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AND THE WINNERS FOR THE HANDBOOKS ARE...
Thanksgiving >>
Jacquelyn Swinehart, KE8EVU and the End of the month winner is >> Gregg Russel, KB8USO
Wow.. What a month we had! The response from all of you was
absolutely FANTASTIC..!! We had over 2,600
respond this past month. Traffic on our website really tells the tale for sure.
I’d say we had a very successful drawing for sure. We almost doubled the traffic
on the website. I’ve got some really neat ideas for a special Christmas
drawing, but you’ll just have to wait for the BIG Red Arrow to appear back on
the website to get the full low down on just what I am planning. Trust me, you
won’t want to miss out in this one for sure!!!!
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FCC Special Counsel
Laura Smith Says Amateur Enforcement Will Be Aggressive
FCC Special Counsel Laura Smith told a standing-room-only
audience at the ARRL Pacific Division Convention (Pacificon) in October that,
despite FCC cutbacks, Amateur Radio enforcement will not be compromised. Smith
spoke for nearly an hour and a half on a variety of FCC issues related to
Amateur Radio, and the entire presentation is
available on YouTube, thanks to Bob Miller, WB6KWT, and his son Robert, KA7JKP,
who recorded the forum. Smith said that with the FCC set to shut down 11 field
offices across the country in January, the Enforcement Bureau has reorganized
into three US regions, and she does not anticipate any significant issues for
the Amateur Service as a result.
“The amateur community will go forward,” she said, noting
that amateurs have “an incredible ability to self-police.” In light of the
field office closings, she has been working with ARRL to revamp the Official
Observer (OO)
program.
“We are going to redo the entire program,” she told the
Pacificon forum. Given that the field office cutbacks have left the FCC short
staffed, the OO program will step into the gap, with OOs serving as the first
line of defense in Amateur Radio enforcement, she explained. Working more
closely with the OOs, Smith said, will get information on problems to the field
staff more quickly, so they can follow up.
Smith praised the OOs for contributing their time and effort
to monitor the bands and to alert licensees both to problematic and positive
behavior on the air.
She also said the FCC is more aggressively policing the
Amateur Radio bands, and she cited the case of
an unlicensed individual in New York, who was arrested and assessed a fine for
interfering with Amateur Radio repeaters as well as with public service
communication systems.
“We’re aggressively going after people who are cutting into
your frequencies,” Smith assured her audience. So far this year, she said, the
FCC has proposed some $60,000 in fines to Amateur Radio licensees, for various
alleged infractions. She said her office continues to receive complaints about
intentional interference, and, she allowed, “Sometimes…okay, maybe all the
time…we don’t get to [these] as quickly as you might like.”
Smith said there are “band neighborhoods” on the bands, and,
typically, offenders tend to stick together, and “you can avoid that
neighborhood,” she said. “If you know a frequency is a ‘problem frequency,’
don’t go there.” Those who do engage troublemakers on the air, however, become
part of the problem. “Spin the dial,” she advised. “Walk away. Don’t allow that
ugliness to seep in. Avoid it at all costs.”
“It bothers me that we have amateurs out there who are
misbehaving,” she said, “when the bulk of you are incredible people.”
Smith returned as FCC special counsel to Amateur Radio
enforcement in June after being detailed to another enforcement assignment for
2 years. Her position is now in the Spectrum Enforcement Division, which, she
pointed out, gives her access to field engineers as well as to attorneys,
engineers, and analysts in the Division.
She noted that it is now possible to file Amateur
Radio-related complaints online and said doing so expedites handling.
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ARRL Expands
Initiative to Fire Up Collegiate Amateur Radio Clubs
A growing number of campus radio clubs and student radio
amateurs have begun to share ideas and suggestions on the ARRL Collegiate
Amateur Radio Initiative (CARI)
Facebook page, which is aimed at sparking renewed participation, activity, and
idea-sharing among this special sector of the Amateur Radio community. The
now-expanded initiative stemmed from two well-attended ARRL New England
Division Convention forums for radio amateurs attending college, one hosted by
the Amateur Radio clubs at Harvard (W1AF) and Yale (W1YU). As the forum
explained, the activity level at campus Amateur Radio club stations can vary
wildly from one year to the next, as students graduate and newcomers arrive.
“The most common difficulty stems from uneven interest over
time,” said ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, in his “Second Century” editorial,
“Cheers for College Amateur Radio: Sis-boom-bah!” in December 2016 QST.
