Bible
Verse
Mary Visits Elizabeth / Luke 1:39-45
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (NIV)
President's Report
Hello all, This month I want to thank all who participated in the weather spotting for the last month. We were devastated by several storms, some which had tornadoes in them. Some of you were on the air giving reports and some were on the air getting reports for your neighborhood. I can say that with some of the reports that were turned in, you saved many lives. These storms were comparable to the damage we experienced during Katrina. We reported 44 damages which resulted in 3 destroyed homes, several with minor damage but still livable, and several with major damage. We also had 3 homes with trapped individuals, with your help on those nights when the weather got so rough, it was with your skilled spotting and reporting that we were able to notify many communities to prepare for what was about to happen.
I extend a hearty thanks to all and to those wishing to further your skills, I suggest the SKYWARN classes on the NOAA weather site. Please take a minute to read through the classes and take these. Once certified, your spotting skills are more recognized by the weather service and maybe we can get the word out faster.
On another note you may get with some of your neighbors and start a community watch program. Stay in touch. Keep in touch. See you at the meeting! KOP
73 Charles, KB5SZJ
Next MARC Business Meeting
The next business meeting will be held at the Western Sizzlin Restaurant located on North Frontage Road on Saturday, May 7th beginning at 11 A.M. Come join us for some awesome sweet tea, lunch, and fellowship.
We will meet in the back room. Hope you can join us!
Atlantic - Caribbean Sea - Gulf of
Mexico Tropical Weather Outlook Forecast
Hurricane Season is not far away. On May 15, The National Hurricane Center will begin producing the Atlantic - Caribbean Sea - Gulf of Mexico Tropical Weather Outlook Forecast.
This year, MS-Net40 will be operating. MS-Net40 is a HF 300 Baud Packet Net on 7104 LSB. MS-Net40 is on 24/7. The net will provide current Hurricane and / or significant weather information affecting the Southeast U.S.
For more information, please contact: KI5JJP Jeff jefftrehern@outlook.com
or WB5BNV Fred BillFred5@aol.com
Weather Awareness Class
The Marengo County Fire Association will host a weather awareness class on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 1:00pm at Central Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Dixons Mills. Guest speaker will be Meteorologist Richard Scott. Being the recent weather activity we have had in Marengo and surrounding counties this will be a good class to attend. The public and all first responders are invited to this event. There is no charge for this class. We look forward to seeing you there.
New Amateur Radio License Applications Fee To Become Effective April 19, 2022
A Public Notice released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on March 23, 2022, in MD Docket No. 20-270, announced that new application fees for Wireless Telecommunications Bureau applications will become effective on April 19, 2022. The new fees, mandated by Congress, apply to applications for Amateur Radio licenses including those associated with filing Form 605, the Amateur Operator/Primary Station Licensee Application.
Effective April 19, 2022, a $35 fee will apply to applications for a new Amateur Radio license, modification (upgrade and sequential call sign change), renewal, and vanity call signs.
Anticipating the implementation of the fee in 2022, the ARRL Board of Directors, at its July 2021 meeting, approved the "ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program." Under the program, ARRL will cover a one-time $35 application fee for license candidates younger than 18 years old for tests administered under the auspices of the ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC). Qualified candidates also would pay a reduced exam session fee of $5 to the ARRL VEC. ARRL is finalizing details for administering the program.
ARRL had filed comments in opposition to imposing a fee on Amateur Radio license applications. The FCC initially proposed a higher, $50 fee. In a Report and Order (R&O), released on December 29, 2020, the amount was reduced -- the FCC agreeing with ARRL and other commenters that its proposed $50 fee for certain amateur radio applications was "too high to account for the minimal staff involvement in these applications."
ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (ARRL VEC) Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM, explained that all fees are per application. "There will be no fee for administrative updates, such as a change of mailing or email address. The fees will be the responsibility of the applicant regardless of filing method and must be paid within 10 calendar days of FCC's receipt of the application. For applications filed by a VEC, the period does not begin until the application is received by the Commission, a ULS file number assigned, and an email sent by the FCC directly to the applicant."
VECs and Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams will not collect the $35 fee at license exam sessions. New and upgrade candidates at an exam session will continue to pay the $15 exam session fee to the ARRL VE team as usual, and pay the new, $35 application fee directly to the FCC by using the CORES FRN Registration system (CORES - Login).
When the FCC receives the examination information from the VEC, it will email a link with payment instructions to each successful candidate who then will have 10 calendar days from the date of the email to pay. After the fee is paid and the FCC has processed an application, examinees will receive a second email from the FCC with a link to their official license or explanation of other action. The link will be good for 30 days.
Somma also explained that applications that are processed and dismissed will not be entitled to a refund. This includes vanity call sign requests where the applicant does not receive the requested call sign. "The FCC staff has suggested that applicants for vanity call signs should first ensure the call signs requested are available and eligible for their operator class and area, and then request as many call signs as the form allows to maximize their chances of receiving a call sign."
Further information and instructions about the FCC Application Fee are available from the ARRL VEC at http://www.arrl.org/fcc-application-fee. Details for the ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program will be similarly posted there, when available.
2022 ARRL Field Day is June 25-26
Get yourself familiar with Field Day 2022 rules: http://www.arrl.org/field-day#rules
Quote of the Month
"Spread love everywhere you go." - Mother Teresa
Have a BLESSED month!
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