KDØCL
West Bloomington 147.090+ Tone: None Central Bloomington Analog/Fusion 443.175+ DCS: 165
Metro Skywarn classes cancelled, picnic postponed
Skywarn Training Classes – We are now cancelling all Skywarn training for the year. The NWS is working on their online training session and we will post it when it’s available. You’re welcome to review Milwaukee’s training in the meantime. Our training slide set and other tools are also available on our website > Spotter Resources.
Picnic – Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we will be cancelling the picnic for this year. We will be re-evaluating later to see if we can have some sort of event this fall or winter.
Social Distancing While Spotting – We’d like to remind everyone to follow current social distancing guidelines when spotting this summer. Safety First!
Amateur Radio RF Exposure Calculator
I found this link very useful for those of us operating a radio with an indoor antenna or in close proximity to any antenna and high power output. High power stations are required to perform these calculations. I recommend all amateurs review their exposure. Its quick to calculate with the link below. For example, In my apartment, 14W is maximum recommended output power (on 144 and 444 MHz) when I’m 6 feet away from my indoor vertical antenna.
http://hintlink.com/power_density.htm
ARRL RF Exposure page has more detail about FCC station testing requirements and suggested steps to protect yourself and others from the RF emitted from your station.
Hamvention QSO Party May 16
https://wwrof.org/hamvention-qso-party/ has all details
Let’s celebrate the many years we have all had at the Great Gathering we call Hamvention. We also want to remember Ron Moorefield W8ILC who never missed a Hamvention and contributed to our club until his recent death.Let’s light up the airwaves with our remembrances of Hamventions of the past! See you on the air! K3LR, Tim Duffy and W8CI, Michael Kalter.
Here is the deal: 12 hour event, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday of Hamvention May 16, 2020. Operate CW or SSB on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters. The exchange is a signal report and first year you attended Hamvention. If you have never attended Hamvention you send 2020.
Send your score (number of QSOs) to 3830scores.com within 5 days of the event. You can print a certificate on line via www.HVQP.org. More details will appear on the Hamvention QSO Party web site being set up now.
Special bonus: W8BI, the club call of the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA is the host of Hamvention) will be activated by designated DARA members from their home stations. You can add 10 points for each band/mode QSO with W8BI (12 available). So you can earn 120 bonus points (like having 120 additional QSOs).
MN Repeater Council Spring Newsletter
The Minnesota Repeater Council Spring 2020 Newsletter is available on their website at https://www.mrc.gen.mn.us/
Stillwater club meeting on the air. All welcome to join.
Stillwater’s Saturday club meeting has been moved from in person to on the air and all are invited to attend.
the SARA meeting for March has been cancelled. Shortly after the decision to cancel was made, Boutwells Landing informed us that they were restricting access to the facility. The staff thanked us for being proactive.
We will gather on the air Saturday morning with a Get On The Air Meeting or “GOTAM” in lieu of our regular meeting, We will begin at about 9:15 AM.
Here’s how we’ll do it. There will be 2 bands used, 75 meters and 2 meters. Those with capabilities to get on 75 meters, we’ll meet at 3.856 +/- QRM. If you can’t get on HF in general, or 75-meters due to antenna issues, we will be in the SARA repeater at 147.060 +Offset 026 Normal DCS/DCTS.
Your hosts/facilitators will be Jim WØELC on 75 meters and Joe KCØOIO on the SARA repeater. Between the two of us, we’ll cross band simulcast as much as we can so that all can hear the full gathering. We’ll have a couple of topics for discussion during the course of the gathering to keep things interesting.
For those of you out of town members, SARA members have access to the WØEQO and WØZSW remote bases using the RCForb client software from RemoteHams.com. Download the RCForb client for Windows from remotehams.com or RCFOrb Android app from Google Play. Contact Pat WAØTDA ( wa0tda@arrl.net ) for approval to access the remote bases. You can also listen in via a webSDR or if you can listen but not transmit from your location; send me an email that you’re listening and will check you in.
I can’t think of a better way of proving the social contact aspect of Amateur Radio at cautious times like this than getting on the air to gather when we can’t gather in person.
Fire up your radio and join SARA for the Get On The Air Meeting!.
