Ham Breakfast

The next ham breakfast this month on Saturday, June 12, at 8am at Ginolfi’s (formally the Coffee Shop), 119 W Main in North Adams (map).  Due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic, please do not attend if you are not comfortable or not feeling well, and be prepared to comply with health and restaurant directives regarding health and safety.  Come and join us for a meal or just coffee.  Everyone welcome.

The May breakfast was held at the Ginolfi’s and was attended by three amateurs.

Zoom Net

The next Zoom net will be Thursday, June 17, at 7:00pm.  If you've never used Zoom before, it is an online videoconferencing app that runs on your computer, tablet or smart phone.  A link will be sent out a few days before the net.  If you do not receive the link and want to participate, simply email K8HRC@arrl.net requesting the link and we’ll send it to you.  We'll try to run it like a regular net.  Update your Zoom name to your first name and call sign.  We only have 40 minutes so hopefully we'll be able to get through everyone, maybe even two rounds.  Hope to see lots of people Zoomed in!  You don’t have to be a licensed amateur to participate.

Board Meeting

The Board met on May 1.  Business was routine.  The next Board meeting is scheduled for July 3.

Membership Report

Club membership stood at 10 as of May 31.  There was one renewal during the month.

New Hams

Congratulations to Daniel Hubbs II KE8SCN of Reading for being granted Technician privileges on May 18.

Field Day

Club Member Wins College Scholarship

Club member Laura Accola W9MBA was awarded a $1,000 scholarship as part of the ARRL Foundation 2021 Scholarship Awards.  Laura is from Fall Creek, Wisconsin and will be a junior at Hillsdale College this fall.  Majoring in math, she hopes to be a middle school math teacher after graduating.  She enjoys contesting and has recently learned CW, and there's a wedding in her near future.  (ARRL Foundation Announces 2021 Scholarship Awards)

First-Time Exam Applicants Must Obtain FRN Before Taking Exam

Amateur examination applicants will be required to provide an FCC Registration Number (FRN) to the Volunteer Examiners (VEs) before taking an amateur exam.  This is necessary due to changes the FCC has made to its licensing system.  Amateur candidates who already have an FCC license, whether for amateur radio or in another service, already have an FRN and can use the same number.  All prospective new FCC licensees, however, will be required to obtain an FRN before the examination and provide that number to the volunteer examiners on the Form 605 license application.  An FCC instructional video provides step-by-step instructions on how to obtain an FRN through the FCC’s Commission Registration System (CORES).  (ARRL story)

Email Addresses To Be Kept Private, FCC Says

Starting on June 29, all applications filed with the FCC must include an email address for FCC correspondence.  After receipt of the initial announcement that all future applications would require an email address, ARRL was concerned for the privacy of its members and requested that amateurs’ email addresses not be made public.  The FCC agreed, stating in an email to ARRL counsel that it will continue to “mask” amateurs’ email addresses from public view in the Universal Licensing System (ULS).  Revocation of the station license or suspension of the operator license may result when correspondence from the FCC is returned as undeliverable because the grantee failed to provide the correct email address.”  (ARRL story)

FCC Seeks Comment On Impact Of Semiconductor Shortage

The FCC is seeking comment on the impact of the continuing global shortage of semiconductors.  The FCC’s May 11 Public Notice stated its concern is focused on the impact the shortage could have on the communications industry, agency initiatives, and the nation’s continued advancement in next-generation technologies.  Initial comments are due on June 10, and reply comments are due on June 25.  (ARRL story)  (FCC Electronic Comment Filing System)

Wooden Satellite To Launch By Year’s End

The WISA Woodsat project, being sponsored by plywood supplier WISA in an unconventional PR initiative, is poised to place a wooden satellite into orbit by the end of the year.  The idea is to test the suitability of treated wood as a low-cost and widely available material for space applications.  The IARU posting for Woodsat indicates that several amateur radio experiments will be on board as well as photo downlinking, including selfies.  (ARRL story)

