Texas Adventist Emergency Communications Newsletter

Volume 2 Issue 10

Dear Members,

Hello again members!! I want to welcome all of our new members and hams to our club family. It is great to see our club growing so rapidly. We are now at about 30-35 members strong. Pretty soon, we will have to expand our seating arrangements at our monthly meetings. As most of y’all know from the last meeting it was pretty full in the room. For those of you that were not there, I want to invite you to come this month and we all hope to see you there.

WOW! What a camping trip we had last weekend!! We had a GREAT turnout, totally 35 people!!! I think everybody had a nice time, I know I did. Friday we all got there, got our campsites set up and all settled in. Saturday morning, Tony gave us a nice song service and Joe delivered an excellent sermon. While we were singing, Gerald was talking on our HF station that we setup and when he told the person he was talking to that we were all singing, he said, “I know I can hear them…” I don’t think any of us imagined that our songs would be heard around the world. Maybe if we would have we would have tried just a little harder…hehe.

I think that we will end up doing what Joe said when he started his sermon, that this will end up being an annual thing. I think that we will discuss this at this months meeting. I do believe that we all had a very good time, fellowshipping with each other, and spending time in one of God most beautiful creations, Nature. The weather was just perfect, not to hot during the day and perfect sleeping weather at night. I don’t think we could have planned it any better.

     Saturday, we got to talk to the special event station at the Sydney Olympics in Australia. We heard another special event station that was with the Eastern Region Boy Scout camp out. They said there were 30,000 kids in attendance. I don’t know if we ever could get in touch with them to actually talk to them, but we heard them. There was also the Texas and Louisiana QSO party going on that weekend, so the bands were pretty busy. I really look forward to our next club campout.

     I want to remind everyone that time changes this month, I believe on the 22^nd so that means that the November meeting will be at 6:00 P.M. This month will still be at 7:00 P.M. We will be having a work bee to get our tower ready to be put up. We will be meeting Sunday morning to start work on that. I hope that we have a great turnout, because we have a lot of work to do. It will take at least two, probably three Sundays to put up the tower. I hope to see you all there

Curtis Mohr, KC5PWP
Newsletter Editor

I would like to get some volunteers to help me make up the newsletter articles. At least, one person to help me write them. It wouldn’t be an every month thing unless you want it to be. If any of you would like to be a Newsletter Reporter, please email me at [email protected] and let me know.

Thanks,
Curtis Mohr
Newsletter Editor

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by Gerald Mohr, KC5PWQ. Ray Alway, KD5DON, had the devotional, a thought provoking article about “Marbles”, getting our priorities straight.

Rita Elsner, KB7KST, read the minutes of the last meeting. One correction was made to substitute $20 worth of supplies instead of stamps for Sherri to have on hand. Curtis Mohr, KC5PWP, moved the minutes be approved as read with the above correction, and Janice seconded the motion. The treasurer’s report was not given at this meeting as Sherri Cash, KD5JNR, was not present. This will be given next meeting.

Opportunity was given for those who did not have their ID badges to get them done during the meeting. Curtis, KC5PWP, and Ray Alway, KD5DON, worked on these while Gerald Mohr, KC5PWQ, went on with the business of the meeting.

Rob Williams, KB7PTS, reported to us about the McCown Valley Park for Sept 29, 30, and October 1.  We have spaces 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25 at present.  Friday evening service will be provided by Tony Cash, KD5HWK, with a music program. Joe Watts is to have the church service. Everybody is to take care of their own food.

Gerald called our attention to the last QST which had directions for a dual band J-pole.  He made copies and circulated them to those interested.

Jean Alway, KD5DOM, brought amended bylaws report, and this was gone over with the club, with opportunity for comments. Aaron Moses moved to accept, and Desmond Freeman seconded, motion was accepted.  Also booklet or handbook for new members was also discussed with logo on front page, bylaws, guideline for TAEC activities, uniform dress code, methods of communication, checklist for equipment, field day description, members names with call signs and e-mail addresses if available.

