The last few weeks have been very interesting for me. As most of you know I put together aspreadsheet of al l the nets I could find in the Chicagoland area. The project started over 2 yearsago or just about when I first started this hobby. One of the things that helped me with mic frightwas nets. After I started cataloging what nets that were out there, I found one list that waspublished back in 2003. I t was a PDF, not updated, didn't have that many and only one that Ididn't know about. So I started going to club sites which as you know, are outdated. I also askedfel low hams if they knew of any.One of the side intents was for VE's to hand new hams this l ist and say "TALK YE NEW HAM".That's if the new ham doesn't buy an HT as his or her first radio. Getting new hams to talk is abig problem in our hobby, to many cl icks and empty repeaters. Nets provide a newly minted haman environment to talk and say hi.Then about a week ago it started getting passed around the internet via newsgroups, websitesand word of mouth. I got emails from fel low hams wanting me to update it for their net. So farover 200+ people have viewed it.Last Sunday I got a cal l from an unknown number. I sent it to voicemail thinking its anothercreditor looking for someone. 2 minutes later I got a notification, I thought to myself damn thatsone long voice mail , then decided to l isten to it. To my surprise it was Hap Holly KC9RP. Hecalled me back the next day and we had a good 45min conversation about the spreadsheet.Hap is planning on sending me some updates of nets than I can't hit or l isten to and I plan ondoing some updates to make it more printable. I f you want to check it out go tohttp://www.tinyurl .com/chicago-ham-nets

I guess its a nasalga thing to look at old catalogs, hel l I sometimes do(Bathroom reading). Theguys who put al l the Radio Shack Catalogs onl ine have now created a new site for All ied Radiocatalogs from 1 929-1 981 . Al l ied Radio was founded in 1 928. But 6 years prior, "The RadioShack" company began. Although Radio Shack had been in business since 1 921 , they did notrelease their first catalog unti l 1 939. Today All ied Electronics is a small order, high service leveldistributor of electronic components and electromechanical products with over 50 sales officesacross the United States and in Canada. With more than two mil l ion parts onl ine and more than1 1 0,000 products featured in the All ied Catalog, engineers and purchasers often look to All iedfor a broad range of product solutions from over 300 world-class suppliers. Al l ied Electronicsand RS Components are trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the world's leading highservice distributor of electronics and maintenance products headquartered in Oxford, England.Al l ied Electronics continues to sel l electronic components by catalog and Internet ordering.Check it out at al l iedcatalogs.com

Once again I would l ike to remind everyone on Saturday September 6th, LCARC wil l be having its annual N9D Indianaparks on the Air and Club Cookout at the Indiana State Dunes - Tremont Shelter. Setup wil l begin at 1 0:00 AM with the contest starting at1 1 . Fires wil l be l i t just after. Everyone is invited to come out and have a great time. The club wil l be providing the meat, so al l you arerequired to bring is side dish, something to drink and your appetite. I f you would l ike to operate as N9D at the park you wil l also berequired to bring a copy of your amateur radio l icence and * must be a club member. We plan on operating N9D ti l l about 4:00 PM socome early. As a note the park has an entrance fee/day pass of $5 for Indiana residents and $1 0 for non residents and this is per vehicle.

Hope everyone has a great month, and hope to see you at one of the next meetings.73, Ben KC9UNS

From Your EditorBenjamin Straw, KC9UNS

August 201 4, Issue 8, Volume 62

UPCOMING EVENTS

In this Issue of Short Skip

Bob WB9NUG

ARTICLES NEEDED! ! !I f you have anything pertaining toamateur radio that you would l ike tocontribute to, and share with others inShort Skip, we would be happy toinclude your offering in any future

edition. Anything you would l ike. Hintsand kinks, antennas, technical talk,operating tips, publ ic service, classicradio, club activities, etc., would be

hearti ly welcomed! ! ! Al l articles must bein by the 23rd of every month. Copyright

rules and permission apply to al lsubmissions. Please send your

submission to:KC9UNS / Short Skip Editor

kc9uns@gmail .com

I hope you enjoy this month’s Short Skipas much as I did putting it together!

2. Meeting Minutes, For Sale3 - 4. Ham News5. GMRS for Hams, Messagefrom ARRL Pres.6. Support for clubs, Can't findJohnson7. Elecraft Opinion8. Membership Form

I f we missed your birthday orget it wrong, please let us

know.

