CA3MPR, through YOTA month. Between them, they put 1,535 contacts into the log on CW, SSB, and digital modes. Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, coordinated the efforts of the 17 participants and the logs for the US stations. “I learned much during the month about the importance of teamwork and communication...just like baseball,†Bryant said about his role as coordinator. “I think YOTA month was a great success considering the short amount of time we had to plan this all out. I had a lot of fun operating this event, but it was even more rewarding to see other youth here in the Americas make tons of QSOs during December.†Bryant managed Logbook of The World accounts for the US stations and QRZ.com pages for all call signs, maintained an operator schedule, worked with YOTA Month Award Manager Tomi Varro, HA8RT, and reported in to the YOTA Camp Committee in the Americas. Globally, nearly 129,000 contacts were logged using 48 call signs, all operated by hams under the age of 25 or younger. More than 2,500 operators of all ages requested and received awards based on the number of YOTA contacts they had made. Statistics are available. The first Youth On The Air camp in the US will take place next June 21 – 26 at the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio. For more information about YOTA in the Americas, contact YOTA Month in the Americas Coordinator Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, or YOTA in the Americas Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. Puerto Rico Earthquake Relief Effort Continues, with Help from Ham Radio 01/15/2020 In Puerto Rico, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers continue to operate from the American Red Cross distribution center in Yauco — one of the towns hit the hardest by the recent earthquakes and ongoing aftershocks on the island. The Red Cross requested assistance last week to identify undeclared refugee camps and to report on close or damaged roadways and bridges. ARES District 5 Emergency Coordinator Herb Perez, WP4ZZ, who is among those volunteering for the Red Cross at Yauco, reported on January 14 that he, Melvin Velazquez, WP4RAP, and Yolanda Garcia, WP4QZF, are on duty there. “Today, we were able to occupy our space with no major incident other than the usual shaking of the entire structure. More than 10 per hour,†Perez said. “One of our members Jared Martinez, KP4LCO, was able to search near his hometown of Lajas and was able to locate more than 10 unidentified campsites around the area.†Perez said such reports enable the Red Cross to provide necessary assistance to those left homeless as a result of the earthquakes. Perez said volunteers were able to collect food for isolated communities in the mountain region from a church-run food pantry in Sabana Grande. He said local members of the GMRS and Citizens Band radio communities have been pitching in. Operations from Yauco have been on VHF and UHF, although commercial telecommunication services remain in operation for the most part. Another station has been established at the Red Cross Headquarters in the capital of San Juan, which is not in the earthquake zone. Puerto Rico Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, said the stations are operating as a backbone, in the event of new or stronger earthquakes. HF equipment has been safely stowed if communications fail, Resto said. Most of Puerto Rico now has power and water. ARRL is shipping six VHF/UHF base/repeater antennas and six 50-foot rolls of LMR-400 coax, through the Ham Aid Fund. Resto said a new Red Cross warehouse will be place in Mayagüez, where he will install a third station for backbone communication. “That is the reason for the new antennas,†he said. “We already have the radios. In case we need to escalate to HF, we are ready with ARRL go-kits from Hurricane Maria.†The ARES team in Yauco has also been handling health-and-welfare traffic from the earthquake zone. Operations are running from 9 AM until 5 PM each day. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the southwestern part of Puerto Rico on January 7, fast on the heels of a magnitude 5.8 tremor the day before. The worst-impacted cities were Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Yauco, and Guánica, where most homes are no longer habitable. AM Rally 2020 Gets Under Way on February 1 01/15/2020 The fourth annual AM Rally operating event will take place February 1 – 3 (UTC). The annual AM Rally encourages all operators to explore amateur radio's original voice mode by showcasing the various types of AM equipment in use today, ranging from early vacuum-tube rigs to the newest SDR-based transceivers. “Both new and experienced ops are discovering that AM can sound quite good, enhancing the enjoyment of contacts,†said Clark Burgard, N1BCG, an enthusiastic promoter of the event. “The AM Rally provides a great reason to give it a try.†The AM Rally is open to all radio amateurs capable of running full-carrier, amplitude modulation (standard AM) using any type of radio equipment — modern, vintage, tube, solid-state, software-defined, military, boat anchor, broadcast, homebrew, or commercially manufactured — are encouraged to join in the AM fun on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, and 6 meters. Details are on the AM Rally website or contact Burgard via email. The AM Rally is sponsored by ARRL, Radio Engineering Associates, and iNetRadio. From around the Louisiana Section: Region 4: From: Volume 60, Number 01 ACADIANA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOC., INC. - a 501(c)3 Corporation January 2020 A New Start For 2020 On December 12th, 2019, the members of the Acadiana Amateur Radio Association got together for our Christmas Dinner at the Golden Coral. It was a time to celebrate and mingle while enjoying each others company. And this year was extra special for us all. Herman Campbell KN5GRK had an accident earlier this year and was hospitalized for several weeks. Luckily, Ramona Jobe KG5HNO spent her time and love helping him to recover. After the several years they have been friends, those two decided to surprise everybody. Herman and Ramona decided to make their friendship more permanent. Congratulations to these two!! Since this dinner was not to talk about the club, time was spent talking and discussing ideas and seeking advice for our hobby in some cases. And merely ragjawing in others! Friendship and camaraderie were the key points. 2019 MARS COMEX Involves ARES, RACES, Others During October and corresponding with the ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET), Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) reached out to the amateur radio community to continue building working relationships and improving interoperability. As part of this effort, MARS promoted the use of a serial phase-shift keying protocol, Military Standard 188-110 (M110) on the 60-meter interoperability channels. Radio amateurs are authorized to use this digital mode there. Starting on November 2 and continuing until November 17, the MARS community executed Department of Defense (DOD) Communications Exercise (COMEX) 19-4. MARS members use the exercise to continue training and refining their operator skills to provide situational awareness such as county status reports and weather observations. The exercise culminated on November 16 with military stations sending M110 messages to the amateur community on 60-meter channel 1 (5330.5 kHz USB). [When the results have been compiled and reported out, we will publish them here. - ed.] MARS rep Ralph Brigham, AAR4IG, said "In future DOD Communications Exercises, I suspect that more participation between MARS and the Amateur Radio Service will be encouraged." He said "a good analogy of what MARS does for DOD is as SKYWARN is the eyes and ears for the NWS at the local ground level, MARS acts as a relay of state and local reports from ARES, RACES, and other served agencies up the Department of Defense communications network." - Thanks, Ralph Brigham, AAR4IG Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks for all that you do. 73 Glen KF5FNP Oldest Known US Ham Receives ARRL Centurion Award The oldest known US radio amateur, Cliff Kayhart, W4KKP, received his ARRL Centurion Award plaque in November. The award recognizes hams who have achieved centenarian status. Kayhart, who lives in White Rock, South Carolina, is 108. The ARRL Board of Directors conferred the award on Kayhart at its July 2019 meeting. At the November meeting of the Dutch Fork Amateur Radio Group in Little Mountain, South Carolina, ARRL Roanoke Division Director Bud Hippisley, W2RU, headed an ARRL delegation that presented the Centurion Award plaque to Kayhart, who was first licensed as W2LFE in 1937 (he's also held W9GNQ). With Hippisley for the presentation were Roanoke Division Vice Director Bill Morine, N2COP, and South Carolina Section Manager Marc Tarplee, N4UFP. Kayhart served in Iwo Jima during World War II, shortly after the US victory there, setting up long-range radio communication from the island to Tokyo to arrange for the eventual surrender by Japan. Kayhart remains active, checking into several nets from his assisted living facility. Centurion Award recipients have their annual ARRL membership fees waived while continuing to receive QST and other ARRL member benefits. Kayhart was profiled in the June 2018 issue of QST. Emergency Communications VS Radio Prepping By Joseph “Moe†Meaux In a natural emergency such as a major wildfire breakout or a hurricane, Emergency Communications (EmComm) will go up to try to provide assistance for the people in the area. All EmComm situations will have several Federal, State, and Country departments and Organizations involved to provide whatever aid is needed. Although the EmComm situation may last for days or weeks, it will eventually end. The people and equipment will go back home eventually. Its not that the situation has changed, its just that the situation has changed from an emergency. Yes, the situation is still bad, but help has come and the situation will get better. Participants will rotate out and may return. The equipment EmComm uses is usually personal GO Kits and generators. EmComm needs radios with lots of power and current to get the signals out of the area to get help. A QRP radio and a battery pack won’t cut the mustard. You need QRO Power and Currents to be effective. EmComm is very limited in scope. Usually it is to help provide immediate services, but it will end once those services are in place. Operators know that they will be able to go home soon, even if it is