Barstow Amateur Radio ClubStarting today the club has a new Post Office Box for receiving QSL cards, dues checks, etc. If you mail a dues check (hint, hint) please make it payable to Barstow Amateur Radio Club. Note the Zip Code. Our new mailing address is:
Barstow Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 2141
Barstow CA 92312-2141
The FCC published a rulemaking notice that email addresses will be required on applications. When you include an email address they will send a link to an official copy of your license grant. You can also update your ULS listing with an email address when you log in.
Effective on June 29, 2021, amateur radio licensees and candidates must provide the FCC with an email address on all applications. If no email address is included, the FCC may dismiss the application as “defective.”
For more information: http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-to-require-email-address-on-applications-starting-on-june-29-2021
The FCC issued an update to the NPRM for license application fees. On a slightly positive note, they said the fees will not apply to administrative updates, and are reduced from $50 to $35 for application fees.
There is currently no implementation date, so fees will not start immediately.
Going forward, the FCC will impose a fee for each new license application and modification. So for example, someone getting their first license, upgrading their license class, or applying for a vanity callsign would be subject to the $35 fee.
Note that this is separate from the testing reimbursement charged by VECs. ARRL has said their maximum fee will remain $15. GLAARG, for the time being, will continue to charge $10 for online tests, and $5 for in person tests.
Barstow Amateur Radio Club would like to extend a hearty Happy New Year to our members, friends, and followers! We hope everyone is healthy, and look forward to more normal operation when it is safe and prudent.
We have scheduled two online license classes in 2020 to help those interested prepare for the Technician class test. One class will be on for consecutive Monday evenings starting September 21. The other will be two consecutive Saturdays starting September 26. If you are interested, or know someone who is, there is more information and a registration form on the License Class Page. As always, there is no charge for the class.
Many hams will be working from home for Field Day, and most have FM capabilities. Even with an HT it may be possible of make a number of contacts.
Some suggested simplex frequencies: 146.49, 146.505, 146.52, 146.535, 146.55, 146.58, 146.595, 147.42, 147.435, 147.45, 147.465, 147.48, 147.495, 147.51, 147.525, 147.54, 147.555, 147.57, 147.585, 223.42, 223.44, 223.46, 223.48, 223.50, 223.52, 446.00
An example and instructions for how to fill out the 2020 Field Day entry form are available via our event page, or you can link directly from here. If you have questions please bring them up during the weekly nets or use the Contact page or the reply link below to ask.
With one month to go before 2020 ARRL Field Day, June 27 – 28, the ARRL Programs and Services Committee (PSC) has adopted two temporary rule waivers for the event:
1) For Field Day 2020 only, Class D stations may work all other Field Day stations, including other Class D stations, for points.Field Day rule 4.6 defines Class D stations as “Home stations,” including stations operating from permanent or licensed station locations using commercial power. Class D stations ordinarily may only count contacts made with Class A, B, C, E, and F Field Day stations, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows Class D stations to count contacts with other Class D stations for QSO credit.
2) In addition, for 2020 only, an aggregate club score will be published, which will be the sum of all individual entries indicating a specific club (similar to the aggregate score totals used in ARRL affiliated club competitions).Ordinarily, club names are only published in the results for Class A and Class F entries, but the temporary rule waiver for 2020 allows participants from any Class to optionally include a single club name with their submitted results following Field Day. For example, if Podunk Hollow Radio Club members Becky, W1BXY, and Hiram, W1AW, both participate in 2020 Field Day — Hiram from his Class D home station, and Becky from her Class C mobile station — both can include the radio club’s name when reporting their individual results. The published results listing will include individual scores for Hiram and Becky, plus a combined score for all entries identified as Podunk Hollow Radio Club. The temporary rule waivers were adopted by the PSC on May 27, 2020.ARRL Field Day is one of the biggest events on the amateur radio calendar, with over 36,000 participants in 2019, including entries from 3,113 radio clubs and emergency operations centers. In most years, Field Day is also the largest annual demonstration of ham radio, because many radio clubs organize their participation in public places such as parks and schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many radio clubs have made decisions to cancel their group participation in ARRL Field Day this year due to public health recommendations and/or requirements, or to significantly modify their participation for safe social distancing practices. The temporary rule waivers allow greater flexibility in recognizing the value of individual and club participation regardless of entry class.ARRL is contacting logging program developers about the temporary rule waivers so developers can release updated versions of their software prior to Field Day weekend. Participants are reminded that the preferred method of submitting entries after Field Day is via the web applet. The ARRL Field Day rules include instructions for submitting entries after the event. Entries must be submitted or postmarked by Tuesday, July 28, 2020.
The FCC has agreed that remote testing for Amateur Radio licenses is valid, and the Greater Los Angeles Area Radio Group is setting up a remote testing system. Volunteer Examiners are being offered training, and several dates for online test sessions are scheduled for this month.
They have added a page to the GLAARG website to answer questions, so we won’t try to put all of that in this email. Read our FAQs here: https://glaarg.org/remote-sessions/ To see that from glaarg.org, hover over VE SESSIONS in the menu and click on REMOTE SESSIONS.
Added pages for repeater information and regular events. Also streamlined the home page a bit. As always, if you have comments please use the contact form.
Barstow Amateur Radio Club 