August 8, 201 4Lake County EMA Building

2900 W 93rd Ave. Crown Point, In.General Meeting: 7:30 PM

Board: 6:30 PM

Sun Aug 3Hamfesters Radio Club HamfestWill County Fairgrounds, Peotone, IL

Sat Aug 9Angola Hamfest

Angola Community Church of the Nazarene,Angola, IN

Sun Aug 1 7Lafayette Hamfest

Cary Boy Scout Camp, Lafayette, IN

Hamfest

Meeting

NetsLCARC Information Net

Thursday @ 8:00 PM LCARC Repeaters

RACES NetWendsday @ 8:00 PM EMA VHF Repeater

NWI Skywarn NetTuesday @ 8:00 PM N9IAA VHF Repeater

Club EventSat September 6, 201 4

N9D - Indiana Parks On The Air and ClubCookout

Indiana Dunes State Park - Tremont Shelter1 0:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Side Dish and Appetite Required

Meeting MinutesBenjamin Straw, KC9UNS

2Short Skip

Meeting called to order at 7:30 PM

Attendance:1 1 Attendees

Reading of Minutes:The minutes of the previous board meeting read by Ben KC9UNS was approved asread

Treasure Report:Treasurer Report read by Jim KF9EX, was approved as read

Committee reports:DX: Mark K9MQ reported 6 has been open, Ben KC9UNS reported 1 0m is up anddownRC: None.Repeater; Al l 3 Repeats, Mark K9MQ replaced the remote control ler board with anew board, he also replaced the 4v power supply and added a power tripp l ite surgeprotector, that was donated by Bil l N9QLS. Mark also is planning on fixing the fenceat the repeater site.RACES: None

Old Business:Sti l l on for INPOTA Sept 6th.

New Business:NONE

Program:None

Meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM local.

201 4 Officers

President: ................. KB9HORuss McComb

Vice President: ...... WD9EZBBob Wiberg

Secretary: .............. KC9UNSBenjamin Straw

Treasurer: .................. KF9EXJim Harney

Trustee: ....................... WV9OMarv Boetcher

DirectorsBill Young ................. N9QLSKen Brown ................ KE9TCBob Nelms ............ WD9FNYMark Skowronski .......... K9MQJohn Gianotti ................. W9WYCarter Garcia ............. KC9YGU

Editorial StaffEditor-in-Chief ...... KC9UNS

Benjamin Straw(kc9uns@gmail.com)

Club ResourcesW9LJ/R ......................... 1 47.000 + PL 1 31 .8

W9LJ/R (St. John) ..... 1 47.240 + PL 1 31 .8

W9LJ/R ......................... 442.075 + PL 1 31 .8

Repeater Nets

Thursday Night @ 8:00 PM:

LCARC Weekly Infomation Net

MeetingsSecond Friday of Each Month

BOARD MEETING

LCEMA OFFICE,

2900 93rd Ave

Crown Point (41 .449555,-87.36893)

(Across from Gov. Ctr.)

6:30 PM

Second Friday of Each Month

CLUB MEETING

2900 93rd Ave

Crown Point (41 .449555,-87.36893)

(Across from Gov. Ctr.)

7:30 PM

LCARC is an IRS-certified 501 (c)3 charitable organization and donations are deductible pursuant to the IRS rules. If you haveworking radio equipment and anci l lary equipment that you can and wish to donate to the club, please contact one of the boardmembers and we wil l be happy to talk to you about the process. Many companies wil l either grant or match employee’s gifts tononprofit organizations l ike LCARC.Please determine if your company is among these and contact a board member so we mayhelp fund and grow LCARC. We cannot accept certain donations, and have to place some restrictions around them (no hazardousmaterials, nothing we could not sel l , etc. ) . I f you are interested, look me, or any other board member up at one of the meetings, orcontact us via email (our addresses at the end of this newsletter)

Vol. 62 No. 8

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MFJ Hamsticks. I have one for each of the fol lowing frequencies:20 Mtr - http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-1 620T40 Mtr -- http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-1 640T1 5 Mtr - http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-1 61 5TList price of each is $1 4.95 plus shipping. He wil l sel l al l three for $30.00 ($1 0each and no shipping).Contact John W9WY - w9wy@sbcglobal.net

========

Behringer Xenyx 1 204USB - 1 2 input 2/2-Bus Mixer, USB cable, Rackmount,Power cable. $1 00 OBORanger RCI-2950 1 0/1 1 Meter, 30 watts, original microphone (Radio is not the DX version) $1 00 OBOAntron99 CB/1 0M antenna $302 mobile fiberglass 1 0M antennas with dipole bracket for portable or shack use (New never used) $30Contact Ben KC9UNS, KC9UNS@gmail .com

========

Ameritron AL-81 1 H amplifier. Very good condition. Strong tubes, strong output on al l bands. Amp currentlywired for 220VAC.Asking $625 or best offer, pick-up only.Contact: Marty, WJ9Q, martyd64@sbcglobal.net or cel l 21 9-789-0374.