Amateur’s Home Movie Film Sheds Light On Hindenburg Disaster

Vintage home movie film provided by New Jersey radio amateur Bob Schenck N2OO, was the highlight of a PBS documentary about the Hindenburg disaster.  The film, shot by his uncle Harold Schenck, may provide clues as to what initiated the disastrous 1937 fire that destroyed the airship Hindenburg and claimed 35 lives as the German zeppelin was landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey.  Harold Schenck tried to interest government investigators in his film, shot from a different angle than newsreel footage that begins only after the fire was well under way, but it was largely overlooked.  “Nobody ever asked for it,” Bob Schenck explains in the documentary.  (ARRL story)

Silent Keys

William ‘Bill’ Perry KD8QLB, of Litchfield, became a Silent Key on May 22.  Click here to view the obituary.

FCC Amateur Radio License Database Activity In Hillsdale County

05/03/21 KE8IMU, Kirkwood, Thea L, address updated from out of county

05/18/21 KE8SCN, Hubbs II, Daniel B, new licensee Technician

QSM

Club Leadership Positions Available: The Secreatry, Treasurer and Board Member At Large positions remain open.  Those interested should check the club constitution on our website for information about officer duties and election procedures.  Feel free to contact any of the current club leadership for more information.

Monday Night Net Certificate: The club will award certificates for exceptional participation in the Monday night net.  The purpose of the program is to encourage participation in the net, both as check-ins and as net control station.  The certificate will be awarded to participants that attain at least 75 points during 2020.  So far this year Bill Hicks WB8FFO and Joe Gosla KD8USJ has have qualified.  Rules and results are posted in the Net Control Schedule section of the club website.

Monday Night Net Control Stations Needed: We have some Monday night net control slots open.  Serving as net control station builds your skills and earns you extra points towards the net exceptional participation certificate.  If you would like to serve as a net control station once month please let a member of club leadership know.  Check the schedule for available dates.

Monday Night Net: Don’t forget to check in to the net every Monday at 7pm on the 147.06 MHz repeater.  Different flavors of the net take place every week.  The net usually runs anywhere from five to 30 minutes, depending on the number of check-ins.  Participating regularly in a directed net helps you keep you operating skills sharp.  Set up an alarm in your calendar on your computer or smart phone.  The net schedule and results are posted on the club website.

FCC Reduces Proposed Amateur Radio Application Fee To $35: The FCC has agreed with ARRL and other commenters that its proposed $50 fee for certain amateur radio applications was “too high to account for the minimal staff involvement in these applications.”  In a Report and Order released on December 29, the FCC scaled back to $35 the fee for a new license application, a special temporary authority (STA) request, a rule waiver request, a license renewal application, and a vanity call sign application.  All fees are per application.  There will be no fee for administrative updates, such as a change of mailing or email address.  The effective date of the fee schedule has not been established, but it will be announced at least 30 days in advance.  (ARRL story)  The FCC originally proposed in August to impose a $50 fee.  (ARRL story)

FCC To Require Email Address On Applications: Effective on June 29, 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”.  Licensees can log into the ULS License Manager System with their FRN and password at any time and update anything in their FCC license record, including adding an email address.  The FCC is fully transitioning to electronic correspondence and will no longer print or provide wireless licensees with hard-copy authorizations or registrations by mail.  (ARRL story)  The FCC has also added a reminder message on the Universal Licensing Service (ULS) landing page.  (ARRL story)

Upcoming Events

Note: Some events are being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Although every effort is made to make sure this list is correct at the time of publication, reader should verify event status with the organizers.

June 5 – FCARC SummerFest

June 5 – IRA Hudsonville Hamfest

June 6 – Chelsea Amateur Radio Club Swap Meet

Jume 12 – Ham Breakfast

June 17 – Zoom Net

June 20 – Monroe Hamfest

June 26-27 – Field Day

July 3 – Board Meeting

July 10 – Ham Breakfast

July 10 – Auburn (Indiana) Hamfest

July 15 – Club Meeting/Zoom Net