Gerald welcomed all members and new hams.

The question was raised of the protocol for the club in the event of disaster. Motion was made by Desmond Freeman to have this put in writing, and Janell Williams seconded the motion. The committee to study this is Joe Watts, head of committee, Desmond Freeman, Tony Cash, Jean Alway and Janell Williams.

REMEMBER THE NETS ON THURSDAY NOTE AT 7:30 P.M. ON 443125.

Mention was made of work bee to paint tower on October 15 in the morning

     Local nets were mentioned --- Cleburne club is on Tuesday night at 7:30 on 145.490, Whitney is on Thursday night at 8:00pm on 146.780, and Fort Worth is Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. on l45.940, with a swap net.

Gerald Mohr made motion to adjourn at 8:45 p.m. This was seconded by Carl Elsner, N7PVW.

Respectfully submitted,

Rita Elsner, KB7KST,Secretary

The ARRL has begun compiling a dossier of amateurs' experiences with CC&Rs--covenants, conditions and restrictions. Imposed by private homeowners'associations or by developers, CC&Rs--also known as "restrictive covenants" and "deed restrictions"--often impede or prohibit the installation of outside antennas.

In January, the ARRL asked the FCC to reconsider its denial of the League's request to extend the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1 to restrictive covenants. The League has said it would like hams to be free to negotiate reasonable accommodation provisions with local homeowners' associations just as they do now with governmental land-use regulators.

"What we're trying to do is compile documentary evidence to present if and when the occasion to do so arises," ARRL Legislative and Public Affairs Manager Steve Mansfield, N1MZA, said this week. "The experiences of amateurs with restrictive covenants will help us to determine our future direction on this issue," he explained.

The ARRL is inviting narratives from amateurs who now are or have been denied the opportunity to install an antenna or support structure on a dwelling they own because of CC&Rs. Narratives should relate directly to situations involving restrictive covenants and should be no longer than one page for inclusion in the CC&R database. Submittals should include name, call sign, the address at which you were denied the opportunity to put up an antenna, and the basis upon which you were denied or would expect to be denied. Participants should include a copy of the contract language that would exclude your antenna or support structure and copies of any denial letters from a homeowners' association.

Submittals should be sent to ANTENNAS, c/o Steve Mansfield, N1MZA, American Radio Relay League, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. E-mail submittals are welcome to [email protected] with the subject line "ANTENNAS".

In declining last fall to act on the ARRL's initial request to expand PRB-1, the FCC drew the line at proposing specific rule changes to bring private restrictive covenants under the PRB-1 umbrella . In asking the FCC to rethink the issue earlier this year, the League pointed out that since PRB-1 was first promulgated in 1985, the FCC has made it clear that it has Congressional authority to prohibit restrictive covenants that could keep property owners and even renters from installing antennas to receive TV, satellite and similar signals. The League asserts the same principle applies to Amateur Radio, in which the FCC has said it has a "strong federal interest."

The League's Regulatory Information Branch reports that the topic of restrictive covenants and antennas is one of the most frequently raised by members contacting the ARRL for information. "Not a day goes by that we in RIB don't hear from amateurs who are restricted by covenants," says the ARRL's John Hennessee, N1KB. "People want to know specifically how they can help, so now we have something to tell them."

While the FCC has yet to act on the ARRL's Petition for Reconsideration to apply the philosophy of PRB-1 to CC&Rs, the League is seeking "additional opportunities" to present its case, Mansfield said, and the narrative database is one step in that direction.

-- excerpt from “The ARRL Letter” Volume 19 Number 31(August 18, 2000)

 ARRL and REACT--Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams--took some first steps together this summer. The ARRL Board of Directors approved a memorandum of understanding between the two radio organizations at its July meeting.

