Meeting Minutes for January 10, 2006

Web Page: www.wwcic.org

Information Line Phone Number: 425-820-6271

Dates for WWCIC meetings for 2005   Meetings will be held on the 2nd Tuesday like always, with no meeting in August and June joint meeting with our Canadian counterparts subject to change.  The current location is the Washington State Patrol Office in Bellevue.

Financial Report  

Checking Account Balance

$2,750.80 

Savings Account Balance

$   864.02 

Total Bank Balances

$3,614.82 

 

Business Reports

Chairman’s opening comments: Chairman George Bisso called the meeting to order at 9:42 AM, at the WSP office in Bellevue.  Introductions were made around the tables.  Members in attendance today: 11.

Adoption of draft minutes of last meeting: Meeting minutes for December’s meeting were approved as drafted.

Committee Reports

Technical Committee Report:  Suggestions for technical presentations at meetings are always welcome. Harris Corporation’s presentation at the February 14, 2006 meeting about High Definition (HD) radio has been rescheduled to April due to a conflict in their schedule. Motorola is scheduled to make a presentation on Tower Mounted Amplifiers in March.  (OPEN)

Web Site Report:  Alan is checking into better pricing for the WEB hosting service and updating information, links, etc. on the web site. The holidays and other commitments have delayed getting it finished.  (OPEN)

FCC Report: The Seattle director position is still unfilled and no indication of when it will be. The field office activities have to be approved before responding unless it is a safety of life situation. The commission is looking for comments on junk FAX’s and what to do about them, they plan to have a plan by mid April. See the FCC web site for info. A 101 page report was made to the commissioner on the short/long term needs of federal, state and local government, 700 Mhz status. Debra Taylor Tate named as a new commissioner, formerly the head of the Tennessee Valley Authority. .  (OPEN)

Old Business

BPL Issues: Austria’s telecommunications regulators have stated that BPL is a hazard to Amateur Radio. The Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Telecommunications Authority investigated complaints from various spectrum users and carried out measurements in May 2004, April 2005 and November 2005. The results of the measurements clearly showed the cause of the reported disturbances in the HF band is the operation of BPL. One measurement proved that the emission of BPL facilities is up to 42 DB higher than the limit set in CEPT ECC/REC/(05)(04)   The ARRL continues to respond to the issue and calling for the  FCC to shut down the Manassas VA BPL system because it is causing harmful interference to Amateur Radio by causing harmful interference and otherwise does not comply with FCC part 15 rules.  The ARRL says that the FCC has not discharged its most fundamental obligation which is to prevent or resolve interference issues involving the system. The League also charges that the FCC permits the Manassas BPL operation to remain on for political reasons.  (OPEN)

450 MHz IX: No report.  (OPEN)

FRS Issues: Nothing new to report.  (OPEN)

700 MHz Planning & Meetings: Wiz named the 700 Mhz committee chairman. The 700 MHz web sites are www.region43.org for Washington State, and www.region35.org, for Oregon.    (OPEN)

800 MHz IX and Nextel issues: Steve Taylor was named 800 Mhz spectrum committee chairman. Rebanding migration may cause some temporary loss of interoperability during transition. (OPEN)

Technical Seminars at WWCIC Meetings: Harris Corp. is scheduled for a presentation on HD radio in April and Motorola is scheduled for a presentation on tower top amplifiers at the March meeting. We are always looking for more presentations. (OPEN)

XM and Sirius Satellite Radio News: Nothing new.  (OPEN)

APCO business or reports and general frequency coordination news:  No report.   (OPEN)

License-free or Spread-Spectrum technology issues: No report.  (OPEN)

Amateur radio activity: Amateurs in the New Orleans area were recognized in a Broadcast publication for their contribution to public safety and well being. An Amateur radio group had a low power FM station on the air as part of their activities. When the hurricane hit it damaged the transmitting and studio sites. The FCC granted a STA to move and they were back in operation in a short time from another location providing public service information. (OPEN)

The FM broadcast station on Orcas Island made some changes to its isolator/filter and is back in normal operation. The Orcas Island Fire Dept. and others have noticed an improvement in their systems. The Fire Dept. still has an intermittent, probably an errant mobile or portable of their own.

 Burlington Northern Santa Fe has had interference from a carrier around 161.4Mhz, years ago they had had IX from a NOAA National Weather Service; this time Kris traced the problem to a Union Pacific station in Federal Way.

 

New Business

The Customs and Border Patrol has been experiencing intermittent interference to its repeater east of Bellingham. It can lock up a repeater for minutes and is strong enough to prevent most users from getting into the receiver. Recently it occurred when there was some sensitive situations at the border and as a result it has gotten attention from officials in Washington DC. This started occurring some time ago (1+yrs) and Nextel helped identify possible intermod frequency combinations with their channels in use at the site and mixing in a third parties equipment. Changes were effected at that time and the problem ceased but a similar problem has returned. The site owner has been of little help. Not all of the equipment is installed using good engineering practices. The situation was discussed at length as to causes, plan of action and solutions.

Items of Information

None.

 

Moved and seconded to adjourn at 11:54 AM.

   

Respectfully submitted,

Steven Mayes,  Secretary/Treasurer

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