april09

The program will be the celebration of Wil K0ECA's 101st birthday with cake of some sort and ice cream, plus time for us to talk with eachother.

We will be talking about the legislation and we will get an update from Mike Shelby KE7QET. He has been following the situation.

(You may view a live internet stream presentation of the meeting by visiting http://www.ustream.tv/channel/valley-radio-club-meetings.)

I encourage everyone to attend and be an active part of this very special upcoming event. If you have other thoughts or suggestions, please bring them to the meeting Friday, May 1st, at 7:00 PM at the Red Cross, 862 Bethel Dr., Eugene. Hope to see everyone there!

73,
Riley W7RIL
President

***** VRC DX *****
HB2377 Info (Cell Phones & Ham Radios in Cars Bill) on VRC Website
HB2377 - Audio Archive Link for House Work Session Discussing the Bill
Kudos To W7ARD
Update On Bob W7FPY

MINUTES of the Valley Radio Club Meeting April 3, 2009
VRC CLUB CORNER
VALLEY RADIO CLUB ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

***** FROM THE ARRL *****
URGENT - Oregon Mobile Communications Bill
Monthly Oregon Section News Summary
When Vandals Strike Infrastructure, Hams Provide Communications Support
ARRL Comments On Broadband Provisions In Recovery Act
2009 National Hurricane Conference Has Amateur Radio Focus
Interplanetary Hams! German AMSAT Team Transmits, Receives Signals From Venus
ARRL Comments on FCC's Proposed Establishment of Rural Broadband Plan
New ARRL Advanced Emergency Communications Course In The Works
FCC Denies Michigan Ham's Request For Ruling on Antenna In Mobile Home Community
Seattle Hosts Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Seminar
FCC, Indianapolis Police Department Address Unlicensed Operations
Solar Update
W1AW 2009 Operating Schedule

*****    VRC DX   *****

(Please email your news, articles, buy&sell, etc for the newsletter to ke7gbo@arrl.net)

HB2377 Info (Cell Phones & Ham Radios in Cars Bill) on VRC Website

Mike and I put the HB 2377 info onto its own page, linked from the main page of www.valleyradioclub.org. It contains the letter from Bonnie which nearly everyone has seen (see copy below under "From the ARRL") as well as a pdf file and a Ram audio file (Real Player) about the bill. Please read, listen and pass along the info to others that may not be connected with the w7pxl reflector.

Thank You

Dale w7lk

HB2377 - Audio Archive Link for House Work Session Discussing the Bill

Hello VRC members,

If you are interested in listening to the discussion of HB2377 by the House Transportation Subcommittee during their Work Session from April 20th (this past Monday) where the committee reviewed and passed the amended "Mobile Communications" (also known as the "Distracted Driving") bill to the Oregon House floor for a vote, follow the below link.

You need "RealPlayer" to listen to it.   Real Player can be downloaded for free from <http://www.real.com/>www.real.com. On the Real home page see "Get RealPlayer Free" and click "Free Download."

http://www.leg.state.or.us/listn/archive/archive.2009s/HTRANS-200904201243.ram

73,

Joe     K7BIK   K7BIK@arrl.net

Kudos To W7ARD

Just to let the membership know, Matt W7ARD, with me as gopher, finished the last of the project to improve all the Red Cross antennas - today was the new mast and stringing up a newer dipole for the HF frequencies allocated to the Red Cross. Matt did his usual work above and beyond the call!

73, Mark N7MQ

Update On Bob W7FPY

Just got a call from June Shelby, to report that Bob's surgery today went well, and they will go forward with the valve replacement procedure next Monday (think she said). Asked that I let the ham community know that Bob came through the procedure well.

73, Mark N7MQ

***** MINUTES of the Valley Radio Club Meeting April 3, 2009 *****

MINUTES

I. President Riley, W7RIL, called the meeting to order at 1906 hours.

        The attendance sheet was circulated. Members in attendance introduced themselves by name and call. Hard copies of recent newsletter were offered. Membership applications were offered.

       The meeting was carried live via streaming video, with an initial video check-in of 5 members.

There were 69 member present at the Red Cross site.

II. Current Business

A. John, K7JU, presented up-dated club rosters, current as of March 31, 2009. IF YOU ARE NOT ON THE ROSTER, contact John.

       If anyone is not getting club mail due to address error, send email with correct address to Jim: his email address is

   B. Matt, W7ARD, announced a new Tech class, beginning Thursday, April 9, 2009 at the Red Cross building at 7:00 pm. He has one Tech manual in stock; Norvac Electronics is an alternate source of textbooks and manuals.

        Matt also reminded members that Whereís Waldo, the 100k race at Willamette Pass will take place August 22, 2009. Matt will call for volunteers for that event.

Matt has equipment for sale. Call 541-954-7762.

C. The nest DX SIG group meeting will be April 22, 2009 at Countryside Pizza, 645 River Road, Eugene, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Mark, N7MQ, will discuss computerizing..

D. Mark, N7MQ, made the following announcements:

Certificates of appreciation for assistance with the Eugene courthouse installation: Matt Dillon, W7ARD; Ralph Cook, W7WTQ; Mike Kelley, W7CN, Rob Cooley, WB7ROB; and Elmer McClellan, KC7QAG.

Mark has provided pdf files on the VRS and LSARO websites for revised packet chart, ARES operating plan, ARES frequencies, training criteria and GO-Kit information.

    Elmer, KC7QAG, held a Packet Academy with 17 participants interested in packet transmission.

    There will be a SET on Tuesday, April 28, 2009. Contact Mark, N7MQ, to participate.

     Radios and packets have been installed at Riverbend.

    There will be blitz (one-day) training sessions in May at a Cottage Grove location and at the Red Cross.

        E. President Riley, W7RIL, announced that the June 27-28, 2009 Field Day events will take place at the EWEB parking lot at 4th and High in Eugene. Riley is taking orders for field Day T-shirts ($15,00), pins ($5.00), water bottles ($4.00) and hats ($10.00). Contact Riley to place an order.

      F. Mindy,K7MCB, is trying to complete a group order for club jackets. She needs two more individual orders. She also announced having tool boxes ($15.00) and alligator clips ($3.00) for sale.

G. Legislative Report: Mike KE7QED had no news to report. He continues to track the bills in the Oregon legislature of interest to amateur radio operators. None are up yet for further discussion. He is continuing to talk to legislators to clear up misconceptions about radio communications.

      I. The club is raffling off a $400 gift certificate for HRO. As of the end of last meeting, 53 tickets had been sold. Tickets are $5.00.

        J. 2009 annual dues are due. $10.00/single member; $15.00/family

       K. "The Rickreall Story": President Riley, W7RIL, reported that at the February 2007 Rickreall Swap Meet, Riley and Ralph Cook, W7WTQ manned the table, logged the equipment sold and collected the money. Thereafter, for reasons unknown, the paperwork and checks were misplaced. About 6 months ago, Al, K3DUW, was called about 4 uncashed checks. A search discovered the uncashed checks and lost paperwork. The club owed Ralph Cooley $645.00 for equipment sold at Rickreall, and President Riley handed over a check in that amount to Ralph at the meeting, along with two raffle tickets to make amends.

