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
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Vol. 44, No. 6 ......................... June 2017 |
* Club Meeting*
Tuesday, June 13, 7:00PM
Ponchatoula Community Center
(300 North 5th Street, Range Road)
Elevator Access
If you would like to become a member of SELARC or renew your membership please print out and complete the application/renewal form at www.selarc.org/slrcappl.htm and return it with your check to: P.O. Box 1324, Hammond LA 70404. Thanks!
| Hamfests & VE Sessions |
ARRL Field Day will be on June 24-25 and SELARC will participate at the Covington QTH of Walter Sarrat. Details will be finalized at the June club meeting. Bring your ideas and commitments to the meeting, and volunteer for the committee!!
Slidell EOC Hamfest will be Saturday, July 15th, at John Slidell Park, 105 Robert Road. Website: http://www.w5sla.net
Delta Division Convention (Shreveport/Bossier City Ham Fest) will be on August 12th in Shreveport. Details at Website: http://www.shreveporthamfest.com
Greater New Orleans Ham Fest will be on November 11th at the Harahan Lions Club Building, 1001 Hickory Avenue. For info https://www.facebook.com/groups/2044282109131267/
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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area.
| Happy Birthday -- |
| In Sympathy -- |
| Get Well Wishes... |
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Mike Ansalve KF5JSO, Victor Beauvais KG5OPA, Jerry Burg N5GKJ, Ernie Bush N5NIB, Tom Crais KF6QJQ, Ron KK5AAA & Laura Harry, Jeff Henkel KF5TPX, Ed Mason KE5GMN, Pat Mason KE5KMM, Fred Mayer K5FMM, David Muller W5NPV, Bob Priez WB5FBS, Carol Redmond KE5GOC, James Redmond K5QNT and Keith Samrow KF5VLX.
These very capable amateur radio operators provided valuable support to the Special Olympics medical, logistics and safety teams as the 800+ Olympic athletes competed in the various indoor and outdoor events. In spite of the occasional heavy rain and thunderstorms, it was a hot and humid weekend for the athletes and volunteers who participated. But almost everyone said it was a wonderful way to perform a public service and demonstrate ham radio to an appreciative audience!
| SELARC Members On the Air-- |
And Tyrone Burns N5XES reports on his fun with Museum Ships Weekend: “I pulled out the IC-706MkIIg and antenna tuner, loaded up the 560' Delta-loop, ran some extension cables for the CL-33 Mosley, and Yaesu rotor on the 30' test tower in the back yard and proceeded to make contacts starting @ 2132z on 3 Jun, 2017 and continued on and off until 2128z on 5 Jun, 2017. 22 contacts with 20 ships and one landbased museum, one ship was a dupe....not bad considering the really bad rain and wind most of the time, not to mention the thunder and lightning crashes that left me fighting with the dog in my lap while trying to make these rare contacts with the old "Rust-Buckets" and museums: USS Alabama BB-60, USS Drum SS-228, CSS HL Hunley, USS New Jersey BB-62, USS Olympia C-6, USS North Carolina BB-55, USS Wisconsin BB-64, Chesapeake Bay Skipjack Claud W. Somers, USS Sudden Jerk PT-305, Lightship Huron, Thomas Watson Museum - Fore River Shipyard, USCG Icebreaker Makinaw WAGB-83, USS The Sullivans ??-537, USS Clamagore ??-343, USS Col. James M. Schoonmaker, USS Cobia SS-245, USS Midway CV-41, USS Razorback SS-394, USS Nautilus SSN-571, USS Iowa BB-61, USCG Cutter Ingham WHEC-35, and the hardest contact was USS Sudden Jerk PT-305....just too close for 20m contact. Had to rotate the beam away from them to work 'em!! Oh well...."it beez the way sumtimes"! To wrap it up, any time you get a chance to work these Special Event Stations, just do your best and enjoy the chance to share in the history of the ships. Now, just "waitin' on the WALLPAPER to arrive"!!