“Even the strongest leaders in college Amateur Radio graduate every 4 years,
sometimes leaving their clubs without adequate continuity or leadership
succession.”
Gallagher pointed out that “recognized” student activities
require students in order to maintain that status. However,
even officially recognized college club stations may find themselves at the
mercy of administrations in terms of space for a station and antennas, and some
clubs have had to move more than once to accommodate their schools’ space
requirements. Issues involving safety and security can also affect college
radio clubs.
In a recent post, Kenny Hite, KE8CTL, a graduate teaching
assistant at West Virginia University, said the university’s Amateur Radio
club, W8CUL, has been unable to participate in recent on-the-air events “due to
lack of working equipment and questionable antenna setups,” as he put it. “We
are working to identify working equipment/coax lines.” Another poster, Dennis
Silage, K3DS, who’s associated with the Temple University Amateur Radio Club (K3TU), said, “A key to a
successful and long-running college club seems to be faculty involvement for
stability and recognition.” He invited other CARI participants to check out the
club’s website to see what members have been doing.
“It occurred to us that, if college Amateur Radio could
galvanize [mutual interests], then colleges might just provide the ideal bridge
between youthful interest in the subject and lifelong participation in our
community,” Gallagher wrote.
Some ideas are already being suggested, and the Facebook
page has spurred communication among an ever-widening network of those involved
or interested in Amateur Radio on campus, from students, faculty members, and
administrators to college radio club alums. One suggestion has been to harness
the competitive nature of colleges to organize operating events — perhaps with
“conferences” resembling those for sports — to keep interest alive.
ARRL received permission to rebrand the Collegiate Amateur
Radio Operators Facebook group, initially organized by Sam Rose,
KC2LRC, as the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative. All collegiate
radio amateurs, clubs, and alumni are invited to participate and to get
involved in activities that advance the art and enjoyment of Amateur Radio. All
suggestions are welcome.
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Ohio Amateurs in Action..
Hey Gang, I haven’t heard much lately from any of you.. Now I know that every club has done events this year, so send me those pictures of your events.. Field Day, bike races, marathons and all those fun activities that you’ve found yourself involved in where Amateurs are in Action!!
You can find a photo gallery of what I’ve received so far
at:
http://arrl-ohio.org/action_pics/action.html
as well as there is a link to this page right from the main page of the Ohio
Section website..
I’m sure you all of pictures that you could send. Send your
pictures to me at: n8sy@n8sy.com
and include a brief explanation of the event and I’ll get the pictures added to
the gallery.. I’m looking for new pictures that I might be able to use in the
next Ohio Section Banner, so make sure that you get your pictures to me.. I
want a great representation of ALL of the Ohio Section.
C’mon gang.. send me those action pictures! I’m sure that there
are a lot of them out there and I want them ALL!! Don’t be bashful.
**********
** NEW.. One Question Survey has now been posted..
Have you taken the survey yet? If you http://arrlohio.org and answer it..
You’ll find it on the left side about half way down. It’s only one question and
after submitting your answer, it will show you how you stack up with all the
others who have answered.
haven’t go to:
**********
Are you getting those emails from me? If not, all you have
to do is to “Opt-In” to receive them. Just send me an email at: n8sy@n8sy.com and let me know that you want to
be added.. It’s really that easy.
I urge all of you to make sure that everyone, regardless of
whether they are a League member or not, get signed up to receive these emails.
You can always “Opt-Out” at any time if you feel
this is not what you were expecting.
**********
Upcoming Hamfests in Ohio..
12/03/2016 | Fulton County Winter Fest
Location: Delta, OH
Sponsor: Fulton County Amateur Radio Club Website:
>> 2017 <<
01/15/2017 | Sunday Creek Amateur Radio Federation Hamfest
Location: Nelsonville, OH
Sponsor: Sunday Creek Amateur Radio Federation
Website: http://www.scarfarc.com
01/29/2017 | TUSCO Amateur Radio Club Hamfest
Location: Strasburg, OH
Sponsor: Tusco Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://tuscoarc.org
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Got questions, concerns or would just like to sit and chat
awhile?
Give me a call at (419) 512-4445 or email me at: n8sy@n8sy.com
Want to sit and just chat awhile? I’m available..
Heck, I’ll even buy!! And no, it doesn’t have to be coffee.. I’m up for other
things as well.
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eof..