L. Dale, W7LK, and Dick, W7EU, made a presentation to Marv Wines, W7AE, in appreciation for his years of assisting with VE testing, and his vigorous research into call signs on behalf of club members and others. Dale and Dick presented Marv with two club jackets, a light weight one, and a heavier weight one, with instructions to ìcheck the pocketsî and ìtake the wife out to dinner.î

M. Jim Darrough, KI7AY, announced the April 25, 2009 March of Dimes walk, and called for volunteers who will need Hts, warm clothes, extra batteries and a lawn chair. To get involved, contact W7PXL-JOIN@vrc,org to get on the mailing list.

N. Ralph, W7WTQ, presented a certificate of merit to Mark, N7MQ, for his work in getting the courthouse roof antenna/coax to control room installation completed, his work on packet radio with Elmer, and the upgrade and installation at Riverbend EC.

O.. Mike, KC7ZFP, and Dale, W7LK reported that of 5:00 pm April 3, 2009 the new website was up. Go to A new feature on the website is space for any member to display his or her personal/business webpage to advertize.

PROGRAM:                The Sheriffís Department Search and Rescue (SAR) Training: Report by Recent Trainees Joyce Beaver, KA7FDH / Thomas ______, KD7___ / Kenton Sturdevant, K7BQ / Brent Hottle, KD7WIO

      The four SAR trainees were enthusiastic about the SAR training, and shared their reasons for enrolling the training, and some of the things they have learned. The training consisted of 20 classes, with final tests for information and skill demonstration, and graduation set for April 22, leading to state certification. Initially, 35 trainees began the program; a few have dropped out.

       Joyce wanted to get more involved in search and rescue work, and has learned about making shelter, starting a fire, and boiling water. Thomas has been involved in Whereís Waldo and Project Life Saver training, and wanted to be involved in larger missions. Kenton has had experience with the Sheriffís group for emergency communications, and the radio tracking system for persons with dementia, and has provided support to free up resources on the Shu search, and now wants to get state certification. Brent wants an opportunity to see more of Lane County and Oregon. He has volunteered with the sheriffís group since 1982, and now wants to combine that work with more hiking and camping.

During training, our member-trainees helped non-ham trainees learn how to use radios, change batteries, change frequencies, conserve battery power, and even how to hold the equipment for best transmission.

   Other lessons: how to start a fire, gather enough wood for 24 hours, build a shelter, land navigate using maps and GPS systems; and identify poison oak.

        Thomas rode in a helicopter, took rescue dogs in the helicopter, and enjoyed teaching the use of radio. Joyce advised that the GO-Kit for SAR is a very different thing than for Red Cross support, and lots of dry socks are essential.

        All four expressed a greater appreciation and respect for persons engaged in search and rescue. Lane County has more SAR activity than any other county in Oregon, in part because of its rich and varied opportunities for outdoor and back country activities. All four agreed that there is a right way and a wrong way to do search and rescue. Persons involved should be trained, and should be backed up by a strong support system. Many different groups: 4-wheel groups, mountain rescue people, Scout Explorer posts and others coordinate their efforts to assist the Sheriffís group. All four urged all interested persons to take the next SAR training, and stressed that there is opportunity and need for varied skill levels and levels of outdoor physical endurance.

       Russ Ruby, W7AU, admitting to having been rescued three times, said that he is ìgoing to join the other sideî and assist with the Benton County SAR group.

      Don Reid, W7DMR, also spoke up for the Corvallis-based group.

   President Riley, W7RIL, called for a break, during which time a brisk business was done selling lottery tickets.

III. Routine Business

   A. Minutes from the March meeting were presented and accepted.

B. Treasurer Al, K3DUW, was absent. No treasurerís report was available. Below is a repeat of the February treasurerís report.

General Fund - Balance Carried Forward    $2,024.75
Collections

321.00
Expenditures

18.00
Balance

$2,327.75

Raffle Fund - Balance Carried Forward $ 859.14
Collections

105.00

Expenditures

400.00
Balance

        $   859.14

Station Fund - Balance Carried Forward       $1,346.90
Collections

150.00
Balance

        $1,496.90

Grand Total                                   $4,388.79

      C. Trustees Report. Larry, WJ7S, trustee reported that ìthe shack looks good.î

D. VE Report. The March 11, 2009 session produced 5 new Technicians and 1 new General. The next test session is March 11, 2009. Larry Bloomfieldís group in Florence produced 5 new Technicians and 6 new Generals. The next VRC test is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at the Red Cross building, 7:00 pm.

    E. New Members:

First Reading for:      Rob Cooley, WB7ROB - Extra

David Foster, NB7R - Extra

Ed Alpers, KC7KYV, Technician

F. Brags and Good-of-the-Order. Ron Snow, K7EB, will be holding a Tech class at the Eugene Faith Center, 6:30-8:30 pm, Thursdays, from April 23 - June 11, 2009

President Riley adjourned the meeting at 2055 hours.

Respectfully submitted,

Sylvia, KE7SLT
Secretary

***** VRC CLUB CORNER *****

ARRL MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS: The Club can receive money when you renew your ARRL membership. VRC gets $15 or each new ARRL membership for members of ARRL affiliated clubs and $2 for each ARRL membership renewal. For the details contact VRC Treasurer, Al K3DUW.

CLUB BADGES: You too can get a name badge with the VRC logo. And when ordering that, get one of the great Club patches as well. Check with Prez Riley at the next meeting and get the details on how to order yours - show and wear the club badge and the club patch.

CLUB HATS: Club hats with names and call signs are good to have and wear at the various public service events where club members provide radio support. To get the hats, go to "J & S Embroidery" and ask about "ham radio hats". They are custom made and available for about $13.00. J & S Embroidery is located at 1406 Carter Lane in Springfield. The phone number is: 741-1394.

***** VALLEY RADIO CLUB ACTIVITIES CALENDAR *****

6 Meter SIG: Informal net held at 7:30 p. m. local time Tuesdays on 50.125 USB, run by Larry and Marv. For more, contact Larry WJ7S [wj7s@yahoo.com] or Marv W7AE [marv.w7ae@gmail.com].

VE Sessions: second Wednesday each month at Red Cross bldg - contact Riley W7RIL for info and registration. His number is 345-2407, or w7ril@arrl.net.

Em Comm Testing: contact Riley W7RIL well in advance of the regular VE sessions and he will arrange for Em Comm testing on ARRL Em Comm certification categories.

Code Class: no current plans, but if interested, contact Ron WJ7R wj7r@comcast.net.

