ARRL Hudson Division October 2005 Hudson Division Beacon -- e-mail edition - # 55 THE HUDSON DIVISION TEAM Frank Fallon, N2FF, Director, Hudson Division, ARRL 30 East Williston Avenue, East Williston, NY 11596 516) 746-7652 n2ff@arrl.org Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF, Vice Director, Hudson Division, ARRL 235 Van Emburgh Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450-2918 201) 455-5924 ka2anf@arrl.org Hudson Division Home Page -- http://www.hudson.arrl.org ARRL Members Please continue to spread the word to others that may wish to receive this information that they will need to access the ARRL members only web site. After becoming a member they must edit their profile and elect to receive bulletins from the Section Manager and Director. If you are already a member on the ARRL site (http://www.arrl.org) from the "Members Only" box click on "members data page" and then under email notification options set "Division/Section notices" to YES. You will receive the next bulletin sent. Past Bulletins are available at http://www.hudson.arrl.org FALL HAMFEST SEASON: Next event after TOBARES is in January HRU 2006 in NLI October 23rd TOBARES Hamfest - Knights of Columbus Hall - Lindenhurst, NY > INTERESTING CW SITE FOR MUSICAL TYPES http://www.zerobeat.net/morse505.html It is entertaining. Thanks N2GA for spotting this one. > AWARDS DINNER TICKETS AND AD FORMS AVAILABLE ON LINE > Last Call for Ads and Tickets Tickets and Ad forms are available for the 2005 Hudson Division Awards Dinner to be held Saturday night November 12th, at the Elk?s Lodge in Park Ridge, New Jersey to honor our recipients. Visit http/www.hudson.arrl.org We hope to see you there!! Besides good food and friendly people we have loads of good door prizes and a rig raffle or two. Please join us! NO tickets will be sold at the door. > ARRL LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD to Jules Freundlich, W2JGR/0 It was my pleasure to collaborate with Dakota Division Director, Jay Bellows, K0QB, who will shortly present this "Lifetime Service Award" to Jules. Jules, an ARRL member for 70 years, was a longtime resident of Lynbrook, Long Island and an AIL employee. Jules is still a very active RTTY operator now residing in Minneapolis, MN. While here on Long Island he was for a number of years, president of LIDXA. To those of us who knew him while he was here on the East Coast, he was and is a great guy and a class act. Congratulations Jules! =>SPECTRUM DEFENSE FUND 2006: PROTECTING AMATEUR RADIO'S ABILITY TO RESPOND The ARRL officially kicks off its 2006 Spectrum Defense Fund campaign Monday, October 10, by once again emphasizing that Amateur Radio spectrum is one of our nation's most valuable assets. Amateur Radio and everything it accomplishes during disasters and emergencies would cease to exist without access to the range and variety of frequencies it enjoys, says ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. "Public service is number one on the FCC's ?97.1 hit parade of reasons Amateur Radio exists," Hobart said. "The events of September 2005?like those of September 2001--demonstrate the power of Amateur Radio in spades." She says ham radio volunteers who've been taking part in the hurricane Katrina and Rita relief and recovery, whether on the Gulf Coast or from home, "testify to what hams have known for years--the value of Amateur Radio frequencies when disaster strikes." Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer Christy Hardin, KB7BSA, just returned home to Alabama after two duty tours in southern Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina. "This is the essence of why we need to fight for our frequencies and maintain what we have," she said, looking back on her experiences of the past several weeks. "This is what it's about." Amateur Radio volunteers have employed a wide range of modes and capabilities to provide needed communication support following the Gulf Coast hurricanes, Hobart points out. The mix includes extensive use of HF, VHF and UHF as well as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems such as EchoLink and IRLP, and data modes--primarily Winlink 2000. In a 2006 Spectrum Defense Fund appeal going out to ARRL members, ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, calls the past month "a challenging one" for those directly affected by the twin Gulf Coast hurricanes. Amateur Radio was in the forefront of those responding to help, he said, from the time Amateur Radio nets began tracking Katrina's course as a tropical storm to the response on the ground in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. "Amateur Radio operators continue to do what no one else can do--provide