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Rules of the Road for users of the SFFMA repeater

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South Florida FM
Association, Inc.
P.O. BOX 430025
Miami, FL 33243-0025

In addition to the ARRL, AR Newsline, and other source, the club will post their News On this site as well.

AMATEUR RADIO TRADER CALLS IT QUITS

Amateur Radio Trader magazine is ceasing publication with its second November issue, which went out tosubscribers November 20. "This was a difficult but necessary decision, due to the combined effects of the Internet on our print edition (the primary source of our Web content), and the economic climate," said the magazine's editor Barbara Patterson, KF4MVV, in a statement on the Amateur Radio Trader Web site <http://www.amradiotrader.com>. "ART is no longer a viable product for us. We are redirecting the company's resources into other areas." Patterson told ARRL that the Amateur Radio Trader Web site also would be discontinued and that subscribers would be reimbursed for any outstanding issues. She said TAP Publishing Company, which owns the twice-monthly listing of classified ads, had decided to put its energies into other areas. Patterson apologized for any inconvenience and said the second November issue of ART would remain posted on the ART Web site through December 9.

BOY SCOUTS

On Saturday December 8th, 2001, there will be a Boy Scout merit Badge college held at the Barbara Coleman High School in Miami Lakes.  There will be an Amateur Radio Presence there. As part of hte program, the Merit Badge candidate conducts a QSO on the air, and we intend to see that they all get a chance.  The frequence of choice will be the 147.000 repeater, or any other frequency they can access.  The group asks that operators monitor the 2 meter band starting around 8:30am local time (EST).

FCC ADDRESS CHANGE:

FCC announces mail changes for Gettysburg office: Effective immediately, the FCC is diverting mail, courier and hand deliveries for its Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, office to rear entrance, 35 York St, Gettysburg, PA 17325. the FCC said the US Postal Service will continue to accept mail addressed to 1270 Fairfield Road, Gettysburg--the building's physical location. The FCC said the changes were necessary to protect the health and safety of its employees.--FCC

"THE BIG PROJECT" SEEKS ADDITIONAL PILOT SCHOOLS
The ARRL Amateur Radio Education Project--"The Big Project"--is seeking additional pilot schools. The Project, the educational initiative of ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, is aimed at providing a turnkey Amateur Radio curriculum, equipment and resources to schools. It already has pilot schools in Texas and Georgia.

Big Project Coordinator Jerry Hill, KH6HU, says additional pilot schools are needed to help in developing the curriculum and setting up the program on a national scale. "These can be schools that already are using Amateur Radio in their curricula," said Hill, who came aboard as Project Coordinator in September.

DUCIE IS NEWEST DXCC ENTITY! DXPEDITION OPERATION IMMINENT

You might never have heard of it before, but Ducie Island in the South Pacific is the latest DXCC entity--the 335th, according to ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG. A DXpedition was en route. Starting at 0000 UTC on November 16, 2001, Ducie Island became eligible for DXCC credit as a result of a favorable vote to accept the Pitcairn Island Amateur Radio Association (PIARA) as an International Amateur Radio Union member-society <http://www.iaru.org/rel011116.html>.

PIARA filed its application for IARU membership last March, and the matter went to a world-wide vote of IARU Member-societies in June. Votes were counted this week, and PIARA's application was approved. Under DXCC rules, an entity that hosts an IARU society is considered a "political entity."

Mills emphasized that only contacts dated November 16, 2001, and later will count for DXCC. For the moment, that point is a bit academic, however, since the DXpedition team has been delayed in reaching Ducie. The island has been activated previously for the Islands On The Air program (it's IOTA OC-182), but Mills says those earlier contacts will not count for DXCC.

The group will use a VP6 call sign--to be announced. Some operation is planned on all bands, 160 through 6 meters (there will be a 6 meter beacon on 50.110 MHz) on CW, SSB and RTTY.

DXCC MOST WANTED - NORTH KOREA ON THE AIR

North Korea (P5) is on the air: North Korea, the DXCC entity that tops everyone's most-wanted list, was activated this month by Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN, of the Republic of Georgia. The operation has not yet been approved for DXCC credit, however. On the basis of oral permission from North Korean authorities, Giorgadze has been operating as P5/4L4FN since early this month. Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reports that 4L4FN now is awaiting written permission from The North Korean government--something that's required for ARRL DXCC credit. As a result, it's possible the recent contacts will not count for DXCC. Paige is posting P5/4L4FN operating news on his Web site http://www.amsatnet.com/p5.html> and to other DX news sites.

DAVID CLARK, KB6TAM, OFFICIALLY COMPLETES GLOBAL SAIL

Ham radio's senior sailor David Clark, KB6TAM, this week officially completed his solo round-the-world sail--becoming the oldest person to do so. But Clark does not plan to celebrate his accomplishment until he returns to his starting point in December.

Clark, who's 77, arrived in Great Inagua, the Bahamas, earlier this week, technically completing the circumnavigation that began in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in December 1999. He had spent much of the Atlantic hurricaneseason in Trinidad. Clark is due back in Fort Lauderdale on December 7 for a gala celebration. He was scheduled to depart Great Inagua November 15 on his way to Nassau. Earlier in the month, he managed to avoid a confrontation with Hurricane Michelle, which raked Cuba and parts of the Bahamas.

Clark has been using ham radio while under way. He's kept in touch with Eric Mackie, 9Z4CP, whom he got to know in Trinidad. Clark's wife, Lynda, reports that Fred Moore, W3ZU, has been able to patch calls via ham radio to her a couple of times.

Follow-up

Ham-sailor departs Nassau: David Clark, KB6TAM--the oldest person to sail solo around the world--is again under way after a stopover in Nassau, the Bahamas. Clark arrived in Nassau Thanksgiving day on his way to a homecoming celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, December 7. His wife, Lynda, reports that he departed November 27 for Bimini in order to get ahead of Hurricane Olga, now a Category 1 storm. Lynda Clark said her husband was "treated royally" during his Nassau stay.