Technician License Classes: Matt W7ARD teaches Technician classes. Contact him for more info on when his next one starts. The Ham Radio License Manual is available from Matt or from Norvac Electronics. There is no cost for the class. Students should download supplemental info about the book at http://www.arrl.org/hrlm. Please contact Matt via email at w7ard@msn.com or phone at 689-0640 to sign up.

DX and Contest Sig: now meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month [except November and December to adjust for holidays] at Countryside Pizza & Grill, 645 River Road. The meetings will start at 6 p.m. to order any snacks or food, and then there is a program with a video, followed by discussions of current DX and contesting matters.

Em Comm Classes: For the next emergency communication classes, based upon Em Comm I or Em Comm II certification by ARRL please contact Mark N7MQ at n7mq@arrl.net.

Packet Information Group (P.I.G.): Meetings are generally on the 3rd Saturdays of the month from 7:00 to 9:00pm at the Red Cross building located at 862 Bethel Drive, in Eugene. If you have any questions, please send them to KC7QAG@aol.com. See you all there! KC7QAG / Elmer McClellan

Valley Voice newsletter articles/announcements/etc.: Please email your info to Tom Cleveland KE7GBO at ke7gbo@arrl.net. The newsletter is usually sent out the weekend before the monthly meeting and all material received in time will be included.

***** FROM THE ARRL ****

URGENT - Oregon Mobile Communications Bill

HB2377 is one of the mobile communication bills in the house that impacts Ham radio, and it is heading to the House Floor for a vote in the next 7-10 days.

We need your help TODAY to try and defeat this bill. The only exemption for Ham radio in the bill is during emergency or public service activities.

Please write your representative and ask them to vote against the bill for the following reasons:

1. It is poorly written. The bill seeks to keep people focused on the road but still allows people to takes their eyes off the road to dial and program their phones.

2. Even Representatives on the committee were unsure during the Work Session if the bill does what it is supposed to. Some believe could be interpreted to exempt texting while others read the language differently.

3. One clause in the bill, allowing "activating or deactivating a mobile device", is so vague it could allow nearly any activity depending on how the phrase is interpreted.

Because the bill is so poorly written, at this point it is not necessary to be concerned about the effect on amateur radio in your arguments to your State Representative.

You can find your legislator by visiting this site: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

You can email your legislator directly from this form: http://www.leg.state.or.us/writelegsltr/

NOTE: Please keep your arguments against the bill confined to the points above. It is important to send a unified message, and to send a message that has the best arguments against the bill. Remember, the goal is to get a NO vote from members. At this point, the best argument for a NO vote is that the bill is poorly written and vague. An argument solely based on Ham radio's concerns is not going to convince legislators to vote NO.

BACKGROUND:

Last weekend, after I sent out the section news for April, I learned that a work session with the House Transportation Committee had been scheduled for HB2377.

Normally the public is not allowed to testify at the work sessions but I attended to listen. Rep. Boone from Clatsop County, was concerned about how this would affect the ham radio operators so the chair of the committee allowed me to come up and answer her questions. So the fact that some of the Representatives recognize me and know I represent amateur radio has some benefit.

I expressed my concerns about the issues with the bill. It passed the Transportation Committee with the amendments anyway. Rep. Tomei claimed that all my concerns were addressed. Rep. Boone came back to talk to me after the work session and said she would make sure my concerns were addressed in the final wording. I again expressed my concerns to her.

We will continue working on the floor of the House, and on the Senate side if it passes the House. Since there is a tight timeframe, there is likely to be a lot of opposition on the Senate side, and there were so many 'no' votes from the House Transportation Committee, there is a very good chance that a mobile communication bill will not pass this session.

Kevin Curry, KA7KYQ, recommended to me that I work with a specific representative who is sympathetic to our cause and have a "floor letter" distributed to all House members when it comes to the floor of the House. I will begin working on that.

If it passes there, we will immediately begin working with the appropriate committee on the Senate side. The Senate President is most likely going to assign it to the Senate Business and Transportation Committee.

Please be assured that we are watching the bill. Many times when there is movement, we have very little notice. This is particularly true late in the legislative session. But either I will be at any hearings and work sessions or I will make sure someone is there in my place. In addition I am building a list of primary contacts around the state for each represenative and senator so I can make sure we can quickly make a quality contact from every district. If you want to be my primary contact, please let me know who your representative and senator is.

I will be working on getting a "floor letter" distributed and beginning to make contacts with appropriate senate committee members.

I will keep you updated.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

ARRL Oregon Section
Section Manager: Bonnie M. Altus, AB7ZQ
ab7zq@arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Monthly Oregon Section News Summary

I have been unusually busy lately. One of the colleges I am teaching online for asked me to develop a new course for them. As soon as I am done developing it, things will get back to normal. We are still monitoring some legislative bills and will let you know if there is anything new on them.

7QP CONTEST (Seventh Call Area QSO Party)
Dick Frey, K4XU, is once again heading up 7QP for Oregon. The dates for this contest are May 2-3 so it is coming up soon!

The current list of counties he has covered for 7QP is located at: http://www.codxc.com/new/Page.asp?Content=DRYLAND7S&Page=2. Check the site and see if help is needed in your county. The goal is to cover all 36 counties in the state. If you haven't operated in a contest yet, this is a good time to try it. Last year I operated mobile since I can drive 15 miles and have touched 4 counties (Polk, Yamhill, Lincoln, and Tillamook). I didn't do very well but I did make a couple of contact in the midwest who said it was a new county for them.

Dick says that only the hard ones are left to get all 36 counties covered. He's hoping to get one of the Portland mobiles to go out Interstate 84 and cover the rare ones along the river, so if you can do that, please let him know. He really needs to find someone interested in operating the contest from Tillamook County, so if you know anyone there who works HF, put out the word.

Digital modes have been added to the 7QP this year will also help shake more new operators out of the bushes and overall logs are up. Two and a half weeks to go!

SECTION CLUB NEWS
Pat Roberson, W7PAT, compiles a club news for the section that I send out each
month when he is able to collect enough club news. Please note that he changed his call sign to W7PAT. It was N7 before. Be sure to send him any news about club activities so he can publish the information to the section. It might give others good ideas for their activities.
Below is his news for March:

The Valley Radio Club in Eugene is updating their website. Normally the site is: www.valleyradioclub.org but for now use: www.qsl.net/w7lk.

If you have any club information you would like to share, please send it to me at: w7pat@arrl.net. Please note the new email address and call sign.

