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
See 2020-03.pdf for a printer-friendly version of this document
Vol. 47, No. 3 ......................... March 2020
* Club Meeting *

Tuesday, March 10, 7:00 PM
Location: Ponchatoula Community Center
(300 N. Fifth Street, Range Road)
Elevator Access

Pre-Meeting
Social in Ponchatoula at: La Carreta Ponchatoula
147 NW. Railroad Ave, Ponchatoula, LA 70454

Starting around 5:15PM

Talk-in 147.00 (-600) w/107.2 Tone -- Handicap Access

If you would like to become a member of SELARC, please print out and complete the application/renewal form and return it with your check to: P.O. Box 1324, Hammond LA 70404. Thanks!

*** DUES... DUES... DUES... DUES... ***

2020 Membership Dues are now due and must be paid by the March meeting!! Please use the application/renewal form!

Special Events, Other Hamfests & VE Sessions

60th Annual Acadiana Hamfest 2020 - Mar 13-14, 2020 - http://www.w5ddl.org/hamfest.htm

2020 ARRL Field Day - June 27-28, 2020

The Greater New Orleans Hamfest - Nov 14, 2020 - Hamfest page

Milton Amateur Radio Club 25th Annual Hamfest - July 10-11, 2020 - 2020 Flyer

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 [email protected] or Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area.

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

 

Meeting of February 11, 2020 at the Ponchatoula Community Center

President Tyrone N5XES called the meeting to order at 7pm and lead in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a self-introduction/recognition of all present.

It was m/s/passed to accept minutes for the February meeting as published in the "Hamster".

A Monthly financial report handout with Hamfest information that Treasurer Ernie Bush N5NIB had prepared was distributed. The financial report was discussed with review and some questions about Hamfest results, attendance, and ticket sales numbers answered by Tyrone in Ernie's absence. It was m/s/passed to accept the financial report.

Attendance (9): Tyrone N5XES, Jimmy AG5EJ, Carol KE5GOC, James K5QNT, Keith KF5VLX, Ralph K5CAV, Bob WB5FBS, Tim AG5XK, and Scott KD5PCK

A new member application for Tim AG5XK was voted on and passed.

Club Station

Bob requests for members available for a work party to contact Bob WB5FBS to address the club station's mangled Triband antennae on the roof using what Kathryn Martin gave up that Lyle & Bob took down.

Announcements

An announcement was given that the Ascension Radio Club is holding a CERT class; details noted on the K5ARC website

There will be no April VE Testing Session.

The Greater New Orleans Hamfest - Nov 14, 2020 - Hamfest page

Milton Amateur Radio Club 25th Annual Hamfest - July 10-11, 2020 - 2020 Flyer

Committee Reports

Repeater Committee -

(Tyrone N5XES): All repeaters are on the air.

Ernie is checking Heliax prices for tower repair with ~500 ft needed.

Old Business

SELARC Hammond Hamfest

Tyrone: Will try to recruit more vendors & request to be state convention with ARRL for the 40th Hamfest.

There were some topics brought to discussion for next Hamfest (with no motions); Having a 'Go Box contest'; having the club make and Sell some assembled jumpers/ground strap.

Special Olympics

Bob WB5FBS stated that the Louisiana Special Olympics has a new board that the Special Olympics have closed their office in Hammond. The next events are scheduled to be held in Baton Rouge.

It was m/s/passed to Adjourn at 8:04 PM.

News from ARRL

==> Mississippi ARES® Emergency Coordinator Credits Training for Effective Tornado Response
Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) volunteers in DeSoto County, Mississippi, devoted a January weekend 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...

==> In Brief... A Down Under special event will use former Radio Australia international broadcast antennas.
Over the March 14 - 15 weekend, members of the Shepparton and District Amateur Radio Club (SADARC) in Australia will be on the air as VI3RA (Radio Australia), connecting their transceivers to the curtain array and rhombic antennas at the former Radio Australia site in Shepparton. Radio Australia ceased transmitting from the site in 2017. VI3RA will operate on 40, 30, 20, 17, and 15 meters. "Local amateurs will be given the unique opportunity to explore the use of high-gain antennas whilst giving amateurs throughout the world a unique opportunity to contact a station using such high-gain antennas," said SADARC President Peter Rentsch, VK3FPSR ...

==> ARRL Comments in Opposition to FCC Plan to Delete the 3.4 GHz Band
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 (NPRM) 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. ...

==> Coronavirus Outbreak Postpones Swains Island W8S DXpedition
The W8S DXpedition to Swains Island in the Pacific, set to take place in mid-March, has been postponed until September as a result of travel restrictions imposed on individuals entering American Samoa, stemming from the recent coronavirus outbreak. The Department of Health allows non-residents to enter American Samoa only via Hawaii after a 14-day mandatory quarantine, and the DXpedition was unable to accommodate that requirement. ...

==> New World Distance Record Claimed on 122 GHz
A new world distance record of 139 kilometers (86.2 miles) is being claimed by radio amateurs in northern California. This tops the record Mike Lavelle, K6ML. of 114 kilometers set in 2005 by WA1ZMS and W4WWQ, according to the Distance Records on the ARRL website. The February 17, 2020, contact was between Mike Lavelle, K6ML, on Mount Vaca (CM88WJ75ON) at 835 meters (2,739.5 feet) above sea level, and Oliver Barrett, KB6BA (at 1225 UTC), and Jim Moss, N9JIM (at 1250 UTC), who were both on Mount Umunhum (CM97BD18VJ) at 1,016 meters (3333.3 feet) above sea level. ...

==> FAA's Proposed Remote Identification Rules Would Affect Drones, Hobby Planes
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing to require remote identification of so-called "unmanned aircraft systems" (UAS), which include drones and hobby aircraft. A growing number of radio amateurs utilize camera-equipped drones for aerial photography purposes, to examine antenna systems, and to operate hobby aircraft remotely on amateur radio frequencies. Comments on the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in Docket FAA-2019-11, are due by March 2. ...

 

--The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League

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Stay Radio active -- See you at the next meeting, Tue, March 10, 2020; 7:00PM at:
the Ponchatoula Community Center
.

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