several weeks that they are deployed. Radio Prepping is different. The operator is preparing for the Worst Case Scenario; whether is Nuclear War, World War 3, or a Meteor Strike. Preppers are looking out for themselves, their immediate family, and maybe some friends. The Prepper is not trying to get tons of help. The Prepper is trying to evaluate the situation and see if they can get to help. The Prepper has no support infrastructure. They are on their own. The situation may last for months or years. Such an operator must consider what he or she may need. This involves the mode of transportation. If a vehicle is available, they must consider how long will the vehicle last as transportation before it breaks down or runs out of fuel. You can put more in a vehicle, but if you have to abandon it, what you have you will need to carry. That mobile radio in your vehicle may be useless if you can’t provide it power. Those lead acid batteries do get a bit heavy after a short time of carrying them. That big radio also gets too heavy. If you are using solar panels to recharge your batteries (especially those rigid framed ones), they will be useless if you can’t carry them. The Prepper will usually use QRP radios and smaller batter packs. (You will notice I used the plural. In a bugout emergency, two is better than one.) Don’t forget you have to carry it. You don’t need lots of power to transmit or receive. You would probably spend most of your time simply listening, trying to figure what is happening and where you can go for help. Using voice, CW, or digital modes, you can learn a lot. And attempt to get there. Even with QRP, you can find out about areas that are safe and learn of areas that are not safe. The Prepper knows the situation may never get better. Just tolerable. For more information about Prepping, I like Julian OH8STN on Youtube. Also, I found a website that talks about lots of this stuff at radiopreppers.com AARA Monday Night 2 Meter Net Net Controllers will rotate each week and held on the 146.820 W5DDL Repeater only. The 146/820 and 443.00 Repeaters located on the Chase Towers downtown Lafayette are down indefinitely due to roof repairs. The AARA Monday Night Net and the Silent Key Memorial Net is being held on the 147.040 repeater in Duson, LA until repairs are completed. The 145.410 in Lydia is back up, PL of 123.0. The January 2020 schedule can be downloaded and printed in Adobe Acrobat .PDF from the club website. 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, LA. Net Control Operators will alternate each week. In case the 145.370 repeater fails, the net will ne held on the 146.820 W5DDL repeater PL Tone 103.5. The January 2020 schedule can be found at this link: Net Schedules 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 See our website for additional information: http://www.w5ddl.org/repeaters.htm Stuffed Pork Loin This is my own recipe that I came up with. I had purchased a 5- lb pork loin and about 4 links of boudin at Earl’s on Verot School Road near Pinhook. On the way home, I thought about stuffing the pork loin with boudin. Here goes. Unwrap and pork loin and trim off any excess fat. Lay out on cutting board, and with a sharp butcher knife, begin to trim lengthwise and unroll the loin, cutting about 3/8- to 1/2-inch thick. Keep unrolling and cutting until the loin lays flat. Remove boudin from the casing and press flat onto loin. Season all over with Tony’s and garlic powder. Begin to reroll the loin with the boudin in the center as tightly as possible. Once completely rolled, tie with string in several points so it does not unroll. Place in roaster or in flat baking dish. Season outside with Tony’s and garlic powder. Cover with aluminum foil or cover, and bake at 350 degrees for about one hour-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to settle about 20 minutes before cutting into slices. AROUND THE SECTION: Region 9: The SELARC "Hamster" ________________________________________ *Serving Amateur Radio Since 1974* Published Monthly by the Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Inc. P.O. Box 1324, Hammond LA 70404 Visit our website: www.selarc.org SELARC 2020 Hamfest As a reminder, The SELARC Hamfest on January 18, 2020, and the club is still in need of many more ticket sales. Please contact Ernie Bush to obtain more tickets to sell or email us to request. The 4 main prizes for tickets also listed on the SELARC Hamfest page - main prize winners do not need to be present at the drawing and if a non-ham wins can receive the cash value equivalent shown in place of item, prizes include: o 1st Prize: Yaesu FT-450D or $500 o 2nd Prize: Yaesu FTM-400XDR or $350 o 3rd Prize: AA-230 Zoom Antennae Analyzer or $200 o 4th Prize: Yaesu FT-70DR or $100 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 for January go out to - Thomas N5HAY, Keith KF5VLX, Larry WD5HLE, and Pete WB5ERM. If we missed your birthday, then please let us know. Get Well Soon — Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members Tom Simpson N5HAY and Homer Jones KA5TRT. We look forward to hearing you on the air! Tyke's TidBits: Well, here we are, a new year ahead of us and the 39th Annual, SELARC Hammond Hamfest in our sights! We still need to get out and sell advance tickets and get the word out on as many local nets as possible, to get a great turn-out for this event. Also, we still need people to sign-up for the Hamfest duties and work schedule if you haven't already. We really need member participation to make this event a success!!! Table reservations are slowly coming in. Ham World will be our main radio and goodies vendor, so if you are in need of a particular item from them, give them a call and make arrangements for them to bring it down when they come. It is a great way to save on shipping cost!!! Other vendors at this time will be TN07 Engineering, Sign-Man of Baton Rouge , Macs Computers, and Navi-Com USA! Hoping to see you at the meeting and the Hamfest! 73 Tyrone - N5XES President – SELARC HAMFEST/CONVENTION 01/18/2020 Start Date: 01/18/2020 End Date: 01/18/2020 Location: Pennington Student Activity Center 1350 North General Pershing Drive Hammond, LA 70401 Website: http://www.selarc.org Sponsor: Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club, Inc. Type: ARRL Hamfest Talk-In: 147.000 / -600khz (PL 107.2) Public Contact: Tyrone Burns , N5XES P.O. Box 1324 Hammond, LA 70404 Phone: 985-687-2139 Email: n5xes@arrl.net PENNINGTON STUDENT ACTIVITY CENTER 1350 North General Pershing Street ON CAMPUS OF SOUTHEASTERN LA UNIVERSITY AT INTERSECTION OF UNIVERSITY AVENUE & NORTH GENERAL PERSHING STREET (Take Exit 32 from I-55, Go East 1.5 Miles on University Avenue to North General Pershing Street) DELTA DIVISION Main Prize Drawing at 1:30pm Winner Need Not Be Present for the 4 Main Prizes! For More Info Contact: Tyrone Burns N5XES Hourly Prize Drawings VE Test Session 8:00am: Testing Begins - Test Fee $15 cash, photo ID, copy of license or CSCE Testing Begins Promptly at 8:00am TYRONE BURNS VE Liaison, n5xes@arrl.net Forums: 10:00am ARRL Forum 11:00am ARES Forum 12:00noon LCARC Meeting Dealers & Vendors Click to Download Application Ham World Inc. Sign-Man of Baton Rouge TNØ7 Engineering Navcom USA Swap Tables Table Manager Tyrone Burns n5xes@arrl.net Prize Donations ARRL DX Engineering EasyWayHamBooks.com *** Main Prize Drawings *** Grand Prize Yaesu FT-450D or $500 Second Prize Yaesu FTM-400XDR or $350 Third Prize AA-230 Zoom Antennae Analyzer or $200 Fourth Prize Yaesu FT-70DR or $100 Winner Need Not Be Present for the 4 Main Prizes! Hamfests coming up: 60th Annual Acadiana Hamfest 2020, ARRL Louisiana State Convention HAMFEST/CONVENTION 03/13/2020 Start Date: 03/13/2020 End Date: 03/14/2020 Location: Rayne Civic Center 210 Frog Festival Drive Rayne, LA 70578 Website: http://www.w5ddl.org/hamfest.htm Sponsor: Acadiana Amateur Radio Association and The City of Rayne, LA Type: ARRL Convention Talk-In: 146.820 MHz -0.600 (PL 103.5) W5DDL Public Contact: Brandon Stelly , KG5LQM 105 St. Claude Place Apt D Youngsville, LA 70592 Phone: 337-205-2112 Email: hamfest@w5ddl.org AARA Hamfest Information 2020 HAMFEST March 13 - 14, 2020 Rayne Civic Center, Rayne LA Each year the AARA hosts it's annual Hamfest to support club activities as well as the purchase and maintenance of club equipment. The upcoming 2020 Hamfest will be held March 13 - 14, 2020 at the Rayne Civic Center in Rayne, LA. The event will be open to the public from 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM on Friday. It will reopen to the public from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM on Saturday. Plenty of good food will be available on site. Boiled crawfish will be served at 6:00 PM on Friday but pre-registration is required. Pre-registration forms are available at Pre-Registration Form. Additional information regarding vendors, prizes, forums, etc will be posted on this website once that information becomes available. Capital City Hamfest, ARRL 2020 Mississippi State Convention HAMFEST/CONVENTION 01/24/2020 Start Date: 01/24/2020 End Date: 01/25/2020 Location: Mississippi Trade Market, Mississippi State Fairgrounds 1207 Mississippi Street Jackson, MS 39201 Website: http://mshamfest.org Sponsor: Jackson Amateur Radio Club Type: ARRL Convention Talk-In: 146.76, No tone Public Contact: Gary Young , K5GCY 5354 Brookhollow Drive Jackson, MS 39212 Phone: 601-260-8214 Email: k5gcy@att.net Cowtown Hamfest, ARRL North Texas Section Convention HAMFEST/CONVENTION 01/17/2020 Start Date: 01/17/2020 End Date: 01/18/2020 Location: Forest Hill Civic And Convention Center 6901 Wichita Street Forest Hill, TX Website: http://www.cowtownhamfest.com Sponsor: Cowtown Amateur Radio Club and other local clubs Type: ARRL Convention Talk-In: 146.940 ( PL 110.9) Public Contact: David Forbes , KC5UYR 2721 Marigold Avenue Fort Worth, TX 76111 Phone: 817-925-5126 Email: kc5uyr@compuserve.com Orange Hamfest 2020 HAMFEST/CONVENTION 02/21/2020 Start Date: 02/21/2020 End Date: 02/22/2020 Location: Orange County Convention & Expo Center 11475 FM 1442 Orange, TX 77630 Website: https://www.qsl.net/w5nd/index_files/HAMFEST%20INFO/hamfest%20info.htm Sponsor: Orange ARC, Jefferson Co. ARC, Beaumont ARC Type: ARRL Hamfest Talk-In: 147.180 (PL 103.5) Public Contact: Rocky Wilson , N5MTX 3736 3rd Avenue Orange, TX 77630 Phone: 409-988-8906 Email: rockygwilson@hotmail.com Irving Amateur Radio Hamfest HAMFEST/CONVENTION 03/07/2020 Start Date: 03/07/2020 End Date: 03/07/2020 Location: Betcha Bingo Hall 2420 W Irving Blvd Irving, TX 75014 Website: http://irvingarc.org/ Sponsor: Irving amateur Radio Club, Inc. Type: ARRL Hamfest Talk-In: 146.720, (PL 110.9) Public Contact: Ken Hansen , N2VIP P.O. Box 153333 Irving, TX 75061 Phone: 609-510-3068 Email: hamfest@irvingarc.org Hanging Judge Hamfest HAMFEST/CONVENTION 04/04/2020 Start Date: 04/04/2020 End Date: 04/04/2020 Location: Sebastian County Storm Shelter Ben Garen Park 7700 So. Zero St. Fort Smith, AR 72901 Website: http://www.hangingjudgehamfest.com/ Sponsor: Fort Smith Area Amateur Radio Club Type: ARRL Hamfest Talk-In: 146.640 W5ANR Repeater (PL 88.5) Public Contact: Rory Bowers , K5CKS 4722 N. Main Street Fort Smith, AR 72904 Phone: 479-926-5402 Email: k6cks01@gmail.com With the Hammond Hamfest starting in 2 days I wanted to get this newsletter out before then. I will have much more information in February; so please be looking for that. If you or your club has anything they wish for us to pass along in the Section Managers Newsletter please feel free to get that to one of our PIO’s, our PIC or me. 73, -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Louisiana Section Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR k5jmr@arrl.org
Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter December 2019
ARRL LOUISIANA SECTION MANAGERS NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2019 I hope that everyone had a good Christmas! 2020 is just around the corner. The Minden Hamfest was very successful and was well attended. Delta Director David Norris, K5UZ gave us a great ARRL update in the ARRL forum. Hammond Hamfest is January 18th….Hope to see many of you there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***Collegiate Bowl on the Air The four collegiate radio clubs for Louisiana State University (K5LSU), Ohio State University (W8LT), Clemson University (WD4EOG), and University of Oklahoma (W5TC) will be on the air on December 28th prior to the start of the Collegiate Bowl Semifinal games. All amateur stations are welcome to contact the stations. We would love to hear from alumni of any collegiate club and from other school clubs. Any amateur station contacting all 4 club stations can receive a certificate. Time: 1500Z to maybe 2200Z on Dec 28th. Bands: All except 60m. Club stations will work in the General Class sections of the HF bands. Modes: Phone, CW, Digital, as we feel like it. Exchange: RST Name QTH. QSL: For each of the four clubs, contact them directly for a QSL card. The certificates will be handled by the Amateur Radio Society at LSU (K5LSU). Dana Browne, AD5VC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW HAMS (as reported to the ARRL) Report for 2019-12-03 Jesse L Coats, KI5HEC Royce J Griffin, KI5HDD Toby M Battaglia, KI5HDE Jonathan S Eubanks, KI5HDF Curtis E Montgomery, KI5HAY Kevin P Jenkins, KI5HAZ Ronnie P Voorhies, KI5HBA Jared A Headrick, KI5HIS Valerie K Taylor, KI5HFE Nicholas J Perry, KI5HFF Jason M Doucet, KI5HFD Zachary L Carraway, KI5HFC Steven A Rasberry, KI5HBV Robert L Mccormick, KI5HBW Michael P Krzystowczyk, KI5HIP Nicholas R Mueller, KI5HIQ Andrew R Schoonmaker, KI5HIR Travis L Freese, KI5HIT Taner M Crooks, KI5HCH Collin Crooks, KI5HCF Jonathan A Hawley, KI5HIU Wyatt J Weeks, KI5HCG Amy D Weeks, KI5HCI Ethan J Weeks, KI5HIV Callum Mitchel, KI5HCE Christopher A Wright, KI5HDW Aaron J Kerr, KI5HHA License Upgrades (as reported to the ARRL) Report for 2019-12-03 Paula R Hidalgo, KI5CDJ Isabella M Dugas, KI5CKA Lester J Zaunbrecher, KI5GIZ New/Renewed ARRL Members (as reported to the ARRL) Report for 2019-12-03 David R Wyatt, KI5FSQ Joel P Graffagnino, AA5PZ Travis B Perrilloux, KF5LIC Leo Simanonok Jonathan S Eubanks, KI5HDF Richard D Suntken, KF5EQM Peter M Dakin, KA5APE Arthur L Clardy, AB5CV Richard S Hendrix, K5KRG Sandra Leblanc, KE5KJF Albert S Fabacher, KF5WP Allen D Redling, KG5DHX Henry Schwenke, KE5WUB Jimmy E Walters, N5JEW Christopher A Wright, KI5HDW -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE ARRL: YOTA Month Expanding into the Americas 12/02/2019 December is Youth on the Air (YOTA) Month, when stations operated by young radio amateurs around the world will get on the air to celebrate youth in amateur radio. YOTA Month began a few years ago in International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1, and the concept has now taken root in the Americas as YOTA Month in the Americas. During YOTA Month, radio amateurs aged 25 and younger will be on the air as special event stations during December on various bands and modes. In the US, look for K8Y, K8O, K8T, and K8A. Elsewhere in the Americas, VE7YOTA will be on the air from Canada. XR2YOTA in Chile has been added to the list of youth stations in the Americas for YOTA Month. Young hams in other countries may also join in. Listen for other YOTA Month stations with “YOTA†suffixes. For more information about YOTA in the Americas, contact YOTA Month in the Americas Coordinator Bryant Rascoll, KG5HVO, or YOTA in the Americas Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. Participants earn certificates by working the various YOTA-suffix stations on the air throughout December. Not a contest, the event is aimed at getting as many youngsters on air from as many countries as possible. The event takes place from 0000 UTC on December 1 until 2359 UTC on December 31. Other special call signs planning to be on the air include 5B19YOTA, 7X2YOTA, 7X3YOTA, 9A19YOTA, DH0YOTA, E71YOTA, EF4YOTA, EG2YOTA, EI0YOTA, EM5YOTA, EM6YOTA, ET3YOTA, GB19YOTA, HA6YOTA, HB9YOTA, HG0YOTA, II4YOTA, II8YOTA, LY5YOTA, OH2YOTA, OL19YOTA, ON4YOTA, PA6YOTA, PD6YOTA, SH9YOTA, TC19YOTA, TC3YOTA, TM19YOTA, YO0YOTA, YT19YOTA, ZL6YOTA and ZS9YOTA. Most stations will put their logs on LoTW with paper cards available through Club Log OQRS. QSL direct via M0SDV.— Thanks to YOTA and YOTA in the Americas Boy Scouts Report Increased JOTA 2019 Station Participation 12/03/2019 The Boy Scouts of America report that, although overall JOTA 2019 participation was down slightly from 2018, “our calculations show that each station averaged an additional 13 people in attendance over 2019. This shows an aggregate increase of 24% attendance per station, even with our reported stations being down from 266 in 2018 to 201 in 2019." The Scouts reported that 13,783 individuals took part in JOTA 2019, down from 14,708 in 2018. US State Department Seeks Foreign Service Information Management Technical Specialists – Radio 12/03/2019 The US Department of State is currently accepting applications for Foreign Service Information Management Technical Specialists – Radio (IMTS-R) positions. Foreign Service IMTS-Rs design, install, and maintain radio and telecommunications systems. They provide radio support for presidential, congressional, and other VIP visits. These radio specialists work from a regional location, overseas or domestically. Extensive travel is required to support radio telecommunications systems, such as land mobile radio (LMR), HF, VHF, and UHF radio networks at State Department missions around the world. Potential applicants should read the vacancy announcement to ensure that they meet all of the requirements before applying. To begin the online application process, visit USAJOBS. The deadline to submit completed applications is December 31, 2019. Applicants must be US citizens, at least 20 years old to apply, and at least 21 years old to be appointed. Applicants must also be available for worldwide service and be able to obtain all required security, medical, and suitability clearances. Oldest Known US Ham Receives ARRL Centurion Award 12/04/2019 The oldest known US radio amateur, Cliff Kayhart, W4KKP, received his ARRL Centurion Award plaque in November. The award recognizes hams who have achieved centenarian status. Kayhart, who lives in White Rock, South Carolina, is 108. The ARRL Board of Directors conferred the award on Kayhart at its July 2019 meeting. At the November meeting of the Dutch Fork Amateur Radio Group in Little Mountain, South Carolina, ARRL Roanoke Division Director Bud Hippisley, W2RU, headed an ARRL delegation that presented the Centurion Award plaque to Kayhart, who was first licensed as W2LFE in 1937 (he’s also held W9GNQ). With Hippisley were Roanoke Division Vice Director Bill Morine, N2COP, and South Carolina Section Manager Marc Tarplee, N4UFP. Kayhart served on Iwo Jima during World War II, shortly after the US victory there, setting up long-range radio communication from the island to Tokyo to arrange for the eventual surrender by Japan. Kayhart remains active, checking into several nets from his assisted living facility. Centurion Award recipients have their annual ARRL membership fees waived while continuing to receive QST and other ARRL member benefits. Kayhart was profiled in the June 2018 issue of QST. Dayton Hamvention Admission, Fees to Increase in 2020 12/05/2019 Dayton Hamvention® is increasing the cost of admission and its booth fees. Hamvention General Chair Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, announced this week that general admission would rise by $4 per ticket to $26 in advance or $31 at the gate for all 3 days. The cost of flea market spots will go up by $5 per space, and inside exhibitors will pay $30 more. “Hamvention has always strived to produce a very high-quality event for amateur radio enthusiasts from around the globe,†Gerbs said. “We have always felt it is imperative that we give back to amateur radio at many levels. We have been very generous in our support over the years.†Gerbs cited “the economic pressures to present a show like Hamvention†as the reason for the price increases. “The Hamvention Executive Team is asking for your support and understanding as we move forward together,†he said. Next Kids Day is Saturday, January 4 12/10/2019 The first Saturday in January is Kids Day — the time to get youngsters on the air to share in the joy and fun that Amateur Radio can provide. Kids Day gets under way on Saturday, January 4, at 1800 UTC and concludes at 2359 UTC. Sponsored by the Boring (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, this event has a simple exchange, suitable for younger operators: First name, age, location, and favorite color. After that, the contact can be as long or as short as each participant prefers. Kids Day is the perfect opportunity to open your shack door and invite kids over to see what Amateur Radio has to offer. Details are on the ARRL website. ARRL Reshapes its Podcast Offerings for 2020 12/16/2019 In conjunction with the launch of its new On the Air magazine, which is aimed at those just beginning their journey in amateur radio, ARRL is reconfiguring its podcast lineup. Heading up the new schedule will be a free companion podcast to the bimonthly On the Air magazine. The “On the Air†podcast will take a deeper look into select features and projects from the magazine. Each month, host and On the Air Editorial Director Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, will offer additional resources, techniques, and hints to help less-experienced radio amateurs to get the most from the magazine’s content. In addition to the podcast, ARRL will introduce a free “On the Air†blog featuring curated content from the communicators and makers who are the driving force of amateur radio today. Curated by ARRL Product Development manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, the blog will highlight opportunities and activities available to new licensees. The “On the Air†blog is intended as an entry point into the world of amateur radio for those seeking original voices and perspectives. Readers will be invited to take part in the conversation by sharing their stories and experiences. ARRL’s current “So Now What?