Pat Roberson, W7PAT
Assistant Section Manager / Administrative

NORTHWEST COMMUNICATION SUMMIT April 14th 2009
District 1 District Emergency Coordinator, David Kidd, KA7OZO, was the Keynote speaker at the NW Communications Summit held April 14th, 2009, at the Red Lyon Conference Center in Portland. The event was entitled, "Bridging the Gaps in Emergency Communications" and was sponsored by the VA. Attending were emergency managers from regional hospitals, Multnomah County, Portland Fire & Rescue, and Oregon State Public Health. The ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Bill Morris (W7IH) spoke several times from the floor and addressed the necessity for standardized I.D. cards. ASEC-PIO Steve Sanders (KE7JSS) spoke with a number of attendees about I.D. cards and the importance of proper message writing and the use of correct forms. District 1 ARES members in attendance were Kathleen Resburg (KE7AJH - Heartnet, Portland VA Amateur Radio Coordinator), Lauren O'Brian (K7SKY - Tillamook AEC/PIO), Kent Polowski (N7KPN - Portland Fire), Clatsop County's Jeff Holwege (AB7DN -Tsunami Amateur Radio Society) and Roxann Holwege (AB7HO - Providence Seaside), and one of Washington County's newest members, Tara Harper. The focus of the event was emergency communications and the importance of ARES was stressed again and again by each presenter. It is rewarding to hear our service organization being recognized as a valued member of Oregon's emergency management system, but at the same time it is a reminder as to just how prepared we must be at all times!

Report provided by Steve Sanders, KE7JSS, ASEC-PIO (Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator - Public Information Officer)

OREGON SECTION TRAFFIC MGR REPORT - MARCH 2009
NET ACTIVITY MARCH 2009: (ALL NETS REPORTING 31 SESSIONS)
OREGON EMERGENCY NET, QNI 6615, QTC 25, N7RBO NET MGR
OREGON EMERGENCY NET FEBRUARY: 28 SESSIONS, QNI 4777, QTC 11, N7RBO
OREGON ARES TRAFFIC NET, QNI 515, QTC 108, WA7FXF NET MGR
ARES DISTRICT #1NET, QNI 1108, QTC 33, KC7ZZB NET MGR
OREGON SECTION NET #1, QNI 200, QTC 79, WS7L NET MGR
OREGON SECTION NET #2, QNI 111, QTC 99, KC7SRL NET MGR
BEAVER STATE NET, QNI 773, QTC 89, N7CM NET MGR
NW TRAFFIC & TRAINING NET, QNI 458, QTC 170, N7YSS NET MGR

STATION ACTIVITY REPORT (SAR) MARCH 2009:
K7IFG 294, N7YSS 198, K7EAJ 156, N7CM 135, W7IZ 131, K7PMB 86, KC7SRL 59, KK1A
46, W7ELI 41, KK7DEB 40, W7VSE 33, WS7L 20

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL (PSHR):
N7CM 220, K7EAJ 215, N7XG 110, N7YSS 110, W7ELI 100, KK7DEB 99, KK1A 90, W7VSE
82, KD7THV 9

Thanx all
73/Scott W7IZ
Oregon Section Traffic Manager

ARES ACTIVITIES
Bill Morris, W7IH, the Section Emergency Coordinator, has distributed a detailed document to all the DEC's for distribution throughout the organization. There is some confusion about the process being used for distributing the equipment being provided under the governor's grant and this document explains the entire process and explanations about why the process was established. If you have not seen the document and are interested in learning more about it, please talk to your ARES EC. Each emergency coordinator should have received the document.

ARES also has a statewide net the first and third Tuesday of every month at 1900 hrs on 3964 kHz and 1978 kHz simultaneously. ARES units are encouraged to check into the net from their EOC (emergency operations center) as often as they can in order to test antennas and equipment.

If you are involved in ARES, put this on your calendar.

Marion County ARES unit has a new EC. It is Frank Gruber, KB7NJV. Doug Asay has done a great job as EC of that county and plans to stay involved in the group whenever he is not traveling.

OFFICIAL OBSERVER ACTIVITIES
Everett Curry, W6ABM, the OO Coordinator, reports that nine observers monitored 450 hours during March. There were no advisories and no good operator reports sent during March.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Oregon Section
Section Manager: Bonnie M. Altus, AB7ZQ
ab7zq@arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------

When Vandals Strike Infrastructure, Hams Provide Communications Support

Just after midnight on April 9, someone climbed down four manholes in the San Jose, California area and cut underground fiber optic cables. The sabotage led to widespread disruption of phone service -- including tens of thousands of land lines, an undetermined number of cell phones, Internet access and 911 emergency service -- in southern Santa Clara County, as well as in Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. San Jose is the county seat of Santa Clara County. With the infrastructure disabled, local Emergency Management officials called on ham radio operators in their communities to provide back-up communications. According to the "San Jose Mercury News," Santa Clara County called a local state of emergency, "but worst-case scenarios were successfully avoided through use of ham radios, door-to-door checks and extra-vigilant patrols" <http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_12121118?nclick_check=1>.

In Santa Cruz County, just over the Santa Cruz Mountains from San Jose, Santa Cruz County District Emergency Coordinator Cap Pennell, KE6AFE, was awoken just after 5 AM on April 9 by uniformed police at his door. Sent by Dominican Hospital President Nanette Mickiewicz, the police officers escorted Pennell to the hospital for a brief on this situation: The fiber optic lines that had been cut in San Jose had affected the Santa Cruz hospital's communications infrastructure, cutting off communications from the hospital to the outside world. Santa Cruz is located on the northern edge of the Monterey Bay, about 70 miles south of San Francisco.

"While I was meeting with hospital department heads, Bob Wolbert, K6XX, had started our ARES Resource Net on the W6WLS/W6MOW linked repeaters," Pennell told the ARRL. "During the briefing, the hospital determined to implement HICS/SEMS for this emergency. There hadn't been telephones or Internet anywhere since about 2:30 AM. The hospital's phone system did work, but only within the hospital. Their internal computer local area network wasn't working either, so they were instantly on a 'paper system.'"

By 6:15, Pennell said they had established tactical radio links on the K6BJ/KI6EH linked repeaters between the Dominican Hospital Emergency Operations Center in Santa Cruz and the Watsonville Community Hospital emergency room; Watsonville is about 15 miles south of Santa Cruz via the Pacific Coast Highway. "We established HEARNET 155.385 simplex between both hospital ERs and County 911; HEARNET is the Hospital Emergency Administrative Radio Network. Once HEARNET (ER staff) and K6BJ repeater (hams) were staffed and operating at both hospitals, I left the hospital to become our initial ham operator at the County Emergency Operations Center and operated as ARES/ACS shift supervisor from there for the rest of the day," Pennell reported.

Throughout the day, Pennell said that hams -- including some in Monterey County who had been working telephones -- helped dispatch ambulances, conferred with the Poison Center on a children's poisoning case, ordered replacement blood supplies for two hospitals from San Jose Red Cross, relayed a complex major "whole hospital" day's food order to the supplier out of county, tracked down various doctors for emergency consultations and shared status updates from our area. "We did all this while in unity with the County government, public safety agencies and California Emergency Management Agency's Coastal Region," he said. "Greg Smith of Cal-EMA <http://www.calema.ca.gov/> spent the day in the Santa Cruz EOC with us." All service was restored by 12:15 AM on Friday, April 10.