========

Arrow GP52 antenna for sale. I t is unopened in the package.http://arrowantennas.com/gp/gp52.htmlCost is $45

Contact Robert W9RBC at W9RBC@arrl .org

STUFF FOR SALE

3Short Skip

Passengers Now Must Be Able to Power Up Some Electronics During TSA Screenings

Airl ine passengers boarding direct fl ights to the US from overseas may be asked to power up certain electronic devices beingcarried aboard, including cel l phones. The announcement did not single out any other electronics. The Department of HomelandSecurity (DHS) has directed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners at certain overseas airports with direct fl ightsto the US to “implement enhanced security measures.” Al l electronics typical ly undergo screening during pre-boarding TSAinspections.

“DHS continual ly assesses the global threat environment and reevaluates the measures we take to promote aviation security,” DHSSecretary Jeh Johnson said on July 2. “As part of this ongoing process, I have directed TSA to implement enhanced securitymeasures in the coming days at certain overseas airports with direct fl ights to the United States. We wil l work to ensure thesenecessary steps pose as few disruptions to travelers as possible.”

During security inspections, TSA officers may ask passengers to power up some devices, including cel l phones. Devices that areunable to be turned on “wil l not be permitted onboard the aircraft,” DHS said, adding, “The traveler may also undergo additionalscreening.”

While the TSA general ly permits Amateur Radio equipment aboard aircraft, including that packed in carry-on baggage, such items,according to existing TSA policy, “may be subject to additional screening or not al lowed through the checkpoint, i f i t triggers analarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. The final decision restswith TSA on whether to al low any items on the plane.”

DHS said that the TSA “wil l continue to adjust security measures to ensure that travelers are guaranteed the highest levels ofaviation security conducted as conveniently as possible.”

AAMMAATTEEUURR RRAADDIIOO NNEEWWSS

FCC Seeks to Raise Vanity Call Sign Fee to$21 .60

The FCC is requesting to raise the AmateurService vanity cal l sign regulatory fee from itscurrent $1 6.1 0 to $21 .60 for the 1 0-year l icenseterm. The $5.50 increase would be the largestvanity fee hike in many years. The proposal iscontained in a Notice of Proposed Rule Making(NPRM), “Assessment and Collection ofRegulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 201 4;Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Feesfor Fiscal Year 201 3; and Procedures forAssessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees,”which appeared in The Federal Register on July3.

The FCC reported there were 1 1 ,500 “paymentunits” in FY 201 4. The Commission said thevanity program generated $230,000 in FY 201 3revenue, and it estimated that it would col lectnearly $248,000 in FY 201 4.

Interested parties have 30 days to comment onthe NPRM. Changes in the vanity cal l sign feetypical ly take effect in late August or earlySeptember.

====================

  ISS Astronaut Activates ARISS DuringARRL National Centennial Convention

Satel l i te enthusiast Patrick Stoddard,WD9EWK, and a crowd of onlookers got anunexpected treat July 1 9 at the ARRL NationalCentennial Convention in Hartford, Connecticut.Stoddard was outside the ConnecticutConvention Center, hoping to perhapsdemonstrate the digipeater aboard theInternational Space Station (ISS) during somefavorable passes and, if he real ly got lucky, toactual ly speak to an ISS crew member.

On the first pass, just before the conventionopened for its final day, Stoddard was able to“bounce a few packets” through the ISSdigipeater, using his Kenwood TH-D72A andElk dualband log periodic antenna — both hand-held devices. On the next pass — the most

favorable one of the morning — Stoddard waslistening to both 1 45.800, the FM voicefrequency, and to 1 45.825 MHz, the digipeaterfrequency. While he didn’t hear anything fromthe digipeater, he thought he heard “something”on 1 45.800. He called NA1 SS — the USAmateur Radio on the International SpaceStation (ARISS) cal l sign — and NASAAstronaut Reid Wiseman, KF5LKT, came backto him.

“My audience went crazy, and I was happy tomake contact and have a nice 3 to 4 minutechat,” Stoddard told AMSAT News Service. “Iasked Reid if he might be on the microphone forthe next pass over the eastern USA around1 200 local/1 600 UTC. He said he would try, andwe were outside for that as well .” Wiseman hadthri l led numerous ARRL Field Day participantsin June by getting on the air from NA1 SS for theevent.

Word of his successful contact spread, andStoddard had an even larger crowd looking onfor the third pass, which he described as“shal low,” given its maximum 6° elevation.Stoddard made several attempts to makelightning strike twice in the same place, but henever heard anything on 1 45.800. Nonetheless,the crowd gave him a round of applause, andStoddard was able to answer several questionsabout working Amateur Radio satel l i tes with arelatively simple setup.

