April 2021 update from N3EJL

Triple ‘A’ Amateur Radio Association

April 2021 Club Meeting Update

April 17, 2021

Hello, everyone!

For those of you who were unable to attend the April 2021 meeting of Triple ‘A’ this past Thursday, you missed a great meeting!! Here is a brief rundown:

1. The March meeting minutes, and Treasurer’s Report were read and approved.

2. Officers’ reports were given; updates on the repeaters, ARES/ RACES, CW practice/ class, and the Executive Board meeting were discussed.

3. N3IAL, Lee, gave an update on the T-shirt order process; there is an order form on the website which can be used to order shirts, or you can contact Lee directly. Orders will be taken until May 1.

4. Our VE team has been organized, and KR3DX, Denny, has agreed to be our coordinator. A Zoom team meeting will be held soon. The team’s mission will be providing exams to any member that wishes to upgrade, or for a member that is mentoring a prospective ham that is ready to test. The team will also be available to any area club that would need assistance at a test session.

5. There has been discussion on the need for additional net controls. A training session for those who would like to become net controls is being created, and N3EJL will be the instructor. More details to come!

6. N3NWV, Matt, gave an excellent and informative presentation on POTA (Parks on the Air). It generated a TON of interest, and…. wait for it…….!

7. We are going to have a combined POTA activation, public awareness event and cookout! It will be held at Raccoon State Park. N3NWV, Matt, is coordinating this event; he and N3TN, Frank, have registered the club call for POTA, and we are planning 2 stations to be operational. This will not be an all-day event, probably from 10 AM to 2 PM, with a hot dog/ burger cookout around noon. Keep an ear on 85 for the day/ date. This is sure to be a winner, folks!

8. The proposed by-law amendments were read and approved.

9. We had 26 members attend this meeting; great to see everyone and hope to see even more next month!

10. We are now up to 46 members!

As always, I thank you all for your continued support. The increased activity on the repeaters, member attendance, willingness to help, and input shows that this club is on the move. When I became president, I made a comment that my goal was to have 50 members this year. Well, we’re almost there! Spread the word about Triple ‘A’ and what we’re doing!!

And, if you have suggestions/ comments, please send me an email and I’ll be glad to talk to you about them. Remember, this is YOUR club, and my job is to help all of you make this club better and better!

Thanks, and 73,

Dom, N3EJL

Order your shirts here!

We are now taking orders for Triple A club shirts through May 1st.

->Three color options are available-

High Visibility Lime Green

Darker Hunter / Emerald Green

Gray

->Shirts can be ordered with or without chest pocket

->Shirts will have name and callsign embroidered on chest.

The cost is $20 each.

Lee, N3IAL is leading this effort and taking shirt orders.

Please send checks to Lee (made payable to Lee Corfield) at the following address-

LEE CORFIELD

140 KNOB VUE DRIVE

FREEDOM, PA 15042

If you prefer, you can submit your order electronically on the form below.

However, you will still need to send your payment the old fashioned way.

ARRL Bulletin regarding new RF exposure Rules

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB011

ARLB011 Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3

ZCZC AG11

QST de W1AW

ARRL Bulletin 11 ARLB011

From ARRL Headquarters

Newington CT April 13, 2021

To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB011

ARLB011 Updated Radio Frequency Exposure Rules Become Effective on May 3

The FCC has announced that rule changes detailed in a lengthy 2019 Report and Order governing RF exposure standards go into effect on May 3, 2021. The new rules do not change existing RF exposure (RFE) limits but do require that stations in all services, including amateur radio, be evaluated against existing limits, unless they are exempted. For stations already in place, that evaluation must be completed by May 3, 2023. After May 3 of this year, any new station, or any existing station modified in a way that's likely to change its RFE profile - such as different antenna or placement or greater power - will need to conduct an evaluation by the date of activation or change.

The Report and Order can be found online in PDF format at, https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-19-126A1.pdf .

"In the RF Report and Order, the Commission anticipated that few parties would have to conduct reevaluations under the new rules and that such evaluations will be relatively straightforward," the FCC said in an April 2 Public Notice. "It nevertheless adopted a 2-year period for parties to verify and ensure compliance under the new rules."

The Amateur Service is no longer categorically excluded from certain aspects of the rules, as amended, and licensees can no longer avoid performing an exposure assessment simply because they are transmitting below a given power level.

"For most amateurs, the major difference is the removal of the categorical exclusion for amateur radio, which means that ham station owners must determine if they either qualify for an exemption or must perform a routine environmental evaluation," said Greg Lapin, N9GL, chair of the ARRL RF Safety Committee and a member of the FCC Technological Advisory Council (TAC).

"Ham stations previously excluded from performing environmental evaluations will have until May 3, 2023, to perform these. After May 3, 2021, any new stations or those modified in a way that affects RF exposure must comply before being put into service," Lapin said.

The December 2019 RF Report and Order changes the methods that many radio services use to determine and achieve compliance with FCC limits on human exposure to RF electromagnetic fields. The FCC also modified the process for determining whether a particular device or deployment is exempt from a more thorough analysis by replacing a service-specific list of transmitters, facilities, and operations for which evaluation is required with new streamlined formula-based criteria. The R&O also addressed how to perform evaluations where the exemption does not apply, and how to mitigate exposure.

Amateur radio licensees will have to determine whether any existing facilities previously excluded under the old rules now qualify for an exemption under the new rules. Most will, but some may not.

"For amateurs, the major difference is the removal of the categorical exclusion," Lapin said, "which means that every ham will be required to perform some sort of calculation, either to determine if they qualify for an exemption or must perform a full-fledged exposure assessment. For hams who previously performed exposure assessments on their stations, there is nothing more to do."

The ARRL Laboratory staff is available to help amateurs to make these determinations and, if needed, perform the necessary calculations to ensure their stations comply. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, who helped prepare ARRL's RF Exposure and You book, explained it this way. "The FCC did not change any of the underlying rules applicable to amateur station evaluations," he said. "The sections of the book on how to perform routine station evaluations are still valid and usable, especially the many charts of common antennas at different heights." Hare said ARRL Lab staff also would be available to help amateurs understand the rules and evaluate their stations."

RF Exposure and You is available in PDF format for free download from ARRL at, http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/RFsafetyCommittee/28RFSafety.pdf

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ARRL also has an RF Safety page on its website at, http://www.arrl.org/rf-exposure .

The ARRL RF Safety Committee is working with the FCC to update the FCC's aids for following human exposure rules - OET Bulletin 65 and OET Bulletin 65 Supplement B for Radio Amateurs. In addition, ARRL is developing tools that all hams can use to perform exposure assessments.

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/EX