News for Amateur Radio Operators In and Around Hillsdale County

 

We'll, we've made it through the Dayton Hamvention and Memorial Day weekend.  Next up...Field Day, which will be held on the weekend of June 23-24 at Dan Sprow's (Sprow Tax & Accounting), 3671 Bankers Rd, Hillsdale (map).  Volunteers will be needed to help set up, operate and tear down.  Brenda Sprow has the food planning well underway, and we may be soliciting help in the form of side dishes.  Plan to stop by and help out or just visit, meet area hams and operate.  Stay tuned for more details via email, and be sure to visit the Field Day page on our website for updates.

The next ham breakfast will be Saturday, June 9 at 8am at the Reading Inn, 137 S Main in Reading (map).  They have plenty of room, a breakfast buffet and a discount for seniors.  Please come join us.

The next board meeting will be Thursday, June 7 at 7pm at McDonald's in Hillsdale (map).  Board meetings are open to all club members.

The Michigan ARRL Section Outing will be held on July 5-8 at the Woodlands Conference Center & Campgrounds in Hale (map).  It's a 4-day fun-filled event hosted by your ARRL Michigan Section Staff involving fun events for the whole family.  Camping, RVing, canoeing, horseshoes, volleyball, softball, boating, swimming facilities are available all day every day of the outing for your pleasure.  The event is free to attend, although campsites and beds in the Bunkhouse have a nominal charge.  Motels and Bed-and-Breakfasts are available just a short drive away.  Meals are Pot-Luck but a main course will be provided.  Donations are accepted to help cover costs.  You can stop by for just a day or stay for the entire event.  Click here for more information or email me and I can forward you information that I received from ARRL Michigan Section Manager Larry Camp WB8R.  Over the years lots of people have told me to go to Hale...I guess this is my chance!

The Boy Scouts will be offering a Morse Code Interpreter Strip for scouts that demonstrate proficiency with Morse Code.  Click here for the ARRL story and here for list of requirements and a picture of the strip.

Michigan House Bill 5027, aka PRB-1, is still in committee.  The bill would put state law in sync with FCC regulations with respect to encumbrances to antenna structures.  A similar bill was signed into law in Ohio on May 15 (story).  Click here to follow the progress of House Bill 5027.

Heathkit Education Systems closed up shop, after re-opening just last year (story).

Over 1500 e-mails were received at ARRL HQ from amateurs in response to a FCC request for comments on Emergency Communications by Amateur Radio and impediments to Amateur Radio communications, sharing the details of their various deed restrictions.  An additional 350-plus e-mails were also received detailing actual Emergency Communications participation in various events from almost every state in the US as well as several US territories.  Click here to read the ARRL story and here to view a copy of the ARRL's filing to the FCC from the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System website.

The Japanese HORYU-2 research satellite was launched May 17 as part of a mission that included the JAXA climate observation satellite Shizuku. HORYU-2 was built by students at the Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT) and it carries the call sign JG6YBW.  The satellite will conduct a variety of experiments including high-voltage power generation and space debris measurements.  Amateurs have been asked to monitor HORYU-2's Morse code and 1200-baud AX.25 packet telemetry at 437.375 MHz. Telemetry decoding software is available for download. To encourage hams to submit reports, KIT will conduct a monthly prize drawing.  Details are available here.

The FCC is seeking a higher vanity call sign fee of $15 for 10 years, up from $14.20.  The fee is due each time you renew your vanity call sign (story).

On May 14, Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai were sworn in as FCC Commissioners.  For the first time in almost a year the Commission is at full strength.  Rosenworcel, a Democrat, fills the seat vacated by Michael Copps who retired from the Commission earlier this year; her term runs through June 30, 2015.  Pai, a Republican, replaces Meredith Attwell Baker, who left the FCC in June 2011; his term runs through June 30, 2016.  Read more here.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is deploying a new generation of Common Air Route Surveillance Radar that has some implications for the use of the 1240-1300 MHz (23 cm) band by amateurs.  Amateur radio is a secondary user on the band.  Click here for more info.

On  May 24, the FCC decided to expand the Part 95 Personal Radio Service rules to allow medical devices to operate on a secondary basis in the 2360-2400 MHz band.  These devices -- called Medical Body Area Networks (MBAN) -- provide a way for health care facilities to monitor patients via wireless networks.  Because use of these frequencies will be on a secondary basis, MBAN stations will not be allowed to cause interference to -- and must accept interference from -- primary services, including radio amateurs who operate on a primary basis in the 2390-2395 MHz and 2395-2400 MHz bands.  Click here for the entire story.

If you're planning on going to the Monroe hamfest (info) on June 17, keep in mind that it is also race day at Michigan International Speedway.  Plan accordingly to avoid the traffic.

Don't forget to participate in the Monday night net, held weekly at 7pm on the 147.06 repeater.  We're getting close to double digits! 

No club meetings are currently planned for the summer.  Tentative plans call for a foxhunt in July and a picnic in August, along with Field Day in June.  The next club meeting will most likely be in September.

A final thought...please don't feel that you're not welcome to participate in club events just because you are not a member.  The mission of the club is to promote amateur radio, not to get as many paid members as possible, although we do appreciate your $upport.  Come join the fun!


Upcoming Events
June 2 - Fulton County Hamfest (info)
June 3 - Chelsea Hamfest (info)
June 7 - Board Meeting
June 9 - Ham Breakfast at the Reading Inn, 137 S Main in Reading (map)
June 17 - Monroe Hamfest (info)
June 23-24 - Field Day
July 5-8 -Michigan ARRL Section Outing (info  map)
July 19 - Foxhunt (tentative)
August 16 - Picnic (tentative)
September 20 - Next Club Meeting (tentative)