The ARRL was on hand July 26-28 for the REACT 2000 International Convention in Kissimmee, Florida. The event included attendees from the US as well as from Canada and Trinidad and Tobago. ARRL Southern Florida Section Manager Phyllisan West, KA4FZI, coordinated activities for ARRL's representation at the event with Walt Young, convention chairman for the 25th annual REACT gathering.

"REACT folks are dedicated to public service, responding dependably to cover emergencies, marathons and other charity events," said West, who set up and staffed an ARRL exhibit table at the REACT event. "They operate mainly on GMRS and FRS to avoid problems of unlicensed CB channels, and are excited about working more closely with hams."

West said that copies of the ARRL Public Service Communications Manual at the ARRL table were snapped up. "REACT folks were interested in how hams handle NTS and tactical messages," West said. While a lot of REACT members already are amateurs, West said she encouraged those who were not to get ham licenses "to enhance their ability to participate in emergency communications."

While REACT has been associated primarily with Citizens Band in the past, the organization has widened its focus to embrace amateur and other services. Young called REACT "just another radio group that is doing the same basic job as ham radio operators" that provides emergency communications when and where needed.

"The trick is to get various groups to work together," he said.  

Approximately one-quarter of the REACT conventioneers were ham operators, and one of the official events at the convention was the Amateur Breakfast, at which West and her husband, Art, were guests. FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, presented an FCC seminar during the REACT convention.

REACT International has a Web site at http://www.reactintl.org/.

-- excerpt from “The ARRL Letter” Volume 19 Number 31(August 18, 2000)

The man believed to have been the oldest Amateur Radio operator in the US and the oldest member of ARRL has become a Silent Key. Wilbur "Bill" Dearing, W5QN, of Bonham, Texas, died September 20 at a Dallas hospital. He was 101. Dearing succumbed to complications resulting from a fall in which he broke his hip.

First authorized to operate a spark-gap transmitter by the US Department of Commerce in 1913 or 1914, Dearing remained an active amateur until the day of the accident that led to his death. He obtained his W5QN call sign in 1927, the year the Federal Radio Commission--the predecessor to the FCC--was established.

Dearing had succeeded George "Dewey" Wilson, W7HF, of Aberdeen, Washington, as the ARRL's most senior member and oldest US ham when Wilson died on July 8 at the age of 102. It's not known who holds senior honors at this point, but Dearing may have been the last US Amateur Radio operator to have been born in the 19th century.

A 100-year-old Pennsylvania ham and League member, John E. Wilcox, NO3R, died earlier this year.

A CW operator, Dearing in later years got on 20 meters almost daily to chat with friends and acquaintances. He was a member of DXCC and had been an ARRL member for more than 60 years.

Graveside services for Bill Dearing were held September 23 in Bonham. His sister, Aleene, died September 17 at the age of 99 and was buried the day her brother passed away. Survivors include a son and three daughters as well as many grandchildren and great-grand children.

The family has invited memorial donations to the Dr M. B. Nelson Scholarship Fund, c/o Educational Administration, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.

-- excerpt from “The ARRL Letter” Volume 19 Number 37 (September 29, 2000)

TAEC Web site
   http://taec.cjb.net

The KC5PWQ Web Site
   http://vip.hpnc.com/~geraldm/

The KC5PWP Web Site
   http://kc5pwp2.cjb.net/

Official Austin Ham Home on the web (ARO & AARC)
   http://www.repeater.org

ARES information can be found at:
   http://www.sss.org/~ares  (soon to be www.TCARES.org)

Newsline, PO Box 660937, Arcadia, California 91066
 The webpage address is:
   http://www.arnewsline.org
 The e-mail address is:
   [email protected]

The Texas VHF-FM Society
   http://www.txvhffm.org

Take practice ham tests on the web.  A few locations are:
   http://www.hamtest.com

FCC's Universal License System 
   http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/uls  

This page is hosted by QSL.NET

This page is maintained by Curtis Mohr, KC5PWP