Greetings Delta Amateurs!

It is unfortunate that I must report that we have an immanent spectrum
threat now facing us. This potentially threatens ARES and other Mesh
networks and various mw users in this band. I send the following in part
from the ARRL website:

At its December 12 meeting, the FCC formally adopted a Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in WT Docket 19-348 and invited comments on
its plan to remove "existing non-federal secondary radiolocation and
amateur allocations" in the 3.3 to 3.55 GHz band and relocate incumbent non-federal operations. The FCC said it's seeking comment on appropriate "transition mechanisms" to make that happen. ARRL has indicated that it
will file comments in opposition to the proposal. The amateur 9-centimeter allocation is 3.3 to 3.5 GHz. The NPRM comes in response to the MOBILE NOW [Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless] Act, approved by the 115th Congress to make available new spectrum for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use.

"By proposing to delete the existing non-federal secondary allocations
from the 3.3 - 3.55 GHz band, we are taking an important initial step
towards satisfying Congress's directives and making as much as 250
megahertz of spectrum potentially available for advanced wireless
services, including 5G," the FCC said in the Introduction to its
NPRM.

Currently, the entire 3.1 to 3.55 GHz band is allocated for both
federal and non-federal radiolocation services, with non-federal users operating on a secondary basis to federal radiolocation services, which
have a primary allocation, the NPRM explains.

The FCC said it is seeking comment on relocating non-federal licensees
to another band. With respect to amateur operations, the FCC invited
comments on whether sufficient amateur spectrum exists in other bands
that can support the operations currently conducted at 3.3 to 3.5 GHz.
The 3.40 to 3.41 GHz segment is earmarked for amateur satellite
communication. "We seek comment on the extent to which the band is
used for this purpose, whether existing satellites can operate on other
amateur satellite bands, and on an appropriate timeframe for terminating
these operations in this band," the FCC said. If non-federal licensees
are relocated to 3.1 to 3.3 GHz band, the FCC proposes that they
continue to operate on a secondary basis to federal operations,
consistent with current band allocations.

Some comments began to arrive before the FCC formally adopted the NPRM,
as it points out in a footnote. Kevin Milner, KD0MA, the
secretary/treasurer of the Ski Country Amateur Radio Club in Colorado,
has argued that the club's equipment cannot be re-channeled below 3.4
GHz, and the club is seeking relocation costs. Devin Ulibarri, W7ND,
told the FCC that amateur networks in the current band cannot move
easily into other amateur allocations because there is no readily
available commercial equipment to support the bandwidth, the FCC
recounted.

In the event the proposed amendments are adopted, the FCC "seeks
comment on relocation options and on transition and protection
mechanisms for incumbent non-federal operations."

Also at its December 12 meeting, the FCC considered another NPRM in WT
Docket 19-138 that would "take a fresh and comprehensive look" at
the rules for the 5.9 GHz band and propose, among other things, to make
the lower 45 MHz of the band available for unlicensed operations and to
permit "cellular vehicle-to-everything" (C-V2X) operations in the
upper 20 MHz of the band. The FCC is not proposing to delete or
otherwise amend the amateur allocation, which would continue as a
secondary allocation.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) has offered its voice
in challenging the FCC proposals on the two bands, saying their adoption
would "eliminate our use of the most-effective resource hams have to
build its networks."

"The AREDN Project is able to leverage low-cost commercial devices
solely because they are designed to operate on adjacent allocations,"
AREDN said on its website. "Moving to other allocations would be
difficult if not impossible without a complete redesign, manufacture,
purchase, and installation of new custom amateur hardware and
software, raising the price out of reach for the typical ham."

Interested parties may file short comments on WT Docket 19-348 via the
FCC's Electronic Comment Filing Service (Express)-

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/express

Visit the FCC "How to Comment on FCC Proceedings" page for
information on filing extended comments

-https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/how-comment.

Please follow the instructions on the FCC site.

We should take any spectrum threat seriously!

