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 2022-01.pdf for a printer-friendly version of this document

SELARC Meeting Agenda

(Meeting Type: ZOOM virtual)

Dec 14, 2021

Call to order: Russ Plyler (WI5ARD) at  7:40 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance: Golden Corral 7PM, 1748 SW Railroad Ave, Hammond, LA 70403 No presents. Just Food

Minutes of previous meetings: Ryan Plyler (KI5FMA)

• Tyrone Burnes (N5XES) motion to accept bob second motion carried

Members present: Tyrone Burnes (N5XES), Mark Lacey (WX5RN), Jimmy Hess (AG5EJ), Lawrence Lima (KI5JVY), Ernie Bush (H5NIB), David Muller (W5NPV) Sue Muller (WD5BVC), Ryan Plyler (KI5FMA), William Harris (KF5YBY), Ralph Shaw (K5CAV), Russ Plyler (WI5ARD)          

Guest present: Jennifer Lima, Deborah Young

Treasurers’ report:  Ernie Bush (N5NIB)

• Hard Copies
• Check deposited for insurance for the coax at the antenna site 11k
• 500 cash prize that would have gone to allen prize in exchange we will get a work party together to hang a beam antenna

• Hamfest so far we have collected $400 in tickets and one table sold

• Tyrone Burnes (N5XES) motioned David muller (W5NPV) second, the motion carried

Bills/ Correspondence

• PO Box bill received at $180/yr

Health and Welfare

• David Muller (W5NPV)

• Would like assistance with the weather station and/or run a new cable up tower. Probably should start with a walk thru. Need to find a dry day to inspect and see what all is needed to do the work.

• Bob (WB5FBS)

• He is still in the hospital with Covid. He has been in ICU fighting and taking it day by day his daughter and cousin Butch. His wife Ellen was also in the hospital with Covid but has been released and at home.

ARES report: Pat Mason (KE5KMM)

36 checkins on the Net

Pat Mason (KE5KMM) has the flu.

Ed Mason (KE5GMN) has surgery tomorrow.

Hamfest 2022: Tyrone Burns (N5XES)

• One swap table reserved.
• Need volunteers to put out signs.
• Need more tickets being sold.

Allen Pearson (W5EGG) Won the raffle, retired attorney. Ponchatoula.

• Vertical on top of a crank-up vertical tower.

Repeater Committee: Tyrone Burns (N5XES)

• Tickfaw

• Repeater swap is possible with Yaesu from the hospital site for testing.

• Hammond

• Hurricane Ida took down the tower.

2021 Bike MS: Dat’s How We Roll: Bob Priez (WB5FBS)

• With everything going on between Covid mandates and Hurricane Ida the ride has been postponed till March 19-20, 2022. The ride could possibly stay here to keep the event out of the hurricane window.

New Business:

Repeater Committee: Tyrone Burns (N5XES)

• Hammond

• Ernie Bush (N5NIB) received an email back from insurance on the amount the insurance is going to pay out. After the $50.00 deductible The Hanover Insurance Group is issuing a payment of $11,120.00.
• The tower replacement is still out to bed for the hospital.

• Tickfaw

• Requested information on the cost and model number of the new antenna being installed by the OZONE club at their Lacomb location. Could possibly be an option to look at since it is more bullet proof than the DB antenna. $1726 + $350 shipping which is a Comprod 874F-70 VHF Exposed Dipole.
• Look for a combiner to use to temporarily relocate the Hammond repeaters.
• Follow-up with Test on the bids that were requested.

Donations

• Heath Kit Radios & Cable

• Will go to Hamfest if not sold prior.?

Upcoming events / Hamfest / Cancellations

• January 15th, 2022 – SELARC Hamfest (Hammond, LA)
• January 28th, 2022 - Capital City Hamfest (Jackson, MS)

General discussion, presentation, or training:

Tyrone Burnes (N5XES) stated We still had ve testing on the 26th

Motion to adjourn:

Tyrone Burnes (N5XES) motioned, and Mark Lacey (WX5RN) second, the motion passed

==> IARU Region 2 Executive Committee Issues Upbeat Seasonal Message
International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Secretary George Gorsline, VE3YV, has issued a year-end message on behalf of the Executive Committee.
"A bright spot in an otherwise challenging year is that our shared passion of amateur radio is growing stronger," Gorsline wrote. "The increase in on-the-air activity has been noticeable, especially on the HF bands. Driven by reawakening solar activity and the rapid adoption of digital modes, such as FT8, the bands are active -- not just during evenings and weekends, but also during normal working hours, where more than a few of us have been known to be in video conference calls while making QSOs. ...

==> Hurricane Watch Net Recorded 300 On-Air Hours in 2021
Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, says 2021 was the third most-active hurricane season on record in terms of named storms, and was the sixth consecutive above-normal season.
"We've completed another hurricane season. The Atlantic basin was extremely busy again for 2021," Graves told HWN members. "For the year, we had 21 named storms, seven of which became hurricanes, and four of those became major hurricanes -- Category 3 or stronger." Graves noted that 2021 marked the first year on record that two consecutive hurricane seasons exhausted the list of 21 storm names.
Tropical systems that made landfall caused estimated total damage of $70 billion, as of the end of November, making 2021 the fourth most costly hurricane season on record, behind 2012, 2005, and 2017...