reliable emergency communications." "In recent weeks the demand for information about ham radio from the press, and the helping hands extended by official Washington and our Amateur Radio industry have validated what hams have been doing for decades," Sumner's appeal goes on to say, "using our treasured frequencies to save lives, move emergency resources and relay messages across the country." Amateur Radio's spectrum is available because the League works hard every day to protect and enhance it, Sumner noted. "Each year ARRL expends thousands of staff hours and provides funding to work with agencies and organizations to protect Amateur Radio spectrum," he said. "Amateur Radio volunteer operators are always glad to help . . . to ensure that our frequencies are there for disasters, drills, nets and just plain fun, we must continue to protect them." Donations to the League's Spectrum Defense Fund give the League the means to represent Amateur Radio at critical meetings in official Washington and at international conferences, prepare FCC filings and presentations and even to work to eliminate harmful interference from such sources as BPL and power line noise. Hobart says every radio amateur has reason to feel proud of the service that ham radio volunteers have provided in the most recent disaster. "I hope that every ham, active or not, ARRL member or not, will translate that pride into a contribution to support defense of our frequencies," she said. Giving is easy. Radio amateurs may contribute online via the ARRL's secure donor Web site https://www.arrl.org/forms/fdefense/>. Those contributing $50 or more may request a gift as a token of the League's appreciation. The ARRL has been included in the 2005 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) National/International list <http://www.opm.gov/cfc/>. This means federal government civilian employees as well as postal workers and members of the military can designate their CFC pledges to the ARRL during the campaign season, which ends December 15. The League's CFC donor code is 9872. Federal employees who participate in the CFC can donate all or part of their CFC contribution to the League to support ARRL's efforts on behalf of Amateur Radio. For more information about the 2006 Spectrum Defense Fund or to discuss other ways you can support the ARRL's continuing work on behalf of Amateur Radio, contact ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH <k1mmh@arrl.org>; 860-594-0397. HURRICANE KATRINA NEWS: And now we have Wilma on the way! Our twin hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, and the Amateur Radio response to them continue to be the big ham radio news item and the big news item in the media as well. I met Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) volunteer Jeff Schneller, N2HPO, at the HOSARC Hamfest after he had spent 10 days in Mississippi responding to Katrina. Jeff would have been there longer but his job called him back to NYC to solve a client problem. Jeff's comment, "It was like Field Day for real. We were camping out." The message is a very loud "Ham radio is alive and well and once again still there when all else fails!" If you have not already done so visit the ARRL site for information, pictures and stories. QST will eventually have detailed coverage of the ham response. Feel proud even if you have never been involved in public service and emergency communications. Once again it was the ARES and RACES operators who activated who did us all proud and who have provided a positive PR environment that will for years help us move our legislative agenda and gain tower permits. A BIG thanks to our ARES and RACES ops! Thanks also to Rich Ulrich, K2KOQ, better known as ?Johnny Donovan? at WABC (770 AM) and Howard Price, KA2QPJ, of WABC-TV (Channel 7), both in New York City for a great Katrina PSA. > Federal Grant Augments "Ham Aid" Fund for Hurricane Volunteers (Sep 27, 2005) -- The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) will provide the ARRL with an additional $77,000 to support Amateur Radio operators volunteering in the field in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The latest grant augments the recent $100,000 CNCS made available immediately following the Katrina disaster. The grant money, supplemented by contributions from individual donors, will subsidize "Ham Aid," a new League program to help defray out-of pocket expenses of Amateur Radio volunteers deployed in the field in disaster-stricken areas. See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/27/100/?nc=1 ==>ARRL COO TESTIFIES ON CAPITOL HILL TO AMATEUR RADIO'S VALUE IN DISASTERS ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, testified on