A Word From Tim
Our new North Carolina Section
Section Manager: Tim B. Slay, N4IB
[email protected]
NORTH CAROLINA: SM, Tim Slay, N4IB - SEC: WA4MOK STM: K4HA TC: K4ITL BM: KD4YTU PIC: N2COP OOC: W4ZRA ACC: WA4KE THANKS, JOHN! I can't open my first monthly section news without once again thanking my predecessor, John Covington, W4CC, for his six years of outstanding leadership. John was one of the hardest working, most traveled, and most effective section managers in ARRL history. During his three terms, John devoted innumerable hours to our section, visiting countless club meetings, hamfests, and special events. John drove over 10,000 miles/year on league business and visited all 100 counties in the state. John brought a wealth of expertise and professionalism to this volunteer position and set a high standard for me and the others who follow him. I'm especially grateful that John recruited such an excellent section cabinet and I'm honored they've agreed to continue to serve North Carolina hams as I begin my term. In my 30 years as a ham, I've held numerous elected and appointed positions, but I've never held a section-level job. So I'm glad John will still be around to offer advice and I appreciate your input (and patience) as I learn the ropes! WHO ARE WE AND WHERE ARE WE GOING? Of the 675,274 amateur radio operators licensed in the US, North Carolina has 18,539. We're the tenth largest state in terms of ham population. But only 3,792 of those hams are ARRL members, and that's probably a good estimate of the number of active hams in the state. There are 91 ARRL affiliated clubs in North Carolina, but only 51 are current in the ARRL database. There are currently 11 ARRL-affiliated hamfests scheduled in the section. Our section also has 210 volunteer ARRL appointees, not to mention hundreds more who have leadership positions in local clubs. There's a lot to be excited about, but also challenges to be faced. Our hobby is threatened by pressure on our bands from commercial interests and the interference threat of BPL. Restrictive covenants that prohibit antennas are almost ubiquitous in newer subdivisions. But the biggest threat is in the numbers I listed...they're dropping every year. We're not recruiting enough new hams to replace the silent keys. The average age of an amateur radio operator is somewhere around 50 and for an ARRL member, its approaching 60. Those averages are going up by 1 every year. So where will our hobby be in 20 years when I'm ready to join so many of you as a retiree and full-time ham? And will my 6 year old daughter, who is learning Morse code, be able to have a CW QSO when she's my age? Over the next two years you're going to hear me talk (and listen) a lot about this problem and I'll be sharing some of the great things clubs across the state are doing to spread the magic of ham radio. PRB-1 PROGRESS REPORT Our PIO, Bill Morine, N2COP and former Wilmington mayor Ham Hicks, KB4BR are keeping up the momentum as we try to get a PRB-1 bill passed by the North Carolina legislature. Ham is scheduled to testify before the legislature's Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Recovery Study Committee on April 20. Write your state legislator to educate them on the problems faced by hams who try to install antennas in areas with restrictions. These restrictions not only threaten our hobby, but also affect our ability to provide emergency communications after a disaster. UPCOMING HAMFESTS Raleigh Hamfest, April 24 -- www.rars.org/hamfest Rockingham County Hamfest, May 13 -- www.rcarc.com/hamfest2006.html DurHAMfest, May 27 - www.dfma.org Winston-Salem Hamfest, June 10 -- www.w4nc.org MARCH TRAFFIC W4EAT 905 (BPL), W0UCE 614 (BPL), W4UEF 228, AD4XV 210, K4IWW 185, KI4YV 181, W2EAG 131, KE4JHJ 110, W4DNA 85, K4RLD 72, W3HL 63, WA4OBR 62, W4FAL 48, W4NCD 40, KE4AHC 33, W4EHF 27, KD4FUN 24, W4TTO 21, KI4AHA 20, W4IRE 19, KG4YNM 19, W4CC 10 MARCH PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL W4DNA 190, K4RLD 170, W4NCD 165, W4EAT 130, K4IWW 120, W0UCE 120, KE4JHJ 110, W4FAL 110, W2EAG 90, KI4YV 90, KD4FUN 74, W4TTO 71, KI4AHA 70 -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL North Carolina Section Section Manager: Tim B. Slay, N4IB [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------- This message is being sent to you via the ARRL Members Only Web site. If you do not want to receive further messages, go to the site at: http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1 Log in with your username and password and change your email options. Unchecking the "News and information from your Division Director and Section Manager" box will prevent messages such as this one from being sent to you. -- [email protected]
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3/15//06
A Few Words From Tim (N4IB)