Stoddard has posted a presentation onYouTube from his successful l contact. —Thanks to AMSAT News Service, and PatrickStoddard, WD9EWK

=====================

FCC Alleges Oregon Radio AmateurInterfered with Others, Aired Music, andFailed to Identify

In a Notice of Violation (NoV) released June 5,the FCC has alleged that Thomas Ryan Price,W7WL, of Sweet Home, Oregon, causedmalicious interference to other radiocommunications on 3908 kHz, transmittedmusic on the same frequency, and fai led toproperly identify. The FCC said agents from its

Portland, Oregon, office on May 1 3, 201 4, usedradio direction-finding techniques to pinpoint thesource of the interfering signal to Price’sresidence and, further, observed that Price wastransmitting music and did not identify at the endof each communication, as required.

The FCC has called on Price to submit within 20days a written statement explaining eachviolation, stating specific actions taken tocorrect each violation and preclude theirrecurrence, and include a time line to completeany pending corrective actions.

The FCC said issuance of the NoV “does notpreclude the Enforcement Bureau from furtheraction if warranted, including issuing a Notice ofApparent Liabi l i ty for Forfeiture for the violationscited.

====================

FCC Alleges Deliberate Interference,Failure to Identify in Proposing SubstantialFines for Two Radio Amateurs

The FCC Enforcement Bureau came down hardon two radio amateurs this week, proposingsubstantial fines for al leged deliberateinterference to other Amateur Radiocommunications — in one case by transmittingmusic and animal noises — and fai lure toproperly identify. In simi lar Notices of ApparentLiabi l i ty for Forfeiture (NALs) released July 22,the Commission proposed fining MichaelGuernsey, KZ8O (ex-ND8V), of Parchment,Michigan, $22,000, and Brian Crow, K3VR, ofNorth Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, $1 1 ,500. Inboth cases, the FCC said the evidenceindicated that the transmissions at issue wereaimed at interfering with other radio amateurswith whom each “has had a long-standing andwell-documented dispute” that had spi l led outonto the air.

The FCC in both instances responded lastMarch to “several complaints of intentionalinterference” on 1 4.31 3 MHz. Commissionagents used radio direction-finding techniquesto pin down the source of the transmissions.According to the NAL issued to Guernsey, theFCC agents monitored transmissions from his

Vol. 62 No. 8

4Short Skip

station for approximately 40 minutes on March7, 201 4, “and heard him transmit a pre-recorded song and various animal noises on thefrequency.”

According to the NAL issued to Crow, FCCagents monitored transmissions from his stationfor approximately 3 hours on the morning ofMarch 1 4, 201 4, and heard him transmit slow-scan television (SSTV) signals and “a pre-recorded voice transmission of another amateurstation on the frequency.”

“These transmissions prevented other amateurl icensees from communicating over thefrequency,” the NALs said, adding that neitherGuernsey or Crow transmitted their assignedcall signs while the agents were l istening.

The FCC agents later the same day visitedCrow’s residence and asked to inspect hisstation, which they confirmed was capable ofoperating on 1 4.31 3 MHz. Crow deniedoperating his station that morning, however, andclaimed that he was not at home when theinterfering transmissions occurred.

The Enforcement Bureau has warned bothGuernsey and Crow in the past regardinginterference to other Amateur Radio operators.In Crow’s case, the FCC said the fact that hesubsequently interfered with other amateuroperators “demonstrates a deliberate disregardfor the Commission’s authority,” and warrantedan upward adjustment of $3500 to his proposedbase forfeiture. Guernsey first came to theEnforcement Bureau’s attention in the late1 990s and, the FCC said in the NAL, “has ahistory of causing interference to thecommunications of other Amateur Radiooperators and has been warned repeatedly inwriting.” Guernsey’s lengthy history with theCommission warranted an upward adjustmentof $1 4,000 to his proposed base forfeiture.

The Commission gave both l icensees 30 daysto pay their fines or to fi le written statements“seeking reduction or cancel lation of theproposed forfeiture.”

The NALs to Guernsey and Crow came in thewake of a June 5 Notice of Violation (NoV)al leging that Thomas Ryan Price, W7WL, ofSweet Home, Oregon, caused maliciousinterference to other radio communications on3908 kHz, transmitted music on the samefrequency, and fai led to properly identify. TheFCC said issuance of the NoV “does notpreclude the Enforcement Bureau from furtheraction if warranted, including issuing a Notice ofApparent Liabi l i ty for Forfeiture for the violationscited.”