behalf of the League September 29 before the US House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Addressing the hearing topic, "Public Safety Communications from 9/11 to Katrina: Critical Public Policy Lessons," Kramer reiterated and amplified comments ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, delivered earlier this month to the House Government Reform Committee. As Haynie did on September 15, Kramer testified on the successful efforts of Amateur Radio operators who provided communications during the Hurricane Katrina response. "Amateur Radio was uniquely suited to this task by virtue of the availability of HF communications covering long distances without fixed infrastructure," Kramer pointed out in his testimony. In addition to those who responded to support relief agencies in hurricane-devastated areas, thousands more radio amateurs outside the affected area monitored radio traffic and relayed health-and-welfare messages, he said. See full story at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/30/2/?nc=1 ==>AMATEUR RADIO VANITY PROCESSING FALLS VICTIM TO HURRICANES The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) has suspended the processing of Amateur Radio vanity call sign applications. A WTB staff member, speaking to ARRL on background, said the FCC halted vanity processing on or about September 23 after realizing that filing and regulatory deadline extensions for hurricane-affected licensees in certain states could adversely impact the vanity system. The WTB staffer pointed out that the filing extensions announced this month also apply to Amateur Radio's two-year "grace period." See http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/30/100/?nc=1 for details. > Katrina radio public service announcement available! (Sep 8, 2005) -- ARRL is making available a 30-second radio public service announcement (PSA) to highlight that ham radio has been on the air throughout the Hurricane Katrina crisis, passing emergency communications when other systems failed. Dozens of stations across the country already are playing earlier ARRL "mini-commercials" for ham radio, and the numbers keep growing. You can help by listening to, then downloading, the latest PSA from the ARRL Web site here onto a CD and taking it to your local radio stations. To download the MP3 file, right click on the above link and choose "Save Target." The latest 30-second PSA was made possible by Johnny Donovan at WABC (770 AM) and Howard Price, KA2QPJ, of WABC-TV (Channel 7), both in New York City. Price is acting president of the Broadcast Employees Amateur Radio Society (BEARS), the ham radio organization at ABC TV and Radio in New York City and an ARRL Special Service Club. Donovan voiced the PSA. > Amateur Radio Antenna "CC&R Bill" Reintroduced in Congress (Sep 23, 2005) -- New York Congressman Steve Israel has reintroduced legislation that could make it easier for radio amateurs living in communities with deed covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) to erect suitable antennas. Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross, WD5DVR, signed aboard as an original cosponsor of the "Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act" (HR 3876). ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, who attended Israel's public announcement of the bill September 19 on Long Island, pointed out the Amateur Radio volunteers always fill the gap after other communication systems fail in an emergency or disaster. He notes the bill's introduction comes in the immediate aftermath of positive media coverage of Amateur Radio's response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. For details and pictures (by N2FF) see: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/09/23/7/?nc=1 and http://www.bbwexchange.com/publications/newswires/page546-3013947.asp for some of the coverage the story received. > FEMA COURSE ON AMATEUR RADIO Many thanks for mentioning the FEMA COURSES ON AMATEUR RADIO RESOURCES; ICS/NIMS TRAINING. I've had quite a few inquiries about it! However several hams were unable to drill down through all the government web sites to get to it. For further information about the FEMA COURSES ON AMATEUR RADIO RESOURCES; ICS/NIMS TRAINING G250.6 government training course, please go to: http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/STCourses/crsdesc/G250_6.html This course is designed to train government employees about the mission of amateur radio operations. De Carl, AA4MI, ARRL Assistant Director, Southeastern Division > DIVISION NEWSLETTER OF THE MONTH The division website has a new section entitled ?Newsletter of the month? with an attached PDF file of a club newsletter. The October