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ARRL Rhode Island Section (RI)Section Manager
Robert G. Beaudet, W1YRC 30 Rocky Crest Rd Cumberland, RI 02864-3910 401-333-2129 w1yrc@arrl.org |
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News last updated: Sun, August 17, 2008 at 11:10 AM ET
Greetings fellow Rhode Islanders:
This time of summer is usually vacation time and long weekend time to spend at the beach, at cook-outs and enjoying life outdoors, probably not the best time to be in the ham shack with the amplifier blowers raising the air temp by ten degrees. Of course, some of us don't let that bother us. Olympic special event stations are now active from Beijing. See full details at http://www.arrl.org/?artid=8382 . I managed to get a contact with Panda station, BT1OJ and Fish station, BT1OB. But, hurry up. They're QRT soon.
Currently, the important ham activity that most of us are looking forward to is the New England Boxboro Convention www.boxboro.org . You are going aren't you? It's only held every two years and is well worth the drive. Take Rt 495 north and take exit 28 (Rt 111). At the end of the exit ramp, turn left and drive a couple hundred yards and follow the hamfest signs to the right turn driveway across from the gas station. Follow the directions that volunteers will provide to a free parking space. The rest is up to you. I know you'll have fun. The majority of activities take place on Saturday; the 23rd. Flea market is outdoors and opens at 8AM. Vendor exhibits are in the hotel ballroom with its doors opening by 9AM. Forums on a wide variety of interests will take place in five different meeting rooms. Please check the convention website above and click on the highlighted schedule for details of events. Doing this ahead of time will help you to plan your time most efficiently. I surely hope to see you there.
RI EMA will be conducting a statewide drill of its shelter readiness on Saturday, September 13th. Our ARES volunteers along with many other operators will be conducting communications tests in conjunction with its partners in other services between shelters and state EMA in Cranston. About 800 individuals (professional emergency workers and volunteers) will be participating in a variety of simulated disaster roles along with 100 or more Amateurs who will be providing communications. Frequencies used by shelters, EOCs and individuals are listed at www.riares.org. You'll find lots more ARES information on that page as well. Questions? Please contact our SEC, Rick K3OQH at k3oqh@arrl.net .
Just as we were getting used to the fee charged for granting or renewing vanity licenses, the FCC once again changed its fee structure. This time, they increased their rate by 60 cents to a new rate of $12.30 for a ten year license period. The present rate is $11.70 and will remain in place until the effective date of the new rate is established. The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs associated with that program. The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign for a new 10 year term. The fee has been as high as $50 and as low as $11.70 since the fee system was enacted for calls issued after 1996. Hence, any personally selected call obtained prior to 1996 is not considered a vanity call and has no fee attached.
Per the ARRL webpage, "The Amateur Radio station NN3SI at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History (NMAH) was closed after more than 32 years of operation. According to Hal Wallace, NN3SI Station Manager and Associate Curator for the Museum's electricity collections, there will be no appropriate place to house the station once the Museum reopens this fall after undergoing an extensive renovation. NMAH has been undergoing a renovation of the building's infrastructure and interior for some time. Wallace told the ARRL, "As you may know, the renovation forced us to remove the Information Age exhibition -- the station's home since 1990. We placed the station in a temporary location for the duration of the renovation but it cannot remain there when we reopen to the public later this year. The Information Age exhibit will not be reinstalled, and since we have no other appropriate exhibition areas within the Museum, the station had to cease operations at NMAH. Various alternate locations throughout the Smithsonian have been considered but none are viable at this time."
The Information Age exhibition chronicled the birth and growth of the electronic information age--from Samuel Morse's invention of a practical telegraph in the 1830s through the development of the telephone, radio, television, and computer. A special focus of the exhibit was how information technology has changed the way people live and work.
I was positively appalled to hear this news! The closing of NN3SI is bad enough but closing the entire exhibition that it has been part of is unthinkable. The electronic information age and developments made during this period profoundly changed our world and without question represent the most important communications developments known to man. Being unable to find suitable space seems unacceptable and unthinkable to me. The Smithsonian isn't a private museum where they can do whatever they choose. I realize that they have a space problem and that we don't have all the pertinent information but some accommodation has to be found for something this important. Go to http://americanhistory.si.edu/about/index.cfm for more information.
On a few past occasions, I've mentioned the problems RI drivers have when they try to apply for call letter license plates. Because of this, our friend Rich, W1TBR worked with the registry management and helped them to design a special application form available to all of us that is specifically for call letter plates. This should help avoid the usual problems we have when we must face the process. I've asked the webmaster of our RI web page http://www.ri.arrl.org/ to post the RI law and the new form on the RI ARRL web page but if you need it immediately, please contact me at w1yrc@arrl.org or 333-2129 and I'll send the form to you.
In the planning ahead department, please circle the date of September 20th. That's the annual RIFMRS Auction and Flea market in Forestdale. It starts early, about 8AM, so come with a few dollars in your pocket and buy some treasures. It will be held at the Forestdale VFW Post, on School Street. Take the Forestdale/Slatersville exit off Rt 146 and follow the detour around the bridge that is under repair. There will be a talk-in on 146.76 repeater. Coffee, donuts, hot dogs, soft drinks will be available. This event pays to run the popular 146.76 repeater as well as other systems. Flea market tables are available from Rick, K1KYI. Call him at 401-864-9611. The ARRL RI section will be donating several new ARRL publications for the raffle. I'll see you there on September 20th.
On Wednesday September 3, 10 and 17th, from 5:30 to 7:45 PM, I will be offering an informal class for new hams to learn most of the basic elements of our hobby. Topics such as "what is a dipole, folded dipole, transmission line, HF and VHF propagation, repeater etiquette and lots more will be covered. The classes are aimed at the large number of new hams we have here in RI and are in response to their request for such a class to learn basic information. All are welcome but the classes are aimed at new hams, non-hams who are going into ham radio, inactive hams who are returning. They will be held at the Lincoln Public Library and are totally free and are offered in conjunction with the BVARC activities program. Contact me directly with any questions.
I'm about to send my revised list of RI hams who either hold or qualify for DXCC. The list will be sent to all who have registered to receive e mail from the Director and Section Manager. Please tell your ARRL friends to go to http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1 right now and place an X in the box next to "News and information from your Division Director and Section Manager". We have over two hundred League members in RI who are not signed up to read my news. What a shame! We also have several hundred non League members here who prefer to let us carry all the support to advocate for their privileges.
That's all for now. See you all at Boxboro on Aug 23rd.
73, Bob W1YRC
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