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THE AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

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Pacificon 2008 - the West Coast Ham Radio Convention is Coming!

PACIFICON 2008, the great west coast ham radio convention, will take place Friday, October 17th through Sunday, October 19th, 2008 at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel at 2600 Bishop Drive in San Ramon, California. Events and schedules are in the planning stages. Check the "Clubs and Organizations" page for updates.

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Pennsylvania Becomes 27th State with PRB-1 Law on Books

from ARRL News

On Wednesday, October 8, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell (D) signed into law a bill that guarantees radio amateurs the right to erect antenna support structures up to 65 feet without the need for a Special Use Permit.

The bill passed in the House with a vote of 196-1; it passed in the Senate with a vote of 49-1. The new law is scheduled to go into effect December 8, 60 days after signing.

Senate Bill 884 (now Act 88), An Act amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Restricting Municipalities from Regulating Amateur Radio Service Communications, was first introduced on June 1, 2007 by Pennsylvania Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf (R) who represents portions of Bucks and Montgomery Counties.

The bill requires local municipalities to "reasonably accommodate amateur radio service communications, and to impose only the minimum regulations necessary to accomplish the legitimate purpose of the municipality" and says that "no ordinance, regulation, plan or any other action shall restrict amateur radio antenna height to less than 65 feet above ground level, but a municipality may impose necessary regulations to ensure the safety of amateur radio antenna structures, but must reasonably accommodate amateur service communications."

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See The Current ARACC Newsletter

See The Past ARACC Newsletters

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  • PHOTOS OF THE 2008 BIKE EVENTS

  • PICTURES OF THE DECEMBER 8, 2007 HOLIDAY AND AWARDS MEETING

  • VIEW PICTURES OF THE OCTOBER 13TH DOUBLE CENTURY BIKE EVENT

  • CLICK HERE TO SEE PAST ARACC BIKE EVENTS
  • CLICK HERE TO SEE THE 2007 ARACC PICNIC PHOTOS
  • CLICK HERE TO SEE FIELD DAY 2007 PICTURES

  • CLICK HERE FOR REPEATER PICTURES

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    SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION REPORT

    The California cell phone law went into effect on July 1, 2008. There is a clarification from DMV on the use of 2 way radios in vehicles. This is from the FAQ on the DMV web page. Q: May I use a dedicated two-way radio while driving? A: Yes. The use of dedicated two-way radios such as walkie-talkies and Citizen Band (CB) radios, which are not part of a wireless telephone, is not affected by the new law

    Greetings from the ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section.

    News last updated: Mon, September 8, 2008 at 12:33 PM ET

    Welcome to the San Joaquin Valley Section. Section Manager Charles McConnell, W6DPD- Assistant Section Managers K6YK and N2NS, Affiliated Club Coordinator W6DPD, Section Emergency Coodinator N6ZFN, Official Observer Coordinator N1VM, Section Traffic Manager K6RAU, Public Information Coordinator Vacant, and Technical Coordinator W6TE.

    The San Joaquin Valley Section extends from Kern County north to San Joaquin, Calaveras and Mono Counties in the central valley of California. Thanks for visiting this page.

    If you desire your club information and events to be listed in Section News, please send the information to w6dpd@arrl.org. I get very little information. If your club has a newsletter, please send it to me, email to w6dpd@arrl.org or via U.S Mail.

    MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! September is Preparedness Month. Check www.ready.gov for information. Amateur Radio Awareness Day is September 20, 2008. The 2008 California QSO Party (CQP) begins at 1600 UTC on October 4, 2008 and ends at 2200 UTC on October 5, 2008. Check www.cqp.org for information. The California Historical Radio Society Central Valley Chapter Swap Meet is October 4, 2008, at 9:00 AM at the Modesto Radio Museum, 1192 Norwegian Ave in Modesto. Pacificon 2008 is October 17-19, 2008 at the San Ramon Marriott in San Ramon CA. Check www.pacificon.org for information. SKYWARN Recognition Day is December 1. The 60th International DX Convention will be April 17 - 19, 2009 at the Holiday Inn at Visalia CA. Check www.dxconvention.org for information.

    The Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets nightly on 3.533MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time. The slow speed training session of the net meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time. Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills. The Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or near 7.275 MHZ. The California Traffic Net meets daily at 6:30 PM pacific time on 3.906 MHZ. The Noontime Net meets daily on 7.268.5 MHZ at Noon. There is a lot of traffic passed on this net. The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ. The Mission Trail Net meets nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time.

    Need to take an Amateur exam? Check the ARRL web page, www.arrl.org for exam information. Need to find a class? The ARRL web page, www.arrl.org has a listing of classes. Check it out.