award goes to PCARA and Malcolm Pritchard, NM9J, the editor of the October 2005 issue of the "PCARA Update" newsletter. PCARA is Peekskill / Cortlandt Amateur Radio Association, Inc. and they have a snazzy monthly newsletter with many really good color pictures and cartoons. It a great example of what a club can do with a little creativity, hard work and the use of PDF files for distribution. Only division newsletters that are in PDF files will be eligible. (PDFing files can save a club a lot of postage.) Make sure your club is sending a newsletter each month to n2ff@arrl.org . Yes, it is possible that a club can be selected for "Newsletter of the Month" more than once in any year. In September 2006 we will announce the winner for the "Newsletter of the Year" from among the twelve monthly awards. Division Assistant Directors will be asked to vote on the issue they liked best. The club editor of the issue with the most votes will be awarded a plaque for his or her efforts at keeping the club and the division informed and entertained. Thanks to webmaster Tom Carrubba, KA2D, for the suggestion. > H.Res 230 - Let Your Congressman know you Support this Resolution - Write please! > See sample letter at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/04/28/3/?nc=1 To expedite delivery, send all correspondence bound for Members of Congress--preferably as an attachment--to hres230@arrl.org or fax it to 703-684-7594 also send me a copy at n2ff@arrl.org The ARRL will bundle correspondence addressed to each Member of Congress for hand delivery. A copy of HRes 230 is available on the ARRL Web site in .PDF format at, http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/filings/hres230/HRes230.pdf. See the ARRL Web site, http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/04/28/3/?nc=1, for more information. WHAT'S THE HUDSON DIVISION VICE DIRECTOR BEEN DOING... Part II In the April issue of the Hudson Division Beacon, I reported on my travels throughout the Division for the first 4 months of this year. In this issue, I thought I had better take the opportunity to fill you in on my latest travels. April was a pretty full month for Frank, N2FF and myself. We took the opportunity to visit the Troy Amateur Radio Association on Tuesday, April 19th. They were celebrating their 14th anniversary of the club. Frank had almost forgotten until I called him a few days before to ask if he wanted to travel together. We didn't even tell them we were coming as we wanted to surprise them?and we sure did surprise them! We arrived just in time for the start of their meeting. TARA club President, Bill Eddy, NY2U and Vice President, Sharon Smith, KS2O were delighted, but not as much as Frank and myself, as we had arrived just in time to share some wonderful food from some of the finest cooks in the Northeast! Thank you all for your hospitality. In April and May, I took the opportunity to speak at some Skywarn training sessions given by the National Weather Service. These were very well attended by both hams and non-hams. Speaking of Skywarn activities, I was able to accompany one of our local Skywarn Coordinators on two different post-severe weather event surveys this Summer. Those of you who participate in Skywarn Spotting would be pleased to know that many of your reports result in follow-up site surveys during which photographs of the damage and interviews are often conducted. May 1st found me at the Bergen Amateur Radio Club in Ridgewood, NJ. There's something really special about speaking at a club in "your own backyard." We did some reminiscing of the past, I told some "Andy" stories and we had a wonderful time. It's good to have so many friends. Did you get to Dayton this year? Well, if you didn?t you missed a great time. Three days packed with all kinds of fun things to do and all that great equipment too! I was asked to do a presentation at the ARES Forum, where I spoke on Skywarn activity in Northern New Jersey. It was a great deal of fun. I even got to help with the ARRL Expo. The ARRL did something a little different this year. They pretty much brought the whole headquarters to Dayton with each department represented. It was a perfect opportunity to meet the staff. I also was able to get to a few Hamfests in May, one of them being, again in my "backyard," as I attended BARA in Washington Twp, NJ. It was a beautiful day for it. June 12th found me on the road again, this time visiting the Yonkers Amateur Radio Club in Yonkers, NY. These folks do it right! They have their meetings in a Police Precinct! A bit intimidating maybe, but it is nice to be so recognized by law enforcement. Yonkers has the distinction of having one of the finest VE teams in the