Meeting Minutes for November 8, 2005

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

$2,838.80 

Savings Account Balance

$   863.43 

Total Bank Balances

$3,702.23 

 

Business Reports

Chairman’s opening comments: Chairman George Bisso called the meeting to order at 09:37AM, 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 September’s meeting were approved with correction to the WEB Site Report replacing second and third quarter with third and fourth.

Committee Reports

Technical Committee Report:  Suggestions for technical presentations at meetings are always welcome. Harris Corporation is planning to make a presentation at the February 14, 2006 meeting about High Definition (HD) radio. A suggestion for future presentation was Tower Mounted Amplifiers.  (OPEN)

Web Site Report:  Alan is going to check into better pricing for the WEB hosting service. Longer terms may be less expensive. Some links to BPL information have been added. Site visits are over one thousand for the year.  (OPEN

FCC Report: $25,000 fines were assessed to several broadcast stations for violations relating to fencing, STL terms, public files.  EAS rules amending to include digital, more changes are in the works. The FCC has a center to handle emergencies 24 hr a day you can for STA, harmful interference to public safety. The center can be reached at 202-418-1122. Report on competition in the Wireless Industry is available. There are now 184.7 million subscribes equating to 62 percent penetration. FM broadcast auctions start January 12, 2006. The FCC is accepting applications for on-channel digital conversions for TV stations and translators. The FCC has submitted a Notice of Inquiry for the Effects of Communications Towers on migratory birds. On Oct. 3 the FCC issued a Memorandum of Understanding (MR 05-174) on Improving Communications in the 800Mhz band. The FCC is still interested in Junk FAXes, the Consumer and Government affairs division collects the information and follows up on tracing their source and fining persistent violators. No information on proposed low power AM broadcast stations.   (OPEN)

 

Old Business

BPL Issues: Power utilities continue to investigate BPL as a source of revenue.    (OPEN)

450 MHz IX: No report.  (OPEN)

FRS Issues: Nothing new to report.  (OPEN)

700 MHz Planning & Meetings: Next meeting in Yakima, Nov 30th.  Both the 700 and 800 committees are looking for chairmen.  There is some indication that Canada is making moves to move the broadcast stations from 700 Mhz by reassigning non-operating licensees. Due to the number of stations that will need to move transmitter manufacturers are looking at volume discounts to  help the migration.  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:  Two of forty two rebanding contracts have been signed. Wave one is expected to be delayed, some legal and technical details need to be finalized. The King Co. 800 agencies have done a county wide drive test of the existing system to reference before and after rebanding performance, this is not a reimbursable cost.  Nextel reconfigured a site in Bellingham in response to complaints that an 800 Mhz commercial operator was having problems communicating with mobiles in one area.  Nextel requested assistance of WSDOT in fixing an IX problem to their system. WSDOT assisted and the problem was not with the WSDOT operations.  (OPEN)

Technical Seminars at WWCIC Meetings: Harris Corp. is planning a presentation on HD radio at our meeting in early 2006. We are always looking for more presentations. (OPEN)

XM and Sirius Satellite Radio News: Growth has slowed. Sirrius is still pushing for terrestrial stations like XM (40KW ERP, 2.6Ghz).  (OPEN)

APCO business or reports and general frequency coordination news:  A meeting was held in Washington DC October 31 with Nextel, and the Transition Authority on the status of rebanding no details available at present.   (OPEN)

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

Amateur radio activity: The Fire Chiefs Association published an article speaking favorably of Amateur radio and its support to emergency communications.   (OPEN)

 

New Business

Orcas Island Fire Dept. continues to have VHF repeater problems, system locks up. Other systems in the area have experienced similar problems. Due to the effects over a wide frequency range they are looking into high level RF sources, mixing and noise generation as the cause. 

WSP has been experiencing IX from TV and FM broadcast stations at Mt. Spokane when they went to a duplex operation.  IM calculations show a hit. WSP is looking at moving location or frequency.

Items of Information

Orcas Island Fire Dept. continues to have VHF repeater problems, system locks up. Other systems in the area have experienced similar problems. Due to the effects over a wide frequency range they are looking into high level RF sources, mixing and noise generation as the cause. 

WSP has been experiencing IX from TV and FM broadcast stations at Mt. Spokane when they went to a duplex operation.  IM calculations show a hit. WSP is looking at moving location or frequency.

 

Moved and seconded to adjourn at 10:55 AM.

   

Respectfully submitted,

Steven Mayes,  Secretary/Treasurer

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