†podcast will cease production in January 2020, as the full complement of On the Air content is rolled out. The catalog of “So Now What?†episodes is available for listening or downloading. In addition, “The Doctor is In†podcast, which has served more-experienced amateurs since 2016, will conclude its 4-year run on December 19, 2019. “Eclectic Tech,†a new bi-weekly podcast designed to appeal to experienced amateurs, will launch in February 2020. Hosted by QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, “Eclectic Tech†will highlight technical topics involving amateur and non-amateur technology, offer brief interviews with individuals involved in projects of interest to amateurs, and include practical information of immediate benefit to today’s hams. “The Doctor is In†co-host Joel Hallas, W1ZR, is selecting some of his favorite podcast episodes for re-broadcast in the interim between the end of production for “The Doctor is In†and the debut of “Eclectic Tech.†The complete “The Doctor is In†archive is available on the ARRL website. Hallas will continue to answer questions about amateur radio in QST’s “The Doctor is In†column. The “ARRL Audio News†podcast will continue to provide a weekly summary of news and activities within the amateur radio community. FCC Formally Adopts Proposals to Remove Amateur 3-GHz Band, Invites Comments 12/17/2019 At its December 12 meeting, the FCC formally adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348 and invited comments on its plan to remove “existing non-federal secondary radiolocation and amateur allocations†in the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band and relocate incumbent non-federal operations. The FCC said it’s seeking comment on appropriate “transition mechanisms†to make that happen. ARRL has indicated that it will file comments in opposition to the proposal. The amateur 9-centimeter allocation is 3.3 – 3.5 GHz. The NPRM comes in response to the MOBILE NOW [Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless] Act, approved by the 115th Congress to make available new spectrum for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use. “By proposing to delete the existing non-federal secondary allocations from the 3.3 – 3.55 GHz band, we are taking an important initial step towards satisfying Congress’s directives and making as much as 250 megahertz of spectrum potentially available for advanced wireless services, including 5G,†the FCC said in the Introduction to its NPRM. Currently, the entire 3.1 – 3.55 GHz band is allocated for both federal and non-federal radiolocation services, with non-federal users operating on a secondary basis to federal radiolocation services, which have a primary allocation, the NPRM explains. The FCC said it is seeking comment on relocating non-federal licensees to another band. With respect to amateur operations, the FCC invited comments on whether sufficient amateur spectrum exists in other bands that can support the operations currently conducted at 3.3 – 3.5 GHz. The 3.40 – 3.41 GHz segment is earmarked for amateur satellite communication. “We seek comment on the extent to which the band is used for this purpose, whether existing satellites can operate on other amateur satellite bands, and on an appropriate timeframe for terminating these operations in this band,†the FCC said. If non-federal licensees are relocated to 3.1 – 3.3 GHz band, the FCC proposes that they continue to operate on a secondary basis to federal operations, consistent with current band allocations. Some comments began to arrive before the FCC formally adopted the NPRM, as it points out in a footnote. Kevin Milner, KD0MA, the secretary/treasurer of the Ski Country Amateur Radio Club in Colorado, has argued that the club’s equipment cannot be re-channeled below 3.4 GHz, and the club is seeking relocation costs. Devin Ulibarri, W7ND, told the FCC that amateur networks in the current band cannot move easily into other amateur allocations because there is no readily available commercial equipment to support the bandwidth, the FCC recounted. In the event the proposed amendments are adopted, the FCC “seeks comment on relocation options and on transition and protection mechanisms for incumbent non-federal operations.†Also at its December 12 meeting, the FCC considered another NPRM in WT Docket 19-138 that would “take a fresh and comprehensive look†at the rules for the 5.9 GHz band and propose, among other things, to make the lower 45 MHz of the band available for unlicensed operations and to permit “cellular vehicle-to-everything†(C-V2X) operations in the upper 20 MHz of the band. The FCC is not proposing to delete or otherwise amend the amateur allocation, which would continue as a secondary allocation. The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) has offered its voice in challenging the FCC proposals on the two bands, saying their adoption would “eliminate our use of the most-effective resource hams have to build its networks.†“The AREDN Project is able to leverage low-cost commercial devices solely because they are designed to operate on adjacent allocations,†AREDN said on its website. “Moving to other allocations would be difficult if not impossible without a complete redesign, manufacture, purchase, and installation of new custom amateur hardware and software…, raising the price out of reach for the typical ham.†Interested parties may file short comments on WT Docket 19-348 via the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing Service (Express). Visit the FCC “How to Comment on FCC Proceedings†page for information on filing extended comments. New Section Manager Will Take Over in North Carolina on April 1 12/27/2019 Marvin Hoffman, WA4NC, of Boone, North Carolina, will take the reins as of the North Carolina ARRL Field Organization this spring. Hoffman was the sole nominee to succeed incumbent Section Manager Karl Bowman, W4CHX, of Raleigh, who decided not to run for a new term after serving since 2014. Because no challengers came forward by the nomination deadline, no contested SM elections will take place during the winter election cycle. These incumbent Section Managers will begin new terms in 2020: John Fritze, K2QY, Eastern New York; George Miller, W3GWM, Eastern Pennsylvania; John Mark Robertson, K5JMR, Louisiana; Joe Speroni, AH0A, Pacific; Dave Kaltenborn, N8KBC, San Diego; Chris Stallkamp, KI0D, South Dakota; and Joe Palsa, K3WRY, Virginia. New 2-year terms of office begin on April 1. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AROUND THE SECTION: Region 2: Please see the “Ascension Airwaves†at K5ARC.org….always jammed pack full of info……. Region 4: Volume 59, Number 12 ACADIANA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOC., INC. - December 2019 Thank you to the Acadiana Amateur Radio Association from the Tour du Teche – 2019 From Gustave (Tave) Lamperez Tour du Teche Race Director dated 11/08/2019 Larry and Sandy Leblanc, The Tour du Teche held its 10th event this year, 2019. As the new Race Director of this wonderful event, I want to thank the Acadiana Amateur Radio Association for your many years of service to our event. I have run many races over my 40 plus years of participating in canoe and kayak races. I have seen when a race does not have the expertise in communication to make sure that all racers are located and safe, your team makes difference. Thank you for your help and experience we really depend on your team to keep our racers and volunteers safe. Your support at our checkpoints is indispensable, your help ensures the high quality event we host every year. Please share our appreciation with all of your members. Gustave (Tave) Lamperez Tour du Teche Race Director VE Test Session 7 November 2019 73, de Greg ~ K5LFT It was another great night. We had 4 come in without a ticket & 4 go out with a Tech license. One came in a Tech & out a General , hence a great night. Those earning a Tech were : Valerie K. Taylor ~ KI5HFE~ of Kaplan along with her son Nicholas J. Perry ~KI5HFF~ also of Kaplan. Two others were: Jason M. Doucet ~KI5HFD~ of New Iberia & Zachary L. Carroway ~KI5HFC~ of Ville Platte. The gentleman upgrading to General was Lester J. Zaunbrecher ~KI5GIZ~ of Arnauldville. The VEs involved were: Greg ~ K5LFT, Michael ~ KI5ARX & Tom ~ W5OHJ. Great big TNX to the VEs & Congratulations to the new hams & the Upgrader!!!!! Silent Key - Larry Leblanc KE5KJD Larry LeBlanc KE5KJD became a Silent Key on November 13, 2019 after suffering a major stroke. His service to the Tour du Teche canoe races, to ham radio in general, and to the AARA club will be greatly missed. He started out in radio in 1970 as a Novice with call WN5GHC, operating on mainly CW with a homemade multiband vertical in Richardson, Texas. He had been operating in his hometown of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana as KE5KJD on various bands. Larry loved to try experimentation to help his own radio operation. His beloved wife Sandy KE5KJF also operated radio with him and helped tremendously with the Tour du Teche races. Technical Presentation Battery Technology by Mike Cavell KI5ARX Mike Cavell KI5ARX gave an excellent presentation on battery technology. He provided a very good layman’s level explanation of many considerations individuals should address when selecting battery systems. The many considerations discussed include, but were not limited to, the following: Watt hours per volume Watt hours per weight Cost per watt hour Useable watt hours (battery life) Memory effects Charge / discharge cycles Voltage considerations Charging considerations