Division. Congratulations to Paul, AA2HX, for 223 VE Sessions, Dan, AC2T for 259 and Emily AC2V for 256 total VE Sessions participated in. Now that's dedication! My Field Day travels took me on the road for 12 hours on Saturday. I started with my own club, The 10-70 Repeater Association, at their Field Day site in Mahwah, NJ. I visited, BARA in Paramus, Fairlawn ARC in Fairlawn, Ramapo Mountain ARC in Oakland, then on to New Yorlk for Westchester Emergency Communications Association in Mamaroneck and then back to Yonkers for the Yonkers ARC. A total of 7 Field Day Operations in one day and night! I had a wonderful time seeing everyone and was amazed at the variety 0f setups. And the food! Yes, its true, WECA even has lobster!! And the homemade brownies at Yonkers were to die for! But the thing that struck me the most, was the good time that everyone was having everywhere I went. I had always thought that Field Day was a contest, but I realize now, that it's a little bit of contest, a little bit of emergency preparedness, and a little bit of socialization. Everyone was having such a good time, eating and operating and showing off their setups to the "officials" that stopped by to visit. Thank you to all for making me feel welcome! July found me at the Sussex Hamfest, which was held on July 10th in Augusta, New Jersey at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. This one is always a big Hamfest for NNJ Section and as usual was very well attended. Also, in July both Frank and I attending the ARRL Board Meeting in Newington, CT. The hot topic on the Board's Agenda was the Bandwidth Proposal. Frank had done a Power Point Presentation at the Hudson Division Cabinet meeting outlining the proposal for the Assistant Directors and Club Presidents. While not directly connected to the ARRL Board Meeting, on my drive up to Newington, I had the pleasure to work Barry Cohen, K2JV and the Kids from the Camp at Salt Brook School on two meters. It was great to work them and tell them about Amateur Radio! And the most exciting part was that they were YL's! More about kids and Amateur Radio further down the page. George, KC2GLG and I took the opportunity to do some Public Service duties and helped out at the Empire State Games in Poughkeepsie, New York on July 29th. Frank Stone, KB2YUR, SEC for the Eastern New York Section did a fantastic job of organizing the communications for this widespread out event. There were 145 Ham volunteers working this 5-day event! August took me in many directions. After a VE session in New Jersey on Saturday, August 6th, George, KC2GLG and I headed for Virginia to visit my brother. While there, we took the opportunity to attend the Berryville Hamfest just east of my hometown of Winchester, VA. I surprised the Director of the Roanoke Division by showing up and also my friend John Kanode, N4MM (also from the Winchester area). I had forgotten how large that Hamfest was! It took a few hours to see everything and there were many in attendance. Vendors were there from as far away as Minnesota and Louisiana! They even had good BBQ! It was wonderful! After my to short four-day vacation to Virginia, I received a phone call from NASA, you know, the folks that run the US Space Program. They had asked if our VE team could help run a session to test Dr. Greg Olsen, from Princeton, NJ. Where had I heard that name? Well, after thinking about it, and doing a little research, I found out that he is the next passenger who has paid his way to fly to the International Space Station. The 10-70 Team was very pleased to assist and Dr. Olsen passed the test and now holds the Callsign, KC2ONX. Hopefully, we can work him when he gets on board the Space Station. He has been in contact with me since his test and has even setup a schedule for talking with three schools in the New York and New Jersey area while he is in space. George and I also attended the Ramapo ARC Hamfest in Oakland, New Jersey on August 20th. Not a large one, like the one in Berryville, but it was good to be back home and see all the familiar faces! Labor Day was the operating event from Liberty Science Center. This event came up so quickly, and it was great to have the New Providence Amateur Radio Club able to establish a visible and audible presence there for the day. While I did not travel to the Science Center, I felt I could help more by being by the microphone to answer questions. It was great to speak to the kids. Although the Liberty Science Center is now closed for a two-year renovation, there is hope for the future, as they will reopen with a promise to have Amateur Radio as a planned program within the Science and Technology Exhibit. Now that's exciting! Thanks to all the