NETCOM, the dispatch center for most police and fire agencies in Santa Cruz County, was able to receive 911 calls placed from land lines, but could not receive calls placed from cell phones, said Santa Cruz County Senior Dispatcher Stephanie Zube. "Because the only phone number many land line phone owners could call was 911," she said the center received "countless calls" regarding the blackout: "At least several people attempted to call 911 before driving themselves to the emergency room. A lady in Gilroy fled her home when a robber broke in, and couldn't call 911 before fleeing to a nearby firehouse."

Vandalism Takes Out System

San Jose and San Carlos police are joined in their investigation of the cut fiber optic cables -- now considered by authorities to be a coordinated act of sabotage -- by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and the FBI. The investigation also includes members of AT&T's security force, a handful of trained investigators working for the company. Authorities said on April 10 that evidence collection was complete, but would not elaborate on what exactly what they are examining or whether new security measures are in place to prevent similar acts of destruction.

San Jose police reported receiving about 10 tips concerning the sabotage; San Carlos police told the "Mercury News" that they were examining video surveillance of a major intersection near one of the four locations where AT&T's underground fiber-optic cables were sliced early Thursday morning.

On April 11, AT&T issued a $100,000 reward for information, but bumped up the reward to $250,000 the next day when it discovered that the damage was more serious than originally thought. According to the Daily Tech, some banks in the area were forced to close temporarily, while all service was disabled and hand-written receipts were offered to customers. Many businesses also were forced to either accept cash or close for a few hours, since credit card and ATM transactions were unavailable <http://www.dailytech.com/Vandals+Cut+Phone+Cables+Drop+Service+for+50K+People+911+Services/article14821.htm>.

Authorities say the communications sabotage occurred in two separate incidents, one at 1:30 AM in south San Jose and the other two hours later in San Carlos. Several companies, such as Verizon, "piggy back" on the AT&T-owned cables. AT&T spokesman John Britton told the "Mercury News" <http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_12115324?nclick> that it appears vandals opened a manhole and climbed down at least 8 feet to cut four or five fiber optic cables along Monterey Road just north of the Blossom Hill Road exit. The second vandalism was along Old County Road near Bing Street in San Carlos. San Jose police spokesman Sergeant Ronnie Lopez said the manhole covers are heavy and would take quite an effort to lift, perhaps even requiring a tool. Investigators do not have a suspect yet, he said, but have learned "to expect the unexpected. We have some obvious clues and can assume some things," but a motive remains elusive <http://www.mercurynews.com/valley/ci_12142268>.

Community Leaders Praise Hams

Gilroy, the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, was also affected. City Administrator/Director of Emergency Services Thomas J. Haglund expressed his thanks to the Amateur Radio operators who assisted with communications support, saying, "This particular emergency situation underscores that our reliance on technology should be balanced with maintaining the very types of capabilities that you provided to us. Communication is an obvious key to adequately responding to any emergency and the efforts of the Mutual Aid Communicators and the Gilroy Police VIP's provided the necessary communication and public visibility in this instance and demonstrated just how important your training and skill is to our community. Thank you very much for your dedication and expertise."

Gilroy Police Chief Denise Turner echoed Haglund's comments: "We truly appreciated all of your help during this challenging event! Each of you played a key role in a successful operation. I feel better knowing we have dedicated volunteers like you that will come to our aid in time of need! Thank you!" -- Some information provided by "The San Jose Mercury News" and "The Daily Tech"

ARRL Comments On Broadband Provisions In Recovery Act

On March 24, 2009, the FCC invited comments from interested parties concerning the Commission's consultative role in the broadband provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) <http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2009/db0324/DA-09-668A1.pdf>. In the Recovery Act, Congress assigned grant and loanmaking responsibilities to the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS). On April 13, the ARRL, through General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, submitted comments <http://www.arrl.org/news/files/BroadbandDefinitionDocket09-40.pdf> that expressed concern as "the threshold for what constitutes 'broadband' is a critical determination that will inevitably determine the success or failure of the [Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program] BTOP <http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/> program going forward."

In the League's comments to the FCC, the ARRL asked the Commission to adopt as the definition of broadband "those technologies capable of the minimum threshold bidirectional speeds [as recommended in the ARRL's comments], without variation among the type of broadband technology under consideration, as a minimum threshold in order to be considered for grants or loans of public funds."

While the FCC has no funds under the Recovery Act for grant or loanmaking, it does, however, have what the Commission describes as "an important role to play in providing expert, technical advice to the NTIA" as it establishes the BTOP, "and the Commission may also provide expert, technical advice to RUS as it proceeds with its own programs."

Imlay pointed out to the Commission that the ARRL actively participates in the Committee for Communications Policy of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-USA (IEEE-USA CCP), "which has engaged in considerable discussion of universal access to high-speed broadband networks, and in particular, broadband definitions and target goals for broadband deployment" <http://www.ieeeusa.org/volunteers/committees/ccp/>.

He told the Commission that the ARRL "wholeheartedly concurs" with that organization's views on broadband technologies, as detailed in its position statement, 'Nationwide High Speed Broadband Data Services,' that says "The most important short-term goal is broadening ubiquitous availability [of broadband]. Data rates should be sufficient to provide the equivalent of several channels of bidirectional, high resolution video, achievable by expanding the capabilities of current technologies" <http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/positions/broadband.pdf>.

The IEEE also says that it "initially advocates" the achievement of at least 20 Mb/s bidirectional speed with 90 percent availability throughout the nation within five years. "The wide penetration of such speeds will achieve most of the expected benefits and accommodate numerous simultaneous applications per household or small business. Of course, greater speeds can be had by those with greater needs. We further advocate the achievement of at least 100 Mb/s bidirectional speed with availability to all businesses and households within 10 years. The technology necessary to meet this goal is scalable to almost any future need at inexpensive upgrade costs."

Imlay said that IEEE-USA's position statement concludes that there are "two overarching goals for nationwide high-speed broadband networks: widespread availability and high performance." In providing public funds to achieve widespread availability, Imlay stated that the FCC, NTIA and the RUS should ensure that high performance should not be set aside to achieve that goal. "This," he told the Commission, "to ARRL, means the establishment of a floor for throughput of at least 20 Mb/s bidirectional speed for funding of broadband systems to be developed between now and 2014, and 100 Mb/s bidirectional speed for those systems to be implemented between 2014 and 2019. Expenditure of public funds should be limited to the technologies that can meet these goals."

The IEEE-USA statement also notes, Imlay explained to the Commission, that the FCC's recently adopted definition of broadband speed "is a series of tiers, starting as low as 768 kb/s. As noted in the statement, this is woefully inadequate to perform even current computing applications." Imlay called for an elimination of tiers "at least for purposes of determining what broadband technologies should be funded with public funds."

