Author: Darrell Davis KT4WX

SARNET SUPPORT FROM THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DISCONTINUED.

On Thursday August 15, the management team of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced that FDOT support of SARNET would be discontinued and was effective immediately.  SARNET stands for Statewide Amateur Radio Networking in Florida.  SARNET, which began operation in 2012, is a series of UHF repeaters that are linked together via the Florida Department of Transportation microwave network that runs along the Florida interstate system.  The primary purpose of SARNET is to provide amateur radio communications support in times of emergencies.  The SARNET was quite extensively used in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in October of 2018.  Some of the repeaters are privately owned and most are owned by FDOT.  As of the date of this press release, there are 35 repeaters on the air and 8 more that have been approved for construction and or were in various phases of construction.

Although the SARNET is still currently in full operation, the discontinuance of this support will, according to the statement on the SARNET website, will have detrimental effects to the SARNET system over time.  A quote from the SARNET website says the following, “This action will have an immediate affect on SARNET since ongoing maintenance activities have also been stopped.  In addition, it will lead to the slow-death of SARNET as problems occur that are not addressed. It is particularly disturbing that this decision was made in the middle of hurricane season”.

The management team for SARNET is requesting that amateur radio operators write a letter, sign it, and mail it to the chief engineer of the Florida Department of Transportation.  They also ask that everyone be courteous and professional in your comments, so FDOT can persuaded to come back to a supporting position for this important communications resource.  A template of a suggested letter in Microsoft Word format can be downloaded from the SARNET website directly at https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/william_watts.docx.  A template of a suggested form letter in PDF format can be downloaded from the SARNET website at https://www.sarnetfl.com/uploads/6/1/7/0/61701057/william_watts.pdf  The SARNET website is located at http://www.sarnetfl.com. If you are in the business sector, the security company needs to understand the specific threats that are common in the industry. If you’ve made a decision to hire a computer security provider, there are certain considerations to keep in mind, for example penetration testing is a controlled test of the security of your network. 

For more information on SARNET, including maps of the repeaters in the system, coverage maps, facts and history of SARNET you may go to the SARNET website at http://www.sarnetfl.com

END OF PRESS RELEASE

THE WCF PRESSER ISSUE #40 AUGUST 2019 IS NOW PUBLISHED

The WCF PRESSER Issue #40 August 2019, has been published on the Section website.  An announcement of the publication of the WCF PRESSER will be disseminated on the ARRL remailer shortly. If anyone has any information that is amateur radio related that you would like to go into the next issue of THE WCF PRESSER, please send that to our newsletter editor, Jim Weslager K3WR via email at weslager@gmail.com.

For the PDF version of this newsletter and past issues in PDF format go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

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TECHCON 2020 DATE AND VENUE SET

The 6th Annual TECHCON date and venue have been set.  The 6th Annual TECHCON, the ARRL West Central Florida Section Technical Conference, will be held on Friday February 21, 2020 and Saturday February 22, 2020.  The location for the 6th Annual TECHCON will be at the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center located in Punta Gorda.  The Friday Afternoon Workshop will be on “Introduction to Internet of Things” by Jon Pellant W1JP, the ARES Emergency Coordinator for Charlotte County and ARRL Technical Specialist.

Registration is now open for the 6th Annual TECHCON.  If you are planning on attending TECHCON, please register for TECHCON by filling out a TECHCON Registration Form on the Section website at http://arrlwcf.org/section-forms/wcftechconfregistration/. Some of our previous presenters at TECHCON are planning on returning for the 6th Annual TECHCON, but we are looking for new presenters for the 6th Annual TECHCON as well.  If you wish to be a presenter, please fill out the TECHCON Registration Form and our Section Manager Darrell Davis KT4WX will get back with you.  For more information on TECHCON you may go to the TECHCON web page on the Section website at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/wcftechconference/.

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WCF EXPERIMENTER IS BACK IN PUBLICATION AND SUMMER 2019 ISSUE IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

The WCF EXPERIMENTER is back in publication and has a totally new look.  The WCF EXPERIMENTER Summer 2019 issue is now available for download. To download the Summer 2019 issue and any other previous issues please go to the WCF EXPERIMENTER webpage at http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-experimenter-technical-newsletter/.  The WCF EXPERIMENTER will be published quarterly, and on occasion a supplemental issue as needed.

Jim Weslager K3WR is the new editor for the WCF EXPERIMENTER and also the WCF PRESSER, our Section monthly newsletter.   We are looking for articles for future editions of THE WCF EXPERIMENTER.  If you would like to submit an article, please send those submissions to Jim Weslager K3WR via email at weslager@gmail.com.

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SECTION NET ABBREVIATIONS AND CANCELLATIONS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

The following Section Nets will be either abbreviated or cancelled for the month of July.  The West Central Florida Section Technical Net for Thursday July 4th will be an abbreviated due to Independence Day.  The Section ARES and Information Net at 0730 on 3940 KHz on Saturday July 13th will be cancelled due to the Section ARES Meeting and Luncheon being held at the Highlands County EOC later that morning and afternoon.  All other Section Nets will run as scheduled.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

THE WCF PRESSER ISSUE #39 JULY 2019 IS NOW PUBLISHED

The WCF PRESSER Issue #39 July 2019, has been published on the Section website.  An announcement of the publication of the WCF PRESSER will be disseminated on the ARRL remailer shortly. If anyone has any information that is amateur radio related that you would like to go into the next issue of THE WCF PRESSER, please send that to our newletter editor, Jim Weslager K3WR via email at weslager@gmail.com.