Battery management systems Solar charging systems Failure mode considerations DC / DC converters Form factors Handling safety An audio recording of his presentation and the slides he used during the presentation have been uploaded to the club website at www.w5ddl.org. They are listed on the “ARTICLES OF INTEREST†page. Audio recording of presentation: Audio recording mp3 Slideshow presentation: Slideshow presentation UPCOMING EVENTS Winter Field Day January 25 At Steve Webre’s in Church Point AARA Hamfest March 13-14, 2020 Rayne, LA For any additional information, check the W5DDL.org website AARA Christmas Party December 12, 2019 Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie 1 Chocolate pie crust 1 Cup peanut butter 1 8-oz package cream cheese – softened 1 1/4 Cup powdered sugar 1 8-oz package whipped topping – thawed Beat peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in thawed whipped topping and beat until smooth, scrapping sides as needed.. Pour filling into crust, even out the top with spatula or knife. Chill at least one hour before serving. This has become one of our favorites in my family. Ultra-rich. You may only want to offer small slivers – your guests will thank you. NOTE: Although you can use the “LITE†version of the whipped topping, avoid the “No-fat†versions. The flavor is not the same. Region 6: From: The Brass Key January 2020 A Publication of the Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club January 2020 Our esteemed and talented Editor will strive to get this issue out before Christmas, so assuming that will be the case, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! For all of you who have alleged that you will come from the dark side and begin to operate in the preferred mode, CW, your opportunity to get your feet wet is upon us. ARRL Straight Key Night (SKN) runs from 00:00 UTC until 23:59 UTC on 01/01/20. So, knock the rust and dust off your key and get ready. I will use my World War II vintage J-38, which is my favorite straight key, anyway. SKN is not a contest, but you can submit a log to ARRL if you want to. There is no formal format or official exchange for SKN QSOs. It is designed to provide some relaxing time on the air. Details are on the ARRL website. Following SKN is the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) K3Y event. It resembles the Original 13 Colonies and Route 66 events. There will be K3Y stations in each of the ten U.S. call areas as well as KH6, KL7, and KP4, and they will identify as K3Y/# where # signifies the call area in which that station is located. There will be a few DX stations designated as well. This event runs during the month of January. The idea is to work as many of the K3Y stations as possible. QSL card and certificates for various levels of “sweeps†will be available. Details on the SKCC website. A big thanks to the intrepid members of the Repeater Committee for bring our primary VHF repeater and the UHF repeater back to life in mid-December. Don’t forget about Winter Field Day. The on-air operation commences at 1:00 PM local time on Saturday, 01/25/20. Setup will be Friday afternoon. We plan to have a gumbo social early Saturday evening. We have a great operating venue. More detailed information elsewhere in this issue of the Brass Key. What do you want out of Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club? 73 and good DX! John, N5CM A SKYWARN Net was activated during the tornado/severe weather outbreak Monday, December 16th. At around 12:00 noon, weather conditions warranted the activation of the net on CLARC's 147.330 repeater by Net Control Scott, KD5DFL. The National Weather Service reports the EF 3 tornado traveled 63 miles, from Deridder to Alexandria/Pineville. The tornado touched down just west of Alexandria, causing considerable damage to the Coliseum Boulevard area of Alexandria, before traveling East to Pineville, causing considerable damage to the Edgewood Drive and Donahue Ferry area. The net deactivated around 3 pm as the severity of the weather decreased. Eleven hams either checked into the net or reported on events (hail, trees down, homes damaged, etc.) in their area. Participants in the net were: Dennis/W5LD, Greg/N5GSR, Steve/KE5IAK, John/N5CM, Bobby/KB5DOG, Don/KI5AJV, Stacy/KG5KGU, Jack/W5ETL, Terry/AB5JH, and Jim/AB5JM, Scott/KD5DFL, Net Control Many thanks to Scott, KD5DFL, for serving as net control during this emergency, and to all hams who participated. These volunteers helped to keep our community safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service. Winter Field Day (WFD) will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 19:00 UTC (1:00 PM local time) through Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 19:00 UTC (1:00 PM local time). The Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club (CLARC) will operate Winter Field Day and have our Winter Social at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Woodworth Outdoor Education Center at 661 Robinson Bridge Road in Woodworth. Robinson Bridge Road is also known as Louisiana Highway 3265. If you’re coming from Alexandria on U.S. 165, turn left at the one and only traffic light in the Greater Woodworth Metroplex. If you’re coming in on I-49, take the Woodworth Exit (73). Don’t speed in Woodworth. The Winter Gumbo Social will commence at 6:00 PM on Saturday. The club plans to provide a gumbo. We will need people to bring potato salad or other side dishes and some desserts. You do not have to operate on air to participate in the social. Please e-mail Lisa KW5LC if you plan to attend the social, how many people, and if you will be bringing something. We must know how many to plan for. KW5LC@outlook.com We will commence set-up operations on Friday afternoon, January 24, 2020 and continue on Saturday morning. Specific times to be announced. We will need help to set up on Friday the 24th and take-down on Sunday the 26th. Another announcement with specific times will be sent out closer to the event. **PLEASE remember to let Lisa, KW5LC, know in advance if you plan on attending the gumbo social and what you would like to contribute as a side dish: kw5lc@outlook.com. Region 9: From: The SELARC "Hamster" ________________________________________ *Serving Amateur Radio Since 1974* Published Monthly by the Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Inc. P.O. Box 1324, Hammond LA 70404 Visit our website: www.selarc.org Vol. 46, No. 12 ......................... December 2019 SELARC 2020 Hamfest As a reminder, The SELARC Hamfest on January 18, 2020, in Hammond is just a month away, and the club is still in need of many more ticket sales. Please contact Ernie Bush to obtain more tickets to sell or email us to request. The 4 main prizes for tickets also listed on the SELARC Hamfest page - main prize winners do not need to be present at the drawing and if a non-ham wins can receive the cash value equivalent shown in place of item, prizes include: o 1st Prize: Yaesu FT-450D or $500 o 2nd Prize: Yaesu FTM-400XDR or $350 o 3rd Prize: AA-230 Zoom Antennae Analyzer or $200 o 4th Prize: Yaesu FT-70DR or $100 Please email us if you have questions about the event or for any more information needed to sell tickets. Special Events, Other Hamfests & VE Sessions MARA Christmas Hamfest - Minden, LA - Dec 21, 2019 SELARC - 39th Annual Hammond Hamfest 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. AMSAT 50th Anniversary Awards Program for contacts 3/3/19 to 12/31/19 Happy Birthday Birthday Wishes for November go out to - Elizabeth KM6MWZ, Larry KJ6SET, and Carol KE5GOC. If we missed your birthday, then please let us know. Get Well Soon — Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members Tom Simpson N5HAY and Homer Jones KA5TRT. We look forward to hearing you on the air! VE Session Results Congratulations to the following new Amateur Radio Operators and upgrades!! Technician Sebastian Schoegl - Baton Rouge, La. Leo Schoegl - Baton Rouge, La. Donald Hendrix - Gretna, La. Extra Timothy Lynch / KG5QDO - Hammond, La. Again, many thanks to all VEs' who make the effort to make these sessions a success! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Louisiana Traffic Managers Report: November 2019 Sessions QNI QTC QTR 17. 414 37 442 73, Jimmy Lewis/AB5YS Louisiana Section Traffic Manager ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARES Monthly Section Emergency Coordinators Report 1. ARRL: Section Louisiana 2. Month: November 3. Year: 2019 4. Total number of ARES members: 424 5. Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9 6. Number of ARES nets active: 49 7. Number of nets with NTS liaison: 3 8. Calls of DECs/EC reporting: W4NDF KD5MLD KD5BNH KE5BMS AG5LR KD5DFL W5GAS KD5IGZ KE5GMN 9a. Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 31 9b. Person hours: 334 10a. Number of public service events this month: 1 10b. Person hours: 24 11a. Number of emergency operations this month: 0 11b. Person hours: 0 12a. Number of SKYWARN operations this month: 2 12b. Person hours: 10 13a. Auto Sum 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a: 34 13b. Auto Sum 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b: 368 Jim Coleman, AI5B Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator ARES December ARRL LA Section Book Giveaway winners are: ARRL Affiliated Club is Shreveport Amateur Radio Assn.(SARA). ARRL Member is Herman Campbell KN5GRK. Congratulations to our winners! Next drawing January 1, 2020. New Louisiana Section Public Information Officer(PIO) appointments: Region 1 Joey Falgout N5TWR Region 2 Elmer Tatum N5EKF Region 7 Marcel Livesay N5VU Please congratulate and welcome these 3 fellows as you see them. While the PIO positions are located under ARES on the website ( laarrl.org ) this is a Section appointment and while ARES is important; so are things going on around the Section with people, clubs, events, Skywarn, bike races, any and all things you consider newsworthy and want to see put out for everyone to see.....If you have no one assigned to your Region or area please feel free to contact any other PIO or our PIC Joe Holland, KB5VJY. We have had more interest in the PIO positions so look for future announcements on that. Congratulations to John Beck, KB5LE on your Special Service Award for your assistance with HAM operations at NWS Shreveport! John has been Mr. Reliable for gathering radio reports for our Skywarn program over the last year. #skywarn19 #SRD2019 Thanks to all of our spotters and radio operators for coming out for Skywarn Recognition Day! We appreciate what you do! #skywarn19 #SRD2019 Congratulations to Joey Falgout, N5TWR for getting the most "likes" in our first "Caption the Meme" contest....Joey received a box of ARRL goodies for his winning caption....!!! Please be looking out for the next contest on the ARRL Louisiana Section Facebook page. Upcoming Hamfests: 39th Annual Hammond Hamfest 01/18/2020 Location: Pennington Student Activity Center 1350 North General Pershing Drive Hammond, LA 70401 Website: http://www.selarc.org Sponsor: Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club, Inc. Talk-In: 147.000 / -600khz (PL 107.2) Public Contact: Tyrone Burns , N5XES Phone: 985-687-2139 Email: n5xes@arrl.net With no opposition; I was re-elected to another 2 year term as Section Manager beginning April 1, 2020. I am truly honored to be your Section Manager and look forward to the next two years. I thank you for all the support since April 2018. 73, -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Louisiana Section Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR k5jmr@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter November 2019