    Card Checking in the Section. You can get cards checked for awards within the section. W6XK and W6DPD can check your cards for DXCC in accordance with the rules for field checking. DXCC card checkers may now check cards dated from Nov. 15, 1945, but no 160 meter cards or cards for deleted entities. DXCC card checkers may, at their discretion, check cards for WAS and VUCC. W6DPD can check cards for the CQ Awards, WAZ, DX, and Prefixes. Special Service Clubs may appoint a HF awards manager for WAS and a VHF Awards Manager for VUCC.

    When your affiliated club elects officers for the next year, be sure to update your club’s information on the affiliated club area of the ARRL web page. If your club fails to update the information for 2 years, your club will be placed in the inactive file.

    SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION Report for the month of August 2008: SM Charles McConnell, W6DPD- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC N6ZFN, OOC N1VM, STM K6RAU, PIC Vacant, TC W6TE.

    Greetings from the ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section.

    An ARES Emergency Coordinator is needed in Western Kern County. Contact Marie, N6ZFN (n6zfn@bak.rr.com) or W6DPD (w6dpd@arrl.org) if you are interested and can serve in this important position.

    September is National Preparedness Month. Check www.ready.gov for information.

    Thanks to the hams who helped the firefighters with communications support and information service in the recent fires in Mariposa County. You did a great job.

    WA6RAK, Floyd is a Silent Key. He will be missed.

    The California QSO Party begins at 1600 UTC on October 4 and ends at 2200UTC on October 5, 2008. Put your county on the air for this contest. Others are looking for California stations on both phone and CW/Digital. This is a good time to contact that state you need for your Worked All States Award. Information can be found at www.cqp.org.

    Pacificon is the ARRL Pacific Division Convention, which is held October 17-19, 2008 at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel in San Ramon CA. There will be an antenna seminar on Friday October 17. On Saturday, October 18, the exhibit room will be open. You might find good deals there. There will be a number of sessions covering a variety of subjects. Saturday night will see the banquet, and the Wouff Hong initiation will be at midnight. Sunday has the swap meet, more sessions, and the ARRL Forum followed by the prize drawing. You can check out the event schedule on the Pacificon web page at www.pacificon.org.

    The annual Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) is October 18-19, 2008. This is a time to open your station to the Scouts so they can talk to other scouts.

    W6MSU completed the "VHF/UHF Life Beyond the Repeater" course.

    KI6PG has applied for 5BDXCC.

    AA6K has 102 DXCC entities on 40 meters.

    Traffic for August: K6RAU 27, W6DPD 0, and W6SX 22. Total 49 PSHR: K6RAU 89 and W6SX 54.

    SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SECTION Report for the month of July 2008: SM Charles McConnell, W6DPD- ASMs K6YK and N2NS, ACC W6DPD, SEC N6ZFN, OOC N1VM, STM K6RAU, PIC KE6IGJ, TC W6TE.

    If you desire your club information and events to be listed in Section News, please send the information to w6dpd@arrl.org. I get very little information. If your club has a newsletter, please send it to me, email to w6dpd@arrl.org or via U.S Mail.

    An ARES Emergency Coordinator is needed in Western Kern County. Contact Marie, N6ZFN (n6zfn@bak.rr.com) or W6DPD (w6dpd@arrl.org) if you are interested and can serve in this important position.

    MARK YOUR CALENDARS. September is National Preparedness Month. Check www.ready.gov for information. Amateur Radio Awareness Day is September 20, 2008. The 2008 California QSO party begins at 1600 UTC on October 4 and ends at 2200 UTC on October 5, 2008. Put your county on the air for this contest. Check www.cqp.org for information. The California Historical Radio Society Central Valley Chapter swap meet begins at 9:00 AM October 4, 2008, at the Modesto Radio Museum, 1192 Norwegian Ave in Modesto. Pacificon 2008 is October 17-19, 2008 at the Marriott Hotel in San Ramon CA. Check www.pacificon.org for information. The 60th International DX Convention is April 17-19, 2009 at Visalia. Check http://www.dxconvention.org/ for information

    When your affiliated club elects officers for the next year, be sure to update your club's information on the affiliated club area of the ARRL web page so you club will get any information sent from the ARRL Club department. If you fail to update your clubs information for 2 years, your club will be placed in the inactive file. Your club will be notified if the 2-year period is about to take place.

    Need to take an Amateur exam? Check the ARRL web page, www.arrl.org for exam information. You can also search for Amateur Radio Classes in your area.

    The Northern California Net (NCN), the Section Traffic Net, meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 7 PM Pacific Time. The slow speed training session of the net meets nightly on 3.533 MHZ at 9 PM Pacific Time. Handling traffic on CW is a good way to improve your CW skills. The Daytime Region 6 Traffic Net meets daily at 3:30 pacific time on or near 7.275 MHZ. The California Traffic Net meets daily on 3.906 MHZ and 6:30 PM local time. The noon time net meets on 7.268.5 MHz. This net handles a lot of messages. The Golden Bear Amateur Radio Net meets nightly at 7:00 PM local time on 3.975 MHZ. The Mission Trail Net meets nightly on 3.856 MHZ at 8:00 PM local time.