Imlay, in his comments, said that the "most urgent" of the FCC's "consultative issues with the NTIA" involve defining just what broadband is. "The Commission is obligated pursuant to the Recovery Act to consult with NTIA on the establishment of a national broadband service deployment and expansion program, and the NTIA is obligated, through the BTOP program, to provide access to broadband service to consumers residing in unserved areas," he said. "It is not useful in the expenditure of large sums of Recovery Act funds to promote broadband technologies that do not include the capabilities needed by individuals and businesses located in rural or underserved areas. Therefore, the threshold for what constitutes 'broadband' is a critical determination that will inevitably determine the success or failure of the BTOP program going forward."

The ARRL recognizes that the FCC has struggled with this definition for some time, Imlay wrote: "Indeed, in the Notice of Inquiry in Docket 09-51, FCC 09-31, released April 8, 2009 (at ¶15-16), the Commission stated that 'Broadband can be defined in myriad ways. In order to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband capability, we must make sure that the Commission appropriately identifies goals and benchmarks in this regard...In addition, to the extent that broadband is defined by 'speed,' should the Commission consider raising the speeds that define broadband? Should we distinguish among the various broadband technologies?" <http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2009/db0408/FCC-09-31A1.pdf>

Imlay said that it is the ARRL's position that the definition of "broadband" should include an "absolute lower threshold, minimum bidirectional speed. It should not be a variable concept determined by technology. To do otherwise is to provide grants and loans of public funds to technologies whose benefits are, in the medium term, inadequate and which might, for example, render businesses in rural areas less competitive than those located in urban areas. It is, in other words, not useful to fund the creation of infrastructure that will be obsolete in the near term or less useful than other technologies which provide greater speeds. That simply perpetuates the status quo, where there will still, going forward, be adequately served and underserved areas. The status quo is quite obviously unacceptable to Congress, and it should be.

2009 National Hurricane Conference Has Amateur Radio Focus

The 31st Annual National Hurricane Conference <http://www.hurricanemeeting.com/> will take place April 6-10 in Austin, Texas. This annual event brings together many disciplines in the Emergency Management field to address tropical events that impact the United States. According to ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, the conference will feature several Amateur Radio presentations catering to Amateur Radio operators, Emergency Management and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) officials. "This will be Amateur Radio's most significant presence at a National Hurricane Conference," Dura said. On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 7, Dura said an Amateur Radio Training Workshop will be offered free of charge to Amateur Radio operators, Emergency Management and NGO staff and volunteers attending the Conference. "This has been a yearly tradition at the conference," he said. "In addition, on Wednesday morning, April 8, an Amateur Radio Workshop on Situational Awareness and Disaster Intelligence, as well as an Amateur Radio 'Rap Session,' will be held.

Interplanetary Hams! German AMSAT Team Transmits, Receives Signals From Venus

On March 25, a group from AMSAT-DL bounced radio signals off the surface of Venus, marking the first time Amateur Radio operators have bounced radio signals off another planet <http://www.amsat-dl.org/pic/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem &g2_itemId=7561>. According to AMSAT-DL President Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, the Earth-Venus-Earth (EVE) transmission is another step in preparing for a mission to Mars. According to an AMSAT-DL press release, the team's transmitter was generating about 6 kW CW on 2.4 GHz.

Guelzow said that signals were sent from a ground control station at the IUZ Sternwarte observatory in Bochum: "After traveling almost 100 million kilometers and a round trip delay of about 5 minutes, they were clearly received as echoes from the surface of Venus. This was the first German success to receive echoes of other planets. In addition, this is the farthest distance crossed by radio amateurs, over 100 times further than echoes from the moon (EME reflections)."

The EVE experiment was repeated on March 26 for several hours with "good echoes" from Venus, Guelzow said. "Morse code was used to transmit the well-known 'HI' signature known from the AMSAT OSCAR satellites."

For receiving the EVE reflections, Guelzow said that the team used a fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis with an integration time of 5 minutes. "After integrating for 2 minutes only, the reflected signals were clearly visible in the display," he said. "Despite the bad weather, signals from Venus could be detected from 1038 UTC on until the planet reached the local horizon."

Guelzow explained that with the EVE reflections, the high power amplifier "has therefore passed this crucial test as a final key component for the planned P5-A Mars mission. By receiving generated echoes from Venus, the ground and command station for the Mars probe has been cleared for operational use and the AMSAT-DL team is now gearing up for building the P5-A space probe. AMSAT-DL wants to show that low-budget interplanetary exploration is possible with its approach."

Development, design and construction of this first German Mars mission have been achieved by AMSAT-DL and its partner organizations, Guelzow explained. "Already a third of the total project costs were performed. More work shall follow during the mission. AMSAT-DL would like to demonstrate that their approaches to low-cost space missions are feasible." -- Information provided by AMSAT-DL

ARRL Comments on FCC's Proposed Establishment of Rural Broadband Plan

On March 10, 2009, the FCC invited comments via a Public Notice <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-561A1.pdf> concerning the establishment of a comprehensive rural broadband strategy as part of the Department of Agriculture's Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, commonly known as the 2008 Farm Bill. Per the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), Congress required the FCC to develop a "comprehensive national broadband plan." According to the FCC, they, Congress, and the Secretary of Agriculture "have repeatedly recognized the importance of ensuring access to advanced telecommunications and information services to all Americans, with a special focus on rural and hard-to-serve areas." The proceeding provided an opportunity for the ARRL to express its concerns about broadband over power lines (BPL) <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/> that the FCC has yet to satisfactorily address.

In the comments submitted by ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD <http://www.arrl.org/news/files/09-29_Rural_Broadband_Comments_03_2009.p df>, the ARRL reaffirms its support of broadband opportunities in rural areas. "ARRL is in agreement that broadband is critical to the health of agricultural and other businesses, and to the educational interests of Americans who live in rural areas," Imlay stated. Imlay commended the FCC in looking for broadband solutions on both the short and long term, as well as identifying how Federal programs "might overcome obstacles that currently impede rural broadband development."

Imlay pointed out that while the FCC and various power utilities have touted BPL as a promising means of providing rural broadband service, the ARRL contends that there are "prohibitive limitations (notable among these being the large number, and the cost, of repeaters and couplers required on overhead, medium voltage power lines for what amounts to a limited number of subscribers' homes in rural areas)." The ARRL maintains that before BPL could ever be considered as a long-term source of broadband in rural America, the FCC must adopt rules that provide against BPL interference to the licensed radio services. Imlay said that studies have pointed out that BPL systems cause interference to licensed radio services in "certain configurations," such as international broadcasting, aeronautical, maritime, disaster relief, military and the Amateur Radio Service. "Of particular concern in rural areas is that low-band VHF radio systems are still common among state police, volunteer fire departments and other 'First Responder' public safety agencies," Imlay told the Commission, adding, "BPL systems using this frequency range can and would, without additional rules, likely block communications between dispatch centers and emergency response vehicles." Imlay said that Amateur Radio is a "continuous, intensive user of the high-frequency bands in residential areas," and as such, "is arguably the most pervasively affected" by deployment of BPL in rural areas. "Amateur mobile operation is a particularly notable victim of BPL interference, since medium-voltage power lines run parallel to roadways." The Commission's BPL rules "include no effective protection."