Subject: Louisiana Section Managers Newsletter November 2019 HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL! SILENT KEYS: William McMullan, KE5L Joan Haro, WA5WGA NEW HAMS: As reported to the ARRL Report for 2019-11-05 Addison J Bute, KI5GTI Kade P Fontenot, KI5GZP Clarence E Ferguson, KI5GSN Ryan J Baiad, KI5GZO Robert Gray, KI5GYO Alicia R Roberts, KI5GZN Jonathan C Sagona, KI5GYR Asa W Judd, KI5GYQ Steven W Chisam, KI5GYN Elliot E Allen, KI5GYM Michael E Schaumburg, KI5GYS Joseph A Wambach, KI5GRA LICENSE UPGRADES: As reported to the ARRL Report for 2019-11-05 Michael O Jackson, KI5GGP Grantham P Frederick, KI5GBD Maurice A Hawley, KG5VRR Neal A Jaber, KG5LWP New/Renewed ARRL Members: As reported to the ARRL Report for 2019-11-05 William E Burke, W5XNO Frank P Boimare, KI5FUH Thomas J Wimprine, KB5LBV Larry D Wilson, KC5OOX Robert Struppeck, AF6UK Jacob A Coreil, KG5UEK William A Hoover, AG5LR Robert G Bishop, N5JMB Jimmy L Miller, N0MSW Randy LeJeune David M Armstrong, WB5VDG David L Armstrong, AA5HY Jerry W Dukes, KI5GLY Glynn A Davis, KD5SII Stephen L Cook, KB0TWL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE ARRL: Hiram Percy Maxim Birthday Celebration Results and Certificates Now Available 10/30/2019 Results and certificates from the Hiram Percy Maxim (HPM) Birthday Celebration August 31 – September 8 are now available. The 9-day operating event commemorated the 150th anniversary of the birth of ARRL cofounder and first president Hiram Percy Maxim, W1AW. Amateurs from 57 ARRL/RAC sections and four countries submitted more than 25,000 contacts over the course of the event. Results of the event and downloadable certificates are on the ARRL Contests Page. A special HPM 150 QSL card is available for stations that worked W1AW/150 during the event. To receive a card, send your QSL with an SASE to W1AW, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111. W1AW to Commemorate 98th Anniversary of First Amateur Radio Signals to Span the Atlantic 11/06/2019 December 11 marks the 98th anniversary of the success of ARRL’s Transatlantic Tests in 1921, organized to see if low-power amateur radio stations could be heard across the Atlantic using shortwave frequencies (i.e., above 200 meters). On that day, a message transmitted by a group of Radio Club of America members at 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut, was copied by Paul Godley, 2ZE, in Scotland. While the first two-way contact would not take place until 1923, the 1921 transatlantic success marked the beginning of what would become routine communication between US radio amateurs and those in other parts of the world — literally the birth of DX. To commemorate this amateur radio milestone, Maxim Memorial Station W1AW will be on the air through the day on December 11 with volunteer operators. The goal is to encourage contacts between radio amateurs in the US and Europe while showcasing the significance of the transmissions that pioneered global communication and laid the groundwork for technology widely used today. The event will run from 1300 until 0000 UTC. Some details are still being worked out, but operation will focus on 40 and 20 meters (SSB). Contact Clark Burgard, N1BCG, for more information. Dayton Hamvention® Invites 2020 Award Nominations 11/14/2019 Dayton Hamvention® is inviting nominations for its 2020 awards. Nominations are due by February 15, 2020. Awards will be granted for Amateur of the Year, Club of the Year, Technical Achievement, and Special Achievement. The Amateur of the Year Award is given to a radio amateur who has made a long-term commitment to the advancement of amateur radio. This individual will have a history of ham radio contributions and demonstrated dedication to service, professionalism, and the advancement of the avocation of amateur radio. The Club of the Year will be honored for clearly demonstrating its involvement in varied aspects of amateur radio for the greater good of their community and/or nation. The Technical Achievement Award recognizes a radio amateur who has achieved technical excellence in the world of amateur radio. Examples are inventions, processes, discoveries, experiments, and other technical accomplishments or achievements that contributed to amateur radio. The Special Achievement Award recognizes a radio amateur who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the radio art and/or science. This award is usually given to a respected amateur who spearheaded a single significant project. Nomination forms are specific to the award. At a minimum, each form should be completed with the information indicated. Provide contact information for the person making the nomination. Submit forms via email or via USPS to Hamvention, Attention: Awards Committee, Box 964, Dayton, Ohio 45401-0964. The Awards Committee will make its selections and announce the recipients along with details on their accomplishments. An honors convocation and award presentation will be held on the Saturday evening of Hamvention. Award presentations will also take place at Hamvention on Sunday afternoon, prior to the prize award activity. For more information, contact the Dayton Hamvention Awards Committee. Youth on the Air Camp Coming to the Americas 11/14/2019 The Electronic Applications Radio Service has announced that the first Youth On The Air (YOTA) camp in the United States will be taking place next June. Sponsors hope the camp will become an annual event. The inaugural summer camp will take place June 21 – 26 at the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester Township, Ohio. The West Chester Amateur Radio Association (WC8VOA) will host the event. Operating the camp will be Electronic Applications Radio Service, Inc. (EARS), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to wireless technologies and activities. According to the announcement, the camp will focus on building peer and mentor relationships and taking amateur radio “to the next level.†Campers will attend workshops and activities in multiple STEM-related subjects, such as radio contesting, electronic kit building, D-Star, APRS, satellite communication, antenna building, and radio direction finding and orienteering. A high-altitude balloon launch is also being planned. Campers will learn and exercise on-the-air skills at special event station W8Y. Contributors include Icom America, Heil Sound Ltd., X-Tronic, and R&L Electronics. Major financial supporters so far include the ARRL Foundation, the Yasme Foundation, the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation, Orlando HamCation and Orlando Amateur Radio Club, the Northern California DX Foundation, Dayton Hamvention and the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, the Huntsville Hamfest, Southwest Ohio DX Association, Radio Amateurs of Canada, and Gary West, K8DEV, and Dee Dee West, KA8DXE. For more information, email Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, or call (812) 327-0749. More than 1 Million Contacts Logged during ARRL Field Day 2019 11/14/2019 ARRL Contest Program Manager Paul Bourque, N1SFE, reports that nearly 1.1 million contacts were made during the 2019 ARRL Field Day — the most popular operating event in North America. Bourque reported the 2019 ARRL Field Day results, which are available starting on page 64 of the digital edition of the December 2019 issue of QST. Bourque says in his article that more than 36,000 radio amateurs took part in ARRL Field Day 2019 across all 83 ARRL/Radio Amateurs of Canada sections, up slightly from the 35,250 reported last year. The total number of contacts was down by about 7% from 2018’s 1.18 million contacts. “This year, 3,113 entries were received from local clubs and emergency operations centers (EOCs), as well as individual portable, mobile, and home stations,†Bourque wrote in QST. Most entries were in Class A — club or non-club groups of three or more. Of the nearly 1.1 million contacts, approximately 46% were made on phone, and 456,000 (42%) of contacts were made on CW. The remaining 138,000+ (12%) of the contacts were made on digital modes, such as FT8 and RTTY. “This is a substantial increase compared to 2018, when total QSOs on the digital modes numbered just over 56,000,†Bourque reported. “With the last 2018 release of WSJT-X (which now supports Field Day exchanges), many participants made use of FT8’s ability to communicate when band conditions weren’t being cooperative.