Annual Dues are now due and must be paid by the March meeting!! If you have not already renewed your membership or if you would like to become a member of SELARC, please print out and complete the application/renewal form and return it with your check to: P.O. Box 1324, Hammond LA 70404. Thanks!

58th Acadiana Annual Hamfest & State Convention on March 9-10 at Rayne Civic Center (112 Frog Festival Drive) with good food and events! Details at http://www.w5ddl.org/hamfest

Mobile Hamfest on April 14th at the Abba Shrine Center, 7701 Hitt Road, in Mobile, Alabama. Details at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hammond VE Group - ARRL/W5YI tests are scheduled for the last Sunday of each month [with the exception of holiday conflicts] in Room "B" of the North Oaks Medical System Diagnostic Center at 2pm with $15 testing fee. Bring photo ID and any appropriate CSCE. For more information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Find an Amateur Radio License Exam in Your Area.

The meeting was convened and called to order at 7:00PM by President Tyrone Burns N5XES who led the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a brief introduction of all present. Special Happy Valentines Day wishes were extended at the suggestion of Bob WB5FBS.

Attendance (16): Tyrone N5XES, Ernie N5NIB, James K5QNT, Ron KK5AAA, Roger KG5WQI, Lyle KD5JRY, Carol KE5GOC, Jimmy AG5EJ, Pat KE5KMM, Ed KE5GMN, Ralph K5CAV, David W5NPV, Jerry N5GKJ, Richard KG5DBA, Bob WB5FBS and Chris KG5WDZ.

Committee Reports: Repeater (Tyrone N5XES) - no formal report; Tyrone N5XES explained that Lambert has been absent and the club is in need of interested people to join this committee. Club repeaters other than the 444.250 seem to be working normally. ARES (Pat KE5KMM) - Pat, EC for Tangipahoa, provided updates on ARES activities and announced that the February ARES newsletter has been e-mailed out. Bob WB5FBS, DEC Region 9, announced the new Facebook page for Region 9 is now on the web at www.facebook.com/region9ares and he urged all ARES members to share relevant items on the page to let all know of the good things ARES is doing. The SELARC page is also active on Facebook, but has not been active recently (no mention of the meeting tonight, for example). Perhaps an events calendar could be added.

Old Business: It was reported that no minutes are available for the previous January meeting. Carol KE5GOC presented the financial reports for the 2018 Hamfest, the monthly accounts and the proposed 2018 budget. After discussion of some corrections it was moved/seconded and passed to accept the financial reports, and moved/seconded/passed to approve the budget.

New Business: Tyrone N5XES reported the vacancy of the Secretary position and requested nominations for election. No nominations were received during the meeting. A 1-page questionnaire was distributed to those present at the meeting to facilitate members expressing interests, feedback and suggestions.

Announcements: Tyrone N5XES listed the following Events & Hamfests:
Strawberry Festival - April 13-15
Orange HamFest - Feb 24, Orange TX
Acadiana Hamfest - March 9-10 Rayne LA
Mobile Hamfest - April 14
Suggestions were mentioned for Membership Drives, Additional Fundraisers, or interest in 'Mini Swapfest' before or after club meetings, and using SELARC table at hamfests to market the club and collect dues.

Adjournment: It was m/s/passed to adjourn at 7:45pm.
submitted by Vice-President Jimmy Hess AG5EJ

==> ARRL Requests Expanded HF Privileges for Technician Licensees - ARRL has asked the FCC to expand HF privileges for Technician licensees to include limited phone privileges on 75, 40, and 15 meters, plus RTTY and digital mode privileges on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters. The FCC has not yet invited public comment on the proposals, which stem from recommendations put forth by the ARRL Board of Directors' Entry-Level License Committee, which explored various initiatives and gauged member opinions in 2016 and 2017.
Specifically, ARRL proposes to provide Technician licensees, present and future, with phone privileges at 3.900 to 4.000 MHz, 7.225 to 7.300 MHz, and 21.350 to 21.450 MHz, plus RTTY and digital privileges in current Technician allocations on 80, 40, 15, and 10 meters. The ARRL petition points out the explosion in popularity of various digital modes over the past 2 decades. Under the ARRL plan, the maximum HF power level for Technician operators would remain at 200 W PEP. The few remaining Novice licensees would gain no new privileges under the League's proposal.

==> NTIA Targets Portion of 3.4 GHz Band for Potential Wireless Broadband Use - The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has identified 3450 to 3550 MHz for potential wireless broadband use. Amateur Radio has a secondary allocation of 3300 to 3500 MHz, sharing the spectrum with government radars; the popular "weak-signal" frequency is 3456.1 MHz. The NTIA oversees the use of spectrum by federal government agencies.
The NTIA, in coordination with the Department of Defense and other federal agencies, has identified 100 megahertz of spectrum "for potential repurposing to spur commercial wireless innovation." He said the 3450 - 3550 MHz band "could be a key asset in our nation's broadband spectrum inventory." In the US, military radar systems operate in the 3450 - 3550 MHz band, and Amateur Radio compatibly shares the lower half of that band with the military on a secondary basis. The Defense Department plans to submit a proposal under the Spectrum Pipeline Act to carry out a comprehensive RF engineering study "to determine the potential for introducing advanced wireless services in this band without harming critical government operations." ARRL intends to contribute to NTIA's study. The FCC, in coordination with NTIA and the Defense Department, has already approved rules for its planned Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) in the adjacent 3550 - 3700 MHz band.

==> On-the-Air Test of New FT8 "DXpedition Mode" Set for Early March - A second beta version of WSJT-X version 1.9.0 has been released, the WSJT development group announced this week. The "release candidate," as it's called, is designated as version 1.9.0-rc2. An initial beta release has already been field-tested by a small group of users. The WSJT development group said a primary purpose of the second beta release is to allow further field testing of the new FT8 "DXpedition Mode," designed to enable DXpeditions to make FT8 contacts at very high rates, and it is inviting the Amateur Radio community to participate in a public test run of FT8 DXpedition Mode on the evening of March 6 (North American time).
Test times and frequencies are March 6, 2300 UTC on 14.080 MHz; March 7, 0000 UTC on 10.141 MHz; March 7, 0100 UTC on 7.080 MHz, and March 7, 0200 UTC on 3.585 MHz. Frequencies are not the conventional FT8 operating frequencies and are subject to change, subject to conditions. Last-minute changes will be posted. According to the FT8 DXpedition Mode User Guide, contacts between the DXpedition station and callers can be completed in as little as one transmission apiece by the calling station. Authorized DXpedition stations can transmit up to five signals simultaneously, allowing contact rates up to about 500 per hour under ideal conditions.

==> USA ARDF Championships Set for June 13-17 in California - The 18th USA Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) will take place June 13-17 near Truckee, California, some 30 miles southwest of Reno, Nevada. The competition sites are at about 6,300 feet elevation near Donner Summit. An optional training day will be held on Wednesday, June 13. Thursday will be devoted to foxoring, a combination of radio direction finding and classic orienteering. Friday morning will be the sprint event, followed by a model event for equipment testing and a competitor briefing. The 18th USA Championships of Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) will take place June 13-17 near Truckee, California, some 30 miles southwest of Reno, Nevada. The competition sites are at about 6,300 feet elevation near Donner Summit. An optional training day will be held on Wednesday, June 13. Thursday will be devoted to foxoring, a combination of radio direction finding and classic orienteering. Friday morning will be the sprint event, followed by a model event for equipment testing and a competitor briefing.

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Stay Radio active -- See you at the March 13th Meeting

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