====================

FCC Invokes “Red Light Rule” in DenyingK1MAN License Renewal Application

The curious Amateur Radio enforcement caseof Glenn Baxter, now ex-K1 MAN, of BelgradeLakes, Maine, appears to winding down andmay be at an end. The FCC dismissed Baxter’slong-standing l icense renewal application onJune 23, invoking its “Red Light Rule,” whichgives the Commission authority to turn down apending application if the applicant has anunpaid fine on the books. Baxter was liable for a$1 0,000 FCC forfeiture stemming fromviolations over a period extending back severalyears.

“Anyone fi l ing an application [who] is found tobe delinquent in debt owed to the FCC and whofai ls to pay the debt in ful l or make other

satisfactory arrangements in a timely mannerwil l have their application dismissed,” said theNotice of Dismissal appended to Baxter’sUniversal Licensing System (ULS) fi le.“Because you have fai led to resolve this mattertimely, your application is hereby dismissed.”

The FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureaudismissed Baxter’s 2005 renewal application“without prejudice,” which means that if Baxterwants to be l icensed again, he must fi le a newapplication — and the FCC could again invokeits Red Light Rule. Baxter’s l icense expired inOctober of 2005, but FCC rules gave him theauthority to continue operating while his renewalapplication was pending. He lost that privi legeeffective on June 23.

“I f you are currently operating under authorityprovided by the Commission’s rules based onyour submission of [a renewal] application, youmust immediately cease operation unti l suchtime as you come into compliance with therules,” the dismissal letter said.

The legal history in the case is extensive. In201 1 , the FCC issued a Hearing DesignationOrder to determine, among other things, ifBaxter’s Amateur Radio l icense should berenewed. According to the Order, “Baxter hasapparently wil l ful ly and repeatedly engaged inunlawful Commission-related activities,including causing interference to ongoingcommunications of other amateur stations,transmitting communications in which he had apecuniary interest, fai l ing to fi le requestedinformation pursuant to an Enforcement Bureaudirective, engaging in broadcasting withoutcommunicating with any particular station, andfai l ing to exercise control of his station.”

In 201 2, On January 1 0, the US District Courtfor the State of Maine issued a rul ing in theFCC’s lawsuit to col lect Baxter’s fine, initial ly$21 ,000. In writing for the Court, Chief USDistrict Judge John A. Woodcock Jr agreedwith the FCC on the first two counts — wil lful orrepeated fai lure to respond to FCC requests forinformation, and wil l ful or malicious interference— and granted summary judgments to the FCCin the amounts of $3000 and $7000,respectively. The Court decl ined to rule on thethird issue —communications in which anamateur station l icensee or control operator hasa pecuniary interest — asserting that issues ofmaterial fact remained to be litigated in theCourt.

Earl ier this month, in a seeming game of “hotpotato,” FCC Chief Administrative Law JudgeRichard L. Sippel turned down an FCCEnforcement Bureau request that he dismissBaxter’s renewal application with prejudice. TheEnforcement Bureau fi led a Request forDismissal of Application and Termination ofProceeding in March of this year.

“Mr Baxter did not submit a substantiveopposition to the Request,” Sippel wrote in hisJune 20 Order. While Sippel said the Bureaumade a “convincing” case for him to drop theother regulatory shoe in the Baxter case andend the matter, he said he did not have thatbroad authority and turned the matter back tothe Enforcement Bureau, which dismissedBaxter’s application 4 days later.

Sippel said that upon dismissal of Baxter’sapplication “by appropriate authority,” he wouldterminate the proceeding upon the EnforcementBureau’s motion.

====================

ARRL works this congress to introduce billto ectend PRB-1 to incude CCR's

The ARRL reports that a bi l l with bipartisansupport has been introduced in the US House ofRepresentatives. One that cal ls on the FCC toapply the reasonable accommodation three-parttest of the PRB-1 federal pre- emption policy toprivate land-use restrictions.The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 201 4 alsoknown as HR.4969 was introduced on June25th at the request of the American Radio RelayLeague which worked with House ofRepresentative staffers to draft the proposedlegislation. The bi l l 's sponsor is RepresentativeAdam Kinzinger of I l l inois and it has initial co-sponsorship from Representative Joe Courtneyof Connecticut.

I f the measure is approved by the 1 1 3thCongress, it would require the FCC, within 1 20days of the bi l l 's passage, to amend the Part 97Amateur Service rules to apply PRB-1 coverageto include homeowners' association regulationsand deed restrictions. These are often referredto as covenants, conditions, and restrictions andpresently PRB-1 only applies to state and localzoning laws and ordinances.

HR.4969 has been referred to the House Energyand Commerce Committee. RepresentativeGreg Walden, W7EQ eye of Oregon chairs thatpanel 's Communications and TechnologySubcommittee, which wil l consider the measure.

ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco,N2YBB, is a principal advocate for the currentlegislative initiative to gain PRB-1 recognition forCC&Rs. Lisenco said the most urgent task nowis to get additional co-sponsors to sign ontoHR.4969.

========================

Largest Collins Radio AM shortwavetransmitter saved from extinction

A historic radio transmitter has been savedfrom the scrap-heap thanks to threeorganizations who worked di l igently to preserveit.

The announced transfer of the Voice of Americabroadcasting station in Delano California to theGeneral Services Administration for disposalhad potential ly sealed the fate of the lastcompete Coll ins Model 821 A-1 250,000 wattHigh Frequency Autotune transmitters in theworld.

Meantime the?Coll ins Collectors Associationand the Antique Wireless Association hadformalized an all iance named the Coll insRadio Heritage Group. Hearing of the potentialloss of the transmitter the latter working incooperation with members of the Arthur A.Coll ins Legacy Association began campaigningto save some of the significant historicalartifacts related to the Delano Voice of Americatransmitter site.

In December of 201 3 a proposal was submittedto the Voice of America and the GovernmentServices Administration to recover, preserveand display the transmitter and the studiocontrol console from the Delano site. This pastMay the proposal was approved and recoverybegan. The effort was recently completedwith the transmitter, studio board and otherassociated remote gear being removed andshipped to the Antique Wireless AssociationMuseum in Bloomfield New York where they wil lbe displayed.

Vol. 62 No. 8

5Short Skip

FCC Turns Away Petition on Non-Certificated Transmitters on GMRS for HamsARRL

The FCC has denied a Petition for Rule Making (PRM) fi led by a Florida radio amateur that sought to permit hams who also holdGeneral Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) l icenses to operate on GMRS channels with transmitters that have not been certificated forGMRS use, provided the transmitter meets GMRS technical standards. Mark Friedlander, KV4I , of New Smyrna Beach hadasserted in his May 29 fi l ing that the proposed rule change would faci l i tate interoperabi l i ty in emergency situations, since manyemergency response groups uti l ize both radio services.

“I think it would faci l i tate emergency communications with CERT groups and other EmComm workers if we could el iminate theneed to check with the FCC for each radio,” Friedlander said in a statement seeking support for his petition and which was postedon the East Coast District ARES (Florida) forum. “Doing so would also minimize confusion about the permissibi l i ty of ham operatorsusing their radios for transmitting on both services.”

Transmitters used in the Part 95 GMRS must have FCC certification prior to sale and marketing; in general, Part 97 Amateur Radiotransmitters do not.

In a June 20 letter to Friedlander, the FCC pointed out that GMRS transmitters that also can be used on Amateur Radio frequencieswil l not be certificated. The FCC said it adopted that rule “to prevent the possible prol iferation of GMRS equipment that is alsocapable of operating on frequencies for which the GMRS licensee is not authorized.”

Friedlander has noted that the Amateur Service and the GMRS operate on similar frequencies. He argued that Amateur Radiooperators who are authorized to design, bui ld, and operate transmitters without equipment certification in the 420-450 MHzamateur band should be allowed to do so on the 462/467 MHz GMRS channels, the FCC said.

“We conclude that the proposed rule change would undermine the prohibition on GMRS equipment with Amateur Radio frequencycapabil i ty,” the FCC said. “An exception to [the rule] would al low for the prol iferation of home-bui lt, non-standardized transmitters inthe GMRS, with no practicable way for the Commission to monitor and enforce regulatory compliance for these devices.”

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Vol. 62 No. 8

ARRL President Issues Call to Action to Gain Support for HR.4969ARRL

In a video, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, has issued an urgentcal l to al l radio amateurs to get behind a grassroots campaign topromote co-sponsorship of HR.4969, “The Amateur Radio Parity Act of201 4.” HR.4969 would require the FCC to extend PRB-1 coverage torestrictive covenants. I t was introduced in the US House with bipartisansupport on June 25 at the request of the ARRL, which worked withHouse staffers to draft the legislation. The measure would require theFCC to apply the “reasonable accommodation” three-part test of thePRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to private land-use restrictionsregarding antennas. The bi l l ’s primary sponsor is Rep Adam Kinzinger(R-IL). I t had initial co-sponsorship from Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT).

President Craigie also exhorted al l radio amateurs regarding support forHR.4969 in remarks appearing in the The ARRL Legislative UpdateNewsletter. Craigie stressed in the Newsletter that the legislation standsto benefit not just today's radio amateurs but those in the future.

"Chances are, those Americans of the future wil l grow up in communities having private land use restrictions," she said "That is theway the country is going, and it is very bad for Amateur Radio. How can Amateur Radio thrive, if more and more Americans cannothave reasonable antennas at home? You and I have to stand for the Amateurs of the second century."