    September is National Preparedness Month. Check www.ready.gov for information.

    Thanks to the hams who helped the firefighters with communications support and information service in the recent fires in Mariposa County. You did a great job.

    N6OPY Edward is a Silent Key. He will be missed.

    The California QSO Party begins at 1600 UTC on October 4 and ends at 2200UTC on October 5, 2008. Put your county on the air for this contest. Others are looking for California stations on both phone and CW/Digital. This is a good time to contact that state you need for your Worked All States Award. Information can be found at www.cqp.org.

    Pacificon is the ARRL Pacific Division Convention, which is held October 17-19, 2008 at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel in San Ramon CA. There will be an antenna seminar on Friday October 17. On Saturday, October 18, the exhibit room will be open. You might find good deals there. There will be a number of sessions covering a variety of subjects. Saturday night will see the banquet, and the Wouff Hong initiation will be at midnight. Sunday has the swap meet, more sessions, and the ARRL Forum followed by the prize drawing. You can check out the event schedule on the Pacificon web page at www.pacificon.org.

    N7RR, Bruce, is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. He will hike from the Mexican Border to Manning Park, British Columbia by end of September or early October. He will check into the CW traffic nets in the evenings as time permits. Check www.n7rr.com for information.

    ARACC members provided communications support for the "Climb to Kaiser" Bicycle race.

    P40V operated by Carl, AI6V, won the World Wide 14 MHZ high score plaque for the 2008 ARRL International DX Contest (Phone). The award is named the Don Wallace, W6AM, Memorial Award and is sponsored by the Central California DX Club, Inc.

    Top SJV Scores for the 2008 International DX Contest (CW) were 1st N2NS, 2nd K6YK, and 3rd K6AAB.

    Top SJV Scores for the 2008 International DX Contest (Phone) were 1st N6YMM, 2nd N2NS, and 3rd K6YV.

    N2NS made the DXCC Honor Roll. Congratulations Bob.

    Traffic for JULY: K6RAU 35, W6DPD 0, and W6SX 44. Total 79. PSHR: K6RAU 99 and W6SX 77.

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    ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section

    Section Manager: Charles P. McConnell, W6DPD

    w6dpd@arrl.org

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    European Reciprocal Licenses Now Limited to Advanced and Extra Class Licensees

    (from ARRL News)

    (Feb 4, 2008) -- The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) has revised its table of equivalence between FCC amateur licenses and the CEPT license. Effective February 4, 2008, Recommendation T/R 61-01 (as amended) now grants full CEPT privileges only to those US citizens who hold an FCC-issued Amateur Extra or Advanced class license. This means that those US licensees who hold an FCC-issued General or Technician license are no longer eligible for full operating privileges in countries where CEPT-reciprocal operation had previously been permitted. US Novice class licensees have had no reciprocal operating privileges under the CEPT provisions. These changes are the result of a re-evaluation of US and CEPT license classes equivalence by the CEPT's Radio Regulatory Working Group at its meeting January 29-February 1, 2008 in Basel, Switzerland. The Working Group deals with numerous areas of concern including Amateur Radio, and is responsible for applications from countries to participate in T/R 61-01, as well as other Amateur Radio related issues. "Changes in the US license structures and examinations often have ancillary implications beyond the immediate impact upon the US licensees," said Dan Henderson, N1ND, ARRL Regulatory Information Manager. "While this CEPT change affects several classes of US licensees when they visit Europe and other CEPT signatory countries, it has no effect on their operating privileges at home."

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    ANOTHER CALIFORNIA VEHICLE LICENSE PLATE UPDATE

    From ARRL News

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    Amateur Radio (HAM) License Plates

    These plates are issued, upon request, to holders of Federal Communication Commission (FCC) amateur radio station licenses. The alpha-numeric series reflects the call letters assigned by the FCC (Vehicle Code §5005 and Revenue and Taxation Code §§10751, 10752).

    If you have Amateur Radio (HAM) License Plates that have spaces between the numbers or letters and you would like plates without the spaces follow this link to the application. Complete the application and a Statement of Facts indicating that you wish to retain the old plates until the new plates arrive, at which time you will properly destroy the old plates. Mail both documents to the address on the bottom of the application form. No fees are required.

    If you have questions or concerns regarding your Amateur Radio (HAM) license plates, please call Customer Communications at (916) 657-6560

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    When you go to the DMV website, you will be able to click on the links to receive a PDF of the indicated application form, and the Statement of Facts form, which you can print and mail to DMV for obtaining replacements for your current plates that contain spaces. Future applications for Amateur Radio call sign plates will result in the receipt of plates with no spaces.

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    ARRL Pacific Division

    Director: Robert Vallio, W6RGG

    w6rgg@arrl.org

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    For information on changes to the FCC Rules, go to the ARRL Web Site:

    HERE ARE THE NEW HAM BANDS

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