Meeting Minutes for July 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 November 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 9:45 am. Introductions were made around the tables.  Attendance today: 10.

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

Secretary-Treasurer Finance and Correspondence Reports: One membership dues received. Checking balance $430.14, saving interest income $.69, savings balance $2878.51.

Committee Reports

Technical Committee Report:  Suggestions for technical presentations at meetings are always welcome. BPL and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) was suggested as a future topic for a presentation. (OPEN)

Web Site Report:  Alan reported no problems. (OPEN)

FCC Report: It was erroneously reported at the June meeting that Mike Rothe was retiring, he is still working at the Seattle District Office. Mike Mehigan is leaving the FCC for a position with a private firm.

The Commission has limited field office personnel to only mandatory travel. Meetings such as the WWCIC are considered non-mandatory. The field offices are filling their comments to educate upper management on the negative aspects of this policy and the benefits of being more present in the field. George and Steve will try to get the FCC information to report at the meetings. (Open)

 

Old Business

BPL Issues: No report. (OPEN)

150/450 MHz IX: KIRO broadcasting has been experiencing interference (music, comments, jamming) on their VHF remote pickup channel(s) since January. The FCC has been monitoring and localized it to the Queen Anne area before it stopped. Similar interference has been heard on VHF amateur frequencies and KIRO’s UHF channels used for traffic reporting has been jammed periodically. It is unknown if these are related. (OPEN)

FRS Issues: Nothing new to report.  (OPEN)

700 MHz Planning & Meetings: NIPSTIC has had some discussion of a new committee to address the management and administration of Nation Wide 700 MHz allocations. Meetings between US and Canada are taking place on the East Coast in regards to what Canada is going to do and possible use of 700MHz frequencies for the Olympics. 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: Snohomish County’s East Simulcast system is up and running now. They have had moisture intrusion problems with their tower top amplifiers. (OPEN)

Technical Seminars at WWCIC Meetings:  Suggestions for future seminars are welcome. (OPEN)

XM and Sirius Satellite Radio News: Merger is still waiting resolution of terrestrial transmission and other issues. (OPEN)

APCO business or reports and general frequency coordination news: The lack of technical content appears to have reduced attendance by technical staff personnel at the APCO Washington conference in Wenatchee, June 27-29. http://www.apcowa.org/ (OPEN)

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

4.9 GHz:  Snohomish County is planning to put in some 4.9G systems. (OPEN)

Amateur radio activity: The ARRL continues to work on BPL issues.

The Air Force is reactivating an older missile detection radar system that operates in the 440 MHz range. They are requiring amateur systems close (100mi) to Beale AFB, CA and Otis AFB, MA to cease operations. This affects several hundred repeaters. The ARRL is facilitating negotiations to mitigate the impacts. A test with the Amateur stations running reduced power will be conducted.

Field Day exercises went well despite band conditions being poor. I the spirit of emergency communications using available supplies one group in Snohmish Co. was successful in using the airframe of a B-52 Bomber parked next to their communications vehicle at Paine Field for an antenna. 

The dropping of the Morse code requirement for licensing has generated an influx of new amateurs and license upgrades. (OPEN)

New Business

Joint WCTC/WWCIC Meeting

No further responses have been received from WCTC after communications were made with Keith Bandy of the WCTC. The WWCIC board proposed to host a meeting around November 14 at Semiahmoo. It was approved to pursue. The Winter Olympics will be a big topic; what are Industry Canada’s plans, how will they coordinate all the communications equipment coming into the area, what is the status of the cross border public safety communications network, how can the WWCIC help, 700MHz and 800MHz issues are a few broad subjects that were suggested. We need to develop an agenda so please forward topics that you would like discussed to the board so we can prepare both sides.  

(Keith contacted George just after the July meeting and endorsed the November meeting suggestion and assured that the WCTC members will attend)

Items of Information

After many years of service at Valley Communications Center Chris Fischer is retiring.

 

Moved and seconded to adjourn at 11:05 AM.

Respectfully submitted,

Steven Mayes,  Secretary/Treasurer

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