I'm in Montreal this week for the ARISS-International conference. I'm just
learning about this important issue from the European delegation ...
Apparently there is a recent (June 2019) proposal in Europe to allocate
*worldwide* the 2-meter amateur band to the exclusive use by aeronautical
stations. It is not a global issue yet as it will take agreement of
several European CEPT nations in order to advance this at the ITU World
Radio Conference in August. The initiative to takeover the 2m band is being
driven by Thales Group, a French manufacturer of unmanned aircraft.
This has happened very quickly and there is not a lot of information
available about this but here is a good summary:
https://www.f4fxl.org/2m-amateur-radio-band-endangered/
Obviously, the loss of the 2m band would be catastrophic for radio amateurs
worldwide. The ARISS program's use of the band not withstanding, 2m is the
most popular frequency band in use in amateur radio and the gateway for
most new operators to the hobby and service.
At this point, I don't think there is much that we can do as U.S. amateurs
other than follow this closely. I will update SBARC membership as I
learn more. We should all stay tuned into this issue and be ready to voice
our vocal opposition. I welcome anyone's comments on this issue.
*Levi C. Maaia, K6LCM*
*Co-Chair, Telecommunications Services Committee*
*Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, Inc. <http://www.sbarc.org/>*
*a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation*
www.levi.maaia.com
+1.805.604.5384 <//+1.805.604.5384>
Field Day is THIS SATURDAY (tomorrow)!
I need a few more operators (CW and SSB) and a couple more PR persons to
help with the public information table. Be sure to attend and hang out for
a bit even if you can not stay for long, or operate. Everyone should bring
plenty of water and food to eat (unless someone wants to volunteer to help
out with group meals, especially Saturday lunch). It would be fun to go to
a restaurant Sunday after we break down and clean up, so I'd like some
suggestions before then.
I need a couple more people Saturday morning at 10:00am, and a couple more
to help pack everything up at 2:00pm Sunday. Saturday morning we will be
installing the SteppIR antenna atop the mast on the Rover van (the mast
telescopes to almost 50-feet high)! We will also be running a second
station with a di-pole so we will need help putting up the awning and
setting up the fiberglass masts. We'll be running 100% on emergency power.
Field day is not only a contest, but a way to show the public what we, as
the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, are all about. More than 40,000
amateur radio operators throughout North America will be partipating in
field day this year. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and
remains the most popular event in amateur radio.
Check out the ARRL Field Day intro
https://sbarc.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=20ad12752ef7c4ea02b61f481&…
and the ARRL Field Day Rules
https://sbarc.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=20ad12752ef7c4ea02b61f481&…
for more information. If you want to follow along closely with field day
activities, please subscribe to the field day mailing list found here:
https://sbarc.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=20ad12752ef7c4ea02b61f481&….
For more information, including directions to the SBARC Field Day site in
the South Park area of Elings Park, visit http://www.sbarc.org. Please
RSVP to ken(a)alker.net (or call my land line at 685-2030) today (or any time
this weekend) and let me know exactly how you can help out. Please come
out and help us prove that "when all else fails, amateur radio works!"
When you RSVP, please let me know what time-slot (or SLOTS) would you like.
Let me know if you want to be an operator (and if you want to do morse code
or voice), or do public outreach (or both) for the shift(s) you choose.
Keep in mind that we are running two stations. It is proving to be hardest
to fill the 11pm-7am shifts, so I need night owls too! Let me know if you
want to do multiple shifts or two half-shifts, etc. If you want to create
your own time slot, please do - I'll work everyone into the schedule one
way or another! Also, be sure to let me know if you can help set up and/or
break down.
TIME SLOTS:
Sat/Sun (4-hour slots; but you can make up your own):
11am- 3pm
3pm- 7pm
7pm-11pm
11pm- 3am
3am- 7am
7am-11am
11am- 2pm
Ken Alker
Director at Large
ka6ken(a)alker.net
June 15, 2019
Saturday of Father's Day Weekend
Sorry, NO BBQ offered this year
Please note the alternate location
Main Raffle Prizes
Grand Prize
TBD
2nd Prize
TBD
3rd Prize
TBD
4th Prize
TBD
TBD TBD TBD TBD
Elk Lodge 1538, Santa Maria
1309 N. Bradley Road, Santa Maria, CA 93454
See driving details below
Talk-in
145.14 (neg offset) tone 131.8
Admission & Parking
FREE
Sellers
6:00 AM
No selling or swapping before 7:30 AM
$15 per seller, must provide own table and chairs
$15 per tail-gate, Only 1 vehicle allowed
Fee's collected on site
Public
7:30 AM
No purchasing before 7:30 AM
Prize Drawings
$1 each at the fest
12:00, Noon
Main raffle prizes, winner need not be present, if ticket has name and contact info
Lesser raffle prizes, winner must be present
Food & Drink
In the morning, coffee and donuts provided by West Santa Barbara County ARES as a fund raiser
ARRL
National
Division - South Western , Dick Norton N6AA TBD
Section - Santa Barbara , John Ketchens NS6X TBD
Swapfest listing
On site radio(s)
If someone wants to bring their HF station
There should be a couple of generators running.
Please ask before plugging in.
Please stay with your rig, no one else is responsible for your rig
Are you doing anything exciting on the day before Fathers Day? Come join a bunch of us from SBARC as we drive up to Santa Maria for the Annual Satellite ARC Swapfest.
A bunch of us stop by Ellen's Danish Pancake House in Buellton around 7:00 am for the best breakfast in the world! Then we head up into Santa Maria. Driving directions to the Elks Lodge follow:
Take Hwy 101 North into Santa Maria.
Go past the Main Street turnoff.
Take the next turnoff to E. Donovan Rd.
Turn left onto E. Donovan Rd.
Turn left onto N. College. Dr.
Make an immediate left turn onto N. Bradley Rd.
The Elks Lodge will be on your right.
Driving direction to Ellen's Danish Pancake House in Buellton follow:
From Santa Barbara take Hwy 101 to the first turnoff to Buellton, turn left to Santa Rosa Rd., and then right. Santa Rosa Rd. becomes Avenue of the Flags. Continue to Ellen's which will be on your right just before the intersection of Hwy 246. Park on the street out front or pull into their parking lot.
There will be a Transmitter Hunt so bring your stuff.
Always bargains galore. Bring some $$$
FCC Ham License Testing possible by W6NBC
All Classes, inquire at ticket booth or John W6NBC
The broadcastify.com stream of the 146.79 repeater will be offline for the
next week or so. This stream originates at my home QTH on the Mesa which is
moving 1 mile East.
This downtime does not affect echolink nor All Star services.
Levi, K6LCM
