Hono Amateur Radio Club

Volume 8, Issue 8 An ARRL Affiliated Radio Club November 1, 2004

NOVEMBER IS A HARC MEETING MONTH!
Mark your calendar - PLEASE ATTEND!
Saturday November 20, 2004
0900-1100
ZIPPY'S on Vineyard Blvd
Corner of Vineyard and Mauna Kea Streets
Entrance on Maunakea Street

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

President's Message

Here we go again

John D. Peters K1ER

President HARC


MORE IN 2005


If you are not active and on the air because you think the Sun Spots are down and there is nothing to work, you're making a big mistake. The bands are open all the time to some DX you need. You must work harder and longer because the openings are sometimes short, but the chase is the fun.

The CQWW DX Phone Contest was the last weekend in October and both Lee KH6BZF and John K1ER were operators at KH7X. We worked over 13,000 contacts, all 40 Zones, and DXCC on most bands. Nearly 4,000 contacts on 10 meters! A61AJ on every band 160 to 10 meters. There were 5 solar flares! But it is a great time to be ON THE AIR and enjoying your radio. Just think how wonderful it will be at the peak of the next solar cycle.

If you prefer working locals, 7088 at 4 pm local finds a gaggle of KH6 talking about the local weather.

HARC will continue to support the government radio school in H4. And the development of more radio amateurs in countries that need help. Your donations of working equipment and useful books for beginner hams are still welcome.

And if you like politics, you really should be an active member of ARRL and concerned about the very real threat to hf radio from BPL. The FCC HAS APPROVED the deployment of BPL and the announcement is in this issue.

ARRL MEMBERSHIP is useful to you and can benefit HARC. The ARRL has decided to resume giving credit to HARC for BOTH NEW and RENEWING ARRL Members who join/rejoin via HARC. DO NOT RENEW or JOIN directly, do it through HARC. Contact me and I'll do the paperwork and YOU PAY THE SAME DUES. But ARRL gives a share to HARC.

In November we'll focus our attention on band conditions, Contests, Emergency Communications and safe tower and antenna work. Our SM Kevin is also the President of the EARC and can answer any question about HAWAII/OAHU Emergency Communications. BE PREPARED. Be the only house with lights AND A WORKING RADIO during and after a storm.

There may be another HAMFEST in 2005 similar to the one held in 2004 at the Aiea Elementary School. Several of our HARC Members won prizes in 2004. The KARC has agreed to "sponsor" this event (which merely means their group ARRL insurance would cover liability.) We will keep you informed as the plans develop but there is no need for more than one club to provide insurance coverage for the hamfest. The 2004 event appeared to be well run and fun for those attending.

It is important to recruit new radio amateurs. If you have friends who show interest in your station, encourage them! Tell them about the Gordon West License Manuals available at Radio Shack, or better yet have one you can loan them.

73 John K1ER

The November meeting has a scheduled speaker.

The club repeater KH6WO/R on 146.18/78 is the club repeater. Try it.

The club beacon station is receiving SWL reports from all around the world. KH6WO (beacon) is part of the NCDXF world wide system and you can read all about it on the internet. http://www.ncdxc.org and click on beacons. Want to know which bands are open to any area, this is one way to find out.

I have requested permission from the FCC to change the KH6WO (beacon) to include the 12, 17 and 30 meter bands. Still no response from the FCC but the person in charge has recently changed and a radio amateur is now again in charge of the Amateur Radio section. This aid to the study of HF propagation has been a boon to radio operators world wide.

During the CQWW, early in the morning on 10 meters, only the KH6WO and the ZS6 beacons were loud. Only the KH6WO repeater has not had permission to operate on the WARC bands and I expect FCC permission.


73 John

HAVE FUN! GET ON THE AIR!

TREASURER'S REPORT


Members may pay their dues for 2005 at anytime. We are close enough to the end of 2004 to start looking ahead.
Balance on Oct 19 (latest statement) $4,388.49

The cost of printing and mailing this November newsletter will appear in the next statement.. The cost of printing and mailing the HARC Newsletter is our only recurring expense.

If you have not renewed your dues, please pay now for 2005. Other infrequent expenses are for the repeater and support of the school in Solomon IS and local HARC ham events.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions please bring them up at the meeting since we usually have both the Club Officers and the Members of the Board available to answer questions and take immediate action.


BPL Web Comments FYI:

The science never made any impression on the FCC politicos and their friends in the power industry, but in the end I think money will win, as always. BPL is not a profitable way to dispense the joys of broadband, and there are several other ways that are (or soon will be) much more financially attractive to investors. The ARRL's efforts are commendable, but simply haven't worked. You can't win them all. But the science and the marketplace will eventually prevail, and there is simply nothing to do but be patient.

My two cents. Now, back to the DX....73, Jerry K3BZ

 

Science never entered into the BPL decision. It was all political. I agree with our limited resources, we can't win a lobbying effort.

Now for a ray of good news. The closest city is offering DSL at $10/month for the first 6 months and $24 thereafter. The estimates for BPL are in the $30 and up range. Perhaps the market place will kill the BPL beast when science couldn't.

73 de Brian/K3KO

 

BPL/PLC-WHY SHOULD I CARE? HOW ABOUT 70db INCREASE IN PEAK LOCAL NOISE

NOISE LIKE IGNITION COVERING FROM 160 THROUGH 6 METERS!

NOISE THAT IS S9 + 18 db on YOUR HF RECEIVER!

NOISE CARRIED ON EVERY POWER LINE!!!!!

THAT IS WHY YOU CARE! IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER OF ARRL---JOIN, via HARC!

ARRL Affiliated Clubs receive a commission for every new ARRL membership and renewal they submit to ARRL Headquarters.

