Dates for WWCIC meetings for 2006   Meetings will be held on the 2^nd Tuesday like always, with no meeting in August and June joint meeting with our Canadian counterparts.  The current location for regular meetings is the Washington State Patrol Office in Bellevue.

Business Reports

Chairman’s opening comments: Member at Large Harlan Ohlson called the meeting to order at 9:37 am. Introductions were made around the tables.  Attendance today: 13.

Secretary-Treasurer Finance and Correspondence Reports: No activity. Checking balance $574.70, saving interest income $.74, savings balance $2874.21.

Committee Reports

Technical Committee Report:  Suggestions for technical presentations at meetings are always welcome. Icom is scheduled for a presentation in March on digital modulation land mobile radio. (OPEN)

Web Site Report:  The web host has changed ownership to Web.com. Alan is checking performance and doing maintenance after the change. We changed the hosting contract to annual service and an invoice for 2007 annual hosting received. (OPEN)

Old Business

BPL Issues: No report. (OPEN)

150/450 MHz IX: The U.S. Coast Guard’s is updating its radio system. One of their new sites is in South Everett and is receiving interference from an Amateur Radio 6m (50Mhz) repeater in the area. The third harmonic of the amateur transmitter is getting into the CG’s VHF (150Mhz) receiver several miles away. The amateur station has been there for a long time and is in good working order. The amateurs have volunteered to change frequencies to correct the issue.

A signal close to 173.275 Mhz was getting into The Everett Herald’s base station and some mobiles. The signal was repetitive data bursts and appeared on a Thursday morning, ran for two days and went away. It appeared several days later and the FCC started tracking it down. As the FCC was narrowing the search the signal went away and has not returned.

FRS Issues: Nothing new to report.  (OPEN)

700 MHz Planning & Meetings: Joint 700/800 Mhz meetings are the last Wed of the month, non public safety attendees welcome. At the January meeting Pierce Transit’s application was approved along with King County Metro and Community Transit. A lot of discussion occurred because of complexity of the proposed systems and differences in wording between the regional plan and the FCC rules.

800 MHz IX and Nextel issues: The region has been active in the rebanding process and they are getting close to a band plan to recommend to the FCC and State Dept to discuss with Canada. One issue is some of the spectrum that Sprint/Nextel would be moving into is designated for Public Safety only by treaty. The final timelines have not been changed.  (OPEN)

Technical Seminars at WWCIC Meetings: Daytron made a presentation on P25 and HF radios. Icom is scheduled to make a presentation at the March meeting. Suggestions for future seminars are welcome. (OPEN)

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

APCO business or reports and general frequency coordination news: APCO is actively involved in 800Mhz border issues. The Washington APCO conference in Wenatchee on` June 27-29. http://www.apcowa.org/ (OPEN)

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

Amateur radio activity: The Mike and Key Club Hamfest at Pullayup Fairgrounds is March 10, 2007. Effective February 23 the requirement of Morse code for amateur licenses goes away. Interference to several repeater stations on Tiger Mt has proved difficult to locate. The interference tracks signals that appear between 130 and 450 Mhz and the level varies randomly. (OPEN)

New Business

Soliciting candidates to fill the Member at Large position #1.

  Items of Information

There is speculation that one or more manufactures will debut dual/multiband (150,450,700,800 Mhz) radios in March at the International Wireless Communications Expo. 

Moved and seconded to adjourn at 10:21 AM.

Respectfully submitted,