Meeting Minutes for May 12, 2009
Web Page: www.wwcic.org
Information Line Phone Number: 425-820-6271
Dates for WWCIC meetings for 2009 Meetings will be held on the 2nd Tuesday like always, with no meeting in August . The current location for regular meetings is the Washington State Patrol Office in Bellevue.
Chairman’s opening
comments: Chairman George Bisso
called the meeting to order at 9:34am. Introductions were made around the
tables. Attendance today: 16
Secretary-Treasurer
Finance and Correspondence Reports: Checking, $20.00 dues received starting balance
$760.90, ending balance of $780.90. Starting balance in Savings $686.02,
interest $.18, ending balance of $686.37.
Technical Committee
Report: Suggestions for technical presentations at meetings are
always welcome. We currently do not have any lined up after today’s meeting.
For today’s presentation
Dana from The Sales Group gave an overview of NXDN digital radio systems and in
specific IDAS architecture. (OPEN)
Web Site Report:
Alan has some ideas for more
interactive web use such as a user group. Anyone with ideas or interested in
helping contact Alan. (OPEN)
FCC Report: The
FCC did temporarily assign an employee from California to the Seattle office to
help through the DTV transition. Absent any emergencies Chris will attend the
June WWCIC meeting. The FCC has a web
site for DTV information and there are several others,
BPL Issues: No
report. (OPEN)
150/450 MHz IX:
Interference to a UHF trunking system operating from Tiger Mtn. by a
differential GPS survey instrument was identified and resolved quickly by the
FCC. (OPEN)
FRS Issues:
No report. (OPEN)
700 MHz Planning &
Meetings:
The FCC is now issuing licenses on the new channel plan. 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: No
report. (OPEN)
XM and Sirius Satellite
Radio News: First quarter report of loss of 409,000 subscribers. (OPEN)
APCO business or reports
and general frequency coordination news: The Washington APCO Summer Training Conference
will be held June 23-25 in Wenatchee. A good technical training program is being
offered. The TA is scheduled to attend the 700/800 MHz meeting on
Friday. http://www.apcowa.org/
http://www.apcointl.org/
(OPEN)
4.9
GHz: Some equipment vendors have been
promoting 4.9 for radio system backhaul and not being forthright with the fact
that it will have secondary status. The FCC issued a clarification of the rules
stating fixed sites supporting broadband are considered primary, hence a point
to point link carrying voice radio traffic from a radio site to the
communications center is considered secondary but if it also carries broadband
traffic it will be primary. Video is considered broadband. There are some fixed
stations being installed without being licensed, all fixed operations must be
licensed. One option when planning a system is to license for wide area of
operation to give flexibility and then license the fixed operations when
operations are in and working satisfactorily. Formal coordination of fixed
operation is being looked at by the FCC. (OPEN)
Amateur radio activity:
A new UHF repeater system was installed on the Columbia Tower in Seattle.
A
D-Star repeater system was installed on one of the downtown Bellevue buildings.
Several
hams are trying to get a P25 amateur repeater system up and running. ARRL is
interested in P25 relative to amateur radio articles to publish in their QST
magazine.
was
introduced on April 29th. If enacted it would instruct the Dept. of
Homeland Security to study and report to Congress the uses and capabilities of
Amateur Radio communications in emergencies and disaster relief. One aspect is
determining the extent that things such as CC&Rs impede Amateur Radio
Services in performing said duties.
In
response the ARRL’s Freedom of Information Act request and lawsuit the FCC
released previously redacted portions of studies relied on in their BPL
rulemaking.
Joint
WCTC/WWCIC Meeting
Dana
from the Sales Group gave a presentation on NXDN technology and Icom’s IDAS
system.
King County put out a Request for Proposals to research a regional Puget Sound radio system. This is the first of three planning stages, it is to identify what technology is or will be available and should be used. The second will be a system design and the third will be equipment and construction. In an effort to promote the best solution, winners of the technology assessment or design portions cannot be awarded the purchase and construction phase. Due to the scope of the request vendors have requested a two month extension making replies due in August.
Moved and seconded to adjourn at 11:35 AM.
Respectfully submitted,