  • Clubs retain a portion of the dues for each regular or senior membership submitted to ARRL Headquarters:
  • Clubs retain $15 for each new ARRL membership OR lapsed membership (of two years or more). A NEW MEMBER is defined as any individual who has never been a member of ARRL or any individual who has not retained a membership for two or more calendar years prior to the application submission.
  • Clubs retain $2 for each ARRL renewal. A RENEWING MEMBER can renew at anytime, even before their current membership term expires.
  • Family, Blind or 21-and-under discounted memberships are not applicable for any discount.

 

 

More WebPage BPL comments:
The league just doesn't "get it", do they?

Rather than spending millions of our dollars (yes, millions!) chasing a POLITICAL resolution to this issue which they can't possibly win, why don't we take the money we spend on Sumner and Imlay and hire a bunch of Ed Hare's and do the SCIENCE necessary to discredit BPL. Haynie/Sumner/Imlay are political lightweights giving Amateur Radio the image of a bunch of obstructionist amateurs (lower case amateur).

73, de Hans, K0HB

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FCC BPL ACTION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ARLB032 FCC BPL Report And Order stresses interference avoidance, resolution

The FCC has released the full BPL Report and Order (R&O) in ET Docket 04-37 that it adopted just two weeks ago. While extolling the purported benefits of broadband over power line technology, the 81-page document also declares the FCC's intention to "protectlicensed services from harmful interference."

"We recognize that some radio operations in the bands being used for Access BPL, such as those of Amateur Radio licensees, may occur at distances sufficiently close to power lines as to make harmful interference a possibility," the FCC conceded. "We believe that those situations can be addressed through interference avoidance techniques by the Access BPL provider such as frequency band selection, notching, or judicious device placement."

Notches would have to be at least 20 dB below applicable Part 15 limits on HF and at least 10 dB below on VHF. The FCC called the ability to alter a system's operation to notch out transmissions on specific frequencies where interference is occurring "a necessary feature for resolving interference without disrupting service to BPL subscribers."

The FCC declined to reduce the Part 15 radiated emission limit for BPL systems. It maintained that emissions from BPL systems are very localized and at low enough levels to generally preclude harmful interference.

The FCC said while it had no evidence before it that BPL operation would significantly contribute to background noise levels, it seemed to put some of the onus on Amateur Radio licensees to take steps to avoid power-line interference--and, by inference, BPL interference--in advance.

"In addition, because power lines inherently can radiate significant noise emissions as noted by NTIA and ARRL, good engineering practice is to locate sensitive receiver antennas as far as practicable from power lines," the FCC said.

In a footnote, the FCC admonished ARRL that in cases where its members experience RF noise, "such noise can often be avoided by carefully locating their antennas; in many instances an antenna relocation of only a relatively short distance can resolve noise interference."

BPL operators would be required to avoid certain bands, such as those used for life and safety communications by aeronautical mobile or US Coast Guard stations. The FCC R&O makes clear, however, that similar rules will not apply to the Amateur Service.

"We similarly do not find that Amateur Radio frequencies warrant the special protection afforded frequencies reserved for international aeronautical and maritime safety operations," the Commission said. "While we recognize that amateurs may on occasion assist in providing emergency communications," the FCC added. It described typical amateur operations as "routine communications and hobby activities."

The Commission reiterated its belief that BPL's public benefits "are sufficiently important and significant so as to outweigh the limited potential for increased harmful interference that may arise." Among other specific provisions, the FCC's new rules mandate certification of BPL equipment instead of the less-stringent verification, a public BPL database--something the BPL industry did not want--and mechanisms to deal swiftly with interference complaints. BPL systems will have to incorporate the ability to modify operation and performance "to mitigate or avoid potential harmful interference" and to deactivate problematic units, the R&O says.

Further, the new rules spell out the locations of "small geographic exclusion zones" as well as excluded bands or
frequencies--concessions made primarily at the insistence of the NTIA, which administers radio spectrum for federal government users--and "coordination areas" where BPL deployments at any frequency must be "precoordinated by BPL operators." They also detail techniques to measure BPL emissions from system equipment and power lines.

The FCC said it expects "good faith" on both sides in the event of interference complaints. Shutting down a BPL system in response to a valid interference complaint "would be a last resort when all other efforts to satisfactorily reduce interference have failed," the FCC said.

ARRL officials are studying the R&O and considering possible responses. The ARRL Executive Committee (EC) already has authorized filing a Petition for Reconsideration. The EC also authorized ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, to "prepare to pursue other available remedies as to procedural and substantive defects" in the BPL proceeding.


Member Application Form

New or renewal, same form. The best way to learn what your new license can mean is to chat with the old timers who've been there. Mail a check to HARC. Mail a check to HARC.

Name __________
Callsign __________
Address __________
City __________
StateZIPCODE __________

ARRL Member? (Yes) (Life) (No)

Dues for 2004-5 are due and remain $15
Mail to:

John D. Peters K1ER
98-1547 Akaaka Street
Aiea, HI 96701-3051

 

HARC WANTS YOUR INPUT!

What do YOU want HARC to do?

What would YOU like to do in HARC?

I need material for this Newsletter. Do you want me to copy material from the Pacific Division ARRL Newsletter? ARRL Bulletins? Why don't YOU write something and send it?

W5YI VE Session at HARC Meetings

The W5YI VE team is headed by Lee Wical KH6BZ.

The VE Session will follow the HARC Meeting. If you have any question, contact Lee. The fee is set by the FCC. You need your current license and a copy of it, plus a photo ID, if you plan to upgrade.

HARC, John D. Peters K1ER
98-1547 Akaaka Street
Aiea, HI 96701-3051
USA