73 ES GL

DE K5UZ
DE WB4RHQ

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ARRL Delta Division
Director: David A Norris, K5UZ
k5uz@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
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Good Morning Delta Members!

We have a chance for a rare, widespread severe weather outbreak in
January later this evening and into the weekend and our services may be
needed by our local served agencies. This in part from the National
Weather Service is stating that a significant severe weather event is
possible across the Delta Division this evening through Saturday and
into Sunday as a strong cold front drags its way across our four states/sections.

Scattered showers ad thunderstorms will be followed by a significant
heavy rain and possible severe weather event tonight and through
Saturday in AR, LA, MS and parts of TN. Eastern TN and Northern AR
appear not to be in as high a risk circle as the more southern parts of
the Division. The Gulf moisture and warm air will certainly play into
any development with this system. Please check the NWS forecast for the particulars in your locale as some areas may see lesser effects from
this front.

The National Weather Service states in part:

A large storm system approaching from the Southern Plains will be
responsible for the active pattern. Thunderstorms will begin developing
in eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas by late this afternoon, and will
remain in place through the evening awaiting the arrival of the system.
Once the system nears, a line of storms will kick to the east and move
through Arkansas and Louisiana tonight and into Mississippi and
Tennessee through Saturday and into Sunday AM.

The incoming line of storms will likely bring an outbreak of severe
weather to the region. The main concern will be damaging winds
(hurricane force or higher in places), and there may be tornadoes as
well.

Ahead of the line, some data is indicating scattered thunderstorms in
southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana this evening. This will be
monitored very closely, as storms such as these will have the potential
to produce tornadoes.

Storms overnight will produce torrential downpours. Two to more than
three inches of rain is expected to dump in much of the area. Given that vegetation is dormant and not consuming much ground water, downpours
will runoff quickly, and this will increase the flash flood potential.

This event will also feature windy conditions. South to southeast winds
at 10 to 20 mph today will increase to 20 to 30 mph tonight before
shifting to the northwest. Gusts could reach 40 mph in portions of
eastern Arkansas and into parts Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Precipitation will gradually taper off on Saturday as colder air filters
into Arkansas. Lingering light rain will change to light snow in the
Ozark Mountains of the northwest. Some spots could pick up a half inch
to an inch of snow, mainly on grassy areas. Roads will remain wet, with
icy patches possible Saturday night as temperatures drop below
freezing.

Please note this as of this email, there was a moderate risk of severe
weather over roughly the southern half of Arkansas and extending
southward into Louisiana. It's not very often that risks of this
magnitude are posted for the area, especially covering such a large
area. This is serious. Please be safe and be ready to find appropriate
shelter if severe weather warnings are issued for your area.

Again, please check your NWS forecast for the particulars in any given
locale.

SM's and SEC's please prepare your ARES teams for any related
activations or needs in your states. I know most of you already have
started your preparations. We are in contact with the Emergency
Preparedness Department at ARRL HQ and they have reached out to the Red
Cross and our other partner agencies regarding the potential situation
in the area. Please let Ed or know if there is anything we can do for
you. We are on standby if we need to implement the Delta Division MOU if required by any Section/State.

For more information, please contact your Section Manager, as they and
the SEC will be managing the event.

Remember, Hams save lives, but let's not lose any performing our
duties; please be safe!

73 ES GL

DE K5UZ DE WB4RHQ

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ARRL Delta Division
Director: David A Norris, K5UZ
k5uz@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
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Greetings Delta members and Amateurs,

Vice Director Hudgens, WB4RHQ and I escaped the Ice Palace in Newington
and have made it home to the marginally warmer climates of AR and TN.
Ed left before the 6-8" snowstorm and flew out afterwards on Sunday PM
thus dodging Jack FrostΓÇÖs icy bullet again. It is good to be back.