I f the measure passes the 1 1 3th Congress, it would require the FCC to amend the Part 97 Amateur Service rules to apply PRB-1coverage to include homeowners’ association regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to as “covenants, conditions, andrestrictions” (CC&Rs). At present, PRB-1 only applies to state and local zoning laws and ordinances.

An HR.4969 page now is open on the ARRL website. I t contains information and resources for clubs and individuals wishing tosupport efforts to gain co-sponsors for the measure by contacting their members of Congress.

I was going thru one of my dads

photo albums and came across this

picture. Thought you might l ike to

see it. L-R; Jack Meade, Doc

Miner and Chuck Reberg.

James W. Harney Sr.,KF9EX

6Short Skip

SSTTAAYY UUPP TTOO DDAATTEE WWIITTHH TTHHEE CCUURRRREENNTT HHAAPPPPEENNIINNGGSS OOFF

TTHHEE LLAAKKEE CCOOUUNNTTYY AAMMAATTEEUURR RRAADDIIOO CCLLUUBB OONN FFAACCEEBBOOOOKK..TTOO FFIINNDD UUSS TTYYPPEE LLCCAARRCC IINN TTHHEE FFAACCEEBBOOOOKK

SSEEAARRCCHH BBOOXX OORR FFAACCEEBBOOOOKK..CCOOMM//LLCCAARRCC

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ARRL support for clubs could use some improvementDan Romanchik, KB6NU

Often, when you hear ARRL officials speak, they extol the virtues of amateur radio clubs, saying things l ike, "Clubs are the l ifeblood of amateurradio." For example, Dale Wil l iams, WA8EFK, in response to my e-mail congratulating him on his appointment as the new ARRL Great LakesDivision director, said that his "plans are to push to keep things local, club-related, and bottom-up driven."

Of course, that kind of set me off. When it comes to club support, the ARRL is more talk than action.

One example of this lack of support is that there hasn't been an issue of the ARRL Club News newsletter for years. Even so, if you log into the ARRLwebsite and look at your e-mail subscriptions page, you'l l see that it says that it's supposed to be a monthly newsletter.

I ' l l also note that the ARRL CEO Harold Kramer, WJ1 B, left this particular newsletter off the l ist of avai lable newsletters in his June QST column. Idon't know who at HQ is responsible for producing this newsletter, but the fact that there hasn't been one for so long speaks volumes to me.

Another example is the club commission program. Under this program, clubs get a $1 5 commission when they sign up a new member. That's notbad, but the commission fal ls to only $2 for renewing members. According to a former treasurer of ARROW, my club here in Ann Arbor, MI , $2 justwasn't enough to make it worth his whi le to process renewals.

To be fair, i t's not al l bad news. The ARRL website does have a page with information on how to set up and run an active club(http://www.arrl .org/affi l iated-club-resources). The ARRL also has a club l iabi l i ty insurance program is a decent deal for clubs, but that programprobably doesn't require much effort on the ARRL's part. The ARRL is also supposed to refer new hams to clubs, but I 'm not sure exactly how theydo that, and I don't think ARROW's gained any new members from this recently.

Let me ask you. Is your club getting the support it needs from the ARRL? If so, I 'd l ike to hear about what you think they're doing right. I f not, I 'd l iketo know what you think they should be doing to help your club.

===================================================

When he's not writing this column for club newsletters, Dan, KB6NU enjoys working CW on the HF bands and teaching ham radio classes. For moreinformation about his operating activities and his "No-Nonsense" series of amateur radio l icense study guides, go to KB6NU.Com or e-mailcwgeek@kb6nu.com

No-Nonsense Study GuidesTechnician, General, Extra-Class License Study Guide

Free PDF Version or purchase on Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook

Download at KB6NU.com/tech-manual

Vol. 62 No. 8

Man Can’t Find JohnsonHamHijinks.com

CHOUJIAN, China — Taking a cue from a popular Coca-Cola trend, Pofung has

announced a new branding effort. But, i t’s left at least one ham disappointed.

New handheld radios wil l feature first names printed on the front of the device, along withthe phrase “Share A Pofung With.” More than 1 ,000 names wil l be avai lable, accordingto the company.

“Our radios cost about the same as a soft drink, so we thought we would try it, ” Pofungexecutives said in a news release.

The company says they hope that ham radio operators wil l consider buying theinexpensive radios in bulk, too. New advertisements wil l encourage customers to “sharea six-pack with your club.”

Some ham radio operators aren’t impressed, though. “I can’t find my name on one,” saidJohnson Longfel low, W7XXO.