operators that gave up their Labor Day to work with the kids. They are our future! The VE team that I coordinate is now back in full swing as we assisted at a "Ham Cram" session in September for the Hudson County OEM. My hat is off to those who can sit through an entire day of Amateur Radio learning. I don?t think I could do that! The session was a success and there are even plans to do another in the near future. Thanks to Mike Snuffer, W2MLS for all of his hard work on this project. As I write this, I am resting a bit between contacts from the ARRL September VHF QSO Party. This was the first time contesting from a new area for me as I recently moved from the Laundry Room in the basement to the Family Room in the basement. I no longer have the noise from the Washer/Dryer interfering with my QSO's! I am working 2-meter SSB and have about 10 contacts so far. Not a great score, but considering conditions...I am pleased to participate. I've even worked stations from Maine to Virginia today! Frank, N2FF and I were at the Saratoga Hamfest yesterday in Ballston Spa, NY. It was a perfect day weather-wise and the there were many out enjoying the day! It was nice to meet the Club President, Jim, K2LM and the Vice President, Darlene, N2XQG who was doing what we Vice Presidents (and YL?s) do best COOKING! As I sit here, reading all the Newsletters from within the Division that you send me and reading some from other parts of the country, like the one from my good friends in Oklahoma, it's nice to see how Amateur Radio is touching so many people's lives. Not just Hams, but right now, we are touching those who need us the most, namely those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Our fellow Amateurs are out there right now helping and we are helping here as well, by keeping up-to-date on what they are doing, going out promoting Amateur Radio where we can by involving ourselves in classes, public demonstrations, and operating events. Keep up the good work! 73, Joyce, KA2ANF, ARRL Hudson Division, Vice Director, http://www.ka2anf.com > NEW DEC FOR BERGEN COUNTY The Bergen ARES BEC is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Ryffel, K2NUD, as District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) for Bergen County. Matthew was appointed by Steven Ostrove, K2SO, NNJ Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC). We are also quite happy to announce the appointment of Lou Janicek, N2CYY, as an Emergency Coordinator (EC) for Bergen County. He will join current EC's Mike Adams, WA2MWT, and Jim Dockery, WB2HBZ on the Board of Emergency Coordinators. Matthew was instrumental in organizing and running the recent Simulated Emergency Test (SET), held on October 1, at the Ramsey Emergency Operations Center. This was a three hour exercise planned by the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management and consisted of a dozen scenarios, which had to be reaolved. This was the first time that RACES and ARES had worked together in several years. The exercise was designed to test the ability of Amateur Radio to provide contingency networks to support simultaneous governmental and non-governmental emergency operations in New Jersey. It required each county to establish nets and deploy mobile and portable radio stations to handle both tactical and formal messages under emergency conditions. It was a joint communications exercise of New Jersey RACES and NNJ & SNJ sections of the Amercian Radio Relay League. Michael F. Adams, WA2MWT - Ramsey Office of Emergency Management Coordinator,
> MT. BEACON ELECTION RESULTS Our 2005-2006 officers (starting term 10/1/2005) were just announced as follows - one year terms: PRESIDENT Jim Capicotto, K2JIM VP Rich Otis, N2ZKX REC SEC'Y Jim Peterson, K2CSS COR SEC'Y Beth Nowik, KC2ITY TREAS Noel Wheate, KE2FI DIR ENG John Davison, N2OXV Two new directors (two year terms): DIRECTOR Colleen Scalia, KC2HUT DIRECTOR Tom Quackenbush, N2FZC The two new directors join current directors KC2LUR, Janet Duffy, and N2CSS, Tara Peterson, for two year terms. N2JBA, Ed Rubin, was the chairperson of the election committee, assisted by WA2BSS, Stu Ballinger. de N2FTR HAMFESTS: The Last One of the Season!!!!!! 23 Oct 2005 + TOBARES Hamfest Town of Babylon Amateur Radio Emergency Services http://www.tobares.org/hamfest.html Talk-In: 146.685 / R (PL 110.9) Contact: Walter Wenzel, KA2RGI 373 15th Street West Babylon, NY 11704 Phone: 631-957-0218 Fax: 631-957-0218 (Call first) Email: tobares@optonline.net Lindenhurst, NY Knights of Columbus Hall 400 South Broadway Div: Hudson Sect: New York City-Long Island -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Hudson Division Director: Frank Fallon, N2FF n2ff@arrl.org