PRESIDENTS CORNER
Theodore Roosevelt Amateur Radio Club
Meeting Minutes
March 1, 2004
Minutes submitted
by Laurie Heick, KCØNHW, Secretary/Treasurer
Vice President
Darrel Heick, KCØAPN, called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM..
Introductions of
members and guests followed.
The minutes of the
last meeting were approved on a motion by Emil, NØDK, and seconded by
Evelyn, KCØHKR. Motion carried.
Laurie, KCØNHW,
gave the treasures report. Motion made to approve by Jim, NØSJ, and
seconded by Emil, NØDK. Motion carried.
Old
Business
A. Repeaters
- 73 /OK, 64/noisy, 82/working, Super Link not working/audio coming
back to controller. West Link working.
B.
Membership List - Still working on it.
C. Tech
Classes - 3 of students studying. Testing will be March 20th.
D. Bill from
Tab Electronics - Bill will be tabled until April meeting to further check
into. A motion was made by Jim, NØSJ, and seconded by Joe, NØQAU. Motion
carried.
New
Business
A. Sky Warn
- Possibly going to be at the Armory where there would be more room. April
5th, 2004 at 7:00 PM. Distributed draft to update skywarn call list.
B. Thank You
- Thank you to Odo, WAØUQD, and Art, KBØVSE, for doing a great job with
the newsletter. And to Rodney, KØALV, for the great job on the club
website. And thank you to all the volunteers for their hard work we want
everyone to know they are appreciated.
C. Special
Service Club - We are working at getting that situation updated.
D. APRS -
Gave equipment to Bowman which they are not using. If they don't want to
use it we would take it back and do a digi.
E. Community
Days - Show and tell at the Prairie Hills Mall. Has been changed to end of
October instead of November. Will send in the registration.
F. Peace
Garden Hamfest - People would like to have it in the newsletter by April
so people that are planning vacations can get plans made. This year it is
July 9th - 11th.
G. Newsletter -
Questions brought up about receiving newsletter by e-mail or pdf files.
There are pros and cons to changes. Possibly have a questionnaire to get
the input of our members.
H. Field Day
- Will be the 4th weekend in June. Need to order 4 pins given out Field
Day weekend to Co-Ordinator, longest contact, most contacts, and one for a
drawing. Motion made to order pins made by Jim, NØSJ, and seconded
by Laurie, KCØNHW. Motion carried.
Winner of the cash
meeting drawing was Margaret, KB7ITR.
Motion to adjourn made by Irene, WDØDAW, and seconded by Kornard,
KBØELJ. Motion
carried. Meeting adjourned at 7:48 PM.
FCC Chairman Michael Powell has assured US Representative Greg Walden, WB7OCE, that the Commission will give "thorough consideration" to all Broadband over Power Line (BPL) studies before it takes final action on BPL. Powell responded February 3 to Walden's January 15 letter requesting that the FCC defer any further action in its BPL proceeding until the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) releases the results of its BPL study and the public has had a chance to comment. On February 12 the FCC took the proceeding to the next level, unanimously approving the issuance of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM). Among other provisions, the NPRM would require BPL providers to employ "adaptive interference-mitigation techniques." "Please be assured that we have already begun coordination of this action with NTIA," Powell told Walden, "and that the Commission will give all studies, including the forthcoming NTIA study, thorough consideration prior to any final action or rules on the subject." The FCC has not yet released the BPL NPRM nor invited public comments. An Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) briefing at the FCC's February 12 open meeting indicated that the Commission would make no changes in Part 15 rules governing emissions from unlicensed devices. To date, the FCC has released only a public notice on its BPL proposals. Walden, a member of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, had told the FCC chairman that, in view of the importance of avoiding interference to federal government HF communications, the FCC should give the pending NTIA study a thorough airing before proposing any rules to govern BPL systems. The Oregon Republican is one of two Amateur Radio licensees in the US House. Commenting on last April's FCC BPL Notice of Inquiry in ET Docket 03-104, the NTIA had expressed "broad concern" about the technology's potential to cause interference to federal government users. The NTIA said the Commission "must ensure that other communications services, especially government operations, are adequately protected from unacceptable interference." An arm of the US Department of Commerce, the NTIA subsequently undertook evaluations of BPL field test sites, in part to gauge the technology's interference potential. The NTIA was supposed to conclude its field work last month, and release its observations and conclusions during the first quarter of this year. The ARRL's own BPL study, which is assessing the potential of interference both from and to BPL systems, also is set to wrap up early this year. Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce Michael Gallagher and NTIA head Michael Gallagher told a December meeting of BPL proponent the Power Line Communications Association that the NTIA was "studying interference risks and potential means for making risks more tolerable." He indicated that the first phase of NTIA's pending BPL study would recommend radiated emission limits, compliance measurement procedures and other conditions in its report to the FCC. At the FCC's February 12 open meeting, Powell pledged that the FCC would continue to be vigilant in the area of BPL's interference potential. Anh Wride of the OET staff, who provided the broad strokes of the pending NPRM, said the FCC recognizes the concerns of licensed radio service users regarding BPL's interference potential. Wride said "licensed operations must be protected," but added that the OET staff believes that "these interference concerns can be adequately addressed." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||