| For Sale... |
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President Mike Ansalve KF5JSO called the meeting to order at 7:05pm and led the Pledge of Allegiance, after which Francis KF5YNN offered the prayer. It was m/s/passed to approve minutes of the April 11meeting as published in the "Hamster". Correspondence included bills and dues payments received. Treasurer Dave Catania N5QOX presented the financial report, which was followed by a lengthy discussion of the format of the report presented. It was noted that Robert’s Rules of Order does not specify the format for a report. It was m/s/passed to table discussion of this topic until after the July election. It was m/s/passed to accept the financial report. The Memberhip Application of Joseph Crocker KB0GLN of Amite was voted and accepted. Welcome to SELARC Joe!
Attendance (30): Mike KF5JSO, David W5NPV, Bob WB5FBS, David N5QOX, Jimmy AG5EJ, Dottie KF5YNM, Francis KF5YNN, Roy KG5JSM, Donna KG5JSL, Ed KE5GMN, Pat KE5KMM, Mike KE5KMH, Lyle KD5JRY, Lambert KG5DDW, Dean KG5AAE, Peter WB5ERM, Bill KB5OBW, Walter N5RYI, Ronnie N5QVZ, Ernie N5NIB, Tom KF6QJQ, Victor KG5OPA, Rich KG5DBA, Tyrone N5XES, Jeff KF5TPX, Keith KF5VLX, Judy AA5UZ, John AA5UY, Carol KE5GOC and James K5QNT.
Committee Reports: Repeater (Bob WB5FBS) - KG5AAE, KF5VLX and WB5FBS presented committee recommendations for the 147 repeater to purchase a new DB-224E (ham band)antenna for $943.63+freight charge ($240) for total price of $1183.63. Hi-Tech Tower will do installation ($2,820.00+taxes) & coordinate with the tower company; it could be as late as July. The report was m/s/passed. There was further discussion about upgrade to the 444.250 repeater, Pete obtained an offer of $600 for UHF Fusion repeater from Joe Dick W5RHR; there was discussion about warranty on the radio and no definite answer was available. It was m/s/passed to purchase the radio to replace the 444.250 repeater and Treasurer Dave N5QOX was instructed to write the check. ARES (Pat KE5KMM) - ARES training on May 11at SLU Pennington Center had presentations by Tangipahoa Director of OHSEP Dawson Primes on Hurricane preparedness, and by John Guthans AA5UY and Emile Diodene KE5QKR on Packet Radio and Raspberry Pi. Tangipahoa Parish Hurricane Season Kick-Off Meeting was held in Amite on June 1.
Old Business: (1) June 24-25 Field Day was discussed and will be held at Walter N5RYI’s location in Covington on the Bogue Falaya river that includes a screened room, A/C, bedrooms, water and parking. (2) The volunteer sign-up sheet for LA Special Olympic Summer Games on May 20-21 was passed around. Bob WB5FBS thanked those who volunteered. (3) QSL cards for the Strawberry Festival Event were distributed for completion and mailing.
New Business: : (1) President Mike KF5JSO appointed Dean KG5AAE, Keith KF5VLX, Lambert KG5DDW and Carol KE5GOC to the Nominating Committee for the July elections. (2) Secretary Bob WB5FBS distributed the 2017 SELARC membership directory (3) Trustee of the SELARC WB5NET license was discussed and Bob WB5FBS requested someone to assume that responsibility. Lambert Michel KG5DDW volunteered and the paperwork will be filed with the FCC.
Adjournment: It was m/s/passed to adjourn at 8:04pm.
| News from ARRL -- |
==> Buildout of Nationwide First Responder Broadband Network Could Drive Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Changes-- The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), a nationwide wireless broadband network for first responders, could change the complexion of how the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) functions to support communication for responders during disasters and emergencies. As an independent authority within the US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA), FirstNet's mission is to build out, deploy, and operate an interoperable nationwide broadband network dedicated to first responders. Ralph Haller, N4RH, the chairman of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), told ARRL that the advent of FirstNet "will likely be as significant as when public safety first began using radio." NPSTC is a federation of organizations that work toward improving public safety communication and interoperability, and ARRL has a seat on NPSTC's Governing Board. Haller predicted that Amateur Radio's role in emergencies will not disappear. "There is no substitute for eyes and ears on the ground in an emergency," he said, adding that radio amateurs "can and should continue to play an important part" in supporting emergency communication.