—
Joe Heitzinger, KCØOIO
President – Stillwater Amateur Radio Association
Assistant Director – ARRL Dakota Division
www.radioham.org
Buffalo MN hamfest postponed. ARRL virtual meeting scheduled
Midwinter Madness, the hamfest scheduled for Saturday March 21st, in
Buffalo, MN, has been postponed.
Since most of us are going to hunkered down in our homes, I thought I
would host a Dakota Division virtual meeting on the Internet.
I will give an ARRL update and then share the highlights of my recent
trip to V4 St. Kitts and Nevis.
If you have a topic you would like to present to the amateur radio
community, please contact me about adding you to the agenda.
I plan to begin my presentation on Saturday March 21, 2020 at 9:30 AM
CDT. Please sign-up to get specific connection instructions for
computers and telephones at
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3546387199993324547
Let’s try to make the best of these unusual circumstances spend a little
virtual time together since we can’t meet in person.
Stay safe and I hope to see you can join the webinar.
April 7th meetings will be held online
Bloomington AUXCOMM and Bloomington Amateur Radio Association (BARA) monthly meeting will be held online.
The ARRL will host the April meetings of Bloomington AUXCOMM and BARA.
Brian will lead off at 7 P.M. with the AUXCOMM meeting.
I’ll start the BARA meeting at 7:30 P.M. After club business I’ll give a presentation or find a guest speaker.
Please sign-up and test your connection before the meeting via
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/466442925002999307
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
ARRL January Board Meeting, “On The Air” magazine
The January Board of Directors meeting minutes have been published. I
think its important to bring you up to date on some important matters.
Let’s start with some good news…
Our former Dakota Division Directors and Vice Directors retired at the
end of the January board meeting from their First Vice President
positions. Both were elected Honorary Vice Presidents. Both have
ongoing active roles in amateur radio near and far.
Jay Bellows, KØQB, served 22 years on the board and continues to serve
as International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 (The Americas)
Treasurer.
Greg Widin, KØGW, served 12 years on the board and continues to serve
as Chairman of the Logbook Of The World Committee (LOTW).
I’m very fortunate to have two (and for a while three) mentors, sitting
in the board room me, for the past four years. Jay and Greg, along with
former Director Kent Olson, KAØLDG, introduced me to my fellow
directors and the staff at ARRL HQ. They also brought me up to speed on
prior board actions and provided historical context regarding issues
being discussed by either the ARRL or IARU. Having four leaders from
the Dakota Division, in the board room, at the same time, has been an
experience I’ll never forget. Thanks gents and thank you Vice Director
Lynn Nelson for continuing to serve the Dakota Division with me.
The Board of Directors held officer elections at the January board
meeting. I think its important the members know the results of these
elections which are conducted by secret ballot. Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Howard Michel was not re-elected. 6 directors voted “yes” and 9
directors voted “no” to re-elect CEO Michel.
I voted to retain Dr. Michel because I thought he was making
improvements in day-to-day operations of our non-profit organization
that has about 80 employees and about a 15 million dollar annual
operating budget. I judge the CEO on their merits of running a
non-profit organization not their CW sending speed, number of DXCC
entities verified or their contest scores.
My fellow board members have a considerable challenge to find our 3rd
CEO in as many years. A search committee has been formed to hire a new
CEO with experience running a non-profit organization, managing a large
staff, enthusiasm for amateur radio, doesn’t mind New England weather
and possibly paying higher state income taxes than they have experienced
in their home state.
Two other officer elections had two candidates each:
Incumbent President Rick Roderick, K5UR, received 8 votes. Challenger,
Pacific Division Director, Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, received 7 votes.
New International Affairs Vice President Rod Stafford, W6ROD, received
13 votes to challenger Bruce Frahm, K0BJ, 2 votes.
Elected Without Contest:
First Vice President Michael Raisbeck, K1TWF
Second Vice President Bob Vallio, W6RGG
Interim CEO and Secretary Barry Shelley, N1VXY
Treasurer Rick Niswander, K7GM
Chief Financial Officer Diane Middleton, W2DLM
The link to the full meeting minutes are posted at
http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-of-directors-re-elects-president-rick-roderick-k5ur
Committee reports are posted at http://www.arrl.org/committee-reports
I’ll serve as the Program and Services Committee Chair in 2020.
