Next Meeting. The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 13, 1998, 9:30 a.m., at KLSY/KIXI Studios, 12011 N.E. First Street, Bellevue.  Directions.

George Bisso called the meeting to order at 9:40. The minutes of the July 14 meeting were reviewed and approved with one correction. The frequencies mentioned in the report of IX on Tiger Mountain should be 940-942 MHz.

Checking Account Balance: $4,188.14

OLD BUSINESS

None

PCS Licensing. George presented a list of PCS frequency groups. They are:

A 1850-1865 1930-1945

B 1870-1885 1950-1965

C 1895-1910 1975-1990

D 1865-1870 1945-1950

E 1885-1890 1965-1970

F 1890-1895 1970-1975

Unlicensed 1910-1930

Snohomish County 800 System. Work has begun on an 800 MHz trunking system for Snohomish County. Loren Postma will be attending the meetings and will keep us abreast of the progress. It is not anticipated that the system will create any conflicts.

GPS Interference to Repeaters. The FCC Office has been working on an ongoing problem for Radio Link. The repeaters on Tiger Mountain have been experiencing interference from surveyors, allegedly using Trimble GPS equipment. The signal is sporadic as it disappears for a couple of days then comes back, usually on Fridays. FCC is trying to locate the Trimble distributor for this area.

City of Everett Issues. Loren Postma responded to articles in the utilities and pipeline telecommunications trade publication "Washington Wire" which pertained to refarming and interference protection from co-channel usage. One article addressed the American Mobile Telecommunications Association's (AMTA) request for FCC to require all private land mobile radio users operating on frequencies between 222 and 900 MHz, other than Public Safety agencies, to transition to narrowband equipment by a specified date. In his response, Loren emphasized that the City of Everett Utilities is highly dependent on reliable, interference-free radio communication to keep in touch with crews and to dispatch people and instructions during emergencies. He stressed that if radio systems are subjected to interference from co-licensing specific channels too closely, they lose the capability to respond effectively.

Navy Jams Garage Doors. Loren Postma presented an article from the June 5, 1998 Everett Herald about the problem of occasional data transmissions from Navy ships in Everett causing garage door openers in that area to become ineffective. The article states that frequencies 225-400 MHz are reserved for high powered military communications; however, low-powered devices such as garage door openers can use the same frequencies. FCC regulations say garage door openers must accept any interference from licensed users. The article pointed out that a permanent fix for automatic garage door owners would be to purchase new receivers and remotes outside the range used by the Navy.

Frequency Coordination. There was considerable discussion about the fact that frequency coordinators seem to be giving out any frequency requested, irregardless of usage or other licencees on the same frequencies in the same geographic area. This is resulting in a lot of co-channel interference. Several examples were cited that included public safety communications. Dennis Anderson would like to be notified of any interference complaints resulting from poor frequency management.

CBS Sports Network Causes Interference During PGA. The PGA Golf Tournament in Redmond was the site of an interference problem to KIRO-AM's news plane and EAS/emergency channel. Source of the problem was identified as CBS Sports Network. The FCC agent who investigated the matter requested that they turn off the transmitter. CBS initially refused but later complied, only to turn it on again the following morning. They turned it off again upon FCC's arrival at the golf course. FCC rules give authorization for broadcasters to use frequencies at sporting events, etc., but only on a secondary basis. They must shut down if their transmissions result in interference to local licencees. George stated that usually this type of event does not lead to a problem because the broadcasters get appropriate coordination prior to the event. Kris pointed out that if they had caused interference to the State Relay EAS Network, it would have shut down the entire system, resulting in an immense impact on the broadcast industry. FCC has enough evidence to issue a warning letter and fine to CBS.

Blocked From Moving Transmitter to Squak Mountain. George reported the KHB60 transmitter relocation from Gold Mountain to Squak Mountain has been blocked by the Canadians. Their reason is potential interference which seems strange because the path from Gold Mountain is more direct to Canada than Squak Mountain. George is trying to get it worked out.