Look for the personalized Pofungs at ham radio stores in the U.S. and U.K. next month.

### HamHij inks.com

7Short Skip

Elecraft - my personal opinionLarry Makoski, W2LJ

I I have been involved in the Service Industry for al l of my adult working l ife. I have worked in photo studios, photolaboratories, photo retai l , professional photographic equipment distribution and service, and most recently in the ITfield through inventory control and logistics.

Throughout that period, there was one Prime Directive (to borrow the term from Star Trek), and that is that CustomerService is, was, and always wil l be #1 . Coming up close to 40 years in the field now, I can attest to how that's notalways the easiest phi losophy to l ive up to; but it is paramount. For truly, years of hard work to bui ld up a solidreputation can be squandered in mere seconds by an instance of lousy customer service. And once you havesquandered your reputation and credibi l i ty, even with one person and in one instance, word can get around so quicklythat it can take years to get back to where you started from.

"What has this to do with Amateur Radio?", you are probably asking yourself.

There are many service and product providers in the Amateur Radio market, as small as this niche is. We have manyplaces where we can spend our heard earned dol lars. There are many very good companies out there that wil l bendover backward to make sure that your experience with them is the best possible one that you can have. On the otherhand, there are also companies out there who quite l i teral ly (excuse my language) don't give a damn what you careabout or want. Al l they want is your dol lars and once they have them, you are pretty much dead to them. Thankful ly,thankful ly, thankful ly these companies are the smallest minority and they usual ly die a pretty quick death, going out ofbusiness rather quickly.

On the other end of the spectrum are the companies that go out of their way to ensure that you are happy andsatisfied. In my experience, Elecraft has done an exemplary job in that department. I have been a happy Elecraftowner since 2003, when I first bought my K1 . Since then, I have purchased and bui lt a K2, a K3 and a KX3, alongwith numerous sub-kits and accessories. In each instance, I had a great experience. The manuals are extremely wellthought out, leaving (at least in my case) no doubt as to how things are supposed to go together. In the two instanceswhere my kits were missing parts, or had a wrong part shipped - a quick e-mail to Elecraft got me the needed pieces inl i teral ly a day or two.

I have been fortunate that my radios worked right off my assembly l ine. However, I do know of instances where thathas not been the case for other Hams, for one reason or another. In those cases, it seems that the help that wasreceived from Elecraft via the telephone from their outstanding staff, or from the Elecraft e-mail reflector(s) whereother Elecraft enthusiasts congregate got them up and running quickly. I also personal ly know of instances where"stuff has happened" and telephone calls to Elecraft brought timely solutions, even though the equipment in questionwould have been considered out of warranty by any other manufacturer.

Al l that being said, the cl incher came for me just prior to Field Day, this year. On QRP-L, many of the guys werebeginning to l ist where their QRP Field Day efforts were going to be held. I chimed in with information about where theSouth Plainfield Amateur Radio Club's effort was going to be, and I also mentioned that we were going to be all QRP,using my KX3s as our HF transmitters. Out of the blue, that night I received a private e-mail from Wayne BurdickN6KR, one of the principal owners of the company. In the e-mail he informed me that he read my posting to QRP-Land saw that we were going to be using my KX3s. So from there, Wayne proceeded to tel l me how to set up the KX3sso that they would cause minimal interference to each other in close quarters. And that information, which he alsoposted to the KX3 and general Elecraft e-mail reflectors, turned out to be a life saver. After we first got going, it turnedout that the SSB station was just swamping me out, and I was basical ly doing the same to them. When that becameapparent, I whipped out the printed e-mail from my back pocket (it was next to my Swiss Army Knife), made thesetting changes and from there we were in l ike Flynn. The two stations sat side-by-side and hummed along for the restof Field Day - fat, dumb and happy!

This boggled my mind. One of the owners of Elecraft was keeping his eye on QRP-L, saw that one of his customerswould be using their product and then graciously offered tips on how to make the radios work even better. That, myfriends is ADVANCED customer service - the stuff upon which legends are born.

Now don't get me wrong. No company in this world is perfect. Far from it. Heck, just go to the Elecraft reflectors andyou'l l find lots of instances where people feel they haven't been satisfied and take ample opportunity to vent. Some ofit may be justified, and some of it is pure nonsense. But in my mind at least, Elecraft is a very bright spot in theAmateur Radio market, and I would recommend them highly to anyone. And aside from Amateur Radio, I think thatthey are a shining example to al l industries on what great Customer Service is and should be.

72 de Larry W2LJQRP - When you care to send the very least! http://w2lj .blogspot.com

Vol. 62 No. 8

Visit the Lake County ARC on the web at W9LJ.org