Work on Capitol Hill continues. The legislative advocacy committee is
working with elected leaders, and their office staff, to create new
legislation to provide reasonable accommodation of Amateur Radio
antennas. With the impeachment proceedings behind us, I think
Washington D.C.’s focus will turn to November elections. This means the
process of crafting a bill, finding a sponsor and cosponsors and getting
a House committee to review the bill will likely take all year and drift
in 2021.
I ask each member to review the proposed HF band plan that I mentioned
in my last bulletin to members. Digital mode operation has become very
popular and many days digital contacts make up the majority of QSOs
uploaded to Logbook Of The World (LOTW). A committee was formed to
consider the needs and wants of CW, digital and phone operators when
drawing up this plan. Also considered in the process were IARU regional
band plans. Please file your comments, online, at
http://www.arrl.org/bandplan by February 19th.
Have you checked out the new ARRL magazine? “On The Air,” will be
published every other month and available to all members online. If
you’re new to amateur radio or don’t feel QST has articles that most
interest you, please give “On The Air” a read. When you renew your
membership you can elect to receive QST or “On The Air” by mail.
Remember both magazines are available to members, online, as a member
benefit.
The 2020 hamfest season is upon us. Check out the Division calendar at
https://www.arrldakota.org/calendar.html for an event near you.
ARRL Dakota Division
Director: Matt Holden, K0BBC
k0bbc@arrl.org
FCC Invites Comments on 5.9 GHz
The FCC has invited comments on a Notice of Proposed Rule Making
(NPRM) in WT Docket 19-138, which said the FCC would take ”a fresh
and comprehensive look” at the rules for the 5.9 GHz band. The FCC
proposes to make 5.850 – 5.895 GHz available for unlicensed
operations and to authorize transportation-related communication
technologies to use 5.895 – 5.925 GHz.
WT Docket 19-138 files can be found online in PDF format at,
https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filing/1217200308588 .
The FCC is not proposing to delete or otherwise amend the
5-centimeter secondary amateur radio allocation at 5.650 – 5.925
GHz, part of which includes the 75 Megahertz under consideration.
Comments are due by March 6, and reply comments are due by April 6.
ARRL will be filing comments supporting no change to 5.850 – 5.925
GHz for amateurs, as included in the FCC proposal.
Feb 22: AERO 101 and AERO 102 Courses
AERO Courses are written by the Amateur Emergency Radio Organization (AERO) of Minnesota. They are a written curriculum and hands on practice experience in operating amateur radios. The emphasis will be on basic operations with a focus on emergency communications. The Courses are as below:
AERO 101: Introduction to Emergency Communications for the Amateur Radio Operator. Basic radio operations and communications skills, operating using a radio net, the role of amateur radio during emergency communications, and the basics of the Incident Command System (ICS) and ICS forms. This course is the prerequisite for all future courses. Offered Saturday, February 22, 9:00 AM at Woodbury High School ( 2665 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury, MN), Room 218 South side door 36.
AERO 102: Advanced Emergency Communications for the Amateur Radio Operator. The Radio Operator will learn how to communicate information effectively to other radio operators, provide effective communications support during routine and non-emergency communications, demonstrate proper application of communications procedures and demonstrate proper use of communications equipment. Offered Saturday, February 22, 9:00 AM at Woodbury High School ( 2665 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury, MN), Room 218 South side door 36.
Registration:
- You may register with John Regan, KA0HYR, ARES EC, at 651-491-6611 or jeregan3@gmail.com .
- Or, You may walk into the room prior to the class and register on site. –
Additional AERO Courses will be offered this fall: AERO 201 and 202 on Net Control operations, procedures, and hands on practice. Tentative dates in August and October. Exact dates and times TBD.
Courses on Digital modes and operation are planned for the future. No designated dates as of yet.
Get Training and Event Alerts
Click here: ARESMN Metro Email List
Get the AERO training and participate in events you need to be a valuable volunteer for ARES, Emergency Management or a disaster organization. This list replaces the list sent by webmaster@aeromn.org and webmaster@aresmn.org. You must sign up to be included in future mailings.
–
Dave Johnson, N0KBD, AUXCOMM(t), COMT(t)
n0kbd1@gmail.com www.n0kbd.com
ARES MN Metro District ADEC – PIO
AERO MN Vice Director
Maple Grove RC Board Director and MSW NCO Supervisor
Metro Skywarn Ex-Officio and Founding Board Director