Radio Tower Sitings. Steve Mayes passed along information about a court case resulting from opposition to radio towers on land zoned for other purposes, such as agriculture. The Supreme Court ruled that the entire parcel of land (in this case, 20 acres) would have to be leased in order to put up a radio tower. The impact would be that potential tower owners would have to find an alternative, such as an easement.

Hip Radio Broadcast. Kris McGowan relayed a light story about a case she investigated. An elderly man living in a retirement home in Lynnwood had a hip replacement and now hears Krista FM radio from his hip at night when he goes to bed. It seems the home is right by the tower. He tried wearing foil pants but it didn't work. Luckily for him, Krista FM is moving from that area soon.

FCC Items of Interest. Dennis Anderson briefed on the following topics. Most FCC documents can be found on FCC's web site: http:/www.fcc.gov.

• Amendment of Parts 2, 15, and 97. FCC adopted rules that will encourage commercial development and use of a portion of the millimeter wave frequencies above 40 GHz.
• 24 MHz of Spectrum for Public Use. On August 6, FCC voted to license 24 MHz of spectrum for public safety use, including block set aside for development of interoperable networks so emergency workers can communicate on same frequency. Spectrum was reallocated from TV channels 63, 64, 68, and 69. FCC also seeks comment on how to license additional 8.8 MHz.
• FCC Adopts Auction Rules for LMS Services. FCC has adopted rules and procedures for the future auction of location and monitoring service (LMS) licenses. LMS refers to advanced radio technologies designed to support the nation's transportation infrastructure and facilitate growth of intelligent transportation systems.
• FCC Adopts Partitioning and Disaggregation Rules for 220 MHz Licenses. See attached FCC News Report No. WT 98-25, dated August 6, 1998.
• Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Announces Procedures for Non-Nationwide 220-222 MHz Licensees To Modify Their Authorizations to Reflect Actual Operating Power. See attached FCC Public Notice DA 98-1306, dated June 30, 1998.
• Agreement by Local and State Governments and Wireless Industries on Facilities Siting Issues. On August 5, 1998, FCC Chairman Kennard announced a facilities siting agreement between the Commission's Local and State Government Advisory Committee (LSGAC), the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), the Personal Commnications Industry Association (PCIA), and the American Mobile Telephone Association (AMTA). The agreement sets forth two main initiatives. It establishes guidelines for facilities siting implementation and adopts an informal dispute resolution process for siting issues.
• Consumer Alert: Don't Hang Up on Dial-Around. As of September 1, 1998, the transition to expanded access codes will be complete. Consumers are reminded that, to make a "dial around" call, they must dial an additional "10" before the access code (i.e., 10-xxx is now 10-10-xxx). Access codes enable callers to use a long distance company other than the company the phone is programmed to use automatically for placing log distance and local toll calls.
• FCC Enforcement Actions. The hottest issue right now is shutting down pirate broadcast stations. The Seattle Office has four in its area of responsibility. They are all in north central Washington. Enforcement action is pending on all four.
• Interference From Japanese Navy. Dennis received a call from Western Telecom Inc. (WTCI) regarding interference to their 5.9-6 GHz microwave service in the Seattle area. Source was determined to be radars on a Japanese Navy vessel leaving the Seattle harbor. The U.S. Navy couldn't help as they didn't have an agreement with military ships of foreign governments except Canada. He then contacted the Japanese Consulate and played phone tag. The ship was out of the area by the time he actually spoke to a Japanese representative but the incident raised some questions in-house about how to handle these type situations.
• Weyerhaeuser Handhelds Cause IX to Canada. Industry Canada complained to the FCC Office about interference to 460 MHz Canadian business frequencies from south of Line A. The source was determined to be from 2-watt handheld radios being used by Weyerhaeuser near Snoqualmie. Dennis put the two parties in touch and they resolved the problem.

Christmas Meeting, December 8. George wants everyone to start fasting now for a big feed at the Christmas meeting. It will be his treat.

The meeting adjourned at 11:30.

Shirley Perry

Secretary-Treasurer