Meeting Minutes for April 10, 2007

Web Page: www.wwcic.org

Information Line Phone Number: 425-820-6271

Dates for WWCIC meetings for 2007   Meetings will be held on the 2nd 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: Chairman George Bisso called the meeting to order at 9:35 am. Introductions were made around the tables.  Attendance today: 10.

Adoption of draft minutes of last meeting: The minutes for March’s meeting were approved as drafted.

Secretary-Treasurer Finance and Correspondence Reports: The invoice of $144.56 for 12 months of web site hosting was paid.  Checking balance $430.14, saving interest income $.71, savings balance $2876.36.

Committee Reports

Technical Committee Report:  Suggestions for technical presentations at meetings are always welcome. Icom was unable to make there presentation at this meeting. Tektronix has requested to make a technical presentation on interference identification at the May meeting. Creating examples of hardware and installation relating to interference reduction to augment WWCIC standards was discussed. Also with the changes in bandplans, modulation etc. our standards need to be reviewed and updated.  (OPEN)

Web Site Report:  The web site is running smoothly.  (OPEN)

FCC Report:  No Report.  (Open)

Old Business

BPL Issues: The interference problems continue.  (OPEN)

150/450 MHz IX: Ongoing effort to find and correct interference on East Tiger Mountain.

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. The March meeting was canceled due to several committee members being unable to attend. April’s meeting location is not determined at this time.

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: The Region 43 committee has sent a letter to the FCC with a suggested bandplan for the boarder region that preserves US primary channel counts. It was very difficult to come up with a plan without knowing what frequencies and locations are in use in Canada.  There may have to be ten interoperability channels for this region, the five existing ones that are in the treaty with Canada and five that match the new ones for the rest of the U.S.

There is the desire to provide ICALL (interoperability simulcast) across the King, Pierce, Snohomish County systems. Technically it is feasible but decisions on sites, administration and needed funding estimated to be in the $500,000 range are yet to be determined. (OPEN)

Technical Seminars at WWCIC Meetings: The contact person at Icom that had setup a presentation for March has left the company. George has had contact with another person.  Suggestions for future seminars are welcome.

Thoughts on presenting installation and hardware examples such as grounding and filtering at meeting as part of the technical seminar segment of the meetings were discussed. (OPEN)

XM and Sirius Satellite Radio News: The merger of the two companies is progressing. One issue is how to address the terrestrial transmission differences in the two licenses.   (OPEN)

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

4.9 GHz:  Boeing is progressing with their plans after the approval by the regional committee and they have just received licenses. (OPEN)

Amateur radio activity: Interference to systems on East Tiger believed to be the same that affects the commercial equipment is ongoing.   (OPEN)

New Business

A new 5 Kw transmitter at one of Wiztronics sites has been operating for several weeks without noticeable impact on the other communications equipment at the site. The transmitter is part of the network that is providing video to wireless phones.

  Items of Information

The committee is soliciting candidates to fill the Member at Large position #1.

On April 3 Wiztronics hosted a P25 information session with a number of the manufacturers of P25 equipment presenting what Project 25 compliance is about. Multiple vendor’s equipment were demonstrated and intercommunicated. About two dozen representatives from local Public Safety agencies and a mix of other persons attended. Despite some miss-shipped equipment, family emergencies and other obstacles it went very well with attendees all saying it was well worth attending.

Moved and seconded to adjourn at 11:21 AM.

Respectfully submitted,

Steven Mayes,  Secretary/Treasurer

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