Our "New" Section Manager
Elected
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March 15, 2006 To: North Carolina ARRL Members From: Tim Slay, N4IB ARRL North Carolina Section Manager Elect RE: State Antenna Relief Law Dear North Carolina ARRL Members: I want to thank John Covington, W4CC, the current North Carolina Section Manager for his willingness to let me address this issue. With his term of office expiring shortly, John thought it would be best for me to begin handling this matter since it will extend into my term. Thanks to the efforts of our Section Public Information Coordinator Bill Morine, N2COP, our section has a unique opportunity to introduce a state antenna relief bill. In late January, a special committee was formed called the Joint Interim Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery. This committee was formed to look at lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and apply solutions in advance of the next disaster, which in our area is most likely hurricanes. Bill, N2COP and several other amateur operators along the coast have been in contact with Sen. Julia Boseman (D-Wilmington), who is one of the Vice Chairs of the entire committee and is the Chairman of the Building Codes subcommittee. She is receptive to helping amateur radio, and a delegation of Wilmington area operators plan to meet with her and hope to have her introduce an amateur radio antenna consistency bill. The climate is right to introduce such legislation. However, successful passage of a bill takes much effort. There are 40 members of the Joint Interim Committee. Attached is a list of legislators and agency heads who are members of the committee. I am asking each ARRL member to contact its nearest committee member and ask for their support. Individual letters are most effective, but signed petitions from club meetings are also persuasive. If you use this approach, please make sure everyone who signs includes his legal name and full address. Although a bill does not yet exist, I encourage you to begin now in sending letters to committee members asking for their support. At the end of this email is a draft letter you can use as a model and some FAQs on the impact of such legislation. On behalf of all North Carolina radio amateurs, I appreciate your help in making this a reality, and to have North Carolina hopefully become the 23rd state to adopt a formal amateur radio antenna installation law. 73, Tim Slay, N4IB NC Section Manager-Elect SAMPLE LETTER DATE NAME AND ADDRESS OF LEGISLATOR Dear (Senator or Representative) Name: I/We am/are writing you as one/few of North Carolina's almost 19,000 federally licensed amateur radio operators, and I/we am/are asking for your support of passage of amateur radio antenna consistency bill. Amateur radio operators were a vital link in emergency communications following Hurricane Katrina. Their efforts were universally praised in both the Congressional and White House reports on lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. When regular and cellular phones and the internet cease to function, amateur radio is the only formally organized, fail-safe form of emergency communications that works. While amateur radio operators can be found after a disaster in government offices and public service agencies relaying vital messages, there is one place where they are lacking ñ residential neighborhoods. Because of increasingly restrictive covenants and restrictions that constrain the erection of effective amateur radio antennas, many operators either cannot operate or give up altogether. This leaves residential areas without any communications, jeopardizing those in need of medical attention or supplies. The answer is not as simple as to let temporary emergency antennas be erected after a disaster. Effective amateur radio communication requires ongoing training to ensure that equipment is fully functional and that each operator's technique is current in securing the correct parties on the right frequencies. The solution to ensure that North Carolinians in all 100 counties have access to effective emergency communications is to pass an amateur radio antenna consistency act that brings installation standards throughout the state. Amateur radio is unique in that the license resides with the operator, not the institution where equipment resides. Amateur radio operators own their own equipment, and by helping the State of North Carolina as professionally trained and licensed unpaid communications volunteers, they save North Carolina taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in communications equipment which the state does not have to purchase. By passing an amateur radio antenna consistency act, state lawmakers will help discouraged and inactive operators to become active again, and