As most of you have heard, at last weekend's meeting, the ARRL Board
of Directors did not elect Howard Michel, WB2ITX, as the ARRL Chief
Executive Officer. Beginning Monday, January 20, Barry Shelley, N1VXY,
is the interim CEO. Mr. Shelley was ARRL's Chief Financial Officer for
28 years and CEO during 2018 before his retirement. The board has
created a search committee to select the next CEO. I did support Dr.
Michel. Now, as a Board and with you the members, we will continue our
efforts to grow the ARRL and amateur radio in the future. The ARRL will continue implementing more new and innovative programs to enhance
membership value as this is ingrained in the members of the Board. If
you have any concerns, please feel free to contact me. I am sure we will
be discussing this next weekend in Jackson at the MS State Convention.

In other news from the ARRL Board of Directors meeting last weekend,
ARRL President and past Delta Division Director Rick Roderick, K5UR was reelected to a third two-year term. Rick has presided over the ARRL
during some very interesting times and changes in Newington. It is good
to have a steady leadership and some institutional continuity on the
Board during this time of transition. Congratulations Rick!

As I alluded to in the first paragraph, we continue to look at new and innovative programs, products and ideas to build better membership value
at ARRL. One thing that came out of our ARRL board meeting last weekend
was the choice for members to opt out of print QST and substitute a
digital only format in return for a $5.00/yr. dues reduction. I have
been telling many that have attended our ARRL forums for the past year
that something like this was in the works so now I must report that the
measure passed the Board and will be implemented in the near future.
Details will be forthcoming. Thank you for your support in bringing this
to fruition.

Another innovative measure is offering a new publication for new
amateurs called On the Air. It is a smaller magazine than QST, however
it is structured and written for the newcomers to amateur radio and to
help them with getting on the air. We will have a few copies available
in MS State Convention in Jackson this Friday and Saturday. This is all
part of our ARRL On the Air Suite, a program for newcomers and
intermediate level hams. For more information on this go to

http://www.arrl.org/On-the-Air-Magazine

Be looking for other value added initiatives from ARRL as we strive to
show appreciation to our members.

I will give a more detailed run-down on last weekend's ARRL Board
meeting with the Minutes when they are made available. I plan on giving
an oral "Play by Play" at Jackson for the ARRL Forum this Saturday.
It should be fun.

Coming soon: Delta Division Plant the Seed initiative! Beta tested and
ready to roll! QRX!

Please submit your last-minute items to us for the Delta Diamond
Newsletter.

This weekend's eyeball event:

Capital City Hamfest, ARRL 2020 Mississippi State Convention

Start Date: 01/24/2020
End Date: 01/25/2020

Location: Mississippi Trade Market, Mississippi State Fairgrounds
1207 Mississippi Street
Jackson, MS 39201

Website: http://mshamfest.org

Sponsor: Jackson Amateur Radio Club

Talk-In: 146.76, No tone

Public Contact: Gary Young , K5GCY
5354 Brookhollow Drive Jackson, MS 39212
Phone: 601-260-8214
Email: k5gcy@att.net

Until next time 73 ES CU in Jackson!

DE K5UZ WB4RHQ

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ARRL Delta Division
Director: David A Norris, K5UZ
k5uz@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
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Greeting Delta Members,

I hope all are well. We have been battered by storms the last three
weekends. Personally, two weeks ago a tree fell and hit the side of the
house. Easter night, a storm system moved through the Division from east
to west wreaking havoc in many locales. We lost power for nearly a week
here with extensive wind damage to the power grid in AR. So, dealing with
the virus, wind damage and intermittent loss of internet for a week have
me behind. Trust in God and pray for the generator unit was our motto for
the past week. Further, I'm really getting tired of the chainsaw, but I
do know it is a much better alternative to the manual version.

