Sunday, July 12, 2015

West Gulf Division Newsletter July 2015 #ARRL #hamradio



---H.R. 1301 Gains Sponsors
---Senate Companion Bill S 1685 Filed
---W1AW on the Air in July
---Planned events for K5RAV and N5AUS
---Upcoming Hamfests and Conventions

---HR1301 Gains Sponsors

The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 now has 85 sponsors in the House!
H.R.1301 in the US House of Representatives would direct the FCC to
extend its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur
Service communications to private land use restrictions. US Rep Adam
Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced HR 1301 on March 4 with 12 original
cosponsors from both sides of the aisle -- seven Republicans and five
Democrats in the US House.  US Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S
1685 on June 26, with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as the original
cosponsor, into the US Senate.

The Amateur Radio Parity Act would require the FCC to amend its Part 97
Amateur Service rules to apply the three-part test of the PRB-1 federal
pre-emption policy to include homeowners association regulations and
deed restrictions, often referred to as "covenants, conditions, and
restrictions" (CC&Rs). At present, PRB-1 only applies to state and
local zoning laws and ordinances. The FCC has been reluctant to extend
the same legal protections to include private land-use agreements
without direction from Congress.

H.R. 1301 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Rep Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), chairs that panel's Communications and
Technology Subcommittee, which will consider the measure. S 1685 has
been referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee's subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and
the Internet, which is chaired by the bill's sponsor, Wicker.

ARRL members are urged to contact their members of both the House and
the Senate, asking them to sign on to the bill as a co-sponsor. Route
letters for your member of Congress to:

ARRL
Attn  HR 1301 grassroots campaign
225 Main St
Newington CT 06111

---Senate Companion Bill S 1685 Filed

S 1685, Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015, introduced in the US Senate.
On June 25th, S 1685 Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 was introduced in
the US Senate by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) with Senator Richard
Blumenthal (D-CT) as the initial co-sponsor.  The wording in S 1685 and
HR 1301 are identical.    S 1685 was read twice and referred to the US
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which is
chaired by Senator John Thune (R-SD).

For more information, search for S 1685 on the ARRL website.
www.arrl.org

For comments by Senator Wicker on the benefits of S 1685, search for
Senator Wicker on the ARRL website.
www.arrl.org

Since the House and Senate operate independently, it is always a good
strategy to run legislation in both houses of Congress.

---W1AW will be Activated in July by the WGD Boys

Director Woolweaver and Vice Director Stratton will activate W1AW at
ARRL HQ's in Newington, CT on Sunday, July 19th from 0900 CDT to 1400
CDT.  The usual 14285 KHz, plus or minus QRM, frequency will be used.
It is possible that a frequency on 15 meters will also be active
depending upon propagation.  During the last operation of W1AW (W100AW
Jan 2014) by the West Gulf Division, it was found that 15 meters did
much better into the WGD than 20 meters.  Check for a Notice of
Operation on Twitter and Facebook on Sunday morning, July 19th for last
minute details and frequencies.

Find us on Twitter @ARRLWGD and on Facebook at ARRL West Gulf
Division.

---Planned events for K5RAV and N5AUS

Director Woolweaver, K5RAV and Vice Director Stratton, N5AUS plan to
attend the following upcoming events:

K5RAV
---ARRL Board Meeting, Newington, CT, July 15-18
---South Texas Section Convention, Austin Summerfest, Aug 7-8
---South Texas Hamfest, Aransas Pass, TX, Oct 31

N5AUS
---ARRL Board Meeting, Newington, CT, July 15-18
---Oklahoma Section Convention, Ham Holiday 2015, July 24-25
---South Texas Section Convention, Austin Summerfest, Aug 7-8

ARRL Convention and Hamfest events are a great place to visit with the
Division and Section Leadership! Each event will also include an ARRL
forum where you can receive additional insight into Division and
Section matters.

At any time that you have a concern or just want to say hello, contact
Director Woolweaver at K5RAV@arrl.org.

---Upcoming Hamfests and Conventions

07/18/2015 | Tidelands Hamfest
Location: Texas City, TX
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Tidelands Amateur Radio Society
Website: http://tidelands.org

07/24/2015 | OK Section Convention (Ham Holiday 2015)
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Central Oklahoma Radio Amateurs
Website: http://hamholiday.org

08/07/2015 | STX Section Convention (Austin Summerfest 2015)
Location: Austin, TX
Type: ARRL Convention
Sponsor: Austin ARC and Texas VHF-FM Society
Website: http://www.austinsummerfest.org

10/03/2015 | HamEXPO
Location: Belton, TX
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: Temple Amateur Radio Club
Website: http://www.tarc.org/hamexpo/

10/31/2015 | South Texas Hamfest
Location: Aransas Pass, TX
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Sponsor: South Texas Hamfest Association
Website: http://www.southtexashamfest.org

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ARRL West Gulf Division
Director: David A Woolweaver, K5RAV
k5rav@arrl.org
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