Imlay reminded the Commission that the ARRL, as well as broadcast industry representatives, challenged the adequacy of the FCC's BPL interference rules: "On appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the Court remanded the ET Docket 04-37 proceeding to the Commission <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/04/25/10064/?nc=1> with some very specific instructions, including reconsideration of assumptions relating to interference mitigation and disclosure of studies that had previously only been released in redacted form." Imlay pointed out that almost a year after the Court's decision, the Commission has done "literally nothing" to comply with the mandated instructions <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/03/04/10685/>.

In the six years that the BPL rules have been on the Commission's docket, Imlay said that there has been "continuous and extensive debate about the interference potential of BPL." This, he told the FCC, has created "some uncertainty" amongst the various utilities and municipalities that have been eyeing BPL as a broadband delivery mechanism, with the Commission's inaction since the Court's decision contributing to the uncertainty and "creating a dampening effect on the marketplace's interest in BPL." Before the FCC can implement a BPL policy for rural America, Imlay said that this "regulatory uncertainty" would need to be resolved. The cost of implementing interference resolution must be considered by any rural broadband provider, Imlay said. While there is nothing in the FCC rules concerning this, Imlay reminded the Commission that the ARRL, "some eight months ago, offered a plan to the Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology in this regard <http://www.arrl.org/?artid=8341>. The revised regulation suggested by ARRL would be sufficient to reduce the potential interference from BPL to the point that it would be practical to address such instances on a case-by-case basis. Compliance is achievable with present BPL technology without significant limitation on BPL deployment, rural or otherwise. However, the absence of such rules is an obstacle to any consideration of BPL as a rural broadband mechanism and makes an evaluation of interference mitigation difficult or impossible." The deployment of a BPL system with a high potential for interference would require expensive mitigation afterwards, whereas if the potential is reduced to an acceptable level at the time of deployment, the need for mitigation -- and therefore the cost -- will be greatly reduced.

Imlay told the FCC that more than four years ago, the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) <http://www.usda.gov/rus/> recognized "the need and willingness to utilize agency resources to remove interference concerns as an obstacle to rural broadband rollout (at least via BPL)." In a January 2005 letter from then-RUS Administrator Hilda Gay Legg to ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, regarding the RUS's Community Connect Grant Program <http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/commconnect.htm>, the RUS acknowledged that the cost of interference mitigation from BPL systems was a "significant" issue, and told the ARRL that "whenever a loan or grant application proposes broadband service delivery via BPL, the RUS will 'consider the cost of interference mitigation in [its] financial analysis.'" On March 20, current FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein was nominated by President Barack Obama <http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/03/23/10716/?nc=1> to become the next Administrator of the RUS.

Imlay told the Commission that "[i]f the means by which a grantee would comply with the Commission requirements for interference avoidance are not clear (which as of now they are not), it is unlikely that any applicant for a grant for broadband service using BPL could address the RUS's concern about interference." Therefore, Imlay said that it is necessary for the FCC to address the BPL interference issues on remand from the Court of Appeals "in order to remove this additional obstacle to an assessment of rural broadband opportunities via BPL."

The ARRL is "constrained" to note that the FCC has, over the past six years, "acted not as a dispassionate technical agency in the evaluation of certain broadband mechanisms, including BPL," Imlay noted, "instead acting as a self described 'cheerleader' for certain technologies, also including BPL." By these actions, Imlay said that the Commission "has ignored technical evidence that is contrary to its predisposition," and urged the FCC that "those same mistakes" not be repeated here. Imlay reminded the Commission that President Barack Obama, on his inauguration day earlier this year, placed a series of goals on the White House Web site. "Among these," Imlay said, "was the following, obviously laudable goal: 'Restore Scientific Integrity to the White House: Restore the basic principle that government decisions should be based on the best-available, scientifically valid evidence and not on ideological predispositions.' The Commission has the opportunity to implement this goal in this Docket proceeding."

Saying that rural broadband opportunities should be "evaluated in terms of the scientific realities of the technologies on the table, and not on the basis of what the Commission wants to believe about them," the ARRL asked the FCC to fulfill "without further delay the obligations placed upon it by the United States Court of Appeals in ET Docket 04-37, and adopt such revised and additional rules for BPL so as to eliminate the extant interference potential of the technology." With the regulatory uncertainty and unresolved interference issues that continue to surround BPL, the resolution of ET Docket 04-37 is a "prerequisite for the development" of a plan for a complete evaluation of rural broadband opportunities and the development of a rural broadband plan.

New ARRL Advanced Emergency Communications Course In The Works

Over the past several months, ARRL staff have been reviewing the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications online course program <http://www.arrl.org/cep/> and have decided to combine two of the three Emergency Communications courses. According to ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, the review included a critical examination of the course content, as well as methods of course delivery and interrelationships with government organizations. Johnson said that the decision was made to revise the Level 3 course to become a new Advanced Emergency Communications Course; this, she said, will replace both the current Level 2 and Level 3 courses. The new advanced course is set to be released during the last quarter of 2009.

"Our aim is to develop professional level courses which are widely accepted by other organizations for the emergency communication component of Amateur Radio," she said. "We are investigating requirements that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is currently putting in place for approved courses, as well as other possibilities to develop emergency communications training that meets the emerging training needs surrounding emergency communications."

Students who have previously taken the Level 2 course will need to have the new advanced course to complete the current Amateur Radio Emergency Communications training program, Johnson explained. "Those who have completed the Level 1 course may progress directly to the advanced course when it is made available; this new course contains content formerly included in the former Level 2 and 3 courses." Johnson said that there are no current plans to change the Basic Level 1 course and that that course will continue to be offered in its current format.

With the combining of the Level 2 and 3 courses, Johnson said that anyone who had signed up for the Level 2 course set to begin April 17 may apply for a refund. Any scheduled field instruction of the Level 2 content, as well as Level 2 exam sessions, will also be suspended. "We will honor exam sessions that have been previously scheduled and award Level 2 certificates for any exams successfully completed up to May 31," she said.

"Our training program mandate is to provide the training that ham radio communicators need to be prepared to serve our communities in time of communications emergencies," Johnson explained. "This consolidation of program content will streamline the delivery of the training and apply volunteer and administrative support resources more effectively."

FCC Denies Michigan Ham's Request For Ruling on Antenna In Mobile Home Community

In October 2007, Christopher Kaczmarek, KB8MLC, of Saginaw, Michigan, petitioned the FCC for a ruling regarding the installation of his Amateur Radio antenna. Kaczmarek told the FCC that he received a notice from the manager of his mobile home community stating the antennas were not allowed and asked for "a ruling from the Commission recognizing [his] right to an Amateur Radio antenna structure." On April 6, 2009, the FCC denied Kaczmarek's request for a ruling in his favor, based on the fact that PRB-1 protections do not extend to private homeowners' agreements <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-774A1.pdf>.