I have some updated information from HQ on expanded member services in
case you may have missed it:

ARRL members will now receive digital access to four ARRL magazines
beginning with their latest issues. Joining QST and On the Air magazines
on a digital platform will be the bimonthly editions of QEX -- The
Forum for Communications Experimenters and NCJ -- National Contest
Journal. QEX includes articles, columns, and other features ranging from construction projects to more advanced technical information in radio
theory and practice. NCJ, published since 1973, targets radio amateurs
active in radiosport. NCJ includes scores, technical articles,
contributions from top contesters, and advice for beginners and seasoned radiosport enthusiasts alike.

"Feedback from ARRL members and our readership surveys has shown that
our magazines are one of the most valued member benefits," said ARRL Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY."Our investment in digital
access provides another channel through which we can deliver content to
our members across the expanse of interests and activities in amateur
radio. All members can enjoy specialized content and a high-quality
reading experience whether at their desk or on the go. Offering this
suite of digital magazines is an opportunity for us to give members more
of what they want while adding value to ARRL membership."

ARRL's digital magazine editions provide replicas of the printed
editions with added functionality, allowing users to fully search
issues, enlarge pages, share articles, and more. The free ARRL Magazines
app also supports downloading complete issues onto your mobile device or
tablet for offline reading.

Members who have elected to receive a printed QST or On the Air as part
of their membership benefits will continue to have this service. Members
may not substitute a print subscription of QEX or NCJ as their delivered magazine member benefit. Print subscriptions of QEX and NCJ will
continue to be available at additional cost for those who want to
receive them.

All four magazines are easily accessed through any web browser from members-only links. The free ARRL Magazines app is available for iOS and Android in the Apple App Store and Google Play. If you're already an
ARRL member and previously created an arrl.org website account, your
username and password will provide you access to the digital editions,
whether online or in the app. Members who have not previously registered
will need to create a new account. If you've forgotten your password,
visit www.arrl.org/forgot-password, or email circulation@arrl.org for assistance.

Previous and prospective members can join ARRL and take advantage of
this and other membership benefits.

Note:

The May/June digital editions of QEX and the National Contest Journal
(NCJ) are now available for reading on your iOS or Android mobile device through the ARRL Magazines app, or with your desktop or laptop computer
from the ARRL Magazines page on the web at www.arrl.org/arrl-magazines.

App users please note that you may need to clear the cache in the
app's Settings menu to fully update.

The digital versions of QEX and NCJ are new benefits for all ARRL
members. Members now have exclusive access to four magazines, each with
their own unique content: QST, On the Air, QEX, and NCJ.

Stay safe my friends!

73 ES GL

DE K5UZ

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ARRL Delta Division
Director: David A Norris, K5UZ
k5uz@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
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Greetings Delta Members and Amateurs,

Field Day 2020 is upon us and a different one it will be! With
Coronavirus restrictions in place to varying degrees across the country,
ARRL will be doing things a bit different this year with 1D Class
scoring and club aggregated scores. Please see the ARRL web site for the
latest updates and donΓÇÖt forget to copy the Field Day Bulletin for any last-minute changes or additions.

http://www.arrl.org/field-day

I will be at Brock Mountain with the Brock Mountain Contest Group and
"Ugly Zebra's Flying Circus" in a virus reduced 1A effort. Safety
is always the prime concern for Field Day, so let's be safe in all of
our efforts. Please observe the local rules as well as general site
safety procedures in set up, operations and tear down.

Please report your Field Day score regardless of class. Whether you are
home alone as a 1D or 1E or with a group running 5F, please go to the
ARRL website and report your effort. Why?

One of our members, J.M., N5XFW stated in an email to me and our AR SM:

"In an after-action report that ADEM brought to my attention this
morning, one of the suggested ''corrective actions' was that Arkansas
Amateur Radio operators should participate in a Dark Sky exercise. I had
to ask what that meant. Turns out all it means is no commercial power.
Sounds like Field Day, doesn't it?".

Further, "So, I said all that to beg a favor. Would you please use your
bully pulpit of email to ask the Arkansas (and Delta Division) hams to
report Field Day activities to the ARRL? ADEM is interested in the
numbers, even if it's one guy for one hour. We want to prove ham radio
is still a valuable asset.".