will encourage more North Carolinians to take and pass Federal Communications Commission license exams, thereby adding more equipment that operators will purchase on their own and save the state even more money. No monies or budget are being requested to pass this legislation and 22 states have already passed similar legislation, the latest being Mississippi. Since all North Carolinians will benefit from more amateur radio operators serving our citizens, I/we urge you to pass amateur radio antenna consistency legislation this session. Yours truly, YOUR NAME -------------------------------------------------------------------- FAQs on Antenna Installations in North Carolina Q: Who regulates what kind of antenna I can put up and how it's installed? A: Depending on where you live, it's either your county zoning office if you live in an unincorporated area, or your municipal zoning office if you live within the limits of a city or town. Many times an antenna may be small enough that a permit may not be required. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Why do I need to check with the local zoning office? A: Amateur radio operators are a community resource. While the process can sometimes be challenging, a legally installed antenna system is ultimately your best defense. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I live in a sub-division that prohibits any kind of external antennas. Would a state law help me? A: No, probably not. A state bill would help bring standards to municipal ordinances. Neighborhoods with Covenants, Codes and Restrictions (CC&Rs) will find relief through federal legislation that's been introduced in Congress (HR 3876), the Amateur Radio Antenna Consistency Act. However, that bill, if passed as it is presently written, would make neighborhood CC&Rs consistent with state law. Thus, everyone will still benefit from a state law. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I live in a sub-division with deeded antenna restrictions but several homes around me have satellite TV dishes. Why can't I have an amateur radio antenna? A: The commercial satellite TV industry got a federal exemption for residential dishes under 30" in diameter. Don't erect an amateur radio antenna in violation of your sub-divisions CC&Rs just because homes nearby have satellite dishes. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How can I help? A: By writing to your local legislators in the State Senate and General Assembly and to emergency management directors, especially if they are serving on the Joint Interim Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery. Joint Interim Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery For contact info see: www.ncga.state.nc.us Senate Appointments *Sen. Martin L. Nesbitt Jr., Co-Chair (Mecklenburg) *Sen. Julia Catherine Boseman , Vice Chair (New Hanover) *Sen. Vernon Malone , Vice Chair (Wake) *Sen. Thomas M. Apodaca (Buncomb, Henderson, Polk) *Rev. C. W. Bland (Carteret, Craven, Pamlico) *Sen. Harry Brown (Jones, Onslow) *Sen. Katie G. Dorsett (Guildford) *Sen. Fletcher Lee Hartsell Jr. (Cabarrus, Iredell) *Sen. Samuel Clark Jenkins (Edgecomb, Martin, Pitt) *Sen. Jeanne Hopkins Lucas (Durham) *Sen. Keith Presnell (Avery, Haywood, Madison, McDowell) *Sen. John J. Snow Jr. (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania) House Appointments *Rep. William Pete Cunningham , Co-Chair (Mecklenburg) *Rep. Richard Brooks Glazier , Vice Chair (Cumberland) *Rep. R. Phillip Haire , Vice Chair (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain) *Rep. William L. Wainwright , Vice Chair (Craven, Lenoir) *Rep. Linda D. Coleman (Wake) *Rep. Daniel Bruce Goforth (Buncombe) *Rep. Edward Jones (Halifax, Nash) *Rep. Joe Leonard Kiser (Lincoln) *Rep. Grier Martin (Wake) *Rep. Mary E. McAllister (Cumberland) *Rep. Daniel Francis McComas (New Hanover) *Rep. Louis M. Pate Jr. (Wayne) *Rep. Raymond C Rapp (Haywood, Madison, Yancey) *Rep. Alice Graham Underhill (Craven, Pamlico) *Rep. Thomas Roger West (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon) *Rep. Michael Harold Wray (Northhampton, Vance, Warren) -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL North Carolina Section Section Manager: John M. C Covington, W4CC [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------- This message is being sent to you via the ARRL Members Only Web site. If you do not want to receive further messages, go to the site at: http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1 Log in with your username and password and change your email options. Unchecking the "News and information from your Division Director and Section Manager" box will prevent messages such as this one from being sent to you. -- [email protected]
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