For the PDF version of this newsletter and past issues in PDF format go to http://arrlwcf.org/home/the-wcf-section-presser-arrl-west-central-florida-section-news/.

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NORM FUSARO W3IZ TO BE THE ARRL REPRESENTATIVE AT THE 2019 TAMPA BAY HAMFEST.

Norm Fusaro W3IZ will be the ARRL Headquarters representative at the 2019 Tampa Bay Hamfest and ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention.  The 19th Annual ARRL West Central Florida Section Convention, will be held in conjunction with the 2019 Tampa Bay Hamfest on Friday December 13, 2019 and Saturday December 14, 2019.  For more information on the 2019 Tampa Bay Hamfest you may go to the Tampa Bay Hamfest website at http://www.fgcarc.org.

Fusaro is the Director of Operations at ARRL Headquarters and is responsible for the programs and services that create value for members of the ARRL. These programs include; DXCC and awards; LoTW; ARRL Lab and Technical Information Service; W1AW; QST and publications; ARES and Emergency Preparedness; Affiliated Clubs and Field Services; Regulatory Information; and VEC license exams. In addition to his work at HQ, Fusaro works with other IARU societies promoting on-the air activity.  Fusaro has been a licensed Amateur since 1984, is now an Extra class operator, and enjoys contesting and DXing and casual operating on the HF bands. Before joining the staff at ARRL Headquarters, Fusaro had taught many Amateur Radio licensing classes and has mentored dozens of hams.  Fusaro is originally from Pennsylvania and grew up in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. He and his wife Debbie, W3DAF now reside in Bristol, CT.

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GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS PROCLAIMS AMATEUR RADIO WEEK IN FLORIDA

On Monday June 17th, State of Florida Governor Ron Desantis, signed a proclamation declaring the week of June 17, 2019 through June 23, 2019 as Amateur Radio Week in Florida.  Governor Desantis recognized in the proclamation the value of amateur radio during times of disaster, contributions made by amateur radio to provide communications for public service events, and the service of amateur radio operators as trained SKYWARN observers of the National Weather Service in Florida.

A copy of the Governors Proclamation can be found on the ARRL West Central Florida Section website at http://arrlwcf.org/download/wcfgeneral/ProclamationofAmateurRadioWeekFlorida2019.pdf.

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SPECIAL TRAFFIC NET FOR FIELD DAY, NET CANCELLATION FOR FIELD DAY, AND INFORMATION FOR RADIOGRAMS TO THE SECTION MANAGER.

There will be an extended session of the Eagle Net, the daily NTS Traffic Net of the ARRL West Central Florida Section, for Field Day messages to the Section Manager and NTS traffic originated from Field Day sites.  The Eagle Net will meet at its customary time and place:  2030 Hours on the NI4CE Repeater System and Dave Rockwell W4PXE will be the Net Control in place of Christine Duez K4KJN, our Section Youth Coordinator, who will be participating in the West Central Florida Section Field Day Caravan.  For frequencies and site information on the NI4CE Repeater System you can go to www.ni4ce.org.

The ARRL West Central Florida Section ARES and Information Net on Saturday June 22 at 0730 on 3940 KHz will be cancelled due to everyone being involved in preparation for Field Day.  The net will resume its normal operation on Saturday June 29.  All other Section Nets will run on their normal schedules during Field Day.

As a reminder to all Field Day stations, the NTS radiogram going to our Section Manager must contain the following per the ARRL Field Day rules, “the club name, number of participants, Field Day location, and number of ARES operators involved with your station.”  The key is that the message must be ORIGINATED during the Field Day period and must leave the Field Day site on amateur radio RF.  A sample message form has been added to the West Central Florida Section Field Day Caravan web page for your use in helping you compose a message with the required information.  The West Central Florida Section Field Day Caravan web page is at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-special-events/west-central-florida-section-field-day-caravan/.

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WCF SECTION FIELD DAY CARAVAN ITINERARY RELEASED

The travel itinerary for the 19th Annual ARRL West Central Florida Section Field Day Caravan is now published.  Please go to the West Central Florida Field Day Caravan web page to download the travel itinerary.  Starting this year, the travel itinerary is in a spreadsheet format for easier viewing.  The travel itinerary was based upon the entries in the ARRL Field Day Locator on the ARRL web site as of Saturday June 15.

There will be three teams in the West Central Florida Section Field Day Caravan again this year and all three teams will be running APRS so you can track the progress of your team as they follow your itinerary.  You may track them from your Field Day site on the APRS FI website.  Also the teams will endeavor to put pictures of their stops on the Section Facebook page.  The ARRL West Central Florida Section wishes everyone a happy, safe, and successful ARRL Field Day.

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