On March 30, FirstNet and the Commerce Department announced a 25-year partnership with AT&T as the primary contractor to make FirstNet a reality. "The ability to communicate seamlessly across jurisdictions is critical for law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) when securing large events or responding to emergencies and disasters," a Commerce Department news release said. "In those instances, networks can become overloaded and inaccessible, limiting responders' use of vital communication technologies, such as smartphones and applications dedicated to public safety services."
==> Additional Countries Gain Bands at 5 MHz - Radio amateurs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are among the latest to gain access to a 60-meter band. The allocation is 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz at a maximum power of 15 W EIRP. Malta also has opened a 60-meter band for its Amateur Radio licensees. The island's telecoms regulator, the Malta Communications Authority, published an updated National Frequency Plan in April that includes the WRC-15 secondary Amateur Radio allocation of 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz at a maximum power of 15 W EIRP. Panama came on board with the same allocation in December. The Netherlands telecoms regulator Agentschap Telecom (AT) has added a 60-meter band of 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz to its frequency plan for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Eligible licensees may run up to 25 W EIRP. Radio Amateurs in Poland will soon have access to 5,351.5-5,366.5 kHz with 15 W EIRP. Mexico's telecommunications regulator IFT has approved Amateur Radio use of 5,351.5-5366.5 kHz at up to 20 W EIRP. Iceland's telecommunication authority PTA has extended experimental license privileges for radio amateurs in the 5 MHz band until December 31, 2017. The privileges are for 5,260-5,410 kHz, with 100 W EIRP, CW, USB, PSK31, and other digital modes. Currently 25 licensees in Iceland have experimental licenses to operate on 60 meters. In Hungary, the HG7BHB beacon on 5,352.5 kHz has been shut down. Established in 2015 by Hungary's IARU member society MRASZ, the beacon went out of order in February. A substantial increase in activity near its frequency and the lack of a suitable alternative frequency led to the decision to switch it off altogether. Meanwhile, Steve KÃlcsey, HA0DU, has reported that temporary Amateur Radio licenses permitting 5 MHz operation in Hungary have expired, and there has been no 60-meter operation since May 1.
==> Another Successful WX4NHC Annual Station Test in Advance of Hurricane Season- Over the holiday weekend, WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami logged nearly 200 contacts throughout the US, Canada, the Caribbean, and even Europe, during its annual station test, conducted ahead of the 2017 hurricane season, which begins on June 1 and continues through November 30. The annual exercise on May 27 served to check out Amateur Radio Station equipment, antennas, and computer systems. WX4NHC was on the air for about 8 hours, Ripoll said, and utilized all communication modes available at the station on HF, VHF, and UHF, including EchoLink, IRLP, DMR, D-STAR, D-RATS, and digital HF messaging via Winlink. From the Canadian Hurricane Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, reported that it was 50° F (and 93° F in Miami at the time). Robichaud expressed appreciation for the cooperation between the Canadian and US hurricane centers and WX4NHC during the storm season, Ripoll said.
==> FCC and OSHA Release Communications Tower Best Practices Guide - The FCC and OSHA have announced the release of a free publication, Communications Tower Best Practices Guide. While aimed more at those who tend commercial communication towers, the guide offers information applicable to the Amateur Radio community and contractors working on Amateur Radio antenna support structures. The FCC said the guide was a result of two tower safety workshops. Among other points, the guide emphasizes that all tower workers need "to have and use proper safety equipment at all times," and that, "no work should be done if proper safety equipment is unavailable or if the safety equipment available is not functioning properly." The guide also notes an increasing use of drones for tower inspection. "This technology has the potential to reduce unnecessary climbing and can avoid putting [tower workers] at risk," the guide points out.
--The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League
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Stay Radio active -- See you at the June 13th Meeting!
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