†Top 10 scores ranged between W3AO’s Class 14A entry from Maryland-DC, with 32,356 points, to W1NVT’s 14,876-point Class 2A entry from Vermont. Bourque said that 95% of the 3,113 entries received came through the Field Day web applet. “Not only is ARRL Field Day an opportunity to sharpen operating skills in temporary and portable locations, it’s also an occasion to showcase amateur radio to the local community, with clubs often setting up in publicly accessible locations and interacting with non-hams,†Bourque wrote. Soapbox comments for Field Day 2019 are available on the ARRL website. ARRL Field Day 2020 will take place June 27 – 28. Nominations Invited for CWops Award for Advancing the Art of CW 11/18/2019 CWops is now accepting nominations for its Award for Advancing the Art of CW for 2020. The award recognizes individuals, groups, or organizations that have made the greatest contribution(s) toward advancing the art or practice of radio communication by Morse code. Candidates for the award may be authors of publications related to CW; CW recruiters, trainers, mentors, coaches, and instructors; public advocates of CW; organizers of CW activities; designers and inventors who advance the art or practice of CW, and other contributors to the art or practice of CW. The award is not limited to radio amateurs or their organizations. Email nominations with a copy to the CWops secretary. To be considered, a nomination must be received by March 18, 2020. It should include name(s) and call sign(s), if applicable, of nominee(s), and complete contact information. A detailed explanation supporting the nomination should be included along with the name, telephone number, email address, and call sign of the person submitting the nomination. An award presentation will take place at the 2020 Dayton Hamvention®. Melissa Stemmer Joins ARRL Headquarters as Development Manager 11/18/2019 Connecticut native Melissa Stemmer has joined the ARRL Headquarters staff as Development Manager. Born and raised in Waterbury, Stemmer earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Connecticut in 1998, and she worked in that field for more than 15 years. After deciding that a career change was in order, Stemmer went back to school, earning a master’s in organizational leadership in 2015 from Quinnipiac University. “I am so excited to be on this journey at ARRL, and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone,†Stemmer said Before coming to ARRL, she was the development director at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury. In September 2015, Stemmer signed on as coordinator of the theatre’s annual High School Halo Awards — the largest high school theatre award program in Connecticut. During her tenure at Seven Angels Theatre, Stemmer was an active member of the Waterbury Regional Chamber and the Waterbury Exchange Club. She served on the executive committee and governing council of the Arts and Culture Collaborative of the Waterbury Region and was a member of the Young Professionals Task Force of the Waterbury Region. ARRL Legislative Advocacy Committee Drafting New Bill Addressing Antenna Restrictions 11/21/2019 The ARRL Board of Directors Legislative Advocacy Committee is in the process of drafting a new bill to address the issue of private land-use restrictions on amateur radio antennas. The proposed legislation would be the successor to the Amateur Radio Parity Act. The Legislative Advocacy Committee, chaired by Pacific Division Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, will report to the Board soon, once plans are fleshed out. Tiemstra told the ARRL Executive Committee (EC) on October 12 in Aurora, Colorado, that Advocacy Committee members have traveled to Washington to meet on multiple occasions with members of Congress and their staffs to inform them of the committee’s plans. ARRL Washington Counsel Dave Siddall, K3ZJ, told the EC last month that he understands the conditional exemption of amateur radio licensees from the RF exposure measurement requirements in the FCC’s Part 97 Amateur Service rules is proposed to be removed. A Report and Order in FCC Docket WT 13-84 is making the rounds that, if adopted, would make amateur licensees subject to the same requirements as all other FCC licensees. The Report and Order is expected to be released before year’s end. Siddall also reported to the EC that the FCC is poised to address the 60-meter band amateur allocation adopted at World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15). The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), on behalf of US government primary users of the band, has insisted that the maximum permitted power for radio amateurs must not exceed that agreed to at WRC-15 — 15 W effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) or 9.1 W ERP — despite the fact that Canada has authorized its amateur licensees to use 100 W, and eliminate the current discrete channels, which ARRL’s petition proposed to retain. NTIA oversees federal government frequency allocations and users. Minutes of the October 12 Executive Committee meeting were posted this week on the ARRL website. ARRL Self-Guided Emergency Communication Course EC-001-S is Now Available On Demand 11/21/2019 ARRL’s EC-001-S online “Introduction to Emergency Communication†course is now available to students in an on-demand format, allowing students to register for the course and begin work at any time. This course is designed to provide basic knowledge and tools for any emergency communications volunteer. In response to the great course demand and to expand access to EC-001, ARRL developed a self-guided version of the course, EC-001-S, which launched in June. This version of the course is designed for those who prefer to work independently and who do not need guidance from an online mentor. EC-001-S was previously offered only during specific sessions along with the traditional mentored version. The course opened for general enrollment on November 6. Visit the ARRL Online Course Registration page for more information and to register. FCC Invites Comments on Digital AM Broadcasting Proposal 11/26/2019 The FCC has invited comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), that would allow AM broadcasters to transmit an all-digital signal using the HD Radio in-band on-channel (IBOC) mode, known as MA3.1 “We tentatively conclude that a voluntary transition to all-digital broadcasting has the potential to benefit AM stations and provide improved AM service to the listening public,†the FCC said. “We seek comments on proposed operating standards for all-digital stations and the impact of such operations on existing analog stations and listeners.†The proceeding was initiated by a March 2019 Petition for Rulemaking (Petition) filed by Bryan Broadcasting Corporation. “This proceeding continues the Commission’s efforts to improve and update the AM radio service to provide a better listening experience for consumers and enhanced service offerings, as part of our continuing effort to revitalize AM broadcasting,†the FCC said in the introduction to the NPRM. Comments are due 60 days after the NPRM appears in The Federal Register. AROUND THE SECTION: Region 2: Check out the latest “Ascension Airwaves†at K5ARC.org. It’s jammed packed with great stuff! Region 3: 4th Quarter 2019 Update The Fourth Quarter of 2019 is shaping up to be a busy time of year. Not only do we nominate and elect officers for the upcoming year this quarter, we also vote on Ham of the Year Award and host our annual Christmas Party. And, this quarter (October) we also finally installed the much awaited 147.330+ (CTCSS 114.8) at its new location at Chabert Hospital in east Houma, LA near the Houma Airbase. A DB-224E antenna was installed at roughly 100 feet HAAT atop a Rohn-25G tower on the roof of the building. Utilizing new 1/2" Rosenberger heliax and fittings, a previously unused Yaesu DR-1X System Fusion repeater was installed by our motley crew. A Job Well Done and Thanks go to all who participated!! This repeater is operating strictly in the analog mode, giving us additional coverage for both daily and emergency amateur radio use. Also in October we received a request from the owners of the tower hosting our Gray repeater, 147.390+ (CTCSS 114.8), to install our own electrical service at the site and begin paying our own utility fees directly with the electric company. Within 3 weeks, we secured the permit, installed the hardware, and facilitated the power company hook-up to begin using our own power. Once again, many Thanks to All who contributed to the cause!! As always, we enjoy the company of fellow Hams and their family and loved oved ones, as well as the great food, at our monthly Dinner Socials in Houma and Thibodaux!! George Tippett, WB5PKK President Thibodaux Amateur Radio Club aka Bayou Region Amateur Radio Society (501c3) http://www.w5yl.org/ Region 4: From: Volume 59, Number 10 ACADIANA AMATEUR RADIO ASSOC., INC. - a 501(c)3 Corporation October 2019 October 4–6, 2019 by Larry KE5KJD and Sandy LeBlanc KE5KJF The Tour du Teche Canoe Race is a 135 mile race from Port Barre, LA, to Berwick, LA. The race has introduced paddlers and eco-tourists to the recreational, cultural, and economic value of the bayou for local residents. The three day race with stops in St. Martinville, Franklin, and finishing in Berwick has turned into a paddling marathon as well as a 3 day party for towns along the route with families along the route cheering for the paddlers. In the past we have had paddlers from Mexico City, Canada. Australia, Thailand, Germany, and others. The boats range from solo paddlers with a single blade paddle, to the Big boats with 3-6 paddlers with single or double paddles. Two years ago a boat with 4 paddlers won the 135 mile race in the Big Boat Division in 17:54:04, with an average of 6.03 mph. Shorter races include: Crawfish – Port Barre to Poche’s – 30 miles; Acadian – Port Barre to St. Martinville – 49 miles; Hot Sauce – St. Martinville to New Iberia – 24 miles; Sugar – St. Martinville to Franklin – 59 miles; Black Bear – New Iberia to Franklin – 35 miles; and the Oil and Gas – Franklin to Berwick – 27 miles. There will be events up and down the bayou in conjunction with the race. There was a band and some vendors and a gumbo cook-off in St. Martinville. The Chitimacha tribe had a lot of festivals and food at their check point. Franklin had vendors, a homemade boat exhibit (wonderful), and a voucher for a meal. Berwick had a carnival along with vendors with food, crafts, and clothing at the finish line. People sit on their wharf and hand out water and cookies along the way. As we have in the last eight years, the AARA ham club provides communications support for the race. The Command Center (Crawfish Hole) is a mobile trailer that was set up in Port Barre, St. Martinville, Franklin, and Berwick. Larry LeBlanc KE5KJD and Sandy LeBlanc KE5KJF are coordinators for the AARA ham club. The club’s task included verifying boat numbers and times, and the status of individual paddlers and canoes along the route from Port Barre to Berwick. Along with tracking canoes, the club uses the event to host HF contacts along the route. The Tour du Teche qualified as a Special Event with the ARRL and was listed in the QST. If you would like to participate in the Special Event, come to any checkpoint, set up your station, and send your log to Chris Ancelet N5MCY for QSL card verification. See W5DDL,org for details. Mr. Ray Pellerin along with Larry KE5KJD and Sandy LeBlanc KE5KJF would like to thank the members of the AARA who have volunteered to help with communications for Tour du Teche X. We have 17 participants this year. They are: Glen Thibodeaux KF5FNP, David McCutchen