I plan on extrapolating the data and giving ADEM a breakdown. I will
also make the same available to MEMA, GOHSEP, and TEMA. I think this
will again prove our worth when it really matters.

Until net time, GL in Field Day, stay safe, stay well,

73 ES DX

DE K5UZ WB4RHQ

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ARRL Delta Division
Director: David A Norris, K5UZ
k5uz@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
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Greetings Delta Members and Amateurs.

I share the following information from HQ per the FCC's proposed $50
Amateur Licensing fee:

Amateur radio licensees would pay a $50 fee for each amateur radio
license application if the FCC adopts rules it proposed this week.
Included in the FCC's fee proposal are applications for new licenses,
renewal and upgrades to existing licenses, and vanity call sign
requests. Excluded are applications for administrative updates, such as
changes of address, and annual regulatory fees.

The FCC proposal is contained in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
in MD Docket 20-270, which was adopted to implement portions of the
"Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services
Act" of 2018 - the so-called "Ray Baum's Act."

The Act requires that the FCC switch from a Congressionally-mandated fee structure to a cost-based system of assessment. In its NPRM, the FCC
proposed application fees for a broad range of services that use the
FCCΓÇÖs Universal Licensing System (ULS), including the Amateur Radio
Service that had been excluded by an earlier statute. The 2018 statute
excludes the Amateur Service from annual regulatory fees, but not from application fees.

"[A]pplications for personal licenses are mostly automated and do not
have individualized staff costs for data input or review," the FCC
said in its NPRM. "For these automated processes - new/major
modifications, renewal, and minor modifications - we propose a nominal application fee of $50 due to automating the processes, routine ULS maintenance, and limited instances where staff input is required."

The same $50 fee would apply to all Amateur Service applications,
including those for vanity call signs. "Although there is currently no
fee for vanity call signs in the Amateur Radio Service, we find that
such applications impose similar costs in aggregate on Commission
resources as new applications and therefore propose a $50 fee," the
FCC said.

The FCC is not proposing to charge for administrative updates, such as
mailing address changes for amateur applications, and amateur radio will
remain exempt from annual regulatory fees. "For administrative updates
[and] modifications, which also are highly automated, we find that it is
in the public interest to encourage licensees to update their [own]
information without a charge," the FCC said.

The FCC also proposes to assess a $50 fee for individuals who want a
printed copy of their license. "The Commission has proposed to
eliminate these services - but to the extent the Commission does not
do so, we propose a fee of $50 to cover the costs of these services,"
the FCC said.

The Ray Baum's Act does not exempt filing fees in the Amateur Radio
Service. The FCC dropped assessment of fees for vanity call signs
several years ago.

Deadlines for comments and reply comments will be determined once the
NPRM appears in the Federal Register. File comments by using the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), posting to MD Docket No.
20-270. This docket is already open for accepting comments even though deadlines have not yet been set.

The amateur radio license has been free for many years based on the
concept that we provide valuable public services in so many ways. I
would suggest we all file comments on this one. Go to FCC.gov and search
for MD Docket No. 20-270.

73 ES DX

DE K5UZ

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ARRL Delta Division
Director: David A Norris, K5UZ
k5uz@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
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Attention Delta Division Members!

There is scam email floating about and several of you have received it.
It is sent as an email from Vice Director Hudgens and looks like the
text below:

Hello [Name]

Are you available to assist? I am unavailable now and I've got credence
in you to take care of this. I would have called your phone but I
presently do not have access to my mobile phone.

ARRL-Delta Division needs some gift cards for donation to Veterans at
Hospice and Palliative care units for preventive items from Corona
Disease (COVID 19). I am liable for reimbursement. Need more info?

Ed Hudgens
Vice Director
ARRL-Delta Division
WWW.arrldelta.org

Again, the above email is a SCAM. Immediately delete it and DO NOT
reply.

Thank you.

73 SRI

DE K5UZ
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