The Commission agreed with Kaczmarek that Section 97.15 of the Commission's Rules provides that "state and local regulation of antenna structures must not preclude amateur service communications, must reasonably accommodate such communications, and must constitute the minimum practicable regulation to achieve the state or local authority's legitimate purpose." In its letter to Kaczmarek, the FCC pointed out that it has not, however, extended this policy to regulations promulgated by private parties.

Saying that it has considered this same question twice before, the FCC told Kaczmarek that it "chose not to preempt private land use regulations that restrict the installation of antennas and associated support structures used by Amateur Radio stations. As agreements between private parties are voluntarily established and freely entered into, the Commission is hesitant to interfere with them unless it is shown that private agreements will seriously disrupt the federal regulatory scheme."

Seattle Hosts Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Seminar

More than 250 hams and emergency communications professionals enjoyed two days of focused programs and socializing at the 11th Annual Communications Academy in Seattle over the weekend of April 3-4 <http://www.commacademy.org/>. Held at South Seattle Community College in West Seattle, the conference drew attendees from across the country, mostly from the Pacific Northwest: Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. "The organizing committee, led by Marina Zuetell, N7LSL, is to be commended for putting together this useful annual event that continues to get better each year," said ARRL Contributing Editor and conference attendee H. Ward Silver, N0AX. "The beginner's track was created by Brian Daly, WB7OML, who unfortunately was unable to attend the conference due to some emergency situations at work. He recruited a great team of individuals to take on teaching the five different segments."

According to Silver, the conference is designed to interest everyone from brand new hams to seasoned EmComm veterans -- even emergency management and planning professionals. The breakfast keynote speakers were King County (Washington) Emergency Management Director Robin Friedman and ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD. Silver said the program was organized roughly along three tracks: Introduction to Amateur Radio for new hams; technical topics of interest to EmComm operation, and reports or training programs with EmComm themes or subjects.

"The track for brand-new hams was particularly well received," Silver said." Hosted by Scott Currie, NS7C, the programs began Saturday morning with 'Getting Your First Radio' and concluded Sunday with 'I Get It Now! Basic EmComm Equipment Needs.' This is no substitute for hands-on Elmering and training, but it certainly helps the ham with a brand new Technician license in need of some guidance."

Silver noted there were two technical programs on digital voice modes, such as D-STAR <http://www.dstarinfo.com/> and Project 25 <http://www.project25.org/>. "The presenters guided the audience through some of the intricacies of digital voice technology, comparing and contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of each," he said. "Microsoft's Groove communications technology <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/groove/HA101656331033.aspx> was explored as a tool for EmComm teams along with the use of D-RATS <http://www.d-rats.com/wiki/> -- a software package that makes use of D-STAR's low-speed data mode. An 'Ask the Doctor' question-and-answer session proved lively with questions ranging from 'how to' about antennas through the regulations regarding identification on digital voice modes. Staff from a local wireless store gave a standing-room-only presentation on installing mobile radios of all sorts in vehicles." Communications Academy also offered planning and training programs, including such seminars on how to recognize haz-mat situations through "windshield surveys," ways to provide neighborhood-level communications, methods to develop situational awareness and NOAA weather. "The most difficult thing about the Communications Academy," Silver said, "is deciding what programs to give up in order to see the ones you want!" One course offered was on the Emergency Alert System. According to Zuetell, the system is not an Amateur Radio system but is "a Federal program used by emergency management officials that utilizes the public broadcast system to send targeted local alerts out to the public. The thrust of the presentation was to begin training Amateur Radio operators to program the equipment on a regular basis to keep it current and correct."

One of the highlights of the Communications Academy is an opportunity to see the local EmComm organizations demonstrate their mobile communications facilities. This year, nearly a dozen vehicles from small cargo vans to full-sized trucks were lined up outside. "There was plenty of time and excellent weather for attendees to tour the vehicles, with radios spanning the low HF bands through microwave," Silver said. "While not every club or team is fortunate enough to have its own mobile radio center, you can't help but come away with ideas from improving any EmComm station."

The building competition, wherein individuals submit examples of their ability to create EmComm-related radio packages, is a recent addition to the programs at Communications Academy. Silver said that this year's theme was to build a portable radio system that could operate from portable dc power and on as many EmComm-related bands and modes as possible. "Each entry was judged by both a panel of judges and by the attendees, with the winning score a combination of both," he said. "Like the communication vans, even if you didn't have such a package yourself, it was impossible not to walk away thinking of incorporating some of the ideas at home or in your mobile station."

Silver said that one of the highlights of the Saturday morning "Donuts and Danish" introductory remarks each year is learning how many millions of dollars worth of volunteer time and thousands of driven miles are contributed to the public good by ham radio operators, working together to prepare and be ready: "As the news reports show, it's never very long before the next opportunity to serve, no matter where you live!"

FCC, Indianapolis Police Department Address Unlicensed Operations

In response to an investigation by the FCC, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) <http://www.indy.gov/eGov/IMPD/Pages/home.aspx> has taken action to prevent further use of Amateur Radio frequencies by unlicensed officers. Any Amateur Radio equipment in the cruisers of unlicensed officers was removed by order of IMPD Chief of Police Michael T. Spears.

According to the FCC, some IMPD officers were using the radios to supplement their normal communications channels, including using amateur frequencies for tactical communications during drug surveillance. As part of its inquiry, the FCC reminded the IMPD of the large number of tactical channels available on a secondary basis to police departments from the public safety pool of frequency allocations.

"We are pleased that IMPD has put a stop to this unlicensed activity," said ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND. "The investigation by the FCC, coupled with the expedient cooperation and correction of the problem by the IMPD, eliminates a situation that had raised serious concerns in the amateur community."

The FCC stated they would monitor the situation and follow-up appropriately if needed.

Solar Update

Tad "The Sun is hot on my neck as I observe" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: Still no sunspots, and again we saw a prediction for slightly higher solar flux slip away. Sunspot numbers for April 9-15 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 0. The 10.7 cm flux was 70.1, 69.4, 69.3, 69.3, 68.4, 69.4 and 69.4 with a mean of 69.3. The estimated planetary A indices were 12, 8, 9, 8, 4, 2 and 3 with a mean of 6.6. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 9, 6, 7, 4, 3, 1 and 2 with a mean of 4.6. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page <http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html>. To read this week's Solar Report in its entirety, check out the W1AW Propagation Bulletin page <http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/>. This week's "Tad Cookism" brought to you by Edna St Vincent Millay's "Spring" <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=173994>.

W1AW 2009 Operating Schedule

The W1AW Operating Schedule may be found on the web at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html .

==================================================

73,

Tom Cleveland KE7GBO
Editor - Valley Voice KE7GBO@arrl.net