KG5JHR, Herman Campbell KN5GRK, Tom Dischler W5OHJ, Paula Romero KF5CNS, Nick Pugh K5QXJ, JoAnn Pugh KE5RPI, Danny Daigle KD5JSM, Kathy Daigle KD5TJZ, Galen Wilson KF5BET, Abbi Wilson KF5BEW, Kendra Wilson KF5FYS, Brandon Stelly KG5LQM, Ric Wallace KF5KEL, and Jackie Wallace KF5PCH. If you would like to volunteer, contact Sandy LeBlan KE5KJD (337) 254-1061. Again Larry and I would like to thank everyone for volunteering. See you on the Bayou. Sad to say, this will be our last year to coordinate the communications for the Tour du Teche race. If anyone would like to assume the job let me know. We will help with the transition. Sandy and Larry LeBlanc Communications Coordinators Tour de Teche 135 Race BEEF MEAT BALLS AND GRAVY 1-1/2 Pounds 85/15 Ground Beef 1 Pkg, Onion Soup Mix 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup Water Salt, Pepper, Granulated Onion, Granulated Garlic Vegetable Oil Season the ground meat with salt, pepper, granulated onion and granulated garlic. Make 1†diameter balls of the ground meat. Put 1/2†of oil in a Dutch oven and bring up to temperature. Brown the meatballs, in two batches, turning once, and then put on paper toweling. Pour out all oil, and put 1/2 cup of water in pot. Return to medium heat and “grab-up†all the “goodiesâ€. Put the meat balls, mushroom soup + a can of water, onion soup mix, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of granulated onion powder and a 1/2 teaspoon salt into the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over steamed rice. Update: HERMAN CAMPBELL, KN5GRK On Sept 11, I fell in my yard and broke my right foot and fractured my left collar bone, spent 2 months in hospital for surgery and therapy. I have been home two weeks and just now trying to catch up on my e-mails. I have not been able to run my reflector or answer e-mails. Please bear with me, it may take a while. I am scheduled to have prostrate surgery on December 4. I will try to answer some of my e-mails as soon as possible. Thanks for all the prayers and wishes for Ramona KG5HNO and me Herman KN5GRK. B.E.A.R.S. St. Mary Parish Jim Coleman, Keith Barnes and I were able to attend the B.E.A.R.S meeting recently in Morgan City and make the official presentation to our 2019 LA Section Amateur of the Year, Jackie Price, KA5LMZ. As many of you know Jackie is the leader of her club and the EC for St. Mary ARES. We were treated to a very tasty brunch before the meeting and Jim Coleman gave the group a really nice ARES presentation. Congratulations Jackie and thanks again for the wonderful welcome and hospitality as always! Region 6: THE BRASS KEY December 2019 A Publication of the Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club The BRASS KEY is published monthly as its official journal by the Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club, P. O. Box 8852, Alexandria, LA. 71306. Prez says . . . Final Words from our President, Jim Walters, AE5ZE December 2019 Well, we are almost the end of another year. It's time for our Christmas Dinner on Dec. 3rd, so if you have not made your reservations, please contact Steve Baillio, our treasurer before Friday, November 29th. After making reservations, you can pay at the door. The cost is $12.00 per person. Hope to see you there. We are having the same caterer as last year and everything was great! During our Christmas Dinner we will install our new Board of Directors. Amateur radio is an evolving hobby that has something for everyone. As you make plans for 2020, please consider doing something new in amateur radio. I have several projects to work on. The first is learning CW. I have a TS830S that I am recapping (110 electrolytic capacitors), and have just acquired a Hammarlund HQ110, and a Johnson Viking, both boat anchors that I am going to restore and get on the air. What are you planning to do??? This is my last Pres Says! I want to personally acknowledge the Board Members that have served this past year. They did all of the work to accomplish the tasks at hand and to make our club a success! Please take the time to thank each one of them! See you on the bands! 73, Jim AE5ZE CLARC welcomes new member Chris Wright, KI5HDW! Chris passed his Technician Class license exam at our November meeting! Time to study for that upgraded license! HEALTH AND WELFARE: Mike Canady, N5GJQ - Has been in the hospital for nerve inflammation. Jack Brossette, W5ETL - Jack is having difficulty with several heath issues. Jim Bookter, N5NVP and Mrs. Irma, KE5UPK - continued prayers for Mrs. Irma's needs and safe travels for Jim as he goes back and forth to Lafayette. Prayers for Joseph Notcha and his needs. Mitchel Neil, KG5OIF - Prayers for Jeannie as she recovers from gall bladder surgery. Steve Neesly, KE5IAK - Prayers for Mrs. Glenda as she heals from a broken arm. Prayer this evening was led by Keith, KF5RNF Winter Field Day: Winter Field Day will be January 25 - 26. Jim asked for a show of hands of those interested in participating in the field day this year. Scott KD5DFL reminded the membership that we are still in need of a location for the field day. Kees Park is one possible site, but there are some antenna issues that we will have to work out. If the field day were held at Kees Park, it would have to be limited to a simple one-day event, Saturday only, running from setup at 8:00 AM to take down around 8:00PM on the same day. Only two to three radios would be set up. We would not be allowed use of the Kees Park area overnight. An alternate site would be the LDWF Center in Woodworth, which we used for the Summer Field Day. Region 9: From: The SELARC "Hamster" ________________________________________ *Serving Amateur Radio Since 1974* Published Monthly by the Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club Inc. P.O. Box 1324, Hammond LA 70404 Visit our website: www.selarc.org Vol. 46, No. 11 ................................ November 2019 Happy Birthday Birthday Wishes for November go out to - John Mark Robertson K5JMR, Manny WD5BJR, and Tom W5PGS If we missed your birthday, then please let us know. Get Well Soon — Best wishes for continued recuperation go to SELARC members Tom Simpson N5HAY and Homer Jones KA5TRT. We look forward to hearing you on the air! VE Session Results Congratulations to the following new Technician licensees! Curt Montgomery - Hammond, La. Kevin Jenkins - Covington, La. Ronnie Voorhies - Madisonville, La. Thank you once again, to all the VEs' who show up to make this possible!! Multiple Sclerosis 150-mile "Dat's How We Roll" Bike Tour Over the October 5 & 6 weekend thirty-two amateur radio volunteers from the Southeast LA Amateur Radio Club (SELARC), Southwest MS Amateur Radio Club and southeast LA ARES provided 267 "people-power" hours of public service in support of the annual Multiple Sclerosis bike ride from Hammond (LA) to Percy Quin Park (MS) and back. The hams used the SELARC VHF repeater and the LWARN UHF repeater system to provide communications assistance to the safety, logistics and medical teams spread over the route on the back-country roads of Louisiana and Mississippi. The Multiple Sclerosis staff and friends and families of the cyclists, as well as the bikers themselves, were appreciative of the ham radio volunteers and were impressed with the capabilities of amateur radio. The event was a wonderful display of the ham operators' skills and public service capabilities. Special Events, Other Hamfests & VE Sessions MARA Christmas Hamfest - Minden, LA - Dec 21, 2019 SELARC - 39th Annual Hammond Hamfest 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. LOUISIANA SECTION NOVEMBER BOOK WINNERS: ARRL Individual Member: Andy Allen, KF5ORM. ARRL Affiliated Club: Central Louisiana Amateur Radio Club (CLARC) Congratulations to both! Next drawing is December 1st…..All Active Affiliated Clubs are automatically entered; if you have already sent me your call you need not send again…if you have not yet entered send me our call sign by email, text, Facebook etc….you must be an active ARRL member in the Louisiana Section to enter and win….73 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION TRAFFIC MANAGERS REPORT: Sessions QNI QTC QTR 15. 414 32. 224 73, Jimmy Lewis/AB5YS Louisiana Section Traffic Manager --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARES: ARES Monthly Section Emergency Coordinators Report 1. ARRL Section: Louisiana 2. Month: October 3. Year: 2019 4. Total number of ARES members: 435 5. Number of DECs/ECs reporting this month: 9 6. Number of ARES nets active: 60 7. Number of nets with NTS liaison: 3 8. Calls of DECs/EC reporting: W4NDF, KD5MLD, KG5BNH, KE5BMS, AG5LR, KD5DFL, W5GAS, KD5IGZ, KE5GMN 9a. Number of exercises & training sessions this month: 32 9b. Person hours : 551 10a. Number of public service events this month : 1 10b. Person hours : 276 11a. Number of emergency operations this month : 0 11b. Person hours : 0 12a. Number of SKYWARN operations this month: 1 12b. Person hours : 40 13a. Auto Sum 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a : 34 13b. Auto Sum 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b: 867 Submitted by: James Coleman, AI5B Louisiana Section Emergency Coordinator “CONGRATULATIONS†to ASEC Corey McCrary (W5MMC) and his wife Dr. Liz McCrary on the birth of their first child, a boy GRAHAM ELDON McCRARY on October 29th.** If you have not registered for ARES CONNECT please do so at the following link: https://arrl.volunteerhub.com/lp/la Please remember that your username must be your Call Sign! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPCOMING HAMFESTS: 12/21/2019 | MARA Christmas Hamfest Location: Minden, LA Sponsor: Minden Amateur Radio Assoc Website: http://n5rd.org 01/18/2020 | 39th Annual Hammond Hamfest Location: Hammond, LA Sponsor: Southeast Louisiana Amateur Radio Club, Inc. Website: http://www.selarc.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***ARRL COUPONS: November 1-30 2019 $10 off When you spend $25 or more at www.arrl.org/shop Use code: THANKS December 1-31 2019 $5 shipping when you spend $20 or more at www.arrl.org/shop Use Code GIFT ***I had an excellent response to my recent email regarding Section PIO’s…..3 people have expressed an interest in the position and each are very qualified and motivated ARRL members. We still need PIO’s in the following Regions: 3 5 6 9 Please contact our Section PIC Joe Holland at kb5vjy@gmail.ooc if you are interested. 73 and see you next month, -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Louisiana Section Section Manager: John Mark Robertson, K5JMR k5jmr@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------