==> New Low-Power Limit for ARRL HF Contests Goes into Effect on January 1, 2022
ARRL has set a new standard for what counts as low power for ARRL-sponsored HF contests. The new limit is 100 W, which is down from the 150 W limit that has been permitted in some events, including the ARRL November Sweepstakes. With the exception of ARRL Field Day, this change goes into effect on January 1, 2022, for all ARRL-sponsored HF contests, as well as the IARU HF World Championship. ...

==> ARRL to Oppose Forest Service Administrative Fees for Amateur Radio Facilities
The US Forest Service is proposing to implement a statutorily required annual fee for new and existing communications use authorizations to cover the costs of administering its authorization program. ARRL plans to vigorously oppose the imposition of the proposed fees on amateur radio.
The Forest Service proposal results from requirements set forth in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka "the Farm Bill"). Specifically, section 8705(c)(3)(b) of the Farm Bill directs the Forest Service to issue regulations that require fees for issuing communications use authorizations based on the cost to the Agency for maintenance or other activities to be performed by the Agency "as a result of the location or modification of a communications facility."
The Forest Service is responsible for managing Federal lands and authorizes the use and occupancy of National Forest System (NFS) lands for communications facilities that provide communications services for adjacent rural and urban communities. The Agency said in its proposal that it administers more than 3,700 special use authorizations on NFS lands for infrastructure that supports more than 10,000 wireless communications uses at 1,367 communications sites. ...

==> 3Y0J DXpedition to Bouvet Island Updates its Progress
Two new team members of the upcoming 3Y0J Bouvet DXpedition team have come aboard to replace, in part, three operators who are unable to make the trip -- Sandro Nitoi, VE7NY; Laci Radócz, HA0NAR, and Dimtry Zhikharev, RA9USU. Joining the 3Y0J crew will be Cezar Trifu, VE3LYC, and Otis Vicens, NP4G. A third replacement has not yet been named...

==> Georgia Club Donates License Manuals to Local Schools
The Dalton Amateur Radio Club (DARC) in Dalton, Georgia, recently donated copies of the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual to several schools in its service area. The materials will be available in the schools' media centers...

==> SKYWARN Spotters and Nets Track Deadly Storms
Amateur Radio activity related to the deadly spate of tornados on December 10 in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois was largely associated with the National Weather Service (NWS) SKYWARN program.
Weather spotters, most of whom are radio amateurs, followed the progress of the storms, sharing that information with NWS offices and related partners...

==> Ham Radio University Going Virtual Again
With COVID-19 uncertainties precluding an in-person gathering for a second year, the 23rd annual Ham Radio University (HRU) educational conference will be held as a virtual event again this year, on Saturday, January 8, 1300 - 2000 UTC, as an online GoToWebinar videoconference...

==> Observations of Over-the-Horizon Radar Interference in Ham Bands Top All Others
The volume of reports of over-the-horizon (OTH) radar interference from observers working with the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS) dwarfs that of all other interference sources, the November IARUMS newsletter reports.
Nearly 800 OTH radars were observed during November alone, and the total number of reports for the year is more than 4,500 -- although that number likely includes multiple reports of the same OTH radar systems.
While the intruder watcher is focused on IARU Region 1, much of the major interference it recounts can affect the amateur bands in the world's other two IARU regions. IARUMS has tracked most OTH radar signals to sites in Russia and China, but a recent report indicated that India has an OTH radar system in the works. IARUMS is calling the system "of concern," although it's not known what frequencies it may use. ...

==> Senator Blumenthal Supports Amateur Radio at Senate Confirmation Hearing
Senator Richard Blumenthal (CT) received an affirmative reply from FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel when he asked her to commit to providing his office "an update on the steps that the FCC is taking to support amateur radio operators." The Senator posed the written question as part of Rosenworcel's renomination hearing conducted by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
Blumenthal noted specifically that "Radio amateurs voluntarily provide an array of public services, especially emergency and disaster-related support communications when infrastructure has been destroyed by a hurricane or similar disaster. Their contributions in this area are regularly recognized by local and state authorities." ...

==> ARDC Grant Will Expand RMHAM's 5 GHz Microwave Network in the Rockies
A grant of $374,233 from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) to Rocky Mountain Ham Radio (RMHAM) will go toward expanding a multistate 5 GHz microwave network and help to outfit communications trailers.
The microwave network enables partnering amateur radio clubs and groups to access, enable, or expand their repeater and other FCC Part 97-appropriate applications. The network provides 50 - 100+ Mbps of bandwidth and is managed and monitored by a dedicated network operations team.
In Colorado, RMHAM will be able to grow its microwave network by 23 new microwave sites and 20 new point-to-point spans to expand IP connectivity and future repeater coverage across the western slope of Colorado and along the I-70 and I-76 corridors in eastern Colorado. ...

==> World's Smallest Moon Lander from Japan will Put Ham Radio Transmitter on the Moon
Japan's OMOTENASHI, the world's smallest moon lander, will have an X-band and UHF communication system, although it will not carry an amateur band transponder. OMOTENASHI is a 6U CubeSat set for launch via a NASA SLS rocket as early as February 2022. It will have a mission period of from 4 to 5 days. ...

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Stay Radio active -- Hope to see you at the next meeting. Be sure to monitor your weekly nets, e-mail, and the SELARC website at https://www.selarc.org for any updates.

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